Chapter 10 Of Training Trips and Other Things
Akane waited anxiously in the front hall for Kasumi to come back from her date with Doctor Tofu. Akane hoped that her sister had a good time on her date. She had been so pretty in the dress she had worn. After much talking, she had reluctantly worn the dress that Ranma had picked out for her. At first, Kasumi had refused, saying it showed too much of her legs, and bosom, but Akane had insisted and she finally had acquiesced.
Suddenly, the front door banged open and Kasumi came running in, obviously upset. In fact, she was so upset she hadn't changed into her indoor slippers. Akane intercepted her before she could run up the stairs. Akane looked at her and then held out her arms. Kasumi fell into her arms, and began crying. Akane hugged her hard, and then asked, softly, "What happened, sis?"
Sniffling, Kasumi looked down on her younger sister and replied, "Everything was wonderful at first. When we went to the restaurant, we sat and talked about all sorts of things. He seemed a little odd in the restaurant, maybe even a little cool. Then we walked in the park and he showed me some of the constellations. That was nice; he seemed to warm up a bit then. It wasn't until he walked me home, and we got to the gate that everything went wrong. I went to kiss him on the cheek, and he went berserk. He started dancing down the street and disappeared. I used to think that behavior was cute, but now I just think he hates me."
Akane giggled. Kasumi glared at her sister, who said, "I'm sorry, Kasumi. But Tofu doesn't hate you; he has a crush on you like you wouldn't believe. That's why he acts up like that. Come on; let's go raid the freezer for some ice cream and you can tell me all about the evening." Akane dragged Kasumi toward the kitchen, as the older girl half-protested. "Kasumi, there's nothing so bad that a gallon of chocolate ice cream can't fix it," Akane teased. Then she added, "Guess what, Kasumi, Ranma helped me cook tonight and it turned out good."
"Oh my poor kitchen!" Kasumi exclaimed.
Akane glared at her sister and said heatedly, "There's nothing wrong with your kitchen, we cleaned everything up. We didn't even make that much of a mess to start with, anyway, so there. Aside from me trying to shred the pork, it went pretty well. Just don't tell anyone else. This way, I can still run everyone else off and we can have some time alone."
Kasumi began to giggle, and then asked, "So are you beginning to have feelings for Ranma?"
Akane blushed, and replied, "I really like him, Sis. He's actually pretty nice for a boy. He still puts his foot in his mouth some, but then he'll do something like what he did tonight for me, and I feel so happy."
"That's good. I like him too, and I think you'll make a nice couple," Kasumi said with a smile.
"Now, tell me all about your evening with Tofu," Akane insisted.
Ranma walked into the kitchen from the direction of the furoba to find Akane and Kasumi demolishing a carton of chocolate ice cream. She asked innocently, "How was the date, Kasumi? Did you have a good time?"
Akane glared at Ranma as Kasumi looked distressed. She demanded, angrily, "Ranma, find Tofu, now!"
Ranma looked on in surprise as she saw Akane manifest a demon-head. 'Man, she's angry! I never saw her do that before!' she thought. "But, where is he? What happened?" Ranma asked in shock.
"The last time I saw him he was dancing down the street, babbling nonsense," Kasumi replied sadly.
"Oh shit, he didn't!" Ranma exclaimed and then she saw Kasumi's head nod sadly. "Okay, I'm on it," she replied as she ran out the door to look for the young doctor. 'I'm so gonna kill him!' she thought to herself, 'No, that's not for me to do. But he hurt Kasumi's feelings! Nobody does that to her!'
When Akane finally got her anger under control she said, "Sis, there's something that I've been needing to talk to someone about for a long time. I finally realized why I'm always so easy to anger. When Mommy died, I lost both her and Daddy. You know how he fell apart when she died; well, I took that very badly. I felt like he had deserted me, and I got so angry at him for leaving me the way he did." Akane began crying, as Kasumi held her in her arms. "And, then," Akane blubbered, "I got so mad at myself for being angry with him. I got so caught up in some sort of spiral of anger that I couldn't free myself from it."
"Why didn't you talk to me about this before, Akane?" Kasumi asked, her voice filled with pain. 'How did I let this happen? How did I miss this?' Kasumi thought in anguish.
"I tried once a long time ago, but you didn't want to listen. I've buried how I've felt, but I can tell that I need to get rid of these feelings. I talked to Ranma a little bit about this, and he suggested that I should try talking to you again," the younger woman said softly.
Her eyes filled with sadness and self-reproach, Kasumi began to weep. "I'm so sorry, Akane, that I failed you before. I promise, this time I'll listen," she said. 'Thank you Ranma,' she thought. She hugged her little sister, and waited for her to continue.
Ranma finally found the disheveled young doctor, sitting on the floor of his office, banging his head against his desk. When Ranma walked in, Tofu looked up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, his face anguished. "She hates me, doesn't she?" Tofu whispered.
"I don't know how Kasumi feels right now, Doc. I didn't get a chance to ask. Akane's the one who sent me after you, and I know she's not thrilled with you. She wants you at her home right now, and I'm not gonna disappoint her. I'm not real happy with you myself as a matter of fact, so you're coming with me one way or another," Ranma replied.
"I'm not sure I can face Kasumi," Tofu said sadly.
Ranma frowned and then said, "Well, there's a special technique of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts that might help. I don't like using it myself, but I think it's called for tonight. It's called the Crouch of the Wild Tiger."
"How can a martial arts technique help me with Kasumi and win her forgiveness?" the doctor asked, his curiosity aroused.
"It's a technique my Pop developed over the years that he used to get out of many bad situations. Basically, you get down on your knees and bow, saying, repeatedly, 'I'm sorry'. That's all there is to it," Ranma replied. She giggled at the expression on the doctor's face. "If you want to have a chance with Kasumi, you'd better come. Now are you coming, or do I have to convince you?" she asked, cracking her knuckles to emphasize the point, her face fierce.
Tofu stood up and looked down at the girl facing him. He sighed and asked, "I guess I don't have a choice do I? Let's go, so I can face the music." The two of them left the clinic and headed off to the Tendo home. Just as they were about to enter the house, Ranma pressed the shiatsu points again on the back of Tofu's neck.
Akane met them as they walked into the family room. Tofu asked, "Where's Kasumi? I need to apologize to her."
"You're going to talk to me first, Tofu," Akane said, angrily, "Now sit down here!' She pointed to the floor in the family room, and situated Tofu so his back was to the kitchen. Then she turned to Ranma and ordered, "You, in the kitchen, now!"
Ranma took one look at the expression on Akane's face and winced. "What did I do?" she complained.
Akane saw the hurt look on Ranma's face and she softened slightly and replied, "I'm not mad at you. Sorry, Ranma. I just want to talk to this jerk alone."
Ranma essayed a weak smile and went into the kitchen where she saw Kasumi standing, eavesdropping on the conversation in the family room. Ranma walked over and hugged Kasumi and said softly, "I'm sorry, Kasumi. I thought he would make it through the evening."
"It's all right, Ranma," Kasumi replied fondly, "It wasn't your fault. Now, hush, I'm trying to listen."
Akane glared at Tofu and asked, "Just what do you have to say for yourself, Tofu? Do you know how badly you hurt Kasumi's feelings? She thinks you hate her."
"NO! I don't hate her. I love her so much it drives me crazy," Tofu protested, "You know how I always behave around her. I hoped the pressure points I showed Ranma would help keep me from acting so crazed. It almost worked, at least until she tried to kiss me. She's the only woman for me, and I'm so scared that I'll drive her away."
"If you don't want to lose her, you better get over your nervousness or whatever it is that causes you to act so weird around her," Akane warned, "I won't let you hurt my sister again. She's just as nervous about this relationship as you are. You are going to do right by my sister, aren't you?"
Tofu hung his head in dismay and replied, "Akane, all I can promise is to try. Like I said before, I love her, and I would never deliberately hurt her. I'm just so afraid that she doesn't return my affection. She's so nice to everyone that I may not mean anything special to her."
Akane's eyes narrowed as she considered that. "Hm, maybe that's your problem then. You're afraid that she doesn't love you, so you act crazy around her so you won't find out. If you don't tell her how you feel, why do you think she should tell you? It's a two-way street."
Kasumi stood there in the kitchen, her eyes wide in surprise as she heard Tofu pouring out his feelings in the family room. She had finally heard enough. 'Tofu loves me!' she thought happily, 'But he's afraid that I'll reject him! I can't let him believe that.' She pulled herself away from Ranma and ran out of the kitchen to find Tofu sitting on the floor facing Akane.
Tofu turned when he heard the sound of footsteps from behind him and saw the widening of Akane's eyes. Once he turned, he saw Kasumi standing there, her eyes filled with warmth and wonder, and Ranma peering out from the door, looking a bit sheepish. Tofu threw himself down on his knees, and began bowing deeply, almost touching the wooden floor with his forehead. "I'm so sorry, Kasumi! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" he cried.
Then he felt Kasumi kneel down and place her hands on his shoulders, pulling him upright. "Tofu," she said warmly, "I could never hate you. I've always cared for you a great deal." Then she stopped, her eyes appraising the man before her. Then suddenly, to Tofu's surprise, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug, and hungrily kissed him. Tofu's eyes grew wide in shock, and then he placed his arms around her and lost himself in her kiss.
Ranma watched from the doorway, ready to intervene in case Tofu started acting crazy. She relaxed as she saw that Tofu was still in control of his emotions. She stepped into the family room and walked quietly over to Akane, who was staring at her sister in surprise. Ranma heard a gasp from the hall and looked up to see Nabiki standing at the entrance, staring at the tableau in the room, her hands twitching as if they were looking for a camera. After a long moment, Ranma murmured softly to Akane, "Is it just me, or is it beginning to get a bit warm in here?" She began to fan herself.
Akane began to blush furiously as she watched the couple in front of her. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, earning her an odd look from both Ranma and Nabiki. She smiled tenderly as Kasumi finally pulled away from Tofu and caressed his face.
Kasumi smiled warmly, as she gazed into the warm, brown eyes staring back at her through the amazingly clear lenses of his glasses. Kasumi then realized that they were the center of attention, and she blushed.
"Why don't we leave these two alone," Akane suggested, "I think they need to talk." She grabbed Ranma by the hand and dragged her out of the family room. She looked at Nabiki who got the hint and headed upstairs. Akane and Ranma made their way upstairs as well, leaving Tofu and Kasumi kneeling on the floor.
"Kasumi, I don't know why I react the way I do around you. It's like my mind turns itself off when you're near. I'm really surprised that I'm as calm as I am right now," Tofu said.
Kasumi smiled wickedly, and purred, "Well, then, I suppose the only thing to do is get you comfortable around me." She pushed him into a sitting position, and then crawled into his lap. "Now, hold me," she demanded. Tofu complied with alacrity as she continued, "I've spent the last several years taking care of my family. I don't regret that, though there are things that I've postponed because of it. It's time I stop putting them off," she said softly, "And one of the things that I have delayed is us getting together. I've loved you for several years, my dear doctor."
"Then I think we both owe Ranma a debt of gratitude, Kasumi. He and I talked several times about us, and he's the one who convinced me I'd better do something about you before you found someone else," Tofu said quietly.
"So you know his secret as well," Kasumi stated, with some surprise.
Tofu replied, "Yes, Akane thought that I should know, and he agreed. It gives him another safe haven for changing if he needs one. And someone else he can talk to. He really needs that. His father isn't the best person in the world from what I've been able to gather and he won't really talk about his mother much."
"She didn't take his curse very well when she found out, and ordered him out of the house," Kasumi replied, with a brief frown, "Ranma trusts us both, Tofu. I think the best way we can thank him is to continue to be a friend to him. He and Akane are getting very close as well. He's been good for her."
"I'd say he has. She isn't nearly as prone to violence as she once was. The training she has been receiving has allowed her to learn some self-control," Tofu responded. He smiled and then said, "I doubt that they want us to talk about them right now. I imagine that Akane at least would be disappointed if we don't spend some more time talking about us."
Kasumi giggled as she said, "I expect you're right, Tofu. I want you to know I enjoyed the evening out, and I expect us to do that often. Now that we've admitted what we feel for each other, we can begin to build from there." She turned in his lap and then sighed happily as he bent down and kissed her. 'Good,' she thought happily, 'I was afraid that I was going to have to be the aggressor.'
Akane smiled a welcome as Ranma joined her at the restaurant that they had picked for their date the following evening. "Sorry I couldn't meet you at the clinic, but Nabiki caught me as I was leaving my room," Akane said as Ranma put his arm around her waist.
"That's all right, Acchan. Kasumi saw what was happening and called the clinic to let me know what was going on. She said to meet you here at the restaurant," Ranma replied, "What did Nabiki want?"
"Oh, she was just curious. You know how she is. She wanted to talk some more about what was going on with Kasumi. Did you know that Kasumi went to Daddy and said that she wanted to apply for college?" Akane said.
"Good for Kasumi!" Ranma answered, "Is she going to be able to?"
"That's what Nabiki wanted to talk to me about. Then when she found out I was going to meet you for dinner, she wanted me to talk to you about it as well," Akane replied.
"Well, you can fill me in on all of the details once we're seated. We'll have plenty of time before the movie starts, so we can talk about several things," Ranma said. The two of them followed the hostess to their table. As Ranma had requested some privacy, he was pleased to see that it was in a small alcove, partially screened from the rest of the dining area.
After the waitress had come by and taken their order and brought back the pot of tea that they wanted, Akane continued, "She saw me as I left my room, all dressed up, and wanted to know who I was going out with. I told her that I was meeting you, since you wanted to celebrate beating Kodachi yesterday. Anyway, what she was telling me about Kasumi was that there's some money for her to go to college, but things will get a bit tight."
"Well, I don't mind helping around the house some more, maybe even do some of the cooking if that will help Kasumi out. Your father won't let me pay anything, though," Ranma said, "But I'll talk to her and maybe we can figure something out."
"She really wasn't worried about the money. There are still several months before the fall semester starts, after all, so we can take steps. I think it was more trying to take some of the housekeeping burden off of Kasumi, so she can get ready. Plus we want to make sure she can spend time with Tofu," Akane replied. She hesitated and then said, "I wanted to thank you for helping with Kasumi and Tofu. I'm glad they finally admitted their feelings for each other. I can't imagine why it was so hard for them to do."
Ranma chuckled dryly, as he thought, 'That's pretty funny coming from you, Akane. Neither of us was real good about that.' He replied, "I was happy to do it, Acchan. I'm just glad it didn't end up the disaster I was afraid it might have been."
"Me, too. Watching them last night in the family room made me realize that I wanted that kind of a relationship one of these days," Akane said, a bit wistfully.
Ranma reached for her hand and held it, as he said, "Watching them last night helped me understand something as well. I don't want to rush our relationship, Acchan, but I hope that one day we'll be that close. I know I've only been in your life for three weeks, but I'm pretty sure about how I feel about you."
Akane blushed prettily, but was saved from having to answer by the waitress bringing the meals over. She stared down at the table, her cheeks rosy, as she waited for the right moment to continue their conversation. Finally, the waitress left, leaving them to their privacy. Akane then said, "I've been thinking about us for a while, Ranma. I don't want to rush into anything, either, but I know I really like you. It doesn't feel like it's only been three weeks. I know we've only been on one and a half dates so far, not counting tonight, but I don't want us to just be friends anymore. I think I'm ready to go to the next step and be your girlfriend."
Akane was rewarded by a huge smile as Ranma's eyes lit up. "Akane, I was hoping you would say that. I wanted our friendship to turn into something more, but I was waiting for us both to be ready for the next step. I'd like being your boyfriend," he replied. They sat there in silence for a few minutes while they ate dinner. After eating a few spoonfuls of his soup, Ranma began to chuckle.
Akane looked a question at him. Ranma smiled and answered, "I think I like the soup we made better. That struck me as funny for some reason."
Akane giggled, then said, "I'm glad you went along with things this morning with Nabiki and Daddy. I didn't want them to figure out that I actually made something edible last night. So long as they think I still can't cook, they'll find excuses to leave when I ask to cook dinner."
"So that's why you told them I cooked after you ruined dinner! I was wondering about that," he replied, "That's pretty smart."
The two of the finished their meal, and then headed off to the movie theater.
Ranma walked into the darkened theater carrying a couple of drinks and a large box of popcorn. He made his way over to where Akane was sitting, and sat down next to her and handed her one of the drinks, and then set the other drink in the cup holder in his chair. "Ranma," Akane teased, "I can't believe you're still hungry."
Ranma blushed, unseen in the dark, and replied, "Well, I guess I picked up some bad habits when I was on my training trip with Pop. I never had enough to eat back them, so I guess I got used to always eating when I got a chance."
"Have I told you lately that your father was an idiot?" Akane asked.
Ranma chuckled, and said, "Not lately. Though I guess he did one thing right. If he hadn't made the agreement with your father, I wouldn't have met you." He slid his arm around her shoulders, and she laid her head against him.
"That was sweet of you to say, Ranchan," Akane whispered happily, as she blushed.
They sat there in companionable silence as they watched the movie unfold on the screen in front of them. Occasionally, they would both reach for the popcorn at the same time, and their hands would touch, causing both of them to blush.
Ryoga gazed into the night sky, and saw the stars shining down above him. The warmth of the campfire felt good, protecting him from the loneliness in his heart. "Oh, Sho Mei, where are you? I am on my way back to Nerima, I hope to find you again," he cried, "I need to see you, to tell you how I really feel!"
From the underbrush, a pair of eyes narrowed angrily, as Xian Pu thought to herself, 'Xiao Mei, you will pay for stealing my husband away from me!' She rushed into the clearing, ready to hug her husband. She cried, "Wo ni airen!" only to see him turn, and grab his backpack and flee. #Ryoga, come back husband, I love you!# she sobbed as she chased after him only to lose him as he turned down a path and vanished.
#Nerima,# Xian Pu said, #So that is where she is!#
As Ranma and Akane walked through the park, hand-in-hand, the stars shining down from the darkened sky, Ranma sneezed, and then shivered.
"Someone must be talking about you, Ranma," Akane teased gently.
Ranma grimaced and said, "Yeah, I think you're right." Then he smirked, and said, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force."
"That's the last time I let you take me to a Star Wars movie," Akane said with a giggle.
Ranma pulled her behind a large clump of trees and held her in his arms and kissed her hungrily. Akane melted into his arms and returned the kiss. They stood there, holding each other. Finally, Ranma broke the kiss, and said, "Wow! That was something else!"
"I thought so too," Akane murmured happily. As they gazed at each other in wonder, they were interrupted by the sounds of someone running through the trees.
"Wasn't that that boy you fought, Ryoga wasn't that his name?" Akane asked as she recognized the boy who flashed by them in panic.
Ranma stared at the figure as he disappeared from sight and replied, "It sure looked like him, Akane. I wonder what was chasing him." The two of them shrugged, and then Ranma said, "I guess we'd better head on home, Akane. I still have a little homework due tomorrow." He looked a little sheepish as he admitted that.
Akane punched him lightly in the shoulder and said, "Baka, I thought you said you were done last night."
He blushed and replied, "I was having too much trouble concentrating with you sitting next to me. That's why I ending up changing back into a girl and went into the dojo to work out."
Akane smiled happily and said, "That's okay then. I forgive you." The two of them started heading home, when suddenly Akane's foot slid out from under her, and she almost fell down. Ranma caught her around the waist and half carried her to a nearby bench.
He sat her down on the bench, and then knelt on the ground in front of her. He felt her ankle through her sock, but fortunately not finding anything wrong. He massaged it for a few minutes, and then helped her up. "It looks like you're okay, Acchan," Ranma said, as they walked down the path toward home.
Up in one of the trees, a darkened figure chuckled evilly, eyes glaring at the two of them as they walked out of sight. "I will have my vengeance," the figure said and then vanished.
As Ranma and Akane neared the schoolyard, they were surprised to see Kodachi Kuno waiting for them with her brother at the front gate. Kodachi smiled pleasantly as they neared. "Akane Tendo, I've come to warn you. I will have my vengeance! That handsome, pigtailed boy you were with last night will be mine! I will ruin your happiness!" Kodachi exclaimed.
"What, the fair Akane Tendo was on a date! Never! I, Tatewaki Kuno, won't allow it!" Kuno proclaimed.
Akane glared at the brother and sister, and said, angrily, "Shut up Kuno. As for you, Kodachi, I don't know what you're talking about!" She rushed past both of them, leaving Ranma behind.
"My beloved Ranma, I will date with thee!" Kuno exclaimed.
Ranma glared at him and replied, "When hell freezes over first, Blue Blunder. Now, I suggest you leave us both alone!"
"Ha, brother dearest, it seems that neither of your fair maidens care for you," Kodachi exclaimed. She turned to Ranma and said, "And as for you, Ranma, you shouldn't have helped Akane." She jumped to the top of the wall, and then vanished out of sight.
Kuno made the mistake of grabbing at Ranma, attempting to hug her. She swung her book bag and hit him hard in the stomach, causing him to fold over and then she grabbed him. "Here! I'll help you get to class on time, sempai!" she said. She threw him toward the school, aiming for the second floor window that opened up into his homeroom class. Kuno sailed high into the air, and crashed into the side of the building, just to the right of the window. He stayed flattened against the building wall, and then slowly slid down to the ground below.
"Ouch, that hurt," Kuno moaned as he lapsed into unconsciousness. Ranma gazed at him, her eyes cold, and then she ran up the stairs to her classroom, reaching her desk just before the bell rang.
Kuno regained consciousness in the nurse's office. As he raised himself up on one elbow, he saw Nabiki Tendo standing there. "Kuno-baby, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, "Haven't you figured out by now that they don't want you?"
"Never," Kuno replied, "The fair Akane Tendo and the fiery Ranma Saotome are just too shy to express their feelings for me. I will woo them both until they are able to show their love for me."
"Whatever," Nabiki replied, dryly, "Anyway, you owe me for dragging you up here. Usual fee."
"Fine," Kuno snapped, "However, I need you to find something else out for me. My twisted sister claims to have seen the beauteous Akane Tendo out on a date last night. Obviously she is mistaken, as your sister would never willingly go out with someone other than myself. But, I would like you to find out who the cur is that my sister saw her with."
"Are you sure that is what your sister said?" Nabiki asked, her eyes showing her confusion if you looked hard enough.
"That is what Kodachi said. I find it hard to believe myself, but I must know the truth. IF there is some truth to the tale, then I will find the black-hearted fiend who dares come between my beloved and myself," Kuno avowed.
"I'll see what I can discover," Nabiki replied, reluctantly, as she left the office, her mind troubled.
As Nabiki headed toward her classroom after the lunch period was over, Kodachi Kuno stopped her. "Brother dearest tells me that you know everything that goes on around this school," Kodachi said.
"People say that," Nabiki admitted, "What can I do for you?"
"I want to know who the pigtailed boy is that your sister is dating," Kodachi stated.
"As far as I know, Akane isn't dating anyone. I don't know any pigtailed boy, either. Besides, do you really think I would sell out my sister to someone like you?" Nabiki said.
Kodachi smiled evilly and said, "For the right price, the word is you would sell out anyone. I'll pay you fifty thousand yen for whatever you can find out about him."
Nabiki's eyes grew cold as she said, "You heard wrong, Kodachi. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to class."
Kodachi replied, "How about one hundred thousand yen, then?" Kodachi didn't even see the hand move, but she felt the pain as Nabiki slapped her across the face.
"Which part of that didn't you understand, bitch?" Nabiki said, her voice icy.
Kodachi drew back her hand to hit Nabiki only to have it stopped. "Leave her alone," Ranma growled, "No one hurts my friends."
"Thanks, Ranma," Nabiki said as she escaped to her classroom.
Kodachi spun to see Ranma glaring at her, her eyes flashing with anger. "Leave my family and friends alone, Kodachi. You lost fair and square on Saturday," Ranma growled.
"I want the pigtailed boy," Kodachi replied, her chest heaving.
Ranma thought despairingly, 'Oh no, here we go again! How do I convince her not to start this?' She sighed resignedly, squared her shoulders and then said firmly, "I was with Akane all last night, Kodachi. There is no pigtailed boy for you to chase."
"You wicked, wicked girl, I see it all so clearly now. You want him for yourself. Well, I'm going to take him away from both of you," Kodachi exclaimed. She tried to pull her arm free, only to fail.
"Are you truly as delusional as your older brother, Kodachi? I actually thought better of you than that," Ranma asked softly, "You're an attractive girl, surely there is someone else that you can find?"
"You don't understand, Saotome. It's a matter of vengeance. I am nothing if I'm not the best in gymnastics. Your Akane Tendo has taken that away from me," Kodachi snarled.
"Then I suggest you go back to practicing your gymnastics more, and cheating a lot less," Ranma said, sternly, "You have the potential to be good, but you spoil it by cheating. Your family comes from a long line of samurai as does mine, so you know as well as I do that nothing comes easy in martial arts. Why do you think gymnastics would be any different?"
Kodachi pulled her arm away and gazed at the redheaded girl, her eyes troubled. Then she ran off.
Ranma rubbed the back of her neck and said, "That was interesting. No flowers for a change, and no odd laugh."
Ranma stood waiting by the main door to the school, waiting for Akane to join her after gym class was over. As she did so, Hiroshi walked up and stood there, looking a bit bashful. Finally, Hiroshi stammered, "Uh, Ranma, I was, uh, wondering, I mean, that is, are you doing anything Saturday night?"
Ranma's eyes widened as she thought, 'Oh damn, not you too.' Her eyes looked at him coldly, and she replied, "I thought you were going steady with my friend Sayuri."
Hiroshi gulped and then replied, digging himself into a deep hole, "Well, yeah, I guess we are. I mean, yeah, she's my girlfriend. But she's gonna be out of town and I thought maybe."
"You thought wrong, Hiroshi. I think you better just stay with Sayuri. She's a nice girl, and my friend. What gives you the idea that I would want to hurt one of my friends?" Ranma said. 'Man, I didn't realize he was such a jerk before, hitting on one of his girlfriend's friends,' she thought with disdain.
"You don't seem to be dating anyone, so I guess I thought you might be lonely," Hiroshi stammered, digging the hole that he was in even deeper.
"Wrong answer, Hiroshi. I'm not that kind of girl. I don't betray my friends. Besides, I have someone I'm seeing," Ranma replied, "Now get out of my sight, jerk!"
Hiroshi took one look at the expression on Ranma's face, and decided to take her advice. He ran off, while the getting was good. Akane came up to Ranma with a puzzled look on her face. "What was that all about?" she asked.
"I just got asked out on a date!" Ranma fumed, "Come on, I need to work this off, and I need a punching dummy."
"Eek!" Akane replied, looking a bit worried.
Ranma looked sheepish and said, "Sorry, I meant a real dummy, not you."
Nabiki walked into the dojo, where Ranma and Akane were just finishing up their practice. "Hey, sis, you're getting pretty good!" Nabiki exclaimed. The two martial artists turned from where they were standing next to each other.
Akane stopped wiping her face with her towel, and replied, "Well, I've had a pretty good teacher. It's amazing what you can learn when you're getting instructions instead of trying to pick it up from what I remembered when Daddy had students."
"Hey, I came by to ask about this morning. What was all that nonsense that Kodachi was spouting? About seeing you with a boy and that she is planning on stealing him away from you," Nabiki said, "I thought the two of you went out to eat to celebrate your victory. Do you have a boyfriend that I don't know about?"
Ranma giggled, and said, "She must have seen us at the park, Akane. Remember, when you stumbled and I caught you. I put my arm around your waist and then helped you walk to the bench."
"Oh that's right. And then you knelt on the ground so you could take a look at the ankle. She must have thought you were a boy," Akane agreed, blushing.
"Well, I was in heavy tomboy mode, with that cap I was wearing, so in the dark, she wouldn't have been able to see my face. And, my hair would have looked black as well," Ranma continued.
Nabiki giggled, and said, "So she's planning on stealing Ranma away from you, huh, sis?"
Akane replied, "Looks that way. Of course, she's a Kuno. They don't have a real firm grasp on reality anyway." The three girls giggled together for a few minutes.
"What were the two of you doing in the park anyway?" Nabiki asked curious.
Akane got a mischievous look in her eyes and said, "Well, isn't that the place where couples go if they want some privacy?" She scooted next to Ranma and pulled her close. Ranma smiled lazily and leaned her head on Akane's shoulder.
"We did want a little quality time," Ranma purred, "I mean, really, people wander into the dojo all of the time! Where else could we find a place for some kissing?"
Nabiki's eyes got wide as she face-faulted. "You mean the rumors about you are true, Akane? You really do like girls?" Nabiki gasped.
Ranma and Akane looked at each other and then broke out laughing. "Sorry, sis, you're just too easy," Akane replied, "No; we were just pulling your leg."
"Akane, you are too much. It's a good thing I saw the look in your eyes, or I wouldn't have known to play along," Ranma added.
Nabiki smiled toothily at the pair in front of her and said, "Just wait until I get my revenge on you. We'll see who laughs last then."
Ranma and Akane turned to each other with identical looks of fear and said, "Uh oh."
Then Akane remembered something and asked angrily, "Rumors? Who's spreading rumors about me?"
Nabiki sweat-dropped and replied, "Well, you know all those weeks you kept yelling you hate boys. Well, some of the girls I guess got jealous of all of the attention that the boys were giving you and starting saying then you must like girls."
"I want their names!" Akane spat.
"It's only a few of them, Akane. Most of the girls at school knew about your crush on Doctor Tofu so they ignored what they were saying. The story Kodachi spread this morning will take care of them anyway," Nabiki replied.
"Just let it go, Akane. In fact, why don't you let Nabiki take care of those girls? She can do a better job of squelching any rumors. If you beat up on them because of what they are saying, it'll just cause some people to believe there might be some truth to what they were saying," Ranma urged.
Nabiki looked at Ranma in respect and replied, "That's a good plan, Ranma. I figured you'd be in the beat people up and ask questions later category."
Ranma shrugged, and replied, "Violence isn't always the answer, Nabiki. It's not working with Kuno. Besides, you really can't fight rumors with physical force. You have to be more subtle than that, and you're the Queen of Subtle, Nabs."
Akane looked at the other two girls and said, "I guess I don't have any choice in the matter, Sis. If you and Ranma both agree that you need to handle it, then I'll leave it to you. If it gets worse instead of better though, I may change my mind."
Thursday afternoon had finally arrived. Ranma and Akane rushed home from school, and ran up to their rooms to change clothing. They ran back downstairs, carrying their backpacks to be greeted by a smiling Kasumi. She hugged Ranma and said, "You take good care of my sister while you two are gone."
Ranma blushed and said, "I'll do my best, but she can really take care of herself. You know that."
Kasumi giggled and then hugged her sister. She said, "The same thing goes for you, Akane. You take good care of my brother."
The two girls hugged Kasumi and then left, racing for the train station. Once they arrived, Ranma made her way through the ticket line and paid for their fare. The two of them impatiently waited for the train to arrive. Once it got to the station, they climbed aboard one of the cars. They placed their backpacks on one of the benches, and then Ranma made her way to the restroom to change. Once Ranma had changed back, he adjusted his clothing so it would fit better, and made his way back to where he had left Akane. She was glowing blue in anger as two boys where accosting her.
Ranma came up behind them and asked, evenly, "Were you bothering my girlfriend?"
The taller of the two turned around and sneered, "And what if we were, punk?"
"Then I'd suggest you apologize before you have no need of a woman ever again," Ranma said, with a smirk.
The boy stared at Ranma and then paled at whatever he saw in Ranma's eyes. "I'm sorry we bothered you, miss," he said as he backed away down the aisle. Once he was out of Ranma's view, he ran to the door to the car, and went into another car. The second boy, feeling deserted, slowly backed up as well, and then turned and ran off.
"I could have taken care of them, Ranma," Akane growled.
Ranma shrugged and rejoined, "I know you could, Acchan. I just didn't want you to be too sore when we hike up the trail tonight. We have a ways to go, you know."
"That's different, then. I forgive you," Akane replied.
The train pulled out of the station at Nerima, heading up the tracks toward their destination. Ranma and Akane settled back, and watched the scenery go by through the window. The two of them slowly fell asleep, Akane curled up next to Ranma, with her head on his shoulder.
As they pulled into the station servicing the small village at the foot of the mountains towering above, Ranma nudged Akane awake from where she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "We're at our stop," Ranma said with an eager smile. They gathered up their backpacks and climbed down from the train into the station and then made their way to a small grocery store that Ranma vaguely remembered. After buying a few perishables that Ranma placed in an ice chest. Ranma slung the ice chest over one shoulder, and they headed up a well-marked trail that headed toward the mountains. After hiking about thirty minutes, the trail narrowed and appeared to vanish completely. Akane followed Ranma, as he crossed over a small ravine and then walked around a large set of boulders. Once she did that, she saw another trail had started that lead up to a saddle between two towering mountains. Once they reached the saddle, Ranma paused to allow Akane to catch her breath and to gaze down into the valley below. She saw a vista of tree-covered slopes, surrounded on all sides by towering hills, partially filled with a dark blue tarn. "See that clearing down there to the right," Ranma said as he pointed, "That's where we're stopping."
"This place is beautiful, Ranma. How did you find it?" Akane asked.
Ranma replied, "Pop knew about it. We've stayed here several times while we were training. He never said how he stumbled across it, but knowing him, he was probably hiding from someone at the time. You ready?"
Akane nodded and the two of them headed down to the clearing below. After a strenuous descent, the two of them reached the clearing. Ranma led Akane over to one end of the clearing, where the remains of an old fire pit were present. He set the ice chest down, and then gladly took off his backpack and placed it on the ground as well. Akane dropped her pack on the ground and collapsed.
Ranma looked at her and smirked, "Come on tomboy, we need to get the tents up while it's still light out."
Akane looked at him with angry eyes and growled, "Give me a minute, will you? I thought I was in better shape than this."
Ranma hung his head and then said, "I didn't realized I had walked you into the ground, Akane. You should have said something earlier." He pulled a tent out of each backpack, and carried them over to where he wanted to pitch them. After making sure that there weren't any rocks or debris, he began setting up one of the tents.
Akane cursed under her breath and hobbled over to help. "You're sadistic, did you know that, Ranma?" she said as they got the first tent set up, and began working on the second tent. Once they got that one set up, Ranma cleaned out the fire pit and began looking for some firewood, while Akane collapsed back on the ground.
Ranma came back with a load of deadwood and placed some of it in the fire pit. Quickly lighting it, he fed the small fire until it would stay lit. He turned to Akane and suggested, "Let me take a look at your legs. I can probably work out most of the stiffness, and then we can soak in the spring after dinner." Ranma ran down to the lake and brought back a large pot of water, and set it on a bed of coals.
"Once this boils, we can use some of it for dinner, and then the rest to wash up," he said.
"Let me change into something else first. You won't be able to work on my legs through these jeans," Akane replied as she crawled into her tent. Ranma brought her backpack over and set it next to Akane's tent. Then he carried his backpack over to his tent and laid his sleeping bag out under the canvas. He looked through his backpack for the salve he had brought, knowing that Akane would probably need it.
"Okay, Ranma, I'm ready now," he heard Akane say from her tent. He walked over and ducked his head to find her wearing a pair of shorts instead of the jeans she had been wearing. He pulled a small amount of salve out of the jar, and began rubbing it into her legs with smooth, strong strokes. At first Akane groaned with pain, and then she realized that between the lotion he was using and the massage, her legs were beginning to feel better. She rolled over and sat up and said, "Thanks, Ranma. That stuff is amazing. What is it?"
"It's something I stumbled across during our training trip," he replied, "One of the healers that I worked with swore by this stuff. Ever since then, I keep some of it around for sore muscles. I showed it to Tofu when I started working for him, and he makes sure that he always has a supply around. That's where I got this jar."
"I think I'm ready for some dinner. Can I help?" Akane asked.
Ranma replied, "Do you think you can make that miso soup again? I wrote the recipe down from that cookbook, and brought it as well as several other simple meals."
"Just simple recipes?" she asked.
Ranma shrugged and said, "Hey, you gotta crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. Besides, I like simple things, so that's about all I know how to make."
"So you're still at the crawling stage, huh," she smirked.
"Well, toddler stage compared to Kasumi, anyway," he admitted, with a chuckle.
The two of them left the tent and headed over to where Ranma had left the food and cooking utensils. He pulled out the ingredients for the soup, as well as the recipe and handed them to Akane. "Okay, Acchan, remember, you need to read this first, and then follow it exactly," he said, mentally crossing his fingers, "I'm gonna grill the fish we bought while you make the soup."
Akane frowned in concentration as she began to cut up the ingredients that Ranma had given her, while Ranma placed the fish filets in a metal fish basket. He prepared a bed of coals for both the soup and the fish, and then set up a small tripod on either end of the coals to support the basket for later. He glanced over at Akane and quietly smiled his approval as he saw that she was slowly and methodically following the instructions he had written down. Once she had the soup ready to place on the coals, he added the fish to the tripod and the two of them settled down to watch. Soon, everything was ready and the two of them settled down to eat.
"The soup turned out fine," Ranma said after he had a few spoonfuls.
Akane grinned and said, "Actually I think it's a little bland. It needed a little something. The fish tasted good, Ranma. What did you put on it?"
"Just salt and pepper," he replied, "I think you're just hungry."
Once they finished dinner, Ranma used the rest of the hot water to wash the dishes and set them out to dry. "You ready to soak in the hot spring, Akane?" he asked.
"Yes, let's get changed into our suits, and then you can show me where they are," she replied. The two of them went to their respective tents and then came back out. Akane was wearing her yellow one-piece bathing suit, while Ranma was in a set of trunks, and his undershirt. The two of them walked down a path, until they reached the spring-fed pool. At one end of the pool were some smooth rocks that someone had shaped into two reclining seats. They entered the pool and waded over to the seats and sat down in them, leaning back against the smooth stone.
"Akane, there's something else we need to talk about. I finally had a chance to read Pop's journal, and I ran across some stuff that surprised me," Ranma said.
"Like what?" she asked.
Ranma hesitated and then replied, "Well, it turns out that your family isn't the only one that Pop made some agreements with. You were just the first. There are several other potential fiancées out there for me, including one that really surprised me when I first found out about her. With any luck, none of them will track me down, but I felt like you needed to know."
"Why'd you tell me that?" Akane asked sadly.
"I don't wanna have any secrets from you, Acchan," he replied, "I don't remember any of the others, anyway, except for the one that surprised me. When I was six, I used to play with this boy named Ukyo. He was my best friend then. Of course, he was my only friend as well, so that made it easy for him to be my best friend. Well, according to Pop's journal, Ukyo is really a girl. Pop promised her father that we would wed, also. The bad part is that Pop took her dowry and sold it, so she does have some claim on me."
Akane looked downcast as she asked, "So what happens if one of them finds you?"
Ranma hesitated and then replied, "Acchan, as far as I'm concerned, there's only one girl I'm interested in, and I'm with her right now. The rest of them are Pop's problem, not mine. All I can take care of is my honor, he's responsible for his." 'And I wish I'd realized that sooner the last time,' he thought, 'It would have made things so much easier between us. My not wanting to hurt the other girls caused us all sorts of pain. I'm not gonna make that mistake this time.'
Akane looked up, her face radiant with her smile. "That means a lot to me, Ranchan," she said simply.
The next morning dawned early. Ranma opened his eyes to the sound of birds chirping in the trees and Akane's face inches away from his as she drew back from the kiss that she had given him. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said, as he blinked his eyes in surprise.
"Well, that certainly is a better way of waking up than Pop used to do. I never did like a bucket of cold water in the morning even before I got my curse," Ranma said with a chuckle.
The two of them quickly prepared a simple breakfast, or more accurately, Ranma fixed a simple breakfast while Akane watched carefully, with Ranma explaining exactly what he was doing. After they finished eating, Ranma sat back and said, "I think you're fast enough now to learn the Kachű Tenshin Amaguriken, or Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. He took twenty chestnuts from a small sack and tossed them into the open fire that he had laid when he first got out of bed. After gazing at the fire for a few seconds, he began grabbing the chestnuts out, his hands blurring with his speed. After a few seconds, he showed Akane all of the chestnuts. "This is how the Amazons originally taught the young warriors this technique. I created a variant on it that's a little easier on the hands," he said.
"I want to try it this way first," Akane insisted.
Ranma gazed back at his girlfriend and sighed. Then he replied, "They're your hands, Akane." He tossed the chestnuts back into the blaze and got out of her way. She stared intently at the fire, and took a deep breath and began to try to get the chestnuts. Her hands moving rapidly, she got several of them out, but by the time she had gotten about a quarter of them, she had to quit. Ranma glanced at her hands and quickly poured some cold water from the lake over them. "Let's go put some burn ointment on them, and you can try the other way," he said, "For what it's worth, I didn't do it the first time either. Your hands don't look as red as mine did."
After spreading some ointment on her hands, Ranma took her down to the lake carrying two pots. He filled both pots with water, capturing about a dozen minnows in one of them. "Okay, this is how I really learned. The idea is to get the minnows out of this pot without getting your hands wet," he said. He sat down in front of the pot with the minnows in it, and began pulling the fish out of them rapidly, dumping them into the other pot. Once he was done, he ostentatiously held his hands out showing that they were dry. He stood up away from the pots and said, "Okay, it's your turn."
Akane sat down and stared at the pot. Her hands moving fast, she grabbed all of the fish and placed them into the other pot. Once she was done, she looked at her dripping wet hands. A slightly irritated soprano voice said from behind her, "Not bad for a first start. Why don't you try to keep the water in next time."
Akane turned around to see a somewhat annoyed, very wet, female Ranma standing next to her, her mouth set in a rueful grin. Akane started giggling, and said, "Sorry, Ranchan, I guess I didn't do too good, did I?"
Ranma shrugged her shoulders, and said, "Hey, I didn't get it the first several times either. Just keep trying, while I work on something else." Ranma stepped back a few paces and sat down and began to meditate. Once she grounded herself, she sat there for around thirty minutes, remembering how her ki attacks felt, and how she first learned them. 'Okay, you know how to do this, it's just a matter of focus, remember,' she thought. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her chi energy, imagining it flowing up to her fingers. She began to feel a sense of pressure building up in her hands. She opened her eyes to see a glowing white ball in her hands. Pleased, she turned her palms outward and cried, "Möko Takabisha" and the ball shot off, hitting one of the trees. 'Wow, that drained me a bit,' she thought, 'My chi reserves must be lower than I realized.'
Akane turned and stared at her and asked, "What on earth was that?"
"That was a ki attack that I call Möko Takabisha, or 'fierce tiger domineering.' It's a confidence based attack that uses the positive emotion of confidence to fire a ball of ki energy," she replied, "How are you doing on the Kachű Tenshin Amaguriken?"
"I'm getting there," Akane replied. She spent the rest of the time until it was time to fix lunch trying to transfer the fish.
Ranma watched her intently, encouraging her each time. Finally, she called a break and said, "It's time to fix lunch, and I want to change back. Akane, just practice that several times today and tomorrow. It looks like you're starting to get it," Ranma said.
Akane went back to practicing with the minnows, while Ranma did some katas. While he was exercising he thought about what he needed to do to improve. 'I hate to admit it, but I need Ryoga around to fight with. He's still about the only guy I know that's tough enough for me to go all out against,' he thought, 'I need to toughen up as well. I wonder if I can learn the Bakusai Tenketsu technique. After all, the real purpose of why Cologne taught Ryoga that was to toughen him up. I need to think about that for a while.'
After a couple of hours, they started sparring together. Ranma started smiling at Akane as he realized how much faster Akane had gotten with her punches. Finally, both of them were sufficiently tired, that Ranma called a halt. They both went and got cleaned up, and soaked for a while in the hot spring fed pool.
Ranma smiled at Akane and asked, "How you doing, tomboy?"
"I'm a little sore, Ranchan, but it's a good feeling. I think I'm getting better. What's that saying, No pain, No gain?" she replied.
"That's what Pop always said, though I'm not crazy enough to teach you the way he taught me. Some of what he did was plain sadistic now that I know what that word means," Ranma said.
After dinner, the two of them stayed outside for a while watching the stars come out into the night sky. Akane was content to lie back against Ranma while he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He sighed in contentment. The night air began to turn colder, and Akane was grateful for the warmth of Ranma's body, but finally she began to shiver. After exchanging a kiss, the two teenagers said goodnight to each other and went to their respective tents, and snuggled up in their sleeping bags.
Author's notes: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. As always, constructive comments are welcomed and encouraged. Thanks for all of the reviews.