I hope I have the Japanese words right. I've figured out the meaning on some based on content (Such as bento, which I've figured is something like a lunchbox.) but others I hope I'm remembering correctly.
Another thing about this story is that the entire time line is set back two years from the original story, meaning that Ranma and Akane met when they were eighteen and not when they were sixteen. I did this so that Akane could have more of a hidden, unknown past than in the original.
A Tangle of Engagements
I
The air was warm and smelled of blossoms. A young woman smiled and tilted her head back, inhaling the scent, a smile on her lips. Her blue hair fell back against her neck. A good distance away, a man the same age watched her, an expression of intense longing on his face. One of the young man's friends looked at him and followed his gaze. He shifted his own stance to also watch the girl.
"Have you talked to her yet?"
"No. I can't seem to get her alone."
"What about now?"
"One of my fiancées would show up."
"Try anyway. You might succeed." The dark haired man slid his glance to his friend, then back to the girl. Hesitantly he nodded.
"Akane?" She froze. It had been almost two months since she'd heard her name said in that voice. She'd missed it. Slowly, she let her eyes rise, running over his body, careful not to linger too long. His ice eyes met her mud ones.
"Ranma." He shifted slightly.
"Can I talk to you?" She shrugged.
"Sure. If you want." He had been trying to talk to her since the wedding, she knew, but she hadn't wanted to talk. Two months had passed and the memory still hurt too much to think about. Ranma sat down next to her, facing her.
"Um, I wanted to tell you that, on the day of the wedding--"
"Ranchan!" Ranma groaned. He had been expecting this. It never failed. He looked up to check on Akane and found her gone. He stared at the empty spot where she had been sitting till Ukyo sat down, a pale replacement, proffering him homemade food.
Akane wiped angrily at her cheeks. That baka would have to bring up the wedding, and, of course, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, a fiancée would show up. She'd given up hitting him and settled for running from him. It's a fine day when Tendo Akane is running from her always-hero Saotome Ranma, she thought. She had wanted to marry him. She had heard him say he loved her and then he denied it. And now she wasn't sure she wanted to marry him. If she knew, if she just knew. She wiped at her cheeks again, gritting her teeth.
"I hate crying. I hate feeling this way. Damn you, Ranma. Damn you!" Her voice rose and was carried by the wind over the lake. He stood there watching her scream, catching her words. He agreed with her. He should be man enough to admit it, and not just to her, but to all of his fiancées. He should be man enough but he wasn't.
Ranma watched her eat with her friends. She smiled and laughed and occasionally, when her friends were focused elsewhere, she would glance at him. A friend called his name and he turned his attention to the discussion at hand.
Akane laughed at her friend's joke. A shadow fell over her and she smiled. So, Ranma finally worked up the nerve. She looked up and the smile disappeared.
"What are you doing here?" she snarled. The young man took a step back.
"I came to see you. I wanted to talk to you about our engagement."
"Who's that with Akane?" Ranma looked up and over to Akane. A young man a little older than her stood above her. She looked furious. He was on his feet and headed to her group before he realized it.
Akane stood up, shoving her food back into her bento.
"I don't want to talk to you. I told you I never wanted to see you again and I meant it."
"Come on, Akane." He reached out and caught her arm. She froze and turned to face him.
"Let go of me."
"I want to talk to you."
"And I said I didn't want to talk. Now, let go." She tried to pull away but he held on. Anger and fear rolled into her. She pulled harder.
"Let. Go." He tightened his grip and she winced. Suddenly a hand was on his arm.
"She said to let go." Relief flooded Akane. The young man glared at Ranma.
"I think you should stay out of this."
"Ranma." He turned to look at Akane. "He's hurting me." Anger flared in Ranma's eyes while his face grew cold. His grip tightened on the other man's arm. He turned slowly.
"Let her go." The young man let go of Akane and tried to step back. Ranma's grip held him in place. Akane stepped behind Ranma, using him as a shield.
"I want you to listen to me. Akane doesn't want to see you. If I find out that you've come near her, I'll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?"
"Akane's mine. I will go near her if I want to." Ranma's face twisted in a snarl. His grip tightened and the young man cringed.
"Akane is not yours. Leave her alone."
"She is mine. I will make her mine." Ranma's grip tightened again and the other man fell to his knees. Ranma lowered his face so that they were nose to nose.
"Akane is not yours. She is mine. I have killed for her before, and I'd do it again." He let go of the young man and stepped back into Akane. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Heat seared him and flooded his body. She peered around him to the man cradling his arm.
"Saito, please, I want you to leave me alone." She tugged on Ranma and he walked away with her. Saito stared after the couple, anger and hate in his eyes.
They were walking close, not touching. Ranma had his hands in his pockets.
"Akane?"
"Yes?"
"Who was that?" Akane was silent. After a while, she tilted her head back to stare at the sky.
"He was my fiancée. I thought I loved him." Jealousy shot through Ranma's limbs. "I found out my father and his father had set up the engagement, like us, when I was sixteen. He was a charmer. He knew what to say and when to say it and I fell for it. He's part of the reason I had such a problem with guys. About half a year after we met I found out he was seeing other girls. Not just seeing them, but also sleeping with them. I was hurt and Dad was furious. He broke the engagement. I haven't seen him since Dad called it off. I don't know why he came back."
"You loved him?" He couldn't help but to ask. It hurt, but oh god, he wanted to know.
"I thought I did. I've learned what love really is since then." Again jealousy ran through Ranma. He wanted to hurt this Saito, not just hurt him but make him suffer. Make him suffer because Akane had thought she loved Saito and Saito had hurt her and Ranma wasn't the first one she'd loved. He hated Saito. Then her words reached him.
"What is love, Akane?" He looked over at her to see her smile. She didn't look at him though.
"It's forgiving without the apology. It's trusting no matter what that he'd be there for you. It's helping him help others even if you know they love him too. It's crying because he doesn't know. It's crying because you try so hard and all you want to hear is a thank you but he won't say it but it doesn't matter the next day. It's knowing that he doesn't mean the things he said because when he thinks you aren't looking, you see. You see how he looks at you, how you're the one he always fights for, how you're the only one he won't hit. It's knowing that he's there, so close and will always be. He could have left at any time but he's still here. It's wanting him despite his curse. It's knowing that if he died tomorrow, you'd die too. It's knowing that he'd kill for you, die for you, live for you. It's knowing that just because three other girls are after him and you hit him all the time doesn't mean he'll give up on you. It's waiting to hear the words and knowing you'd wait
forever." She stopped and looked at him. "I love you, Ranma. I will wait." And then she was gone.
Ranma stood there, dazed. She had just said what?
Another thing about this story is that the entire time line is set back two years from the original story, meaning that Ranma and Akane met when they were eighteen and not when they were sixteen. I did this so that Akane could have more of a hidden, unknown past than in the original.
A Tangle of Engagements
I
The air was warm and smelled of blossoms. A young woman smiled and tilted her head back, inhaling the scent, a smile on her lips. Her blue hair fell back against her neck. A good distance away, a man the same age watched her, an expression of intense longing on his face. One of the young man's friends looked at him and followed his gaze. He shifted his own stance to also watch the girl.
"Have you talked to her yet?"
"No. I can't seem to get her alone."
"What about now?"
"One of my fiancées would show up."
"Try anyway. You might succeed." The dark haired man slid his glance to his friend, then back to the girl. Hesitantly he nodded.
"Akane?" She froze. It had been almost two months since she'd heard her name said in that voice. She'd missed it. Slowly, she let her eyes rise, running over his body, careful not to linger too long. His ice eyes met her mud ones.
"Ranma." He shifted slightly.
"Can I talk to you?" She shrugged.
"Sure. If you want." He had been trying to talk to her since the wedding, she knew, but she hadn't wanted to talk. Two months had passed and the memory still hurt too much to think about. Ranma sat down next to her, facing her.
"Um, I wanted to tell you that, on the day of the wedding--"
"Ranchan!" Ranma groaned. He had been expecting this. It never failed. He looked up to check on Akane and found her gone. He stared at the empty spot where she had been sitting till Ukyo sat down, a pale replacement, proffering him homemade food.
Akane wiped angrily at her cheeks. That baka would have to bring up the wedding, and, of course, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, a fiancée would show up. She'd given up hitting him and settled for running from him. It's a fine day when Tendo Akane is running from her always-hero Saotome Ranma, she thought. She had wanted to marry him. She had heard him say he loved her and then he denied it. And now she wasn't sure she wanted to marry him. If she knew, if she just knew. She wiped at her cheeks again, gritting her teeth.
"I hate crying. I hate feeling this way. Damn you, Ranma. Damn you!" Her voice rose and was carried by the wind over the lake. He stood there watching her scream, catching her words. He agreed with her. He should be man enough to admit it, and not just to her, but to all of his fiancées. He should be man enough but he wasn't.
Ranma watched her eat with her friends. She smiled and laughed and occasionally, when her friends were focused elsewhere, she would glance at him. A friend called his name and he turned his attention to the discussion at hand.
Akane laughed at her friend's joke. A shadow fell over her and she smiled. So, Ranma finally worked up the nerve. She looked up and the smile disappeared.
"What are you doing here?" she snarled. The young man took a step back.
"I came to see you. I wanted to talk to you about our engagement."
"Who's that with Akane?" Ranma looked up and over to Akane. A young man a little older than her stood above her. She looked furious. He was on his feet and headed to her group before he realized it.
Akane stood up, shoving her food back into her bento.
"I don't want to talk to you. I told you I never wanted to see you again and I meant it."
"Come on, Akane." He reached out and caught her arm. She froze and turned to face him.
"Let go of me."
"I want to talk to you."
"And I said I didn't want to talk. Now, let go." She tried to pull away but he held on. Anger and fear rolled into her. She pulled harder.
"Let. Go." He tightened his grip and she winced. Suddenly a hand was on his arm.
"She said to let go." Relief flooded Akane. The young man glared at Ranma.
"I think you should stay out of this."
"Ranma." He turned to look at Akane. "He's hurting me." Anger flared in Ranma's eyes while his face grew cold. His grip tightened on the other man's arm. He turned slowly.
"Let her go." The young man let go of Akane and tried to step back. Ranma's grip held him in place. Akane stepped behind Ranma, using him as a shield.
"I want you to listen to me. Akane doesn't want to see you. If I find out that you've come near her, I'll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?"
"Akane's mine. I will go near her if I want to." Ranma's face twisted in a snarl. His grip tightened and the young man cringed.
"Akane is not yours. Leave her alone."
"She is mine. I will make her mine." Ranma's grip tightened again and the other man fell to his knees. Ranma lowered his face so that they were nose to nose.
"Akane is not yours. She is mine. I have killed for her before, and I'd do it again." He let go of the young man and stepped back into Akane. She wrapped her arms around his waist. Heat seared him and flooded his body. She peered around him to the man cradling his arm.
"Saito, please, I want you to leave me alone." She tugged on Ranma and he walked away with her. Saito stared after the couple, anger and hate in his eyes.
They were walking close, not touching. Ranma had his hands in his pockets.
"Akane?"
"Yes?"
"Who was that?" Akane was silent. After a while, she tilted her head back to stare at the sky.
"He was my fiancée. I thought I loved him." Jealousy shot through Ranma's limbs. "I found out my father and his father had set up the engagement, like us, when I was sixteen. He was a charmer. He knew what to say and when to say it and I fell for it. He's part of the reason I had such a problem with guys. About half a year after we met I found out he was seeing other girls. Not just seeing them, but also sleeping with them. I was hurt and Dad was furious. He broke the engagement. I haven't seen him since Dad called it off. I don't know why he came back."
"You loved him?" He couldn't help but to ask. It hurt, but oh god, he wanted to know.
"I thought I did. I've learned what love really is since then." Again jealousy ran through Ranma. He wanted to hurt this Saito, not just hurt him but make him suffer. Make him suffer because Akane had thought she loved Saito and Saito had hurt her and Ranma wasn't the first one she'd loved. He hated Saito. Then her words reached him.
"What is love, Akane?" He looked over at her to see her smile. She didn't look at him though.
"It's forgiving without the apology. It's trusting no matter what that he'd be there for you. It's helping him help others even if you know they love him too. It's crying because he doesn't know. It's crying because you try so hard and all you want to hear is a thank you but he won't say it but it doesn't matter the next day. It's knowing that he doesn't mean the things he said because when he thinks you aren't looking, you see. You see how he looks at you, how you're the one he always fights for, how you're the only one he won't hit. It's knowing that he's there, so close and will always be. He could have left at any time but he's still here. It's wanting him despite his curse. It's knowing that if he died tomorrow, you'd die too. It's knowing that he'd kill for you, die for you, live for you. It's knowing that just because three other girls are after him and you hit him all the time doesn't mean he'll give up on you. It's waiting to hear the words and knowing you'd wait
forever." She stopped and looked at him. "I love you, Ranma. I will wait." And then she was gone.
Ranma stood there, dazed. She had just said what?