All these characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and this story is in now way meant for commercial use, just for fun, and entertainment. Anyways these characters aren't mine so don't sue me :)
Mistaken
CHAPTER ONE: THE REUNION
I stared down at the blood that was now covering my hands. I had done it, I had really done it. Akane lay beside me her eyes wide with shock, and an emotion that I couldn't quite tell what it was..fear? Oh god Akane is scared of me..I didn't mean to do it, it just happened. I had been so scared for Akane, that I hadn't been thinking. I had to look away from her eyes, they were too pure for me now.
"Ranma...?" Akane said softly,
"Yah...I'm back.." I said looking at the ground.
I didn't want her to see me like this, I had always pictured my return to be the one of a hero. That I had prevailed through everything and had come home to her...but this was far from it. Her eyes bore into me, forcing me to look up. I stared into her eyes, eyes that I had longed to see for years now, but now I couldn't...couldn't look into them.
"Ranma..." Akane said once again, almost like she couldn't believe that I was really here, I hadn't been gone that long had I?
It wasn't all my fault anway. I spent all the time I was gone thinking of her, and now that she's in front of me I can't think of anything to say. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, the pain in her eyes almost matching my own. If only she knew what I had gone through, all the nights I, Ranma Saotome, a man amongst men cried myself to sleep, because the girl I loved, there I said it, loved someone else.
"Why?" I at last managed to croak out, "why him?"
"Ranma..what are you talking about?"
"Ryouga...I saw the picture, don't lie to me"
"Ranma, I don't know what...."
"I told you NOT to lie to me, I can handle it, I've already suffered enough, just let me hear the truth."
Oh god how I wished I could take that back. I don't really want to here about how after I had left Ryouga had managed to spell out his feelings for her. And she had realized that she really did love Ryouga and her love for me, if it had ever been there at all, had just been a figment of her imagination. I don't want to hear about how they had gotten married, and..and... I had to know though, even if I didn't want to, lying there at night, thinking about what could have happened was too much. For me too ever move on I needed this.
"Ranma..I guess I should start from the beginning." her sad eyes told enough of a tale, I forced myself to look away again as I waited for her to continue.
"After you left..." her voice cracked but she continued on after a few seconds "After you left I couldn't really live. The days just passed one by one. I always wondered why you had left. Had my cooking finally gotten to you? Were you hiding out in Ukyo's kitchen because she could cook?" her voice cracked again.
She sighed deeply and tucked a strand of her now long hair behind her ear.
"you don't know how many nights I spent awake, wondering where you were, and whether it was my fault. It could have been so many things, me constantly hitting you, my uncuteness...I didn't know and that was what hurt." She shuddered.
"Then when Kuno came a few months later and told us to remove that "foul sorcerer" from his house, I couldn't even begin to imagine that you had gone willingly to Kodachi, I didn't understand unil I remembered all the drugs that she had used on you in the past. We rushed to the house but by then you had already gone..." She stopped and took a ragged breath before continuing.
"We looked all over but found no trace of you. We talked to Kuno and he said that you had been at there house all along, but he said that he never saw you until then, and that he had come to us as soon as he found you. He said that he thought you were...dead, because of the number of needles sticking out of your body." Akane shivered slightly, whether it was from the memory or not I couldn't tell. I watched her wipe her eyes as she continued.
"He said that you were hardly breathing, and that it wouldn't be fair to leave you like that so he searched around his sister's laboratory.. He finally found something that he thought would work and just fed it to you. After that he said that he just undid the straps and waited until your breathing was normal." She let out a deep breath and stared at the floor.
"We thou..No, I thought you just didn't want to come back to us..to me." She turned and looked at me, with those deep brown eyes. I winced inwardly.
"Oh god no Akane...I just couldn't, not after that picture she showed me. After Kuno woke me, I just lay like that for a few hours, not believing anything Kuno had told me, and he had just told me the good part, not that there really was one, but I suppose the better part. He had just told me Kodachi had kept me there, like this. I was..I am a martial artist, and I know damn well I was better then Kodachi. I couldn't belive what he had told me...it just didn't make sense. After I was fully awake, I found a note explaining everything else. It just said that I had been under Kodachi's potions for a year.
I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what she had done to me, I had been completely helpless. Then I thought of all the stuff she could have done to you guys, the more I thought the worse the stuff got, so I was practically running down the hall by that point, I just wanted to get back to you guys and save you from whatever Kodachi, who I was then convinced had finally lost it, had done to you, I wasn't thinking that clearly so when I turned a corner I ran smack into her. I had to try so hard to keep from doing something bad to her." It was my turn to let out a ragged breath as I continued.
"She said a lot of stuff, and a bunch of it I just shrugged off as trying to get me to stay, but then..." I looked at the floor staring at the cracks trying and wishing that I could just forget everything that had happened. I slowly blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill and looked over at her. I pulled the faded and torn picture out of my shirt, and tossed it over to her. I watched as she leaned over and pick it up from where it landed. Then I turned and stared at the wall.
"Then she pulled that out, and waved it in my face, screaming about if I wanted to go back now, which I didn't of course, I didn't want to go back to that..She told me you guys had gotten married the day before, and I didn't want to ruin it, you looked so happy, and everywhere I go trouble follows it seems. I didn't want to hurt you again, and so I left, I started to wander, Ryouga in my place, me in his.. I didn't think she would come after me, and she didn't. That's why I didn't come back, it wasn't you, well it wasn't anything bad you did, it was just that I didn't want to upset your lives again, now that you were finally happy." I was almost whispering now.
"That's why I left, I would have never left you if I didn't think you were happy. But I saw your smile in the picture.." She opened her mouth a few times as if to speak, and then the tears started to flow down her face, I wasn't sure but she almost looked happy. Maybe she hadn't wanted me to come back. Finally I let a tear slip down my face, but I didn't brush it away, It felt good to let it out.
"Ranma we've made a big mistake." She said through heavy sobs. I looked over at her, and pulled back a few strands of hair from her face, and just looked at her, for the first time in so many years.
"Why's that Akane?" I said still a bit confused by her behavior, but Oh it felt good to say her name again. Akane tilted her face so that she could look at me, and soon we were staring at each other.
"I've missed you, you pervert, more then you'll ever know." She said as she smiled through her tears.
"I think I have a pretty good idea." I laughed slightly as I said it. "I've missed you to, Oh god Akane, I've missed you." I didn't really care about my whole moacho man persona anymore, not now, not when I got to see Akane again. I could tell that she was choosing her words carefully.
"Ranma, Ryouga and I..we didn't get married." I stared at her, a look of hope glinting in my eye.
"What do you mean, what about that picture?" I asked a bit confused now.
"It's a long story, but I think we have time." I nodded and waited for her to continue, I was now thoroughly confused.
"That look on your face, it's priceless!" Akane said, her smile spreading across her face. She started laughing and soon, she was laughing so hard she was shaking. Suddenly she sat up and looked around at all the blood, and abruptly stopped.
"Oh god, I forgot." She said wiping all the mirth from her face. "We need to sort out what happened. It figures Kodachi would do that, show you that picture."
"If you guys didn't get married what did happen?" I said not quite ready to believe that all this was a waste yet.
"Well after we had decided that you had left for good, my dad started hinting at Ryouga. He knew that Ryouga was a martial artist, and figured we could take over the dojo. Your father had already moved back in with auntie. Always pushing him with me and stuff, just like he use to do with you. The thing with Ryouga is, that he didn't mind. I couldn't belive daddy was doing this! You had only been gone a while, and I hadn't given up yet. Besides I didn't think of Ryouga as any thing more then a friend.." A large grin spread across my face.
"What's that for?" Akane asked noticing my happy features.
"Ryouga was always the one I thought I would loose you to, he was always so much nicer to you.." I sputtered out.
Akane face faulted as I spoke.
"I can't believe how insecure I was. He was so nice, and knew how to have an actual conversation with you. Me I just let my mouth run...Oh right, finish the story..."
"It wasn't long before daddy suggested we get married, but I couldn't marry him! I didn't love him. After a few more months daddy said that he knew where you were but would only tell me if I married Ryouga, as a fool I believed him. When he's not sobbing he's actually a good actor. I still haven't forgiven him yet. That picture was taken the day before the wedding, all I could think about was that I was going to see you again, but I heard daddy talking to Nabiki about it, and he said that it was all a lie when Nabiki asked him where you were." I started to let my aura glow, I couldn't believe Mr. Tendou. "I called off the wedding, and Ryouga left immediately, we still see him, but I think he understands."
"Di..Did you ever get married to anyone?" I asked, I had to know, I couldn't wait any more.
"Daddy tried to push a few more guys towards me, but my heart was always some where else.." Akane said a small blush gathering on her cheeks. "What about you?" I almost laughed, she thought I couldn't see her crossed fingers.
"One time, I came so close, but everything fell apart in the end, because of my mouth. Our friends didn't really help the situation. I really loved her though, still do actually." Akane grimaced, she had been dreading that. Girls were drawn to Ranma, like flies on old food.
"Who.Who was she?" Akane asked not really wanting to know.. Now she sort of knew how Ranma had felt.
"You"
"Oh..that's nic...What?! You loved me?"
"I love you." I said, for once I was sure I was saying the right thing. Akane smiled, I had always wanted to be able to make her smile. Then she started to cry. I hated seeing her cry.
"What wrong?" I asked worriedly, it had to be something I had done, it always was.
"You know when I said my heart was somewhere else?" She asked, I nodded, damn I was confused again. "It was with you, it always has been." Akane said, her face crimson. I tried to contain the pent up breath I let out, but it came out in a whoosh anyway. We both laughed. I knew we couldn't stay here, like this, forever so I decided to try to find a way out of this mess. I stood gently so not to aggravate any of my wounds, and I helped her to her feet. We both looked over the changes in each other, noticing a scar here and there. She had grown taller, she looked so much older. I noticed her smiling.
"What?" I asked
"You've gotten better...I didn't think that was possible.." She said. I blushed,
"Yah well neither did I.." We both laughed at that. I was glad that some of the tension was gone between us, but we were going to have to face that damage that had been done today some time. I figured the sooner we got it over with, the sooner we could move past it.
{YAh YAH I'll write the rest soon , I promise, I think I know all whats going to happen in the next chapter. I STILL NEED SOME PRE-READERS if you wanna help me out and all ^_^ but anyway comments always welcome, and I can take any flames you throw at me (okay I can't ;) but anyway, I just hope you enjoyed it so far, I'll keep updating it and making it better. ~NEVER FEAR "T" IS HERE~ god I love saying that...ooh in case I forgot if you want to be my pre reader (since no one does) *sniffle* here's my e-mail address: tatiana_20@msn.com (guess you know where the T comes from huh?)
Mistaken
CHAPTER ONE: THE REUNION
I stared down at the blood that was now covering my hands. I had done it, I had really done it. Akane lay beside me her eyes wide with shock, and an emotion that I couldn't quite tell what it was..fear? Oh god Akane is scared of me..I didn't mean to do it, it just happened. I had been so scared for Akane, that I hadn't been thinking. I had to look away from her eyes, they were too pure for me now.
"Ranma...?" Akane said softly,
"Yah...I'm back.." I said looking at the ground.
I didn't want her to see me like this, I had always pictured my return to be the one of a hero. That I had prevailed through everything and had come home to her...but this was far from it. Her eyes bore into me, forcing me to look up. I stared into her eyes, eyes that I had longed to see for years now, but now I couldn't...couldn't look into them.
"Ranma..." Akane said once again, almost like she couldn't believe that I was really here, I hadn't been gone that long had I?
It wasn't all my fault anway. I spent all the time I was gone thinking of her, and now that she's in front of me I can't think of anything to say. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, the pain in her eyes almost matching my own. If only she knew what I had gone through, all the nights I, Ranma Saotome, a man amongst men cried myself to sleep, because the girl I loved, there I said it, loved someone else.
"Why?" I at last managed to croak out, "why him?"
"Ranma..what are you talking about?"
"Ryouga...I saw the picture, don't lie to me"
"Ranma, I don't know what...."
"I told you NOT to lie to me, I can handle it, I've already suffered enough, just let me hear the truth."
Oh god how I wished I could take that back. I don't really want to here about how after I had left Ryouga had managed to spell out his feelings for her. And she had realized that she really did love Ryouga and her love for me, if it had ever been there at all, had just been a figment of her imagination. I don't want to hear about how they had gotten married, and..and... I had to know though, even if I didn't want to, lying there at night, thinking about what could have happened was too much. For me too ever move on I needed this.
"Ranma..I guess I should start from the beginning." her sad eyes told enough of a tale, I forced myself to look away again as I waited for her to continue.
"After you left..." her voice cracked but she continued on after a few seconds "After you left I couldn't really live. The days just passed one by one. I always wondered why you had left. Had my cooking finally gotten to you? Were you hiding out in Ukyo's kitchen because she could cook?" her voice cracked again.
She sighed deeply and tucked a strand of her now long hair behind her ear.
"you don't know how many nights I spent awake, wondering where you were, and whether it was my fault. It could have been so many things, me constantly hitting you, my uncuteness...I didn't know and that was what hurt." She shuddered.
"Then when Kuno came a few months later and told us to remove that "foul sorcerer" from his house, I couldn't even begin to imagine that you had gone willingly to Kodachi, I didn't understand unil I remembered all the drugs that she had used on you in the past. We rushed to the house but by then you had already gone..." She stopped and took a ragged breath before continuing.
"We looked all over but found no trace of you. We talked to Kuno and he said that you had been at there house all along, but he said that he never saw you until then, and that he had come to us as soon as he found you. He said that he thought you were...dead, because of the number of needles sticking out of your body." Akane shivered slightly, whether it was from the memory or not I couldn't tell. I watched her wipe her eyes as she continued.
"He said that you were hardly breathing, and that it wouldn't be fair to leave you like that so he searched around his sister's laboratory.. He finally found something that he thought would work and just fed it to you. After that he said that he just undid the straps and waited until your breathing was normal." She let out a deep breath and stared at the floor.
"We thou..No, I thought you just didn't want to come back to us..to me." She turned and looked at me, with those deep brown eyes. I winced inwardly.
"Oh god no Akane...I just couldn't, not after that picture she showed me. After Kuno woke me, I just lay like that for a few hours, not believing anything Kuno had told me, and he had just told me the good part, not that there really was one, but I suppose the better part. He had just told me Kodachi had kept me there, like this. I was..I am a martial artist, and I know damn well I was better then Kodachi. I couldn't belive what he had told me...it just didn't make sense. After I was fully awake, I found a note explaining everything else. It just said that I had been under Kodachi's potions for a year.
I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what she had done to me, I had been completely helpless. Then I thought of all the stuff she could have done to you guys, the more I thought the worse the stuff got, so I was practically running down the hall by that point, I just wanted to get back to you guys and save you from whatever Kodachi, who I was then convinced had finally lost it, had done to you, I wasn't thinking that clearly so when I turned a corner I ran smack into her. I had to try so hard to keep from doing something bad to her." It was my turn to let out a ragged breath as I continued.
"She said a lot of stuff, and a bunch of it I just shrugged off as trying to get me to stay, but then..." I looked at the floor staring at the cracks trying and wishing that I could just forget everything that had happened. I slowly blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill and looked over at her. I pulled the faded and torn picture out of my shirt, and tossed it over to her. I watched as she leaned over and pick it up from where it landed. Then I turned and stared at the wall.
"Then she pulled that out, and waved it in my face, screaming about if I wanted to go back now, which I didn't of course, I didn't want to go back to that..She told me you guys had gotten married the day before, and I didn't want to ruin it, you looked so happy, and everywhere I go trouble follows it seems. I didn't want to hurt you again, and so I left, I started to wander, Ryouga in my place, me in his.. I didn't think she would come after me, and she didn't. That's why I didn't come back, it wasn't you, well it wasn't anything bad you did, it was just that I didn't want to upset your lives again, now that you were finally happy." I was almost whispering now.
"That's why I left, I would have never left you if I didn't think you were happy. But I saw your smile in the picture.." She opened her mouth a few times as if to speak, and then the tears started to flow down her face, I wasn't sure but she almost looked happy. Maybe she hadn't wanted me to come back. Finally I let a tear slip down my face, but I didn't brush it away, It felt good to let it out.
"Ranma we've made a big mistake." She said through heavy sobs. I looked over at her, and pulled back a few strands of hair from her face, and just looked at her, for the first time in so many years.
"Why's that Akane?" I said still a bit confused by her behavior, but Oh it felt good to say her name again. Akane tilted her face so that she could look at me, and soon we were staring at each other.
"I've missed you, you pervert, more then you'll ever know." She said as she smiled through her tears.
"I think I have a pretty good idea." I laughed slightly as I said it. "I've missed you to, Oh god Akane, I've missed you." I didn't really care about my whole moacho man persona anymore, not now, not when I got to see Akane again. I could tell that she was choosing her words carefully.
"Ranma, Ryouga and I..we didn't get married." I stared at her, a look of hope glinting in my eye.
"What do you mean, what about that picture?" I asked a bit confused now.
"It's a long story, but I think we have time." I nodded and waited for her to continue, I was now thoroughly confused.
"That look on your face, it's priceless!" Akane said, her smile spreading across her face. She started laughing and soon, she was laughing so hard she was shaking. Suddenly she sat up and looked around at all the blood, and abruptly stopped.
"Oh god, I forgot." She said wiping all the mirth from her face. "We need to sort out what happened. It figures Kodachi would do that, show you that picture."
"If you guys didn't get married what did happen?" I said not quite ready to believe that all this was a waste yet.
"Well after we had decided that you had left for good, my dad started hinting at Ryouga. He knew that Ryouga was a martial artist, and figured we could take over the dojo. Your father had already moved back in with auntie. Always pushing him with me and stuff, just like he use to do with you. The thing with Ryouga is, that he didn't mind. I couldn't belive daddy was doing this! You had only been gone a while, and I hadn't given up yet. Besides I didn't think of Ryouga as any thing more then a friend.." A large grin spread across my face.
"What's that for?" Akane asked noticing my happy features.
"Ryouga was always the one I thought I would loose you to, he was always so much nicer to you.." I sputtered out.
Akane face faulted as I spoke.
"I can't believe how insecure I was. He was so nice, and knew how to have an actual conversation with you. Me I just let my mouth run...Oh right, finish the story..."
"It wasn't long before daddy suggested we get married, but I couldn't marry him! I didn't love him. After a few more months daddy said that he knew where you were but would only tell me if I married Ryouga, as a fool I believed him. When he's not sobbing he's actually a good actor. I still haven't forgiven him yet. That picture was taken the day before the wedding, all I could think about was that I was going to see you again, but I heard daddy talking to Nabiki about it, and he said that it was all a lie when Nabiki asked him where you were." I started to let my aura glow, I couldn't believe Mr. Tendou. "I called off the wedding, and Ryouga left immediately, we still see him, but I think he understands."
"Di..Did you ever get married to anyone?" I asked, I had to know, I couldn't wait any more.
"Daddy tried to push a few more guys towards me, but my heart was always some where else.." Akane said a small blush gathering on her cheeks. "What about you?" I almost laughed, she thought I couldn't see her crossed fingers.
"One time, I came so close, but everything fell apart in the end, because of my mouth. Our friends didn't really help the situation. I really loved her though, still do actually." Akane grimaced, she had been dreading that. Girls were drawn to Ranma, like flies on old food.
"Who.Who was she?" Akane asked not really wanting to know.. Now she sort of knew how Ranma had felt.
"You"
"Oh..that's nic...What?! You loved me?"
"I love you." I said, for once I was sure I was saying the right thing. Akane smiled, I had always wanted to be able to make her smile. Then she started to cry. I hated seeing her cry.
"What wrong?" I asked worriedly, it had to be something I had done, it always was.
"You know when I said my heart was somewhere else?" She asked, I nodded, damn I was confused again. "It was with you, it always has been." Akane said, her face crimson. I tried to contain the pent up breath I let out, but it came out in a whoosh anyway. We both laughed. I knew we couldn't stay here, like this, forever so I decided to try to find a way out of this mess. I stood gently so not to aggravate any of my wounds, and I helped her to her feet. We both looked over the changes in each other, noticing a scar here and there. She had grown taller, she looked so much older. I noticed her smiling.
"What?" I asked
"You've gotten better...I didn't think that was possible.." She said. I blushed,
"Yah well neither did I.." We both laughed at that. I was glad that some of the tension was gone between us, but we were going to have to face that damage that had been done today some time. I figured the sooner we got it over with, the sooner we could move past it.
{YAh YAH I'll write the rest soon , I promise, I think I know all whats going to happen in the next chapter. I STILL NEED SOME PRE-READERS if you wanna help me out and all ^_^ but anyway comments always welcome, and I can take any flames you throw at me (okay I can't ;) but anyway, I just hope you enjoyed it so far, I'll keep updating it and making it better. ~NEVER FEAR "T" IS HERE~ god I love saying that...ooh in case I forgot if you want to be my pre reader (since no one does) *sniffle* here's my e-mail address: tatiana_20@msn.com (guess you know where the T comes from huh?)