Chapter 8
Ranma looked at her. Could he really tell her?
'Of course you can, you idiot! Do it!
'What makes you so sure that we can trust her?'
'When has she left you hanging when you really needed her? Huh, when?'
'How does during the holidays sound?'
'She didn't know that this would happen, now did she? She didn't know that you needed her! You don't really believe that she did that on purpose, now do you?'
'And what if I did?'
'Then you would be lieing to yourself', said the little voice softly.
'Yeah, I probably would.'
Just then Akane decided to speak up.
"You know, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, or if it is too personal for you."
Ranma once again looked at her.
'She's changed. Unbelievably so. How...?'
"Nah, it's okay. I... I trust you. You just have to promise not to tell anybody."
Akane nodded firmly. Ranma sighed and started,
"It's a book about Amazon laws, I'm trying to get them out of here. I already found something interesting to get Ukyo away, but the rest is really hard. It doesn't help that it is a really hard book to understand."
Akane tried to digest what she just heard and then finally asked,
"Can I help somehow?"
Now this he hadn't expected. But he was still glad that she asked.
"Well, I mostly need some time alone, and this is hard to get. You think you could help me with it?"
She thought a bit about it, and finally smiled, no grinned, and said,
"I think I might just have what you need."
Suddenly, Ranma wasn't so sure about it.
§°°§°°§°°§°°§
On their way home, they were talking in a hushed tone, and when they arrived, their discussion turned into a fight.
"Baka!"
"Tomboy!"
"Weakling!"
"Can't cook if her life depended on it!"
At this, Akane took her mallet out. Luckily, they were in the garden, and she malleted him to the dojo.
"That wasn't really nice Akane", said Nodoka.
Akane sighed and said softly, "I know, Auntie. I'll try to make it up to him, ok?"
"That would be great dear."
Akane went to the dojo, but when she got there, Ranma wasn't injured, in fact he was calmly reading.
When she came in, he looked up, and saw that she had brought some sandwiches with her.
"Hey. So, how did it go?"
She grinned and said, "They all believed it, want something to eat?"
Ranma nodded, took a sandwich and ate it. Akane sat beside, and then she broke the silence.
"So... all I have to do, is look out for the auras of our 'friends', to make sure that no one can disturb you, nor see the book?"
"Yeah, that would be a great help. So I can fully concentrate on the book."
"Where from did you get it anyway?"
At this Ranma grinned and said that he had it from the chinese guide from the cursed springs.
Akane nodded and closed her eyes, indicating that she had begun with her job.
They had already made a plan, if someone came in to look what they were doing. They would just say that they were meditating, as a mean to try to understand the other and get calmer. Or they would just fight or spar, which would be more believable...
At this Akane grinned. The plan was perfect.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. It does belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
