DISCLAIMER: I ain't never gonna own nothin'.
CHAPTER FOUR/ THEME 34
THE RELATIONSHIP COWARDS
Alright, so maybe he was jealous. There, he said it. But what was admitting it going to do for him now? That stupid Akane wouldn't listen to a damn thing he said. Nabiki and Kasumi insisted that he could still say something to prevent her from going with Ryoga. But the kind of somethings that they were alluding to would never be able to make it past his lips. Even if he wanted to say them.
"Don't be so prude, Ranma. How many times have you faked your way out of things before?" Nabiki told him. "You're always saying meaningless stuff to Shampoo and them."
"Akane ain't gonna buy that sort of stuff. Even if I meant it."
"Ryoga-kun and Akane are good friends, so I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Kasumi said, smiling.
"Until they find themselves alone on a bench together. His hand suddenly slips in hers. She leans on his shoulder, his other hand touches her face and-"
Nabiki laughed as Ranma's chopsticks broke in half.
"What are you guys talking about?" Akane asked as she walked into the family room.
"What do you care?"
"Sheesh, no need to snap at me." Akane frowned, sitting beside Ranma at the table and eyeing him as he attempted to eat with the broken utensils. "What's bothering you?"
"You going to that festival with Ryoga."
The Tendo sisters all looked shocked or impressed that he had come right out and said it. But the sensation didn't even have time to set in before Ranma continued with, "Everyone else will have some cute chick on their arm, and poor Ryoga will be stuck with a sexless tomboy like you. I feel sorry for him."
Despite the vein popping from her forehead, Akane merely said, "Heh. Unlike you, Ryoga-kun isn't shallow. He likes me just the way I am."
"Pu-lease. He doesn't know you to like you. I can't believe how stupid you are, accepting the first guy who asks you out to the festival."
"At least he has the guts to ask a girl out."
"Akane 1, Ranma 0," Nabiki whispered to Kasumi as Ranma all but growled at the youngest sister.
"I don't hafta ask anyone out, because girls beg to go out with me!"
"Just having to say that out loud shows how shallow you really are!"
"At least I'm not going out with someone who already has a girlfriend!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"This is getting pretty good," Nabiki mused as Kasumi said, "Does anyone want seconds?"
Despite being in the middle of a heated argument, Ranma slid his bowl over for another helping as he said, "Go with that moron for all I care! Just don't come crying to me when he tries to crush you in a hug again!"
"I don't need your permission! I'll go with who I want! Unlike you who can't make up his mind and will just go with whoever wants to go with him! Honestly, Ranma! You're such a coward!"
"A what?!"
"You heard me! You're a relationship coward!"
Nabiki munched on a cookie in the silence that followed. Boy, her sister really pinned him into a corner this time…
Snatching up his bowl of rice and broken chopsticks, Ranma shot one last look at Akane before retreating from the room. Akane lowered her own bowl with a sigh.
"Nice one, Sis. Ranma actually looked like he was thinking about that one."
"Maybe Ranma-kun is really just shy after all," Kasumi suggested as she poured out tea. "What if you three went as a group?"
"That's lame, Kasumi. How will they be able to make out with a third wheel hanging around?"
"Even if they weren't already seeing other people, they're really too young for that…" the older sister insisted, crossly.
"He always makes such a big deal about the stupidest things," Akane interrupted. "I want to go, Ryoga-kun wants to go, and that's all there is to it."
"Oh, sure. And the fact that it makes Ranma madly jealous has nothing to do with it. You two are always doing these things to each other," Nabiki said.
"It's really not right to be playing with people's emotions," Kasumi told Akane. "Even if you and Ranma-kun aren't together, Akari-chan and Ryoga-kun are."
"…I just want to go to the festival," Akane insisted.
"Ranma-kun is still your friend. I'm sure his feelings were hurt."
"Whose side are you guys on?" Akane mumbled, getting up and leaving.
"Kasumi 1, Akane 0." Nabiki gave a thumbs up to Kasumi.
Kasumi just smiled calmly. "More tea?"
Akane peeked in the guest bedroom. She didn't exactly expect him to be in the darkened room so she started a bit when he got up from the small table in the corner.
"What? Did you forget to call me some other name?" he mumbled as he slammed his bowl down.
"I wasn't the only one saying stupid stuff," Akane practically whispered as she slid the door shut. "You're just as bad as me when it comes to this stuff."
"At least you admit you're bad," Ranma replied, collapsing on his futon. "Anyways, I already said I don't care what you do so if you have anything to say about that, I don't wanna hear it."
"I didn't mean to call you a coward back there..."
"I said I don't care."
"I guess we're both sort of cowards when it comes to this...sort of thing..."
The last thing Ranma wanted to do was have a conversation about this and so he closed his eyes and put his arms behind his neck with a deep frown, hoping that would put an end to the thing. There was always stupid arguments like this between them but this one just dug a little too deep for his liking.
So Akane thought he was a coward? He could ask her out anytime he wanted. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't a relationship coward. He just...didn't want to ask her out, that was all. But that didn't mean that she should go off clinging to the first guy that did offer her a date...!
"You still have a bruise from your fight this morning..."
Instead of leaving him, Ranma was aware of Akane coming to sit near him. She made a noise in the back of her throat as her fingers brushed the mark on his face. "Does it hurt?"
He shrugged.
"Does it ever hurt?"
Ranma wondered if Akane actually expected a coherent reply as she continued touching his face like that. Did she even understand what she did to him? Even someone as dense as Akane would be able to feel the deep blush rising against her fingertips, right? But despite the growing anxiety that always made him act like a damn fool around her, he actually felt...comfortable being with Akane like this.
"Sometimes it seems like you're never in pain," Akane mused as her fingers pushed away his bangs.
"There's just no use cryin' about it. Get over it and get stronger, that's all there is to it."
"Spoken like a true masochist," Akane teased. "Just do that healing before your fight with Kuno tomorrow. I heard that he has some sort of flamethrower sword from Mousse. There's a strange alliance for you..."
When her fingers started to draw back, Ranma opened his eyes and reached out to grab her wrist.
"If you really wanted to go to that stupid festival, you should have just said so. I'll take you."
"But I already told Ryoga-kun I would go with him," she replied softly.
"So? Tell him you're going with someone better-"
"Ranma." She frowned, trying to pull her hand free. But he held it more firmly, even pulling her forward.
"With that guy's sense of direction, you won't make it to that festival until it's a year past over. If you really want to go, then you should just have me take ya."
Akane stared at their joined fingers with a slightly protruding bottom lip before raising her dark brown eyes to his face. It always felt like a Chinese finger trap with this stubborn girl. Here he was, being plainly honest with her and she was hesitating, even looking to him with concern. What was her problem?!
All at once he wanted to demand that she went with him, ban her from going on a date with anyone ever again. But he knew that he couldn't do it. If Akane didn't want to be with him from her own will then...He didn't have the heart to force her. That didn't mean it didn't hurt though. It hurt like hell when she didn't give a damn about him. It felt like a large slap across the face and Ranma couldn't let her get away with making him feel so stupid and rejected.
Angrily pulling his hand from hers, he said, "Damnit, you're uncute..."
A pillow smacked him in the face.
"What the hell?" Ranma angrily retorted.
"You really are a jerk! Offering to take me and then insulting me?! What sort of moron are you?!"
"Obviously a big one for even thinking about asking out someone as chestless as you!"
"You call that asking someone out?!"
Ranma grabbed the pillow when she went in for another hit. With his free hand he snatched the pillow from under her hand and lightly bopped her on the side of the head.
"Did you...just hit me?"
"Not my fault you're slow." He stuck out his tongue.
Her eyes flashed dangerously as she yanked the pillow free from his clutches and smacked him upside the head. He in turn hopped around her and got a hit on her back. Absolute chaos followed. The rest of the maneuvers all blurred together as pillows struck against each other and body parts, feathers flying and hands grabbing and pushing on top of the blankets. In his pursuit for winning the sudden match, Ranma had pinned Akane beneath him and was tickling her and blowing on her neck as she tried her hardest to free herself. At last the magic words for mercy escaped her lips between their laughter and all at once Ranma became aware of his position on top of her.
She had never looked so cute. And the notion that this girl beneath him was his fiancée gave him a strange sense of elation and desire. He wanted to keep fighting her. Keep insulting her until she was red. Make her so angry that all she wanted to do was chase him. Stay here with him all night. Lean closer against her lips and...
Instead of indulging himself in his sudden impulsive desires, Ranma quickly rolled off Akane and onto his back with a sigh. He didn't know why exactly but in that moment, as Akane flicked him in the face, Ranma was sure that this was the person he loved.
"Truce?" Akane asked softly, holding out her pinky.
"For now," he replied, linking his pinky to hers. "But I'm still going to the festival with ya. Even if that guy decides to tag along."
"Who's the one tagging along?" It was spoken without malice though and Ranma found himself smiling despite it all.
What they had wasn't a perfect relationship by any means of the word. But hell, they were trying. And if after all the fighting and hurt and misunderstandings they could have moments like this, lying side by side and holding hands in the dark with smiles, it was worth it.
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Author Notes and other such nonsense:
Another theme complete before the projected two years!
I recently re-watched the Ranma 1/2 live drama so I'm all RanmaxAkane mode again. And yeah, the drama had some weird moments (cannot unsee those guys in their freaking leather short-shorts...gahhhh), but there was some really nice sweet moments too that made me re-love them and their dysfunction all over again =3
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