DISCLAIMER: I own very little, and this is not among my holdings. This is a labor of love (lust).
The Courtship of Ranma Saotome
By Ferris Wiel
Chapter 2
True to form, Nabiki had "The Takeshi Report" available in the early afternoon following Akane's "outing" as it was called. Ranma plunked down the necessary cash to read the exact details.
Kasumi was, of course, correct. Takeshi Nogitoma was a complete gentleman. Pulled out her chair, paid for dinner, held her purse for her while she visited the powder room. He even kissed her hand at the end of the night.
Ranma was nauseated. Akane laughed at his jokes, held his arm and smiled sweetly the whole time. Not to mention, the guy was
loaded. He had more cash than even Nabiki could drain in a single date and he handled all expenses without even blinking.
Nabiki hadn't left his side since he had started reading. She purred softly, "So, are you still concerned? He's perfect."
He scowled. "Well if this guy's so perfect why don't you go after him?" Ranma grumbled.
"Now you know I don't behave that way, unless it's for profit. Besides, he's not interested. Anyhow I know that I can make more money off of your jealousy-I mean, your concern about Takeshi being a 'creep' as you call him," she smirked. "You sense a little competition, Saotome?"
He looked up and smirked back, "Me? Never. I've saved her life so many times that he'd have to buy her the whole city of Tokyo to even come close to what I've done for her."
Nabiki leaned in, "Of course, he has mastered an art that you haven't, Ranma."
Ranma leaned back, "Huh?"
"Exactly," Nabiki left Ranma alone.
*****
Over the next few days, Takeshi reared his "perfect" head several times and Akane and he went out each of those times. Ranma was rapidly going into debt trying to pay for the subsequent volumes of "The Takeshi Report" and each was more distressing than the last. Nogitoma behaved himself without fail on each of the "outings." He bought her flowers, won her prizes, paid for meals, but there was something more. That art that Nabiki mentioned seemed to have some way of making Akane putty in his hands, she would come home tired and happy each evening.
Ranma grew increasingly nervous. This guy was a charmer without a doubt. He had some sick and twisted plan but Akane was just too blind to see it.
He finally decided to approach her about it on one of the rare evenings when she was home, "Akane."
Akane turned and smiled at Ranma, "Yes, Ranma?"
Ranma continued, "Um, well, about this Takeshi guy, what's up with him?"
She brightened, "Oh, well, he's wonderful. Who would have guessed that we have so much in common? He's a great friend. Did you know that his father works for the Tokyo stock exchange?"
He tried again, "I mean, what's going on between you two? What's his goal with you?"
Smiling wryly, Akane arched an eyebrow, "Ranma Saotome, are you jealous?"
Shocked at the suggestion, he started stammering, "What? Me? Never. Why would I be worried about...I mean, you and I are...well...and so...no way." Somehow he miraculously avoided offending her, although it seemed unlikely that, in her current state that such a thing would have been possible.
"Okay," she didn't sound convinced. "So, how have you been lately? What have you been up to?"
Nabiki piped up, "Outside of slowly losing his mind?"
"Shut up, Nabiki. Um, well, I've been doing some serious thinking lately," he thought this might stir her to poke fun at him. Something she had not done for a while.
She didn't take the bait, "Oh, well it seems you've needed to. Have you figured out what's troubling you?" Akane asked.
"Um, yeah. Kinda. I mean, I have thought alot about what I needed to think about." He was going to continue stammering until there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, that must be Takeshi! Ranma, I really do want to finish this conversation. Can we do it tomorrow?" Akane smiled at him.
The smiled melted away any angry words, "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure. Tomorrow."
"Great!" She gave him a quick hug and ran out the door for what was now being called a "date" with the Nogitoma boy.
Akane's father came by a moment later, "I thought Akane had a date this evening?"
Ranma looked up absently, "She does, with Takeshi."
Soun went demon-ballistic, "With who?!?"
The boy was unfazed, "Takeshi Nogitoma, you know, old friend of the family."
His future father-in-law fizzled quickly and started weeping. "Oh, the families will never be one," he lamented.
Tired of hearing the sobs, Ranma headed out to the dojo to practice. He hoped that he wouldn't be able to think.
*****
"Akane."
No answer.
"Akane?"
Again, no answer
"Akane?"
"Oh, yes, Takeshi?"
Takeshi looked concerned, "Is something the matter?"
Akane looked at him, puzzled, "Why would there be? I'm having a wonderful time and I hope that I'm showing you appreciation."
Finally, Takeshi smiled a wide and perfect smile, "Akane, your presence alone makes this day better than any holiday for me."
Akane was a little bothered by this last statement. It would seem that Takeshi had been taking things a little seriously. He was nice enough and never asked for anything, but she still didn't like the fact that he kept looking at her like she was some kind of rare jewel. Attention was one thing, but devotion was something completely different. "That's nice, Takeshi."
The boy smiled, it would appear that if he stretched his mouth any wider that he would suffer some sort of muscle spasm that he wouldn't be able to recover from. "Akane, I've been wondering. What exactly is the engagement to Ranma that you have? Did he ask you for it?"
She sighed. This was not a conversation she wanted to have. "No, it was arranged by our parents. Sometimes it seems like he cares, but then he turns around and does something to make me question him entirely. To be honest, I wish I could figure out exactly what he wanted."
"Hmm." Takeshi put his hand on his chin, "You've been together for over a year now, haven't you?"
Akane thought back. It seemed like more than a few years, but apparently it hadn't been. "Yes, we met about a year and a month ago."
"Yet he hasn't made his mind up?" Takeshi arched an eyebrow.
"Not really, I mean, it's been difficult for both of us. We have good times and bad times like anybody else and up until about two weeks ago everything was going very well, but now he seems very distant."
"Maybe he has chosen another of his fiancees?"
Akane inhaled sharply, then recovered, "No. That couldn't be it. He's never displayed any affection for them."
He looked like an attorney who had just made an excellent point that was going to have to be stricken from the record and disregarded. "I am sorry, Akane. I didn't mean to suggest that he was anything but a perfect gentleman."
She giggled, "I don't think that's possible."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't think it's possible for Ranma to be a perfect gentleman."
They both laughed at this. Conversation took a turn away from Ranma and fiancees to much lighter topics for the rest of the evening.
*****
Sweating and aching, Ranma staggered upstairs to his room before falling into a heap on his bedroll. Genma was already fast asleep and the house was quiet. Ranma realized that a bath would be necessary before he tried sleeping. It would be nice to feel refreshed anyhow.
He headed for the bathroom and slipped out of his clothes. Flipping the sign to mark that the room was indeed in use, he proceeded to wash himself, finishing with a quick rinse before slipping into the furo.
The light on the ceiling flickered. Apparently the bulb was in need of changing. He'd handle that after his bath.
His tired muscles relaxed in the warm water. He was glad to have cleared his mind completely and work only on his body. Perhaps his father was right that there was no reason to worry about emotions and sentiment. Those were his last thoughts as he dozed off.
*****
Akane arrived home tired and in need of a rinse off before bed. She and Takeshi had gone dancing at the newest techno club in town. It was hot inside and she had felt the effects of the heat.
Running to her room, she changed into her housecoat and walked into the laundry room leading to the bathroom. The "Do Not Disturb" sign was up, but the lights were out. *Nabiki, you are such a slob.*
She opened the door and flipped the light switch, but it was already on. She wiggled it and the lights came up, only to find a black-pigtailed head poking out of the top of the furo.
"Ranma!" she shrieked.
Ranma awoke with a start, but he remained seated. His head jerked up, "Wha? Who? Where?"
"What are you doing in there?" Akane, reasonable for once, knew it had to be an accident. Nobody lies in wait for as long as he must have just to glimpse something he could see through the window.
He turned to her, "Oh, Akane! I'm sorry! Don't hit me! I fell asleep!"
"Calm down, Ranma. I know you didn't do it on purpose. Let me get out of here, though, so you can get dressed.
"Akane," Ranma sounded very meek.
"What?"
"Thanks for not hitting me. I was havin' a pretty bad day and I...well, just thanks."
She smiled again, "You're welcome. Now get dressed, I need to rinse off before bed."
Ranma was dressed and in his room in fifteen seconds flat. Good to her word, Akane refrained from exacting any bodily damage on him.
After she had cleaned up she knocked on his door.
"Come in."
"Ranma?"
"Who else would be in here talkin' with my voice?"
"Have you thought any more about what we discussed?"
There was a palpable silence in the room. Ranma looked her straight in the eye, "Akane, I'm still not sure."
"Well, Takeshi seems to think that if you were interested you would have said something after a year."
"Oh, Takeshi says."
"Yes, Takeshi. He's very good about this kind of thing. You two are pretty similar, you know? You both have travelled alot, you know alot about martial arts and he knows cultural stuff."
Ranma looked into space and chuckled, "You sound like you're trying to get
me to date him."
"No, but still. I think you two could be very good friends."
"Okay, I'll think about it." Ranma gave her an unsure smile.
"Thanks." Akane was truly excited. She didn't even think Ranma would consider it. She grinned at him as she left.
With the door shut, Ranma's small smile faded, *Well, I thought about it. No way.*
*****
After dinner the next evening Ranma pulled Akane aside, most definitely out of earshot of the rest of the family.
"I have a question." he looked quite unsettled.
"Okay, but first, did you think about at least talking to Takeshi?" She waited expectantly.
"Yeah, and I'm still thinking. But that's not what this was about anyway. I was wondering, do you want to, um, go out sometime?" He looked down.
This shocked her, "Oh, Ranma. Yes!
"Um, how about tomorrow night? We'll get dinner and go for a walk," he knew it wasn't as fancy as anything Nogitoma could come up with, but still.
"Oh," Akane looked a little sheepish, "I had plans with Takeshi, but I could cancel them."
Anger suddenly swelled up in Ranma, "Well don't go and change things on my account! I don't need none of your sympathy or nothin'!" He stormed off.
A hurt look came across Akane's face. The words pricked her. Hurt turned to rage. *Ranma you jerk! I said I'd change them because I wanted to!*
*****
Ranma scrambled across the rooftops more angry with himself than at Akane. *I can't believe I did that! I had her wanting to go out and do something, but I couldn't accept that. Why did I do that?* He stopped running. *I gotta start fixing my problems. First, I'm going to Jusenkyo; this curse is a pain. If I'm ever going to have a chance with Akane I want to be a whole man. Wait, I have an idea!*
With that, Ranma headed for the Cat Cafe.
*****
A much calmer Akane was upstairs brushing her hair and getting ready for bed. She had done some thinking herself in the past few days since Takeshi's arrival. Of course, most of the thinking had been about Ranma. And after the fight she was thinking very hard.
*You know, I've been with Takeshi for a week and I've made alot more headway with him than I have in a year with Ranma. But Ranma can have his moments, and when I feel something with him it really eclipses anything I feel with Takeshi. But maybe that's just because we've spent so much time together.* She glanced at the photograph on her nightstand in the frame that Ranma had purchased for her for Santa Day.
*Ranma can be considerate. He even told me that he...no, wait, he took it back or said it never happened or something like that. He's had his chance. Besides, there's always Nabiki and Kasumi,* she lied to herself. She knew neither of them would marry Ranma.
*It's not my fault and not my problem. I really like Takeshi. Maybe I don't love him, but that'll come with time. And even if it doesn't, why should I feel pressured into taking Ranma. Sure, he's saved my life a few times. So what? I would have never gotten into the trouble if it hadn't been for Ranma.* That's it. Next time I see Ranma I'm breaking it off. This time, for good.
*****
The next morning, Akane realized Ranma hadn't come back after the fight. She was not at all happy with this turn of events, either. In addition, it was obvious that Happosai had broken into her room and stolen several articles of clothing.
Breakfast was quiet, so she left for school earlier than usual. The walk was at a casual pace. Everything was normal except she almost had a feeling that she was being followed, but when she turned around there was nothing to confirm the sensation.
She came around a corner and suddenly everything went black as she passed out a moment later.
End Chapter 2
*****
Not many notes this time, but as always C/C appreciated.