Akane the Suicidal
Soun yawned, as he walked into his youngest daughter's room to check up on her and her fiancee. He hadn't been expecting to find Akane stirring, while bound and hanging horizontally from the ceiling, but he wasn't for some reason surprised.
"Good morning, Akane," He looked around, not finding the other resident of the room, "Where's Ranma?"
Akane blinked her eyes fully open, and attempted to look towards her father, as much as her constraints would allow her, "Good morning, Daddy. He's probably in the dojo doing his morning workout. I guess he let me sleep in." Akane shrugged as much as her constraints would allow her, "That was rather thoughtful of him. I really haven't been getting as much sleep, lately."
Soun chuckled, as he turned to leave the room, "Well, it's nice to know you two are getting along so well. For a moment, I was afraid the two of you would oppose the engagement."
"I'm still not comfortable with having my fiancee picked for me, Daddy," Akane chastized.
Soun turned back around fully to face his youngest, "Maybe so, but it seems you two are enjoying the exploration of your relationship, your mother liked to be hung from the ceiling too, you know? But between you and me, you may want to be quiet about this. I don't have a problem with it, but I think Kasumi may not approve."
"DADDY!!!" Akane baulked at what her father was implying, "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Akane paused, and fully took in what her father had said about their own 'marital games', and shouted even louder, "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!"
"Okay, okay, can't a father tease his little girl once in a while?" Soun placated, with a large grin. He saw why Nabiki enjoyed that so much, it was rather easy to get Akane's goat.
Akane's blush toned down, as her father reminded her of something, "Dad, do you know if Mrs. Saotome is still alive?"
Her father's grin faded, as he began to muse on that, "Hmm, I'm not quite sure."
Akane spoke up before he broke into a crying fit over his own deceased wife, "What was her first name?"
"Hmm... No... Nodoka, yes, I believe that's what it was."
"Do you know where she would live?" Akane asked.
"You're certainly full of questions this morning!" Soun stated with a chuckle, "Planning on presenting yourself to his mother? Oh, you make me so proud of you, daughter!"
"It's nothing like that," akane replied in a subdued tone, "It's just that... well, Ranma hasn't seen his mother since he had left home. I feel sorry for him."
"I see," Soun stated, "Well, if you like, I can ask Saotome of her wherabouts, but last I recall, she was living in nearby Oizumi area."
"Thanks, Dad." Akane replied, "And can you keep this a secret? I want to surprise Ranma."
Soun nodded, "Well, I can't be positive that my information is completely accurate, but if you want to try by what I've given you, I won't ask Genma or tell Ranma." Akane nodded in gratitude.
______________________
"I see you're up, sleepyhead!" Ranma replied cheerfully, after coming back into the room from pounding his father into unconciousness. That, coupled with the fact that Akane was still breathing was making this the start of a great day.
"Morning, Ranma," Akane replied, "Can you let me down, now? My arms are still asleep."
"If I do, will you promise me to stop trying to kill yourself?"
Akane stared flatly at Ranma, "Ranma, I don't make promises I can't keep..."
The pigtailed boy shrugged, "Someone will let you down eventually, I guess." Ranma turned to leave, before gritting his teeth, turning around, picking up a tack from Akane's desk, and launching it at her butt.
Akane was forced to expell the air she was holding, "Ow!"
with slight resignation, Ranma, thought a bit, before thinking of a compimise. "Akane, this was starting out to be a great day, so let's make this deal. How about you don't try to kill yourself for the day, and I'll let you down? On your word as a martial artist?"
Akane thought on that, herself, before answering, "That sounds reasonable."
"What do you know about 'reasonable', Psycho chick..." Ranma mumbled to himself, as he let Akane down. Akane pointadly ignored the barb, grateful to finally be taken down from the height she was at.
______________________
Kasumi blinked, as she saw Ranma sitting in front of the television, with no Akane in sight, "Um, Ranma-kun..."
"Yeah, Kasumi?" Ranma replied, not turning away from the TV.
"I'm a bit curious, but where's Akane?" Ranma shrugged in responce.
"She could be anywhere, for all I know..."
Kasumi grew a bit nervous, "Um, shouldn't you be with her?"
"Na, I trust her," Ranma replied confidently.
Kasumi's nervousness grew, "Oh my, um... so you don't believe my little sister hasn't put her life in jeapordy?"
"Pretty sure she hasn't yeah."
Kasumi paled, "Well, if you're sure..." She left the living room, shaking. She headed for the cabinet in the hallway, and pulled out a package containing all the necessary requirements to arrange for Akane's funeral.
______________________
"[Hello?]" greeted the voice at the other end.
Akane hesistated for a moment, "Um, is this Mrs. Saotome?"
"[Yes, that is whom you are speaking to. May I ask who this is?]"
"Nodoka Saotome?"
The woman at the other end paused, "[Yes, who are you?]"
Akane sidestepped the question again, knowing if the woman is the right one, she may ruin Akane's surprise prematurely by attempting to contact her father for the wherabouts of her fiancee, "Mother of Ranma Saotome?"
"[YOU KNOW MY SON?]" The woman shouted, causing Akane to pull the phone away from her ear, "[Can you tell me where my darling child is?]"
Akane smiled; after sixteen calls, she finally hit the jackpot, "i think this would be best if we discussed this in person, Mrs. Saotome..."
______________________
"You..." Nabiki rubbed her temples in disbelief, before trying again, "You just let her alone for the day...?"
Ranma nodded calmly, as if he didn't see the problem with this.
Nabiki closed her eyes, as Kasumi tossed her hands into the air, "I guess I can't blame Ranma for being driven insane, he tried to last too long with her."
Kasumi bowed her head in shame, "Forgive us, Akane, we didn't realize Ranma became a loony until it was too late."
Hey, come on!" Ranma interjected, slightly irritated at Kasumi's remark, "She gave her word as a martial artist!"
"Oh! She gave her word?" Soun piped in from his intense crying fit. He was almost instantly out of the shallow puddle he had created around him, and at Ranma's side, with his arm around the young man, "Well now, things aren't so bad, after all!"
"DAD!" Both daughters shouted in unison, but Soun raised his hand in forestallment.
"Now girls, if there's one thing your sister does believe in..."
"It wouldn't be the sanctity of life..." Ranma mumbled.
The Tendou Patriarch gave him a withering glance, before continuing, "it's her honor as a martial artist. I don't think we have anything to worry about." Somehow, the girls didn't find this comforting...
______________________
Akane sat across from the matronly woman, who had more than a little bit of hope in her eyes that made Akane a bit more than nervous.
"Oh! My Son's still alive!" The woman virtually beamed at the thought of what the girl in front of her had told her.
"Ah, yeah," Akane interjected, "I don't know why Un... Mr. Saotome hadn't contacted you about it."
"I'm guessing he wants to make absolutely sure that my son's completely manly before having him meet me. Genma was always so thorough," Nodoka replied, whistfully.
Akane looked up from her tea, "Pardon?"
Nodoka straightened her kimono out, "Well, before I allowed Genma to take my son on that training trip, I extracted a promise from him," Nodoka stood up, and approached the mantle, where the Saotome family sword sat. at the base of it's stand, she retrieved a roll. She walked back to where Akane was seated, and handed it to her. The youngest Tendou looked at it for a second, before opening it.
"He promised, as well as my son, that if Ranma did not return a man among men, they would commit ritual Seppuku..."
Akane froze, with her face paling, as she stared at the contract. In wide eyed shock, she looked back up to Mrs. Saotome. This wasn't good, she didn't mean for her little surprise to backfire like this, unfortunately, she was backed into a corner.
"Now," Nodoka started, with slightly more seriousness than before, "Would you tell me the location of my son?" Nodoka blinked, as she remembered something, "Oh, and my husband, too."
Akane gulped, and layed the contract onto the coffee table, she would have to do some explaining now, "Ah... before that... I think I should tell you about Jusenkyo... Mom..."
______________________
Ranma paused in his afternoon workout, "Hmm, Akane's been gone for a while..." Ranma just shrugged, and went back to his kata.
Soun yawned, as he walked into his youngest daughter's room to check up on her and her fiancee. He hadn't been expecting to find Akane stirring, while bound and hanging horizontally from the ceiling, but he wasn't for some reason surprised.
"Good morning, Akane," He looked around, not finding the other resident of the room, "Where's Ranma?"
Akane blinked her eyes fully open, and attempted to look towards her father, as much as her constraints would allow her, "Good morning, Daddy. He's probably in the dojo doing his morning workout. I guess he let me sleep in." Akane shrugged as much as her constraints would allow her, "That was rather thoughtful of him. I really haven't been getting as much sleep, lately."
Soun chuckled, as he turned to leave the room, "Well, it's nice to know you two are getting along so well. For a moment, I was afraid the two of you would oppose the engagement."
"I'm still not comfortable with having my fiancee picked for me, Daddy," Akane chastized.
Soun turned back around fully to face his youngest, "Maybe so, but it seems you two are enjoying the exploration of your relationship, your mother liked to be hung from the ceiling too, you know? But between you and me, you may want to be quiet about this. I don't have a problem with it, but I think Kasumi may not approve."
"DADDY!!!" Akane baulked at what her father was implying, "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Akane paused, and fully took in what her father had said about their own 'marital games', and shouted even louder, "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!"
"Okay, okay, can't a father tease his little girl once in a while?" Soun placated, with a large grin. He saw why Nabiki enjoyed that so much, it was rather easy to get Akane's goat.
Akane's blush toned down, as her father reminded her of something, "Dad, do you know if Mrs. Saotome is still alive?"
Her father's grin faded, as he began to muse on that, "Hmm, I'm not quite sure."
Akane spoke up before he broke into a crying fit over his own deceased wife, "What was her first name?"
"Hmm... No... Nodoka, yes, I believe that's what it was."
"Do you know where she would live?" Akane asked.
"You're certainly full of questions this morning!" Soun stated with a chuckle, "Planning on presenting yourself to his mother? Oh, you make me so proud of you, daughter!"
"It's nothing like that," akane replied in a subdued tone, "It's just that... well, Ranma hasn't seen his mother since he had left home. I feel sorry for him."
"I see," Soun stated, "Well, if you like, I can ask Saotome of her wherabouts, but last I recall, she was living in nearby Oizumi area."
"Thanks, Dad." Akane replied, "And can you keep this a secret? I want to surprise Ranma."
Soun nodded, "Well, I can't be positive that my information is completely accurate, but if you want to try by what I've given you, I won't ask Genma or tell Ranma." Akane nodded in gratitude.
______________________
"I see you're up, sleepyhead!" Ranma replied cheerfully, after coming back into the room from pounding his father into unconciousness. That, coupled with the fact that Akane was still breathing was making this the start of a great day.
"Morning, Ranma," Akane replied, "Can you let me down, now? My arms are still asleep."
"If I do, will you promise me to stop trying to kill yourself?"
Akane stared flatly at Ranma, "Ranma, I don't make promises I can't keep..."
The pigtailed boy shrugged, "Someone will let you down eventually, I guess." Ranma turned to leave, before gritting his teeth, turning around, picking up a tack from Akane's desk, and launching it at her butt.
Akane was forced to expell the air she was holding, "Ow!"
with slight resignation, Ranma, thought a bit, before thinking of a compimise. "Akane, this was starting out to be a great day, so let's make this deal. How about you don't try to kill yourself for the day, and I'll let you down? On your word as a martial artist?"
Akane thought on that, herself, before answering, "That sounds reasonable."
"What do you know about 'reasonable', Psycho chick..." Ranma mumbled to himself, as he let Akane down. Akane pointadly ignored the barb, grateful to finally be taken down from the height she was at.
______________________
Kasumi blinked, as she saw Ranma sitting in front of the television, with no Akane in sight, "Um, Ranma-kun..."
"Yeah, Kasumi?" Ranma replied, not turning away from the TV.
"I'm a bit curious, but where's Akane?" Ranma shrugged in responce.
"She could be anywhere, for all I know..."
Kasumi grew a bit nervous, "Um, shouldn't you be with her?"
"Na, I trust her," Ranma replied confidently.
Kasumi's nervousness grew, "Oh my, um... so you don't believe my little sister hasn't put her life in jeapordy?"
"Pretty sure she hasn't yeah."
Kasumi paled, "Well, if you're sure..." She left the living room, shaking. She headed for the cabinet in the hallway, and pulled out a package containing all the necessary requirements to arrange for Akane's funeral.
______________________
"[Hello?]" greeted the voice at the other end.
Akane hesistated for a moment, "Um, is this Mrs. Saotome?"
"[Yes, that is whom you are speaking to. May I ask who this is?]"
"Nodoka Saotome?"
The woman at the other end paused, "[Yes, who are you?]"
Akane sidestepped the question again, knowing if the woman is the right one, she may ruin Akane's surprise prematurely by attempting to contact her father for the wherabouts of her fiancee, "Mother of Ranma Saotome?"
"[YOU KNOW MY SON?]" The woman shouted, causing Akane to pull the phone away from her ear, "[Can you tell me where my darling child is?]"
Akane smiled; after sixteen calls, she finally hit the jackpot, "i think this would be best if we discussed this in person, Mrs. Saotome..."
______________________
"You..." Nabiki rubbed her temples in disbelief, before trying again, "You just let her alone for the day...?"
Ranma nodded calmly, as if he didn't see the problem with this.
Nabiki closed her eyes, as Kasumi tossed her hands into the air, "I guess I can't blame Ranma for being driven insane, he tried to last too long with her."
Kasumi bowed her head in shame, "Forgive us, Akane, we didn't realize Ranma became a loony until it was too late."
Hey, come on!" Ranma interjected, slightly irritated at Kasumi's remark, "She gave her word as a martial artist!"
"Oh! She gave her word?" Soun piped in from his intense crying fit. He was almost instantly out of the shallow puddle he had created around him, and at Ranma's side, with his arm around the young man, "Well now, things aren't so bad, after all!"
"DAD!" Both daughters shouted in unison, but Soun raised his hand in forestallment.
"Now girls, if there's one thing your sister does believe in..."
"It wouldn't be the sanctity of life..." Ranma mumbled.
The Tendou Patriarch gave him a withering glance, before continuing, "it's her honor as a martial artist. I don't think we have anything to worry about." Somehow, the girls didn't find this comforting...
______________________
Akane sat across from the matronly woman, who had more than a little bit of hope in her eyes that made Akane a bit more than nervous.
"Oh! My Son's still alive!" The woman virtually beamed at the thought of what the girl in front of her had told her.
"Ah, yeah," Akane interjected, "I don't know why Un... Mr. Saotome hadn't contacted you about it."
"I'm guessing he wants to make absolutely sure that my son's completely manly before having him meet me. Genma was always so thorough," Nodoka replied, whistfully.
Akane looked up from her tea, "Pardon?"
Nodoka straightened her kimono out, "Well, before I allowed Genma to take my son on that training trip, I extracted a promise from him," Nodoka stood up, and approached the mantle, where the Saotome family sword sat. at the base of it's stand, she retrieved a roll. She walked back to where Akane was seated, and handed it to her. The youngest Tendou looked at it for a second, before opening it.
"He promised, as well as my son, that if Ranma did not return a man among men, they would commit ritual Seppuku..."
Akane froze, with her face paling, as she stared at the contract. In wide eyed shock, she looked back up to Mrs. Saotome. This wasn't good, she didn't mean for her little surprise to backfire like this, unfortunately, she was backed into a corner.
"Now," Nodoka started, with slightly more seriousness than before, "Would you tell me the location of my son?" Nodoka blinked, as she remembered something, "Oh, and my husband, too."
Akane gulped, and layed the contract onto the coffee table, she would have to do some explaining now, "Ah... before that... I think I should tell you about Jusenkyo... Mom..."
______________________
Ranma paused in his afternoon workout, "Hmm, Akane's been gone for a while..." Ranma just shrugged, and went back to his kata.