Arc I: The Plan
Chapter: Misunderstandings

Ranma left school with a spring in his step. It had been easier than he thought to convince the rest of the morning attackers that his engagement with Akane was still valid. The combination of Akane refusing all "challenges" and his loud and threatening conversations with the culprits had done the trick. Hopefully, the only person who would be attacking Akane in the mornings now was Kuno. Since he never gave up his challenges the first time around, that didn't change anything.

Walking home rather pleased with himself, he heard the familiar sounds of flesh hitting flesh that any martial artist would recognize as a fight taking place. Looking around, he realized he was right near the empty lot Ryoga sometimes camped out in. Curious as to whom the combatants were, he rounded the corner and easily recognized Pantyhose Taro who was sending a kick at...

He froze when he recognized his fiancée trying to defend herself. His heart started beating wildly as he thought, I'll kill that bastard if he lays a finger on her. As he watched, he unwillingly acknowledged that Akane was handling herself rather well. That thought ended quickly when he saw Taro land a punch on her pectorals, causing her to fall and hit the ground violently.

Vision going red, he watched Taro walk towards Akane and reach down to grab her. Acting on instinct, he ran forward, not even sensing his ki increase as he punched Taro in the face, and sent him flying across the lot. He then took a defensive stance in front of the blue-haired girl still on the ground.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"Ranma?"

"You can't possibly think I'd tolerate you kidnapping her again!"

"Ranma!"

He moved forward as Pantyhose got up off the ground, only stopping when he felt a small, familiar hand on his chest. Not bothering to look down he said, "Akane, move. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No, Ranma."

"Why the hell not? He was attacking you!"

"Ranma, he wasn't."

"That's right, I wasn't doing anything to her that she didn't want." Pantyhose smirked, purposely letting his eyes roam over the girl that stood between them. He was mad as hell at getting sucker punched and was itching to hit that pussy in the face. Pissing him off was just a bonus.

Narrowing his eyes, Ranma put his hands on Akane's shoulders in an attempt to move her to the side but was stopped by her struggles. Taking his eyes off Pantyhose for the first time, he looked down to see Akane, her eyes full with concern.

"Ranma, stop. Please," she pleaded.

Ranma looked at her confused. Why is she trying to stop me? The only other time she got in the middle of one of my fights, it was to protect Shinnosuke. His eyes widened. NO! She couldn't possibly...

"Yeah, listen to her like a good little boy."

"Taro! You're not helping. I think you should leave."

Taro shrugged. He really wanted to continue this fight but he wasn't willing to alienate the one person who was instrumental in getting his name changed. If he couldn't attack Ranma physically, he would at least attack him verbally and get the pleasure of pissing him off in the process. And everyone knew that when it came to Ranma, there was one sure way to get him riled up.

"Anything you say, sweet cheeks. I'll see you after school tomorrow for that date we talked about." With that parting shot, he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at Ranma before walking towards the street, laughing on the inside. If looks could kill, he'd already be six feet under.

Ranma could feel his whole body start to shake in anger. There was no way he could actually mean he had a date with Akane, right? But then why would he be LOOKING at her like that.

"Date? Are you going to tell me what's happening? What date? When did you start hanging around with him? Why did he say date? When the HELL did he start doing what you tell him? What does he mean he is going on a DATE with YOU?"

Akane sighed, "Ranma, calm down. I can explain about the date..."

"SO THERE IS A DATE?"

"Yes, but..."

"NO! No buts!"

"Ranma..."

"There is NOT going to be a date!"

"I'm trying..."

"No way in hell!"

"Please listen..."

"I won't allow it!"

"...what?"

"You heard me! I won't let you go on a date with him!"

"Let me?"

"That's right!"

"Let me?"

"You'll go over my dead body!"

"LET me? Who do you think you are?"

"YOUR fiancé, that's who!"

"That's right, you're my fiancé. You are NOT my husband. You are definitely NOT my father. You have NO right to 'allow' me to do anything!" She narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest with her index finger.

"And let's get one thing straight right now, Ranma Saotome," poke, "when we do get married one day, you would still have no right to TELL," poke, "ME," poke, "WHAT," poke, "TO," poke, "DO!"

She emphasized the point by bringing both fists down to her sides and proceeded to storm off.

Ranma stared at the angry girl's back as she stalked off. He was still angry and if he were honest, just a little bit scared, but mainly confused. He still had no idea what the hell was going on.

Taking a deep breath he looked around, trying to find something, anything that would give him a clue. Finding nothing, he decided to follow Akane home...at a slight distance. Despite what people thought of him, he really was able to learn from his mistakes and knew that this would be a bad time to further irritate his fiancée.

Unfortunately for him, he still hadn't learned the importance of listening carefully.

Akane stomped the entire way home and barely managed to restrain herself from slamming the front door behind her. Making her way upstairs to get a clean pair of clothes and a towel, she then headed for the furoba. She sat on the stool, furiously scrubbing the sweat and dirt, not to mention a layer of skin, from her body.

I can't believe he thinks he can tell me what I can and cannot do! I don't care how much I love him, I will NOT be someone he can just order around.

After rinsing off and sitting down in the warm water, she let herself enjoy the way her muscles loosened up. She hadn't been able to take a long quiet soak since Happosai came to town, always fearing being walked in on.

All the work I'm going to have to put into this will be worth it if I can spend more time like this.

Her thoughts slowly turned back towards her fiancé and his reaction to Taro. It was so obvious that Taro was trying to annoy Ranma by insinuating they had a date planned. She had tried, really tried to stay calm and it had worked; up to a certain point. All she had wanted to do was explain the circumstances to him, but then he started yelling at her and telling her what to do. Which caused her to completely lose it.

But she really didn't understand why he was so worked up over it. He should know she'd never go out on a date with someone else. She never dated, not unless you counted her revenge dates with Ryoga, and she certainly didn't. So why get upset?

Letting herself sink further into the water until it reached her mouth, she began blowing on the surface, causing small ripples to form around her.

Could it be possible that he was jealous? Ranma was always a little possessive with her when it came to other men, but he'd been like that pretty much since they met. She'd always thought it was some sort of male ego thing; he didn't want anyone messing with what was his, even if he didn't want it himself. Which was pretty childish but no one ever accused her fiancé of being mature.

Ranma jealous; it wasn't an absurd idea. She remembered he had reacted in a similar way to Shinnosuke when he thought she was leaving him. He had yelled and demanded to know why she would choose Shinnosuke over him. Wasn't that what he was doing earlier?

Influenced by the calm surrounding her, she let her mind drift to what happened at the end of their trip to Ryugenzawa. Ranma had risked his life to save her, even when he thought she had picked someone else. Then she had gone and done the same thing, risking her life to save his. She did it without pause, without thought, without remorse, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

It was also the first time he really showed her affection. Akane's lips quirked into a smile as she remembered him slowly, anxiously offering her his hand. At first she was confused by his slow jerky motions, but when she realized what he intended, her heart felt like it would burst with happiness. They spent their entire trip home holding hands, only reluctantly separating when they reached the platform for Nerima.

She smiled at the memories. It was flattering that he cared enough to get jealous and suddenly she wasn't angry anymore. Actually she was a little pleased, not at his ordering her about, but because he was always so protective of her.

She wouldn't admit it but she knew exactly what kind of stupidity jealousy brought out in a person. The rest of her bath was spent in quiet contemplation and day dreams. By the time she sat down for dinner, she had already forgiven him.

Ranma was fully prepared to deal with an angry Akane at dinner. He just didn't know which angry Akane he was going to be faced with. Would she be the fuming girl that would use any excuse to lash out at him? Or would she be cold and silent, pretending he didn't exist? He hoped it was the former. While her anger was a force to be reckoned with, he absolutely couldn't stand being ignored by her.

He was surprised to see Akane looking perfectly happy when she reached the table. She had come in with a smile on her face and greeted everyone. Including him.

That did it, he was officially worried. She'd been acting strange lately and this was the final straw. First, she left him in the clutches of the handsy Amazon. Then she asked him to fight Kuno for her. Somehow she started to hang out with Taro.

And now?

Now she was behaving perfectly normal after screaming at him just an hour ago. Not to mention that she hadn't even hit him. Come to think about it, she hadn't hit him in days!

No something was seriously wrong.

Maybe when she rehydrated something went haywire. Whatever it was, he'd get to the bottom of it.

He'd make sure she was okay. It was his job to protect her and he wouldn't fail her again.

After dinner, Akane went to her room to do some homework. She had to not only complete her current assignments but also the ones she had missed while she was in China. Thankfully, her teachers had been rather understanding about her absence and gave her some leeway on when they could be handed in.

She had just finished an essay for her history class and was putting her books away when she heard a knock on the door. Not bothering to look up she said, "Come in."

When she heard the door open but no one respond, she looked over and saw a pigtailed figure leaning on doorframe. She looked at him expectantly but he remained still and quiet. He was looking at her and searching for something but what, she didn't know.

"Ranma? Did you need something?"

The sound of her voice seemed to shake him from his contemplation.

"Yeah, I just…well...are you feeling ok, 'kane?"

"I feel fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." She quirked her head to the side and asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"I dunno. You just seem different lately. I…just wanna make sure that…well, nothing's wrong. Ya know, after…"

The pair had avoided speaking about China and it took her a moment to understand the origin of his concern. When realization hit, her eyes softened.

"Ranma, I'm fine. Really. There were no lasting effects. Don't worry."

"But then why…what's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"That's not true. Please, don't lie to me."

What should she tell him? How much could she tell him?

Tell him too much and she could push him away. He wasn't ready to have that conversation and telling him that she was trying to change, to better herself for their future would definitely lead to that conversation. Tell him too little and he'd know she was keeping something from him.

Choosing her words carefully, she said, "I had a lot of time to...think recently. And, I guess it was time to make some changes. That's all." She shrugged.

"That's all?"

"Yup."

"So all this…being…" Ranma cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, "You know, ummm calm and the," he gestured in her direction, "way you…umm look. It's all stuff you want to do? It's all part of this plan?"

"Yes." To lighten the mood, she smiled and added, "No magic mushrooms. No remote shiatsu techniques. No doll possessions. I promise."

Ranma was skeptical but understood her desire to make a change. Hadn't he had the same thoughts the other night? The difference seemed to be she knew what to do while he was still trying to figure it out.

Until he knew what he wanted for himself, he thought it best not to dig too deeply, much as he wanted to. So, he'd accept her answer for now but would still keep an eye her just to be safe.

"I was just about to start our math homework. You wanna join me?" When Ranma made a face, she pouted. "Well, how about we make a deal? If we both get our homework done, I'll treat you to ice-cream after school tomorrow."

Ranma's face lit up at the thought of getting treated to a sundae without having to flirt with some pervert first. Plus getting to spend an afternoon with his tomboy? He was all ready to say yes when he remembered what started their fight in the first place. His face fell and his eyes narrowed as he sneered, "Won't that put a crimp in your date tomorrow?"

To his indignation, Akane laughed.

"Are you still hung up on that? Come on, you can't really think I have a date with Taro tomorrow, do you?"

Yes, he thought. Unwilling to appear even more foolish he simply said, "Fine then. Explain."

Seeing that he was starting to get tense, she quickly told him about the Panty Treaty and Taro's involvement.

"ARE YOU INSANE? You CAN'T just give him your panties!"

Arms crossed, eyebrow raised, Akane said warningly, "I can't?"

Realizing he was treading on thin ice, he replied, "You know what I mean! You don't really want him to get his hands on you 'pretties' do you?"

Akane sighed. She was glad he backed down from his statement because she was not in the mood for another argument.

"No, of course not. But I'm tired of having to bathe in a swim suit. Tired of having to set up traps outside the locker room windows and placing guards by the doors just so I can change for gym. You know he'll end up stealing my underwear anyways. This way everyone gets something they want. It's not perfect but in my opinion, some peace and quiet is worth one pair of underwear." When he only continued to glare at her, she threw up her arms and added, "If you have a better idea, I'd be happy to hear it!"

"I could just keep beating him up!"

"If you haven't noticed, that's not working," she ground out. Taking a deep breath, she added, "Can we just try this, please? Even if he changes his mind and goes back on his word next month or even next week, we would have had all that time without being disturbed. He's gone right now because of the agreement and you can't tell me you aren't enjoying it."

Ranma absolutely hated the idea of giving into the old fart. But he knew she was right. Their fathers had yet to come up with a way to handle their delinquent master. Ranma had at least challenged the pervert but that did nothing to either curb or change his actions. Akane really had come up with the best idea so far and he owed it to her to give it a try.

"Fine. We'll do it your way."

She gave him a beaming smile, causing him to stare dumbly back at her. That smile alone, would have made him agree to anything she asked. Clapping her hands together, and unknowingly batting her eyes at him, she asked, "So, how about that math homework?"

Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting beside her with her math book open in front of them.

He wouldn't admit it but Ranma actually liked doing homework when it was with Akane. She was always patient with him when he didn't understand something and would come up with unique ways of explaining things to him. Best of all, she would smile at him encouragingly when he did well.

He tried to stretch out the time they had alone out as much as possible. He'd miss a problem on purpose because when she double checked his work, she would always lean over to his side of the desk and he would get a tantalizing waft of her shampoo. She used the strawberry one tonight, which was his favorite.

Plus, she had this habit of biting on her bottom lip when she was concentrating. It was an odd mix of adorable and well...sexy, that only she could pull off.

Studying was one of the few activities they could do together where their parents left them completely alone. They could spend several hours in her room - with the door closed - and be uninterrupted the entire time. He thanked his mother for the lack of intrusion; she had told him in no uncertain terms, that she didn't think it was manly for her son to be a high school dropout and that he needed to get his education. She then barred their fathers from annoying them while they studied. It was the one of the few times that her unconventional thoughts about masculine behavior worked in his favor.

He couldn't let his parents know he liked the time he had alone with the fiery girl, so he would always make a fuss when she asked.

He felt a little bad for intruding on the time she could've spent on her other homework, but he had so few chances to be alone with her that he gladly ignored the guilt.

Akane knew that homework was not on Ranma's list of priorities, so she was glad that he agreed to study with her so easily tonight, if not a little surprised. She usually had to drag him into her room all the while listening to him complain that he would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else.

She on the other hand loved doing homework with Ranma. He was always much kinder when they were alone and she was happy to be able to let her hair down around him, so to speak.

They ended up doing a lot of talking about non-homework related topics during their breaks and Akane made sure they took plenty of them. She always blamed his lack of attention skills as the cause but she insisted on way more than necessary. He was always happy to go along since some breaks included snacks (always made by Kasumi or his mother).

Homework was also the time she could see beyond the dumb jock exterior he showed to everyone else. It still amazed her how a boy who was raised on the road by a careless father, managed to do as well as he did in school. Sure, he was at the bottom of the class but that had more to do with lack of effort than lack of understanding.

He was great at math, easily picking up equations. Ranma's face always showed exactly what he was thinking and she could see when something clicked into place. Like with his martial arts, he never gave up when he got the wrong answer, trying again and again.

Plus, she got to secretly watch him while he worked. It was so cute the way he would absently scratch his head when he was thinking. And she tried not to stare when he got up to stretch, but he was always wearing a ribbed cotton tank top that showed off his amazingly toned body.

Oh yeah, Akane definitely liked studying Ranma, err...with Ranma.

It was Ranma's favorite time of school: lunch. He was sitting with his buddies, Hiroshi and Daisuke, at a table finishing off his bento and listening to them talk about…something. He didn't pay much attention unless it had to do with a certain blue-haired martial artist and they knew it.

Things were looking up for Ranma and he was in an exceptionally good mood. He had predicted correctly and the remaining dumb asses had backed off this morning which only left Kuno, who was dealt with quickly.

Plus he was looking forward to his afternoon treat. The sundae, not Akane.

Although...

Akane was dreading what she had to do. After having convinced almost all the girls in her class to provide one piece of apparel for Happosai, she had one last hurdle to jump. Unfortunately for her, the hurdle was named Ukyo Kuonji.

Since the wedding, she had been able to ignore the okonomiyaki chef and would have been happy to continue doing so but Happosai was firm in saying EVERY girl in school.

Akane could have had donated another pair herself, she was sure Happosai wouldn't find out, but she didn't like the idea welching on a bet, even in a minor way. She had given Happosai her word and she was going to do her best to keep it.

She didn't hate Ukyo for her part in the wedding catastrophe but she was frustrated with her. Akane had tried, really tried, to be her friend. But every time she offered Ukyo friendship, she used it against Akane. And this time, Ukyo helped destroy the only thing in the world she really cherished, her family dojo. Akane had spent so much of her youth in that dojo and looked forward to teaching there one day and they had demolished it!

Yes, she was still very annoyed with the okonomiyaki chef.

She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to deal with her rival. Luckily, she wouldn't have to do it alone.

Sayuri, Yuka, and Akane approached Ukyo as she sold her signature dish from the portable grill she had set up under a tree.

Looking up, Ukyo's smile tightened when she saw who her new customers were. It was obvious that Akane had been avoiding her since the wedding and that didn't bother her. No, what bothered her was that Ranma had also been avoiding her, too. He hadn't once come to ask her for free food or to say hi. He had even turned and headed the other way when he caught sight of her yesterday.

It really pissed her off. He was HER fiancé. He was supposed to marry HER; the cute one. His childhood friend. Not the one he insulted all the time. Not the one he objected so vehemently to. SHE would be his bride and they would be happy running her restaurant together.

She had heard the rumors flying around school and knew exactly why the other girls were here. And she knew exactly what she wanted in return.

"What can I get you ladies?"

"We'll have three pork okonomiyakis please."

The trio watched as the chef started to prepare her batter. "We do have something to talk to you about," Akane added hesitantly.

"What would that be, Tendo?"

Akane suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was her property that was destroyed but she was the one being given the cold shoulder? It shouldn't have surprised her.

"Well, Ukyo, I don't know if you've heard, but we have found a way to stop Grandfather Happosai from raiding the locker rooms. But we will need your help."

By the time the okonomiyakis were done cooking, Akane had finished her explanation.

"Hell no."

"What?" "Why not?" "You're not even going to think about it?" came the simultaneous responses.

"There is no way in hell I'm giving that old pervert a pair of my panties."

"Well, it doesn't have to be panties," Yuka pleaded, "it could be a bra."

Ukyo snorted, "I wear bindings and I don't think he'd accept those."

"He'd be ok with gym shorts or bathing suits too," Sayuri added, opting to leave out the lingerie option, not knowing what the cross-dresser preferred to wear to bed.

"Look, it's just not going to happen. There is no way I'm caving into that pervert."

"But you have to! Please! It's an all or nothing deal!" Ukyo seemed to be unmoved by their plight and Sayuri narrowed her eyes, "If you don't do this, we'll…we'll get everyone to boycott your restaurant!"

When Ukyo glared and her hand tightened on the spatula in her hand, Akane decided it was time to step in. It was never a good idea to threaten a martial artist in any way.

Gesturing in a calming manner, she said, "I'm sure we can come to some sort of understanding. Ukyo, is there anything you need done around the store? I'll help where I can and don't forget Taro also owes you a favor if you want one."

"I don't want anything from Taro."

"Okay, is there anything you do want?"

"Yes. I want…" All three girls looked at her expectantly, "a date with Ranma."

"What?!" Akane exclaimed, followed by "You can't do that!" and "He's Akane's fiancé!" from Yuka and Sayuri, respectively.

"He's my fiancé too!" Ukyo raged.

Akane was seething. I should have known she would want something like this. How dare she? She was just about to scream when she thought, She's right. She is his fiancée. And didn't I just decide to let him spend time with the other girls if he wanted to? So why should I get mad at Ukyo's request? She has every right to go on a date with him. And I need to let her. Closing her eyes, Akane took some deep breaths.

As calmly as she could she said, "You're right…"

"No way!" "You've got to be crazy!"

Akane had to smile. Her best friends' indignation on her behalf was touching. But it wouldn't get them anywhere. Giving them a let-me-handle-this look, she went on, "You're right. But I don't know what you want me to do about it. This deal has nothing to do with Ranma. If you want a date with him, then you should talk to him about it."

Ukyo narrowed her eyes, "I've tried but…he's been busy…and I haven't had a chance." The chef looked at the ground, and added, "But if you ask him, he'll listen to you."

To her surprise, the other girl snorted. "You can't be serious? Since when has Ranma listened to anything I had to say, much less done anything I ask?"

Ukyo was red in the face. Having to ask her rival for help to date her own fiancé was beyond humiliating but she didn't have many options. "A date with Ranma. Take it or leave it."

Feeling a mixture of desperation and exasperation, Akane gritted her teeth. "I can ask him for you but I can't force him do anything. That's the best I can do."

Ukyo gave the matter some thought. "You could always trick him or blackmail him into it."

"No! I refuse to manipulate him like that. I will talk to him but it's Ranma's choice what he does. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine, we have a deal. But you better not go back on your word."

Choosing to ignore the last comment, she replied, "Grandfather will be here after school on Monday, so we will need you to meet us in the gym then." With that, Akane stomped away, okonomiyaki forgotten and appetite ruined.

Akane's bad mood lasted the rest of the afternoon. She hated having to get Ranma involved in this. The feelings of guilt and frustration put her in a vicious cycle and she knew it was pointless to overthink things but she couldn't help herself.

Yes, he had finally agreed to go along with her plan and not oppose her - or do anything to undermine her - but he hadn't offered to help her at all. She had no idea what he could have done to help but it would have been nice of him to ask. Was it too much to want Ranma to want to help out of his own free will and not be pushed into helping her, especially in this way? She knew it didn't matter; she had promised to ask him and she would.

It was then that it dawned on her; the real crux of her issues. It wasn't about Ranma helping her with her plan. It was his feelings about her. She didn't want Ranma to feel obligated to her. She wanted Ranma to want to be there for her because he wanted to be. Not because he felt responsible for her because of their parents' agreement. Or because it was one of his enemies who had threatened her, like Saffron. But because he truly wanted to be there for her. To help her. To care for her.

After almost two years, she still didn't know what she meant to him. And it hurt more than she realized.

Akane, Yuka and Sayuri left through the entrance door of the school, planning to head to the bridge to meet up with Taro, but were surprised to see him leaning against the front gates. Her friends had, of course, heard of him due to the initial kidnapping fiasco, but had never officially met him.

As soon as introductions were made, Sayuri stepped back and brazenly eyed Taro from top to bottom, circled him once and after taking some time looking at his face, simply declared, "He'll do."

Akane and Yuka suppressed their giggles, while Taro simply crossed his arms, saying dryly, "Stop. You're embarrassing me."

Akane snorted before she could stop herself. Clearing her throat, she said, "Taro, can I have a quick word?" After stepping away from the other two girls, she whispered, "I know it's supposed to be a date and you are going to need to make it look real but no perverted stuff. Touch her in any way that she doesn't like and you'll have to deal with me. Got it?"

"Come on, you can't think I would do anything like that."

"So kidnapping is okay but you're above groping? I'm gonna have to write this down."

"Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Not likely." She smirked.

As soon as the pair left for the date, Ranma appeared suddenly at her side.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"…"

As the couple gazed at each other, a blush formed on Akane's face. She had always known Ranma was exceedingly attractive. But it always affected her the most when he popped out of nowhere and she couldn't prepare herself prior to his appearance. Despite her best intentions, she always became a little warm and pleasantly fuzzy when looking at him; his bangs framing his face, his blue eyes aimed at her full of an emotion she couldn't identify, and his lips set in that trademark cocky smirk, which she secretly loved.

Ranma had seen the three girls leave class and followed them at a distance. He had stayed behind a tree on the grounds as he watched the trio approach Taro. He couldn't hear what was being said but he could clearly see what was happening. He laughed at Sayuri's appraisal of Taro but that died quickly when he saw Akane and Taro taking a side bar. His eyes narrowed at the sight. He didn't like the way the two talked to each other and how comfortable they seemed around each other. He waited until Taro and Sayuri left before going to Akane's side.

He loved being able to sneak up on her. It was a sign of his superiority in martial arts that he could fly under her well-honed instincts. And when he did surprise her, her cheeks would flush into an attractive hue that no makeup could reproduce. Her eyes would widen, a spark shining through, making him want to spend the rest of his life staring into those chocolate pools.

Their gazing at each other was interrupted by the sound of a polite cough. Both looked over to see Yuka grinning at them.

"So, I'm going now." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "You kids have fun alright?" She winked at Akane before heading off.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Ranma asked, "We still goin' for ice-cream?"

"Of course!"

The teenaged waiter hated having to work after school, he'd much rather be hanging out with his friends. But on occasions like this, he didn't mind so much. Two girls had just walked into the ice-cream parlor and were seated in a booth by the large picture window, in his section. They were two of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen.

Both were rather petite but outrageously curvy. The raven-haired girl - or was that blue hair? - was dressed in her school uniform. It was obvious that she had a nice pair of breasts and a tiny waist and he had could only imagine what the rest of her body looked like. Shockingly, the most attractive thing about her was her face. She was laughing as she walked in and he swore she lit up the room.

The redheaded girl was wearing Chinese style black pants and a white sleeveless top that showed off her figure fairly well. He was surprised that she seemed even more buxom and curvy than her friend. She carried herself a little differently too, strutting around almost like a boy would.

Ryu did his best to mess his hair up, trying for a bad boy look that was completely ruined by the uniform and apron he was forced to wear. He approached the comely girls with a cool stand-offish demeanor, intending to ingratiate himself to the attractive raven-haired girl. His intentions, as well as his demeanor were quickly lost when the stunning redhead turned her blue eyes on him and batted her eyelashes.

Before he knew it, he had gotten both girls banana splits, even though they had only ordered a scoop of ice-cream each. He had then scurried back and forth getting them tea, water, extra sprinkles, and whipped cream. He ended up giving them everything free of charge when the redhead vaguely promised to come back to the shop soon.

He was still in a daze as they left the restaurant and he face palmed when realized he hadn't even gotten her name.

"See 'kane? I told ya we weren't gonna have to pay," Ranma said smugly.

He had every intention of spending their time at the ice-cream shop just chatting with his fiancée instead of flirting with the waiter. But when the imbecile came over and started making goo-goo eyes at her, he knew he had to step in. Akane was frustratingly naïve when it came to boys and would have just thought he was being "nice" to her because it was his job. She never thought guys were hitting on her unless they were literally trying to hit on her. So did his best to distract the boy - who was annoyingly persistent – by sending him on meaningless errands for things they didn't want.

Akane was by now completely used to Ranma's antics. She should have tried to get him to stop but it was too amusing to watch the spectacle that was Ranma when he was in full flirt mode. She had never seen any real girl behave the way he did and it was like a traffic accident, she just couldn't look away. She almost felt sorry for that poor waiter but after watching him practically drool over Ranma, her sympathy waned. Then, watching as he mainly made eye contact with Ranma's breasts, any remaining sympathy for him flew out the window.

"Yes, that was very impressive, Ranma."

The pair was walking home and decided to go through the park. Akane had stopped when she saw the swings and, on impulse, ran over, squealing in delight. Ranma had followed at a more sedate pace, smiling at her enthusiasm. He was slightly confused when he reached the swings and Akane was sitting there motionless.

"Aren't you gonna swing?"

"Ranma, would you push me?"

"Push you? Don't you know how to do it by yourself?"

Akane giggled before saying, "Of course, silly. This way is just more fun."

When she saw him just stare at her confused, she pulled out the big guns; her eyes went wide and doe like, her lips forming the cutest pout he had ever seen.

"Pwease, Wanma?" she asked playfully.

Ranma's lip twitched as he shook his head slightly. What man in their right mind could say no to that? Without responding, he walked around her and reached down so that his hands were positioned next to her hips.

He had held Akane in his arms on several occasions, had carried her on his back and she had even sat on his lap once. But somehow this simple act felt more intimate than all the others. It went against any martial artist instincts to allow someone at their back and the inherent trust she showed in him was humbling.

With his new position, Ranma was eyelevel with Akane's neck. How had he never noticed how slender and elegant her neck was? It was odd to think that a neck could be… sexy? Just then, she tilted her head to one side, almost invitingly. He felt himself grow hot as he had the sudden urge to place small gentle kisses at the base of her neck.

He leaned forward automatically and at the last second turned his head towards her ear. Voice thick with desire, he whispered, "You ready?"

Perched on the rubber seat, Akane was pleased when her fiancé went along with her request. She had a wide smile on her face as she waited for him to start. She felt him as he came up behind her and placed his hands near her hips.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Somehow this didn't feel as innocent as when her father used to push her to and fro. A shiver went down her spine as Ranma's cool breath blew across the nape of her neck as he leaned in and asked her if she was ready. Even in his female form, that simple act was oddly seductive. Closing her eyes at the sensual feeling, she gulped.

"Y-yes."

They spent a quarter of an hour with him pushing her back and forth. Akane occasionally leaning back as far as possible laughing. After she'd had enough fun, they sat together on the swings. They seldom had the opportunity to just spend time together, enjoying each other's company. The blue-haired girl didn't want to ruin their fun and good mood but she knew that she had to ask him about Ukyo.

"Ranma?" she began hesitantly.

"Yeah 'kane?"

"So you know that agreement I have with Grandfather Happosai?" Ranma grunted noncommittally in response. "We had to get all the girls to agree. And they all did, except for Ukyo."

"Lemme guess, she said no, right? Just wanted to keep fighting the old bastard?"

"Right. So I had to try to talk her into it."

"So what does Taro have to do for her? Fly around town with her okonomiyaki shop sign for a few hours?"

"Err...no. She didn't want anything from Taro. She actually wanted a favor from me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She...she wants me to get her a date...with you."

Akane was looking at the ground and missed the way Ranma's jaw clenched.

"Why didn't she just ask me herself?"

"She said that you've been too busy for her to ask you. Ha-have you been avoiding her?"

Ignoring her question, he went on stonily, "So you just said yes?"

Akane's head shot up, "No! Not exactly. I told her that I'd ask you for her but that it was your decision whether or not you go on the date."

"You want me to though, right? Go on a date with her?"

Akane's head dropped back down. She didn't know what to say. Of course she didn't want him to go on a date with his "cute" fiancée. The thought alone made her feel nauseous. But she did promise to talk to Ranma about it and if he said no, she had a feeling Ukyo would claim she didn't try and would back out of the swap on Monday.

Taking Akane's silence as confirmation, Ranma fumed. He couldn't believe she wanted him to go on a date with another girl. Akane would never have even suggested it before and now she was encouraging it? Did that mean she didn't care? That she'd given up? A dark part of him scoffed.

She can't give up if she never tried, can she?

He hated to admit it but Akane never really fought for him. She got mad and jealous but had never gone to any lengths to prove to the other girls that he belonged to her. Sure she reacted when challenged but that was it. He went cold at the thought.

Akane was surprised when Ranma abruptly stood up.

"We should get back; they'll be waiting for us."

He walked off without looking back.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, it doesn't have as much action as the last chapter, but it was needed to get the story moving.

Thank you, PepperonyOwl and alwaysZutarian for the pre-read.

Original Publication Date: June 5, 2014
Revised: May 8, 2015