DISCLAIMER: Ranma Nibunnoichi is the property of Takahashi Rumiko,
Shogakukan Inc., Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. It is used without
their permission, and it is not intended for profit but only for the
enjoyment of fans of the Ranma series. All characters within this fic
that are not the property of the above mentioned are copyrighted to the
author, Joseph Kohle, January 1997. This work of fiction is the result
of the author's hard work and is for the enjoyment of others. Please do
not change, modify, or use any segment of this story without the
author's knowing and written consent. Feel free to archive this work.
Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi is a dramatic tragedy. As the title translates, it is all about honour, love, and hate and the extremes people will go to satisfy their needs in those situations. Insaity, pain, grief, heartache, joy, bliss, loss, sorrow, contenment, selfishness, and a thousand other human emotions vie in their realities. People die, bad things happen, and life and its consequences are more apparent and effectual than in the Ranma 1/2 series. But there is also hope, love, and friendship.
It is real life, and that is my only warning.
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Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi
A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic
by: Joseph Kohle
Part I: The Step Beyond
Chapter II Through a New Door
~ 1 ~
Ranma winced as the doctor prodded his side. Lifting his head, he glanced down at his stomach. An angry, puckered, red gash followed the line of his rib cage from almost the center of his chest to the side of his abdomen. Around two dozen staples sutured the wound. On top of this he could feel the stiffness from countless other stitches knitting his internal organs together.
The doctor, Tenmatsu, was being gentle, his thin hands softly probing Ranma's flesh. Thankful for the small kindness, Ranma watched the doctor work. At the moment, he was absorbed in his work. His dark eyes remained intent on his patient. Absently, he brushed an errant lock of dark hair from out of his eyes before pressing firmly against the wound.
Ranma involuntarily gasped at the pain. His side still hurt on a regular basis, but this pain was stronger than it had been all day.
"Hmm . . . " Tenmatsu-sensei mumbled.
"What?" Ranma asked through clenched teeth. He hated being incapacitated, and he despised being treated as if he were weak. Sure, he might have almost died, but he was healing rapidly. It was only a matter of days before he could return to a semi-normal routine. He did not need this attention.
"You're a lucky young man," Tenmatsu observed empathically, as he covered Ranma back up. "I don't know how you did it, but that knife nearly completely severed an artery. That's why you lost so much blood. Also the fact that it sliced through the upper abdominal muscles and cut your large intestine did not help anything. Most people would have died from the amount of blood you lost. Like I said, you were lucky."
Ranma shrugged his shoulders as if the comment was expected.
"I want you to stay off of your feet for a few days. Give your body a chance to heal. Even though Dr. Toufu says you are able to go home. I still think you should stay here an extra day or two." He looked at Ranma pleadingly, but Ranma pointedly ignored the look. Instead he turned his attention to Akane, who was sitting across from his bed.
Sighing in defeat Tenmatsu-sensei checked off a few things on Ranma's chart. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you though," he said and left the room, the door closing silently behind him, and then latching.
"You could've been nicer to him, Ranma," Akane said, sliding her chair closer to his bed.
"What did I do?" Ranma demanded irritably.
"You ignored him, and kept looking at him like he was wasting your time," she explained evenly, trying to keep her temper despite Ranma's stubbornness, "He's only trying to help you."
Sighing, Ranma sank back into his pillows in defeat. He was not up to an argument, and he knew Akane was right. "I know he is, but I hate being in a hospital. Besides Toufu-sensei said I could go home."
Shaking her head, Akane decided to change the subject. Like Ranma she did not want an argument. They had not had one since he had woken up two days ago, and she was not in a hurry to start. Ranma had promised her that he would try and be more reasonable, and she had promised to listen to him before she hit him with something. Really those two things were the single biggest cause of their skirmishes.
"Have you decided what we are going to tell our parents?" she asked. It was obvious to both of them that the truth was too dangerous to tell anyone. First of all, a forced marriage was a certainty if Akane's father learned that she was no longer a virgin. Secondly, Ranma had enough problems with his other fiances and people in school without having it be common knowledge that he had tried to kill himself, especially over a misunderstanding.
"We can't say it was all a dream, can we?" Ranma suggested. Akane gave him a cold stare. "I guess not."
Suddenly Ranma's eyes lit up and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "We're so blind!"
"What?" Akane asked apprehensively. She didn't like that look in Ranma's eyes.
"Well it is really simple. I'm amazed you didn't see it first."
"Ranma!" Akane growled.
"I mean it has to be believable," His eyes glittered, and he leaned closer to Akane, his lips scant inches from her cheek. "You . . ."
"Yes?" His hot breath distracted her, igniting a small blush in her cheeks.
His lips nipped at her own. A delicious thrill ran through her body for a moment, dulling Ranma's next statement.
"Attacked me with a knife."
He was on the other side of the bed, laughing before she could react.
"Ranma!" Akane stormed. She wasn't mad. Ranma's laughing gaze, and his bright smile, told her it was a joke. But, he was not getting off that easily. She would get her revenge.
Smiling, Akane leaned forward. "Ranma?" Her hand caressed the pillow beside his head, her fingers gently sweeping across his ear.
"Yes?" He waited for it, but enjoyed the play.
"I'm not taking the blame for this, Ranma," Akane stated evenly.
Her fingers clenched, and suddenly Ranma had no pillow, as it flew into the air and crashed against his face, muffling his startled exclamation.
Clawing the pillow away, Ranma and Akane broke into smiles, their enjoyment bubbling underneath the surface. Silence enveloped about them, leaving only the comfortable moment.
Both new the test had been passed with flying colours. They were having fun, and enjoying the moment, despite the weight hanging above them. Maybe there was a chance.
Akane shook away the serenity first, realizing that they only had a little while before their fathers returned. Sighing, Akane retreated to the original plan. "Why can't it just be a training accident?"
Ranma shook his head. This was probably going to lead to an argument. "We weren't talking the whole week before," Ranma reasoned, "No one's going to believe we were training in your room."
"Do you have a better idea?" Akane snapped back. The situation grated against her nerves. They were accomplishing nothing. "If you do than give it to me, Ranma. I know this is flimsy. But what else do we have?"
"Ah . . . I, ah" he began, and then stopped, a look of confusion crossing his face. Throwing up his hands in defeat, he burrowed into his pillows even deeper. "Why do you have to be right so often?" he muttered.
She directed a smile at him. "Oh, c'mon. I'll let you win the next time." Ranma flashed her a dirty look, but it did not last very long. He was finding it harder and harder to stay angry with Akane when she smiled at him. Somehow, she had discovered that chink in his defensive wall and was exploiting it ruthlessly. It did not matter to Ranma. He would find her weakness soon enough.
His face softening, Ranma smiled back at her. It was nice sitting, well, actually lying while she sat next to him, and talking like civilized people for once. They had discussed a lot since yesterday. Most of it revolved around their relationship, trying to find some sort of neutral ground from which they could work.
Both of them had realized and accepted that the problems in their relationship were not the other one's fault entirely; although, Akane was still adamant on the fact that if he had told her about the curse in the first place, they might have started on better terms. Realizing it was futile to argue, and with an understanding that it was only a small thing, Ranma let her have that point. There were other points that were just as big, like her seemingly endless ability to jump to the wrong conclusions. He had also made her promise to stay away from weapons and heavy objects when they were fighting.
That did not come without a price though. He had to avoid his other fiancees as much as possible. Personally, Ranma considered that unfair. It was not his fault that they chased him. What was he supposed to do, lock himself in the basement? Akane actually had the gall to consider that idea for a brief moment before relenting and only stipulating that he not seek them out, and that he get rid of them as fast as possible when they found him.
One thing they had not discussed was his mouth. Ranma was thankful for that boon. He knew that he often spoke without thinking, resulting in the hurt feelings of the people he cared for or the major misunderstandings and problems that plagued him. Really, he did not want to hurt people, but he just always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. Instead he had promised himself, at least around Akane, to watch what he said. It was hard. It had taken all of his control not to lash out at her during their discussion on the alibi.
Sighing, Ranma turned to watch the wall. Was it possible for them to put it all behind? To go on like nothing had happened? Truthfully he did not know. He wanted it to be true. He would do everything he could do to make it true, but somehow he knew how small of a chance they actually had. But he was not going to let it discourage him. There was a chance, small though it may be. At one point, something had to go right in his life, and he wanted this to be the thing that did.
"What are you thinking about?" Akane asked him.
"How hard this is going to be, for us both," he said absently, still thinking of their relationship.
"Mmm-hmm," Akane agreed, "But it is the easiest way to explain your injury."
Confused, Ranma snapped his attention over to her and just nodded as she smiled at him. Why burden her with his depressing thoughts? Let her be happy for a while. She deserved it. Ranma just wished someone would decide he deserved a little happiness in his life.
The next half-hour blurred as they hurriedly flushed out the details of the story, much to Ranma's chagrin. But as Akane had said, it was the easiest way.
It was a fairly simple alibi. Ranma had accepted a challenge to fight another martial artist with blade weapons, and since he knew nothing about kendo, he had gone to Akane who had studied the art when she was younger.
They had been practicing with a real tanto so he could get used to moving with a weapon in his hand and because they had not been able to find a wooden facsimile. As usual they had erupted into an argument, neither one took the blame for starting it, but everyone was so used to their arguments that who started it was a moot point.
Exasperated, Ranma had turned and left the room, only to tangle himself in a pile of clothes. Since he was not used to a weapon in his hand, he did not know how to react, and so reacted like he always did, and rolled with the fall. This had the unfortunate side-effect of slamming the tanto into his body, and ripping the wound open as he rolled.
It was simple and straight forward.
The story was also as believable as free property in Tokyo. He knew it. Akane knew it. Kunou would be able to see past the fabricated fable.
And Nabiki? She'd eat it for lunch.
The facts were indisputable. Why would he practice with a tanto instead of a bokken? Besides why would he be practicing with weapons anyway? His martial arts were refined enough that disarming an opponent was easier than fighting with weapons himself. That and the fact that the story made him look like a complete incompetent did not make it any easier for him to swallow.
It just wasn't fair, he decided finally. Life had a grudge against him.
Surprisingly, the story was received with few questions, although Ranma saw Nabiki's unsatisfied expression. Nabiki had a nose for when things did not sound right, and Ranma knew this reeked worse than a fish wharf. Luckily, Nabiki either forgot to press the issue, or was not too interested in the actual story. Ranma really did not care for the explanation. If Nabiki was unsatisfied, she kept quiet about it, which suited Ranma perfectly. There were other problems he had to deal with, like his father.
During the entire time Akane and himself had related the story, Genma's expression had darkened like approaching thunder clouds. Finally, as the last words were spoken, and silence descended on the room, the storm broke. "Boy, do you have any common sense?" Genma thundered, "And I thought I trained you well. But no! You've gotta do something idiotic like this."
Grumbling he turned away, but did not even reach the far side of the bed before striking like lightning. His hands grabbed Ranma by the collar and hauled his son's face within inches of his own. "Is your training slipping? It must be. A four-year-old would've handled that fall better."
It took Ranma's entire being to control his instinct to fight back. Only Akane's intervention saved Genma.
"Put him down!" Akane snapped, slamming her fist into Genma's kidney. Grunting, Ranma's father loosened his hold on Ranma. "Do you want to open his wound again? For kami's sake, have you no decency? He is your son, and he is still injured!"
The room stilled, and then Genma nodded, turning away from Ranma and Akane both. Releasing his grip, he stepped back from the bed.
"From the moment you get home, Boy," Genma stated, "Till the moment I see some improvement, I'll run you ragged, train you into the ground. You're going to find out how many separate muscles you've got in that body because every single one'll be sore when I'm through with you."
"Nearly killing yourself on a pile of clothes," Genma muttered, turning away from his son and walking out of the room. "That's not right. That's disgraceful."
Stung and hurt by his father's words, Ranma sank deep into his pillows. Maybe if he told him the truth, he'd go easier. At least then, Ranma figured, he would have done something honorable, but a quick glance at Akane's pained and sorrowful expression stopped him from speaking out in his defense. The fact that she felt sorrow for him made it easier to bear. Somehow he knew she was going to be extra nice around him for a few days, and that made his father's tongue fade into the past.
The others were a little more supportive of him. Kasumi simply commented on how happy she was that he was going to be okay. Soun of course wept over him and left without a comment. Surprisingly Nabiki was fairly quiet, only offering words similar to Kasumi's. This all suited Ranma perfectly, who did not need or want too much attention. It was bad enough dealing with his father's scorn, and the humiliation this story was going to spawn when it reached school. The price of his stupidity he figured. For some reason he seemed to paying that more often these days.
"C'mon, how bad could it be?" Akane asked when they were alone again.
"We're talking about Oyaji," Ranma stated glumly, "Training me is his one and only goal in life. This is going to be very bad." Akane patted his hand reassuringly, but it did not help. Ranma was dreading going home now. Maybe he should take that doctor's advice and stay longer.
~ 2 ~
Nabiki listened outside Ranma's hospital room for a few minutes before silently slipping away. Nothing, absolutely nothing. She had been sure that the two would have let down their guards after the family left, but obviously Ranma and Akane were not taking any chances.
The entire situation infuriated Nabiki to no end. There was money to be made here. It was sitting right in front of her. She just could not reach it. She despised not having all the facts. Ranma was in the hospital for a reason. And it was not a training accident.
Nabiki grimaced in disgust as she walked past the nurse station.
It was more unbelievable than campaign promises and had holes in it large enough for Kunou's ego to pass through comfortably. But the problem was that she had no leverage to get the real story. Something had happened in her sister's room, something very drastic, but for the life of her she was unable to figure it out.
She stopped in front of the elevator bank and stabbed the down button in frustration.
There were too many conflicting points to the whole situation. Before Ranma had gone to the hospital, Ranma and his fiancee had not spoken a single word to each other. Like petulant siblings they avoided each other constantly. At school, Akane did not speak of him. And Ranma had not even deigned to attend class to escape Akane.
Akane had growled in anger every time Ranma's name was mentioned, and if it involved her name with his, the resulting display was on the edge of being a form of art. Furthermore, Ranma had literally disappeared that entire week. There had been only two meals that he had come to, one the morning he had gone to the hospital, the other a dinner in the middle of the week. At each event, Ranma had been quiet and eaten slowly for once in his life. He had spoken nothing to any member of the family and simply disappeared afterwards.
The elevator buzzed as it hit the floor and the door slid opened. It was empty, much to Nabiki's relief. Stepping aboard she pushed the button for the lobby. God she wished figuring out Ranma was as easy as choosing a floor.
Nabiki was not even sure if he had even slept at the house, she certainly hadn't been able to find him when she wanted to get a few pictures.
And the next thing she knew, he was in the hospital, apparently stabbed by a tanto.
At first Nabiki had thought Akane might have attacked him in a fit of anger, but she dismissed that as the evidence began to gather. She had been in the room next to her sister's when the entire thing happened, and she remembered nothing that sounded like a fight. Actually, it had been fairly quiet until Akane had screamed and then Ranma's scream of pain a heartbeat later.
So if Akane had done nothing, then the blame fell to Ranma by default. Yet what could he have done? Maybe it really was a training accident. She shook her head in denial. That was not possible, Ranma was too good for that, besides she had never seen him practice with a weapon, yet whenever he picked one up he was as proficient with it as if he had been born to the thing. No, it was not an accident. There had been something deliberate about what had happened. It had the feel of something that had gone wrong like . . . well she didn't know and that was what frustrated her.
The elevator slowed, and the door opened revealing the bright lobby. Stepping off the elevator, Nabiki followed the signs toward the outpatient entrance to the hospital. Kasumi and the others would be waiting for her there. Absently she paid attention to signs, but really her mind was dwelling on several days ago.
She had listened at the door when Ranma had first been stabilized. Akane was inside with him, talking underneath her breath, crying softly. Most of the words were blurred by the door and Akane's soft, sobbing whispers as Nabiki sat outside, hoping to uncover a small morsel to whet her appetite. For thirty minutes she sat patiently and listened, and the only clue that flitted through was near the end when Akane exploded briefly. "Baka," Akane suddenly snapped in a voice filled with anger and grief, "Why did you do this? Don't you ever think? You didn't hurt me. You never have . . . " The rest retreated into nonsense as Akane began crying again.
Was it possible that Ranma had meant to injure himself? It didn't seem like the Ranma she knew. He was always so confident and easy going about life, but if the circumstances were right . . .
But what circumstances could ever be that right?
The training trip? No one knew what had happened there, only that they had returned separately. He could have insulted or hurt Akane.
But if he had, why was her sister protecting him?
Massaging her temples to relieve the strain, Nabiki halted in the bright corridor, a few patients walking around her.
Could Ranma have somehow hurt Akane?
The sudden thought froze her. Was it possible? Could Ranma have tried to enact some atonement in one of his drastic and ill-thought out ideas?
A small crowd of doctors and interns turned the corner, forcing Nabiki to hastily dodge aside. As the group rushed by, Nabiki caught only a few words about a recent operation. But the interruption had already done its damage as she stood in the next corridor.
The thought of Ranma hurting himself just did not seem plausible anymore. He was terrified of death. Nabiki had only to look as far as Ranma's hidden relationship with his mother.
Scowling, Nabiki stormed down the corridor, hoping to catch up with her family before they reached the train station.
Everything was one big enigma, a Rubric's Cube of what ifs and unanswered questions. There was a pattern but she was missing one key element, and she had no clue what it was. But she would. If it killed her, she was going to uncover the very heart of this situation, and then the money would be coming.
~ 3 ~
Pivoting, Ranma spun his body, his foot whipping around to land with a solid thwack against the wooden post. Without pause another kick connected, followed closely by a blizzard of punches. The dojo resounded with the staccato claps of each of his strikes.
Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, rolling across his cheeks and lips leaving a salty taste on his tongue. Drops fell from his nose and hair with each attack to splatter on the wooden floor. A dull sheen of sweat covered his naked shoulders and chest.
He was tired. The past few hours had become a blur in his mind. There was only the solid rhythm of his continuous strikes against the unoffending post. He did not care about what he had practiced or what he still had to do. Only the present was important. It required too much energy to think of anything else.
The constant training had slowly drained him. This was only his second day back from the hospital and he was still recovering from the loss of blood. What did that matter to his father? As long as the story stuck, he suffered unending training to redress his mistake. Oyaji had promised to grind him into the ground, and he was already close to doing it.
His arms felt like leaden weights, each strike a struggle for the precision and speed that marked his expertise. Dimly he was aware that his form was suffering under his exhaustion. He knew he should end now, but he never gave up. If it killed him, he would finish this sequence.
So he pushed onward, feeling like he was fighting in a vat of molasses. He simply went through the series. Jab, jab, knife hand, snap kick, roundhouse, backhand, jab, jab, jab, forearm, dropkick, uppercut, flip to gain position . . . on and on it went through his mind, an endless rhythm that he had worked hundreds of times. Each series became harder and harder, until he had taken himself to the limit. With a low growl he launched a final series, unwilling to give in, to let his father beat him down.
Jab, jab, knife hand . . . I didn't do anything wrong . . . snap kick, roundhouse . . . It's just that stupid story . . . backhand, jab, jab . . . if I was able to tell him the truth I could be relaxing . . . jab, forearm . . . he has no right to punish me . . . dropkick . . . why'd I go along with Akane? . . . uppercut, flip back to position . . . why do I suffer!? . . . spin kick, snapkick . . . why does life treat me like this? . . . jab, spin, backhand . . . it's not fair . . . jab, jab, jab, jab . . . CRAAAACK! The top of the post flew from the rest of the post to slam and stick into the wall. Exhausted Ranma could only drop to his knees and finally lean against the ruined post, his breathing heavy and laboured, his eyes shut.
Oxygen-starved muscles burned throughout his body. He sucked in air through his mouth, deeply and evenly. Slowly his heart stopped thudding in his chest and resumed its normal pace. Rarely did he have such an intensive training session. Placed on top of his weakened condition, it was amazing that he had survived. Several hours of sparring with his father, jogging before that, kata and combination practices afterwards. The afternoon had disappeared in a blur of sweat and repetition. He only had a vague idea what time it was, and that was only because his stomach was empty and growling.
He knew he should probably go inside the house. Kasumi was probably already preparing the table.
His body had other ideas though, it wanted him to stay there. So he did and just relaxed in the dojo, slowly gaining back his strength, as he slipped gently into a dreamless half-sleep.
Sensing a new presence in the dojo woke Ranma from his rest.
"Ranma?" Akane's voice was tentative, her step light, barely audible, as she walked across the floor. Ranma opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark outside.
He yawned and stretched, his muscles tightening painfully for a second before relaxing, leaving him refreshed.
Next his gaze wandered to Akane, who was walking toward him, almost to him. She was carrying a plate covered with a napkin, the delicious aroma of food reaching Ranma, causing his stomach to grumble in anticipation. Smirking at his reaction, Akane removed the napkin and sat in front of him before beginning to nibble at the food.
"I'm sorry you missed dinner, Ranma," Akane said in a sorrowful voice, "Kasumi really outdid herself." She stabbed a piece of pork from the full plate with a chopstick and admired it for a moment before taking a bite from it. Chewing quickly, she swallowed it and sighed in pleasure. "Delicious."
Mouth agape, Ranma stared at his iinazuke. It was obvious she was not going to share the food with him, and was purposefully torturing him with it. What had he done now?
"Well, I'm full." Akane smiled at him as if nothing was wrong and dropped the half-eaten piece of pork back on the plate and recovered it with the napkin. That was the final straw.
"Akane," Ranma half-growled, half-pleaded yet it was fully underlaid with dismayed shock. Much to his surprise, Akane started laughing, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and then patted him on the cheek.
"Oh stop it. Do you think I'm ready to start fighting with you? The food's for you."
Ranma glared at her, but grabbed the plate and began wolfing down the food. "That's not funny," he mumbled around a mouthful, of rice, "I was starving."
"Gomen, but I just couldn't resist." She dropped her eyes demurely. "You're not mad, are you?"
Sighing, he swallowed. "No. I-it's just that I'm tired, Akane. Oyaji is working me ragged, and I'm in no mood for fun right now. A bath and bed sounds better."
"Oh, and I was going to see if you wanted to go to the new Jackie Chan movie, but if you're too tired . . . " She left it hanging and started to leave.
"Nani?" Ranma sputtered in shock.
"The Jackie Chan movie," Akane explained smiling, "I was going to take you to it. You know, kinda make up for all the trouble my story is putting you through. But if you're tired, well that is up to you."
"No, no, no," Ranma gushed, pushing away the empty plate. Akane was asking him for a date, or something like that. He quickly pinched his arm, a sharp pain confirmed that he was very awake. "Arigato." He smiled tentatively. "I guess I need some fun. You know how the last week and a half's gone."
"Baka," she said walking away, "It was all your fault, so don't blame me, or look for pity because there's none coming."
"Really," Ranma shot back, regaining some of his composure, "I seem to be suffering for your story."
Akane glanced back over her shoulder. "Do you want me to tell the truth?" Ranma shook his head slowly. "Then just be glad I'm not making you take me out."
Ranma groaned, but before he could think of anything insulting enough to say, Akane had disappeared out the door.
"Oh, be ready in thirty minutes." Her voice floated back from the yard.
Muttering under his breath about the unfairness of the gods and violent tomboys, Ranma stood up on stiff legs and walked from the dojo, heading to the house.
He was seriously tempted to go find Akane and tell her to forget the whole thing. A whole evening of her in this present attitude was not exactly on his list of favorites, but being smashed into the floor by her bokken was high on his list to avoid also, so he would go.
Resigned to his fate, Ranma plodded into the house and headed to the bathroom. Walking in, he shed his remaining clothes. The furo was already filled with hot water, simply waiting for him. Anxious to take the invitation, Ranma grabbed the soap and sat on the stool. Filling the bucket beside the stool, he emptied the cold water over his body, feeling the familiar change. Ranma-onna scrubbed the dirt and sweat away from her body, her mind still whirling in confusion.
The fact that Akane had actually asked him out was floating in his head, the implications of the act hovering on the edge of his thoughts like a stalking tiger; however, his exhaustion and own doubts about the whole thing kept the creature at bay.
He just had one of those feelings like a deer that has been singled out for prey. There was something wrong with this whole thing. He was certain that the night was going to end up as they always did, with him flying through the air with the imprint of Super Deluxe Mallet by Craftsman 'We Make Tools to Last' on his forehead. Of course the entire incident was going to be a misunderstanding, but what could one such as he do? Trouble and strife followed him like a lost puppy.
"Just spare me tonight, please. I don't need any more problems," he silently pleaded. Sighing Ranma-onna washed the soap and grime from her body. A soft groan rumbled in her throat as she slipped into the comfortable furo. Ranma began to unwind as she slipped back into his true form, the heat of the water relaxing his taut muscles and clearing his mind.
Thirty minutes later, he was dressed in his normal black pants and red Chinese shirt. He was impatient to get this over with and get some sleep. What was taking her so long? She had said thirty minutes, forty minutes ago.
There was a small sound from the top of the stairs. Turning, he sucked in his breath in surprise, his eyes wide. Akane was walking down the stairs, smiling at him.
A frilled black mid-thigh skirt swirled around her legs. She wore a purple sweater vest over a black turtle neck, a gold chain necklace fastened around her neck. The whole effect was stunning.
Beautiful hardly described what he saw.
Smiling, Akane walked up to him. He stood, his mind still reeling from the Akane that stood before him. "How do I look?" she asked.
"Uh . . . uh," he faltered. At that moment he wished he had Kunou's flare for words, since nothing was entering his mind. "You look great."
It was the best he could find on short notice.
"Really?" Akane asked, "You think it's fine."
"Uh, yeah," Ranma said his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "We're only going to a movie." The glare she suddenly gave him could have frozen water.
"Just going to a movie." Her voice was low and threatening.
At that moment several things began to connect in Ranma's overworked mind. Their recent discussion in the hospital, the sorrowful look she had given him at his father's proclamation, her bringing food to him, asking him to a movie, and now all of this, Could she want this to be more than an apology? Does she really want this to be a date?
Carefully, he glanced at her. She'd never worn anything like that before. Maybe this is a real date. The thought was chilling, yet somewhat satisfying. Akane and him on a date together.
A nervous smile appeared on his face. "Gomen, I . . . I didn't mean it that way. Really, I don't want you to change a thing. Y-you're fine just like that. I'd be glad to go to the movie with you."
Her expression softening, Akane looked him up and down. "You might like my outfit, but you really should wear something different. Don't you get tired of the same style day after day?"
"Nani?" Ranma blinked.
"You're so pathetic! Ah, who cares? You look fine! Just remember, you owe me for not making you change," she explained.
Ranma, still wondering what was wrong with his clothing, decided it would be best to just get out of the house before anyone found out that they were going on a date. Standing quietly in front of Akane, Ranma tentatively offered his arm. If she wanted a date, he would at least try and make it a decent one. Smiling at his offer, Akane took the offered arm and they both started out for the movie, casting nervous glances at each other.
~ 4 ~
Shampoo was riding back from delivering an order of ramen when she noticed Ranma and Akane walking together down the street, chatting amiably. Although Great-grandmother was expecting her, she was intrigued by this scene and decided to follow them, just in case the violent tomboy was trying to steal her husband. Besides, curiosity and the cat are never far apart.
As she followed them in stealth, Shampoo was quite proud with herself for not once rushing in and asking Ranma for a date, although she was tempted several times.
She simply watched.
And as she watched, she became increasingly amazed and more worried by the minute.
Husband and Violent Tomboy were not fighting. For the entire time she followed them, Shampoo never saw even the glimmer of their infamous tempers. Worse, she saw Ranma take Akane's hand or allow her to link arms with him several times, although these were only brief, with both nervously stepping aside as they realized they were in public. But never more than a few inches separated their hands.
They were getting along. It wasn't supposed to be like that. "Ranma not like violent tomboy, like me," she muttered in broken Japanese. But the evidence was before her, and then the crushing blow fell. Both stopped in front of the cinema and bought tickets before disappearing inside.
White-hot rage burned around and within her, glowing dully in the night's darkness. "Husband will take that violent tomboy on a date, but not me, Shampoo, his bride?" she growled in Mandarin. The people on the street were walking wide circles around this obviously enraged girl. "I will make this date live in infamy for both of them. And then Husband will take Shampoo on a date, without violent tomboy."
Smiling maliciously, Shampoo walked toward the theater.
~ 5 ~
Grabbing the jumbo popcorn, two Cokes and two boxes of Junior Mints, Ranma left the snack bar and returned to the theater balancing the food easily as he walked. So far the 'date' had gone surprisingly well. They had walked to the theater together, chatting idly about absolutely nothing of importance. Both knew what constituted dangerous topics, so they had avoided them and instead concentrated on mundane topics, like friends and school. Occasionally Ranma had thrown in one of his more amusing training adventures with his father. All in all it had been a nice walk over. Several times he had relaxed enough to hold Akane's hand, or offer her his arm again. He smiled at the memory of her warmth against his side.
Slipping quietly into the theater, he made his way to their seats. Akane was waiting patiently for him, watching the previews showing on the screen. Sitting down, he handed the food to her. "Here's the stuff you wanted, Akane."
"Arigato," she replied and grabbed a Coke and one of the Junior Mints. For a moment she looked confused and then turned to look at Ranma. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Nani?"
"My nachos, baka!"
Ranma started then smiled nervously, "Gomen, guess I forgot. I'll go get 'em." It was taking all of his discipline not to tell her to go get her own nachos. It wasn't like she needed them. They had only had dinner an hour or so ago.
"Don't worry about it," Akane said, standing up, "I'll go get them myself. I'll be back in a minute." She wormed past him and disappeared up the aisle.
Sinking back into his seat Ranma watched the previews roll across the screen. It was not like Akane to back down from an argument that fast. Maybe she was making sure this night was perfect. It did not matter. He was enjoying himself. She was obviously having a good time. Not to mention the fact that she was beautiful tonight. A picture of her standing on top of the stairs filled his eyes.
He cared for her a lot, loved her actually. It was just so hard to come out and say those words when he was in control of himself. To show emotion like that was just not in him. Stoicism was his nature, and it was hard to change that. But still, she was particularly ravishing tonight. Idly he wondered where this night might lead them.
"Nihao, Ranma." Ranma cringed as he heard Shampoo's voice. He had known the night was too good to be true. Something had to go wrong.
"Yo, Shampoo," he muttered in response, his voice flat and unemotional, "What're you doing here?"
"Shampoo see Husband go into theater with violent girl," Shampoo explained in a bubbly voice, sitting down next to Ranma in Akane's vacated seat, "Shampoo think you on date with her."
"I am," Ranma answered without thinking.
"You go on date with girl you not like, but not Shampoo." It was a statement, but somehow the Amazon seemed to make it a question and insult him at the same time.
"She asked me," Ranma explained getting annoyed with the girl. She was going to ruin everything. If he could just get rid of her before Akane came back. "So could you, uh, just go." It sounded lame, and he did not put much force behind his voice, but it was all he was able to think of at the moment.
"No, Shampoo take over date, violent girl can get own date," she stated in a tone that broached no argument. Ranma groaned as Shampoo grabbed onto his arm and sipped at Akane's Coke. "So what we watch."
"We are watching nothing. Akane and I are watching this movie. Now leave." Ranma was becoming desperate. He had to get rid of Shampoo before Akane came back. He refused to let this evening be ruined. His evenings were always ruined by jealous fiancees or crazed rivals. Just once, one time, he wanted a normal night out.
"Don't Husband want Shampoo?" she asked in a quiet voice, looking up at him, eyes glistening.
"No," Ranma nearly shouted. Please just leave, please. "Just go away. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Shampoo don't see what you find in ugly, violent girl. Has she ever done this to you?" With that she kissed Ranma, locking her arms around his neck in a vice grip that made it impossible for him to break, and he did try.
Unfortunately Akane chose that moment to return.
Akane entered their row and saw Ranma apparently kissing Shampoo and obviously enjoying it from how much he was wriggling in her grasp. White hot rage exploded in her mind. This night of all nights.
He promised.
He promised!
"RANMA NO BAKA!" she screamed and slammed her fist into his head. This broke the kiss and sent Ranma slamming into the floor with an audible grunt.
Akane had not sated her rage though. Next she turned on Shampoo, and before the Amazon could move slammed her half-way across the theater. Then she turned back to Ranma, ready to finish the job.
Ranma had seen what had happened to Shampoo and was personally thrilled. The bloody bitch deserved it as far as he was concerned. Now however he had to make amends with Akane.
He looked up at her glowing form. Tears were streaming down her face. "A-akane, let me . . ." he began.
"Explain!?" There was a derogatory tilt to the word. "There is nothing to explain. I wanted this to be special. Just us. I thought you understood. You promised me Ranma. No other fiancees. I guess you don't care." She was sobbing now, her hammer having disappeared from her hands. "You promised. I hate you Ranma!" She spun on her heels and fled from the theater.
His heart torn, Ranma watched her go. It was not his fault, he knew that, but it still hurt. The night had been ruined once again because he had never gotten rid of any of his fiancees. Ruined because he had never cared, had enjoyed the attention. At that moment he hated himself.
"Shampoo glad violent tomboy gone. Shampoo'll kill her later for hitting husband and Shampoo, but now have husband to self."
Shampoo chose the wrong time to come back, the wrong words to say, the wrong night, the wrong everything. Ranma rounded on her, his eyes blazing, his aura glowing blue in the darkened and very quiet theater.
"Shampoo will do nothing." His voice was cold, sharp as a razor. He pronounced each word carefully, using them like weapons. He was sick of his life. He was sick of all of his fiancees. They were ruining him. They had ruined tonight. They had ruined the last year and a half of his life, but no more.
"Huh?" Shampoo asked, "But violent girl..."
"Shut up!" he snarled, "I am sick of this. I am sick of all of my fiancees. I'm sick of the trouble this gets me in. From now on I'm no one's fiancee. Do you understand me?" His finger stabbed at Shampoo, stopping inches from her chest.
"But Ranma beat Shampoo, you are husband," she explained her eyes wide and confused.
"That," he spat the word, "Is an Amazon custom and law. We are in Japan, not China and not even remotely near your village. In Japan I've got a choice in this matter, and I don't want to marry you. I am not your husband- to-be. Is that understood?!?!" Shampoo nodded mutely, her eyes wide in shock, her mouth moving soundlessly. "Now leave me alone!" With that he spun on his heel and left the theater, hoping he could find Akane. Behind him Shampoo began to cry, sobbing uncontrollably as she collapsed to her knees. Ranma did not see her. He would not have cared if he had.
Rushing out of the theater, he desperately scanned the street. It was only sparsely populated with pedestrians. Because of this he saw Akane the instant before she disappeared around a distant corner.
Leaping to the rooftops he began to follow her.
He caught up with her easily, but stayed slightly behind. She was hurt. She was mad. He himself was furious, and he had no real plan in mind. What he had done to Shampoo had been spur of the moment. In his anger he had lashed out in the most effective way, not physically but emotionally, ripping her heart out. He knew how she felt, and he knew that what he had done was worse than anything he might have hit her with in a fight.
As he pursued Akane, though, his thoughts returned again and again to his words. "I'm sick of all of my fiancees. I'm sick of the trouble they get me in. From now on I'm no one's fiancee." In his anger he had stumbled on a sort of truth. So many of his problem revolved around his fiancees. Ukyou and Shampoo were always vying with Akane for his attention, creating bizarre situations, changing people's personalities with magic, fighting him, plotting against the others, trying to hurt Akane. Kunou hated him because he was Akane's fiancee, Ryouga had also made that one of his biggest grudges against Ranma. Even all of his strange adventures to find a cure linked somehow. Most of them he never would have had if not for Shampoo and Cologne, or Ryouga for that matter. Ranma shuddered remembering the fabled naniichuan under the girl's locker room.
It stood to reason that if he renounced all of his engagements, most of his problems would go away. Oh, he had no delusions that they would magically disappear. No, Kodachi was still out there, and Shampoo and Cologne did not know the meaning of the word quit, come to think of it, Shampoo didn't know the meaning of most Japanese words. Ukyou probably would still chase him, since she professed to love him.
Somehow though it seemed like it would be better. A fresh start. His present fiancees would not be in such a fierce competition for him. He might even finally be able to have a normal relationship. Yet if he broke of the engagement with Akane, he would hurt her. He knew he would, just like he had hurt Shampoo tonight and would hurt Ukyou tomorrow if he decided on this course.
He did not want to hurt her, but all these other fiancees and problems were hurting her also. Maybe, if they did break the engagement, they could start over, learn to be friends before they became lovers. It had all started on the wrong foot anyway. Engaged by their fathers against their wills. Then he had shown up as a girl. Yet the sparring match had been an auspicious start. Akane had let down her guard, they had been slowly becoming friends. But then . . . then the infamous bathroom episode and the fighting had begun.
Now they did not know how to stop it. He cared for her, loved her in his own way. He wanted her to be happy, to be safe and protected, but they always fought. He knew deep down that as long as things remained unchanged they never were going to become close. Too much bad blood had been spilled.
In the hospital he had come to understand how little of a chance they had, and maybe, just maybe this was that small chance. If it worked, if they put all the relationships behind them, even theirs, it then became their choice. Besides, they were too young to know what they wanted, who they wanted. They were only seventeen.
Akane turned into the park. Ranma was close behind her. After a time though, she stopped next to a tree and collapsed. Despite standing several dozen meters from her, Ranma still heard her sobs, saw her shoulders shake. In a sense what had happened was his fault. He had never dealt with the other fiancees, but then he had never had a good reason. He had not admitted his feelings before. Now he had.
Yet he did not move forward. He knew he was about to do something potentially very dangerous. He was about to shatter his family's honor, tarnishing it by denying his father's wishes and the family's promise to the Tendou name. For both Akane and for Ukyou, who also had a legitimate claim, the giri would be a sticking point.
No, not even as small as a sticking point. In the end, with the giri abandoned, he would have to amend the damage somehow. And a simple marriage would probably not be enough at that point.
Ranma cursed silently. Sometimes he truly wished he was not involved with traditionalist families. Emotion didn't matter to them, only honour.
But then, was it not the same with Shampoo and her tribe?
Breaking with Shampoo had been done in a fit of anger, normally he would never have done such a thing. Because he had beat her and was a martial artist, his honor told him to accept the law of her tribe and allow her to be his fiancee. He did not love her, he did not want her as a fiancee, but she was one. It didn't matter if everything had been a mistake, it was still binding.
The honour of his family was different than his own though. He would tarnish his own to do the right thing, but to tarnish the family name just because it was convenient was dangerous. Seppuku was the least of his worries. It did not matter if he was intending to try and create a relationship with Akane. The vow would be broken.
"But I don't want to lose her," he whispered into the night air. "I love her."
Her sobs made him step hesitantly forward. What was life worth if he could not have her? Is my honor worth that much? He remembered her in the clearing. The bleakness that had filled him.
No, it wasn't.
Damn his family. Damn his honour. This was Akane. The girl he had nearly thrown his life away for, who had almost died to save him. HE would not allow her to suffer because he was scared of his mother and the price he would pay to make things right.
"Go away," she said angrily as he walked up to her and waited patiently for her to notice him.
"I need to talk to you," he said quietly.
"There's nothing to say. I saw it all. Now go away."
"You saw only the end," he insisted, "Besides you promised to at least listen to my side."
"Why should I keep my promise when you broke yours?" she demanded fiercely.
"Because I didn't break my promise," he snapped losing his patience. "Do you think I wanted Shampoo there? I was enjoying the night. I liked being with you. I was enjoying myself."
"Obviously," Akane drawled, "Shampoo seemed to be enjoying herself too."
"She came into the theater, looking for me. I asked her to leave, but she didn't. Then she insulted you when I said I was with you, then she kissed me."
Akane remained quiet, staring at him. Her anger was still radiating like the heat from an oven. She was not pacified yet. Ranma took a breath and continued, "After you left, I was furious. I rounded on Shampoo and chewed her out, then I told her that any claim she had on me was gone. I don't care what her law says, she is never to be my fiancee again."
"You said that?" Akane asked incredulous, her mood lightening at the words.
"Hai."
"But why? I thought you liked all of the fiancees chasing you. It made you a stud," she had stopped crying but was still keeping her distance.
"My fiancees only cause me trouble, with school, with our families, with other people, and with you. I don't want it anymore. I've decided to renounce all of my engagements. I'll make my own decision."
"D-does that include ours?" Akane asked fearfully, tentatively.
"Hai, but . . ."
"Ranma no baka!" she screamed, but Ranma was ready for this. His hands flashed out and grabbed her wrists, halting the incoming punch. "Let me go."
"Let me finish," he said through gritted teeth. It was difficult to hold her arms still. He was surprised at how strong she was.
"No, you said you loved me. We-we slept together," she sobbed, "And now you want to throw it all away, throw me away like some used tissue? I won't have it!"
"I'm not throwing you aside," Ranma shouted, "I'm saving our relationship!"
That comment silenced Akane. Her face drew itself up into a puzzled expression. "Did I hit you too hard? That makes no sense."
"Let me explain, please," Ranma pleaded. Akane nodded agreement after a few moments. Once he felt her arms loosen, he released her hands. She returned to her original position.
"Explain, and it'd better be good." The warning and threat in her words was apparent.
Ranma gulped audibly and started to explain his fledgling reasons. "We were forced into this engagement. Our parents wanted it, not us. We fought it and each other from the beginning. Then with the other girls and all of those people at school, all the misunderstandings and crazy adventures, it just made it harder and harder to get along . . . to forgive each other . . . Don't you get it? Our engagement is the cause of so many of our problems, not to mention many of my other ones.
"We're more enemies than friends. No matter what we feel, we still look at the other as a rival, as an annoyance or problem. I wanna start over. Fresh, no misunderstandings, no forced marriages. How do you even know we're right for each other?"
Akane widened her eyes at that question. Surprisingly, everything Ranma was saying was not like him. He never thought about things this deeply, of course she had not seen him suffer when he had thought he had raped her, or been with him all the time in the hospital.
"One of us might find another person later," he said quietly, though it hurt him to think about that possibility, "I-I still care for you Akane, very deeply. I don't want to lose you, that's why I'm doing this.
"Maybe if we start out working on being friends. We have time, we're only seventeen," he said solemnly. "You weren't planning to get married anytime soon, were you?"
"No," she said, "Actually, I never thought we'd be married. We fight so much."
"That's why I want to do this. It clears everything away, and maybe, down the road, we'll decide we want to be together forever. Then we can get engaged and married, of our own free will, without hating each other, without all of our present problems."
Akane sat quietly and thought about what Ranma had said. In a way, he was right, but at the same time, it seemed like a mistake. But he was going to get rid of the other girls also, and he had said that he cared for her and didn't want to lose her. She did not want to lose him either, even after tonight. She loved him deeply, but, at the same time, hated him so much.
He was right. They had started out wrong, and here was a chance to fix that. It was risky, she might lose him, but then again she might lose him faster if they did not do anything. For once Ranma was right, she finally decided.
"Hai," she softly agreed. "As of now, our engagement is off."
Ranma held out his hand, tentatively Akane took it, despite the fact that it was a Western agreement. They shook on it. Then Ranma stood up and walked away.
Startled, Akane started to call for him, but he suddenly turned around and walked back to her, with a mischievous grin on his face. He stopped in front of her and bowed. "Tendou Akane?" he asked.
Confused, Akane could only nod her head.
"I am Saotome Ranma," he stated emphatically, "My father and yours trained together when they were younger. Tendou Soun has invited us to stay with your family for awhile, and he said you were a martial artist. I am pretty good myself, and I thought we might, you know, spar every so often. Maybe we could be, ah, um friends." He said the word quietly and blushed as he dropped his head sheepishly.
By this time Akane had caught on to his game, and although it was silly and had no real meaning, since first impressions were forever, it was still an attempt by Ranma to heal things and start over fresh.
Standing up, Akane bowed, duplicating Ranma's and establishing an equal status between them. "I am Tendou Akane," she said, "And I guess it wouldd be nice to have a sparring partner, even though your . . ." She stopped herself. This was not a time for stupid comments. Ranma was serious, and she realized she also should be. "Maybe we can be friends." She smiled at him.
Ranma returned her smile. She looked so beautiful. "Um, I've gotta sort of, um problem," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You see, I was training in China, and well, I accidentally fell into a cursed pool, and now, well, I, um, that is, I turn into a girl when I get hit with cold water. But I turn back when I get hit with hot water. I don't like it, but so far there's been nothing I can do 'bout it."
Still smiling, Akane took his hand, "That's horrid. I'd hate to have that happen to me, although me turning into a girl would be redundant." Ranma grinned at that, but stayed silent. "I guess it's not too bad, I mean it's not like you actually like it, do you?"
"No, no," Ranma stuttered, surprised at the question and how quickly the game had become serious. They seemed to be covering everything, apologizing in their own way.
"Good, otherwise you'd be a hentai." She absolutely had to get that in the conversation. "So I guess that does it. Do you wanna do anything?" she asked quietly.
"Your father said you've already had dinner," Ranma said, "Maybe we could get some ice cream?"
Akane smiled at that. "Hai, that would be nice. Your treat?"
"Hai," Ranma said wincing. His wallet was already low from the movies and Nabiki's extortion the other day, but this was worth it.
Carefully he offered her his arm. She took it gently, like it was a live snake, but relaxed once their arms were linked. "Let's go then."
"Hai," Akane answered, and they both left the park, hope burning brightly in their hearts.
~~to be continued~~
Author's Notes:
I would liek to thank \everyone who voted for MASN PT1 Ch1 in the monthly Best of Fanfiction for Continuous series. Being voted in was a great surprise for me, and I am humbled and giddy that you think so highly of my writing. I hope I can continue to live up to your standards. Once again, thank you.
Other notes:
I am not going to say much here. Ch 2 is a springboard from Ch 1 into Ch 3 and the rest of the series after that. Some of you may be wondering at Ranma's actions. I've read tons of fics with Ranma choosing one fiancee over the other and then letting the others down one at a time or all at once. I decided I did not want something like that. Instead, when I had him just throw Shampoo off, I had the idea of just breaking all the engagements in order to clear the way for himself and Akane. Whether it will actually work is in question, but then he does this with very little thought,. He does think about it, but it is a spur of the moment decision, and so the consequences could be anything.
As you might have guessed, this series will slowly bring in all of the other characters. I don't like introducing very many characters at once. I prefer to deal with them as they are needed and then will start delving into them.
Part 2 the Judgement of Boukyaku will further the plot explored in PArt 1 and explain some things.
Until next time
Joseph Ashira Kohle ----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----
All rights and privileges to Ranma Nibunnoichi
belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The characters of
Her series are used without her permission for
The purpose of entertainment only. This work of
fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of The
author. All copyright privileges to these chara-
cters are reserved for the author.
This story is a product of the author's hard work
and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make
use of any part of this work without the author's
knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive
this work.
Comments and criticism are welcome.
Written by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) 1997.
Revised by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) November 1999.
Send all comments to jakohle@worldnet.att.net
Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi is a dramatic tragedy. As the title translates, it is all about honour, love, and hate and the extremes people will go to satisfy their needs in those situations. Insaity, pain, grief, heartache, joy, bliss, loss, sorrow, contenment, selfishness, and a thousand other human emotions vie in their realities. People die, bad things happen, and life and its consequences are more apparent and effectual than in the Ranma 1/2 series. But there is also hope, love, and friendship.
It is real life, and that is my only warning.
************************************************************************
Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi
A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic
by: Joseph Kohle
Part I: The Step Beyond
Chapter II Through a New Door
~ 1 ~
Ranma winced as the doctor prodded his side. Lifting his head, he glanced down at his stomach. An angry, puckered, red gash followed the line of his rib cage from almost the center of his chest to the side of his abdomen. Around two dozen staples sutured the wound. On top of this he could feel the stiffness from countless other stitches knitting his internal organs together.
The doctor, Tenmatsu, was being gentle, his thin hands softly probing Ranma's flesh. Thankful for the small kindness, Ranma watched the doctor work. At the moment, he was absorbed in his work. His dark eyes remained intent on his patient. Absently, he brushed an errant lock of dark hair from out of his eyes before pressing firmly against the wound.
Ranma involuntarily gasped at the pain. His side still hurt on a regular basis, but this pain was stronger than it had been all day.
"Hmm . . . " Tenmatsu-sensei mumbled.
"What?" Ranma asked through clenched teeth. He hated being incapacitated, and he despised being treated as if he were weak. Sure, he might have almost died, but he was healing rapidly. It was only a matter of days before he could return to a semi-normal routine. He did not need this attention.
"You're a lucky young man," Tenmatsu observed empathically, as he covered Ranma back up. "I don't know how you did it, but that knife nearly completely severed an artery. That's why you lost so much blood. Also the fact that it sliced through the upper abdominal muscles and cut your large intestine did not help anything. Most people would have died from the amount of blood you lost. Like I said, you were lucky."
Ranma shrugged his shoulders as if the comment was expected.
"I want you to stay off of your feet for a few days. Give your body a chance to heal. Even though Dr. Toufu says you are able to go home. I still think you should stay here an extra day or two." He looked at Ranma pleadingly, but Ranma pointedly ignored the look. Instead he turned his attention to Akane, who was sitting across from his bed.
Sighing in defeat Tenmatsu-sensei checked off a few things on Ranma's chart. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you though," he said and left the room, the door closing silently behind him, and then latching.
"You could've been nicer to him, Ranma," Akane said, sliding her chair closer to his bed.
"What did I do?" Ranma demanded irritably.
"You ignored him, and kept looking at him like he was wasting your time," she explained evenly, trying to keep her temper despite Ranma's stubbornness, "He's only trying to help you."
Sighing, Ranma sank back into his pillows in defeat. He was not up to an argument, and he knew Akane was right. "I know he is, but I hate being in a hospital. Besides Toufu-sensei said I could go home."
Shaking her head, Akane decided to change the subject. Like Ranma she did not want an argument. They had not had one since he had woken up two days ago, and she was not in a hurry to start. Ranma had promised her that he would try and be more reasonable, and she had promised to listen to him before she hit him with something. Really those two things were the single biggest cause of their skirmishes.
"Have you decided what we are going to tell our parents?" she asked. It was obvious to both of them that the truth was too dangerous to tell anyone. First of all, a forced marriage was a certainty if Akane's father learned that she was no longer a virgin. Secondly, Ranma had enough problems with his other fiances and people in school without having it be common knowledge that he had tried to kill himself, especially over a misunderstanding.
"We can't say it was all a dream, can we?" Ranma suggested. Akane gave him a cold stare. "I guess not."
Suddenly Ranma's eyes lit up and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "We're so blind!"
"What?" Akane asked apprehensively. She didn't like that look in Ranma's eyes.
"Well it is really simple. I'm amazed you didn't see it first."
"Ranma!" Akane growled.
"I mean it has to be believable," His eyes glittered, and he leaned closer to Akane, his lips scant inches from her cheek. "You . . ."
"Yes?" His hot breath distracted her, igniting a small blush in her cheeks.
His lips nipped at her own. A delicious thrill ran through her body for a moment, dulling Ranma's next statement.
"Attacked me with a knife."
He was on the other side of the bed, laughing before she could react.
"Ranma!" Akane stormed. She wasn't mad. Ranma's laughing gaze, and his bright smile, told her it was a joke. But, he was not getting off that easily. She would get her revenge.
Smiling, Akane leaned forward. "Ranma?" Her hand caressed the pillow beside his head, her fingers gently sweeping across his ear.
"Yes?" He waited for it, but enjoyed the play.
"I'm not taking the blame for this, Ranma," Akane stated evenly.
Her fingers clenched, and suddenly Ranma had no pillow, as it flew into the air and crashed against his face, muffling his startled exclamation.
Clawing the pillow away, Ranma and Akane broke into smiles, their enjoyment bubbling underneath the surface. Silence enveloped about them, leaving only the comfortable moment.
Both new the test had been passed with flying colours. They were having fun, and enjoying the moment, despite the weight hanging above them. Maybe there was a chance.
Akane shook away the serenity first, realizing that they only had a little while before their fathers returned. Sighing, Akane retreated to the original plan. "Why can't it just be a training accident?"
Ranma shook his head. This was probably going to lead to an argument. "We weren't talking the whole week before," Ranma reasoned, "No one's going to believe we were training in your room."
"Do you have a better idea?" Akane snapped back. The situation grated against her nerves. They were accomplishing nothing. "If you do than give it to me, Ranma. I know this is flimsy. But what else do we have?"
"Ah . . . I, ah" he began, and then stopped, a look of confusion crossing his face. Throwing up his hands in defeat, he burrowed into his pillows even deeper. "Why do you have to be right so often?" he muttered.
She directed a smile at him. "Oh, c'mon. I'll let you win the next time." Ranma flashed her a dirty look, but it did not last very long. He was finding it harder and harder to stay angry with Akane when she smiled at him. Somehow, she had discovered that chink in his defensive wall and was exploiting it ruthlessly. It did not matter to Ranma. He would find her weakness soon enough.
His face softening, Ranma smiled back at her. It was nice sitting, well, actually lying while she sat next to him, and talking like civilized people for once. They had discussed a lot since yesterday. Most of it revolved around their relationship, trying to find some sort of neutral ground from which they could work.
Both of them had realized and accepted that the problems in their relationship were not the other one's fault entirely; although, Akane was still adamant on the fact that if he had told her about the curse in the first place, they might have started on better terms. Realizing it was futile to argue, and with an understanding that it was only a small thing, Ranma let her have that point. There were other points that were just as big, like her seemingly endless ability to jump to the wrong conclusions. He had also made her promise to stay away from weapons and heavy objects when they were fighting.
That did not come without a price though. He had to avoid his other fiancees as much as possible. Personally, Ranma considered that unfair. It was not his fault that they chased him. What was he supposed to do, lock himself in the basement? Akane actually had the gall to consider that idea for a brief moment before relenting and only stipulating that he not seek them out, and that he get rid of them as fast as possible when they found him.
One thing they had not discussed was his mouth. Ranma was thankful for that boon. He knew that he often spoke without thinking, resulting in the hurt feelings of the people he cared for or the major misunderstandings and problems that plagued him. Really, he did not want to hurt people, but he just always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. Instead he had promised himself, at least around Akane, to watch what he said. It was hard. It had taken all of his control not to lash out at her during their discussion on the alibi.
Sighing, Ranma turned to watch the wall. Was it possible for them to put it all behind? To go on like nothing had happened? Truthfully he did not know. He wanted it to be true. He would do everything he could do to make it true, but somehow he knew how small of a chance they actually had. But he was not going to let it discourage him. There was a chance, small though it may be. At one point, something had to go right in his life, and he wanted this to be the thing that did.
"What are you thinking about?" Akane asked him.
"How hard this is going to be, for us both," he said absently, still thinking of their relationship.
"Mmm-hmm," Akane agreed, "But it is the easiest way to explain your injury."
Confused, Ranma snapped his attention over to her and just nodded as she smiled at him. Why burden her with his depressing thoughts? Let her be happy for a while. She deserved it. Ranma just wished someone would decide he deserved a little happiness in his life.
The next half-hour blurred as they hurriedly flushed out the details of the story, much to Ranma's chagrin. But as Akane had said, it was the easiest way.
It was a fairly simple alibi. Ranma had accepted a challenge to fight another martial artist with blade weapons, and since he knew nothing about kendo, he had gone to Akane who had studied the art when she was younger.
They had been practicing with a real tanto so he could get used to moving with a weapon in his hand and because they had not been able to find a wooden facsimile. As usual they had erupted into an argument, neither one took the blame for starting it, but everyone was so used to their arguments that who started it was a moot point.
Exasperated, Ranma had turned and left the room, only to tangle himself in a pile of clothes. Since he was not used to a weapon in his hand, he did not know how to react, and so reacted like he always did, and rolled with the fall. This had the unfortunate side-effect of slamming the tanto into his body, and ripping the wound open as he rolled.
It was simple and straight forward.
The story was also as believable as free property in Tokyo. He knew it. Akane knew it. Kunou would be able to see past the fabricated fable.
And Nabiki? She'd eat it for lunch.
The facts were indisputable. Why would he practice with a tanto instead of a bokken? Besides why would he be practicing with weapons anyway? His martial arts were refined enough that disarming an opponent was easier than fighting with weapons himself. That and the fact that the story made him look like a complete incompetent did not make it any easier for him to swallow.
It just wasn't fair, he decided finally. Life had a grudge against him.
Surprisingly, the story was received with few questions, although Ranma saw Nabiki's unsatisfied expression. Nabiki had a nose for when things did not sound right, and Ranma knew this reeked worse than a fish wharf. Luckily, Nabiki either forgot to press the issue, or was not too interested in the actual story. Ranma really did not care for the explanation. If Nabiki was unsatisfied, she kept quiet about it, which suited Ranma perfectly. There were other problems he had to deal with, like his father.
During the entire time Akane and himself had related the story, Genma's expression had darkened like approaching thunder clouds. Finally, as the last words were spoken, and silence descended on the room, the storm broke. "Boy, do you have any common sense?" Genma thundered, "And I thought I trained you well. But no! You've gotta do something idiotic like this."
Grumbling he turned away, but did not even reach the far side of the bed before striking like lightning. His hands grabbed Ranma by the collar and hauled his son's face within inches of his own. "Is your training slipping? It must be. A four-year-old would've handled that fall better."
It took Ranma's entire being to control his instinct to fight back. Only Akane's intervention saved Genma.
"Put him down!" Akane snapped, slamming her fist into Genma's kidney. Grunting, Ranma's father loosened his hold on Ranma. "Do you want to open his wound again? For kami's sake, have you no decency? He is your son, and he is still injured!"
The room stilled, and then Genma nodded, turning away from Ranma and Akane both. Releasing his grip, he stepped back from the bed.
"From the moment you get home, Boy," Genma stated, "Till the moment I see some improvement, I'll run you ragged, train you into the ground. You're going to find out how many separate muscles you've got in that body because every single one'll be sore when I'm through with you."
"Nearly killing yourself on a pile of clothes," Genma muttered, turning away from his son and walking out of the room. "That's not right. That's disgraceful."
Stung and hurt by his father's words, Ranma sank deep into his pillows. Maybe if he told him the truth, he'd go easier. At least then, Ranma figured, he would have done something honorable, but a quick glance at Akane's pained and sorrowful expression stopped him from speaking out in his defense. The fact that she felt sorrow for him made it easier to bear. Somehow he knew she was going to be extra nice around him for a few days, and that made his father's tongue fade into the past.
The others were a little more supportive of him. Kasumi simply commented on how happy she was that he was going to be okay. Soun of course wept over him and left without a comment. Surprisingly Nabiki was fairly quiet, only offering words similar to Kasumi's. This all suited Ranma perfectly, who did not need or want too much attention. It was bad enough dealing with his father's scorn, and the humiliation this story was going to spawn when it reached school. The price of his stupidity he figured. For some reason he seemed to paying that more often these days.
"C'mon, how bad could it be?" Akane asked when they were alone again.
"We're talking about Oyaji," Ranma stated glumly, "Training me is his one and only goal in life. This is going to be very bad." Akane patted his hand reassuringly, but it did not help. Ranma was dreading going home now. Maybe he should take that doctor's advice and stay longer.
~ 2 ~
Nabiki listened outside Ranma's hospital room for a few minutes before silently slipping away. Nothing, absolutely nothing. She had been sure that the two would have let down their guards after the family left, but obviously Ranma and Akane were not taking any chances.
The entire situation infuriated Nabiki to no end. There was money to be made here. It was sitting right in front of her. She just could not reach it. She despised not having all the facts. Ranma was in the hospital for a reason. And it was not a training accident.
Nabiki grimaced in disgust as she walked past the nurse station.
It was more unbelievable than campaign promises and had holes in it large enough for Kunou's ego to pass through comfortably. But the problem was that she had no leverage to get the real story. Something had happened in her sister's room, something very drastic, but for the life of her she was unable to figure it out.
She stopped in front of the elevator bank and stabbed the down button in frustration.
There were too many conflicting points to the whole situation. Before Ranma had gone to the hospital, Ranma and his fiancee had not spoken a single word to each other. Like petulant siblings they avoided each other constantly. At school, Akane did not speak of him. And Ranma had not even deigned to attend class to escape Akane.
Akane had growled in anger every time Ranma's name was mentioned, and if it involved her name with his, the resulting display was on the edge of being a form of art. Furthermore, Ranma had literally disappeared that entire week. There had been only two meals that he had come to, one the morning he had gone to the hospital, the other a dinner in the middle of the week. At each event, Ranma had been quiet and eaten slowly for once in his life. He had spoken nothing to any member of the family and simply disappeared afterwards.
The elevator buzzed as it hit the floor and the door slid opened. It was empty, much to Nabiki's relief. Stepping aboard she pushed the button for the lobby. God she wished figuring out Ranma was as easy as choosing a floor.
Nabiki was not even sure if he had even slept at the house, she certainly hadn't been able to find him when she wanted to get a few pictures.
And the next thing she knew, he was in the hospital, apparently stabbed by a tanto.
At first Nabiki had thought Akane might have attacked him in a fit of anger, but she dismissed that as the evidence began to gather. She had been in the room next to her sister's when the entire thing happened, and she remembered nothing that sounded like a fight. Actually, it had been fairly quiet until Akane had screamed and then Ranma's scream of pain a heartbeat later.
So if Akane had done nothing, then the blame fell to Ranma by default. Yet what could he have done? Maybe it really was a training accident. She shook her head in denial. That was not possible, Ranma was too good for that, besides she had never seen him practice with a weapon, yet whenever he picked one up he was as proficient with it as if he had been born to the thing. No, it was not an accident. There had been something deliberate about what had happened. It had the feel of something that had gone wrong like . . . well she didn't know and that was what frustrated her.
The elevator slowed, and the door opened revealing the bright lobby. Stepping off the elevator, Nabiki followed the signs toward the outpatient entrance to the hospital. Kasumi and the others would be waiting for her there. Absently she paid attention to signs, but really her mind was dwelling on several days ago.
She had listened at the door when Ranma had first been stabilized. Akane was inside with him, talking underneath her breath, crying softly. Most of the words were blurred by the door and Akane's soft, sobbing whispers as Nabiki sat outside, hoping to uncover a small morsel to whet her appetite. For thirty minutes she sat patiently and listened, and the only clue that flitted through was near the end when Akane exploded briefly. "Baka," Akane suddenly snapped in a voice filled with anger and grief, "Why did you do this? Don't you ever think? You didn't hurt me. You never have . . . " The rest retreated into nonsense as Akane began crying again.
Was it possible that Ranma had meant to injure himself? It didn't seem like the Ranma she knew. He was always so confident and easy going about life, but if the circumstances were right . . .
But what circumstances could ever be that right?
The training trip? No one knew what had happened there, only that they had returned separately. He could have insulted or hurt Akane.
But if he had, why was her sister protecting him?
Massaging her temples to relieve the strain, Nabiki halted in the bright corridor, a few patients walking around her.
Could Ranma have somehow hurt Akane?
The sudden thought froze her. Was it possible? Could Ranma have tried to enact some atonement in one of his drastic and ill-thought out ideas?
A small crowd of doctors and interns turned the corner, forcing Nabiki to hastily dodge aside. As the group rushed by, Nabiki caught only a few words about a recent operation. But the interruption had already done its damage as she stood in the next corridor.
The thought of Ranma hurting himself just did not seem plausible anymore. He was terrified of death. Nabiki had only to look as far as Ranma's hidden relationship with his mother.
Scowling, Nabiki stormed down the corridor, hoping to catch up with her family before they reached the train station.
Everything was one big enigma, a Rubric's Cube of what ifs and unanswered questions. There was a pattern but she was missing one key element, and she had no clue what it was. But she would. If it killed her, she was going to uncover the very heart of this situation, and then the money would be coming.
~ 3 ~
Pivoting, Ranma spun his body, his foot whipping around to land with a solid thwack against the wooden post. Without pause another kick connected, followed closely by a blizzard of punches. The dojo resounded with the staccato claps of each of his strikes.
Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, rolling across his cheeks and lips leaving a salty taste on his tongue. Drops fell from his nose and hair with each attack to splatter on the wooden floor. A dull sheen of sweat covered his naked shoulders and chest.
He was tired. The past few hours had become a blur in his mind. There was only the solid rhythm of his continuous strikes against the unoffending post. He did not care about what he had practiced or what he still had to do. Only the present was important. It required too much energy to think of anything else.
The constant training had slowly drained him. This was only his second day back from the hospital and he was still recovering from the loss of blood. What did that matter to his father? As long as the story stuck, he suffered unending training to redress his mistake. Oyaji had promised to grind him into the ground, and he was already close to doing it.
His arms felt like leaden weights, each strike a struggle for the precision and speed that marked his expertise. Dimly he was aware that his form was suffering under his exhaustion. He knew he should end now, but he never gave up. If it killed him, he would finish this sequence.
So he pushed onward, feeling like he was fighting in a vat of molasses. He simply went through the series. Jab, jab, knife hand, snap kick, roundhouse, backhand, jab, jab, jab, forearm, dropkick, uppercut, flip to gain position . . . on and on it went through his mind, an endless rhythm that he had worked hundreds of times. Each series became harder and harder, until he had taken himself to the limit. With a low growl he launched a final series, unwilling to give in, to let his father beat him down.
Jab, jab, knife hand . . . I didn't do anything wrong . . . snap kick, roundhouse . . . It's just that stupid story . . . backhand, jab, jab . . . if I was able to tell him the truth I could be relaxing . . . jab, forearm . . . he has no right to punish me . . . dropkick . . . why'd I go along with Akane? . . . uppercut, flip back to position . . . why do I suffer!? . . . spin kick, snapkick . . . why does life treat me like this? . . . jab, spin, backhand . . . it's not fair . . . jab, jab, jab, jab . . . CRAAAACK! The top of the post flew from the rest of the post to slam and stick into the wall. Exhausted Ranma could only drop to his knees and finally lean against the ruined post, his breathing heavy and laboured, his eyes shut.
Oxygen-starved muscles burned throughout his body. He sucked in air through his mouth, deeply and evenly. Slowly his heart stopped thudding in his chest and resumed its normal pace. Rarely did he have such an intensive training session. Placed on top of his weakened condition, it was amazing that he had survived. Several hours of sparring with his father, jogging before that, kata and combination practices afterwards. The afternoon had disappeared in a blur of sweat and repetition. He only had a vague idea what time it was, and that was only because his stomach was empty and growling.
He knew he should probably go inside the house. Kasumi was probably already preparing the table.
His body had other ideas though, it wanted him to stay there. So he did and just relaxed in the dojo, slowly gaining back his strength, as he slipped gently into a dreamless half-sleep.
Sensing a new presence in the dojo woke Ranma from his rest.
"Ranma?" Akane's voice was tentative, her step light, barely audible, as she walked across the floor. Ranma opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark outside.
He yawned and stretched, his muscles tightening painfully for a second before relaxing, leaving him refreshed.
Next his gaze wandered to Akane, who was walking toward him, almost to him. She was carrying a plate covered with a napkin, the delicious aroma of food reaching Ranma, causing his stomach to grumble in anticipation. Smirking at his reaction, Akane removed the napkin and sat in front of him before beginning to nibble at the food.
"I'm sorry you missed dinner, Ranma," Akane said in a sorrowful voice, "Kasumi really outdid herself." She stabbed a piece of pork from the full plate with a chopstick and admired it for a moment before taking a bite from it. Chewing quickly, she swallowed it and sighed in pleasure. "Delicious."
Mouth agape, Ranma stared at his iinazuke. It was obvious she was not going to share the food with him, and was purposefully torturing him with it. What had he done now?
"Well, I'm full." Akane smiled at him as if nothing was wrong and dropped the half-eaten piece of pork back on the plate and recovered it with the napkin. That was the final straw.
"Akane," Ranma half-growled, half-pleaded yet it was fully underlaid with dismayed shock. Much to his surprise, Akane started laughing, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and then patted him on the cheek.
"Oh stop it. Do you think I'm ready to start fighting with you? The food's for you."
Ranma glared at her, but grabbed the plate and began wolfing down the food. "That's not funny," he mumbled around a mouthful, of rice, "I was starving."
"Gomen, but I just couldn't resist." She dropped her eyes demurely. "You're not mad, are you?"
Sighing, he swallowed. "No. I-it's just that I'm tired, Akane. Oyaji is working me ragged, and I'm in no mood for fun right now. A bath and bed sounds better."
"Oh, and I was going to see if you wanted to go to the new Jackie Chan movie, but if you're too tired . . . " She left it hanging and started to leave.
"Nani?" Ranma sputtered in shock.
"The Jackie Chan movie," Akane explained smiling, "I was going to take you to it. You know, kinda make up for all the trouble my story is putting you through. But if you're tired, well that is up to you."
"No, no, no," Ranma gushed, pushing away the empty plate. Akane was asking him for a date, or something like that. He quickly pinched his arm, a sharp pain confirmed that he was very awake. "Arigato." He smiled tentatively. "I guess I need some fun. You know how the last week and a half's gone."
"Baka," she said walking away, "It was all your fault, so don't blame me, or look for pity because there's none coming."
"Really," Ranma shot back, regaining some of his composure, "I seem to be suffering for your story."
Akane glanced back over her shoulder. "Do you want me to tell the truth?" Ranma shook his head slowly. "Then just be glad I'm not making you take me out."
Ranma groaned, but before he could think of anything insulting enough to say, Akane had disappeared out the door.
"Oh, be ready in thirty minutes." Her voice floated back from the yard.
Muttering under his breath about the unfairness of the gods and violent tomboys, Ranma stood up on stiff legs and walked from the dojo, heading to the house.
He was seriously tempted to go find Akane and tell her to forget the whole thing. A whole evening of her in this present attitude was not exactly on his list of favorites, but being smashed into the floor by her bokken was high on his list to avoid also, so he would go.
Resigned to his fate, Ranma plodded into the house and headed to the bathroom. Walking in, he shed his remaining clothes. The furo was already filled with hot water, simply waiting for him. Anxious to take the invitation, Ranma grabbed the soap and sat on the stool. Filling the bucket beside the stool, he emptied the cold water over his body, feeling the familiar change. Ranma-onna scrubbed the dirt and sweat away from her body, her mind still whirling in confusion.
The fact that Akane had actually asked him out was floating in his head, the implications of the act hovering on the edge of his thoughts like a stalking tiger; however, his exhaustion and own doubts about the whole thing kept the creature at bay.
He just had one of those feelings like a deer that has been singled out for prey. There was something wrong with this whole thing. He was certain that the night was going to end up as they always did, with him flying through the air with the imprint of Super Deluxe Mallet by Craftsman 'We Make Tools to Last' on his forehead. Of course the entire incident was going to be a misunderstanding, but what could one such as he do? Trouble and strife followed him like a lost puppy.
"Just spare me tonight, please. I don't need any more problems," he silently pleaded. Sighing Ranma-onna washed the soap and grime from her body. A soft groan rumbled in her throat as she slipped into the comfortable furo. Ranma began to unwind as she slipped back into his true form, the heat of the water relaxing his taut muscles and clearing his mind.
Thirty minutes later, he was dressed in his normal black pants and red Chinese shirt. He was impatient to get this over with and get some sleep. What was taking her so long? She had said thirty minutes, forty minutes ago.
There was a small sound from the top of the stairs. Turning, he sucked in his breath in surprise, his eyes wide. Akane was walking down the stairs, smiling at him.
A frilled black mid-thigh skirt swirled around her legs. She wore a purple sweater vest over a black turtle neck, a gold chain necklace fastened around her neck. The whole effect was stunning.
Beautiful hardly described what he saw.
Smiling, Akane walked up to him. He stood, his mind still reeling from the Akane that stood before him. "How do I look?" she asked.
"Uh . . . uh," he faltered. At that moment he wished he had Kunou's flare for words, since nothing was entering his mind. "You look great."
It was the best he could find on short notice.
"Really?" Akane asked, "You think it's fine."
"Uh, yeah," Ranma said his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "We're only going to a movie." The glare she suddenly gave him could have frozen water.
"Just going to a movie." Her voice was low and threatening.
At that moment several things began to connect in Ranma's overworked mind. Their recent discussion in the hospital, the sorrowful look she had given him at his father's proclamation, her bringing food to him, asking him to a movie, and now all of this, Could she want this to be more than an apology? Does she really want this to be a date?
Carefully, he glanced at her. She'd never worn anything like that before. Maybe this is a real date. The thought was chilling, yet somewhat satisfying. Akane and him on a date together.
A nervous smile appeared on his face. "Gomen, I . . . I didn't mean it that way. Really, I don't want you to change a thing. Y-you're fine just like that. I'd be glad to go to the movie with you."
Her expression softening, Akane looked him up and down. "You might like my outfit, but you really should wear something different. Don't you get tired of the same style day after day?"
"Nani?" Ranma blinked.
"You're so pathetic! Ah, who cares? You look fine! Just remember, you owe me for not making you change," she explained.
Ranma, still wondering what was wrong with his clothing, decided it would be best to just get out of the house before anyone found out that they were going on a date. Standing quietly in front of Akane, Ranma tentatively offered his arm. If she wanted a date, he would at least try and make it a decent one. Smiling at his offer, Akane took the offered arm and they both started out for the movie, casting nervous glances at each other.
~ 4 ~
Shampoo was riding back from delivering an order of ramen when she noticed Ranma and Akane walking together down the street, chatting amiably. Although Great-grandmother was expecting her, she was intrigued by this scene and decided to follow them, just in case the violent tomboy was trying to steal her husband. Besides, curiosity and the cat are never far apart.
As she followed them in stealth, Shampoo was quite proud with herself for not once rushing in and asking Ranma for a date, although she was tempted several times.
She simply watched.
And as she watched, she became increasingly amazed and more worried by the minute.
Husband and Violent Tomboy were not fighting. For the entire time she followed them, Shampoo never saw even the glimmer of their infamous tempers. Worse, she saw Ranma take Akane's hand or allow her to link arms with him several times, although these were only brief, with both nervously stepping aside as they realized they were in public. But never more than a few inches separated their hands.
They were getting along. It wasn't supposed to be like that. "Ranma not like violent tomboy, like me," she muttered in broken Japanese. But the evidence was before her, and then the crushing blow fell. Both stopped in front of the cinema and bought tickets before disappearing inside.
White-hot rage burned around and within her, glowing dully in the night's darkness. "Husband will take that violent tomboy on a date, but not me, Shampoo, his bride?" she growled in Mandarin. The people on the street were walking wide circles around this obviously enraged girl. "I will make this date live in infamy for both of them. And then Husband will take Shampoo on a date, without violent tomboy."
Smiling maliciously, Shampoo walked toward the theater.
~ 5 ~
Grabbing the jumbo popcorn, two Cokes and two boxes of Junior Mints, Ranma left the snack bar and returned to the theater balancing the food easily as he walked. So far the 'date' had gone surprisingly well. They had walked to the theater together, chatting idly about absolutely nothing of importance. Both knew what constituted dangerous topics, so they had avoided them and instead concentrated on mundane topics, like friends and school. Occasionally Ranma had thrown in one of his more amusing training adventures with his father. All in all it had been a nice walk over. Several times he had relaxed enough to hold Akane's hand, or offer her his arm again. He smiled at the memory of her warmth against his side.
Slipping quietly into the theater, he made his way to their seats. Akane was waiting patiently for him, watching the previews showing on the screen. Sitting down, he handed the food to her. "Here's the stuff you wanted, Akane."
"Arigato," she replied and grabbed a Coke and one of the Junior Mints. For a moment she looked confused and then turned to look at Ranma. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Nani?"
"My nachos, baka!"
Ranma started then smiled nervously, "Gomen, guess I forgot. I'll go get 'em." It was taking all of his discipline not to tell her to go get her own nachos. It wasn't like she needed them. They had only had dinner an hour or so ago.
"Don't worry about it," Akane said, standing up, "I'll go get them myself. I'll be back in a minute." She wormed past him and disappeared up the aisle.
Sinking back into his seat Ranma watched the previews roll across the screen. It was not like Akane to back down from an argument that fast. Maybe she was making sure this night was perfect. It did not matter. He was enjoying himself. She was obviously having a good time. Not to mention the fact that she was beautiful tonight. A picture of her standing on top of the stairs filled his eyes.
He cared for her a lot, loved her actually. It was just so hard to come out and say those words when he was in control of himself. To show emotion like that was just not in him. Stoicism was his nature, and it was hard to change that. But still, she was particularly ravishing tonight. Idly he wondered where this night might lead them.
"Nihao, Ranma." Ranma cringed as he heard Shampoo's voice. He had known the night was too good to be true. Something had to go wrong.
"Yo, Shampoo," he muttered in response, his voice flat and unemotional, "What're you doing here?"
"Shampoo see Husband go into theater with violent girl," Shampoo explained in a bubbly voice, sitting down next to Ranma in Akane's vacated seat, "Shampoo think you on date with her."
"I am," Ranma answered without thinking.
"You go on date with girl you not like, but not Shampoo." It was a statement, but somehow the Amazon seemed to make it a question and insult him at the same time.
"She asked me," Ranma explained getting annoyed with the girl. She was going to ruin everything. If he could just get rid of her before Akane came back. "So could you, uh, just go." It sounded lame, and he did not put much force behind his voice, but it was all he was able to think of at the moment.
"No, Shampoo take over date, violent girl can get own date," she stated in a tone that broached no argument. Ranma groaned as Shampoo grabbed onto his arm and sipped at Akane's Coke. "So what we watch."
"We are watching nothing. Akane and I are watching this movie. Now leave." Ranma was becoming desperate. He had to get rid of Shampoo before Akane came back. He refused to let this evening be ruined. His evenings were always ruined by jealous fiancees or crazed rivals. Just once, one time, he wanted a normal night out.
"Don't Husband want Shampoo?" she asked in a quiet voice, looking up at him, eyes glistening.
"No," Ranma nearly shouted. Please just leave, please. "Just go away. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Shampoo don't see what you find in ugly, violent girl. Has she ever done this to you?" With that she kissed Ranma, locking her arms around his neck in a vice grip that made it impossible for him to break, and he did try.
Unfortunately Akane chose that moment to return.
Akane entered their row and saw Ranma apparently kissing Shampoo and obviously enjoying it from how much he was wriggling in her grasp. White hot rage exploded in her mind. This night of all nights.
He promised.
He promised!
"RANMA NO BAKA!" she screamed and slammed her fist into his head. This broke the kiss and sent Ranma slamming into the floor with an audible grunt.
Akane had not sated her rage though. Next she turned on Shampoo, and before the Amazon could move slammed her half-way across the theater. Then she turned back to Ranma, ready to finish the job.
Ranma had seen what had happened to Shampoo and was personally thrilled. The bloody bitch deserved it as far as he was concerned. Now however he had to make amends with Akane.
He looked up at her glowing form. Tears were streaming down her face. "A-akane, let me . . ." he began.
"Explain!?" There was a derogatory tilt to the word. "There is nothing to explain. I wanted this to be special. Just us. I thought you understood. You promised me Ranma. No other fiancees. I guess you don't care." She was sobbing now, her hammer having disappeared from her hands. "You promised. I hate you Ranma!" She spun on her heels and fled from the theater.
His heart torn, Ranma watched her go. It was not his fault, he knew that, but it still hurt. The night had been ruined once again because he had never gotten rid of any of his fiancees. Ruined because he had never cared, had enjoyed the attention. At that moment he hated himself.
"Shampoo glad violent tomboy gone. Shampoo'll kill her later for hitting husband and Shampoo, but now have husband to self."
Shampoo chose the wrong time to come back, the wrong words to say, the wrong night, the wrong everything. Ranma rounded on her, his eyes blazing, his aura glowing blue in the darkened and very quiet theater.
"Shampoo will do nothing." His voice was cold, sharp as a razor. He pronounced each word carefully, using them like weapons. He was sick of his life. He was sick of all of his fiancees. They were ruining him. They had ruined tonight. They had ruined the last year and a half of his life, but no more.
"Huh?" Shampoo asked, "But violent girl..."
"Shut up!" he snarled, "I am sick of this. I am sick of all of my fiancees. I'm sick of the trouble this gets me in. From now on I'm no one's fiancee. Do you understand me?" His finger stabbed at Shampoo, stopping inches from her chest.
"But Ranma beat Shampoo, you are husband," she explained her eyes wide and confused.
"That," he spat the word, "Is an Amazon custom and law. We are in Japan, not China and not even remotely near your village. In Japan I've got a choice in this matter, and I don't want to marry you. I am not your husband- to-be. Is that understood?!?!" Shampoo nodded mutely, her eyes wide in shock, her mouth moving soundlessly. "Now leave me alone!" With that he spun on his heel and left the theater, hoping he could find Akane. Behind him Shampoo began to cry, sobbing uncontrollably as she collapsed to her knees. Ranma did not see her. He would not have cared if he had.
Rushing out of the theater, he desperately scanned the street. It was only sparsely populated with pedestrians. Because of this he saw Akane the instant before she disappeared around a distant corner.
Leaping to the rooftops he began to follow her.
He caught up with her easily, but stayed slightly behind. She was hurt. She was mad. He himself was furious, and he had no real plan in mind. What he had done to Shampoo had been spur of the moment. In his anger he had lashed out in the most effective way, not physically but emotionally, ripping her heart out. He knew how she felt, and he knew that what he had done was worse than anything he might have hit her with in a fight.
As he pursued Akane, though, his thoughts returned again and again to his words. "I'm sick of all of my fiancees. I'm sick of the trouble they get me in. From now on I'm no one's fiancee." In his anger he had stumbled on a sort of truth. So many of his problem revolved around his fiancees. Ukyou and Shampoo were always vying with Akane for his attention, creating bizarre situations, changing people's personalities with magic, fighting him, plotting against the others, trying to hurt Akane. Kunou hated him because he was Akane's fiancee, Ryouga had also made that one of his biggest grudges against Ranma. Even all of his strange adventures to find a cure linked somehow. Most of them he never would have had if not for Shampoo and Cologne, or Ryouga for that matter. Ranma shuddered remembering the fabled naniichuan under the girl's locker room.
It stood to reason that if he renounced all of his engagements, most of his problems would go away. Oh, he had no delusions that they would magically disappear. No, Kodachi was still out there, and Shampoo and Cologne did not know the meaning of the word quit, come to think of it, Shampoo didn't know the meaning of most Japanese words. Ukyou probably would still chase him, since she professed to love him.
Somehow though it seemed like it would be better. A fresh start. His present fiancees would not be in such a fierce competition for him. He might even finally be able to have a normal relationship. Yet if he broke of the engagement with Akane, he would hurt her. He knew he would, just like he had hurt Shampoo tonight and would hurt Ukyou tomorrow if he decided on this course.
He did not want to hurt her, but all these other fiancees and problems were hurting her also. Maybe, if they did break the engagement, they could start over, learn to be friends before they became lovers. It had all started on the wrong foot anyway. Engaged by their fathers against their wills. Then he had shown up as a girl. Yet the sparring match had been an auspicious start. Akane had let down her guard, they had been slowly becoming friends. But then . . . then the infamous bathroom episode and the fighting had begun.
Now they did not know how to stop it. He cared for her, loved her in his own way. He wanted her to be happy, to be safe and protected, but they always fought. He knew deep down that as long as things remained unchanged they never were going to become close. Too much bad blood had been spilled.
In the hospital he had come to understand how little of a chance they had, and maybe, just maybe this was that small chance. If it worked, if they put all the relationships behind them, even theirs, it then became their choice. Besides, they were too young to know what they wanted, who they wanted. They were only seventeen.
Akane turned into the park. Ranma was close behind her. After a time though, she stopped next to a tree and collapsed. Despite standing several dozen meters from her, Ranma still heard her sobs, saw her shoulders shake. In a sense what had happened was his fault. He had never dealt with the other fiancees, but then he had never had a good reason. He had not admitted his feelings before. Now he had.
Yet he did not move forward. He knew he was about to do something potentially very dangerous. He was about to shatter his family's honor, tarnishing it by denying his father's wishes and the family's promise to the Tendou name. For both Akane and for Ukyou, who also had a legitimate claim, the giri would be a sticking point.
No, not even as small as a sticking point. In the end, with the giri abandoned, he would have to amend the damage somehow. And a simple marriage would probably not be enough at that point.
Ranma cursed silently. Sometimes he truly wished he was not involved with traditionalist families. Emotion didn't matter to them, only honour.
But then, was it not the same with Shampoo and her tribe?
Breaking with Shampoo had been done in a fit of anger, normally he would never have done such a thing. Because he had beat her and was a martial artist, his honor told him to accept the law of her tribe and allow her to be his fiancee. He did not love her, he did not want her as a fiancee, but she was one. It didn't matter if everything had been a mistake, it was still binding.
The honour of his family was different than his own though. He would tarnish his own to do the right thing, but to tarnish the family name just because it was convenient was dangerous. Seppuku was the least of his worries. It did not matter if he was intending to try and create a relationship with Akane. The vow would be broken.
"But I don't want to lose her," he whispered into the night air. "I love her."
Her sobs made him step hesitantly forward. What was life worth if he could not have her? Is my honor worth that much? He remembered her in the clearing. The bleakness that had filled him.
No, it wasn't.
Damn his family. Damn his honour. This was Akane. The girl he had nearly thrown his life away for, who had almost died to save him. HE would not allow her to suffer because he was scared of his mother and the price he would pay to make things right.
"Go away," she said angrily as he walked up to her and waited patiently for her to notice him.
"I need to talk to you," he said quietly.
"There's nothing to say. I saw it all. Now go away."
"You saw only the end," he insisted, "Besides you promised to at least listen to my side."
"Why should I keep my promise when you broke yours?" she demanded fiercely.
"Because I didn't break my promise," he snapped losing his patience. "Do you think I wanted Shampoo there? I was enjoying the night. I liked being with you. I was enjoying myself."
"Obviously," Akane drawled, "Shampoo seemed to be enjoying herself too."
"She came into the theater, looking for me. I asked her to leave, but she didn't. Then she insulted you when I said I was with you, then she kissed me."
Akane remained quiet, staring at him. Her anger was still radiating like the heat from an oven. She was not pacified yet. Ranma took a breath and continued, "After you left, I was furious. I rounded on Shampoo and chewed her out, then I told her that any claim she had on me was gone. I don't care what her law says, she is never to be my fiancee again."
"You said that?" Akane asked incredulous, her mood lightening at the words.
"Hai."
"But why? I thought you liked all of the fiancees chasing you. It made you a stud," she had stopped crying but was still keeping her distance.
"My fiancees only cause me trouble, with school, with our families, with other people, and with you. I don't want it anymore. I've decided to renounce all of my engagements. I'll make my own decision."
"D-does that include ours?" Akane asked fearfully, tentatively.
"Hai, but . . ."
"Ranma no baka!" she screamed, but Ranma was ready for this. His hands flashed out and grabbed her wrists, halting the incoming punch. "Let me go."
"Let me finish," he said through gritted teeth. It was difficult to hold her arms still. He was surprised at how strong she was.
"No, you said you loved me. We-we slept together," she sobbed, "And now you want to throw it all away, throw me away like some used tissue? I won't have it!"
"I'm not throwing you aside," Ranma shouted, "I'm saving our relationship!"
That comment silenced Akane. Her face drew itself up into a puzzled expression. "Did I hit you too hard? That makes no sense."
"Let me explain, please," Ranma pleaded. Akane nodded agreement after a few moments. Once he felt her arms loosen, he released her hands. She returned to her original position.
"Explain, and it'd better be good." The warning and threat in her words was apparent.
Ranma gulped audibly and started to explain his fledgling reasons. "We were forced into this engagement. Our parents wanted it, not us. We fought it and each other from the beginning. Then with the other girls and all of those people at school, all the misunderstandings and crazy adventures, it just made it harder and harder to get along . . . to forgive each other . . . Don't you get it? Our engagement is the cause of so many of our problems, not to mention many of my other ones.
"We're more enemies than friends. No matter what we feel, we still look at the other as a rival, as an annoyance or problem. I wanna start over. Fresh, no misunderstandings, no forced marriages. How do you even know we're right for each other?"
Akane widened her eyes at that question. Surprisingly, everything Ranma was saying was not like him. He never thought about things this deeply, of course she had not seen him suffer when he had thought he had raped her, or been with him all the time in the hospital.
"One of us might find another person later," he said quietly, though it hurt him to think about that possibility, "I-I still care for you Akane, very deeply. I don't want to lose you, that's why I'm doing this.
"Maybe if we start out working on being friends. We have time, we're only seventeen," he said solemnly. "You weren't planning to get married anytime soon, were you?"
"No," she said, "Actually, I never thought we'd be married. We fight so much."
"That's why I want to do this. It clears everything away, and maybe, down the road, we'll decide we want to be together forever. Then we can get engaged and married, of our own free will, without hating each other, without all of our present problems."
Akane sat quietly and thought about what Ranma had said. In a way, he was right, but at the same time, it seemed like a mistake. But he was going to get rid of the other girls also, and he had said that he cared for her and didn't want to lose her. She did not want to lose him either, even after tonight. She loved him deeply, but, at the same time, hated him so much.
He was right. They had started out wrong, and here was a chance to fix that. It was risky, she might lose him, but then again she might lose him faster if they did not do anything. For once Ranma was right, she finally decided.
"Hai," she softly agreed. "As of now, our engagement is off."
Ranma held out his hand, tentatively Akane took it, despite the fact that it was a Western agreement. They shook on it. Then Ranma stood up and walked away.
Startled, Akane started to call for him, but he suddenly turned around and walked back to her, with a mischievous grin on his face. He stopped in front of her and bowed. "Tendou Akane?" he asked.
Confused, Akane could only nod her head.
"I am Saotome Ranma," he stated emphatically, "My father and yours trained together when they were younger. Tendou Soun has invited us to stay with your family for awhile, and he said you were a martial artist. I am pretty good myself, and I thought we might, you know, spar every so often. Maybe we could be, ah, um friends." He said the word quietly and blushed as he dropped his head sheepishly.
By this time Akane had caught on to his game, and although it was silly and had no real meaning, since first impressions were forever, it was still an attempt by Ranma to heal things and start over fresh.
Standing up, Akane bowed, duplicating Ranma's and establishing an equal status between them. "I am Tendou Akane," she said, "And I guess it wouldd be nice to have a sparring partner, even though your . . ." She stopped herself. This was not a time for stupid comments. Ranma was serious, and she realized she also should be. "Maybe we can be friends." She smiled at him.
Ranma returned her smile. She looked so beautiful. "Um, I've gotta sort of, um problem," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You see, I was training in China, and well, I accidentally fell into a cursed pool, and now, well, I, um, that is, I turn into a girl when I get hit with cold water. But I turn back when I get hit with hot water. I don't like it, but so far there's been nothing I can do 'bout it."
Still smiling, Akane took his hand, "That's horrid. I'd hate to have that happen to me, although me turning into a girl would be redundant." Ranma grinned at that, but stayed silent. "I guess it's not too bad, I mean it's not like you actually like it, do you?"
"No, no," Ranma stuttered, surprised at the question and how quickly the game had become serious. They seemed to be covering everything, apologizing in their own way.
"Good, otherwise you'd be a hentai." She absolutely had to get that in the conversation. "So I guess that does it. Do you wanna do anything?" she asked quietly.
"Your father said you've already had dinner," Ranma said, "Maybe we could get some ice cream?"
Akane smiled at that. "Hai, that would be nice. Your treat?"
"Hai," Ranma said wincing. His wallet was already low from the movies and Nabiki's extortion the other day, but this was worth it.
Carefully he offered her his arm. She took it gently, like it was a live snake, but relaxed once their arms were linked. "Let's go then."
"Hai," Akane answered, and they both left the park, hope burning brightly in their hearts.
~~to be continued~~
Author's Notes:
I would liek to thank \everyone who voted for MASN PT1 Ch1 in the monthly Best of Fanfiction for Continuous series. Being voted in was a great surprise for me, and I am humbled and giddy that you think so highly of my writing. I hope I can continue to live up to your standards. Once again, thank you.
Other notes:
I am not going to say much here. Ch 2 is a springboard from Ch 1 into Ch 3 and the rest of the series after that. Some of you may be wondering at Ranma's actions. I've read tons of fics with Ranma choosing one fiancee over the other and then letting the others down one at a time or all at once. I decided I did not want something like that. Instead, when I had him just throw Shampoo off, I had the idea of just breaking all the engagements in order to clear the way for himself and Akane. Whether it will actually work is in question, but then he does this with very little thought,. He does think about it, but it is a spur of the moment decision, and so the consequences could be anything.
As you might have guessed, this series will slowly bring in all of the other characters. I don't like introducing very many characters at once. I prefer to deal with them as they are needed and then will start delving into them.
Part 2 the Judgement of Boukyaku will further the plot explored in PArt 1 and explain some things.
Until next time
Joseph Ashira Kohle ----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----
All rights and privileges to Ranma Nibunnoichi
belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The characters of
Her series are used without her permission for
The purpose of entertainment only. This work of
fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of The
author. All copyright privileges to these chara-
cters are reserved for the author.
This story is a product of the author's hard work
and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make
use of any part of this work without the author's
knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive
this work.
Comments and criticism are welcome.
Written by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) 1997.
Revised by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) November 1999.
Send all comments to jakohle@worldnet.att.net