SINS OF EDEN
Chapter 2
*****
Akane awoke the next morning to rather loud rappings. She looked at her
watch and was not surprised to see that it was a little past ten in
the morning. The night had been restless, she got about three hours
sleep. Every time she woke up, she remembered the same thing over and
over again.
*Ranma...*
"I'm coming!" she shouted. The knocking stopped. It had to be Nui. She
had told her to be around at this hour.
Akane got up, thankful to have slept in a sleeveless shirt and some
jogging pants. She waked to the door to let her friend in.
"Hey Nui."
"Morning. Man, you really look like shit, girl," she said as she stepped
in.
"Sorry, but I'm not exactly myself today," she responded as she closed the
door.
"It's ok, so," she said as she flopped on the couch. "You gonna tell me or
what?"
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute." She walked into the kitchen, running coffee
and eating a muffin. She poured it into two cups.
"Thanks," said Nui as she took the cup Akane offered.
Akane nodded and sipped. It didn't taste like anything.
"So, out with it already," said Nui.
Akane put the cup on the small table in between the large couch and the recliner,
and sighed. "It's been a while since I last saw him."
"Oh, I see. Old flame, huh? So did you like, you know..." She held her
pinky up.
"Huh?" responded Akane, not getting the gesture.
"Were you two close, and like," she got an evil glint in her eyes. "Did you do it?"
Akane blushed furiously. "Nui!!"
"Come on! I saw how you looked at him? I bet he has a big cock..."
"Is this how this conversation is going to go!?"
Nui held up her hands. "No offense! Really! I'm just trying to cheer you up!"
Akane shook her head. "Can I continue now?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I won't interrupt."
Akane sighed. "It was about six years ago. See, we were engaged..."
Nui got a disbeliever look. "But, then you were only seventeen! You were engaged
by then?"
She nodded. "Our parents aranged it."
"Oh..." she said, shaking her head and shrugging. "Well, at least you got something
decent. He's such a hunk!"
"Yeah, but it didn't go the way everyone wanted."
Nui remembered a similar coversation. "Those suitors you mentioned..?"
"Yes. Besides mine, he had a couple himself. There was a chinese bimbo; she was a nut
who wanted to marry him 'cause he beat her."
"Come again?" she said as she sipped her coffee.
"It's a very weird law. Let's just say that if a guy beat her, he'd be her husband.
Then there was this chef; Ukyo, she cooked Okonomiyakis. She was his best friend. They
were engaged 'cause his Dad ran off with the yatai* Ukyo's father promised him
if they married."
"He did what?"
"That's not the worst of it. He tried to make it look like it was his fault he took
it."
"That's... well, I'm glad MY daddy wasn't a low-life thief."
"You forgot moocher, but that's beside the point. And there was this crazy gymnist
girl named Kodachi..."
"The black rose?"
"Yeah, but how..."
"I heard of her. She went to a nut house after she tried to poison someone, I heard."
"Well, she tried to poison him all the time. According to her, he'd love her for that."
Nui shrugged. Akane laughed.
"So he had three girls, AND you? Wow, I'm impressed."
"Well, I'm not. His life was crazy. People trying to fight him, make him love someone
or try to kill him; and this was just about every day."
"Oh...hmmm."
"I know. Well anyway, he was a jerk to me. He always did these stupid things, or
he'd put his foot in his mouth or... I don't know. I was angry back then, so I let
him have it."
"You let him have it?" asked Nui.
"You know what I mean." Akane sighed. She did not want to talk about this, but she had
to someday. "There was this incident at China, on a place called Jusenkyo. I told
you about that, right?"
"Yeah, cursed springs or something?"
"Yeah." Akane was glad Nui believed in this sort of things.
"Well, some of the villagers needed his help, so they sent to get him and some others
that were cursed as well. He helped, and...
"There, I was kidnapped, and almost kiled, if it weren't for him. He saved me." Akane
decided to exclude the more unbelievable parts. Even she doubted that Nui would believe
she had been turned into a doll.
Nui sighed dreamily. "A knight in shining armor come to save you. (sigh)..."
"Hardly, but still. When we got back, our parents tried to get us married. They knocked
him out and put his tux on..."
"The same with you?"
"No. I- I agreed."
Nui's mouth curved and she nodded.
"I guess I wanted him. But some things happened..."
"Girls?"
"Yeah, and nobody wound up married."
"Sorry. I didn't know that."
"It's ok. Well, things were never really the same. It was a lot more peaceful, since
most of hisand my suitors got the idea and stopped harrasing us. Then one thing
happened."
"What?" she asked as she rested her head in her hands.
"One day, he just left. For about a month too."
"Why'd he do that?"
"To this day, I still don't know. He came back, but..."
Nui grew more interested in her friends' tale.
"I was so relieved and angry. He was back, but he left without one word... I couldn't
take it. You know how angry I was. And..."
"Well?"
"I said some horrible things. Things I didn't mean at all. I couldn't help it;
my temper got the best of me..."
"Just what did you say?"
Akane remembered.
*You're just a pervert... just a freak... no one wants you... why don't you just leave...
you'll never be anything... just a reject of nature...*
"I'd rather not say."
"I understand."
A lone tear slid down her cheek. "I expected him to say something back, but he just
stood there. Then, I saw him sigh and he said something."
"What?"
"He said: 'Well, it's good to know what you really think of me, at last. Just this
once, I'll do as you say.' Then he turned and left my room. He packed at night, and
left in the morning."
"My..."
Akane sobbed. It was so painfull to remember. "I hadn't seen him until yesterday. His
father and mother stayed with us, but they didn't know anything about him either.
And now it's been so long, and; I just wish..." She couldn't take it anymore. She
cupped her face and cried.
Nui saw Akane's distress. She took to her side and eased her hair. "It's ok girl..."
No, it's not," she responded between sobs. "Even after all this time, he still hates me!
He hates me!"
"Akane, I doubt he hates you. You two just need to talk."
Akane smiled. "Thanks Nui, but I'd really like to be alone right now."
Nui nodded and kissed Akane's head. She let herself out, but remained in the hallway.
*Poor Akane, she obviously is still hung on the guy. And him, glad I bothered in
tracking down his address. It's time for Nui Toyotomi, match-maker extrordinair,
to take action!*
*****
A man walked into a secluded area in a mall. He ignored women's yearning looks at him.
He did not appreciate being 'oogled'.
He reached the destination he read on a card. He had found a small card in his mailbox
at around eleven. He had been taking a shower, so he missed who it was. It wasn't
one of his clients, since their sessions weren't until 2 and 4 respectively. But,
since he had always been curious, he decided to go.
He leaned onto a wall, waiting for whatever. The specified time was right on schedule.
He wondered why he was called out here. usually, Sunday was a lazy day. He just did
stuff to unwind and ready himself for the week to come.
He could feel the almost silent footstpes of smeone approaching hi. With his trained
senses, he could tell the person was a fighter. Someone materialized in the corridor
he used.
Akane slowly approached the place. She got a not later that day, telling her to
be here. She recognized the handwriting as Nui's, but decided to go along
whatever she had done. What she did not expect, was to see a man she knew there.
"Ranma?"
Ranma looked at her, surprised to find Akane.
"Akane." His voice had no edge, but was not welcoming.
Akane found the words slipping her grasp. "I- uh... I..."
"Did you set this up?" he held up the small card. She shook her head. "Oh, then I guess
I'll be going."
He walked past her. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't mean for it to
be this. "Why are you doing this!?"
Ranma stopped, but didn't look back. "Doing what?"
"Why are you lke this? What's wrong?"
Ranma chuckled. "You really need to ask that?"
"Ranma..."
He turned, burning his eyes into hers. "Do you actually expect something from me?"
"No... I..."
"I am not here to make ammends. I am here to make a living. Nothing more. I did NOT
expect to find you here. I'm not glad to see you."
"Ranma... I know we have our differences, but..."
"Differences? Differences!? What the hell did you expect!"
Akane cringed at his words.
"Do you think that just with a small talk it would all be ok! Do you have any idea
the kind of person you are!?"
"Ranma..."
"I have feelings too! Do you have any idea how much it hurt!? Do you have any idea?"
Akane looked down. "I'm sorry..."
Ranma visibly controlled himself. "A few years too late for that. Let me ask you this:
After all this time, did you simply expect something from me?"
Akane didn't respond.
"I think it's best that you and I avoid each other from here on." He started to leave.
"Why did you?"
Ranma stopped.
"Why did you leave?"
Ranma sighed. "If you owe you anything. let it be this. I left, because I wanted you
to be safe."
"What?"
"'Bye Akane," he said and started off again.
Akane watched hime leave. She had not known this. He had left then, because he wanted
her to be safe?
She sagged her shoulders and rested against the wall. It was time for some serious thinking.
End of Chapter Two
Authors Notes
Really OOC huh? Well, don't even try to figure out where this is going. You WILL
be surprised at what I have up my sleeve...
A yatai is japanese for a food cart. Sorry, I thought it was dowry! Hey, I only know
scarse japanese, so sorry!
BlackDragon