Disclaimer: A fanfic is written by a fan so therefore, I don't own Ranma.
AN: Consider this a very, very late holiday gift. I had this done for a while and just didn't have the time to post til now. The holidays were insane and afterwards I fell down with some weird cold, and then the internet gave me some problems in which it wouldn't work for me. It's just been a bad few weeks or so now with all sorts of other bad stuff deciding to all pile up on me at once. My self esteem is a bit low and has me unsure of what I've written before. I very much hope that my emotional state hasn't disturbed the level of quality in my writing. I know it's not that great but I don't want it getting any worse. If it has, forgive me please and I hadn't meant to take so long to get a new chapter up and I hope that this chapter will make up it and if it doesn't my next chapter will hopefully be better. I hope you all enjoy it.
Akane woke up that morning and wasn't sure if she should give out a groan in protest or welcome greeting to the rising sun. Last night had only equaled a 2 on the 1-10 Nerima scale of daily chaos and destruction so it hadn't been all that bad but it hadn't exactly been the greatest day either. Her family had once again managed to nose their way into her affairs and Ranma had once again handled things in his chaos causing ways. On the positive side of things, Akane had managed to hold her temper from pounding the pig-tailed boy into dust and even realized that the situation had been her fault and apologized for it. Today was also the day where Akane was going with Mousse to get his eyes checked and for her to go shopping for something new to wear during training. This lil event could be fun, as Akane liked spending time with Mousse as her friend, but as she lived in Nerima where normal things such as going to see a doctor and shopping usually ended up being complete disasters, especially with a certain pig-tailed martial artist living under the same roof as her. Akane decided that she would give out a groan in protest to the morning as she got out of bed to get dressed for her morning jog but then she would do her best to enjoy the rest of the day.
As Akane left her room to head out of the house to go on her jog, Ranma laid awake in his room listening to her leave. He had hardly slept at all last night, staying awake trying to figure out how to deal with this outing Mousse and Akane were going on together later that day. Was it a date and if it was, how was he supposed to deal with that? It wasn't as if he and Akane had ever taken the engagement seriously but they had never abandoned it either. It wasn't as if they ever said they had a relationship together but they had never gone looking for any other relationships either. In fact whenever anyone who had tried to come between them, they had both adamantly refused to let them do so though and they had bickered and denied what was happening the entire time. He knew how he felt about his forced-upon fiancee though. He just had no idea what she thought about him and that was the problem. It didn't help that he refused to admit those feeling to anyone, even himself at times, so he didn't blame her most times for the way things happened between them but Ranma had felt things had come to an understanding, albeit extremely weird but it was comfortable, between them. Ranma would say something to tick Akane off, Akane would get angry, Ranma would tease Akane, Akane hit him, Akane would sulk, Ranma would apologize and everything would be right where it had all started. So why in the hell did Akane all of a sudden want to be friends with Mousse and was even going out with him later? Did that mean Akane was tired of him? Ranma just didn't know and his head hurt thinking about it. Ranma decided that if his head hurt than someone else's head ought to hurt to, mainly the one who caused almost all of the problems in his life in the first place. Before his father could throw him out of the window for their daily morning fight, Ranma jumped out of his bed, dodging his father's lunge to grab him by the collar, and threw him out of the window instead.
Akane came back from her jog, feeling very refreshed, and saw Ranma once again sparring with his father. For just one second she allowed herself to stop, watch and admire her forced-upon fiancé. He was in top form and just grace in motion. He was fast, in control and in his element when he was fighting. Ranma really was the best. He was also very good looking with that black braid, blue eyes and hard muscled body. He really was the Kami's gift to women but he knew it and that was his downfall. He was an arrogant, insensitive jerk who never knew when to keep his mouth shut and it was this thought that reminded Akane of why she was choosing to leave him behind. He didn't care about her and only took care of her out of obligations for family honor. Akane finally averted her gaze and continued to walk back into the house so that she could take a bath and get ready for school on time.
As Ranma continued to dodge most of his father's attacks, he suddenly had a feeling of someone watching and took less than a second to see who it was. Seeing Akane just standing there watching him with a face of such sadness made Ranma stop dodging just long enough for Genma to knock him across the stomach and send him flying into the koi pond.
"Ranma, m'boy! You're getting soft! Maybe it's time for us to go on a long training trip!" Genma yelled at his son.
Ranma directed his attention back at his father and decided he'd already had enough of his words. "Aw, shut up, Pop!" Ranma told his dad as he jumped out of the pond and used a swift kick to knock him into the pond.
"No fair!" Read a sign that was held in the air by a panda now sitting in the koi pond but Ranma ignored anything else his father did as he made his way into the Tendo house to get cleaned up for breakfast and school.
Breakfast was eaten in record time as Akane decided to simply ignore Ranma's horrible table manners. Ranma was still contemplating how to handle what was going to happen later and decided it was best that he keep his mouth shut for the time being so as not to start anymore unnecessary fights. The 2 left the house and were heading to school before their families could take a guess as to what happening between the young possible lovers. Ranma, more so than usual, found it even harder to keep his eyes off his blue-haired fiancee as he tried his best to make sense of her. He just couldn't figure her out for the life of him.
"Ching, ching!" Rang the sound of a certain bike bell. Ranma groaned inwardly. He definitely didn't feel like having Shampoo hanging all over him and not at all wanted to see the guy who was causing all his mental stress at the moment. Akane actually looked up to see from which direction that the bike bell tolled.
"Nihao!" Shampoo called out her usual cry as she launched herself at Ranma. The pig-tailed boy could only brace himself for said Amazon impact. Just as Shampoo had latched her body onto the young man's body, her usual follow-behind made his war cry.
"Saotome, you will pay for putting your dirty hands on my dear Shampoo!" Mousse cried out as he made to land a kick on said's head.
"Hi Mousse!" Akane said.
At the sound of Akane's voice, Mousse immediately stopped his attack and gave a bow to his friend. "Hello, Akane. How are you today?"
Akane's face broke out in a happy grin that someone had asked about her well-being without her having already been kidnaped or caught up in a fight. "I'm doing good. How are you?" Akane asked him in turn.
"I am doing well also." Mousse let her know as he adjusted his glasses to make sure they were still on his face. "I look forward to this afternoon."
"I can't wait either." Akane responded. "Well, I better get going." The blue-haired girl then turned her gaze onto her fiancee who still had that Chinese bimbo wrapped around him. A glower instantly appeared on her face. "Ranma, I'm going on ahead. Take your time." Her face then eased up though it was not a full smile. "I'll see you this afternoon, Mousse."
Having watched the exchange of words between the 2 with more than a troubled feeling at what was happening, Shampoo simply pushed away any confusing thoughts and finally spoke. "Yes, Duck Boy take Violent Girl on date and leave Shampoo and Airen to go on own date."
Ranma's only thought was to repeat Shampoo's words and wonder if it was really a date between those 2. He watched as Akane quickly walked away and realized that he had also better a going to school if he didn't want to do bucket duty. For the past 3 days, both Akane and Ranma had been able to get to school on time and so thereby avoiding punishment. It was the longest Ranma had gone without being late to school and for the time being he wanted to keep with that concept.
Akane was slightly disappointed in herself for the fact that tried as she might she just hadn't been able to hide her feelings about Ranma. Her feelings were just too strong. She would simply have to try harder. Akane had been told that she was a good actor. At least she had kept herself from beating him to bits.
Furikan High School was looming into view as Akane made her steady way to there. Ranma had finally caught up to her after Shampoo finally remembered her delivery to make.
"Hey, Akane?" Ranma called hesitantly.
"What is it, Ranma?" Akane asked back.
"So, are you and Mousse going on a date?" Ranma blurted out in hurry.
"A date?!" Akane shrieked in alarm. "Of course not! We're just friends! Why are you asking, Ranma?"
"I'm not asking!" Ranma automatically cried out defensively. "It's just that your dad told me to go too and I just wanted to make sure . . ."
"You don't have to come with us, Ranma." Akane let him know.
"I know . . ." Ranma started to say but was then interrupted.
"Ran-chan!" The cheerful Ukyo called out coming closer and closer to the betrothed pair. "I overheard you guys talking. So Akane's going on a date with Mousse? Oh, Ranma, honey! That means you're free to go on a date with me now!"
Akane's anger immediate began to smolder but as she had just told herself that she wouldn't show her anger anymore, no one noticed.
Ranma immediately began to sweat under the pressure. Ukyo was his best friend and he cared about her but he didn't care about her in that way. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to tell her that without hurting her feelings or without getting hurt by her giant spatula.
"Aw, Uc-chan, you'd have to close the restaurant and I don't wancha to lose business cause of me." Ranma mentally congratulated himself for a well thought out excuse.
Ukyo had other ideas as there was no way she was going to let the perfect opportunity to spend time with her Ran-chan. "Nonsense, Ran-chan! Of course, I can afford to close the place down for one night, especially if it's to spend time with you!"
Before Ranma could reply, Akane decided she'd just had enough as she bolted into the school yard. "We're at school now! I'll see you in class, Ranma!"
"Akane?" Ranma whispered after her. Fortunately for him, his brown-haired fiancee hadn't heard him as she continually dragged him into the school and Ranma changed that mental pat on the shoulder to a mental kick in the butt.
They entered the gate just in time to see Akane belt Kuno a good one and he was out for the count before he could even say a word. Akane seeing the 2 coming quickly walked into the building and went to her classroom. The rest of the day passes it normally did. Well, at least what was normal for the past few days. Akane was studiously working and listening to the teacher. Ranma continually stared at her as he couldn't fall in sleep in class. At lunch, Ramna sat with his buddies, Hiroshi and Daisuke, while Ukyo cooked okinamiyakis for the 3 of them. Akane sat with her 2 friends Sayuri and Yuka.
"Akane, want to go to the movies with us?" Sayuri asked her friend.
"Oh, I can't." Akane told her.
"Why not?" Yuka piped into conversation.
"I'm going with Mousse to get his eyes checked out and then I'm going shopping." Akane explained.
"You're going out with Mousse?" Yuka asked to make sure she had heard right.
"Yeah." Akane answered simply.
"Is it a date?" Sayuri asked.
"Of course not! Why does everyone assume it's a date?!" Akane cried out in frustration.
"Well, you are spending time with him a lot and now you're actually doing something together, Akane. It sounds like you're dating to me." Sayuri told her.
"It is not a date!" Akane huffed as she grabbed the rest of her lunch and stormed away.
Unknown to her Ranma had watched the conversation and saw her leaving in a very angry mode. Akane ended up making her way to the roof of the high school. She was just sick of everyone thinking that she was going on a date with Mousse. Mousse was her friend and there was nothing more to it. They liked spending time with each other as they were one of the only 2 people in the Nerima Wrecking Crew who did not want to kill each other and didn't have to worry about arranged marriages to each other. Why couldn't people just accept that? Akane was so tired of it that instead of finishing her lunch, she balled the rest of it into a tiny ball of trash and threw it as far away as she could.
"There goes that brute strength of yours." Ranma drawled out arrogantly as he made his way to where she was standing.
"Ranma!" Akane nearly spat out. She was in no mood to deal with his insults right then and decided that she needed do so as she began to stalk her away around and away from him. Before she could get very far though, Ranma stepped in front of her and refused to let her pass. "Get out of my way!"
"Akane, relax." Ranma told her as he grabbed her my her shoulders to keep her from getting away.
"What do you want?" Akane finally asked him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest in a very intimidating manner.
"I . . .uh . . ." Ranma stuttered on his answer, as he hadn't thought that far ahead as to exactly what he would say or do when he had joined his short-haired fiancee.
Lucky for him, the school bell rang signifying that lunch was now over. Neither of them said a word as they both just looked each other in the eye and came to a strange understanding for once as they both headed to class. The rest of the classes passed in relative peace for the rest of the day though Akane's little outburst during lunch time prompted for most of the class to leave notes on Akane's desk hoping that she'd answer their question of whether she and Mousse were now dating. She simply crumpled all of them and dropped them to the floor as she stayed concentrated on her studies. The last bell rang and everyone piled out of the school. Akane took her time coming out of the school. Ranma wasn't all that far behind her. Ukyo wasn't all that far behind him.
"Ran-chan!" The brown-haired fiancee called after him.
Ranma hardly slowed his pace but it didn't take long at all for Ukyo to catch up to him. "What is it, Uc-chan?" He asked hoping he didn't sound nearly as strained as he felt.
"We're going on a date, aren't we? While Akane and Mousse go on theirs." She reminded him flashing her brightest smile at him.
"Actually, Mousse and I aren't going on a date but if you and Ranma want to go on a date, don't let me stop you." Akane stiffly told her and she then took off running toward the Tendo home.
"Akane!" Ranma called after her.
"Oh, Ranma honey, let her run off if she wants to. Akane can be so immature sometimes. Now you can go on that date with your cute and mature fiancee." Ukyo said cheerfully to the pig-tailed boy.
"Uh, Ukyo . . ." Ranma started to say but he had no idea how to explain to his stubborn childhood friend that he didn't want to go on a date without hurting her feelings.
"What is it, Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked him with such a puppy happy look on her face.
Ranma just couldn't find it in his heart to ruin her happy face. "Nothing." He told her. "Well, let me go home to drop off my school bag."
"Of course!" Ukyo said cheerfully, sounding very assured that she had just won this round against Akane.
By the time Ranma and Ukyo were stepping inside of the Tendo home, Akane was already changed and ready to leave with Mousse. She was just coming down the stairs and was wearing her favorite yellow sun dress with the pink flowers scattered over it and a dainty set of sandals on her feet. She even had time to run a brush through her hair and Ranma thought his blue-haired fiancee had never looked better.
"I'm ready now, Mousse. Let's go." Akane told him happily.
"That is very good, Akane." Mousse replied to her as he waited for her to come down.
"Boo hoo!" Soun cried as his youngest daughter came walking down the stairs. "Now the schools will never be united!"
Akane decided to simply ignore her sobbing father.
"Have a good time and don't be late!" Kasumi told them as she stepped out of the kitchen. Akane smiled at her eldest sister.
Nabiki was mysteriously and suspiciously absent at the moment.
Akane and Mousse simply walked by the other couple as they stood in the hallway. Just before they left through the front door, Akane turned around. "I'll see you later, Ranma. I hope you have fun with Ukyo." She told him evenly.
"Wait, Akane!" Ukyo called out. "Why don't we go with you and make it a double date?"
"It's not a date, Ukyo!" Akane retorted. "Mousse and I are stopping by Dr. Tofu's office and then going shopping real quick for something that I can wear when I'm sparring."
"Then you won't mind at all if we tag along then, Akane!" Ukyo insisted.
"It's all right, Akane." Mousse told her. "It can prove to them that we're just 2 friends hanging out together."
Akane stopped and looked at Mousse and thought for a second. "All right." She then agreed.
The 4 of them left with Ranma shooting furative glances at Akane as she and Mousse walked ahead of him and Ukyo. He wondered if Akane had ever looked at him to check on the situation that was happening. He wasn't sure. He also noticed that while he and Akane were usually very awkward at conversation, she and Mousse had kept a running commentary since they had left the house, while he hardly said a word to Ukyo as she continually chattered to him. It wasn't long at all before they arrived at Dr. Tofu's office.
"So new injuries today, Mousse and Akane? Or you, Ranma, and Ukyo?" Dr. Tofu greeted them cheerfully.
"Not at all, Dr. Tofu." Akane spoke to the good man. "I brought Mousse here to ask you if you had any ways to help Mousse with his eyesight or if you knew any other doctors who could."
"Well, Mousse, I'm not an eye doctor but I'll see what I can do for you." Dr. Tofu told him. "Why don't you step into this exam room and we'll get started here. Akane, Ranma, Ukyo, if you all will wait out here. It won't take long."
"Of course, Dr. Tofu." Akane replied cheerfully.
She then took a seat on the other side of the bench away from where Ukyo was trying to snuggle against Ranma. Ukyo seemed to be pointedly ignoring Akane. Akane decided to pour herself a cup of tea so that it might be easier to not notice what Ukyo was doing. She was very hurt by what happening in front of her but she was determined not to let it get to her. Ranma was very uncomfortable as he tried not to sit so close to Ukyo. Akane hadn't even finished the entire cup and there was a fine line in the small cup from how hard Akane was gripping onto the small china cup when Dr. Tofu opened the door to let Mousse out.
"I'll call him just after you leave and make an appointment with him for you tomorrow." Dr. Tofu told Mousse as they walked out.
"Thank you, Dr. Tofu." Mousse said giving the man a bow just before they all began to leave.
"Bye, Dr. Tofu, and thanks for seeing Mousse!" Akane called to him.
"Seeya, Doc." Ranma also called out.
"I'll see you later, Akane, Ranma, Mousse and Ukyo." Tofu said as he waved them all out of his office.
"So what did Dr. Tofu tell you, Mousse?" Akane asked him as she began to walk beside him.
"He said that my eyesight was indeed pretty bad and that contacts were not an easy option for me." Mousse let her know. "However, he did tell me of laser surgery."
"Laser surgery? That sounds dangerous." Akane said sounding uncertain about that option though she did absolutely trust the good chiropractor.
"He told me that it is a very safe procedure." Mousse informed her. "That appointment he said he was making for me was with a doctor who is an expert at it. Tomorrow will just be so that I can talk to this doctor."
"That sounds really good, Mousse." Akane told him encouragingly.
As Mousse continued to explain what more the good Dr. Tofu had told him about laser surgery to Akane, Ranma could only watch at how easily it was for the 2 of them to converse. Whenever he and Akane tried to talk, he always seemed to only make her angry at him.
"Ranma-honey, are you paying attention to me?" Ukyo suddenly said trying to bring her fiancee's attention back to herself.
"Uh, yeah, Uc-chan." Ranma said, being still very distracted, but it seemed to put the young lady beside him at ease as she began her upbeat chatter once again.
"So where do we go next?" Ukyo called out to the 2 in front of her.
"My part of the trip was done. It is now Akane's turn." Mousse told everyone.
"Well, I just need to get something to replace my gi." Akane said. "But don't worry that won't take long."
"Lead the way." Mousse told her.
Akane led the group to the street where all the shops were at and they soon stood in front of an athletic clothing shop. Akane quickly made way to the girl's section and began picking through the selections they had. Unfortunately, they didn't have her usual gi in her size.
"Well, I guess there isn't anything here for me." Akane said ready to give up.
"What about this?" Ukyo called out to her. In her hands she held up a pair of simple light blue yoga pants.
Akane looked at them and didn't think they were all that bad. "Are there any in my size?" She asked as she walked toward the rack that Ukyo stood next to. The 2 girls began searching through the rack trying to decide which worked better for the petite girl while Ranma and Mousse looked at the some of the athletic equipment they had in the store.
"So you and Akane have been hanging out a lot." Ranma finally said to the white-robed Chinese boy. Ranma thought that the best way to talk to the Chinese boy was to just be straightforward with him, besides it wasn't as if he was any good at the small talk stuff.
"Akane and I have become good friends." Mousse said simply as he looked over a golf club.
"That will never fit into your robes." Ranma told him but continued his original line of conversation. "It's just that you never talked to each other before and now all of a sudden you guys are hanging out every day."
"I enjoy spending with her. She is a pleasant person to be around." Mousse told him. "And you'd be surprised the kind of things I can fit into my sleeves."
"I know all too well the kind of things you can fit into those robes of yours. I gotta ask ya, Mousse. Why a training potty?" Ranma reminded him as he stared at the other martial artist trying to figure out any hidden meaning to his words.
Before either of them could say another word, Akane and Ukyo popped their heads out of the clothing rack. "I'm done now! I just have to pay for these and we can get out of here." She told them as she walked up to the salesperson at the register.
In no time at all, the group of martial artists were standing on the sidewalk. When Akane happened to glance at shop window very close to where they were all standing and she saw the most cute dress ever. It was a light pink sun dress with a vine of yellow spring flowers that started on the left shoulder that went diagonally across her chest to the right and stopped at the bottom hem of the skirt and also on the mannequin there was a very pretty set of yellow sandals that perfectly matched the dress.
"Wait one second!" Akane nearly squealed as she shoved her bag with her new sparring outfit into her friend's arms.
Mousse was nearly knocked down but composed himself and was able to stay standing. He adjusted his glasses and barely saw a blurring vision of a petite young girl run into the dress shop. Ranma just stood there barely able to keep himself from taking that same bag and shoving it down the Amazon Boy's throat. How had Akane instantly relied on that weapons-throwing-and-missing martial artist and not on him anymore? Ranma was not happy about it at all and threw a death look at the other young man. Ukyo just suddenly realized that the hand of her fiance was clamped shut into a fist and was very glad she had let go of holding hands with him when she had. She then suddenly realized that Ranma was very angry and decided it was good to back off a little bit.
Luckily for everyone, Akane came right out of the shop with another bag in her hand and she had a very bright and serene look upon her face that then became directed at her friend who was holding her bag. "Domo arigato, Mousse. I just saw something and I just had to get it." She told him feeling a bit sheepish at her impulse shopping action.
Mousse smiled at seeing his friend so happy. "As long as you are overjoyed, Akane. We are friends and friends help each other." He reassured her.
"Thanks, Mousse. Well, I guess that's it." Akane told them all. "We did what we set out for."
"But it's still early. That's not much of a date is it?!" Ukyo asked them. She was determined that the date between Akane and Mousse to work out. If Akane was happy with Mousse that meant that Ranma could be free to love her. Ranma wasn't in the best of moods so she needed time to make him feel better and the best way to get to a man or especially Ranma Saotome's heart is through his stomach. "Let's get something to eat!"
"Kasumi will be waiting for us for dinner." Akane let her know.
"I wouldn't mind something to eat right now." Ranma blurted out as he realized it was still at least an hour til dinner time.
"Let's go then!" Ukyo told them all as she led them to her own restaurant.
Ukyo quickly unlocked her front door letting the small gang inside and then went into the back kitchen to grab some of her already made batter after turning on her grill. She was gone for only a second while Ranma, Akane and Mousse sat at the bar right in front of the grill. Akane and Mousse were talking together as Ranma sat next to Akane wishing that he could think of something to say to her and also trying to figure out a way to knock the long-haired Chinese boy out with anyone noticing.
It was at that moment when Shampoo walked through the door looking very pissed off.
"Airen on date with Spatula Girl?!" She cried out, though to Akane it didn't seem to have as much venom that Shampoo usually used for her war cry toward her. "Stupid Duck Boy, why you leave Shampoo to do all work at Nekohanten to go on date with Violent Girl?!" It sounded like that time Shampoo actually sounded truly angry.
The moment that Shampoo had busted through the door, Mousse had almost launched himself across the room so that he could enter lovingly in her arms but the instant she had directed her words to him, he knew it would have been a very bad idea to him if he had actually stood up or even moved. For once he listened to that survival instinct inside of him.
"It is not a date!" Akane cried out to everyone. "Mousse and I are just friends!"
"Ran-chan are and I are on a date though!" Ukyo decided then it was time for her to yell out. "It was supposed to be a double date, Shampoo. You don't have a date so I guess you gotta go, sugar!"
Akane had just decided that she had just gotten her fill of all the nonsense. It was supposed to have been a pleasant afternoon with her friend when it was quickly escalating to be an all out rumble for who is ranma's top fiancee. While the other 2 females began a very heated and soon-to-be dangerous argument, Akane gave Mousse a look telling him that she was getting out of there and that it was prolly a good idea for him to do the same. Mousse gave a near imperceptible nod in agreement. Ranma, carefully keeping an eye on his short-haired finacee, saw the quick exchange and didn't like it at all, even if it was a good idea. She had always done those sort of looks and messages with him only. Now she was excluding him and joining in with the blind Chinese boy?! There was no way he was letting those 2 leave by themselves.
Akane had just stepped outside with Mousse walking right behind her. Ranma following less than a step behind them. Akane was just about to breathe a sigh in relief when another sight in front of her made her call out loud. There, no more than a few feet in front of her, was walking a lil black pig with a yellow bandanna wrapped around its neck.
"P-chan!" Akane called out happily to the lil pig who had been missing for nearly 3 weeks now. If there was ever a time Akane needed comfort from her beloved pet, it was truly at that moment and she opened her arms so that he could jump right into them.
Ranma could only stare at the lil animal thing in his fiancee's arms in sheer disbelief. It just had to be Ryouga just then. Did the Kami hate him that much? The pig-tailed boy was certainly believed so.
Ryouga, in his cursed form, was absolutely relieved to see Akane. He had been los . . .just missed a few turns and been having problems finding the Nerima ward in Tokyo for the past 2 weeks now. He was a lil bit disconcerted to see that Mousse was standing next to Akane instead of Ranma though. What exactly had been happening since he'd been gone?! It had to be Ranma's fault and Ryouga beared his teeth and growled right at the cause of all problems.
"Ryouga?! Don't mess with me, Bacon-breath!" Ranma warned the lil pig since the young pig-tailed was seriously getting his nerves stretched this afternoon.
"Ranma, don't you start picking on P-chan!" Akane warned her fiancee. "And where is Ryuoga? I don't see him right now."
Mousse could just watch all of the happenings in wide-eyed amusement. It was just at that moment when Kodachi the Black Rose in her black gymnast suit burst through the front door with her ribbon waving through the air and a small box in the other hand. "Hohohohohoho! Ranma-sama!" Kodachi laughed out in her most sinister way. "Ranma-darling! I have heard that the peasant has finally given up her claim on you and we are free to express our love for each other!"
"WHAT NOW?!" Ranma yelled out in true frustration and anger at the lunacy that was breaking forth.
Lucky for Ranma there was at least 1 kami out there who didn't hate his guts because both Shampoo and Ukyo had heard the Black Rose's declaration and they both came charging out. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" They both yelled out in unison.
"Plebeians! How dare you address me like that!" Kodcahi shouted in protest to the 2 other martial artists as she readied her ribbon for combat. "You must now face the Black Rose for your insolence!"
The 3 girls stood there staring each other down and ready to face off when Akane gave Mousse another significant look and the 2 slowly began to sneak away. Akane just wanting to get home with P-chan intact in her arms and Mousse wanting to get out of there without a concussion of some sort. Ranma saw his fiancee trying to sneak away with another man and got a bit steamed. For the second time again in the past few minutes He decided it was better to follow along, and then pound the white-robed Chinese boy into duck dumplings afterward.
The 3 of them walked in a line with Akane leading them back to the Tendo house and Ranma closing up the end. None of them said a word for a while. That was mostly because of the fact that they didn't want to make some noise that would magically bring all of the rivals' wrath right back to them.
They were a few blocks away from where the chaos had started when one of them finally did speak.
"So I guess your date got ruined." Ranma blurted out in haste and some other feelings he wasn't ready to register in his mind.
"It wasn't a date, Ranma." Akane said quietly as she was very tired of explaining. "It was just 2 friends trying to enjoy a nice afternoon together before it was very rudely interrupted."
"It didn't seem like it to me!" Ranma exclaimed in resistance.
"So you mean those were dates when you and I went out for ice cream or something before Shampoo showed up?" Akane countered this time making sure to stare right into his eyes.
"No! Of course not! We never . . .I'd never . . ." The pig-tailed boy tried hard to sputter out.
"Exactly, Ranma." Akane answered for him and then turned to Mousse. "Not exactly the afternoon we had planned, was it?"
"No, but we got what we needed accomplished." Mousse agreed with his friend who he noticed seemed slightly more sadder than a few minutes ago.
Just at that moment a slash of lightening broke thru the air and a clap of thunder sounded in the otherwise clear sky. That could only signify 1 thing.
"I didn't hear a thunderstorm on the weather report." Akane commented.
Ranma swore that he was never getting out of bed again. Rain was the last thing he needed.
"The beauteous huntress Akane is on the prowl and would it be that she chose me as her prey to stalk." Kuno's voice loomed out as she stepped out from behind a telephone post.
Akane groaned out loud. Wasn't at school enough to deal with Kuno?
"Allow me?" Mousse asked sensing that his friend was a lil stressed at the moment.
Akane could only nod as she felt that if she opened her mouth just then, she would just yell in pain over the day she was having. Ranma could only stare at the Chinese Boy and wondered what he meant. Mousse instantly shot out a bowling ball out of his robes that promptly hit Kuno in the head and knocked him out.
"Thank you, Mousse." Akane told him. "I would have done that myself but I don't want to put P-chan down and he might be gone for a while again."
Ranma was thoroughly disturbed by that lil action. Of all things to show that the 2 were dating, to have let Mousse deal with Kuno was the thing that topped off everything. Only Ranma had ever been allowed to deal with Kuno for her but she had just let Mousse do it for her.
"Are you OK?" Mousse asked her. He sensed that something was bothering the blue-haired young woman.
"It wasn't exactly the sort of afternoon I had been looking to have." Akane said simply with a wry grin on her face.
"No, It wasn't but let it be said that an afternoon in Nerima is never boring." Mouse agreed with her bringing a smile to Akane's face.
They soon stood in front of the Tendo front gate. "Here we are now." Mousse said amicably. "I must get going before Colonge gets word of where I was from Shampoo."
"All right. Thanks, Mousse." Akane told him. "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yes. I will have to leave a lil early tomorrow as the appointment that Dr. Tofu made with the eye doctor is also tomorrow." Mousse let her know.
"No problem, Mousse." Akane said smiling at him.
"I will see you tomorrow." Mouse told her and took a leap as he left via rooftop hopping.
Ryuoga, in his piglet form, was still in Akane's arms and had watched the entire exchange of conversation that had happened in front of him. He vowed to pound on Ranma til he knew what was happening and Ranma had gone around the corner of the stone fence and was promptly pounding his head into the wall.