Disclaimer: Okay you guys, listen up! I'm only gonna say this once (every chapter). I do NOT, got that? Do NOT own Ranma 1/2! I don't own any of them...not Ranma, nor Akane, or Ukyo, Shampoo, Ryoga, etc. Nope. Not a single one! So...uh...DON'T SUE ME!
Chapter 11
Ukyo's stunned eyes lowered to study Akane-chan's face. "Akane?" she murmured gently. "How old are you?"
The little girl gulped. Thinking quickly, she raised four fingers. "Uh...this many..."
Shampoo cleared her throat sternly.
Akane-chan winched at the sound and reluctantly raised three more. "Heh...plus this many."
Ukyo turned quickly, her back stiff to the rest of the group. "I...see." She said tightlipped. "I'm...sorry Ranchan. It's ridiculous to think that you could have procreated with Akane..."
Shampoo nodded, laughing a little. "Ranma could no get violent-girl if life depend on it!"
Ranma nodded. "That's right." then he frowned. "Heeey, wait a minute..."
Ukyo marched over to the little girl and kneeled before her. "Why did you lie to me?" She asked, her voice full of hurt.
Akane-chan hung her head. "I thought if you knew the truth, you would think I was crazy, and not like me any more...and..." She sniffled a little and rubbed a grubby fist against her eyes. "...I like you..." She whispered.
Ukyo sighed. It was very difficult to remain angry to that kind of sentiment. "I trusted you and you betrayed that trust. How can I ever believe anything you say, now?"
"Uh...because...I'm nice?" Akane-chan reached up to tug at the ends of her bangs.
Ukyo noticed the action and smiled inwardly. 'How cute. Her hair really is very much like Akane's...' Realization hit and Ukyo stood suddenly glaring at the two teens behind her. "Hold it!"
The both jerked at Ukyo's sudden change in mood.
"Alright! Fine! So she isn't Rannma and Akane's kid! That still don't explain who she is and what she's doing here!" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently for their explanation.
Akane-chan, relieved to be out of Ukyo's scrutiny, stood at the chefs side with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look on her face, as if, she too were waiting expectantly for their answer.
Ranma sighed. "Here we go again..."
Shampoo placed a hand against her forehead. "Shampoo have too too big headache..."
"Yeah, her." said Ranma pointing at the little girl.
Akane-chan pouted and Shampoo had to hide a smile behind her hand.
Ukyo cleared her throat. "I'm waiting."
Ranma rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Well...It all started yesterday morning..."
***********************************
Shinnosuke did a double take when he saw the two Akanes. The one holding him was his Akane and the one with steam coming out of her ears was...well he didn't know who she was; all he did know is that apparently he kissed the wrong one the night before. 'Oh boy this isn't good.' He thought.
Cane's grip on him tightened letting him know she was running out of patience. "Well?"
He chuckled nervously. "Oh, Akane, you are just gonna laugh when you hear what happened..."
Cane's eyes narrowed. "I don't think so. And the name's Cane."
He gulped loudly tugging on his collar. "Oh, of course...I...I..." he frowned suddenly. "Uh...What was the question again?"
Cane let out a sound of disgust and dropped the man on the ground. "Honestly, you never change do you?"
He shrugged ruefully. "I wouldn't know."
Akane looked at her mentor incredulously. "That's it? No violence? What about revenge?"
Cane shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll worry about vengeance later. Right now we need to return to your training."
Shinnosuke let out a sigh of relief. He stood shakily, wiping the dirt from his pants.
Akane glared angrily at the perverted man. "I can't believe th...*whap*" Akane hit the ground hard.
Shinnosuke's jaw dropped. "You just punched her!"
Cane ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I know, she's a slow learner."
****************
"...So that's why her name is Akane and why she looks like Akane," Ranma explained to Ukyo. "because she is Akane. She's just the one from ten years in the past, while our Akane is ten years in the future. Got it?"
Ukyo stared at Ranma with half-lidded eyes, she pointed down at Akane-chan. "Her story was more believable." she said in a deadpan voice.
Akane-chan nodded. "This is true."
Ranma sweat dropped as he chuckled nervously.
"Nevertheless I believe you. After all, it wouldn't be the first time idiotic Amazon practices brought you trouble."
"What that mean?!" snarled Shampoo.
Ukyo held up a bunch of mini-spatulas. "I think you know what I mean you hussy. its bad enough you concourse Ranma into an engagement he doesn't want, but usin' Amazon tricks to get rid of Akane is despicable!"
"Shampoo no need tricks, Arien love Shampoo. Why Ranma want stupid spatula girl or kitchen destroyer when he have beautiful Shampoo?"
Ukyo growled.
Ranma backed up a couple of steps waving his hands in front of him. "H-hey, you guys, can't we all just get along?"
They both hit him over the head.
"Stay out of this, Ranchan!"
"Ranma, you shut up!"
He groaned falling to the ground.
"Alright, Shampoo. Its time to see who's the better woman for Ranma. I challenge you to a fight! The winner keeps Ranma and the loser has to go back wherever the hell they came from!"
Shampoo's eyes narrowed. "Is deal."
Akane-chan's gaze darted back and forth between the two girls. Her eyes opened wide when she saw Ukyo get ready to throw tiny knife-like spatulas at Shampoo. Ukyo's arm swung forward. Akane-chan sobbed and ran in between them, desperately waving her arms. "Please! Don't fight!"
Someone screamed.
The noise startled Akane-chan, and caused her to look up... the tiny blade-like spatulas flew toward her head.
Ukyo and Shampoo stared in horror, both started toward the little girl...
...neither would make it in time.
***********
Akane, Cane and Shinosuke sat around the campfire in comfortable silence. Each was lost in their own thoughts and didn't feel like being disturbed by the others. It had been a hard day for all of them.
Akane leaned back slightly and groaned. Every inch on her body hurt and every single muscle ached. If there was half a centimeter on her body that didn't hurt Cane would be sure to find and hit it. Cane was diffidently a brute in Akane's opinion, but every time she wanted to call it quits, she would look over at Ranma's sorrow filled eyes and her determination would return in full force. Maybe that's why Cane carried him with her so often, as a reminder of why she must push herself to the limit. Akane stared sympathetically at the older woman through her lowered lashed. 'She tried so hard and trained for so long only to discover that there is no cure.' Akane frowned thinking of the challenge she must meet in three months. 'I must win...my life depends on it.'
Akane's eyes drifted away from Cane, who was stroking the fire with a stick, to Shinnosuke who was staring at the stars in contemplation. She felt a deep anger boil up inside her. How dare he kiss her! He had no right! Ranma was supposed to be her first real kiss, not him! She glared daggers at him, wishing him a thousand horrible deaths. he needed to be punished. How can Cane take what he did so calmly? 'Die, Shinnosuke.' She silently thought to herself.
Shinnosuke sighed deeply when he felt the younger girl's glare on him. He knew she wasn't happy. How was he supposed to know she was from the past. Its not like it was his fault. He tried to remember exactly what happened and drew a blank. 'oh, well. What else is new.' She's the least of my problems anyway. His Akane was being difficult. Didn't she realize that she was the only one he had ever loved. She refused to talk to him all day, instead she constantly picked on her younger self. Sighing he let him mind drift back to the first memory of her. In his mind a half naked Akane was crawling out of his bath tub. 'ohhhhhh....' fond memories...
Cane stared at the shimmering flames of the fire before her. She probably should be thinking of how to deal with Shinnosuke or at least how to handle Akane's training for the next few months, but instead the image of a pretty, smiling 10 year old girl danced in her head. she had only know Cookie for a year, but it was enough for the girl to become branded deep in Cane's heart. It wasn't fair! Cane's mind drifted back to a week before the girl was kidnapped.
***********flash back********************
It was bright out, the sun shone in a cloudless sky. Cane walked out to the great oak in her back yard. On one hand she balanced a tray of ice tea Kasumi gave her, her other hand she used to shade her eyes as she tried to look up into the tree. She made her voice as stern as possible as she called out. "Hey! Cookie! Get down here, you monkey! Kasumi made tea..." her voice changed to taunting. "...its got honey in it." She heard a giggle from above her, and suddenly the tree began to dance.
Cane watched in amazement as the girl did summersaults and flips around the branches in the way down. She let out a low whistle. 'The girl might not be the best fighter...but no one can match her in acrobats.'
the girl landed with a thump in front of Cane. "Ta Dahhhhh!" She grinned. "yum! gimmie gimme!" She reached out her hands to snatch the tray.
Cane pulled it back, grinning as well. "What do we say?"
Cookie gave a lopsided smirk. Clearing her throat she did her best Cane impression. "Give it to me now! Or they'll be Hades to pay, I'll tell ya!"
Cane raised an eyebrow. "Real cute." she deadpanned. But she couldn't fight the smile emerging on her lips. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'Please'."
Cookie looked at her with shock and amazement. "You think?"
Cane humphed. She turned her back to the girl as if she were going back inside. "Well then, I guess you don't want any. I'll just let Kasumi know that you..."
Cookie hopped onto Cane's back. "Stop right there! I can't, in good conscience, let you go another step further."
"Oh? Why's that?" Asked Cane looking over her shoulder at the girl's smiling face.
"After Kasumi slaved all day to make this? How can I refuse?" Cookie said innocently.
Cane chuckled. "Alright, hop off. And just for your information, Smarty, it took Kasumi less then an hour to fix this."
Cookie shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever, I'm just thirsty okay? Its getting hot out here, and ...uh...pleasseeee?"
Smiling the two sat down in the shade as Cane poured them their drinks. Cookie drank the tall glass of iced tea down in seconds. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ahhh...That hit the spot..." placing the glass back onto the tray she sat back and began to play idly with her ivory necklace. "Today's a good day, ya know? Makes ya feel as if the rest of your life will be filled with nothing but sunny days."
Cane sighed contently as a soft breeze swept though relieving some of the sun's heat. "Yeah..." She replied to the young girl. "...sunny days." Cane started when she felt Cookie lean her head against her shoulder.
"I love you." Whispered Cookie as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Cane tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. "I love you too..."
***************end flashback ***************
"Cane? Cane? Are you okay?"
"Wha..?" Cane started. She looked over at the owner of the voice. "Shinnosuke? Y...you called me Cane."
"You didn't respond to Akane." He sat up slowly. "What's wrong?"
She immediately put up her defenses. "There's nothing wrong."
He said nothing for a moment before getting up and approaching her. Gently he reached out and traced her lower eyelid with his thumb. When he withdrew it, it was wet with tears. "Wanna talk about it?"
"No." was her curt response.
"but..."
"I said no!"
He frown, but conceded to her wishes. "Fine," he murmured. He reached out and gently clasped her hand with his. "But if you need me..."
She jerked her hand back as if burned. "I don't!"
He nodded slowly. Getting up, he made his way back to his bed roll, but not before checking on Akane to make sure she was sleeping peacefully. He laid down and let sleep claim him once more.
"Goodnight, Shinn-boy." Cane whispered. Looking at Akane she frowned. Sleeping peacefully was not in her training schedule. Looking around the woman found an egg sized rock, picking it up she tossed it at Akane. It hit her square in the face, Cane quickly laid down and pretended to sleep. She grinned as she heard the younger girls' cry of outrage.
**************************
Dr. Hob's fake smiled wavered as he tried to keep his patience with the delusional blabbermouth before him. "All I want to know," He said through clenched teeth. "is, who is the best martial artist around here? Is that so difficult, my dear?"
The Kendoist sniffed sticking his nose in the air. "It is without reservation that I answer thusly, I the great Takawaki Kuno, have never met an opponent who can best me. I must, with great pride, declare all who stand before the oldest son of the house of Kuno, be stricken down , as mere mice before a mighty tiger."
Dr.Hob singhed in frustration, he was getting nowhere. He refused to believe this self promoter was really the best Nermia had to offer. "Surely there's someone you can't defeat..."
"humph. Beat me? unheard of..."
"Oh ho ho ho ho!!! Brother dear, surely you jest! You have neglected to mention my beloved Ranma-sama, who has defeated you on a number of occasions!"
Both men turned to look at the lovely young woman standing on a near by roof twirling a ribbon.
Kuno glared at her in anger. "Curse you, my twisted sister!!"
Dr. Hob eyes narrowed slightly as his jackal-like grin spread across his face. "Ranma, you say?"
Neither answered as the two siblings began to fight, but he didn't care, his question had been answered. With one last glance at the fighting Kunos' Dr.Hob took his leave. 'Ranma Saotome just you wait...your day will come soon...very soon.'
End of chapter 11
Sorry about the wait for this one guys. My job's making me do mandatory overtime. ugh! I have no time for myself anymore. Please read and review, let me know how I'm doing.