Akane the Suicidal
Ranma got 'the feeling', the one that had allowed him to keep Akane within the realm of the breathing for so long, and had been honed to such a fine point that his safeguarding over her had almost become effortless. At a point in his life where he would be much less cynical, he would have found it an impressive ability, even farther beyond his rather rudamentary personal danger sense that he had developed from his previous martial arts training, particularly with his father's penchant for blindsiding the pigtailed martial artist.
Though the feeling did make his job with Akane so much easier, it was hard to ignore the almost blaring sensation, as the hairs on the nape of his neck extended as if he stood in the middle of an ionically charged field just before a violent lighting storm, and the chi immidiately cycled through his body, readying it for anything, to move in any direction, as instincts suddenly began analyzing every possible action to keep Akane from any sort of danger...
That's when he realized it; the feeling wasn't directed at Akane, but towards himself.
Wordlessly, Ranma twisted to his right, before leaping into a backwards somersault that landed him directly next to Akane, and facing the seemingly disembodied finger that was extended to where his neck had been. "What the..."
Akane herself was almost in shock; how had Ranma managed to even detect Happosai's presence? She knew from her training that that was possibly an impossible feat when the old man didn't want to be seen. Instinctively, she moved forward slightly to place herself between Ranma and her master, taking up a subtle defensive stance.
The motion couldn't go unnoticed by either. "Akane! How could you betray me so?"
"Akane, get outta the way so I can put down this old letch for good!"
Akane gave Ranma a slight glance backwards, allowing him to see her concern, before turning towards Happosai, "Master, what were you trying to do?"
Happosai folded his arms across his chest, standing in stature that his tiny form shouldn't have been able to manage, "Simple, Akane-chan! I mean, you gave me the idea, after all!"
Akane and Ranma looked at each other with puzzled expressions. "What?"
"Like you said, the boy just doesn't understand! Perhaps he just needs to learn to see things from your point of view?"
"I don't get it," Akane replied, though not moving from her stance.
Ranma, on the other hand, "No... oh no... no way..." Ranma started to surrepticiously put some distance between him and the decrepid martial artist, before turning to bolt. To his dismay, he found Happosai standing right before him, "How?"
"Ranma, I won't allow you to rob my dear prized student Akane-chan of her destiny as one of Japan's, no... the world's greatest martial artists!"
I AIN'T LETTING YOU TURN ME INTO A SUICIDAL FREAK LIKE AKANE!" Ranma shouted, kicking at the shortened martial artist.
Happosai deftly flipped away, "I'm doing no such thing! I'm merely making you the perfect match for my Akane-chan!"
"Master, it's obvious Ranma doesn't want you to do this to him," Akane pleaded from behind Ranma.
"Akane," Happosai turn his attention to her with a solumn tone, "If he counters the Couragious Heart's pressure point, you will never live up to your full potential! You have so much further to go!"
"I don't care!" Akane stated back, defiantly, causing her master to take a step back in shock, "Not if it does anything against Ranma's will!" The pigtailed martial artist didn't take his eyes off of Happosai, and barely managed to contain his shock at her outburst.
"But Akane-chan! Do you really wish to go back to being half of what you once were without any progressive growth in your skill?" Happosai pleaded, before pointing accusingly at Ranma, "How do you think a relationship with your fiance will be, if you know you'll always remain inferior to him?"
"What are you getting at, old man?" Ranma demanded, not liking how he was suddenly talking down about Akane's ability. She wasn't quite as good as him, that's for sure, but she was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
"I..." was all Akane could say.
"You'll never be happy with him, and the spoiled little puke will never be happy with you, either!" Happosai accused, "Not if he thinks he can keep a tight reign on you like some timid housewife!"
"You little freak, I've had just about enough of y-" Ranma stopped, as he felt a pair of femenine arms reach around him in an embrace. His surprise turned to shock, as he felt the embrace become restraining, tightening to pin his arms to his sides.
Ranma felt shock and betrayal mix, as he turned his head to look back at his restrainer, "AKANE?!?"
The raven-haired girl had barely withheld tears in her eyes, as her expression was both pleading, and scared. At that moment, Ranma also realized his mistake at taking his eyes off of his opponent, while allowing Akane to distract him.
Just barely, Ranma threw himself forward, breaking Akane's hold from around him, while falling forward atop of her, just missing Happosai flying over them with his finger extended.
Ranma and Akane landed on the ground, with the pigtailed boy atop of the other girl, while cradling her head and small of her back with his hands. Bodies flat against each other, Ranma was hard pressed to force himself to concentrate enough to gather Akane up, and take off down the street. Happosai growled, rather impressed that the boy had managed to dodge him, twice, when he was really trying, and took off in pursuit.
During his mad dash, Ranma kept his eyes forward, and his face stern, not even bringing himself to look at Akane. The girl in question kept her eyes down, as she allowed Ranma to carry her, not wanting to look at him and see the look on his face from her selfish act and moment of weakness.
The pigtailed boy had memorized the directions, and concentrated on following them, while outrunning their pursuer. Not an easy feat, since he was currently carrying his own personal Judas in his arms. Even if it did feel half-hearted, it *hurt*. He was somewhat aware of her feelings to him, and though he didn't quite know how to adequately deal with them, he felt comfortable in them.
Ranma witheld a sigh, as he turned right down a corner. Eventually, he found himself at the front of a Mrs. Sakamoto's house, before he leapt over it, and over the back gate.
"YOU HAVEN'T ESCAPED ME, RANMA!"
The pigtailed martial artist twisted around, while descending in the air, and pulled Akane tighter against himself. He then jacknifed, bringing his foot into the stomach of the older martial artist, having his momentum to strike Ranma's pressure point keep him from twisting to evade.
Ranma landed, kneeling, and still supporting Akane, before he spun to his left, heading down the next pathway that was instructed in Tofu's directions.
"FEAR NOT, COMRADE! I SHALL FREE YOU FROM THE DEMONESS AKANE's VILE BEWITCHERY!"
"GEEZ!" Ranma shouted, bending backwards, and then dropping to his back, while the bokken swiped at chest level, aiming to score a telling hit on the surprised girl in Ranma's arms.
"GET. lOST!" while still on his back, Ranma tucked his legs in, and then launched his feet at Kuno's chin, sending the annoying kendoist into the other direction from Happosai's flight. Ranma, still bracked on the back of his shoulders and neck, kicked his legs forward to bring him back to standing, "I don't have time to deal with that moron!"
With a scowl given to Akane, further causing her to attempt to make herself smaller, Ranma continued on his quest.
Ranma landed on the roof of his next landmark, Mr. Kasada's home, before he took a left, headed down the row of houses, and then turned right at the Nanakaze's.
"LOOK OUT!"
Akane's warning came too late, as Happosai slammed into Ranma from where he had been perched on a telephone pole above, and driving his heel into the back of Ranma's head.
Ranma landed hard and face-first, making the sacrifice to protect Akane, and sending her rolling when they were almost ground level. Almost seemingly without injury, Ranma recovered, and stood to face off against the ancient pervert, once again unable to find him.
"ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE TOAD! WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Ranma demanded.
Happosai landed before Ranma, looking almost disinterested, "My, boy, you couldn't take me if your life depended on it. And quite frankly, my cause is greater than yours!"
"Oh yeah?" Ranma challenged.
"I'm fighting for Akane's happiness, you little punk! And if you don't understand that, then you've lost from the start!"
"I ain't lost nothing!" With that, Ranma charged in with a blindingly fast barrage of attacks. The ancient martial artist stood still until the last moment, before almost effortlessly weaving between the attacks. After almost thirty seconds, Happosai became bored, pulled out his pipe, and met Ranma's incoming fist with the head of it.
The pigtailed martial artist didn't even realize that he was flying backwards, until he connected with a brick wall.
The pigtailed boy slumped to kneeling, as Happosai strode up to him, smoking his pipe as if he hadn't exerted anything, "Ranma, my boy, why don't you just give up and accept your fate?"
"Because.... old freak...." Ranma slowly, but defiantly brought himself to standing, while glaring at Happosai through the gray haze of pain, "Ranma... Saotome aint about to... lose to you!"
Happosai scoffed at the way Ranma was swaying in his stance, obviously punch drunk and probably suffering a concussion. He had to admit, the boy's tenacity was starting to endear him, but for his own student's welfare, and Ranma's own hubris, the Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts had to finish this.
"This all falls upon you, Ranma," Happosai stated, solumnly, before bracing himself. Ranma leaned from the wall, barely able to stand, much less put of a decent defense.
"RANMA!"
::SPLASH!::
"Wha?" The slightly more awake redhead looked up, to find Akane standing behind her on the brick wall, holding an empty pail. The raven haired girl then jumped down to Ranma's back, grabbed the front of her shirt from behind with both hands, and pulled it open.
"HOTCHA!" Happosai proclaimed, finding that this night wasn't all that disappointing anymore, leaping at Ranma's bare chest.
The trap set, Akane quickly pulled Ranma to the side, and unleashed the most powerful ax kick she had ever mustered. Her master was caught unprepared in the chin, and launched into the lower stratousphere.
"AKANE! HOW COULD YOUUUUUUuuuuuuuuu*"
Right a solumn and wistful expression, Akane watched her master disappear over the horizon, before turning to see Ranma quietly buttoning her shirt up, and begin to walk down the road, still following the directions that Tofu had given her. At a faltered step, Akane was quickly at Ranma's side, supporting her.
Akane could feel the anger and resentment radiating through Ranma's aura, and resignedly said nothing, as they continued on their way.
_______________________
"Finally," Ranma thought, as they entered the back door of the clinic. The whole trip had been silent exept for a few blocks, where Akane kept saying things looked familiar. Ranma threw her glares, silently warning the girl to stay quiet, until Akane finally relented, and remained silent.
Once inside, they found the man who ran the modest clinic. They both could easily see he was a powerful martial artist, though he was concentrated on the work before him on the counter.
"D-Dr. Tofu?"
The martial artist looked up, and turned to see an incredulous Ranma and a sullen Akane standing at his back door, "Hello you two, I wasn't expecting you tonight! To what I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"The... pleasure of our my visit?" Ranma asked in slow, steady tones.
"I tried to warn you, Ranma," Akane replied, trying not to look at Ranma.
"Was there something you wanted?" Tofu asked, puzzled by the growing irritation he could read in the redhead's aura.
"Yes," Ranma replied in a tone that was deceptionally sweet, "like perhaps a skilled martial artist that knows the counter to the Couragious Heart's Pressure Point?" Ranma asked, idly rubbing her free hand at the back of her neck, near the base, "You know, the one that I was supposed to be arriving at right about now ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS YOU GAVE ME?!?"
With newfound energy, Ranma shoved Akane away, stormed up to Tofu, and shoved the directions into his face, almost knocking Tofu down in the process.
The shocked chiropracter took the paper, and then looked over it. He blinked in surprise, "Uh, Ranma, how in the world did you get ahold of my daily housecall route?"
Ranma blinked, reviewing the directions in her head, realizing they had taken quite a few rights, enough to send them in a circle, and stared at Tofu. The doctor would have found the way Ranma's irises widened completely, making his pupil seem completely black, rather impressive. Impressive, that is, if not for the fact that it put the whole fear of the combined pantheon of Japanese deities into him.
"Goodbye, Dr. Tofu," Ranma said in a rather mechanical voice, as her hand reached out to the doctor. Tofu gulped audibly, staggering back as the redhead approached him with one hand stretched out towards him...
_______________________
Akane distracted herself over concern for Dr. Tofu. It was a good thing he was such an exellent martial artist and doctor, or else he may not be able to gain use of his hands, or legs, or left side of his body, again.
She was brought out of her reverie but the sound of heavy chain hitting the ground. Sighing, she looked down as Ranma almost finished chaining her up for bed. It was something her fiance hadn't done for a long time, and that worried her greatly.
Ranma hoisted her up, and chained her to the ceiling of her room, before turning off the lights, and laying on the futon she was provided. Wordlessly, Ranma went to sleep, as Akane continued to stare down at her with an infinitely concerned expression.
Ranma got 'the feeling', the one that had allowed him to keep Akane within the realm of the breathing for so long, and had been honed to such a fine point that his safeguarding over her had almost become effortless. At a point in his life where he would be much less cynical, he would have found it an impressive ability, even farther beyond his rather rudamentary personal danger sense that he had developed from his previous martial arts training, particularly with his father's penchant for blindsiding the pigtailed martial artist.
Though the feeling did make his job with Akane so much easier, it was hard to ignore the almost blaring sensation, as the hairs on the nape of his neck extended as if he stood in the middle of an ionically charged field just before a violent lighting storm, and the chi immidiately cycled through his body, readying it for anything, to move in any direction, as instincts suddenly began analyzing every possible action to keep Akane from any sort of danger...
That's when he realized it; the feeling wasn't directed at Akane, but towards himself.
Wordlessly, Ranma twisted to his right, before leaping into a backwards somersault that landed him directly next to Akane, and facing the seemingly disembodied finger that was extended to where his neck had been. "What the..."
Akane herself was almost in shock; how had Ranma managed to even detect Happosai's presence? She knew from her training that that was possibly an impossible feat when the old man didn't want to be seen. Instinctively, she moved forward slightly to place herself between Ranma and her master, taking up a subtle defensive stance.
The motion couldn't go unnoticed by either. "Akane! How could you betray me so?"
"Akane, get outta the way so I can put down this old letch for good!"
Akane gave Ranma a slight glance backwards, allowing him to see her concern, before turning towards Happosai, "Master, what were you trying to do?"
Happosai folded his arms across his chest, standing in stature that his tiny form shouldn't have been able to manage, "Simple, Akane-chan! I mean, you gave me the idea, after all!"
Akane and Ranma looked at each other with puzzled expressions. "What?"
"Like you said, the boy just doesn't understand! Perhaps he just needs to learn to see things from your point of view?"
"I don't get it," Akane replied, though not moving from her stance.
Ranma, on the other hand, "No... oh no... no way..." Ranma started to surrepticiously put some distance between him and the decrepid martial artist, before turning to bolt. To his dismay, he found Happosai standing right before him, "How?"
"Ranma, I won't allow you to rob my dear prized student Akane-chan of her destiny as one of Japan's, no... the world's greatest martial artists!"
I AIN'T LETTING YOU TURN ME INTO A SUICIDAL FREAK LIKE AKANE!" Ranma shouted, kicking at the shortened martial artist.
Happosai deftly flipped away, "I'm doing no such thing! I'm merely making you the perfect match for my Akane-chan!"
"Master, it's obvious Ranma doesn't want you to do this to him," Akane pleaded from behind Ranma.
"Akane," Happosai turn his attention to her with a solumn tone, "If he counters the Couragious Heart's pressure point, you will never live up to your full potential! You have so much further to go!"
"I don't care!" Akane stated back, defiantly, causing her master to take a step back in shock, "Not if it does anything against Ranma's will!" The pigtailed martial artist didn't take his eyes off of Happosai, and barely managed to contain his shock at her outburst.
"But Akane-chan! Do you really wish to go back to being half of what you once were without any progressive growth in your skill?" Happosai pleaded, before pointing accusingly at Ranma, "How do you think a relationship with your fiance will be, if you know you'll always remain inferior to him?"
"What are you getting at, old man?" Ranma demanded, not liking how he was suddenly talking down about Akane's ability. She wasn't quite as good as him, that's for sure, but she was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
"I..." was all Akane could say.
"You'll never be happy with him, and the spoiled little puke will never be happy with you, either!" Happosai accused, "Not if he thinks he can keep a tight reign on you like some timid housewife!"
"You little freak, I've had just about enough of y-" Ranma stopped, as he felt a pair of femenine arms reach around him in an embrace. His surprise turned to shock, as he felt the embrace become restraining, tightening to pin his arms to his sides.
Ranma felt shock and betrayal mix, as he turned his head to look back at his restrainer, "AKANE?!?"
The raven-haired girl had barely withheld tears in her eyes, as her expression was both pleading, and scared. At that moment, Ranma also realized his mistake at taking his eyes off of his opponent, while allowing Akane to distract him.
Just barely, Ranma threw himself forward, breaking Akane's hold from around him, while falling forward atop of her, just missing Happosai flying over them with his finger extended.
Ranma and Akane landed on the ground, with the pigtailed boy atop of the other girl, while cradling her head and small of her back with his hands. Bodies flat against each other, Ranma was hard pressed to force himself to concentrate enough to gather Akane up, and take off down the street. Happosai growled, rather impressed that the boy had managed to dodge him, twice, when he was really trying, and took off in pursuit.
During his mad dash, Ranma kept his eyes forward, and his face stern, not even bringing himself to look at Akane. The girl in question kept her eyes down, as she allowed Ranma to carry her, not wanting to look at him and see the look on his face from her selfish act and moment of weakness.
The pigtailed boy had memorized the directions, and concentrated on following them, while outrunning their pursuer. Not an easy feat, since he was currently carrying his own personal Judas in his arms. Even if it did feel half-hearted, it *hurt*. He was somewhat aware of her feelings to him, and though he didn't quite know how to adequately deal with them, he felt comfortable in them.
Ranma witheld a sigh, as he turned right down a corner. Eventually, he found himself at the front of a Mrs. Sakamoto's house, before he leapt over it, and over the back gate.
"YOU HAVEN'T ESCAPED ME, RANMA!"
The pigtailed martial artist twisted around, while descending in the air, and pulled Akane tighter against himself. He then jacknifed, bringing his foot into the stomach of the older martial artist, having his momentum to strike Ranma's pressure point keep him from twisting to evade.
Ranma landed, kneeling, and still supporting Akane, before he spun to his left, heading down the next pathway that was instructed in Tofu's directions.
"FEAR NOT, COMRADE! I SHALL FREE YOU FROM THE DEMONESS AKANE's VILE BEWITCHERY!"
"GEEZ!" Ranma shouted, bending backwards, and then dropping to his back, while the bokken swiped at chest level, aiming to score a telling hit on the surprised girl in Ranma's arms.
"GET. lOST!" while still on his back, Ranma tucked his legs in, and then launched his feet at Kuno's chin, sending the annoying kendoist into the other direction from Happosai's flight. Ranma, still bracked on the back of his shoulders and neck, kicked his legs forward to bring him back to standing, "I don't have time to deal with that moron!"
With a scowl given to Akane, further causing her to attempt to make herself smaller, Ranma continued on his quest.
Ranma landed on the roof of his next landmark, Mr. Kasada's home, before he took a left, headed down the row of houses, and then turned right at the Nanakaze's.
"LOOK OUT!"
Akane's warning came too late, as Happosai slammed into Ranma from where he had been perched on a telephone pole above, and driving his heel into the back of Ranma's head.
Ranma landed hard and face-first, making the sacrifice to protect Akane, and sending her rolling when they were almost ground level. Almost seemingly without injury, Ranma recovered, and stood to face off against the ancient pervert, once again unable to find him.
"ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE TOAD! WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Ranma demanded.
Happosai landed before Ranma, looking almost disinterested, "My, boy, you couldn't take me if your life depended on it. And quite frankly, my cause is greater than yours!"
"Oh yeah?" Ranma challenged.
"I'm fighting for Akane's happiness, you little punk! And if you don't understand that, then you've lost from the start!"
"I ain't lost nothing!" With that, Ranma charged in with a blindingly fast barrage of attacks. The ancient martial artist stood still until the last moment, before almost effortlessly weaving between the attacks. After almost thirty seconds, Happosai became bored, pulled out his pipe, and met Ranma's incoming fist with the head of it.
The pigtailed martial artist didn't even realize that he was flying backwards, until he connected with a brick wall.
The pigtailed boy slumped to kneeling, as Happosai strode up to him, smoking his pipe as if he hadn't exerted anything, "Ranma, my boy, why don't you just give up and accept your fate?"
"Because.... old freak...." Ranma slowly, but defiantly brought himself to standing, while glaring at Happosai through the gray haze of pain, "Ranma... Saotome aint about to... lose to you!"
Happosai scoffed at the way Ranma was swaying in his stance, obviously punch drunk and probably suffering a concussion. He had to admit, the boy's tenacity was starting to endear him, but for his own student's welfare, and Ranma's own hubris, the Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts had to finish this.
"This all falls upon you, Ranma," Happosai stated, solumnly, before bracing himself. Ranma leaned from the wall, barely able to stand, much less put of a decent defense.
"RANMA!"
::SPLASH!::
"Wha?" The slightly more awake redhead looked up, to find Akane standing behind her on the brick wall, holding an empty pail. The raven haired girl then jumped down to Ranma's back, grabbed the front of her shirt from behind with both hands, and pulled it open.
"HOTCHA!" Happosai proclaimed, finding that this night wasn't all that disappointing anymore, leaping at Ranma's bare chest.
The trap set, Akane quickly pulled Ranma to the side, and unleashed the most powerful ax kick she had ever mustered. Her master was caught unprepared in the chin, and launched into the lower stratousphere.
"AKANE! HOW COULD YOUUUUUUuuuuuuuuu*"
Right a solumn and wistful expression, Akane watched her master disappear over the horizon, before turning to see Ranma quietly buttoning her shirt up, and begin to walk down the road, still following the directions that Tofu had given her. At a faltered step, Akane was quickly at Ranma's side, supporting her.
Akane could feel the anger and resentment radiating through Ranma's aura, and resignedly said nothing, as they continued on their way.
_______________________
"Finally," Ranma thought, as they entered the back door of the clinic. The whole trip had been silent exept for a few blocks, where Akane kept saying things looked familiar. Ranma threw her glares, silently warning the girl to stay quiet, until Akane finally relented, and remained silent.
Once inside, they found the man who ran the modest clinic. They both could easily see he was a powerful martial artist, though he was concentrated on the work before him on the counter.
"D-Dr. Tofu?"
The martial artist looked up, and turned to see an incredulous Ranma and a sullen Akane standing at his back door, "Hello you two, I wasn't expecting you tonight! To what I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"The... pleasure of our my visit?" Ranma asked in slow, steady tones.
"I tried to warn you, Ranma," Akane replied, trying not to look at Ranma.
"Was there something you wanted?" Tofu asked, puzzled by the growing irritation he could read in the redhead's aura.
"Yes," Ranma replied in a tone that was deceptionally sweet, "like perhaps a skilled martial artist that knows the counter to the Couragious Heart's Pressure Point?" Ranma asked, idly rubbing her free hand at the back of her neck, near the base, "You know, the one that I was supposed to be arriving at right about now ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS YOU GAVE ME?!?"
With newfound energy, Ranma shoved Akane away, stormed up to Tofu, and shoved the directions into his face, almost knocking Tofu down in the process.
The shocked chiropracter took the paper, and then looked over it. He blinked in surprise, "Uh, Ranma, how in the world did you get ahold of my daily housecall route?"
Ranma blinked, reviewing the directions in her head, realizing they had taken quite a few rights, enough to send them in a circle, and stared at Tofu. The doctor would have found the way Ranma's irises widened completely, making his pupil seem completely black, rather impressive. Impressive, that is, if not for the fact that it put the whole fear of the combined pantheon of Japanese deities into him.
"Goodbye, Dr. Tofu," Ranma said in a rather mechanical voice, as her hand reached out to the doctor. Tofu gulped audibly, staggering back as the redhead approached him with one hand stretched out towards him...
_______________________
Akane distracted herself over concern for Dr. Tofu. It was a good thing he was such an exellent martial artist and doctor, or else he may not be able to gain use of his hands, or legs, or left side of his body, again.
She was brought out of her reverie but the sound of heavy chain hitting the ground. Sighing, she looked down as Ranma almost finished chaining her up for bed. It was something her fiance hadn't done for a long time, and that worried her greatly.
Ranma hoisted her up, and chained her to the ceiling of her room, before turning off the lights, and laying on the futon she was provided. Wordlessly, Ranma went to sleep, as Akane continued to stare down at her with an infinitely concerned expression.