I have no idea where this one came from. It's way darker and way more
emotionally charged than what I normally write. I honestly hadn't intended
to write it this way. It was supposed to be just Ranma reacting to a new
Akane. Then this scene with Mousse popped into my head. What I have
written is way darker than what went on in my head. I have to watch that.
Actually, rereading it now, I get a dark feeling from the entire story, even the parts that aren't supposed to be dark. I wonder if it's my mood or what.
One practical note: This is set three years after they meet. (For the not- so-smart people, this means that Ranma and Akane are now 19, with everyone their respective ages.)
~~~The Danger of Denial
One
She wasn't sure when, but she had come to a conclusion. She wasn't going to deal with it anymore. She didn't need the anger he caused, the anger his fiancées caused, the anger his indecision caused. Oh, there was no doubt that she loved him so much that her heart sang with the kindest word or the most fleeting touch, but she just couldn't deal with it anymore. If he wanted her, he was going to have to prove it.
Of course, that now meant that she couldn't cook for him anymore. Akane smirked to herself. It wasn't any great loss, after all. She didn't really like to cook. She hated it in fact, which was probably why she sucked at it. She had only started to cook because he seemed to like that in women. Her decision made, Akane rolled off her bed and headed downstairs to inform Kasumi that she would, indeed, be cooking dinner tonight.
As she passed the dojo, a voice called out to her.
"Oi, Akane?" She paused and backtracked to stand in the doorway. She kept her face carefully neutral. Both she and Kasumi were as skilled as Nabiki in hiding their emotions. Kasumi chose to keep her façade as innocent as possible and only Akane and Nabiki knew just how strong the girl's emotions were. Akane had found no need for such skills save where her acting was concerned. As she looked in the dojo, though, Akane realized that she would be needing them a great deal now.
Ranma was sitting across from Ukyo, an okanomiyaki box between them. The chef was looking incredibly pleased with herself. Akane lifted a hand and let it rest on the door frame.
"What?"
"Can you bring me and Ukyo some tea?" Akane raised an eyebrow. Despite her serene face, anger and hurt were raging beneath the surface. He wasn't even going to offer her some and he wanted her to get them tea? 'Asshole,' she thought viciously. Her own venom surprised her and she realized that this was something she really did dislike about him. He was oblivious to other people's emotions. Quietly, too quiet for either of the martial artists before her, Akane muttered under her breath, "Fuck you." Then she turned and got them their tea.
She missed their surprised expressions as she left the dojo. Neither of them had been expecting her to do it. Akane headed back to the kitchen.
"I'm going for a run, Kasumi. Oh, and by the way, I've changed my mind. I'm not going to cook dinner. Is that all right?"
"Of course it is, Akane. Be careful on your run." Akane smiled.
"I will. Thank you." Kasumi watched her younger sister leave the kitchen, a worried expression on her face. She knew what the reason was for Akane's interest in cooking. It worried her that Akane no longer wanted to cook. It also worried her that Akane had gotten Ranma and Ukyo tea. Her sister was not the most controlled of people but even Kasumi was having trouble telling what was going on with Akane. Then, something occurred to her.
"Oh, Ranma-kun. I'm afraid you're in for some pain if you don't grow some balls," she said to herself.
~~~
Ranma hummed to himself as he walked the used dishes back to the kitchen. He had been pleasantly surprised by Akane's change in attitude. He had been sure he had earned himself a mallet. He wasn't really sure why he had asked her to bring them tea. Sometimes he just seemed to like provoking her.
As Ranma entered the kitchen, he was a bit taken aback by Kasumi's presence. Akane had said that she would cook dinner.
"Kasumi, what are doing here?"
"Oh, Ranma-kun, you startled me. Akane changed her mind about cooking. She's going for a run right now." Ranma frowned and left the kitchen. How odd.
~~~
Akane relaxed in the furo. She felt so much better. Her run and not having to worry about dinner, tonight or ever again, was a great relief. She sighed and sank farther into the warm water. Suddenly someone was knocking on the door.
"What?" she called out, irritated.
"Hey, kawaiikune, are you going to take much longer in there? I need a bath and it's almost dinner time." Akane scowled but began to rise from the bath.
"If you want one so bad, Ranma, why don't you just come in here and take one?" She wrapped a towel around her body and opened to door to find Ranma standing open-mouth.
"Baka," she muttered, rolling her eyes. If she had opened the door a moment sooner, she might have seen the incredibly longing that had flashed across his face.
~~~~~
Akane pulled open the door to Ucchan's and held it for her friends. She laughed with them at a joke someone had cracked. Ukyo watched as the group of girls sat down in a corner. She had to admit that she was vaguely surprised to see Akane here without Ranma. She was also surprised to see Akane so cheerful, despite the way Ranma had been teasing her in school. A sudden hope sprang in Ukyo. Maybe, just maybe, Akane was no longer interested in Ranma. Cautiously, Ukyo approached the group.
"What'll ya have?" she asked. A flurry of discussion ensued and Ukyo took the chance to lean down and talk to Akane.
"Man, Ranma sure was laying it on thick today." Akane looked up at her confused.
"What are you talking about?" Ukyo missed the ominous silence that had come over the table. She smirked.
"His teasing. It must suck to be the uncute fiancée." All of Akane's friends froze and cringed away from the two martial artists. Never before had Ukyo so blatantly attacked Akane with words in such a manner. Akane simply smiled wolfishly up at the chef.
"At least he admits that I'm a girl. You're just some cute guy." The emphasis on guy was unmistakable. Ukyo reeled back, stunned.
"You-you-you bitch! What gives you the right to talk to me that way?"
"The same thing that gives you the right. Ranma's opinion of me is nothing you should concern yourself over, Ukyo, especially if he loves you as much as you believe." Akane turned to her friends, leaving Ukyo standing shocked. "I'm going home. The service here leaves much to be desired." Everyone watched her leave. No one had ever seen Akane act that way. She had reminded them all eerily of Nabiki, only much kinder. Not only that but she had seemed much more mature. She had handled Ukyo in a way that was simple but expressive. It seemed to have a profound affect on Ukyo, who was looking incredibly guilty. It was unfortunate that Ranma chose that moment to walk into Ucchan's.
"Hey, Ucchan. What's up?"
Ukyo burst into tears.
~~~
Ranma was thoroughly confused. He had no idea what to make of what happened at Ucchan's. Ukyo had locked herself in her room and Akane's friends had told him what had happened. He didn't quite understand why Ukyo was so upset, but one of them had seemed to think that it had something to do with the fact that Akane had pointed out a major flaw in Ukyo and one of her major doubts: That Ranma really didn't love her. Not only had Akane pointed this out, but she had skillfully kept herself out of it. He couldn't get Ukyo out and had finally left, defeated. For a while he had mused over Ukyo's behavior, but once the girl's restaurant was out of sight, his thoughts had quickly turned to Akane. This was yet another, specific event that added to his growing concern and confusion. Since the day she had served him and Ukyo tea in the dojo, she had not responded to his taunts except for the occasional loss of mallet control. She had also stopped cooking, something he had acknowledged as her special, if unsuccessful, way of trying to please him. The bathroom incident was one of the things that disturbed him the most. She had blatantly asked him to bathe with her, and while it was only a joke to her, it had aroused something in him. (He was studiously ignoring the fact that he had been physically aroused by such a prospect, and the fact that, because of it, every chance he got he would check out her body.) He had suddenly become aware of her. He had always been aware of her, but before it had subconscious, now it was most definitely a conscious thing.
Ranma cursed under his breath. This was a bad thing. Akane was seemingly losing interest in him and he was now gaining a very real and strong interest in her consciously. He needed to talk to someone.
He cursed again, out loud this time, as rain began to fall, and the hated change came over him. He really hated being female. There weren't any real changes in his personality, but the hormonal changes were unsettling none the less. Ranma sighed and continued to trudge home dejectedly.
~~~
Akane sat on the bottom of the stairs, two towels in her lap. She knew Ranma had gone to Ucchan's; one of her friends had called her and let her know. Now, she was just waiting for him to come home and rail on her about her attitude towards his best friend. She had been deliberately cruel, hoping to make her point, and now she was feeling guilty. So, when the rain had started, she had gathered together towels and waited for the battle that would surely ensue.
~~~
Ranma opened the door to the Tendo Dojo, but didn't call out. He had managed to work himself into quite a funk on the way home, so when he found Akane sitting nervously at the bottom of the stairs for him, he didn't know what to think. He just stood there, dripping on the floor.
Akane sighed and stood. Ranma was mad at her. The red-head wouldn't even look at her. Hesitantly, but determined to do it, Akane unfolded one of the towels and wrapped it around the pseudo-girl's shoulders. She shook the other one open and began to gently towel off Ranma's hair. Two extremely shocked blue eyes looked up into her brown ones at the contact.
Ranma found himself trembling as Akane continued to dry him off. The way she was taking care of him was so...perfect. He wanted her to greet him like this all the time. He wanted her to wrap her arms around him and warm him with her body heat. He wanted the towel and the clothes that separated his skin from her hands to be gone and he wanted those hands to roam his body. Deeply embarrassed by his desire and the fact that it was so strong in his female body (He feared what the strength of it would be in his male body.), Ranma turned away from Akane, pulling away from the person he wanted so badly.
Akane bit back tears, set her jaw, and went to her room. He was more than mad. He was furious; he didn't even want her to touch him. Pain overwhelmed her and she knelt in the middle of her floor, her body heaving with gasping sobs.
Actually, rereading it now, I get a dark feeling from the entire story, even the parts that aren't supposed to be dark. I wonder if it's my mood or what.
One practical note: This is set three years after they meet. (For the not- so-smart people, this means that Ranma and Akane are now 19, with everyone their respective ages.)
~~~The Danger of Denial
One
She wasn't sure when, but she had come to a conclusion. She wasn't going to deal with it anymore. She didn't need the anger he caused, the anger his fiancées caused, the anger his indecision caused. Oh, there was no doubt that she loved him so much that her heart sang with the kindest word or the most fleeting touch, but she just couldn't deal with it anymore. If he wanted her, he was going to have to prove it.
Of course, that now meant that she couldn't cook for him anymore. Akane smirked to herself. It wasn't any great loss, after all. She didn't really like to cook. She hated it in fact, which was probably why she sucked at it. She had only started to cook because he seemed to like that in women. Her decision made, Akane rolled off her bed and headed downstairs to inform Kasumi that she would, indeed, be cooking dinner tonight.
As she passed the dojo, a voice called out to her.
"Oi, Akane?" She paused and backtracked to stand in the doorway. She kept her face carefully neutral. Both she and Kasumi were as skilled as Nabiki in hiding their emotions. Kasumi chose to keep her façade as innocent as possible and only Akane and Nabiki knew just how strong the girl's emotions were. Akane had found no need for such skills save where her acting was concerned. As she looked in the dojo, though, Akane realized that she would be needing them a great deal now.
Ranma was sitting across from Ukyo, an okanomiyaki box between them. The chef was looking incredibly pleased with herself. Akane lifted a hand and let it rest on the door frame.
"What?"
"Can you bring me and Ukyo some tea?" Akane raised an eyebrow. Despite her serene face, anger and hurt were raging beneath the surface. He wasn't even going to offer her some and he wanted her to get them tea? 'Asshole,' she thought viciously. Her own venom surprised her and she realized that this was something she really did dislike about him. He was oblivious to other people's emotions. Quietly, too quiet for either of the martial artists before her, Akane muttered under her breath, "Fuck you." Then she turned and got them their tea.
She missed their surprised expressions as she left the dojo. Neither of them had been expecting her to do it. Akane headed back to the kitchen.
"I'm going for a run, Kasumi. Oh, and by the way, I've changed my mind. I'm not going to cook dinner. Is that all right?"
"Of course it is, Akane. Be careful on your run." Akane smiled.
"I will. Thank you." Kasumi watched her younger sister leave the kitchen, a worried expression on her face. She knew what the reason was for Akane's interest in cooking. It worried her that Akane no longer wanted to cook. It also worried her that Akane had gotten Ranma and Ukyo tea. Her sister was not the most controlled of people but even Kasumi was having trouble telling what was going on with Akane. Then, something occurred to her.
"Oh, Ranma-kun. I'm afraid you're in for some pain if you don't grow some balls," she said to herself.
~~~
Ranma hummed to himself as he walked the used dishes back to the kitchen. He had been pleasantly surprised by Akane's change in attitude. He had been sure he had earned himself a mallet. He wasn't really sure why he had asked her to bring them tea. Sometimes he just seemed to like provoking her.
As Ranma entered the kitchen, he was a bit taken aback by Kasumi's presence. Akane had said that she would cook dinner.
"Kasumi, what are doing here?"
"Oh, Ranma-kun, you startled me. Akane changed her mind about cooking. She's going for a run right now." Ranma frowned and left the kitchen. How odd.
~~~
Akane relaxed in the furo. She felt so much better. Her run and not having to worry about dinner, tonight or ever again, was a great relief. She sighed and sank farther into the warm water. Suddenly someone was knocking on the door.
"What?" she called out, irritated.
"Hey, kawaiikune, are you going to take much longer in there? I need a bath and it's almost dinner time." Akane scowled but began to rise from the bath.
"If you want one so bad, Ranma, why don't you just come in here and take one?" She wrapped a towel around her body and opened to door to find Ranma standing open-mouth.
"Baka," she muttered, rolling her eyes. If she had opened the door a moment sooner, she might have seen the incredibly longing that had flashed across his face.
~~~~~
Akane pulled open the door to Ucchan's and held it for her friends. She laughed with them at a joke someone had cracked. Ukyo watched as the group of girls sat down in a corner. She had to admit that she was vaguely surprised to see Akane here without Ranma. She was also surprised to see Akane so cheerful, despite the way Ranma had been teasing her in school. A sudden hope sprang in Ukyo. Maybe, just maybe, Akane was no longer interested in Ranma. Cautiously, Ukyo approached the group.
"What'll ya have?" she asked. A flurry of discussion ensued and Ukyo took the chance to lean down and talk to Akane.
"Man, Ranma sure was laying it on thick today." Akane looked up at her confused.
"What are you talking about?" Ukyo missed the ominous silence that had come over the table. She smirked.
"His teasing. It must suck to be the uncute fiancée." All of Akane's friends froze and cringed away from the two martial artists. Never before had Ukyo so blatantly attacked Akane with words in such a manner. Akane simply smiled wolfishly up at the chef.
"At least he admits that I'm a girl. You're just some cute guy." The emphasis on guy was unmistakable. Ukyo reeled back, stunned.
"You-you-you bitch! What gives you the right to talk to me that way?"
"The same thing that gives you the right. Ranma's opinion of me is nothing you should concern yourself over, Ukyo, especially if he loves you as much as you believe." Akane turned to her friends, leaving Ukyo standing shocked. "I'm going home. The service here leaves much to be desired." Everyone watched her leave. No one had ever seen Akane act that way. She had reminded them all eerily of Nabiki, only much kinder. Not only that but she had seemed much more mature. She had handled Ukyo in a way that was simple but expressive. It seemed to have a profound affect on Ukyo, who was looking incredibly guilty. It was unfortunate that Ranma chose that moment to walk into Ucchan's.
"Hey, Ucchan. What's up?"
Ukyo burst into tears.
~~~
Ranma was thoroughly confused. He had no idea what to make of what happened at Ucchan's. Ukyo had locked herself in her room and Akane's friends had told him what had happened. He didn't quite understand why Ukyo was so upset, but one of them had seemed to think that it had something to do with the fact that Akane had pointed out a major flaw in Ukyo and one of her major doubts: That Ranma really didn't love her. Not only had Akane pointed this out, but she had skillfully kept herself out of it. He couldn't get Ukyo out and had finally left, defeated. For a while he had mused over Ukyo's behavior, but once the girl's restaurant was out of sight, his thoughts had quickly turned to Akane. This was yet another, specific event that added to his growing concern and confusion. Since the day she had served him and Ukyo tea in the dojo, she had not responded to his taunts except for the occasional loss of mallet control. She had also stopped cooking, something he had acknowledged as her special, if unsuccessful, way of trying to please him. The bathroom incident was one of the things that disturbed him the most. She had blatantly asked him to bathe with her, and while it was only a joke to her, it had aroused something in him. (He was studiously ignoring the fact that he had been physically aroused by such a prospect, and the fact that, because of it, every chance he got he would check out her body.) He had suddenly become aware of her. He had always been aware of her, but before it had subconscious, now it was most definitely a conscious thing.
Ranma cursed under his breath. This was a bad thing. Akane was seemingly losing interest in him and he was now gaining a very real and strong interest in her consciously. He needed to talk to someone.
He cursed again, out loud this time, as rain began to fall, and the hated change came over him. He really hated being female. There weren't any real changes in his personality, but the hormonal changes were unsettling none the less. Ranma sighed and continued to trudge home dejectedly.
~~~
Akane sat on the bottom of the stairs, two towels in her lap. She knew Ranma had gone to Ucchan's; one of her friends had called her and let her know. Now, she was just waiting for him to come home and rail on her about her attitude towards his best friend. She had been deliberately cruel, hoping to make her point, and now she was feeling guilty. So, when the rain had started, she had gathered together towels and waited for the battle that would surely ensue.
~~~
Ranma opened the door to the Tendo Dojo, but didn't call out. He had managed to work himself into quite a funk on the way home, so when he found Akane sitting nervously at the bottom of the stairs for him, he didn't know what to think. He just stood there, dripping on the floor.
Akane sighed and stood. Ranma was mad at her. The red-head wouldn't even look at her. Hesitantly, but determined to do it, Akane unfolded one of the towels and wrapped it around the pseudo-girl's shoulders. She shook the other one open and began to gently towel off Ranma's hair. Two extremely shocked blue eyes looked up into her brown ones at the contact.
Ranma found himself trembling as Akane continued to dry him off. The way she was taking care of him was so...perfect. He wanted her to greet him like this all the time. He wanted her to wrap her arms around him and warm him with her body heat. He wanted the towel and the clothes that separated his skin from her hands to be gone and he wanted those hands to roam his body. Deeply embarrassed by his desire and the fact that it was so strong in his female body (He feared what the strength of it would be in his male body.), Ranma turned away from Akane, pulling away from the person he wanted so badly.
Akane bit back tears, set her jaw, and went to her room. He was more than mad. He was furious; he didn't even want her to touch him. Pain overwhelmed her and she knelt in the middle of her floor, her body heaving with gasping sobs.