CORRECTIONS: The fanfic author I was referring to is Lord Archive. His
homepage can be found here:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/9061/anime.html
IMPORTANT: If any of the characters seem OOC, tell me why you think that's the case. If there is one thing I hate in a fanfiction, it's out of character-ness, since it defeats the purpose of a FANfiction.
Though I have taken my initial idea from him, after a full read I can say I am going my own direction with this.
**************
Akane was cooking, and Kasumi was there helping her out. Kasumi pointed out how to cut the carrots and make them into a proper dish, and Akane was doing very well indeed. She laughed heartily as she chopped up carrot after carrot into thin slices which all ended in a large black pot. The sun touched her happy face as she suddenly noticed she was out of carrots and was now chopping onions. She smiled at Kasumi who was fondly eating every bit of the food she made. Akane did a little dance through the kitchen, all the while slicing the onions into fractions of themselves. Suddenly a voice caught her ear.
"Yo Akane, that smells good. I hope it tastes as good as your cookies did."
Akane smiled broadly and ran up to the pigtailed boy throwing her arms around him.
"Would you like to try some of it Ranma?" she asked grinning. He smirked back at her.
"I think I'd rather have some of you, sexy lady." Akane laughed more at this and noticed she was naked, as well as he. They fell back together and landed in the furo. Akane looked Ranma in the eye and noticed he had the most loving look in his eyes she had ever seen. They floated and touched, in complete bliss as their featherlight hands caressed every part of each other's body.
"I love you Akane" Ranma said in a low, yet emotional tone. Akane could do nothing but cry silently and embracing him to her. Oh, how they fit perfectly together. The background melted away and they were now floating over a field of roses as Akane could feel him pushing her head up ever so softly with his hand.
"Oh, Ranma!" she said and he kissed her passionately like they had before. They kissed for ages and ages, when Ranma started moaning slightly. Akane moaned back, enjoying every minute of this. The loudness of their moaning started to increase as they breathed the sounds which, unimpeded, would have been their names into each other's mouths.
"Akane"
"Ranma"
"Akane!"
"Ranma!"
"AKANEE!"
"WHAA!?..." the scene faded to her room which fuzzily outlined itself along with an all too familiar face of a certain pigtailed boy. She could not keep a blush from appearing on her face. She hoped that her drowsed head would draw Ranma's attention away from it. When no reply came she inspected the face of the boy from her dreams, literally but nothing else, she tried to convince herself. He had a serious expression, frowning slightly, his mouth curled up into a small round pout, although Akane doubted Ranma would have it described like that. She berated herself for thinking he looked cute, but could not help herself when his face changed into a heartwarming smile.
"So, you're finally up! I was wonderin' if I'd have to use shock therapy on you on you or sumthin'. But if you are as stubborn about this sleepin' business as you are about everythin' else, I s'pose I would be old and worn before I got you awake." He laughed jovially for a moment, and Akane could not help but smile, even though she felt that had she been fully awake she would have felt insulted. Suddenly Ranma's look turned thoughtful.
"Which is really weird you know? With your temper you'd say you'd wake up and beat the hell out of anyone who approaches you... or get them in bed of course. Do you know how hard it is to do that when you just sleep all the time?" Ranma seemed dead serious, angering Akane all the more. It did not take a fully aware Akane to become homicidal at such remarks.
"And how should I know?!" Ranma eyed her oddly, sitting up and jumping to hang off one of the many things attached to her ceiling.
"Are-are you telling me you always do perverted stuff in the furo? And I actually thought about bathing there again? YUCK!" Ranma ducked, or rather upped, a very inaccurate punch to his head.
"YOU JERK!" Ranma laughed as he dodges blows which increased in power, accuracy and speed as Akane found herself awakening more and more. The nice image from the dream was now becoming more and more vague and an image of Ranma with little red horns and fire burning around him became more prevalent in her mind. After a while, Ranma jumped to the floor and skilfully grabbed Akane's hands. She struggled for what she was worth, but in his iron grip it seemed to be very little. She was too caught up in struggling to look at his face, but when she did, she saw it held mirth and not malice. She stared at him for a little while, off balance by the whole situation.
"That's enough hitting for today Akane, I believe you are quite awake now." Ranma released her hands as he said this and turned around, moving towards the door. Akane started fuming again.
"You mean that that was a JOKE?" she asked, angry that he had toyed with her feelings.
'OH! If he only knew how I felt!... Wait a minute, how DO I feel? Why should I be angry with him? It's not like I care...' When images from the dream returned, she forced them away angrily, denying it and blaming her hormones for putting her in that mess. It's not like she would have done it if she knew it was real. Something in the back of her mind kept on nagging at this confidence. She tried to put it away once and for all.
'I am NOT a pervert, it's a healthy thing to do for girls my age. It was just a dream, and it counts as nothing more---'
"Yes, it was a joke, so what? It's not like I'll be around to tease you anymore, and if I can't, I'll hafta make sure you do some rememberin', got it?" Akane's train of thought had been rudely derailed by the boy before her smiling giddily. Akane thought he would soon be dancing. Suddenly, the meaning of his words hit her.
"You-you're leaving?" she asked timidly. He nodded happily and really did start dancing this time. If Akane had not been so sad she would have laughed at the sight of it.
'Pfeh. Stupid mind, why would I be sad? Like I'd care for that insensitive jerk'
"Yes, I'm not ready to deal with this fiancee crap, I'm off to China to cure myself! Better have you rememberin' me when I return. Family honour still needs fulfillin' someday y'know. Besides, you look cute when you're angry"
And with that, he danced away, leaving a stunned Akane behind. She mubled to herself.
"Family honour? He is planning on marrying me? No way that's going to happen! When I'm marrying I want it to be..."
She didn't know what she wanted it to be, but she knew for certain that she would never marry a jerk like Ranma, the hormones in her body were just overreacting. Once again her thoughts wandered back to the dream, and swiftly after that to the encounter in the furo the evening before that... the kiss they shared had been electric.
"Gah! No way I'm interested in that jerk!" Akane finally snapped from her thinking and grabbed some clothes from the closet, deciding she WOULD go to school today, as a quick glance upon the clock told her the jerk had awoken her far before she would have needed to wake up for school, and she didn't feel quite as bad as she did the day before which surprised her somewhat since there was no real difference with yesterday... was there?
Quickly shaking off all thought she got out of her night gown, and noticed something near her nether regions. She blushed as she wiped off her hands.
'must have been more intense than I thought. Better take a bath first.'
***
Akane had soaked in the furo for quite some time and now felt quite refreshed, she had dressed herself and now intended to go downstairs. Finalising her still damo hair by running her hand through it a couple of time and humming a tune softly to herself, she descended the stairs but stopped when she heard three voices, which she figured to be Ranma's, her father and... Ranma's father, she had forgotten his name already. Swallowing the objection of her conscience that it was not right to eavesdrop, she halted at the lowest stair. She couldn't quite catch what the voices were saying though, so she decided to take a little more risk and move closer to the living room, wherefrom the noise of heated argument was coming.
Akane could clearly make out what was being said, and did not like it, not at all.
"...you mean we ain't goin to China?"
"We've got a duty here now son, have you no honour?"
"Honour? Who're YOU to talk about honour pops!"
"/sob/ Oh, my only son, a villain of the worst kind, a rogue who would betray even his own father if--- WAGH!" /splash/
"You talk too much pop!" "Growf!"
"No way, no way I'm marrying that weird Tendou Girl."
"WHAT!?!?"/demon aura flaring/
"Th-that trick a-aint scarin me mister Tendo! I'm not marryin' yur daughter, PERIOD."
"YOU WILL MARRY HER, HONOUR DEMANDS IT!"
"I JUST TOLD HER I WANTED TO MARRY HER, DO YOU REALISE WHAT THAT MEANS?"
"Oh, Ranma my son! You see the light finally! My daughter will be such a good wife! /cries/" /sounds of bear hugs and crushing bones/
"EH? No! That's not what I meant! I don't WANT to marry that perverted tomboy! I need to keep myself free so I can go after a cure!"
"SO YOU DECEIVED MY DAUGHTER?!" /demon aura flaring again/
"YES! I mean, NO! I mean... I did it because of her perverted--- I mean, MY FATHER TAUGHT ME!" /demon aura increasing/
"Is that right Saotome!?"
"GROWF!"
"Oh, now pops, don't lie to kind mr. Tendo here! What about that time you engaged yourself to that Thai prostitute so you could steal all her manga? I bet she's still waiting loyally in the temple you left her to be cleansed of her former evils! Or what about that nice poorsighted old man, whose heritage you stole by marrying him dressing up as a woman?"
"GROWF!"
"AND WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?! Prepare to DIE!" /sounds of beating and of Ranma heaving a sigh of relief/
That was where Akane stopped her listening, she was fuming to the point an innocent bystander might think her head would explode, considering how red it was and how it was producing more steam than an ancient train on a good day.
'THE JERK! He just said that to tease me! I'll KILL HIM!'
And she was going to continue on that promise, as she barged into the living room in which she found a panda being beaten up by her father and his famous 'demon-head' attack. Ranma had retreated to a corner, sweating profusely and packing a small backpack with a 'China' sticker on it. His relieved expression turned into one of fear as Ranma saw her approaching him with what she hoped would be a doom-predicting expression. It seemed to have the desired effect as Ranma's face became as pale as hers was red.
"A-Akane! Ho-how l-l-long have ya been listenin'?" Akane said nothing and just approached him ominously, as he tried to step back. She grabbed him by his red Chinese shirt which he had worn since yesterday, and dragged him towards the door. Ranma struggled surprisingly little.
"Ranma, you know that is not important. We should get to school early so you and I can... 'chat' on the way."
Akane was satisfied by hearing Ranma gulp and could only imagine the terrified expression he would have to wear at that time.
***
Turning her attention away from her father and his freeloading friend, who had reconciled and seemed now to be talking about something -no doubt the grand scheme she had planned for today-, Nabiki saw Akane leaving behind the corner after having beaten Ranma up severely. He still lay there in a crumpled heap of flesh, but seemed to be making moves to stand up. Nabiki sighed as se thought how stupid Ranma had been. She could almost feel sorry for the poor idiot; she knew her sister's temper, back from the days she was not as... subtle in her business methods and when she had less blackmailing material to help her. As a matter of fact, Nabiki was surprised he didn't have some bones sticking out of his body. Akane must really love him to be so mild on him.
Nabiki heaved a sigh of reminiscence... ah yes, the good old days. Akane and Nabiki had reconciled quite a long time ago, but sometimes Nabiki missed the continuing competion of her younger sister. Then again, what she was about to do, or had actually already done, was such a heavy breach upon that reconciliation that it would be possible that they both would be pounding her to near-death, leaving even kinship aside.
Nabiki smirked as she removed the money from her cabinet this little enterprise had gained her. It was really funny how she had managed to fraud everyone out of a large part of their cash, and the fathers out of virtually everything they owned. Not only was Ranma's arrival extremely entertaining, it had made her one of the richest people in Nerima already, if things went according to plan.
Which they always did. She could already see the yen bills float before her eyes as she thought of the prospects of Ranma and Akane together... as long as they were like this, they could be milked for all they were worth...
Even after their marriage
***
"To school? They can't go to school!" Soun looked rather panicky as he wailed his complaints. Genma just slapped him on the back.
"Don't worry Tendo my friend, we can just have Nabiki send the minister to school, no harm done really." Genma laughed as he pulled forth a little piece of paper.
"This contract, graciously provided to us by your second daughter who, I must add, drives a hard bargain, will make all our wishes come true." He was taking a triumphant stance as Soun had now stopped sniffling.
"You're right Saotome, our families shall be united at last!" Soun now also took the triumphant stance and stood beside Genma.
"Then let us be off, Tendo, we shall get the minister and get them wed!"
***
That jerk's nerve! Not only had he insulted her multiple times now, he was now positioning himself above her as he walked on the top of the fence. Akane was fuming, after having calmed down a little initially.
"Yo Akane, what're you so angry 'bout?" Akane had to restrain herself with every available part of her body which could be strained not to clobber Ranma again. Instead, she would try the more subtle approach.
"You were just going to leave me here WAITING FOR YOU? THINKING IT WAS FUN?!" Akane failed to control her anger as the last part was screamed so loud, Ranma had to hop off the fence to prevent falling into the small canal which lay behind the fence. Ranma didn't seem too surprised and even a bit apologetic. What his mouth said was quite different though.
"Yeah well, excuse me for not wantin' to get married to such a pervert as you!" Akane now flung the nearest metallic object at hand towards his head.
"YOU JERK! THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT LIKE THAT?" Akane screamed, making moves to run off. Ranma had dodged the object and was now looking angry as well.
"What? Are you THAT stupid?" Akane ceased her actions and turned around gain.
"What... did... you... call... me?" Akane's eyes were now pupilles as her aura flared red around her, mirroring the intense fury burning inside her. Ranma backed away a little.
"Well, don't you think that if I told them the real reason, they'd have married us on the spot?"
"That doesn't give you the right to!... what? Real reason?" Akane's anger had vanished nearly completely and Ranma moved towards her, looking even more apologetic than before.
"Akane, I did it all for your honour. You can't yet understand the consequences of your actions, but later when you're older, you'll see the faults of your perverted ways. The only reason I said that is because I thought you'd hump around a little less if I'd--- *CLUNK* WAAAAAAAaaaaaH!" Akane had her foot pointing upwards as Ranma's form became ever smaller in the sky.
"INSENSITIVE JERK!" She shouted behind him. Akane though she also heard a voice in answer, but she could only barely make out what it said.
"Perverted tomboy!"
Akane winced and found her anger vanishing like snow fleeing before the dawning sun.
"I'm not a pervert" she muttered under her breath, though the words sounded hollow even to herself. As she ran to school Akane thought about the last two days. She had hated boys, that was what she had shown the outside world, but now a new boy had distorted that image. She had thought all boys were perverts but now this same new boy had proven himself to be more chasticious and honourful than she herself was. Akane would not admit it, but deep down she felt that this new boy was right with his accusations and that was what hurt her most as she felt herself having become something she did not want to be.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at Furinkan High, the high school she and Ranma would be spending most of their time. Sighing again as she thought of him, multiple emotions coming at her troubled mind, hate, fury, jealousy, lust... love, she halted before the gated of the school yard. She hadn't believed in it before, but Akane was quite sure that she had had a classic case of love at first sight. She had tried to deny it, but as she saw the prone form of the martial artist, meteor wannabe, fall down towards the school, she felt something inside her.. churn. Though he had deserved it, Akane felt sorry for doing this to him, something she had not felt before for anyone who deserved her punishment, outside of her family. She didn't know if Tofu fell in this category, since she had never hurt him, but she felt that even now Tofu was less of a burden on her heart and mind in her whole 16 years of life than Ranma had been this past day and night. Though she wasn't quite sure whether the burden was positive or negative; she remembered being giddy that morning when he had talked to her, but now his behaviour had stung deeper than any katana would, though she would never admit that. Akane had vented her grief the only way she had learned up till then: hit the pervert.
But she was the pervert now, wasn't she? The dreams, oh the dreams.
'Is this really love?'
Something in her mind said it was, but it made her all the unhappier.
***
/KABLAM/
"Ouch! Man, that tomboy hits harder than I thought she would!" Ranma said surprisedly, half to himself, half to the non-existent audience around him, while relieving his black pants and red Chinese shirt from the gathered dust and parts of the cement which he had fallen through. He had a thoughtful look upon his face now.
'Geez, what's her problem anyway? I only tell her the truth! She is as perverted as your average nympho! Not to mention she is more promiscuous!'
Thoughts about her naked walking up to him, grinding her flesh to his own and kissing came back to his mind. Shaking them off, trying not to get aroused by them, he focussed on the image of her beating him to a bloody pulp to calm his hormones. He found that it didn't have the desired effect.
'Man, she's even more cute when she's angry like that'
Trying now to entirely draw away all though from the subject of his fiancee, he decided that it was time to figure out where he actually was. He looked around casually.
A standard Japanes school yard. And a standard Japanese school. Putting his hands in his pockets, Ranma strolled towards the entrance of the school he saw was called 'Furinkan High'. He remembered that was the place he should be. He looked around again to see the too-cute for her own good tomboy move up to him. She looked pained and surprised.
'Why the hell would that be?'
"Ranma! Have you seen a great number of boys around here somewhere? Perverted looking, dressed to fight?" Akane asked him as she reached the entrance to her high school also. Ranma smirked.
"What? You going for an early morning shag?" Ranma wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel jealous of the boys that had gotten lucky with her. Though of course he could have gotten lucky just as easily if he had an as perverted mindset as the girl starting to fume befoer him, he reminded himself.
Wait a minute, fume? Oh no! He was meddling in her affairs again! She always got angry when he did that!
"Errr! I mean, not that it's any of my business who you are doing around here, I mean, I'm only your fiancee, if you decide you want to do every man at school a second time then that's none of my--- WAAAGH!" Ranma found his face embedded in the school wall. Once again he wondered about his fiancees temper and how he managed to bear the full brunt of it all the time. What bothered him though, was that he had not yet been able to mend Akane's perverted ways.
'Oh well, enough time before we get married' Ranma thought before mentally slapping himself.
'I'm NOT getting married to that perverted tomboy!'
***
Akane was getting distrustful. Things were quiet... too quiet. No perverted horde, no Kuno, even her friends were painfully quiet and giggling behind her back. What was going on? She had noticed Ranma, oblivious of everything around him, had gotten quite a few appraising looks by the female part of the student body, making her involuntarily twitch in jealousy. But what had surprised her was that shortly after that, their faces would fall in despair and they would mutter something under their breath before glaring hatefully at her.
This had been going on for three hours now, and lunch was approaching. She really wanted to approach Sayuri or Yuka about their behaviour but decided against it and thought that it would be better to try to get along with Ranma, since deep down, she reasoned, he was a nice guy.
The lunchbell rang, sooner than she had anticipated. Oh well. She walked up to Ranma, who was now blissfully snoring, a little bit of drool hanging on the corner of his mouth. She smiled as she woke him. He slapped her hand away and mumbled "Hrrm...pops, I don't need the wok to work properly..." Akane blinked and shook him harder. He awoke fully, hopping up and getting into a combat stance. Akane could not surpress a giggle at his disoriented looking around.
Ranma just looked at her for a while, astonishment in his face. No, he didn't looke, he stared.
If Akane didn't know better she'd have said Ranma liked what he saw.
"Say, Ranma, why don't we eat lunch together?" Akane asked, a beaming smile on her face. It caught Ranma off guard.
"S-sure!"
***
Ranma sat himself down next to Akane, who was virtually radiating happiness, or so it seemed. What was up with her?
"A-akane why are you smiling like that?" he asked hesitantly, finally sitting down. Her face immediately fell into a scowl. Through clenched teeth she said
"I'm trying to improve the atmosphere, you'd better enjoy it." Her smile was put back into place. Ranma dared not say something bad.
"R-right... but why?" Ranma asked, still scared. Akane's face turned serious.
"Ranma, we need to talk."
"A-about what?" Akane slapped his arm.
"The engagement, what else?" Ranma seemed to relax.
"Oh, that. I don't want it Akane." Akane's face fell a bit, though Ranma failed to notice.
"Why? Don't you want it?"
"Of course not! Who would want to---" Akane's evil glare silenced him. He was forced to think his position through at least a little and was silent for a while before he spoke again.
"No Akane, what I mean is, do YOU like bein' pressed into someone's arms, sayin' that you will be married as soon as time and money permit?" Ranma finished it, surprised at himself that he had actually said what he felt. Without realising it, Akane's glare must have had a bigger effect on him than before suspected. The girl herself seemed to be taken aback by this. She was now playing with her socks as she stared thoughtfully at the green of the grass. Smiling, she looked at Ranma. God, he was dazzled by that smile. When did she become so stunningly beautiful? Somewhere in the back of Ranma's stunned brain, a voice was speaking that she had been this beautiful several times in the last few days, and the voice reminded him also that that beauty had stunned him with equal force every time it had revealed itself. That voice however, did not register.
"You're right! But... well, you... err..." Akane's hesitance only increased her cutenessas she moved the playing with her sock to her skirt and started fondling it innocently, her smile turning shy and expectant as she once more looked up at Ranma.
"You... wouldn't mind marrying that way if you... err... liked the one you were forced into, would you?"
Ranma was speechless, still dazzled by Akane, he could only nod dumbly. Now Akane blushed as she slightly turned away from Ranma, innocence and cuteness radiating off of her.
"And do you...errr... like me?" Ranma, unable to think clearly, could do nothing but stare at her with wide eyes, obliviously, but sincerely nodding an affirmative. Akane's facial expression moved from shyness to giddynes, as she let out a squeal before throwing herself into Ranma's arms.
Even though the scene before in the bathroom had more of an erotic tension, Ranma found his brain even farther gone this time and could do nothing at all but suffer the hug. Though if his mind had been half there, he would have graciously returned the hug. Had it been fully there, things would not have moved as well and smoothly as they had up to that point.
"Though I can't say I'm not touched by this open display of queasy affection and squish cuteness, I would advise you to make at least LOOK like you hate eachother wish you evade the coming onslaught by your fathers."
Nabiki's voice and words were like a thunderclap in a clear sky, only infinitely more loud to the hugging pair. They jumped up, blushing profoundly, trying not to look at each other and failing miserably. Ranma was the first to speak.
"I-it's not what it looks like! A-akane t-tr-tried to jump me again!" That sort of snapped Akane out of her stupor as she furiously glared at Ranma. This in turn snapped him out of his, and he was glaring back at her with his full might.
"Did you just call me a pervert again?" Ranma smirked and crossed his arms, turning around and facing away from her.
"Pfeh, you ARE a pervert." He said selfconfidently. Akane was trembling with rage, while Nabiki was laughing her head off.
"RANMA, YOU---!" Akane was cut off in midsentence by a sharp gasp coming from Ranma's mouth which had its lower part dangling just above the floor. Akane faltered for a moment and turned her gaze to where Ranma was watching. She also let her jaw drop to the ground, but could not find the strength of mind to gasp.
Before her stood a full ceremonial wedding band and guests, ornated by the finest of clothes. There was also a small drive-by altar with a telephone number attached, a small English text above it, reading "Bishop Wedwin, for all your aranged weddings" and an old scowling man wearing a white robe with a booklet in his hand. She barely noticed her father and his friend coming at her and her fiancee with wedding gown and a tuxedo.
***
"What're you doin' pops!" Ranma said while trying to struggle as his father wrapped him inside the tuxedo.
"Nothing that concerns you boy, now just follow me." Ranma's father had started dragging him towards the convened group of people and what looked like a fag in a white dress. Oh, he was holding a book too. But something here stank, everything his pops did stank for that matter, but a gut feeling told Ranma that this stank more terribly than any plan his pops had concocted before. Akane seemed to be struggling even harder, but they couldn't prevent either of them to get dragged along towards the odd stand on which the man in the white dress was standing. They were now next to eachother, and Ranma thought about fighting his way out when he noticed 10 gorilla sized guards around him. He smirked and moved to kick one of them, but noticed he had drawn a gun before he could do anything.
Ranma gulped and looked at his pop, to see that he in turn was nodding approvingly at Akane's older sister, was it Nabiki?
'Must have been her that arranged all this, pop isn't usually this tight on security.'
Ranma realised it was useless to struggle physically, at least for the moment, and silenced himself, arms tightly pressed to his sides. Akane beside him however, was struggling for all she was worth.
"---IS KUNO? He would NEVER allow this!" Ranma looked at her. Who was Kuno? Probably her favourite lover. Ranma couldn't stop himself from growling out of jealousy.
Tendo Soun pointed towards a rather odd-dressed gagged and bound young man, who was struggling with all his might against his tight bondages. Ranma saw Akane's resistance beside him collapse into the void and she also now seemed resigned to her fate. Whatever that may be... perhaps Akane knew?
"Yo, Akane, do you know what's goin' on?" Akane gawked at him a little.
"But... I thought, you were staring at..." She tried to say. Ranma snorted indignantly.
"Have you seen that ridiculous tuxedo pop is wearing? Who wouldn't be scared out of his wits by that!" Ranma finished on an assured tone, but one glance at Akane told him that she had not expected this answer. She was trembling in her wedding gown, her eyes wide with surprise. Wait a minute... wedding gown?
"You-you have no idea, do you Ranma?" Though it was beginning to dawn on him, he shook his head in a negative.
"Nope" Akane nearly fell down in surprise.
"That man he is a?" she asked
"Fag in a white dress." Akane shook her head.
"What's on the top of that van?" Ranma squinted but answered
"Dunno, I dun understand nothin' of English." Akane sighed, shaking her head even more fervently.
"Ranma, they are trying to get us married." Ranma's eyes widened for a moment, before he calmed down.
"Well, we can just say 'no', can't we?" Akane seemed to brighten at that, but her face fell as she looked at Nabiki.
"You don't know my sister Ranma, we'll be married even if it kills us if she's involved." Ranma pondered those words. Nabiki had seemed like a nice girl. A little business-like, but not someone that would let her sister marry a boy out of the blue...
Looking at her again, Ranma saw she was opening what looked like betting pools as all the students were gathering around the van and altar to watch the unfolding spectacle. Perhaps Akane was right...
***
Everything had proceeded smoothly up untill now, the entire school had been notified beforehand so that no boys would interrupt and no girls would attempt anything with Ranma before Nabiki could get them married. The betting pools were also a large success. As she had expected, the vast majority had bet on the two kissing, which Nabiki knew would never happen. Knowing her sister and Ranma they would try to stop the marriage and kissing, in front of everyone, would be out of the question.
Nabiki smiled as she noted down another set of bets. The odds on them kissing were terribly low, but still everyone seemed to go for that. Perhaps the student body thought that she had miscalulated? The poor misguided and soon to be flat walleted fools.
Nabiki suppressed a twinge of guilt as she thought of the tapes she had shown her and Ranma's father. On that was visible how much the two DID love each other, even on the first day. Nabiki sighed as she thought about what would happen if she did not get them married... they would keep fighting and arguing for years on end before they would realise the feelings they had for each other.
No, this was the best solution, for everyone. She smirked as she saw the bishop beginning.
But things were working out especially well for her.
***
Akane was drawn out of her glaring at Nabiki by the Christian priest who, she had to agree with Ranma that he looked awfully funny, was clearing his throat, as if demanding attention. With a heavy English accent, he began speaking.
"Dear everyone, we are gathered here today to blablablabla. So, anyone got the rings?"
Half of the student body was still chattering and that priest had virtually married them already? What kind of sham was this! Akane wanted her wedding to be perfect with a romantic-NO! She did not want to become married at all!
As the two fathers ran towards the altar, carrying to plain golden rings, the priest continued.
"Good, now Tendo Akane, do you?" Akane was taken aback by this question. She looked at Ranma with a hopeful glance, but he was just as shocked as she was, if not more so. She was about to answer as the priest continued.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Now, Saotome Ranma, do you?" Akane was taken aback. He hadn't even listened to her! Ranma however, seemed to be having a lot less problems talking.
"I'm not marrying a per---" Akane was about to pound him into oblivion when the priest interrupted again.
"Good, then I pronounce you man and wife. Rings!" Akane was staring at the priest, barely noticing her father slipping the ring on her finger. This was prepostrous!
"Now, kiss the bride so we can all go home please?" the priest continued with a facial expression that seemed to radiate boredom. Akane and Ranma were just dumbfounded.
"WHAT!?" They simultaneously screamed. The priest sighed and drew forth a piece of paper with some text on it and their autographs signed upon them. Akane was surprised, but figured it would be no big deal for Nabiki to falsify her signature if the price was right.
"On this piece of paper, signed by my client Tendo Nabiki, it says half of the profits of the Tendo Dojo will come to her should you not kiss, as well as earning a large sum of money from your respective parents." Ranma and Akane paled, as did their fathers.
***
"Saotome, how could this happen?" Soun was shaking his friend who had taken forth the contract and had taken a small magnifier. He growled.
"I'll be damned Tendo, your daughter is a genius!" he said hatefully.
"What is it Saotome?" Soun asked anxiously.
"It's all there in small letters! Urg! I forgot the first rule of deception! Oh, I am unworthy!"
Soun just cried in synch with his friend. Before nodding at him. Together, they ran towards the altar again, shouting
"Ranma, Akane, you must kiss!"
***
Nabiki smirked. All that money was as good as hers there was no way they'd...
Wait a minute, why were Ranma and Akane looking at eachother like that? It was as if... as if they were considering the option of... NO!
"RANMA, AKANE! THINK OF YOUR PRIDE!"
***
Ranma gazed into Akane's eyes, seeing the same question in her eyes as he figured was also written in his own. A kiss... something so simple and yet something so terrible. They would not be able to worm their way out of their responsibilities if they did that. But Ranma found himself thinking he would not mind it terribly, but Akane, and his curse... no, he couldn't
But Akane's eyes... oh they were making him WANT to kiss her.
"Akane, Nabiki, she---" Akane's facial expression changed to one of determination as she put a finger to his lips.
"Shut up and do this." Ranma could just widen his eyes as she replaced the finger with her mouth.
***
"YES! We DID it Tendo!" Genma was doing a silly dance just before the altar. Cheers were arising from parts of the student body, malcontented growls from another. One tied up and gagged person was trying to make disapproving sounds but failed miserably.
"Oh, finally our schools are united Saotome!" Soun joined Genma's dance, sobbing as if the world would end.
***
Nabiki's world had collapsed... she had underestimated them. Tendo Nabiki had underestimated them! How was it possible! Never before had she been outsmarted!
Nabiki made quick calculations based on the betting pool and found out that where she would have been rich...
She grabbed her on hand calculator and.
Just 500 yen. All this trouble for just 500 yen. Nabiki slumped to the floor, ready to cry her heart out. She did not see Ranma and Akane getting lost in each other and deepening the kiss. She did not hear the increasing hollers and shouts of approval. She did not hear the priest unveil her final plot which had at least made this day slightly profitable.
***
"Good, that will do you two. You can continue this frivolous nonsense in your bedroom if you don't mind." The priest said as he drew Ranma and Akane apart, tongues half hanging out of their mouth. When the realisation of what they had just done hit both of them, they turned their heads away and blushed furiously. The priest saw that they were done and continued talking, his bored appearance never faltering.
"Good. Now remember, when you need to force someone into marriage, you know who to call: Bishop Wedwin, for all your arranged marriages." He motioned to one of the guards and gave him a few folders which the guard passed on in the crowd.
"Now, may I hear it one last time for Tendo Ranma and Saotome Akane!" the crowd cheered and Ranma and Akane blushed. As the priest was packing up his things, the two fathers had stopped dancing and were glaring at eachother angrily.
"Saotome, I thought we had agreed to leave the names as is, then why is my little girl's surname now yours?" Soun asked Genma angrily. Genma did not flinch.
"I could ask you the same, Tendo." Soun's angry look suddenly turned to one of apprehension.
"Then you also paid Nabiki without telling me---" Genma nodded at Soun's words.
"We've been deceived, Saotome!" Genma just smiled, his glasses twinkling.
"We were not in any way deceived, we both got our way, Tendo. Though I hate to admit it, your daughter is a genius." Genma said, his tone betraying a grudging acknowledgement of defeat.
On the altar, the priests words had also gotten through to the newly wed couple. They looked at each other, puzzlement on their faces, saying their new names aloud to themselves siultaneously.
"Tendo...Ranma?"
"Saotome... Akane?"
Then their auras exploded at the same time.
"WHAT!?" they screamed simultaneously. The two fathers were trying to crawl away from the now wedded demonic pair. They did not get far as Akane and Ranma ran up to and grabbed their respective fathers. Soun started wailing and Genma gulped.
"Akane, Ranma... err... we thought it would be a nice idea if you, well... err..." Genma withered under Ranma's glare of pure evil.
"You better save it pops. YOU are going to Nabiki now and demand her she changes it back!" Ranma screamed the last part, while Akane growled an affirmative, making her father's wailing all the more loud.
"Well... you see... the thing is." Genma tried, withering even further, his usual arrogance when dealing with anyone vanished as he stared into his son's eyes which seemed to predict a painful death.
"WHAT?!" Ranma screamed. Genma flinched.
"We gave all our money to Nabiki." Genma said as swiftly as he could. Ranma dropped him unceremoniously and motioned for Akane to follow him. Genma regained his composure quite quickly and called to his son.
"What son, aren't you happy you have the name of one of the most famed martial arts families---" Ranma turned around angrily.
"SHUT UP POPS! Thanks to you, I've lost my childhood, my mom, my manhood and now my freedom and even my NAME!" Genma was silent and decided now would be the best time to use the Saotome's ultimate technique. He dragged Soun up and ran away.
***
Nabiki saw Ranma coming with a glare that coudl wither the most lively person to a heap of scared flesh. Not Nabiki though, she was about as pissed as Ranma was.
"NABIKI! YOU HAVE---!" he started as he moved up to her, but Nabiki didn't let him finish.
"Shut up Ranma." She said. It only seemed to anger Ranma more.
"Do you know that you have just helped ruin my life?" He shouted. Nabiki had had it.
"Do you think I CARE? I have just been ruined by the two of you! An entire enterprise for NAUGHT! NOTHING! And you can only whine about some silly namechange and marrying the girl you love, well that hardly seems any reason to complain!" She screamed at him. Ranma's anger had vanished as he stared at Nabiki in awe. Akane was blushing beside him. Why was Akane blushing.
"I-I do not l-l-lo... LIKE Akane!" Nabiki calmed herself and narrowed her eyes to slits.
"Go tell that to someone else BROTHER." She seemed to be putting extra emphasis on the last part before she continued.
"You know you wanted this, but you just ruined MY life, so give me ANY reason at all to feel sorry for you." Ranma still seemed to be stuttering.
"I-I d-d-d-did not want this!" He tried. Nabiki rolled her eyes and turned around, anger raging within her.
"Yeah whatever. Just complain to someone else for a few days okay? I'm not in the mood." And she walked away. But deep in her heart was a part of her that was overshouted by the rest of her which was raging at the thought of how the two had ruined her most brilliant plot up till then. As she moved farther away from the ex-wedding scene however, she felt her anger vanishing and her regret increasing. After all, they both hated to be pushed, that much was obvious from what she had seen from the two and she loved her sister more than she let on... and even if her plan had succeeded, would it have been ethically responsible? Nabiki laughed halfheartedly. The great Tendo Nabiki, thinking about ethics. The arriving of Ranma had changed everyone she now realised. Sighing, she said to herself
"Perhaps I HAVE gone too far this time. It would be better if I sleep at that hotel that still owes me. I can face them in the morning."
***
Ranma and Akane were now on their way home. The priest and the students had left without much ado, leaving them alone with their unreleased anger. They knew better than to approach either of them. When they were back in class, they had cooled down, but refused to speak to each other, neither willing to face what they had just done and the subconscious conviction with which they had done it. For they both knew deep down that indeed was what they had wanted and it was the only reason why they hadn't released their anger throughout the school day, since they had too much too think about.
Both of them had waved off questions and congratulations with an angry glare. None of the students had actually acted much after it had been visible they were not willing to speak.
Akane had felt it wise to leave Kuno tied up, though Ranma still wondered why. What could be so bad about him?
That however, was the least important thing on his mind right now. He decided to break the silence as he spoke to Akane from the fence.
"Yo, Akane, you must understand that that k-k-k-kiss was only because of--- "
"I understand" Was Akane's curt response, though her behaviour told him she did not. Ranma let it rest though because he was not so sure whether he understood himself. The kiss was like a gaping hol in his mind, a moment of action where he had acted unlike himself. Or that's what he thought.
'Ugh'
This time it was Akane breaking the silence.
"Ranma... you didn't well... want to be married... did you?" Ranma looked at her strangely. How was he supposed to answer? She sounded so fragile... so... Ranma just opened his mouth hoping the right words would come out.
"No, Akane, not if you---" Ranma had wanted to continue but found he could not as Akane was running away, tears in her wake.
What was her problem? Ranma decided to go after her. Even though she was a perverted tomboy, she was now HIS perverted tomboy. And he was supposed to look after her. If he did not want to, now honour demanded it.
Whether he wanted was something he couldn't quite decide.
******************
Ugh. Terrible. But, it's the reviewers call after all. It is chaotic and prone to rewriting, and I will do that once I find the time. Consider this a draft. It's also my longest chapter ever written and I still feel it is too small.
Anyway, I do not know much about weddings, so I was just guessing a little. If I was wrong, please tell me.
NOTE: Just that I dislike Ryoga will not mean he will not gain a significant part in the story, since he IS an integral part of the Ranmaverse. In fact, I think writing him will be good fun.
Blaze-stryker: Eh? Why'd you do that? I have my own interpretation, and though it is nice of you, an entire other interpretation isn't really necessary. Having read your comments though, I'd like to stick with my original notes.
D-chan: As you see, I did. I had that planned because I have plans for when Shampoo arrives... don't ask :)
A Weller: Lol, was it my despicable arrogance, my disrespect to some of the character or my casually naming my influences as if I don't care? I hope it was either of them because if it wasn't I'd most likely have to add another line to my list of bad sides of me :)
Anyway, it really is a compliment to my writing skills if that is how you feel, meaning I can write at least a little in character.
Neko: my writing style making up for a less lemony scene? *laughs* I haven't had people complimenting my writing stule very often.. oh well, thanks! :)
Ale Map: BONDAGE!?! Ugh, bondage=evil. There might be a lemon somewhere, but like I said, I'm not to keen on them.
Ikillyoupig: I haven't got any spellchecking instruments on my computer, which makes that hard. I also barely reread my stories, which gives silly spelling errors a chance. Pubity however is not a 'silly' one... I honestly thought it was SPELLED pubity. Oh well, English not being my first language showing *sighs* I wish I were born in England...
Anyway, I agree. Though I must admit I am something of an otaku (well, I watch heaps of anime, I do not have their lifestyle...), I dislike putting in those terms. But, sometimes, one needs the nuances of "Hentai" (Akane uses it also to show Ranma's sex-changing problem. It makes it hard to do this when you write pure English. You could have them arguing who was the "hentai" rather hard now.)
As for writing, I know Hiregana and am learning Katakana, with less success. There, Ryouga would be spelled Ri yo u ga. I suppose that is also the source of the most important transcription system. As for not hearing it, that's true. Only in songs and when Japanese are emphasising or spelling things out (during singing, which is one of the reasons I HATE Japanese music), they pronounce those u's, and one may speculate that at one time it WAS pronounced like that. As for 'ei', I feel you are not right there. I think I can here a genuine diphtong when I hear some people pronouncing the 'ei'. As for length, it IS important, both for pronunciation length and for stress purposses. Take, for example, o- neechan, pronounced oh-NAY-chahn. Would that have been written as O-nechan, it would be pronounced OH-nay-chan. Length can often also be distinguished.
One of the things which puzzles me most is that people shorten Akane to 'Kane. I suppose this is the doing of the English dub, where doubtlessly it is stressed Ah-KAH-nay. However, the Japanese Version has AH-kah-nay, which makes it really odd to drop the first syllable.
Anyway, enough rantage.
Taku: lol, usually people should be flaming ME, not their fellow reviewers ^_^, peace man!
Dai: Which is why Isaid it was TEMPTING to use the word hentai, but I decided I shouldn't (see the rant under Ikilyoupig)
Wanted to have this done by christmas, but failed. Oh well, second day of christmas will have to do.
Read and review people!
IMPORTANT: If any of the characters seem OOC, tell me why you think that's the case. If there is one thing I hate in a fanfiction, it's out of character-ness, since it defeats the purpose of a FANfiction.
Though I have taken my initial idea from him, after a full read I can say I am going my own direction with this.
**************
Akane was cooking, and Kasumi was there helping her out. Kasumi pointed out how to cut the carrots and make them into a proper dish, and Akane was doing very well indeed. She laughed heartily as she chopped up carrot after carrot into thin slices which all ended in a large black pot. The sun touched her happy face as she suddenly noticed she was out of carrots and was now chopping onions. She smiled at Kasumi who was fondly eating every bit of the food she made. Akane did a little dance through the kitchen, all the while slicing the onions into fractions of themselves. Suddenly a voice caught her ear.
"Yo Akane, that smells good. I hope it tastes as good as your cookies did."
Akane smiled broadly and ran up to the pigtailed boy throwing her arms around him.
"Would you like to try some of it Ranma?" she asked grinning. He smirked back at her.
"I think I'd rather have some of you, sexy lady." Akane laughed more at this and noticed she was naked, as well as he. They fell back together and landed in the furo. Akane looked Ranma in the eye and noticed he had the most loving look in his eyes she had ever seen. They floated and touched, in complete bliss as their featherlight hands caressed every part of each other's body.
"I love you Akane" Ranma said in a low, yet emotional tone. Akane could do nothing but cry silently and embracing him to her. Oh, how they fit perfectly together. The background melted away and they were now floating over a field of roses as Akane could feel him pushing her head up ever so softly with his hand.
"Oh, Ranma!" she said and he kissed her passionately like they had before. They kissed for ages and ages, when Ranma started moaning slightly. Akane moaned back, enjoying every minute of this. The loudness of their moaning started to increase as they breathed the sounds which, unimpeded, would have been their names into each other's mouths.
"Akane"
"Ranma"
"Akane!"
"Ranma!"
"AKANEE!"
"WHAA!?..." the scene faded to her room which fuzzily outlined itself along with an all too familiar face of a certain pigtailed boy. She could not keep a blush from appearing on her face. She hoped that her drowsed head would draw Ranma's attention away from it. When no reply came she inspected the face of the boy from her dreams, literally but nothing else, she tried to convince herself. He had a serious expression, frowning slightly, his mouth curled up into a small round pout, although Akane doubted Ranma would have it described like that. She berated herself for thinking he looked cute, but could not help herself when his face changed into a heartwarming smile.
"So, you're finally up! I was wonderin' if I'd have to use shock therapy on you on you or sumthin'. But if you are as stubborn about this sleepin' business as you are about everythin' else, I s'pose I would be old and worn before I got you awake." He laughed jovially for a moment, and Akane could not help but smile, even though she felt that had she been fully awake she would have felt insulted. Suddenly Ranma's look turned thoughtful.
"Which is really weird you know? With your temper you'd say you'd wake up and beat the hell out of anyone who approaches you... or get them in bed of course. Do you know how hard it is to do that when you just sleep all the time?" Ranma seemed dead serious, angering Akane all the more. It did not take a fully aware Akane to become homicidal at such remarks.
"And how should I know?!" Ranma eyed her oddly, sitting up and jumping to hang off one of the many things attached to her ceiling.
"Are-are you telling me you always do perverted stuff in the furo? And I actually thought about bathing there again? YUCK!" Ranma ducked, or rather upped, a very inaccurate punch to his head.
"YOU JERK!" Ranma laughed as he dodges blows which increased in power, accuracy and speed as Akane found herself awakening more and more. The nice image from the dream was now becoming more and more vague and an image of Ranma with little red horns and fire burning around him became more prevalent in her mind. After a while, Ranma jumped to the floor and skilfully grabbed Akane's hands. She struggled for what she was worth, but in his iron grip it seemed to be very little. She was too caught up in struggling to look at his face, but when she did, she saw it held mirth and not malice. She stared at him for a little while, off balance by the whole situation.
"That's enough hitting for today Akane, I believe you are quite awake now." Ranma released her hands as he said this and turned around, moving towards the door. Akane started fuming again.
"You mean that that was a JOKE?" she asked, angry that he had toyed with her feelings.
'OH! If he only knew how I felt!... Wait a minute, how DO I feel? Why should I be angry with him? It's not like I care...' When images from the dream returned, she forced them away angrily, denying it and blaming her hormones for putting her in that mess. It's not like she would have done it if she knew it was real. Something in the back of her mind kept on nagging at this confidence. She tried to put it away once and for all.
'I am NOT a pervert, it's a healthy thing to do for girls my age. It was just a dream, and it counts as nothing more---'
"Yes, it was a joke, so what? It's not like I'll be around to tease you anymore, and if I can't, I'll hafta make sure you do some rememberin', got it?" Akane's train of thought had been rudely derailed by the boy before her smiling giddily. Akane thought he would soon be dancing. Suddenly, the meaning of his words hit her.
"You-you're leaving?" she asked timidly. He nodded happily and really did start dancing this time. If Akane had not been so sad she would have laughed at the sight of it.
'Pfeh. Stupid mind, why would I be sad? Like I'd care for that insensitive jerk'
"Yes, I'm not ready to deal with this fiancee crap, I'm off to China to cure myself! Better have you rememberin' me when I return. Family honour still needs fulfillin' someday y'know. Besides, you look cute when you're angry"
And with that, he danced away, leaving a stunned Akane behind. She mubled to herself.
"Family honour? He is planning on marrying me? No way that's going to happen! When I'm marrying I want it to be..."
She didn't know what she wanted it to be, but she knew for certain that she would never marry a jerk like Ranma, the hormones in her body were just overreacting. Once again her thoughts wandered back to the dream, and swiftly after that to the encounter in the furo the evening before that... the kiss they shared had been electric.
"Gah! No way I'm interested in that jerk!" Akane finally snapped from her thinking and grabbed some clothes from the closet, deciding she WOULD go to school today, as a quick glance upon the clock told her the jerk had awoken her far before she would have needed to wake up for school, and she didn't feel quite as bad as she did the day before which surprised her somewhat since there was no real difference with yesterday... was there?
Quickly shaking off all thought she got out of her night gown, and noticed something near her nether regions. She blushed as she wiped off her hands.
'must have been more intense than I thought. Better take a bath first.'
***
Akane had soaked in the furo for quite some time and now felt quite refreshed, she had dressed herself and now intended to go downstairs. Finalising her still damo hair by running her hand through it a couple of time and humming a tune softly to herself, she descended the stairs but stopped when she heard three voices, which she figured to be Ranma's, her father and... Ranma's father, she had forgotten his name already. Swallowing the objection of her conscience that it was not right to eavesdrop, she halted at the lowest stair. She couldn't quite catch what the voices were saying though, so she decided to take a little more risk and move closer to the living room, wherefrom the noise of heated argument was coming.
Akane could clearly make out what was being said, and did not like it, not at all.
"...you mean we ain't goin to China?"
"We've got a duty here now son, have you no honour?"
"Honour? Who're YOU to talk about honour pops!"
"/sob/ Oh, my only son, a villain of the worst kind, a rogue who would betray even his own father if--- WAGH!" /splash/
"You talk too much pop!" "Growf!"
"No way, no way I'm marrying that weird Tendou Girl."
"WHAT!?!?"/demon aura flaring/
"Th-that trick a-aint scarin me mister Tendo! I'm not marryin' yur daughter, PERIOD."
"YOU WILL MARRY HER, HONOUR DEMANDS IT!"
"I JUST TOLD HER I WANTED TO MARRY HER, DO YOU REALISE WHAT THAT MEANS?"
"Oh, Ranma my son! You see the light finally! My daughter will be such a good wife! /cries/" /sounds of bear hugs and crushing bones/
"EH? No! That's not what I meant! I don't WANT to marry that perverted tomboy! I need to keep myself free so I can go after a cure!"
"SO YOU DECEIVED MY DAUGHTER?!" /demon aura flaring again/
"YES! I mean, NO! I mean... I did it because of her perverted--- I mean, MY FATHER TAUGHT ME!" /demon aura increasing/
"Is that right Saotome!?"
"GROWF!"
"Oh, now pops, don't lie to kind mr. Tendo here! What about that time you engaged yourself to that Thai prostitute so you could steal all her manga? I bet she's still waiting loyally in the temple you left her to be cleansed of her former evils! Or what about that nice poorsighted old man, whose heritage you stole by marrying him dressing up as a woman?"
"GROWF!"
"AND WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?! Prepare to DIE!" /sounds of beating and of Ranma heaving a sigh of relief/
That was where Akane stopped her listening, she was fuming to the point an innocent bystander might think her head would explode, considering how red it was and how it was producing more steam than an ancient train on a good day.
'THE JERK! He just said that to tease me! I'll KILL HIM!'
And she was going to continue on that promise, as she barged into the living room in which she found a panda being beaten up by her father and his famous 'demon-head' attack. Ranma had retreated to a corner, sweating profusely and packing a small backpack with a 'China' sticker on it. His relieved expression turned into one of fear as Ranma saw her approaching him with what she hoped would be a doom-predicting expression. It seemed to have the desired effect as Ranma's face became as pale as hers was red.
"A-Akane! Ho-how l-l-long have ya been listenin'?" Akane said nothing and just approached him ominously, as he tried to step back. She grabbed him by his red Chinese shirt which he had worn since yesterday, and dragged him towards the door. Ranma struggled surprisingly little.
"Ranma, you know that is not important. We should get to school early so you and I can... 'chat' on the way."
Akane was satisfied by hearing Ranma gulp and could only imagine the terrified expression he would have to wear at that time.
***
Turning her attention away from her father and his freeloading friend, who had reconciled and seemed now to be talking about something -no doubt the grand scheme she had planned for today-, Nabiki saw Akane leaving behind the corner after having beaten Ranma up severely. He still lay there in a crumpled heap of flesh, but seemed to be making moves to stand up. Nabiki sighed as se thought how stupid Ranma had been. She could almost feel sorry for the poor idiot; she knew her sister's temper, back from the days she was not as... subtle in her business methods and when she had less blackmailing material to help her. As a matter of fact, Nabiki was surprised he didn't have some bones sticking out of his body. Akane must really love him to be so mild on him.
Nabiki heaved a sigh of reminiscence... ah yes, the good old days. Akane and Nabiki had reconciled quite a long time ago, but sometimes Nabiki missed the continuing competion of her younger sister. Then again, what she was about to do, or had actually already done, was such a heavy breach upon that reconciliation that it would be possible that they both would be pounding her to near-death, leaving even kinship aside.
Nabiki smirked as she removed the money from her cabinet this little enterprise had gained her. It was really funny how she had managed to fraud everyone out of a large part of their cash, and the fathers out of virtually everything they owned. Not only was Ranma's arrival extremely entertaining, it had made her one of the richest people in Nerima already, if things went according to plan.
Which they always did. She could already see the yen bills float before her eyes as she thought of the prospects of Ranma and Akane together... as long as they were like this, they could be milked for all they were worth...
Even after their marriage
***
"To school? They can't go to school!" Soun looked rather panicky as he wailed his complaints. Genma just slapped him on the back.
"Don't worry Tendo my friend, we can just have Nabiki send the minister to school, no harm done really." Genma laughed as he pulled forth a little piece of paper.
"This contract, graciously provided to us by your second daughter who, I must add, drives a hard bargain, will make all our wishes come true." He was taking a triumphant stance as Soun had now stopped sniffling.
"You're right Saotome, our families shall be united at last!" Soun now also took the triumphant stance and stood beside Genma.
"Then let us be off, Tendo, we shall get the minister and get them wed!"
***
That jerk's nerve! Not only had he insulted her multiple times now, he was now positioning himself above her as he walked on the top of the fence. Akane was fuming, after having calmed down a little initially.
"Yo Akane, what're you so angry 'bout?" Akane had to restrain herself with every available part of her body which could be strained not to clobber Ranma again. Instead, she would try the more subtle approach.
"You were just going to leave me here WAITING FOR YOU? THINKING IT WAS FUN?!" Akane failed to control her anger as the last part was screamed so loud, Ranma had to hop off the fence to prevent falling into the small canal which lay behind the fence. Ranma didn't seem too surprised and even a bit apologetic. What his mouth said was quite different though.
"Yeah well, excuse me for not wantin' to get married to such a pervert as you!" Akane now flung the nearest metallic object at hand towards his head.
"YOU JERK! THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT LIKE THAT?" Akane screamed, making moves to run off. Ranma had dodged the object and was now looking angry as well.
"What? Are you THAT stupid?" Akane ceased her actions and turned around gain.
"What... did... you... call... me?" Akane's eyes were now pupilles as her aura flared red around her, mirroring the intense fury burning inside her. Ranma backed away a little.
"Well, don't you think that if I told them the real reason, they'd have married us on the spot?"
"That doesn't give you the right to!... what? Real reason?" Akane's anger had vanished nearly completely and Ranma moved towards her, looking even more apologetic than before.
"Akane, I did it all for your honour. You can't yet understand the consequences of your actions, but later when you're older, you'll see the faults of your perverted ways. The only reason I said that is because I thought you'd hump around a little less if I'd--- *CLUNK* WAAAAAAAaaaaaH!" Akane had her foot pointing upwards as Ranma's form became ever smaller in the sky.
"INSENSITIVE JERK!" She shouted behind him. Akane though she also heard a voice in answer, but she could only barely make out what it said.
"Perverted tomboy!"
Akane winced and found her anger vanishing like snow fleeing before the dawning sun.
"I'm not a pervert" she muttered under her breath, though the words sounded hollow even to herself. As she ran to school Akane thought about the last two days. She had hated boys, that was what she had shown the outside world, but now a new boy had distorted that image. She had thought all boys were perverts but now this same new boy had proven himself to be more chasticious and honourful than she herself was. Akane would not admit it, but deep down she felt that this new boy was right with his accusations and that was what hurt her most as she felt herself having become something she did not want to be.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at Furinkan High, the high school she and Ranma would be spending most of their time. Sighing again as she thought of him, multiple emotions coming at her troubled mind, hate, fury, jealousy, lust... love, she halted before the gated of the school yard. She hadn't believed in it before, but Akane was quite sure that she had had a classic case of love at first sight. She had tried to deny it, but as she saw the prone form of the martial artist, meteor wannabe, fall down towards the school, she felt something inside her.. churn. Though he had deserved it, Akane felt sorry for doing this to him, something she had not felt before for anyone who deserved her punishment, outside of her family. She didn't know if Tofu fell in this category, since she had never hurt him, but she felt that even now Tofu was less of a burden on her heart and mind in her whole 16 years of life than Ranma had been this past day and night. Though she wasn't quite sure whether the burden was positive or negative; she remembered being giddy that morning when he had talked to her, but now his behaviour had stung deeper than any katana would, though she would never admit that. Akane had vented her grief the only way she had learned up till then: hit the pervert.
But she was the pervert now, wasn't she? The dreams, oh the dreams.
'Is this really love?'
Something in her mind said it was, but it made her all the unhappier.
***
/KABLAM/
"Ouch! Man, that tomboy hits harder than I thought she would!" Ranma said surprisedly, half to himself, half to the non-existent audience around him, while relieving his black pants and red Chinese shirt from the gathered dust and parts of the cement which he had fallen through. He had a thoughtful look upon his face now.
'Geez, what's her problem anyway? I only tell her the truth! She is as perverted as your average nympho! Not to mention she is more promiscuous!'
Thoughts about her naked walking up to him, grinding her flesh to his own and kissing came back to his mind. Shaking them off, trying not to get aroused by them, he focussed on the image of her beating him to a bloody pulp to calm his hormones. He found that it didn't have the desired effect.
'Man, she's even more cute when she's angry like that'
Trying now to entirely draw away all though from the subject of his fiancee, he decided that it was time to figure out where he actually was. He looked around casually.
A standard Japanes school yard. And a standard Japanese school. Putting his hands in his pockets, Ranma strolled towards the entrance of the school he saw was called 'Furinkan High'. He remembered that was the place he should be. He looked around again to see the too-cute for her own good tomboy move up to him. She looked pained and surprised.
'Why the hell would that be?'
"Ranma! Have you seen a great number of boys around here somewhere? Perverted looking, dressed to fight?" Akane asked him as she reached the entrance to her high school also. Ranma smirked.
"What? You going for an early morning shag?" Ranma wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel jealous of the boys that had gotten lucky with her. Though of course he could have gotten lucky just as easily if he had an as perverted mindset as the girl starting to fume befoer him, he reminded himself.
Wait a minute, fume? Oh no! He was meddling in her affairs again! She always got angry when he did that!
"Errr! I mean, not that it's any of my business who you are doing around here, I mean, I'm only your fiancee, if you decide you want to do every man at school a second time then that's none of my--- WAAAGH!" Ranma found his face embedded in the school wall. Once again he wondered about his fiancees temper and how he managed to bear the full brunt of it all the time. What bothered him though, was that he had not yet been able to mend Akane's perverted ways.
'Oh well, enough time before we get married' Ranma thought before mentally slapping himself.
'I'm NOT getting married to that perverted tomboy!'
***
Akane was getting distrustful. Things were quiet... too quiet. No perverted horde, no Kuno, even her friends were painfully quiet and giggling behind her back. What was going on? She had noticed Ranma, oblivious of everything around him, had gotten quite a few appraising looks by the female part of the student body, making her involuntarily twitch in jealousy. But what had surprised her was that shortly after that, their faces would fall in despair and they would mutter something under their breath before glaring hatefully at her.
This had been going on for three hours now, and lunch was approaching. She really wanted to approach Sayuri or Yuka about their behaviour but decided against it and thought that it would be better to try to get along with Ranma, since deep down, she reasoned, he was a nice guy.
The lunchbell rang, sooner than she had anticipated. Oh well. She walked up to Ranma, who was now blissfully snoring, a little bit of drool hanging on the corner of his mouth. She smiled as she woke him. He slapped her hand away and mumbled "Hrrm...pops, I don't need the wok to work properly..." Akane blinked and shook him harder. He awoke fully, hopping up and getting into a combat stance. Akane could not surpress a giggle at his disoriented looking around.
Ranma just looked at her for a while, astonishment in his face. No, he didn't looke, he stared.
If Akane didn't know better she'd have said Ranma liked what he saw.
"Say, Ranma, why don't we eat lunch together?" Akane asked, a beaming smile on her face. It caught Ranma off guard.
"S-sure!"
***
Ranma sat himself down next to Akane, who was virtually radiating happiness, or so it seemed. What was up with her?
"A-akane why are you smiling like that?" he asked hesitantly, finally sitting down. Her face immediately fell into a scowl. Through clenched teeth she said
"I'm trying to improve the atmosphere, you'd better enjoy it." Her smile was put back into place. Ranma dared not say something bad.
"R-right... but why?" Ranma asked, still scared. Akane's face turned serious.
"Ranma, we need to talk."
"A-about what?" Akane slapped his arm.
"The engagement, what else?" Ranma seemed to relax.
"Oh, that. I don't want it Akane." Akane's face fell a bit, though Ranma failed to notice.
"Why? Don't you want it?"
"Of course not! Who would want to---" Akane's evil glare silenced him. He was forced to think his position through at least a little and was silent for a while before he spoke again.
"No Akane, what I mean is, do YOU like bein' pressed into someone's arms, sayin' that you will be married as soon as time and money permit?" Ranma finished it, surprised at himself that he had actually said what he felt. Without realising it, Akane's glare must have had a bigger effect on him than before suspected. The girl herself seemed to be taken aback by this. She was now playing with her socks as she stared thoughtfully at the green of the grass. Smiling, she looked at Ranma. God, he was dazzled by that smile. When did she become so stunningly beautiful? Somewhere in the back of Ranma's stunned brain, a voice was speaking that she had been this beautiful several times in the last few days, and the voice reminded him also that that beauty had stunned him with equal force every time it had revealed itself. That voice however, did not register.
"You're right! But... well, you... err..." Akane's hesitance only increased her cutenessas she moved the playing with her sock to her skirt and started fondling it innocently, her smile turning shy and expectant as she once more looked up at Ranma.
"You... wouldn't mind marrying that way if you... err... liked the one you were forced into, would you?"
Ranma was speechless, still dazzled by Akane, he could only nod dumbly. Now Akane blushed as she slightly turned away from Ranma, innocence and cuteness radiating off of her.
"And do you...errr... like me?" Ranma, unable to think clearly, could do nothing but stare at her with wide eyes, obliviously, but sincerely nodding an affirmative. Akane's facial expression moved from shyness to giddynes, as she let out a squeal before throwing herself into Ranma's arms.
Even though the scene before in the bathroom had more of an erotic tension, Ranma found his brain even farther gone this time and could do nothing at all but suffer the hug. Though if his mind had been half there, he would have graciously returned the hug. Had it been fully there, things would not have moved as well and smoothly as they had up to that point.
"Though I can't say I'm not touched by this open display of queasy affection and squish cuteness, I would advise you to make at least LOOK like you hate eachother wish you evade the coming onslaught by your fathers."
Nabiki's voice and words were like a thunderclap in a clear sky, only infinitely more loud to the hugging pair. They jumped up, blushing profoundly, trying not to look at each other and failing miserably. Ranma was the first to speak.
"I-it's not what it looks like! A-akane t-tr-tried to jump me again!" That sort of snapped Akane out of her stupor as she furiously glared at Ranma. This in turn snapped him out of his, and he was glaring back at her with his full might.
"Did you just call me a pervert again?" Ranma smirked and crossed his arms, turning around and facing away from her.
"Pfeh, you ARE a pervert." He said selfconfidently. Akane was trembling with rage, while Nabiki was laughing her head off.
"RANMA, YOU---!" Akane was cut off in midsentence by a sharp gasp coming from Ranma's mouth which had its lower part dangling just above the floor. Akane faltered for a moment and turned her gaze to where Ranma was watching. She also let her jaw drop to the ground, but could not find the strength of mind to gasp.
Before her stood a full ceremonial wedding band and guests, ornated by the finest of clothes. There was also a small drive-by altar with a telephone number attached, a small English text above it, reading "Bishop Wedwin, for all your aranged weddings" and an old scowling man wearing a white robe with a booklet in his hand. She barely noticed her father and his friend coming at her and her fiancee with wedding gown and a tuxedo.
***
"What're you doin' pops!" Ranma said while trying to struggle as his father wrapped him inside the tuxedo.
"Nothing that concerns you boy, now just follow me." Ranma's father had started dragging him towards the convened group of people and what looked like a fag in a white dress. Oh, he was holding a book too. But something here stank, everything his pops did stank for that matter, but a gut feeling told Ranma that this stank more terribly than any plan his pops had concocted before. Akane seemed to be struggling even harder, but they couldn't prevent either of them to get dragged along towards the odd stand on which the man in the white dress was standing. They were now next to eachother, and Ranma thought about fighting his way out when he noticed 10 gorilla sized guards around him. He smirked and moved to kick one of them, but noticed he had drawn a gun before he could do anything.
Ranma gulped and looked at his pop, to see that he in turn was nodding approvingly at Akane's older sister, was it Nabiki?
'Must have been her that arranged all this, pop isn't usually this tight on security.'
Ranma realised it was useless to struggle physically, at least for the moment, and silenced himself, arms tightly pressed to his sides. Akane beside him however, was struggling for all she was worth.
"---IS KUNO? He would NEVER allow this!" Ranma looked at her. Who was Kuno? Probably her favourite lover. Ranma couldn't stop himself from growling out of jealousy.
Tendo Soun pointed towards a rather odd-dressed gagged and bound young man, who was struggling with all his might against his tight bondages. Ranma saw Akane's resistance beside him collapse into the void and she also now seemed resigned to her fate. Whatever that may be... perhaps Akane knew?
"Yo, Akane, do you know what's goin' on?" Akane gawked at him a little.
"But... I thought, you were staring at..." She tried to say. Ranma snorted indignantly.
"Have you seen that ridiculous tuxedo pop is wearing? Who wouldn't be scared out of his wits by that!" Ranma finished on an assured tone, but one glance at Akane told him that she had not expected this answer. She was trembling in her wedding gown, her eyes wide with surprise. Wait a minute... wedding gown?
"You-you have no idea, do you Ranma?" Though it was beginning to dawn on him, he shook his head in a negative.
"Nope" Akane nearly fell down in surprise.
"That man he is a?" she asked
"Fag in a white dress." Akane shook her head.
"What's on the top of that van?" Ranma squinted but answered
"Dunno, I dun understand nothin' of English." Akane sighed, shaking her head even more fervently.
"Ranma, they are trying to get us married." Ranma's eyes widened for a moment, before he calmed down.
"Well, we can just say 'no', can't we?" Akane seemed to brighten at that, but her face fell as she looked at Nabiki.
"You don't know my sister Ranma, we'll be married even if it kills us if she's involved." Ranma pondered those words. Nabiki had seemed like a nice girl. A little business-like, but not someone that would let her sister marry a boy out of the blue...
Looking at her again, Ranma saw she was opening what looked like betting pools as all the students were gathering around the van and altar to watch the unfolding spectacle. Perhaps Akane was right...
***
Everything had proceeded smoothly up untill now, the entire school had been notified beforehand so that no boys would interrupt and no girls would attempt anything with Ranma before Nabiki could get them married. The betting pools were also a large success. As she had expected, the vast majority had bet on the two kissing, which Nabiki knew would never happen. Knowing her sister and Ranma they would try to stop the marriage and kissing, in front of everyone, would be out of the question.
Nabiki smiled as she noted down another set of bets. The odds on them kissing were terribly low, but still everyone seemed to go for that. Perhaps the student body thought that she had miscalulated? The poor misguided and soon to be flat walleted fools.
Nabiki suppressed a twinge of guilt as she thought of the tapes she had shown her and Ranma's father. On that was visible how much the two DID love each other, even on the first day. Nabiki sighed as she thought about what would happen if she did not get them married... they would keep fighting and arguing for years on end before they would realise the feelings they had for each other.
No, this was the best solution, for everyone. She smirked as she saw the bishop beginning.
But things were working out especially well for her.
***
Akane was drawn out of her glaring at Nabiki by the Christian priest who, she had to agree with Ranma that he looked awfully funny, was clearing his throat, as if demanding attention. With a heavy English accent, he began speaking.
"Dear everyone, we are gathered here today to blablablabla. So, anyone got the rings?"
Half of the student body was still chattering and that priest had virtually married them already? What kind of sham was this! Akane wanted her wedding to be perfect with a romantic-NO! She did not want to become married at all!
As the two fathers ran towards the altar, carrying to plain golden rings, the priest continued.
"Good, now Tendo Akane, do you?" Akane was taken aback by this question. She looked at Ranma with a hopeful glance, but he was just as shocked as she was, if not more so. She was about to answer as the priest continued.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Now, Saotome Ranma, do you?" Akane was taken aback. He hadn't even listened to her! Ranma however, seemed to be having a lot less problems talking.
"I'm not marrying a per---" Akane was about to pound him into oblivion when the priest interrupted again.
"Good, then I pronounce you man and wife. Rings!" Akane was staring at the priest, barely noticing her father slipping the ring on her finger. This was prepostrous!
"Now, kiss the bride so we can all go home please?" the priest continued with a facial expression that seemed to radiate boredom. Akane and Ranma were just dumbfounded.
"WHAT!?" They simultaneously screamed. The priest sighed and drew forth a piece of paper with some text on it and their autographs signed upon them. Akane was surprised, but figured it would be no big deal for Nabiki to falsify her signature if the price was right.
"On this piece of paper, signed by my client Tendo Nabiki, it says half of the profits of the Tendo Dojo will come to her should you not kiss, as well as earning a large sum of money from your respective parents." Ranma and Akane paled, as did their fathers.
***
"Saotome, how could this happen?" Soun was shaking his friend who had taken forth the contract and had taken a small magnifier. He growled.
"I'll be damned Tendo, your daughter is a genius!" he said hatefully.
"What is it Saotome?" Soun asked anxiously.
"It's all there in small letters! Urg! I forgot the first rule of deception! Oh, I am unworthy!"
Soun just cried in synch with his friend. Before nodding at him. Together, they ran towards the altar again, shouting
"Ranma, Akane, you must kiss!"
***
Nabiki smirked. All that money was as good as hers there was no way they'd...
Wait a minute, why were Ranma and Akane looking at eachother like that? It was as if... as if they were considering the option of... NO!
"RANMA, AKANE! THINK OF YOUR PRIDE!"
***
Ranma gazed into Akane's eyes, seeing the same question in her eyes as he figured was also written in his own. A kiss... something so simple and yet something so terrible. They would not be able to worm their way out of their responsibilities if they did that. But Ranma found himself thinking he would not mind it terribly, but Akane, and his curse... no, he couldn't
But Akane's eyes... oh they were making him WANT to kiss her.
"Akane, Nabiki, she---" Akane's facial expression changed to one of determination as she put a finger to his lips.
"Shut up and do this." Ranma could just widen his eyes as she replaced the finger with her mouth.
***
"YES! We DID it Tendo!" Genma was doing a silly dance just before the altar. Cheers were arising from parts of the student body, malcontented growls from another. One tied up and gagged person was trying to make disapproving sounds but failed miserably.
"Oh, finally our schools are united Saotome!" Soun joined Genma's dance, sobbing as if the world would end.
***
Nabiki's world had collapsed... she had underestimated them. Tendo Nabiki had underestimated them! How was it possible! Never before had she been outsmarted!
Nabiki made quick calculations based on the betting pool and found out that where she would have been rich...
She grabbed her on hand calculator and.
Just 500 yen. All this trouble for just 500 yen. Nabiki slumped to the floor, ready to cry her heart out. She did not see Ranma and Akane getting lost in each other and deepening the kiss. She did not hear the increasing hollers and shouts of approval. She did not hear the priest unveil her final plot which had at least made this day slightly profitable.
***
"Good, that will do you two. You can continue this frivolous nonsense in your bedroom if you don't mind." The priest said as he drew Ranma and Akane apart, tongues half hanging out of their mouth. When the realisation of what they had just done hit both of them, they turned their heads away and blushed furiously. The priest saw that they were done and continued talking, his bored appearance never faltering.
"Good. Now remember, when you need to force someone into marriage, you know who to call: Bishop Wedwin, for all your arranged marriages." He motioned to one of the guards and gave him a few folders which the guard passed on in the crowd.
"Now, may I hear it one last time for Tendo Ranma and Saotome Akane!" the crowd cheered and Ranma and Akane blushed. As the priest was packing up his things, the two fathers had stopped dancing and were glaring at eachother angrily.
"Saotome, I thought we had agreed to leave the names as is, then why is my little girl's surname now yours?" Soun asked Genma angrily. Genma did not flinch.
"I could ask you the same, Tendo." Soun's angry look suddenly turned to one of apprehension.
"Then you also paid Nabiki without telling me---" Genma nodded at Soun's words.
"We've been deceived, Saotome!" Genma just smiled, his glasses twinkling.
"We were not in any way deceived, we both got our way, Tendo. Though I hate to admit it, your daughter is a genius." Genma said, his tone betraying a grudging acknowledgement of defeat.
On the altar, the priests words had also gotten through to the newly wed couple. They looked at each other, puzzlement on their faces, saying their new names aloud to themselves siultaneously.
"Tendo...Ranma?"
"Saotome... Akane?"
Then their auras exploded at the same time.
"WHAT!?" they screamed simultaneously. The two fathers were trying to crawl away from the now wedded demonic pair. They did not get far as Akane and Ranma ran up to and grabbed their respective fathers. Soun started wailing and Genma gulped.
"Akane, Ranma... err... we thought it would be a nice idea if you, well... err..." Genma withered under Ranma's glare of pure evil.
"You better save it pops. YOU are going to Nabiki now and demand her she changes it back!" Ranma screamed the last part, while Akane growled an affirmative, making her father's wailing all the more loud.
"Well... you see... the thing is." Genma tried, withering even further, his usual arrogance when dealing with anyone vanished as he stared into his son's eyes which seemed to predict a painful death.
"WHAT?!" Ranma screamed. Genma flinched.
"We gave all our money to Nabiki." Genma said as swiftly as he could. Ranma dropped him unceremoniously and motioned for Akane to follow him. Genma regained his composure quite quickly and called to his son.
"What son, aren't you happy you have the name of one of the most famed martial arts families---" Ranma turned around angrily.
"SHUT UP POPS! Thanks to you, I've lost my childhood, my mom, my manhood and now my freedom and even my NAME!" Genma was silent and decided now would be the best time to use the Saotome's ultimate technique. He dragged Soun up and ran away.
***
Nabiki saw Ranma coming with a glare that coudl wither the most lively person to a heap of scared flesh. Not Nabiki though, she was about as pissed as Ranma was.
"NABIKI! YOU HAVE---!" he started as he moved up to her, but Nabiki didn't let him finish.
"Shut up Ranma." She said. It only seemed to anger Ranma more.
"Do you know that you have just helped ruin my life?" He shouted. Nabiki had had it.
"Do you think I CARE? I have just been ruined by the two of you! An entire enterprise for NAUGHT! NOTHING! And you can only whine about some silly namechange and marrying the girl you love, well that hardly seems any reason to complain!" She screamed at him. Ranma's anger had vanished as he stared at Nabiki in awe. Akane was blushing beside him. Why was Akane blushing.
"I-I do not l-l-lo... LIKE Akane!" Nabiki calmed herself and narrowed her eyes to slits.
"Go tell that to someone else BROTHER." She seemed to be putting extra emphasis on the last part before she continued.
"You know you wanted this, but you just ruined MY life, so give me ANY reason at all to feel sorry for you." Ranma still seemed to be stuttering.
"I-I d-d-d-did not want this!" He tried. Nabiki rolled her eyes and turned around, anger raging within her.
"Yeah whatever. Just complain to someone else for a few days okay? I'm not in the mood." And she walked away. But deep in her heart was a part of her that was overshouted by the rest of her which was raging at the thought of how the two had ruined her most brilliant plot up till then. As she moved farther away from the ex-wedding scene however, she felt her anger vanishing and her regret increasing. After all, they both hated to be pushed, that much was obvious from what she had seen from the two and she loved her sister more than she let on... and even if her plan had succeeded, would it have been ethically responsible? Nabiki laughed halfheartedly. The great Tendo Nabiki, thinking about ethics. The arriving of Ranma had changed everyone she now realised. Sighing, she said to herself
"Perhaps I HAVE gone too far this time. It would be better if I sleep at that hotel that still owes me. I can face them in the morning."
***
Ranma and Akane were now on their way home. The priest and the students had left without much ado, leaving them alone with their unreleased anger. They knew better than to approach either of them. When they were back in class, they had cooled down, but refused to speak to each other, neither willing to face what they had just done and the subconscious conviction with which they had done it. For they both knew deep down that indeed was what they had wanted and it was the only reason why they hadn't released their anger throughout the school day, since they had too much too think about.
Both of them had waved off questions and congratulations with an angry glare. None of the students had actually acted much after it had been visible they were not willing to speak.
Akane had felt it wise to leave Kuno tied up, though Ranma still wondered why. What could be so bad about him?
That however, was the least important thing on his mind right now. He decided to break the silence as he spoke to Akane from the fence.
"Yo, Akane, you must understand that that k-k-k-kiss was only because of--- "
"I understand" Was Akane's curt response, though her behaviour told him she did not. Ranma let it rest though because he was not so sure whether he understood himself. The kiss was like a gaping hol in his mind, a moment of action where he had acted unlike himself. Or that's what he thought.
'Ugh'
This time it was Akane breaking the silence.
"Ranma... you didn't well... want to be married... did you?" Ranma looked at her strangely. How was he supposed to answer? She sounded so fragile... so... Ranma just opened his mouth hoping the right words would come out.
"No, Akane, not if you---" Ranma had wanted to continue but found he could not as Akane was running away, tears in her wake.
What was her problem? Ranma decided to go after her. Even though she was a perverted tomboy, she was now HIS perverted tomboy. And he was supposed to look after her. If he did not want to, now honour demanded it.
Whether he wanted was something he couldn't quite decide.
******************
Ugh. Terrible. But, it's the reviewers call after all. It is chaotic and prone to rewriting, and I will do that once I find the time. Consider this a draft. It's also my longest chapter ever written and I still feel it is too small.
Anyway, I do not know much about weddings, so I was just guessing a little. If I was wrong, please tell me.
NOTE: Just that I dislike Ryoga will not mean he will not gain a significant part in the story, since he IS an integral part of the Ranmaverse. In fact, I think writing him will be good fun.
Blaze-stryker: Eh? Why'd you do that? I have my own interpretation, and though it is nice of you, an entire other interpretation isn't really necessary. Having read your comments though, I'd like to stick with my original notes.
D-chan: As you see, I did. I had that planned because I have plans for when Shampoo arrives... don't ask :)
A Weller: Lol, was it my despicable arrogance, my disrespect to some of the character or my casually naming my influences as if I don't care? I hope it was either of them because if it wasn't I'd most likely have to add another line to my list of bad sides of me :)
Anyway, it really is a compliment to my writing skills if that is how you feel, meaning I can write at least a little in character.
Neko: my writing style making up for a less lemony scene? *laughs* I haven't had people complimenting my writing stule very often.. oh well, thanks! :)
Ale Map: BONDAGE!?! Ugh, bondage=evil. There might be a lemon somewhere, but like I said, I'm not to keen on them.
Ikillyoupig: I haven't got any spellchecking instruments on my computer, which makes that hard. I also barely reread my stories, which gives silly spelling errors a chance. Pubity however is not a 'silly' one... I honestly thought it was SPELLED pubity. Oh well, English not being my first language showing *sighs* I wish I were born in England...
Anyway, I agree. Though I must admit I am something of an otaku (well, I watch heaps of anime, I do not have their lifestyle...), I dislike putting in those terms. But, sometimes, one needs the nuances of "Hentai" (Akane uses it also to show Ranma's sex-changing problem. It makes it hard to do this when you write pure English. You could have them arguing who was the "hentai" rather hard now.)
As for writing, I know Hiregana and am learning Katakana, with less success. There, Ryouga would be spelled Ri yo u ga. I suppose that is also the source of the most important transcription system. As for not hearing it, that's true. Only in songs and when Japanese are emphasising or spelling things out (during singing, which is one of the reasons I HATE Japanese music), they pronounce those u's, and one may speculate that at one time it WAS pronounced like that. As for 'ei', I feel you are not right there. I think I can here a genuine diphtong when I hear some people pronouncing the 'ei'. As for length, it IS important, both for pronunciation length and for stress purposses. Take, for example, o- neechan, pronounced oh-NAY-chahn. Would that have been written as O-nechan, it would be pronounced OH-nay-chan. Length can often also be distinguished.
One of the things which puzzles me most is that people shorten Akane to 'Kane. I suppose this is the doing of the English dub, where doubtlessly it is stressed Ah-KAH-nay. However, the Japanese Version has AH-kah-nay, which makes it really odd to drop the first syllable.
Anyway, enough rantage.
Taku: lol, usually people should be flaming ME, not their fellow reviewers ^_^, peace man!
Dai: Which is why Isaid it was TEMPTING to use the word hentai, but I decided I shouldn't (see the rant under Ikilyoupig)
Wanted to have this done by christmas, but failed. Oh well, second day of christmas will have to do.
Read and review people!