The Horrible Truth

By Kyokukou


" You don't have the guts , Saotome ." She chuckled , he was so predictable
, so easily manipulated .
" You calln' me a cowered ?!" Ranma was on his feet before she could blink ,
fists clenched , fire in his eyes .
She yawned .
" You said it , not me ." She said lazily . " I just said that I don't think you
have the guts to tell Akane how you truly feel about her ."
" Oh yeah ?!" He challenged . Ever so predictable . Now she'll wring him for
every yen to his name , and then some .
" Yeah ." She smiled her predator smile . " Double your debt to me says you'll
chicken out at the moment of truth ."
" You're on !" He snapped before the ramifications hit him harder than Akane's
infamous Mallet of Doom(tm) . " W-wait a second , what if Oyaji or your dad
hears me ?"
" Your problem ." She smirked , leaving the room quickly .

* * *

He had spent the entire day meditating on his current and massive dilemma .
Either go ahead with the bet , or forfeit and double his debt .
First of all he had searched his feelings . Turns out there was a lot of
junk there he had not been completely aware of . However , as he had suspected ,
he did love Akane , despite all reason and self preservation . So if he did go
through with the bet he would have to confess his love to her . Damn .
The next problem had been how to do so and survive the after effects . Every
fiancée he had and some rivals would be out for his head . So he had
systematically planned for dealing with each one .
Ucchan . She would be hard . He would have to walk the emotional tightrope
of hammering into her that he would still be her best friend , but at the same
time maintaining that his romantic love was for Akane and not her . It was a
good possibility that Ucchan would lose it and attack him . In that event he
would have to disable her without hurting her . Most likely the best solution
would be to take out her main weapon and let her expend her throwing spatulas .
Hopefully it wouldn't come to that .
Shampoo . Both the young Amazon and her great grandmother would be very
dangerous after the news reached them . It is quite likely that the matriarch
could manipulate the young girl's hurt emotions into a murderous rage and turn
her back to her original course of murdering him to avenge her honor . Damn ,
again . No choice but to fight , however survival would be a problem if the old
Ghoul got physically involved .
Kodachi . 'Hello my sweet black rose ! Here , see these nice men in white .
They have pills that will make the voices quiet . If you would just follow them
everything will be fine...'
Ryouga . Simple , very simple . Hit him once real hard in the face then run
around a corner and hide for five minuets . Repeat five days later , or as
needed .
But what if Akane heard his confession and spurned him ? Told him she hated
him ? What could he do then , to save honor and face ? Run off with Ucchan . He
would be fulfilling the betrothal to her family and making Ucchan happy . He may
not love her in that way now , but what better foundation for a marriage than
your best friend ? Still ... he could find little comfort in that contingency
plan . Ucchan would be nice , but could he ever really be happy ?
He continued to plan on into the night . However , the feeling he was
forgetting to plan for some obvious event haunted him .

* * *

She felt more than heard Ranma enter the room . The determination that
radiated from him was almost tangible in the air . Suddenly she feared for her
finances , Ranma's debt was substantial , double it was ... oh dear .
" Akane ?" Ranma's voice shook ever so slightly . He looked about for any sign
of either of their fathers . There was none .
Her hand itched to reach for her ledger .
" What now ?" Akane looked up , rather annoyed at being interrupted in the
middle of a new manga .
Ranma stood there , transfixed for a moment at the sight of Akane's flashing
eyes . For that moment she felt a pang of intense jealousy . She had never felt
more than a mild fondness for any boy . Here her little sister had done her
damnedest to run the guy off and he still remained loyal . Could she ever find
someone like that ? No , no one for the ice queen .
" A-Akane ." He began , taking a deep breath to fortify his determination . " I
have something important to tell you ."
" Could you make it quick ?" Akane said without heat , confused by Ranma's
behavior .
" Will you please , just this once , listen to me ?" Ranma said carefully .
" Sure ." Akane agreed just as carefully , wary now . a
" Akane , I swear on my honor that this is the truth ." Ranma swallowed .
Stalling , stalling , he'll chicken out yet .
" Akane , I love you , and I want our engagement to work ."
At the thought of just how sizeable a chunk this would take out of her
personal funds she wanted to scream or faint . Instead , she waited for her
little sister's reaction .
Akane looked up at Ranma with an expression akin to disbelieving awe . The
manga fell from limp fingers , forgotten and unimportant .
Ranma looked like a man hanging from a cliff , his survival dependent upon
the next sentence from Akane's lips .
" Ranma . I-I ... I love you too ." Akane stammered out , tears of joy welling
up in her eyes .
The young martial artist had been pulled back from the cliff's edge . He
threw his arms wide open to embrace his beloved in celebration of this overdue
revelation . He didn't move fast enough .
" YATTAAA , TENDO-KUN !!" Genma shouted .
" YATTAAA , SAOTOME-KUN !!" Soun returned .
Their fathers had appeared between the couple as if by magic . Genma
thumping Ranma on the back and shouting incoherent congratulations . Soun had
picked Akane up under the shoulders and was spinning about in place weeping for
joy .
" Now wait just one second !" Ranma shouted loud enough to make both madly
celebrating men freeze . " Akane and I will get married when WE want to !"
Genma clapped a cloth over Ranma's mouth and nose .
" That's what you think , boy ." Genma chuckled .
Ranma's eyes rolled back in his head as the chemical musk overcame him . He
collapsed into his father's arms .
" Ranma !!" Akane cried in alarm before a similar cloth was pressed over her
mouth .
" Oh how it pains me to do this to my poor Akane !" Soun wept , cradling the
unconscious form of his youngest daughter .
" I didn't see a thing for half of the wedding gift money ." She shrugged .

* * *

He couldn't believe it . Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his
father and Soun being competent enough to pull off what they had just done .
Honor was satisfied , their confessions of love having absolved their
fathers of guilt in their actions , at least according to their fathers' strange
sense of honor . After the original drug had worn off they had already been
inoculated with a potion procured from Mousse who had stolen it from Cologne in
order to aid his marriage to Akane . The potion had put them in a malleable
state , he doubted Akane even had the fortitude to be conscious enough in that
state to remember the events when she finally woke up .
This time it had been a traditional Shinto wedding at the shrine in relative
secret . This time Soun and Genma had called in some of their old martial arts
buddies from their adventurous days to guard the shrine long enough for the
wedding to go through . He had heard some commotion outside during the latter
half of the long ceremony but nothing had interrupted it's completion .
After the ceremony Soun had rushed out to file their marriage . Well before
he was able to move his hands of his own violation his marriage to Akane was
official .
So now he found himself in Akane's room , about six newly installed titanium
locks on the door and window augmented by two fathers watching the window
keeping him confined in the room . Akane lay on her bed , now naturally asleep ,
having never woken fully since she had first been drugged . He sat on the floor
by the bed pondering how changed his life now was .
Time seemed to race through the night until the hour wavered between the
dead of night and the morning of a new day .
Feeling his body protest it's long motionless period he stretched and
rose . Following the arc of moonlight mingled with the city's artificial glare
he looked on the face of his new wife .
Searching his feelings he found joy mingled with regret . He loved his wife
and despite the problems certain to come he was happy to be married to the woman
he loved . However , he regretted that it had not been their time of choice .
Someone had once said the truth will set you free . No , it won't . One is a
slave to the horrible truth just as much as a well woven lie .
Still , looking upon the peaceful face of his beloved eased his heart and
his mind . Tomorrow would see his life much more interesting than before .
Now , surviving that interesting new day would be the tricky part .




(With an ending like that don'cha just want ta kill me ?)



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