-It's been a while, and I apologize for the length of time between chapters. Next chapter should be out soon, and I am committed to finishing this story, since it drives me nuts when I'm reading a fic and I come to the end and realize that it's not finished and never going to be finished. Lots of happy teddy bear feelings in this chapter - next chapter will be a bit more of an action one. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to my reviewers, you are great! You really made me take a better look at my last chapter, and I'm happy with it now - it looks like it got across to you what I wanted it to.
-Disclaimer: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does Ranma and co. belong to me? No? Sigh... didn't think so.
Better Left Unspoken
Akane stood in front of her closet, a frown on her face. She had absolutely nothing to wear. Nothing at all. Picking out a dress at random, she spun around and looked at herself in her full-length mirror, holding the dress up to her body.
"Yeesh. Why not just wear a sign saying "Hi, I'm Akane, and I'm 10."" She sighed in frustration. "I can't believe I don't have anything in here!" Throwing the dress on her bed in disgust, she sank into a chair. "There's no time to go shopping either. I guess I could go ask Nabiki if she's got anything, but I still don't really want to talk to her... At least she's staying behind the scenes of paying for this date."
It was true - Nabiki, out of consideration for their feelings about her, had kept out of their way, slipping movie tickets, reservation details and some money under Ranma's door. Akane still didn't know what to think about what Nabiki had done. It's not that she was surprised that Nabiki had pulled such a stunt, it was more that she would have never expected her sister to do it to her. Forgiveness would come in time, she knew, and she had tried to let Nabiki see that although things were awkward between them now, they wouldn't always be.
"No. I'm not going to dwell on that right now. Tonight is about Ranma and me. Our date! Our first date!" She spun around happily, only to catch a glimpse of the dress on her bed. Stopping in mid twirl she sighed. "Yeah. Our first date and I'm going to look like a little kid." Hearing a knock at her door, she went to answer it.
Kasumi stood on the other side, a happy smile on her face. "Did you need any help getting ready, Akane? Dinner is cooking itself tonight, since it's nothing big with you and Ranma being out for the evening."
"Oh, Kasumi! I'd love your help!" Grabbing her sister by the hand, she pulled her into the bedroom and shut the door. Plopping down on her bed, she looked at Kasumi. "I'm so nervous! I'm so not ready! I'm going to end up making a fool of myself - I'll probably drop my popcorn on the floor, spill my water at the restaurant, who knows what new heights Akane the Klutz will go to tonight!" She groaned in mock despair.
"Sweetheart, just relax. Ranma wouldn't care if you fell flat on your face and you know it. But why aren't you getting ready? It's not that long until you have to leave for the theater."
"Agh. Don't remind me, I know, I know. But you take a look in that closet and tell me what you see!" Akane pointed accusingly at her clothes.
Kasumi looked at Akane's wardrobe and frowned. "Well... I see a bunch of gi's, some T-shirts, blouses, and some nice dresses. What's wrong, Akane? Did I use a bad batch of detergent? Did the last load of clothes not get clean? Did I put something away in the wrong drawer?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "My sister, the housekeeper. No, Kasumi, not that! The fact that I have nothing to wear! Nothing that Ranma is going to take one look at and not be able to think!"
Kasumi giggled. "Oh Akane. Not to be cliched, but you could wear a potato sack, and he still..." She broke off as Akane interupted.
"But I don't want to wear a potato sack! I want to wear something drop dead! And everything in my closet just screams pre-teen! Why did I buy so many clothes with Hello Kitty logo's? Why?" She looked on the verge of panicking.
Kasumi took another look into Akane's closet. Holding a finger up to her mouth, she tapped it thoughtfully. Pulling out a few articles of clothing, she mixed and matched, taking a piece from one outfit, and putting it with a belt from another and so on. After only a minute of flurried action, she turned back to Akane. "How about this?"
Akane gasped. Incredulously she looked at the outfit. Somehow Kasumi had managed to create a stunning outfit from the dredges of her clothes. She quickly put it on and looked in the mirror. She was wearing a dusty rose half bolero jacket over a pale cream silk tank top. A short, but not too short, flared skirt amazingly matched the color of the jacket almost to a tee. Topping off the outfit was a delicate gold chain belt, and a matching necklace and earrings. (A/N - sorry about the poor description here - I'm so not a clothes girl - jeans and t-shirts all the way.)
"Oh my god, Kasumi! It's perfect! How did you do that? I've been staring at my closet for the last hour and a half, and I never even thought of putting these together! Thank you so much!" Akane was bubbling with happiness.
Kasumi smiled at her sister's exuberance. "Now sit down, and I'll do your hair and makeup." Brushing Akane's hair, she continued. "I've always enjoyed creating outfits - fashion design is like a little hobby with me I suppose."
"A hobby? Kasumi, you could easily get a job doing this - in a store, or as a fashion consultant!"
"Oh Akane, I really don't think so - it's just something I do for fun. Besides, I'm much too busy around here, keeping the household. This is what I really love. Making sure my family and guests are comfortable and secure."
Akane turned in her chair and hugged Kasumi around her waist. "And we don't say thank you enough, Kasumi. I hope you know, even if we don't say it, we do appreciate it." Looking up, she smiled at her older sister.
"Of course, dear. Now, be a good girl, and turn around, so I can finish up." Kasumi said with a motherly tone. Quickly she finished styling Akane's hair and did her makeup.
Akane, now that she was all ready, suddenly looked scared. "Kasumi, what if things don't go right? What if they get messed up? What if we can't find anything to say to each other? What if..."
Kasumi quickly broke in. "If you think that, that will be what happens. Just be confident! Now, Ranma is going to be here any minute, and I've got to get back to the kitchen, so you have a good time, and enjoy your night. And when you come home, you can tell me all about it - well, except the parts that are too good to tell." Kasumi gave a little wink at Akane and left.
Akane took a deep breath. Trying to relax, she sat and waited. Thankfully, she only had to wait a few minutes before there was a knock at her door. Opening it, she looked at Ranma. In return, he looked back at her. Standing there for a minute, they just drank each other in. Finally Ranma spoke.
"Ak...Akane." He stopped, his voice suddenly cracking, and cleared his throat. "Akane, you look... really nice." Under his breath he whispered "Beautiful".
Akane shyly smiled. "Thank you Ranma, you look good too." And he did - dressed in a pair of semi casual charcoal grey pants, with a matching blazer. His shirt was a light blue chinese silk.
"Umm, this is for you." Ranma opened a little box and pulled out a single cream colored rose corsage. "I didn't know what color you'd be wearing, but I figured this would be ok."
"Oh, Ranma, thank you." Not having the courage to ask him to pin it on for her, she did it herself. Thankfully, she managed not to prick herself with the pin. "So... I guess we should get going."
"Yeah, we probably should. The taxi should be outside by now. I figured we could walk, but it's kinda easier to do it this way, so that we don't run into anyone on the way." An outsider to the conversation might have thought that he was embarrassed to be seen in public with her, but Akane understood. Not wanting to mention the other girls and guys, she simply nodded in agreement.
Ranma held out his arm for her to take, and blushing slightly she did. They walked downstairs and out the door to the waiting car. The ride to the movie theater was driven in mostly silence, the two of them just content to sit there, occasionally looking at the other person. It didn't take long to get to their destination, and they got out of the taxi. Ranma quickly paid the driver, and they approached the ticket booth window.
"Well, considering Nabiki picked the movie, I guess we don't need to decide what we're going to see." Ranma said.
"Which one are we going to anyways? There's a few playing that I want to see, hopefully it's one of them." Akane replied. She hoped that whichever one it was, it was one they'd both enjoy. She didn't want one of them to be sitting through a flick, thinking they'd rather be somewhere else.
Glancing down at the tickets in his hand, Ranma realized he hadn't looked to see which film they had passes to either. "Huh. Not too bad, looks like she found something we both might like. You wanted to see Beavis and Butthead Do America, right?" (See author's note below)
A look of disgust passed across Akane's face. "You're not serious? That's the one she picked? Ranma, I don't want to see that one. I'm sorry, I want this to go well, but I really can't stand that show."
"Nope, wasn't serious." Ranma laughed as he dodged a playful swat aimed at his head.
"Not nice, Ranma." Akane pretended to pout. "Now come on, tell me which movie?" She reached for the tickets.
"Okay, okay... we're going to see Men in Black." Ranma grinned. He loved action films, especially one's with lots of special effects.
"Aww. I wanted to see The First Wives Club, not some dumb movie about space aliens." She broke into giggles at the look on Ranma's face. "Hey, two can play at that game, you know. Seriously, MiB is one of the movies I've been wanting to see."
"Good. Was thinking there that the man-bashing thing was all coming back to you, Akane." This time he wasn't quite fast enough and got a light punch in the arm. "Ouch. Tomboy."
"Oh, like that really hurt. Come on, let's go in - I want to get some popcorn before the movie starts." Grabbing Ranma's sleeve, she tugged him forward.
After getting their snacks, they settled in to watch the movie. As the theater darkened, each of them somehow became more aware of the other person sitting beside them. Although they were enjoying the show, their thoughts were never far away from each other.
*Should I put my arm around her? How do I put my arm around her? Will I get slapped if I put my arm around her?*
*Should I -accidently- hold his hand while reaching for some popcorn? Maybe I could grab on to him during a scary part. Damn, this isn't a horror movie though! Why isn't he putting his arm around me?*
Akane tentatively leaned against Ranma. Looking down at her, he smiled, and adjusted his body so that she fit comfortably against his side. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth and grinned.
Just as the hero of the movie was helping with the birth of an alien baby, an overly cheery voice boomed right by their ears. Jumping apart in surprise, they looked between them.
"What a surprise, running into you here, Ranma honey!" Ukyo flirted brazenly. Glancing at Akane, she said in a cool tone. "Oh, hi, Akane." Scrambling over the seat, she plunked herself down beside Ranma. "Mind if I join you?"
"Well, actually, Ukyo..." Akane started to say.
"Oh cool! I didn't think you would. I love this movie, I've seen it a couple times already." Ukyo said as she sat as close as she could to the boy beside her.
"I will not hit him, it is not his fault. I will not hit him, it is not his fault." Ranma could hear Akane whispering this to herself. As relieved as this made him, he still had no better idea of what to do. He didn't know what it would take to get Ukyo to realize that he just wasn't interested in her the way she wanted him to be. Sure, he could cause a scene, but that wasn't his style. Of course, when he thought about it, he had no style at all when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. Glancing at Akane, he saw she was looking at him with a pleading look in her eye. Taking a chance, he mouthed the word "Help" to her, and jerked his head lightly in Ukyo's direction, rolling his eyes.
Akane's eyes shone with a bit of humor and gratefulness. Ranma was actually asking for her help on this. That bit of knowledge gave her the confidence she needed. Snuggling up even closer to Ranma than she had been before, she very obviously put her hand on his leg, knowing that Ukyo could see her every move. Sighing contentedly, she looked at Ukyo and smiled as nicely as she could. "Ukyo, we're glad to see you and all, but we're actually on a date at the moment, and would like a bit of privacy. Maybe next weekend we can all go see a movie together?"
Ukyo suddenly sat up very straight. Looking at Ranma, she stuttered. "R... Ranma, honey? A... a date? But, I thought, that is, you guys aren't..." She stopped, knowing if she said anymore, she'd let on that she had been scheming to separate them, not knowing that they already knew about it. She stared at the two teens, silently begging with her eyes for Ranma to deny it, to say that he wouldn't go on a date with an uncute tomboy like Akane.
"Yep! On a date with my special girl!" Ranma grinned. "We've had a few troubles the last couple of days, but we got through them together, so we're celebrating with a night on the town." Ranma pretended to be oblivious to Ukyo's hurt. He didn't like it, but what else could he do? Any sign of concern for her would be misinterpreted as more than it was meant to. Putting his arm back around Akane, he pulled her closer.
"Oh..." Ukyo quickly pulled herself together. "Whoops! Just remembered, I've got to pick up some supplies for the restaurant. Keeps me hopping you know. Anyways, I've gotta go - yeah, movie next weekend - let me get back to you on that - busy, busy." Realizing she was starting to babble, she got up, her eyes smarting. Moving quickly to the aisle, she darted up the ramp to the exit. Stumbling out of the theater, her eyes adjusting slowly to the different light, she made a quick turn into a nearby alley and burst into the tears she had tried unsuccessfully to contain. She had lost. She knew it. When it came down to it, she had always known. It didn't make it hurt any less though. The worst part of her crying jag over, she started to walk towards her shop, slow tears still making their way down her cheeks. Not bothering to wipe them away, Ukyo continued walking, staring up at the dusky sky and the sunset.
*Well, at least they still want to be friends...* This last thought only made her tears flow harder. What a pile of crap - spouting platitudes at herself, like it was going to make her feel better. Entering the restaurant and going up to her room, her eyes fell on a pamphlet that she had tossed there a day ago. Picking it up, she suddenly realized exactly why Kasumi had thought she might want to take a look at it.
"Looking for experienced okonomiyaki chefs to teach everything from beginner to haute cuisine in new school of cooking." Ukyo read the first line out loud, seeing if she liked how it sounded. It sounded a bit better than it had the other day. It paid well, was something she liked doing, and best of all, it wasn't in Nerima. Not that it was far away, but far enough where she would be able to get on with her life. And it was only a 4 month term, so she wouldn't have to sell the shop - she could come back. Picking up a pen, she began filling in the application.
Back at the movie, Ranma had moved a bit like he planned to get up to follow Ukyo, but as Akane reached for him to hold him back, she found it wasn't necessary as he settled back down. Looking at him quizzically, she asked him why he hadn't gotten up.
"If I do, it's just going to give her false hope. And that's what I've always done. I've never been able to tell her or any of the other girls the straight out truth. I've always been afraid of hurting them. And now I have - I've hurt Ukyo. I feel horrible, but it had to end sometime. It wasn't fair to you or her or me. And maybe, eventually, we'll be able to be just friends." Ranma said seriously. "Thanks for helping me out on that one, and keeping cool during it." He glanced down at her hand, still on his leg, and noticed that she still was cozied up to him.
Blushing, Akane started to take her hand away, after all, their little play was over, and she was probably making him really uncomfortable. Before she could, though, he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"I don't mind if you don't."
Blushing even harder, Akane left her hand there. The remainder of the movie passed all too quickly.
When the lights in the room came on, Ranma reached down and wrapped his fingers in hers, tugging on it to get her to stand up. Walking hand in hand, they left the theater and walked outside.
Since the restaurant was only a few blocks away, they decided to walk. Strolling along at a casual pace, Akane could feel Ranma's eyes continuously darting her way. Finally he said something, just as she was about to ask him if she had something wrong on her clothes or face.
"Akane... There's one thing I've been wondering about. I know that Nabiki planned it so that I would see all kinds of guys calling for you, but... right after that first time, when Juro pretended he was picking you up - you were waiting for someone. And the next few days - every time the phone would ring, you'd jump. Maybe it's none of my business, but who were you waiting for?"
"Oh." Akane looked slightly uncomfortable. "That. I was just hoping to find out something, but it didn't seem to work out, so it's no big deal."
It was clear that she didn't want to talk much about it, so Ranma decided to let it drop, although he wasn't any less curious about it. He just didn't want anything to ruin this night - it had been touch and go when Ukyo had shown up. Keeping a wary eye out for certain Chinese amazons that he didn't want to run into, he was relieved when they made it to the restaurant unscathed and dry.
End Chapter Nine
-Well, this chapter was originally supposed to be the whole date, but it was getting really long, so I decided to make it into 2 chapters. I'm halfway through writing the dinner part, but thought I'd share this with you, since it might take a few more days for me to finish that part. And then after the next chapter, only one more and it's done! Heh - when I was writing this one, I brought Ukyo into it and then was stuck for over a week, trying to figure out how to resolve it. I thought about Nabiki showing up, but that didn't work with how I said at the beginning of the chapter that she was staying low profile. So I then decided to let Ranma and Akane work it out themselves - of course, Kasumi helped a bit too in the end.
-As for the part with the movies - since I'm basing this near the end of the manga - approximately 6 months after, I had them going to the movies in 1996/1997, so that's why the films are from that time period. Even though the years the manga ran are way more than the timeline of Ranma. But oh well. And besides, I haven't been to many movies lately, so couldn't think of anything that they'd go see together. =p Read and Review please!
-Disclaimer: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does Ranma and co. belong to me? No? Sigh... didn't think so.
Better Left Unspoken
Akane stood in front of her closet, a frown on her face. She had absolutely nothing to wear. Nothing at all. Picking out a dress at random, she spun around and looked at herself in her full-length mirror, holding the dress up to her body.
"Yeesh. Why not just wear a sign saying "Hi, I'm Akane, and I'm 10."" She sighed in frustration. "I can't believe I don't have anything in here!" Throwing the dress on her bed in disgust, she sank into a chair. "There's no time to go shopping either. I guess I could go ask Nabiki if she's got anything, but I still don't really want to talk to her... At least she's staying behind the scenes of paying for this date."
It was true - Nabiki, out of consideration for their feelings about her, had kept out of their way, slipping movie tickets, reservation details and some money under Ranma's door. Akane still didn't know what to think about what Nabiki had done. It's not that she was surprised that Nabiki had pulled such a stunt, it was more that she would have never expected her sister to do it to her. Forgiveness would come in time, she knew, and she had tried to let Nabiki see that although things were awkward between them now, they wouldn't always be.
"No. I'm not going to dwell on that right now. Tonight is about Ranma and me. Our date! Our first date!" She spun around happily, only to catch a glimpse of the dress on her bed. Stopping in mid twirl she sighed. "Yeah. Our first date and I'm going to look like a little kid." Hearing a knock at her door, she went to answer it.
Kasumi stood on the other side, a happy smile on her face. "Did you need any help getting ready, Akane? Dinner is cooking itself tonight, since it's nothing big with you and Ranma being out for the evening."
"Oh, Kasumi! I'd love your help!" Grabbing her sister by the hand, she pulled her into the bedroom and shut the door. Plopping down on her bed, she looked at Kasumi. "I'm so nervous! I'm so not ready! I'm going to end up making a fool of myself - I'll probably drop my popcorn on the floor, spill my water at the restaurant, who knows what new heights Akane the Klutz will go to tonight!" She groaned in mock despair.
"Sweetheart, just relax. Ranma wouldn't care if you fell flat on your face and you know it. But why aren't you getting ready? It's not that long until you have to leave for the theater."
"Agh. Don't remind me, I know, I know. But you take a look in that closet and tell me what you see!" Akane pointed accusingly at her clothes.
Kasumi looked at Akane's wardrobe and frowned. "Well... I see a bunch of gi's, some T-shirts, blouses, and some nice dresses. What's wrong, Akane? Did I use a bad batch of detergent? Did the last load of clothes not get clean? Did I put something away in the wrong drawer?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "My sister, the housekeeper. No, Kasumi, not that! The fact that I have nothing to wear! Nothing that Ranma is going to take one look at and not be able to think!"
Kasumi giggled. "Oh Akane. Not to be cliched, but you could wear a potato sack, and he still..." She broke off as Akane interupted.
"But I don't want to wear a potato sack! I want to wear something drop dead! And everything in my closet just screams pre-teen! Why did I buy so many clothes with Hello Kitty logo's? Why?" She looked on the verge of panicking.
Kasumi took another look into Akane's closet. Holding a finger up to her mouth, she tapped it thoughtfully. Pulling out a few articles of clothing, she mixed and matched, taking a piece from one outfit, and putting it with a belt from another and so on. After only a minute of flurried action, she turned back to Akane. "How about this?"
Akane gasped. Incredulously she looked at the outfit. Somehow Kasumi had managed to create a stunning outfit from the dredges of her clothes. She quickly put it on and looked in the mirror. She was wearing a dusty rose half bolero jacket over a pale cream silk tank top. A short, but not too short, flared skirt amazingly matched the color of the jacket almost to a tee. Topping off the outfit was a delicate gold chain belt, and a matching necklace and earrings. (A/N - sorry about the poor description here - I'm so not a clothes girl - jeans and t-shirts all the way.)
"Oh my god, Kasumi! It's perfect! How did you do that? I've been staring at my closet for the last hour and a half, and I never even thought of putting these together! Thank you so much!" Akane was bubbling with happiness.
Kasumi smiled at her sister's exuberance. "Now sit down, and I'll do your hair and makeup." Brushing Akane's hair, she continued. "I've always enjoyed creating outfits - fashion design is like a little hobby with me I suppose."
"A hobby? Kasumi, you could easily get a job doing this - in a store, or as a fashion consultant!"
"Oh Akane, I really don't think so - it's just something I do for fun. Besides, I'm much too busy around here, keeping the household. This is what I really love. Making sure my family and guests are comfortable and secure."
Akane turned in her chair and hugged Kasumi around her waist. "And we don't say thank you enough, Kasumi. I hope you know, even if we don't say it, we do appreciate it." Looking up, she smiled at her older sister.
"Of course, dear. Now, be a good girl, and turn around, so I can finish up." Kasumi said with a motherly tone. Quickly she finished styling Akane's hair and did her makeup.
Akane, now that she was all ready, suddenly looked scared. "Kasumi, what if things don't go right? What if they get messed up? What if we can't find anything to say to each other? What if..."
Kasumi quickly broke in. "If you think that, that will be what happens. Just be confident! Now, Ranma is going to be here any minute, and I've got to get back to the kitchen, so you have a good time, and enjoy your night. And when you come home, you can tell me all about it - well, except the parts that are too good to tell." Kasumi gave a little wink at Akane and left.
Akane took a deep breath. Trying to relax, she sat and waited. Thankfully, she only had to wait a few minutes before there was a knock at her door. Opening it, she looked at Ranma. In return, he looked back at her. Standing there for a minute, they just drank each other in. Finally Ranma spoke.
"Ak...Akane." He stopped, his voice suddenly cracking, and cleared his throat. "Akane, you look... really nice." Under his breath he whispered "Beautiful".
Akane shyly smiled. "Thank you Ranma, you look good too." And he did - dressed in a pair of semi casual charcoal grey pants, with a matching blazer. His shirt was a light blue chinese silk.
"Umm, this is for you." Ranma opened a little box and pulled out a single cream colored rose corsage. "I didn't know what color you'd be wearing, but I figured this would be ok."
"Oh, Ranma, thank you." Not having the courage to ask him to pin it on for her, she did it herself. Thankfully, she managed not to prick herself with the pin. "So... I guess we should get going."
"Yeah, we probably should. The taxi should be outside by now. I figured we could walk, but it's kinda easier to do it this way, so that we don't run into anyone on the way." An outsider to the conversation might have thought that he was embarrassed to be seen in public with her, but Akane understood. Not wanting to mention the other girls and guys, she simply nodded in agreement.
Ranma held out his arm for her to take, and blushing slightly she did. They walked downstairs and out the door to the waiting car. The ride to the movie theater was driven in mostly silence, the two of them just content to sit there, occasionally looking at the other person. It didn't take long to get to their destination, and they got out of the taxi. Ranma quickly paid the driver, and they approached the ticket booth window.
"Well, considering Nabiki picked the movie, I guess we don't need to decide what we're going to see." Ranma said.
"Which one are we going to anyways? There's a few playing that I want to see, hopefully it's one of them." Akane replied. She hoped that whichever one it was, it was one they'd both enjoy. She didn't want one of them to be sitting through a flick, thinking they'd rather be somewhere else.
Glancing down at the tickets in his hand, Ranma realized he hadn't looked to see which film they had passes to either. "Huh. Not too bad, looks like she found something we both might like. You wanted to see Beavis and Butthead Do America, right?" (See author's note below)
A look of disgust passed across Akane's face. "You're not serious? That's the one she picked? Ranma, I don't want to see that one. I'm sorry, I want this to go well, but I really can't stand that show."
"Nope, wasn't serious." Ranma laughed as he dodged a playful swat aimed at his head.
"Not nice, Ranma." Akane pretended to pout. "Now come on, tell me which movie?" She reached for the tickets.
"Okay, okay... we're going to see Men in Black." Ranma grinned. He loved action films, especially one's with lots of special effects.
"Aww. I wanted to see The First Wives Club, not some dumb movie about space aliens." She broke into giggles at the look on Ranma's face. "Hey, two can play at that game, you know. Seriously, MiB is one of the movies I've been wanting to see."
"Good. Was thinking there that the man-bashing thing was all coming back to you, Akane." This time he wasn't quite fast enough and got a light punch in the arm. "Ouch. Tomboy."
"Oh, like that really hurt. Come on, let's go in - I want to get some popcorn before the movie starts." Grabbing Ranma's sleeve, she tugged him forward.
After getting their snacks, they settled in to watch the movie. As the theater darkened, each of them somehow became more aware of the other person sitting beside them. Although they were enjoying the show, their thoughts were never far away from each other.
*Should I put my arm around her? How do I put my arm around her? Will I get slapped if I put my arm around her?*
*Should I -accidently- hold his hand while reaching for some popcorn? Maybe I could grab on to him during a scary part. Damn, this isn't a horror movie though! Why isn't he putting his arm around me?*
Akane tentatively leaned against Ranma. Looking down at her, he smiled, and adjusted his body so that she fit comfortably against his side. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth and grinned.
Just as the hero of the movie was helping with the birth of an alien baby, an overly cheery voice boomed right by their ears. Jumping apart in surprise, they looked between them.
"What a surprise, running into you here, Ranma honey!" Ukyo flirted brazenly. Glancing at Akane, she said in a cool tone. "Oh, hi, Akane." Scrambling over the seat, she plunked herself down beside Ranma. "Mind if I join you?"
"Well, actually, Ukyo..." Akane started to say.
"Oh cool! I didn't think you would. I love this movie, I've seen it a couple times already." Ukyo said as she sat as close as she could to the boy beside her.
"I will not hit him, it is not his fault. I will not hit him, it is not his fault." Ranma could hear Akane whispering this to herself. As relieved as this made him, he still had no better idea of what to do. He didn't know what it would take to get Ukyo to realize that he just wasn't interested in her the way she wanted him to be. Sure, he could cause a scene, but that wasn't his style. Of course, when he thought about it, he had no style at all when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. Glancing at Akane, he saw she was looking at him with a pleading look in her eye. Taking a chance, he mouthed the word "Help" to her, and jerked his head lightly in Ukyo's direction, rolling his eyes.
Akane's eyes shone with a bit of humor and gratefulness. Ranma was actually asking for her help on this. That bit of knowledge gave her the confidence she needed. Snuggling up even closer to Ranma than she had been before, she very obviously put her hand on his leg, knowing that Ukyo could see her every move. Sighing contentedly, she looked at Ukyo and smiled as nicely as she could. "Ukyo, we're glad to see you and all, but we're actually on a date at the moment, and would like a bit of privacy. Maybe next weekend we can all go see a movie together?"
Ukyo suddenly sat up very straight. Looking at Ranma, she stuttered. "R... Ranma, honey? A... a date? But, I thought, that is, you guys aren't..." She stopped, knowing if she said anymore, she'd let on that she had been scheming to separate them, not knowing that they already knew about it. She stared at the two teens, silently begging with her eyes for Ranma to deny it, to say that he wouldn't go on a date with an uncute tomboy like Akane.
"Yep! On a date with my special girl!" Ranma grinned. "We've had a few troubles the last couple of days, but we got through them together, so we're celebrating with a night on the town." Ranma pretended to be oblivious to Ukyo's hurt. He didn't like it, but what else could he do? Any sign of concern for her would be misinterpreted as more than it was meant to. Putting his arm back around Akane, he pulled her closer.
"Oh..." Ukyo quickly pulled herself together. "Whoops! Just remembered, I've got to pick up some supplies for the restaurant. Keeps me hopping you know. Anyways, I've gotta go - yeah, movie next weekend - let me get back to you on that - busy, busy." Realizing she was starting to babble, she got up, her eyes smarting. Moving quickly to the aisle, she darted up the ramp to the exit. Stumbling out of the theater, her eyes adjusting slowly to the different light, she made a quick turn into a nearby alley and burst into the tears she had tried unsuccessfully to contain. She had lost. She knew it. When it came down to it, she had always known. It didn't make it hurt any less though. The worst part of her crying jag over, she started to walk towards her shop, slow tears still making their way down her cheeks. Not bothering to wipe them away, Ukyo continued walking, staring up at the dusky sky and the sunset.
*Well, at least they still want to be friends...* This last thought only made her tears flow harder. What a pile of crap - spouting platitudes at herself, like it was going to make her feel better. Entering the restaurant and going up to her room, her eyes fell on a pamphlet that she had tossed there a day ago. Picking it up, she suddenly realized exactly why Kasumi had thought she might want to take a look at it.
"Looking for experienced okonomiyaki chefs to teach everything from beginner to haute cuisine in new school of cooking." Ukyo read the first line out loud, seeing if she liked how it sounded. It sounded a bit better than it had the other day. It paid well, was something she liked doing, and best of all, it wasn't in Nerima. Not that it was far away, but far enough where she would be able to get on with her life. And it was only a 4 month term, so she wouldn't have to sell the shop - she could come back. Picking up a pen, she began filling in the application.
Back at the movie, Ranma had moved a bit like he planned to get up to follow Ukyo, but as Akane reached for him to hold him back, she found it wasn't necessary as he settled back down. Looking at him quizzically, she asked him why he hadn't gotten up.
"If I do, it's just going to give her false hope. And that's what I've always done. I've never been able to tell her or any of the other girls the straight out truth. I've always been afraid of hurting them. And now I have - I've hurt Ukyo. I feel horrible, but it had to end sometime. It wasn't fair to you or her or me. And maybe, eventually, we'll be able to be just friends." Ranma said seriously. "Thanks for helping me out on that one, and keeping cool during it." He glanced down at her hand, still on his leg, and noticed that she still was cozied up to him.
Blushing, Akane started to take her hand away, after all, their little play was over, and she was probably making him really uncomfortable. Before she could, though, he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"I don't mind if you don't."
Blushing even harder, Akane left her hand there. The remainder of the movie passed all too quickly.
When the lights in the room came on, Ranma reached down and wrapped his fingers in hers, tugging on it to get her to stand up. Walking hand in hand, they left the theater and walked outside.
Since the restaurant was only a few blocks away, they decided to walk. Strolling along at a casual pace, Akane could feel Ranma's eyes continuously darting her way. Finally he said something, just as she was about to ask him if she had something wrong on her clothes or face.
"Akane... There's one thing I've been wondering about. I know that Nabiki planned it so that I would see all kinds of guys calling for you, but... right after that first time, when Juro pretended he was picking you up - you were waiting for someone. And the next few days - every time the phone would ring, you'd jump. Maybe it's none of my business, but who were you waiting for?"
"Oh." Akane looked slightly uncomfortable. "That. I was just hoping to find out something, but it didn't seem to work out, so it's no big deal."
It was clear that she didn't want to talk much about it, so Ranma decided to let it drop, although he wasn't any less curious about it. He just didn't want anything to ruin this night - it had been touch and go when Ukyo had shown up. Keeping a wary eye out for certain Chinese amazons that he didn't want to run into, he was relieved when they made it to the restaurant unscathed and dry.
End Chapter Nine
-Well, this chapter was originally supposed to be the whole date, but it was getting really long, so I decided to make it into 2 chapters. I'm halfway through writing the dinner part, but thought I'd share this with you, since it might take a few more days for me to finish that part. And then after the next chapter, only one more and it's done! Heh - when I was writing this one, I brought Ukyo into it and then was stuck for over a week, trying to figure out how to resolve it. I thought about Nabiki showing up, but that didn't work with how I said at the beginning of the chapter that she was staying low profile. So I then decided to let Ranma and Akane work it out themselves - of course, Kasumi helped a bit too in the end.
-As for the part with the movies - since I'm basing this near the end of the manga - approximately 6 months after, I had them going to the movies in 1996/1997, so that's why the films are from that time period. Even though the years the manga ran are way more than the timeline of Ranma. But oh well. And besides, I haven't been to many movies lately, so couldn't think of anything that they'd go see together. =p Read and Review please!