The month after Nakajima Productions victory over the
Lightning Fists was some of the most hectic times in Ranma and Akane's
life. Not only did the underground press want interviews with one of
the hottest teams in the world of Street Fighting, but several
mainstream magazines sent reporters to try to get Akane and Ranma to
tell more about their respective schools of Anything Goes Martial
Arts. Akane didn't get a swelled head, but did as many interviews as
she could stand; figuring it was good publicity for her father and Mr.
Saotome's dojo.
However, the normally ebullient Ranma didn't feel the same
way. If he saw any reporters coming to him, he would immediately look
for a way out, leaving before he could be asked for an interview. The
rest of the team was puzzled by this behavior, but as a sort of
unspoken pledge; no one mentioned Ranma's curse, figuring if anyone
was going to tell the press, it would be him.
Akane had figured she would miss her family so much while she
was away, and she did, but she had a life line to home. Every second
or third day, a quick note would arrive from her sisters and her
father. She would spend a few hours reading and re-reading the note,
catching up on all the small details of what was going on back in
Nerima. She had to chuckle, going over the latest letters from home
again, sitting on the bed in her hotel room
Nabiki had enclosed a note that Kuno had spent the first two months
protesting about how the "evil accursed sorcerer Saotome" had taken
away both loves of his life, Akane Tendo, and the mysterious
pig-tailed girl. However, Kuno had spoken one too many times about
Ranma, in the wrong person's hearing. It seems that during one of his
soliloquies on the evilness of Ranma, Shampoo had taken umbrage at one
of his more detailed descriptions and tried to smash Kuno with one of
her bonbori. This had led to a big fight, which devastated about two
blocks of downtown Nerima.
To everyone's great surprise, Kuno had won the fight. Shampoo now had
to figure out how she was to marry both Ranma and Kuno, and Cologne
had thrown up her hands in horror when she realized the pickle this
put her in. Cologne and Shampoo spent the next week trying to worm out
how long Ranma and Akane would be out on the circuit. Failing to get
an answer from even the ever-helpful Kasumi. Cologne had packed up the
Nekohanten, as well as Shampoo and a still protesting Kuno (even
though she had used some kind of Amazon neck pinch to turn off Kuno's
vocal cords, to everyone's great relief) and hadn't been seen for
weeks.
As Akane finished the letter, she sat back, and started thinking about
Ranma's recent behavior. She wished she knew what was wrong with him.
Although not particularly acting like the engaged to be married couple
their parents wanted them to act like, the two were friends, and
something was definitely bothering him. During a normal three-hour
sparring session, Akane would count herself lucky to get three or four
touches in. However, lately, she would land three or four times that
many moves. Ranma tried to half-heartedly convince her that it was
because she was improving, but Akane knew better. A lot of the moves
were basic moves that Ranma should have blocked easily.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a polite knock at the door. She
stood up walked over to the door, opened it. Alex, the team
chauffeur, go-fer, personal assistant, and in Akane's estimation, the
backbone of the team, stood waiting. She smiled, Alex was a good
friend to all the fighters, and he had saved them when he was able to
get Akane her fighting gi in time to replace Venton McCracken for the
fight against the Lightning Fists.
"Hey Akane, I just got some good news from Mr. Nakajima. I thought I'd
come up and tell you first, so Vanderstreet doesn't take the
initiative and invite himself up to your room to tell you the good
news." Akane winced to herself slightly. It seemed that Todd
Vanderstreet found her to be "exotically charming" and spent his time
trying to charm/seduce her. It wasn't bad enough yet to make her think
about getting rid of him with mallet-sama, but still, it was annoying.
"Mr. Nakajima's going to call everybody together later today. We
signed a contract to headline a card back in Osaka. Solo fights, but
it means big money for the team. We thought you'd be especially happy
because you can go visit your family while we're there." Alex
explained. Akane bounced off the bed and hugged Alex excitedly,
causing the chauffeur profound embarrassment. Akane broke the hug with
a blush, but her excitement was still palpable. "When do we leave for
Osaka?" Alex consulted a travel itinerary he had brought with him,
expecting this very same question. "Well, we're setting it up now, but
I think we'll leave in two weeks, and we'll spend a month over there
promoting the fight card."
Akane grinned, "Does Ranma know yet?" He would definitely be
surprised, she thought to herself. Alex's face dropped a little. He
had been present for most of the recent sparring sessions, and Ranma's
lackluster performance worried him. He hadn't said anything to Mr.
Nakajima yet, hoping that Akane would figure a way to get him back to
one hundred percent. "Last I saw him, he had just ducked out of an
interview, and was heading up the roof I think. Maybe you ought to
tell him yourself, Akane"
The two made small talk for the next few minutes, but Alex left to go
tell the rest of the team, and Akane decided to hunt down Ranma and
tell him personally. She headed up to the hotel's roof, blinking
slightly as the bright sun blazed high above. Ranma sat on a wall in
the center, looking out from the roof onto the sea.
Akane walked up next to Ranma, and the two spent a couple minutes
looking out, listening to the sounds of traffic far below. After
several minutes, Ranma finally spoke, in a quiet voice. "Hi Akane."
Was all he said, not even turning, eyes locked in on the horizon.
"Hi Ranma. You ok?" she asked, just as quietly.
Ranma sighed quietly, looking down at his feet for a few seconds,
before looking out again at the horizon. "Nah, just an old problem
that has been getting worse recently." Akane thought she knew what was
bothering him, and his next few sentences confirmed it. "I wonder if
someone's going to read these interviews they want me to do and tell
my mom about me."
His voice never rose in pitch, but his voice carried an intensity
Akane didn't usually hear. "I know Pop was right, about making me
promise never to tell my mom about what happened until we found a cure
for the Jusenkyo curse, but ever since I was young, I haven't really
had a mother. I was always on training trips with Pop, learning more
moves, there was something driving me. My mom understood that, made me
promise to be a "man among men". I don't know how'd she react if she
met me now, but I don't think I'll have that chance for a while. For
all Pop and I know, there is no cure. What am I supposed to do then,
never see my mom unless I'm Ranko again? Sometimes I wonder if it
would be worth the chance of her following up on our promise to commit
seppuku, just to know I could talk to my mom again.
A plan crystallized in Akane's mind at Ranma's words. It was risky,
with a chance of catastrophic failure. If it did fail, well, she
guessed Ranma would never speak to her again. But still, an effort had
to be made. She had to deal with the here and now first, however. "I
understand, Ranma. But right now, we need you to be one hundred
percent. Alex just told me we have a fight in Osaka scheduled, we'll
be able to spend a month at home, and we'll figure a way to do this.
Maybe we should ask Nabiki, she's always got good plans."
Ranma couldn't help grinning, "Yeah.. good plans to fleece somebody
out of money."
The two spent another half an hour talking, before Akane
excused herself to call home and tell them the good news. Even though
it was an international call, Akane didn't begrudge the cost. Her
share of the team's prize money had left her moderately wealthy, and
not being one to shop, she had saved most of it. It was time to spend
a little.
Nabiki answered the phone, and gleefully told everybody the
news (the cheers were loud enough to be heard over the phone, she
noticed.) She talked with her family for a few minutes, then asked for
Nabiki, she had a favor to ask. When Nabiki returned, she asked Nabiki
to make sure no one else was within listening distance, then spoke
quietly. "Nabiki, I need you to get me something, and I need it kept
quiet. It's a surprise for Ranma when he gets home..." She quickly
detailed what she would need, and she could almost SEE the grin
forming on Nabiki's face as she got the idea.
"Right, Akane, will do. Although I wish Ranma knew, I hear
he's getting rich, and I don't charge family members." The two shared
a chuckle as Nabiki said her good-byes and taking the stairs two at a
time, headed up to her room, a big smile on her face. Akane-chan was
up front and honest usually, but she had to have been watching Nabiki
at work, this plan was GOOD. Meanwhile, Akane replaced the receiver,
went to sit back on her bed, and chuckled softly. "Ranma Saotome, for
once in your life, you're the one who's going to owe ME a favor. The
look on your eyes will be worth it." She sat back to think on how to
best pull this plan off.
The team continued to spar over the next two weeks, but there
was a definite undercurrent of excitement underneath the everyday
work. Punches were thrown with a little more intensity, the kicks were
just that little bit crisper, and Ranma, while not back to his usual
carefree self, was back close to his old level. He returned to his
form in the sparring sessions against Akane, but somehow Akane didn't
mind. She would rather learn more by fighting a Ranma at near one
hundred percent, then get a temporary ego boost by fighting a less
interested Ranma
The two weeks passed rather quickly, and soon enough, the team
was packing for the flight to Osaka. Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome had
decided to offer the dojo as a practice ground, and Ranma and Akane
pitched in some of their money to reserve several rooms for the team,
as hosts. Soon enough, it was time to leave, and as Ranma and Akane
chatted quietly, a sense of deja vu struck Akane. Just a couple months
ago, they were flying off into an unknown future. Now once again,
although Ranma didn't know it, great changes were in store. She
grinned; the telegram from Nabiki had arrived just an hour before the
team left. It read...
We'll meet you at the airport. You'll find that request in
your room Akane. You know the place.
Nabiki
Ranma wondered what "that request" meant, and Akane had to
stifle a giggle and told him he'd have to wait to find out. Akane knew
that Ranma HATED mysteries, which was just a bonus. Even if he got
curious and tried to find where Nabiki had stashed the information
that Akane had requested, he could tear apart the whole room and not
find it. There was a loose floorboard in Akane's room. The two sisters
would leave secret notes for each other in there, without the fear of
other people reading it. After she got the information, however, it
was all up to her.
Ranma tried to stay happy, for Akane's sake, which wasn't too
hard at times, but sometimes his thoughts would drift. For many years,
Pop had taken him out on the road on training trips here and there. He
didn't particularly think bad of it, mind you, he thought that's how
EVERYBODY did things. He was never in one place long enough to have an
attachment, it was just himself and Pop versus the world.
But that had changed in the year or so that he had been at the
Tendo dojo. He had missed the place, Kasumi's quiet strength, watching
Mr. Tendo and Pop cheat like mad at shogi, (and then deny that they
had, of course) even razzing Akane about her cooking. He was looking
forward to going home. His mind immediately seized on that thought.
The Tendo Dojo WAS home, and he was looking forward to it. Now if he
could just get his Pop to figure a way to reconcile with Mom, it'd be
perfect.
As his mind worked through his recent experiences, he wondered
why that it had took him so long to MISS his new home. He guessed it
was because he wasn't alone, he had someone with the same connection
in Akane. The two had developed a fast friendship, based on a few
common experiences, and a common goal, to be the best heir they could
be for their school of Anything Goes Martial Arts.
That's not all, admit it, you care for her, came the rogue
thought. Ranma braced himself, usually around that time, he would do
or say something just to prove he DIDN'T care, well, then out came the
mallet and he either ran away at high speed, or he FLEW away at high
speed. That would be rather inconvenient 30,000 feet up and over the
ocean. Ranma adjusted his seat belt, sat back in his seat and closed
his eyes and tried to work through his feelings.
He DID care for Akane, he just hated being pushed into an
engagement he hadn't wanted, that he wasn't READY for. If their
meddling fathers just had INTRODUCED them, and maybe let the two of
them work it out, they would have a better chance. Now, they had to
wonder if the other one was "caring" for them only to appease their
fathers. But he still cared for Uc-chan, but somewhat differently.
Uc-chan was a rock in his world, someone you knew you could count on
to have beside you when trouble threatened, that would be there when
you need it. But he didn't know if that meant he loved her.
He thought of Akane's shy smile, and of her tremendous
dedication to her training. She had pushed him past limits he thought
were unbreakable. He never wanted to teach before; it seemed, so,
well, BORING. He'd rather be where the action is, after all. But he
enjoyed the sessions greatly; there was something that felt really
good when Akane mastered a new move. And the few times where he had
surprised HIM, well, it had pushed him to a new level. He looked at
Akane, saw the grin on her face, as she studied him, and jokingly
asked, "And what's put that grin on your face, Akane?"
Akane's grin broadened. "Oh, just thinking about surprises,
Ranma-sensei, I bet the future of Nakajima Productions contain many
such surprises." And she couldn't stop a giggle from escaping. Yes,
Ranma, she thought to herself. The future DOES contain many surprises.
And there's a real big one headed for you shortly.
Lightning Fists was some of the most hectic times in Ranma and Akane's
life. Not only did the underground press want interviews with one of
the hottest teams in the world of Street Fighting, but several
mainstream magazines sent reporters to try to get Akane and Ranma to
tell more about their respective schools of Anything Goes Martial
Arts. Akane didn't get a swelled head, but did as many interviews as
she could stand; figuring it was good publicity for her father and Mr.
Saotome's dojo.
However, the normally ebullient Ranma didn't feel the same
way. If he saw any reporters coming to him, he would immediately look
for a way out, leaving before he could be asked for an interview. The
rest of the team was puzzled by this behavior, but as a sort of
unspoken pledge; no one mentioned Ranma's curse, figuring if anyone
was going to tell the press, it would be him.
Akane had figured she would miss her family so much while she
was away, and she did, but she had a life line to home. Every second
or third day, a quick note would arrive from her sisters and her
father. She would spend a few hours reading and re-reading the note,
catching up on all the small details of what was going on back in
Nerima. She had to chuckle, going over the latest letters from home
again, sitting on the bed in her hotel room
Nabiki had enclosed a note that Kuno had spent the first two months
protesting about how the "evil accursed sorcerer Saotome" had taken
away both loves of his life, Akane Tendo, and the mysterious
pig-tailed girl. However, Kuno had spoken one too many times about
Ranma, in the wrong person's hearing. It seems that during one of his
soliloquies on the evilness of Ranma, Shampoo had taken umbrage at one
of his more detailed descriptions and tried to smash Kuno with one of
her bonbori. This had led to a big fight, which devastated about two
blocks of downtown Nerima.
To everyone's great surprise, Kuno had won the fight. Shampoo now had
to figure out how she was to marry both Ranma and Kuno, and Cologne
had thrown up her hands in horror when she realized the pickle this
put her in. Cologne and Shampoo spent the next week trying to worm out
how long Ranma and Akane would be out on the circuit. Failing to get
an answer from even the ever-helpful Kasumi. Cologne had packed up the
Nekohanten, as well as Shampoo and a still protesting Kuno (even
though she had used some kind of Amazon neck pinch to turn off Kuno's
vocal cords, to everyone's great relief) and hadn't been seen for
weeks.
As Akane finished the letter, she sat back, and started thinking about
Ranma's recent behavior. She wished she knew what was wrong with him.
Although not particularly acting like the engaged to be married couple
their parents wanted them to act like, the two were friends, and
something was definitely bothering him. During a normal three-hour
sparring session, Akane would count herself lucky to get three or four
touches in. However, lately, she would land three or four times that
many moves. Ranma tried to half-heartedly convince her that it was
because she was improving, but Akane knew better. A lot of the moves
were basic moves that Ranma should have blocked easily.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a polite knock at the door. She
stood up walked over to the door, opened it. Alex, the team
chauffeur, go-fer, personal assistant, and in Akane's estimation, the
backbone of the team, stood waiting. She smiled, Alex was a good
friend to all the fighters, and he had saved them when he was able to
get Akane her fighting gi in time to replace Venton McCracken for the
fight against the Lightning Fists.
"Hey Akane, I just got some good news from Mr. Nakajima. I thought I'd
come up and tell you first, so Vanderstreet doesn't take the
initiative and invite himself up to your room to tell you the good
news." Akane winced to herself slightly. It seemed that Todd
Vanderstreet found her to be "exotically charming" and spent his time
trying to charm/seduce her. It wasn't bad enough yet to make her think
about getting rid of him with mallet-sama, but still, it was annoying.
"Mr. Nakajima's going to call everybody together later today. We
signed a contract to headline a card back in Osaka. Solo fights, but
it means big money for the team. We thought you'd be especially happy
because you can go visit your family while we're there." Alex
explained. Akane bounced off the bed and hugged Alex excitedly,
causing the chauffeur profound embarrassment. Akane broke the hug with
a blush, but her excitement was still palpable. "When do we leave for
Osaka?" Alex consulted a travel itinerary he had brought with him,
expecting this very same question. "Well, we're setting it up now, but
I think we'll leave in two weeks, and we'll spend a month over there
promoting the fight card."
Akane grinned, "Does Ranma know yet?" He would definitely be
surprised, she thought to herself. Alex's face dropped a little. He
had been present for most of the recent sparring sessions, and Ranma's
lackluster performance worried him. He hadn't said anything to Mr.
Nakajima yet, hoping that Akane would figure a way to get him back to
one hundred percent. "Last I saw him, he had just ducked out of an
interview, and was heading up the roof I think. Maybe you ought to
tell him yourself, Akane"
The two made small talk for the next few minutes, but Alex left to go
tell the rest of the team, and Akane decided to hunt down Ranma and
tell him personally. She headed up to the hotel's roof, blinking
slightly as the bright sun blazed high above. Ranma sat on a wall in
the center, looking out from the roof onto the sea.
Akane walked up next to Ranma, and the two spent a couple minutes
looking out, listening to the sounds of traffic far below. After
several minutes, Ranma finally spoke, in a quiet voice. "Hi Akane."
Was all he said, not even turning, eyes locked in on the horizon.
"Hi Ranma. You ok?" she asked, just as quietly.
Ranma sighed quietly, looking down at his feet for a few seconds,
before looking out again at the horizon. "Nah, just an old problem
that has been getting worse recently." Akane thought she knew what was
bothering him, and his next few sentences confirmed it. "I wonder if
someone's going to read these interviews they want me to do and tell
my mom about me."
His voice never rose in pitch, but his voice carried an intensity
Akane didn't usually hear. "I know Pop was right, about making me
promise never to tell my mom about what happened until we found a cure
for the Jusenkyo curse, but ever since I was young, I haven't really
had a mother. I was always on training trips with Pop, learning more
moves, there was something driving me. My mom understood that, made me
promise to be a "man among men". I don't know how'd she react if she
met me now, but I don't think I'll have that chance for a while. For
all Pop and I know, there is no cure. What am I supposed to do then,
never see my mom unless I'm Ranko again? Sometimes I wonder if it
would be worth the chance of her following up on our promise to commit
seppuku, just to know I could talk to my mom again.
A plan crystallized in Akane's mind at Ranma's words. It was risky,
with a chance of catastrophic failure. If it did fail, well, she
guessed Ranma would never speak to her again. But still, an effort had
to be made. She had to deal with the here and now first, however. "I
understand, Ranma. But right now, we need you to be one hundred
percent. Alex just told me we have a fight in Osaka scheduled, we'll
be able to spend a month at home, and we'll figure a way to do this.
Maybe we should ask Nabiki, she's always got good plans."
Ranma couldn't help grinning, "Yeah.. good plans to fleece somebody
out of money."
The two spent another half an hour talking, before Akane
excused herself to call home and tell them the good news. Even though
it was an international call, Akane didn't begrudge the cost. Her
share of the team's prize money had left her moderately wealthy, and
not being one to shop, she had saved most of it. It was time to spend
a little.
Nabiki answered the phone, and gleefully told everybody the
news (the cheers were loud enough to be heard over the phone, she
noticed.) She talked with her family for a few minutes, then asked for
Nabiki, she had a favor to ask. When Nabiki returned, she asked Nabiki
to make sure no one else was within listening distance, then spoke
quietly. "Nabiki, I need you to get me something, and I need it kept
quiet. It's a surprise for Ranma when he gets home..." She quickly
detailed what she would need, and she could almost SEE the grin
forming on Nabiki's face as she got the idea.
"Right, Akane, will do. Although I wish Ranma knew, I hear
he's getting rich, and I don't charge family members." The two shared
a chuckle as Nabiki said her good-byes and taking the stairs two at a
time, headed up to her room, a big smile on her face. Akane-chan was
up front and honest usually, but she had to have been watching Nabiki
at work, this plan was GOOD. Meanwhile, Akane replaced the receiver,
went to sit back on her bed, and chuckled softly. "Ranma Saotome, for
once in your life, you're the one who's going to owe ME a favor. The
look on your eyes will be worth it." She sat back to think on how to
best pull this plan off.
The team continued to spar over the next two weeks, but there
was a definite undercurrent of excitement underneath the everyday
work. Punches were thrown with a little more intensity, the kicks were
just that little bit crisper, and Ranma, while not back to his usual
carefree self, was back close to his old level. He returned to his
form in the sparring sessions against Akane, but somehow Akane didn't
mind. She would rather learn more by fighting a Ranma at near one
hundred percent, then get a temporary ego boost by fighting a less
interested Ranma
The two weeks passed rather quickly, and soon enough, the team
was packing for the flight to Osaka. Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome had
decided to offer the dojo as a practice ground, and Ranma and Akane
pitched in some of their money to reserve several rooms for the team,
as hosts. Soon enough, it was time to leave, and as Ranma and Akane
chatted quietly, a sense of deja vu struck Akane. Just a couple months
ago, they were flying off into an unknown future. Now once again,
although Ranma didn't know it, great changes were in store. She
grinned; the telegram from Nabiki had arrived just an hour before the
team left. It read...
We'll meet you at the airport. You'll find that request in
your room Akane. You know the place.
Nabiki
Ranma wondered what "that request" meant, and Akane had to
stifle a giggle and told him he'd have to wait to find out. Akane knew
that Ranma HATED mysteries, which was just a bonus. Even if he got
curious and tried to find where Nabiki had stashed the information
that Akane had requested, he could tear apart the whole room and not
find it. There was a loose floorboard in Akane's room. The two sisters
would leave secret notes for each other in there, without the fear of
other people reading it. After she got the information, however, it
was all up to her.
Ranma tried to stay happy, for Akane's sake, which wasn't too
hard at times, but sometimes his thoughts would drift. For many years,
Pop had taken him out on the road on training trips here and there. He
didn't particularly think bad of it, mind you, he thought that's how
EVERYBODY did things. He was never in one place long enough to have an
attachment, it was just himself and Pop versus the world.
But that had changed in the year or so that he had been at the
Tendo dojo. He had missed the place, Kasumi's quiet strength, watching
Mr. Tendo and Pop cheat like mad at shogi, (and then deny that they
had, of course) even razzing Akane about her cooking. He was looking
forward to going home. His mind immediately seized on that thought.
The Tendo Dojo WAS home, and he was looking forward to it. Now if he
could just get his Pop to figure a way to reconcile with Mom, it'd be
perfect.
As his mind worked through his recent experiences, he wondered
why that it had took him so long to MISS his new home. He guessed it
was because he wasn't alone, he had someone with the same connection
in Akane. The two had developed a fast friendship, based on a few
common experiences, and a common goal, to be the best heir they could
be for their school of Anything Goes Martial Arts.
That's not all, admit it, you care for her, came the rogue
thought. Ranma braced himself, usually around that time, he would do
or say something just to prove he DIDN'T care, well, then out came the
mallet and he either ran away at high speed, or he FLEW away at high
speed. That would be rather inconvenient 30,000 feet up and over the
ocean. Ranma adjusted his seat belt, sat back in his seat and closed
his eyes and tried to work through his feelings.
He DID care for Akane, he just hated being pushed into an
engagement he hadn't wanted, that he wasn't READY for. If their
meddling fathers just had INTRODUCED them, and maybe let the two of
them work it out, they would have a better chance. Now, they had to
wonder if the other one was "caring" for them only to appease their
fathers. But he still cared for Uc-chan, but somewhat differently.
Uc-chan was a rock in his world, someone you knew you could count on
to have beside you when trouble threatened, that would be there when
you need it. But he didn't know if that meant he loved her.
He thought of Akane's shy smile, and of her tremendous
dedication to her training. She had pushed him past limits he thought
were unbreakable. He never wanted to teach before; it seemed, so,
well, BORING. He'd rather be where the action is, after all. But he
enjoyed the sessions greatly; there was something that felt really
good when Akane mastered a new move. And the few times where he had
surprised HIM, well, it had pushed him to a new level. He looked at
Akane, saw the grin on her face, as she studied him, and jokingly
asked, "And what's put that grin on your face, Akane?"
Akane's grin broadened. "Oh, just thinking about surprises,
Ranma-sensei, I bet the future of Nakajima Productions contain many
such surprises." And she couldn't stop a giggle from escaping. Yes,
Ranma, she thought to herself. The future DOES contain many surprises.
And there's a real big one headed for you shortly.
