To Marry a Tendo

by Taechunsa

Mrs. Tendo doesn't die and the Tendos and Saotomes will never be the same.

2. Do You Want to be Friends?

To Marry a Tendo

11.18.02

I do not own any of the Ranma ½ characters. However, I will if I ever strike it rich.

Chapter 2: Do You Want to be Friends?

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It was late at night and Ranma slept next to a campfire in a clearing near a small village somewhere in Southern Japan. On the opposite side of the fire Genma sat holding a piece of paper.

For the third time, Genma finished reading the letter that Nodoka had sent. He paled at the thought of what would happen to him if Ranma didn't write to Soun's girl. Genma shivered as he imagined his head rolling on the ground after it was severed from his neck. He had put a lot of thought into how to handle the situation, which was amazing for him. He considered faking the letters, but rejected the idea. Eventually someone would figure out that he had been sending the letters, and then he would be a dead man. He considered pretending that he hadn't received the last letter, but knew that would only delay the inevitable. So he was left with a choice that he didn't care for at all. He would have to allow Ranma to correspond with Soun's daughter.

For the third time, Genma smashed the letter into a tight ball. This type of interference was what Genma wanted to keep Ranma from when he took him on this training trip. Genma knew that the girl would make Ranma soft. She would probably write of what make-up she bought and what girlie show she saw. She would probably write of how she thought that a person should think through a situation, before they acted. She would probably write about emotions like love and weak stuff like that.

For the third time, Genma screamed in rage as he threw the letter into the woods. He then calmed as he pulled the pan, that Ranma had thrown at him, from the side of his head.

"Shud'p dad. I'm tryin' ta sleep," Ranma said lazily as he lay back down.

For the third time, Genma went into the woods and retrieved the letter that Nodoka had sent. Genma had learned a long time ago that some things can't be hidden or run from, and this was one that he couldn't seem to find a way out of. So he would make the best out of the situation he was left with. He would have to be twice as tough as planned on Ranma.

Genma sighed as he lay down to go to sleep. He would just have to make sure that his training regimen would be enough to offset Akane's softening influence. No matter how hard it was on the boy.

*****************************************************************

Kimiko sat down on the edge of the veranda and watched her girls in the backyard. Akane was chasing Nabiki around the koi pond, her yellow dress flapping in the wind. While the youngest girls ran, Kasumi sat on a rock next to the tree and worked on her mathematics as the golden and red leaves fell around her.

Soun walked out of the tearoom, sat down on the veranda, lit up a cigarette, and turned to Kimiko. "They're beautiful aren't they?"

Kimiko smiled as she watched her little family and replied, "Yes, they are." She leaned back against Soun and sighed as he wrapped his arm around her. "I need to talk to Akane about Ranma tonight," she said with a small frown.

Soun answered with a grunt as he took another drag. "Don't worry too much about it Kimiko. I'm sure that Ranma will be a fine boy. Besides, I will make sure that he treats her properly."

Kimiko turned to face Soun and kissed him on the cheek. "No dear. _We_ will make sure that he treats her properly," Kimiko said with a wink of her eye as she stood up and approached her youngest two girls as they wrestled on the ground. "Akane dear, stop picking on your older sister, I would like to talk to you."

"But mommy, she painted my doll red," Akane complained as she pinned Nabiki to the ground.

"Nuh uh," Nabiki replied through a mouthful of grass.

Kimiko picked Akane up off of Nabiki and stood her up. "Girls what have you been told about fighting?"

"No fighting outside the dojo," the girls chorused in unison.

"What?! Who told you that?"

"Daddy," the girls said together.

"Really? Well I will settle that and this doll issue in a little bit, but right now I have to talk to Akane about something important," Kimiko said as she walked Akane back into the house.

Akane looked back at Nabiki and stuck her tongue out at the older girl. Nabiki pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at Akane in retaliation.

*****************************************************************

Kimiko and Akane entered the tearoom and sat down at the table. There was paper, envelopes, and a pencil on the table.

"Mommy, I tried to fight Nabiki in the dojo," Akane said as tears started to form in her eyes. "But she ran away from me."

Kimiko smiled at her youngest. "It's okay dear. This isn't about that. This is about something much more important."

"What's that?" Akane asked with wonder, her tears shutting off the second she realized she wasn't in trouble.

"Akane, do you know what it means to be married?"

"Um, it means you're a daddy and a mommy. Right?"

"Well, not quite," Kimiko said with a chuckle. "A man and a woman can be married and not be a mommy and a daddy, but that is a very important part of marriage. It means that a man and a woman live together, and that they can become a mommy and a daddy."

"Oh! Okay," Akane said baffled.

Kimiko resigned herself to explaining it later. "Well, your father and I have arranged for you to be married to a boy."

"Gross! Mom, boys are icky!"

"Now Akane, that isn't true and you know it. Is your father icky?"

"No, but he is a daddy, not a boy."

"Well…" Kimiko started as she tried to think of another male that Akane liked, "is Doctor Suzuki icky?"

"No, but he's a doctor, not a boy."

Kimiko thought about this for a second. "Okay. Are martial artists icky?"

"Nnnoooo," Akane said in exasperation at her mother's hopelessness.

"Then you're in luck, because you're going to marry a martial artist."

"But you said I was going to marry a boy."

"I did. However, can't a boy be a martial artist?"

Akane stopped and thought about this. She knew that some of the boys were martial artist. They even came and took classes from her father. "Yeah, a boy can be a martial artist, but they aren't very good."

Kimiko chuckled to herself. "Abilities aside, the boy that you're going to marry is a martial artist."

"Oh! I guess we can be married, but if he tries to chase me, I'll punch him."

"I would expect no less," Kimiko said with mirth. "Do you know another thing that it means to be married?"

Akane's interest was peeked. If she was going to be married, she wanted to know all about it. "No. What?"

"Married people are very good friends."

"You want me to be friends with a _boy_!" Akane exclaimed in shock.

"No! Why would I want you to be friends with a _boy_?!" Kimiko said with feigned astonishment. "I want you to be friends with the martial artist that you're going to marry."

"Oh, that's okay then," Akane said as her fears were assuaged. "When is he coming over?"

Kimiko glanced up at Nabiki, Kasumi, and Soun peeking around the corner. "Well, you won't be able to actually meet him for quite some time. He's on a training trip with his father."

"Wow! Like the ones we go on?"

"No, his training trip is much longer and harder. Also, his mother didn't go with him, just his father."

Akane tilted her head in thought. "So how are we supposed to be friends?"

"Well, his mother and I arranged for you two to be pen pals. Do you know what that means?"

Akane shook her head. "No."

"You dummy," Nabiki said as she stepped around the corner. "That means that you write to him and he writes back."

Akane rose quickly from the table. "I'm not either a dummy."

Kasumi then came running into the tearoom and stood between the two girls. "Would you two quit it. This is important."

Kimiko rolled her eyes as her two youngest started a shouting match and her eldest tried to mediate. "Enough! All of you sit down, since it appears that this is now a family discussion."

Soun came around the corner and took up his usual space at the table. "I agree that it would be wise to have a family discussion."

Kimiko cleared her throat as she glared at her husband. "As I am sure that you have all heard Akane is engaged to a young man."

Akane started to hop up and down and wave her hand.

"Yes dear?"

"I thought I was going to marry a martial artist."

Kimiko shook her head in frustration and increased her opinion of elementary teachers a little more.

"Akane, engaged means that you're going to get married. The person that you're marrying is called your fiancé," Kasumi said. "And, a young man can be a martial artist, just like you're a young woman and a martial artist."

"Oh, that makes sense," Akane said happily.

Kimiko looked at her eldest with a degree of awe. "Thank you Kasumi. Well, as I was saying, Akane is engaged to a young martial artist. Our family made a pact a long time ago that one of you girls would marry the son of a good friend of your father's. Since he is Akane's age it was decided that she would be the best choice."

"What's his name?" Nabiki asked.

"Oh my. I can't believe that I forgot that," Kimiko said as she put her hand to her mouth. "His name is Saotome Ranma."

Akane scrunched her face up. "That's a funny name."

"Akane, that isn't nice. It's a perfectly respectable name," Soun chided his daughter.

Nabiki started laughing. "Akane's fiancé is named 'Wild Horse'."

"Young lady, you are in enough trouble for today. I don't think that you need to get into any more," Kimiko said sternly.

Nabiki quickly stopped laughing. "Ah, mom. That's not fair."

"We will discuss it later," Kimiko said with finality.

"So, back to the topic of discussion. Akane I want you to write a letter to Ranma. His mother has given me the address where he and his father are staying."

"Okay." Akane looked at her mother in confusion. "But mom… I don't know how to write."

"I'll help you," Kasumi said.

Kimiko smiled at Kasumi as she stood. "Thank you dear." She then turned to Nabiki. "And you are going to come with me and talk about proper behavior."

Nabiki groaned as she also stood from the table and joined her mother as they walked upstairs.

"Well, I guess that I will go out to the dojo and get some work done," Soun said as he stood and left the room.

Kasumi moved next to Akane and picked up a pencil and paper. "Why don't you introduce yourself first?"

Akane nodded her head and started dictating to Kasumi what she wanted to say.

*****************************************************************

Genma grumbled as he walked back from the post office. He had hoped that Soun's daughter wouldn't write, but knew that he wouldn't be so lucky. Only a couple of days after he received Nodoka's letter he went to the post office and sure enough, the letter was there. "Oh, well. Might as well see how much damage she is going to do," Genma said to himself as he strolled into their camp.

Ranma was off to the side of the camp running through a kata when his father came back. "What ya got there dad?" Ranma asked as he performed a flawless high roundhouse kick. "Is it a letter for ya?" he continued as he dropped into a low stance and shot forward with an excellent uppercut.

Genma scowled and barked, "That uppercut was terrible, boy." He then shook his head and waved Ranma over. "No, it isn't a letter for me. It's a letter for you."

Ranma ended the kata and walked over to Genma. "For me? Who's it from?"

"It's from your fiancée."

"My what?"

"Your fiancée."

"Oh," Ranma said with a nod. "What's a fiancée?"

"A fiancée is the girl that you're going to marry when you're older."

"Ah," Ranma answered with another nod. "What's marry mean?"

Genma tried to pull out his hair. "You marry a girl so that when you get older she can give you sons. Then you can train those sons in the art. You also get married so that your wife can cook for you, and do your laundry, and other womanly things."

"That makes sense," Ranma said with another nod. Then he tilted his head and looked at his father. "But why do I need another wife. I already have you."

Genma fell flat on his face in shock. "I am your father! Not your wife. A wife has to be a girl!" Genma yelled as he picked himself back up.

"Why? I thought you said that girls are weak."

"They are weak… but a wife has to be a girl."

"Why?"

"Because, it's the law."

"Why don't we ignore that law like we do the one about paying for food?"

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's a more important law. It's one that you can't ignore."

"Oh, how do I get this wife? Do I have to go pick her up?"

"She'll be given to you later. Girls are bad for your training. They will make you weak."

"So why bother with it now?"

"That… is a complicated issue. It's a matter of honor and survival. Just know that when you're married you'll be running their family's dojo."

"Okay," Ranma said as he ripped open the letter and looked at it. "Um, dad. I can't read."

Genma slapped himself in the forehead and decided that he would need to find someone to teach the boy how to read and write. "Give it here," he said as he reached for the letter.

[Hello Saotome,

My name is Tendo Akane. I am five years old.

My daddy runs a dojo. My mommy runs a house. I have two sisters, Kasumi and Nabiki. They are both very nice, but Nabiki can be mean. My mommy said we should be friends. She says that we're going to marry. Do you want to be friends? Mommy says that married people should be friends.

Mommy said that you're a martial artist. I am a martial artist too. I also like to dance. What do you like?

Akane]

Genma grunted and gagged at several parts in the letter. He just knew that this girl would be bad for Ranma. Talking about girls doing martial arts, family, and friends. Blah, why didn't she just ask him to put on a skirt and wear make-up? Ranma's training was doubling from now on.

"Hmm. She seems nice enough," Ranma said when Genma finished reading it.

Genma's eyes bugged out. Forget double try triple. "Nice enough? Nice enough! Boy, do that kata until I think it's perfect."

Genma knew that he would need to go into town and find someone to teach Ranma to read and write. However, he didn't want the boy to slack off while he was gone. So as Ranma worked on the kata he thought about what he could have Ranma do. After about an hour of watching Ranma perform the kata over and over and thinking, Genma finally thought of something. "Okay, boy, that's enough."

"Good. That was getting boring."

"Come with me," Genma said as he lead Ranma west out of the camp.

After walking for about twenty minutes Ranma and Genma came to a small farm. "Stay here boy. I'm going to go make plans for your next training session," Genma said as he walked up to the old farmer working in the garden.

Ranma watched as his father and the old farmer talked for a while. The old farmer nodded his head and pointed to a small shed a little ways away. His father and the old farmer then shook hands and then his father walked back towards him. "Come here boy. I'm going to go into town for a while."

"Okay, but why did we come all of the way over here?"

"So that you can train while I'm gone."

"How am I going to train here?"

Genma walked to the small shed that the old farmer had pointed out and entered. A few seconds later six chickens came flying out and ran off in different directions. Then Genma walked back out. "Catch all of those chickens by the time I return or you will have to work for the farmer for the next three days and then train."

Ranma stood stunned. "You want me to catch those," he said as he pointed at the wildly flapping and flying birds.

"Yep," Genma said as he headed for town.

Ranma chased the birds for the next two and a half hours until he finally caught the last one and fell to the ground in exhaustion as he wiped a profuse amount of sweat from his forehead. A short ten minutes later his father returned.

Genma walked up to Ranma holding some paper and a pencil. "Did you catch them all?"

"Yes."

"Then hurry into town boy. You're scheduled to meet Miss Higa at the library in twenty minutes," Genma said as he held out the supplies.

"Okay dad," Ranma said as he got up from the ground, went over to his father, grabbed the supplies, and started into town.

Genma headed for camp as he grumbled to himself about the extra cost of postage and getting Ranma tutored.

*****************************************************************

Kimiko thanked the postman as she took the mail. She walked back into the house and sorted through the mail. She stopped when she reached a letter addressed to Akane. She knew that the letter had to be from Ranma. She sighed deeply and prayed to any deity listening that he was a good boy.

Latter that day the girls all came into the house. Akane and Nabiki were giggling about something and whispering.

Kasumi was looking rather vexed with the two of them. "Would you two stop. I was only talking to Hiro."

Nabiki smirked. "Sure Sis. Whatever you say. I think that I'm the only one that doesn't have cooties. Akane is engaged and you want to play kissy face with Hiro," Nabiki said as she made kissing noises at Kasumi.

Kasumi turned to Nabiki with a smile. "Why Nabiki. Are you jealous?"

Nabiki stood stunned for a second until Akane finally caught onto what Nabiki had said.

"I don't have cooties," Akane said angrily. "You take that back."

Nabiki realizing that she was back in control ran from the two. "No way cootie girl." Unfortunately, she ran right into her mother.

"Young lady, what have you been told about teasing your sisters?"

Nabiki moaned, as she looked right up into her mother's stern expression. "Don't get caught?" she said hopefully.

Akane and Kasumi both giggled at Nabiki's response, but Kimiko was aghast. "Who told you that?!"

"Daddy," Nabiki answered.

Kimiko's eyes narrowed a little as fire flashed through them. "Really! Well then, I guess that I will be having a talk with _both_ of you later." Then her countenance softened. "However, right now, Akane, you have a letter," Kimiko finished as she handed her youngest the letter from her betrothed.

"Wow, I've never got mail before," Akane exclaimed as she grabbed the letter and ran into the tearoom.

Kasumi and Nabiki quickly followed. "Hey, wait up. We want to see what he says," they both yelled.

Kimiko smiled at the antics of her girls. Then her smile grew a little more feral as she walked towards the dojo. "Oh dear."

"Yes," Soun answered as he stuck his head out the dojo door.

"I need to talk to you for a second," she said in a saccharine sweet voice that made Soun cringe in terror.

*****************************************************************

All three girls jumped into their positions at the table as Akane ripped the letter open and handed it to Kasumi.

"Read it to me. Please," Akane pleaded.

[Hello Tendo,

My name is Saotome Ranma. I am five years old too.

My dad trains me. I don't think I have a mommy. I don't have any sisters. It must be nice to have someone to play with and to have a house and a mommy. I move around a lot. We spend time at dojos and training grounds. I get to learn a lot.

My dad says that we'll get married when we are older. He says that I will run the dojo like your daddy. Will you run the house like your mommy? I would like to be your friend. I have never had a friend before. What do friends do?

I like martial arts. I would like to see you dance. I learned a little bit of a dance once. Would you like to spar sometime, even if you are a girl and weaker.

Ranma]

The three girls looked at each other.

"Doesn't he go to school?" Kasumi asked.

"Doesn't have a mommy? Everyone has a mommy," Nabiki added.

"What does he mean even if I'm a girl and weaker?" Akane fumed.

*****************************************************************

Akane ran into the house after school and quickly pulled off her shoes and jacket. "Mom! Mom! Where's the mail?" she hollered as she put on her yellow house slippers.

"Ranma's letter is in your room," Kimiko hollered back from the kitchen.

Akane smiled from ear to ear as she bounded up the steps. "Thanks mom."

Akane ran into her room, found the letter, and quickly ran back downstairs to have her mother read it. It had been nearly two weeks since Ranma had written. She knew that they should be getting to a new training spot soon, and had been checking the mail daily for the last few days.

Over the last year Akane had grown closer to Ranma. He had a lot of rough spots, mostly because of his father, but she, her sisters, and mother were slowly correcting a lot of those. Ranma was, amazingly, a very caring and supportive friend. He definitely understood her better than anyone else, except perhaps Sayuri.

[Akane-chan,

We're in a small town north of Osaka. My reading and writing are getting better. The sensei's wife is teaching me.

We're staying in a lot about three blocks from the dojo. It's a nice lot. There's a tree in it, so there's some shade. There is also a local okonomiyaki dealer who keeps his yattai close.

The okonomiyaki dealer has a son our age. His name is Ukyo. It's nice to have another friend, especially one that I can play and spar with. But don't worry, you'll always be my best friend.

How is practice going? Are rolling throws still hard? Dad is teaching me to parry. It's been hard. We've been doing it since we left the last dojo. I'm starting to get pretty good. I even managed to hit dad once. It's the first time I've ever done that. I was so happy that I didn't stop smiling for a long time after I woke up from his snap kick.

How was your dance? Did you do good? I wish that I could see you dance. It is getting late and Dad will wake me up at dawn again.

Your friend,

Ranma]

Akane's pride at reading the letter with only a little help from her mother was overshadowed by the thoughts of what Ranma had said. It was good that he was making more friends, but at the same time it saddened her, because she knew that it would be hard on him to leave Ukyo behind in the few weeks or months when they left. Looking around at the eggshell colored walls, the wooden floor, and the shoji Akane realized just how much she had to be thankful for, and how much Ranma was missing.

Akane pushed her sadness aside.  She didn't know how much time she would have with Ranma at this address and wasn't about to waste any of it. If they were lucky they would get about a half a dozen letters back and forth. So she sat at the table with her mother and they wrote a reply.

*****************************************************************

It had been another long day of training for Ranma, but at least his father had been giving him some time to go play with Ukyo. Ranma sat in the backyard of the dojo with the sensei's wife.

He had learned a few months ago to not let his father read the letters that he received from Akane. As much as he loved his father, he was starting to think that some of the things that he told him were not correct. Akane didn't seem at all weak to Ranma. She was also a very good friend, and he didn't see that as being a hindrance to his training. These were things that he would think on later. At the moment he forced himself to relax and focused his ki into his sore muscles as he picked up Akane's letter, opened it, and started to try and read it.

[Ranma-chan,

I am glad that you have a nice place to stay. Is your dad letting you use a tent? Or are you still doing the toughness training? What type of tree is it? We are studying trees in science.

Mom and dad are doing okay. Dad is teaching classes. He started a class for the housewives. The other students are okay. But not really serious in the art. Mom is still running the house. She and your mom are still friends. They meet sometimes and go shopping. Kasumi is doing very good. She is tutoring some of her juniors. Nabiki is Nabiki. She got in trouble last week. She smeared superglue on a boy's bokken handle. They took him to the hospital to remove it. When mom scolded her, she said that the boy was making fun of her. So she showed him who was boss.

It is good that you have another friend. Is Ukyo a martial artist? What school does he practice? I would like to meet him.

I am doing good in the art. Daddy has started to teach me Judo. He said it would help with my throws. The rolling throw isn't hard now. I'm jealous that you are doing parries. Daddy says that I won't be able to parry for a couple of years. I still haven't hit daddy.

My recital was good. I messed up some, but Kasumi and mom said they didn't notice. Nabiki said it looked funny. I put a picture in that my mom took. I am doing an arabesque allongee. Don't you dare make fun of my outfit. I can't wait for you to see me dance. Will you dance with me when we meet?

Write back soon.

Your friend,

Akane]

Ranma was quite proud of himself. He had read the entire letter and the sensei's wife had only had to help him a little over a dozen times. Ranma picked the envelope back up and looked inside. Sure enough there was a picture of Akane in a frilly purple tutu. She was standing on the toe of her left foot, her torso was tilted forward slightly, and her right leg was pointed backwards parallel to the floor. Her arms were spread in a similar manner. Ranma let out a light chuckle at the tutu, but held a grudging respect for the difficulty of the position.

"She's cute Ranma-kun," the sensei's wife said as she glanced at the picture.

At her comment Ranma really looked at Akane's picture. "Yeah she is," Ranma said through a blush. He quickly placed the picture back in the envelope and grabbed some paper as he realized what he had said.

The woman smiled at the youth. She had come to really like the boy in the short time that she had known him. So she was more than happy to help tutor him when his father had asked. "Well, Ranma-kun, are you ready to write back?"

"Yes Sensei," Ranma replied as he started the letter.

*****************************************************************

Akane fidgeted in her seat as she looked out the window and kept checking the clock. It was only a few more minutes until school was over and then she could go home and check for Ranma's letter. It had been five days since she had sent her last letter to Ranma. The other letters had been arriving five days after she sent hers. So another should show up today. They had stayed at this location for about a month now. So this would make the sixth letter that they had been able to exchange. She wondered if Ranma ever told Ukyo about the sauce that he ruined?

Akane sprung out of her seat and moved quickly out of the room when the bell rang. She knew that if she hurried she would have just enough time to run home, get the letter, and catch her train. This would give her time to read the letter as she went to ballet practice.

*****************************************************************

Akane ran to get on the train as the doors were starting to close. She found an empty seat and sat down. Placing her bag on the floor in front of her, she pulled the letter out. When she unfolded the letter a thin strip of pictures fell into her lap. There were three pictures of Ranma sitting. They appeared to have been taken in those cheap picture booths, but Akane didn't care. They were the only pictures that she had seen of Ranma since Mrs. Saotome brought those pictures of Ranma when he was a baby over. She kind of blushed at how cute he was as an elderly woman across the aisle looked at the pictures and smiled at her.

"He's cute. Is he your boyfriend?" she asked.

Akane thought about this for a second. "No, maam. He's my fiancé."

"Really? You seem a little young to have a fiancé."

"It was arranged."

"Ah, a family that follows the old ways. There are very few of those left," the old woman said with a far away look. "So does he live very far away?"

"Not really. His mother lives pretty close, but he and his father are on a training trip. They're martial artists," Akane said with a note of pride.

"That's great dear. Well, I'll let you get to reading the letter that came with those pictures," the old woman said with a smile as she turned back towards the far window.

Akane looked at the pictures a little closer. Ranma was in a gi top and had a ponytail, and was smiling. He looked almost exactly as she had imagined he would. His eyes seemed to sparkle with energy. She blushed a little more at her thoughts and slipped the pictures back into the envelope before opening the letter and reading it.

[Akane-chan,

We ar leaving. Something is going on. But I do not know what. Dad and Ucchan's dad were talking last nite. Dad was realy secret this morning. He told me to pack my things since we ar leaveing. I told him I wanted to go say bye to Ucchan. He mayd me run to town and back with a big rok. Dad said that if he beat me paking I would have to cary the rok to our next stop. So I ran to town and back and paked in a hurry. What is realy odd is that dad is paking Ucchan's dad's cart.

I am riting this realy quikly while dad is finish paking. I'll male it as we leave.

I'll rite you as soon as I can.

Sorry about the poor riting. I did it myself.

Your friend,

Ranma

P.S. I finaly got some pictures. I hope that you like them.]

Akane struggled through the letter. It was a lot harder to read then the ones he had help with, but the message got through. She was a bit sad about the fact that it would be a while before she would be able to correspond with Ranma again, but was curious as to what had happened. She knew that it could be weeks or even a month before they would stop long enough for her to reply to any letters that Ranma was able to send and find out. She hoped that maybe he would think to tell her.

With a sigh of disappointment she stoically resolved to endure it. Besides, if Mrs. Saotome could handle it so could she.

*****************************************************************

Akane and Soun walked into the tearoom just after sunset. Practice had been very hard today, but also very rewarding. Her father was teaching her how to parry and feint in the backyard since it was such a beautiful spring day. Knowing that it would be about an hour before supper she decided to take a bath, and thus headed for her room to grab some fresh clothes.

"Hi Akane. How was practice?"

Akane was so lost in thought that she almost didn't register Kasumi's question. "Huh, oh, hi Kasumi. It wasn't bad, but I'm pretty sore," Akane answered as she turned away from her room, entered Kasumi's, and sat on her bed. "How was your day?"

"My day was very good," Kasumi said with a beaming smile. "I made it onto the swim team."

Akane returned the smile. "That's great sis. I know how much you've wanted that. I just know that you'll be the best."

"Thanks. By the way, there's some good news for you also."

"What's that?"

"Mom said something about a package arriving from a certain …" Kasumi trailed off as Akane ran out of the room, leaving a goodbye. Shaking her head at her lovesick little sister Kasumi let out a little laugh and then went back to work.

Akane threw a thanks and a good bye to Kasumi as she ran out of her sister's room and into hers. Sure enough there was a small package sitting on her desk. She couldn't believe it. It had been a little over seven weeks since Ranma had written her. His father had taken him up into the mountains to train and there weren't any post offices.

She practically jumped across the room to get to the package. Picking it up she noticed that it was about 30 centimeters long, 20 centimeters high, and only a couple of centimeters thick. She was so excited that her hands were trembling a little as she tore the package open and extracted the contents.

Inside were a letter and an item wrapped in tissue paper. She sat the letter on her desk and unwrapped the tissue paper. Inside was a thin wooden carving of a ballerina performing a grande jette. Akane gasped as she looked at it. It was incredibly detailed, and was made of a rich red wood. Akane's name was inlaid along the middle in a bone white wood. The entire thing was deeply lacquered and buffed to a flat matte. She gently laid the wooden ballerina on the table and picked the letter up.

[Akane,

I'm sorry that this will be late for your eighth birthday. I hope you can forgive me. We are still in the mountains. I'm going to have to skip practice and run all day to mail this. Dad will be mad, but it is worth it.

Master Yamada, a monk who runs a shrine, has been teaching me how to carve. He is also helping me read and write. He has taught me some English. Dad was really upset about the carving. Master Yamada told dad that it was good for the hands and fingers. He said that it was common for monks taught pressure points. After that Dad was okay.

I hope you like the ballerina. I wanted to make it for you for your birthday. I'm sorry that I couldn't get you something better. It took almost all of my money to mail this to you.

How are you? Is school okay? How about dance? Have you mastered the entrechat yet? How is the art? Have you been working on kicks yet? I hope that everything is good.

I think we will come down in a few weeks. Dad is starting to grumble about having to hunt and cook. Like he does much of either anyway.

My training is going good. I've been carrying a log up the mountain. It has made me stronger and faster. Sometimes dad will race me. If he beats me then the next time I have to carry one while dragging another. I am tired a lot, but I still go see Master Yamada.

I really don't have much more to tell you. I hope that we leave soon so I can get a letter from you.

I miss hearing from you.

Your friend,

Ranma]

Despite Akane's joy at hearing from Ranma, she was very depressed that she still couldn't tell him about what she had been doing the last couple of months. He still didn't know that she came in second at the Tokyo Prefecture Kenpo tournament in the age group above hers. He still didn't know about the fight that she and Sayuri had.

Then there was Nabiki. Akane still bristled at the thought of her sister rigging the school's computer to generate her name on the detention list every lunch. It had taken her a week to get the mess straightened out, and they still didn't know what had happened. But, Akane knew. She knew that Nabiki had done it to get back at her for not letting her borrow her green shirt. Sometimes she could just be so petty.

Akane sighed as she reclined on her bed. She loved her sister and had no doubt that Nabiki loved her, but sometimes she could really despise her. However, those times were usually short lived, for just as she would start getting really angry with Nabiki she would think about all of the times that her sister had helped her.

Like earlier this year when that older boy had flipped up her skirt and took a picture. She had been so startled and embarrassed that the pervert had gotten away. Nabiki was the one that made his life a living hell for the next three days and recovered the picture. Akane laughed as she thought about the boy running around the school grounds screaming as the itching powder Nabiki put in his gym shorts started to work. She couldn't stay mad at Nabiki for long. Because, as her mischievous sibling had once told her, 'No one is allowed to pick on my family but me.' That made all of the difference to Akane.

*****************************************************************

Akane stormed into the foyer with a dark look on her face.

"Come on Akane. It isn't that bad. At least you get to play a lead," Kasumi said as she followed her sister through the front door.

Nabiki came in last and closed the door. "Yeah, and everyone is talking about how good you'll be at the part," Nabiki said soothingly as she took off her shoes.

Akane stomped off to her room as she bit off her curt reply, "I know. _That's_ what infuriates me!"

Kimiko heard the stomping of her youngest and walked out of the tearoom. "What was that all about?"

Kasumi stepped up onto the floor. "Akane was chosen to play Romeo in the fifth grade school play."

"And she's upset that everyone thinks of her as a better Romeo, than Juliet," Nabiki finished.

"Well she is something of a tomboy," Kimiko said.

"I know," Kasumi said with a barely contained chuckle.

"What?" Nabiki and Kimiko asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of what she would be like if she had never taken ballet."

Nabiki started to laugh along with Kasumi, but Kimiko just sighed and walked back towards the tearoom.

Nabiki and Kasumi started to walk up towards their rooms. As they were walking Kasumi turned to Nabiki, "So what time is swim practice tonight?"

"I think that it's at six. Don't you have a schedule in your room?"

"I thought so, but I can't find it anywhere," Kasumi said as they reached Nabiki's door.

Nabiki nodded her head in acknowledgement as Kasumi continued on to her room.

*****************************************************************

Akane was furious and heart broken at the same time. When she reached her room she opened the door and started to enter. However, after a single step into the room she noticed the ballerina name plaque, which hung from her door. It was one of the most precious things in her life and had always reminded her that she wasn't alone in the world. It always reminded her of her best friend and fiancé, and in that reminder she knew what she had to do.

Akane walked into her room, picked up the last letter that Ranma had sent, lay down on the bed, and reread it.

[Akane,

We are still at the old abandoned dojo. Dad keeps talking about some ultimate technique that will make me the greatest martial artist ever. It sounds kind of silly to me. All he has me do is catch a bunch of cats. He says that it is good speed and agility practice.

I am proud of you for getting second in the judo tournament. That is really good. I am sure next time you will get first. When is your next recital? I am hoping that I might be able to see it. Since we are close to Tokyo.

Tell Nabiki and Kasumi good job for the swim meet. I am glad that Nabiki was there to help you with those older girls. They sounded like bitches. I am glad that Kasumi is doing good. How many kids is she babysitting now? Is it still just the three Sato children?

I had better get going.

Ranma]

Akane rose from the bed and looked out the window for a little while as she reflected upon the day and Ranma. Shivering slightly she reached for a cover and wrapped it around her shoulders as she decided what she was going to do. She knew that Ranma would probably be the only one to understand, so she sat down at her desk and poured her heart out in a letter.

"Girls! Supper is ready," Kimiko hollered up the stairs.

"I'll be down in just a second," Akane yelled back as she quickly finished her letter. She had just sent her reply yesterday. So if she spent some more and put a rush on this one it might even beat the other one to Ranma.

*****************************************************************

Ranma ran from the post office to the library. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had received two letters from Akane today.

"Slow down!" hissed an older man that he brushed past.

"Sorry," Ranma said back as he jumped up onto the fence next to the sidewalk. When he reached to library he vaulted himself from the wall to the landing and hurried in.

Once inside Ranma found an empty table and set up for his lesson. He was early enough that he decided to open the letter with the next day postage on it and see what was going on.

[Ranma,

I hope this letter makes it to you. Something bad happened today. Our class is doing a play this year. The teachers decided that Romeo and Juliet would be a good play. I was very excited when I heard that. It is a great play. Every girl wanted to play Juliet, since she is the lead. But the class decided that I would be a great Romeo. I was very hurt. How could they think I would be a good Romeo?

It isn't my fault I like martial arts. It isn't my fault I don't like dressing up or playing with makeup. Sometimes I think the only reason anyone thinks I am a girl is because I dance.

Do you think that I am too much of a tomboy? Should I be more like the other girls? I am tired of being different.

Please help me.

Love,

Akane]

Ranma sat with the most stunned expression that his young face had ever held. She had signed the letter with 'Love, Akane.' She loved him? Did he love her? What was love?

"Hello. Hello. Ranma-kun," said the young librarian as she shook Ranma's shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked once his eyes had focused on her.

"Huh? Oh, hi Miss Arai. Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just a little confused."

Miss Arai sat down next to the youth that she had been tutoring for the last couple of weeks. "What about? Maybe I can help."

Ranma's eyes lit up at the offer of help. "Do you think that you can? That would be great." He grabbed the letter and put it in front of them. "Could you please make sure that I'm reading this correctly?"

"Sure."

Ranma then proceeded to read the letter to Miss Arai. When he was done she was somewhat baffled. She had seen pictures of Ranma's fiancée. She had even helped him with some of the letters that they wrote back and forth. She was somewhat of a tomboy, seemed like a lovely girl, and a perfect match for the young martial artist sitting next to her.

"Ranma, you read it correctly. What exactly is the problem?"

"Well, first," Ranma said as he ticked off one finger. "Why is she so upset about playing this Romeo chick's part? I mean it may not be the lead, but it still sounds like a really good part if her name is in the title."

Ranma then ticked off another finger. "Then there is the question of why playing this part is making her so upset about being a tomboy and a martial artist? I mean that's part of what I like about her."

Ranma ticked off another finger as he started to blush a little. "Then finally. She signed the letter 'love'. And I'm not sure that I know what that means."

Miss Arai listened to Ranma's concerns. "Well Ranma. I think that all three of your answers lie in a little reading," she said as she rose from her seat. She then walked into the shelves. "I'll be right back."

Ranma tapped his fingers on the desk for the couple of minutes that it took Miss Arai to return. He still wasn't sure what she meant. How would a little reading help with the last question? For that matter he wasn't exactly sure how reading would help with any of the questions. "I guess… that if I could read this Romeo and Juliet play, I might find out what the deal is with the Romeo part," he thought aloud.

Miss Arai walked back out of the shelves with two old books. "That is what I was thinking also," she said as she laid the two books in front of Ranma and sat down next to him. Once she was seated she sat the smaller of the two books off to the side and opened the larger book.

"What are those?" asked Ranma.

"This one, is the complete works of William Shakespeare," she said as she flipped through the pages and stopped at Romeo and Juliet. "It has been translated into Japanese. We will read this so that you can answer your first two questions."

"Okay," Ranma said, proud of himself for thinking of it before Miss Arai had mentioned it.

Miss Arai then reached over grabbed the smaller book and handed it to Ranma. "This one is my gift to you for being such a good student."

Ranma took the book and looked it over. The title was in English. "Rome…oh and Jew… lie… et," he said in broken English. "What is this?"

"That is a special edition of Romeo and Juliet that I was given as a young girl," she said with pride. She reached over and opened the book. "It helped me learn English," she finished as she pointed to the text inside.

Ranma looked at the contents of the book and finally understood. The inside of the book was split. On one side of the book was Japanese while on the opposite page was English. "This is too good of a gift. I can't accept it Sensei," Ranma said with a bow as he tried to hand the book back.

Miss Arai simply pushed the book back towards Ranma. "Nonsense. It is my gift to you. It will hopefully help you find the answer to your last question. For that answer is not something that I or anyone else can give you. Love is something different for each person, and it is something that you must discover for yourself."

"Oh," Ranma said, somewhat crest-fallen.

"Don't worry too much about it. Just remember to follow your heart. It will never lead you astray," she said with a smile. She then turned to the large book on the table. "Now we are going to answer your first two questions."

Ranma gained some animation back with her words and the promise of some answers tonight. "Okay," he said as he looked at the top of the page and started reading.

*****************************************************************

Kimiko looked up from helping Kasumi sew, when Akane trudged into the tearoom followed by Soun. "That's good dear. Now remember to keep the thread pulled tight, but not too tight or it will bunch," Kimiko said as she watched Akane move through the room with her clothes for the bath.

Soun walked over to Kasumi and looked at her work. "That is excellent Kasumi."

"Thank you father."

Soun then moved over to Kimiko and whisper into her ear. "Dear, I think that you should talk to Akane. Something is really bothering her. She wasn't able to concentrate at all today."

Kimiko nodded to Soun as he left for the master bedroom. Kimiko sat with Kasumi for a bit longer as she waited for Akane to finish her bath. Kimiko was worried about Akane. Ever since she was cast as Romeo she had been having a real problem with her confidence. Kimiko had talked to Nodoka about it, but she wasn't a lot of help. The more that Kimiko found out about her friend the more she wondered about her. They had become good friends over the years, but there were some things that they simply differed on. At times she was too traditional for Kimiko's taste.

"Mother, how is this?" Kasumi asked as she showed her mother the seam of the dress that she had been sewing.

Kimiko's conscious was suddenly snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh that looks fine dear." Kimiko then saw Akane walk back towards her room. "Will you be okay by yourself for a little bit?"

"Yes."

"Good," Kimiko replied as she followed Akane towards the stairs. However, before she could make it to the stairs there was a knock on the front door.

Kimiko walked to the door and opened it to find their neighbor from down the street. "Good evening Mrs. Kobayashi."

"Good evening Kimiko."

Kimiko smiled at the elderly woman. "It is great to see you again. It has been too long since you and your husband visited. Please come in."

"Oh, I wish that I could dear," Mrs. Kobayashi said as she returned the smile and fidgeted with something inside the sleeves of her kimono. "But, Mr. Kobayashi is wanting to get to the civic center soon, for shogi night," she said as she stopped fidgeting and handed Kimiko a letter. "I just wanted to drop off a letter that I believe your daughter might be wanting."

Kimiko looked at the letter and immediately surmised that it was from Ranma. She thanked kami-sama for this incredible timing. "Thank you Mrs. Kobayashi. Akane will be so pleased to have this."

"I figured that she might. She is such a good girl, Kimiko. They all are. You should be proud."

"I am Mrs. Kobayashi. I am."

"As you rightly should be. Well, dear, I need to get back before Mr. Kobayashi gets upset. He is so impatient sometimes," Mrs. Kobayashi said before she turned away. "You would think that someone who holed up in a bunker on Iwo Jima for three weeks would be a little more patient, but no such luck," she said with a touch of sarcasm before she exited the Tendo compound.

Kimiko chuckled at the vitality of her elderly neighbor as she turned back towards her original goal. She hoped that she and Soun would do as well as they did when they were that age.

 *****************************************************************

Akane was sitting at her desk trying to focus on her homework, and failing miserably. She knew that she shouldn't let the fact that they picked her to be Romeo upset her, but it did. She also couldn't figure out why she hadn't heard back from Ranma. Today was one day longer than it had been taking to receive his letters. Did he think of her as too much of a tomboy and not want to admit it? Akane was about to scream in frustration and go break something when a knock at her door stopped her.

Kimiko knocked on Akane's door. "Akane, can I come in?"

"Sure."

Kimiko walked into the room a couple of steps and closed the door behind her. "Dear, I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine mom."

"Are you sure? Ever since you've been practicing for the school play you've been distracted. Almost distant."

"It's no big deal mom. I've just been tired."

"If it is too much I could talk to your teacher about it."

Akane scowled a little before relaxing her face into a passive expression again. She knew that her mother meant well, but she always tried to solve all of her problems for her. "No, that's okay. It will only be a couple of weeks and it will be over."

"Okay, but if you need to talk about anything I am here."

"I know mom," Akane said before walking up to her mother and hugging her. "And thanks."

Kimiko turned to leave and then remembered the letter. Turning back around she held out the letter. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Mrs. Kobayashi received this by accident."

Akane realized that it was from Ranma and quickly took the letter. "Thanks."

Kimiko smiled at her little girl as she left the room. It was the first time that she had seen her truly happy since this whole play business started.

Akane quickly sat back down at the desk and ripped the letter open.

[Akane,

I am sorry that you didn't get to play Juliet. But, I am not sorry that you get to play Romeo.

What a cool part. It might be a guys part, but so what? Did you know that in England all of the parts were played by men? Even Juliet was a guy dressed as a girl. At least that is what Miss Arai told me.

She gave me a copy of Romeo and Juliet. She helped me read the first few scenes. It isn't bad. I finished the rest when I got back to the tent. I think you will make a great Romeo, and would also make a great Juliet.

Sure I think that you are a tomboy and I am glad of it. No, I don't think you should be like other girls. You are my friend and my fiancée, and I like you the way that you are. Who cares what the others think? Who are they to judge you? All that matters is what you think. And I think you were happy before all of this. I hope that this helps.

Anyway, I need to get to sleep. Dad said that we are going to start that ultimate technique tomorrow. And am I glad. I'm tired of catching cats. It was becoming too easy.

I'll talk to you soon.

Your fiancé,

Ranma]

Akane decided that Ranma was right. She was happy with who and what she was before all of this. So why was she so bothered by it? If he liked her the way that she was and she liked the way that she was then none of the rest mattered. She was glad that she had written Ranma. He always knew the right thing to say.

Akane started to set the letter aside when she caught a glimpse of the closing. He had signed it 'your fiancé.' He had never signed a letter like that before. It kind of made her smile, but also a little nervous. She knew that they were going to get married, but up until know they had never really talked about it. They were just friends. Did this mean that he was ready to take it a step farther? Was she?

Akane decided that one big crisis this week had been plenty. She'd have time to sort Ranma and her feelings out later. Sitting the letter aside Akane decided to get her homework done and then write him back.

*****************************************************************

Ranma hunched down and backed away from the old lady in front of him. He knew that the woman didn't mean him any harm. In fact he almost felt relaxed around her, but he couldn't bring himself to completely trust her. She wasn't who he was looking for. Not wanting to hurt her and not wanting to be cornered, he leaped over her and then onto the roof of the building next to them and then on. On towards the sea.

All Ranma knew was that he was hungry and tired and lonely. All that he wanted to do was find the girl with the kind hazel eyes, the shoulder length raven hair, and the beautiful smile. She was the only one that he could trust. He knew that she would feed him, let him rest, and keep him safe.

He knew her scent. He knew that she was toward the sea. Now all that he had to do was find her.

*****************************************************************

Author's Notes:

Thanks as always to Ghost in the Machine for pre-reading and supplying me with inspiration and help when it is needed. Without his help this story would most likely have been dumped.

Also, thanks to Tom Wrensch for supplying me with a rough draft of a story that he had started about Ranma and Akane becoming pen pals at an early age. I have incorporated some of his ideas into the story.

As always, I hope that you enjoyed the story and please read and review. Everything but nameless, email-less flames are welcome.