Couple's Therapy
Pointless tales of pairing off
NonStandard Issue Disclaimer:
Ranma 1/2 is not mine to do with as I please. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some other people whose names I don't recall. Please don't sue me!
Also, whatever order I originally planned to release these chapters in seems to be completely shot to hell. Shikata ga nai.
On the plus side, there is almost a coherent continuity to them now.
--------------------
CASE 7: Soun Tendo and Nodoka Saotome, OR On Honor and Obligation
Part 1: Too Goddamn Fast!
*****
Roughly when (if not where) we started in the last chapter...
"This is awful," Akane complained as she took a bite of food, "and you call my cooking terrible."
"Well if you didn't want me cooking, Akane," Ranma shot back, "why did you volunteer me?"
They were sharing what in many places and for many couples would be a nice, romantic, intimate dinner for two. In their case it wasn't quite like that. For Ranma this just seemed to be another meal at the Tendo household. Something that frustrated Akane to no end.
The jerk treated this so flippantly! Hadn't they just made love? They'd just shared something beautiful and wonderful and now it was like it never happened!
Akane could feel her anger and hurt rising. Did that jerk really care so little for her and what they shared?
"Akane," Ranma said nervously, noticing her irritation, "did I do something wrong?"
"Just forget it Ranma," Akane said just a bit bitterly. "It's not like it matters or anything." She began shoveling food into her mouth to demonstrate that the matter was closed.
Each time they had made love Akane had felt a wonderful feeling of contentment and joy afterwards as she lay spent in Ranma's arms, and she knew that he felt the same thing. He was so tender and loving during those times... But it always seemed to die out. They always seemed to come back to this, with him sitting there getting her mad all over again, and it tore at Akane's heart. A part of her wanted to make love to Ranma again just to get that moment of perfect contentment back.
"Geez Akane," Ranma said, "whatever I did or said, I'm sorry, okay?"
No it wasn't okay, Akane thought. It wasn't fair! Ranma knew her deepest feelings for him, but she stumbled around blind, wondering if she was his fiancee or just his plaything.
She had to know, she realized, setting her bowl down. She had to know now before it ate her up inside. "Ranma," she said, feeling nervous like she never had before, "I... I need to know something."
"Wha... what?" Ranma asked just as nervously. Maybe he sensed something in her tone of voice, or maybe he was afraid she was going to ask him to sleep with her again.
"Ranma," Akane said softly, "I... I need to know... if you... if you love me."
She got no response. Ranma seemed to have been struck dumb by her words. He sat there, motionless as granite. His eyes seemed vacant, lost, almost as though he had stepped out of his body to consider his response.
Or as though Akane's question had stopped his heart and rendered him comatose. Take your pick.
*****
"Because," Akane continued, "If... if you don't then there's no point in... in being... well... being engaged."
You mean you didn't hear me? Ranma was stunned. He told her how he felt already at school when they were... well... She hadn't heard him? Damnit! He'd said it, those three words that he hadn't been able to say before. "I love you."
And Akane hadn't heard him! Of all the...
There was, of course, an easy solution to this problem. He could just tell her again, right here and right now, in no uncertain terms. He could take her hand and say "Akane, I love you."
Yeah, that's exactly what he would do, he told himself with resolve. He opened his mouth to speak...
But the words wouldn't come out.
What if he did tell her? Would that mean she'd be rushing to get married again? He remembered vividly how she had looked when he saw her just before the failed wedding, standing there in her wedding dress. She'd never looked so radiant, so beautiful...
...so terrifying.
Would he have gone through it then, if everything hadn't fallen apart like it did? He probably would have. Everything had happened so fast he might very well have been married before he had a chance to grasp how scared he was, but now...
Okay, yeah, he... well... he loved Akane, but marriage? They couldn't possibly be ready for THAT, could they?
No. Ranma was still trying to get a handle on how things were now. There was no way he was ready to go any further.
But would Akane understand that? For that matter, would their parents? Not a chance in hell. If he told her now, after all this, that he loved her...
"Right Ranma?" Akane asked him rather icily.
"Oh... umm..." he said, realizing that he had completely lost track of what was going on. Akane waited impatiently for an answer to a question he hadn't really heard, and Shampoo was... wait, when did Shampoo get here?
"What's up Shampoo?" he asked, trying really hard to look like he knew what was going on.
"Ranma," Shampoo said, "Shampoo forgive you for giving in to pervert girl if you come with her right now."
Oh crap! "Give... give... giving in?" Ranma sputtered, gripped in a small measure of panic. "I... I don't know what... what you're talking about..."
Akane smacked him. "Jerk," she said. "She was there, remember? She probably heard the whole thing." She turned her attention back to Shampoo. "And who are you calling a pervert girl!?"
"Shampoo call it as she see it," Shampoo replied. "Shampoo always figured you for screamer, happy to be proven right."
Ranma didn't know anyone could get that red in the face. "That... that was... that was all your fault!" Akane protested. "All because of those stupid cookies of yours! I'd have to be drugged to let him touch me!"
Ranma felt the direct hit to his pride, and on instinct he struck back. "Oh yeah!?" he snapped, "Well who'd ever want to touch an uncute tomboy like you!"
"Is that so?" Akane snarled, "You didn't seem to mind all that much in the bath an hour ago!"
"Maybe I was just taking pity on ya!"
"YOU JERK!" Akane shouted, and Ranma once again found himself wrapped in oblivion thanks to her mallet.
*****
How could he say something like that? Akane fumed over Ranma's unconscious form, ready to smack him again as soon as he showed signs of life.
"Excuse, please," Shampoo said, "Shampoo still here."
Akane turned her death gaze to Shampoo, which didn't seem to much impress the Amazon.
"If you no like Ranma," she said. "Then why you keep him? Give to Shampoo and he never be around to make you angry."
Akane's anger somehow just seemed to burn away. "Ranma is not mine to give," she said, feeling drained. His insults hurt before, but now they felt like an ice pick in her heart. Maybe he really had told her how he felt...
Ranma was currently too unconscious to provide comment.
"If he no yours," Shampoo said, sensing her prey's weakness, "then you no mind Shampoo take..."
In an instant all of Akane's rage was back. "HE'S NOT YOURS EITHER!" she thundered in a voice loud enough and angry enough to crack glassware.
And for perhaps the first time that Akane had ever seen, Shampoo seemed truly afraid.
However, that fear didn't seem to last long. "This no over," she said. "Shampoo challenge you!"
For some reason Akane's anger just seemed to melt away once again. "I won't fight you over Ranma," she said softly.
"Shampoo no challenge for Ranma," Shampoo replied. "Shampoo want punish stupid pervert girl for interfering. Get Ranma after kill you."
And once again the anger came back. How dare she even think... "All right Shampoo," Akane said menacingly. "I'll fight you. It's time we settled this once and for all."
"Two... two weeks," Ranma mumbled from the floor.
"What?" both girls said in surprise.
"Wait two weeks before the fight," he said as he sat back up. "Akane isn't ready yet."
"What is that supposed to mean!" Akane demanded.
"Two weeks or two years," Shampoo said. "Make no difference. Pervert girl good as beaten."
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Ranma said. Akane meanwhile quietly fumed at the implication that she wasn't yet up to the task of beating Shampoo, in the process completely missing the menacing tone that Ranma's voice had taken.
"Okay," Shampoo said. "For airen I give pervert girl two more weeks to live." She then bounded out of the house.
"Oh man Akane," Ranma said as he gingerly felt the lump on his head, "didja hafta hit me that hard?"
"Why did you tell her to wait?" Akane asked quietly.
Ranma got something of a nervous look, as though he expected her to hit him over this. "You... you aren't good enough yet to beat Shampoo."
"I see."
On some, logical level Akane probably understood what Ranma meant. However, on the level she was currently operating on, she only heard him say that she was weak. Was that what this was all really about? Weak, uncute, in need of his protection, his pity... Was that how he really saw her?
Once she probably would have clocked Ranma right then and there.
Instead she practically leapt on him, popping the buttons off his shirt as she started stripping him.
"Akane... wait... we..." Ranma babbled, caught (as always) by surprise by Akane's aggressiveness.
"Shut up Ranma," Akane pleaded desperately. She needed this, she needed the warmth, the tenderness, the fantasy; not the uncertainty, the fear she had now. "Just shut up."
*****
Skipping ahead a bit...
"We've got three days left, Akane," Ranma said as the two of them stood in the garden, about to begin the day's training session, "and we've still got one big thing to cover."
They'd been training pretty much nonstop for the last eleven days (with the exception of the occasional attack from Shampoo and Mousse) and Ranma was quite impressed with the progress Akane had been making so far. However, he knew it wouldn't be enough. Right now, all things being equal, Akane still didn't stand a chance against Shampoo.
But she could offer Shampoo one heck of a fight, and, if everything went right, if Shampoo did what he expected, and if Akane could master what Ranma was about to teach her, that might just be enough.
"Okay Akane," Ranma said. "The important part of this is for you to be aware of what's happening around you. Concentrate, I want you to see the patterns of energy as you're moving in. It's a sure thing that the old ghoul will teach Shampoo this technique for the fight, and you have to be ready to counter it."
Akane nodded, a look of determination on her face.
"All right Akane," Ranma said, "Come at me."
Akane lunged forward, and the dance began.
When he had first decided to start training Akane, Ranma had whimsically hoped that he could teach her this technique, the Hiryu Shoten Ha. The shear power the heaven blast of the dragon offered when used properly made it an excellent technique to have, but in short order Ranma realized that Akane couldn't master it, certainly not in the limited time they had.
The most important element of the Hiryu Shoten Ha was the soul of ice. If Akane couldn't keep her cool, couldn't keep her legendary temper in check, then she would never be able to use it.
And come on. Akane, keeping her temper in check? Not a chance!
Unfortunately, the same personality defects that made Akane incapable of mastering the Hiryu Shoten Ha also made her extremely vulnerable to the attack. Even now as Ranma led her into the spiral, even though she knew full well what to expect, she was already getting frustrated with her inability to connect with a hit and was loosing her control over her anger. Ranma could feel the heat of her aura building.
If she didn't have a counter to the Hiryu Shoten Ha, Akane could be in a lot of trouble when she fought Shampoo.
Fortunately, Ranma had a solution (albeit an imperfect one). Though he had been training Akane to improve her speed and her skill, he'd also been focusing heavily on getting her to recognize her inner energy. He'd already taught her to channel anger charged Ki into an attack similar to the Shi Shi Hokodan, now it was time for the next step.
They reached the center of the spiral. "Watch carefully Akane," Ranma said as he thrust his hand into the air.
Akane's eyes went wide as the cyclone manifested and hurled her into the air. The force of the attack wasn't that great (Akane hadn't been that angry), but Ranma nevertheless quickly moved to catch his fiancee before she hit the ground.
"Did you feel it?" he asked as he held her.
*****
She certainly had.
When she had first described the Hiryu Shoten Ha, Cologne had made a big deal about how it was pretty much just a clash and mingling of temperatures. But that wasn't what she had just seen, Ranma had been actively controlling it. She'd never noticed it before, but it just made so much sense. No wonder he had been able to use it practically like a gun against Saffron without even forming a proper spiral! Ranma's control of his energy was just that good.
Ranma set Akane back down on her feet. "The old Ghoul never really talked about it much," he said, "but the Hiryu Shoten Ha has a lot to do with controlling the energy you're drawing in. With the most basic form even the guy using it isn't aware he's actually manipulating things unless he's really paying attention, but he is. Without control over his Ki and the Ki he's drawing into the spiral, he ain't gonna be able to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha."
"So what does this mean?" Akane asked. "If I can see the patterns of energy well enough, can I take control of it from my opponent? Can I turn it against him?"
Ranma shook his head. "No, at least not exactly." He paused, as though carefully choosing his words. "You... umm... well... you don't have the control to form the cyclone."
Akane scowled. That sounded a great deal like Ranma telling her that she didn't have what it takes, and she didn't like it. "Is that so?" she said, just a little bit of displeasure in her voice. Just enough to let Ranma know he had better think VERY CAREFULLY about what he was saying.
"Now wait just a minute Akane," Ranma demanded, the vehemence in his voice catching Akane by surprise. "We ain't got time for this. Shampoo is gonna be out for blood when you fight her. We can't be goofin off. If you wanna get mad and hit me, wait until after you beat Shampoo."
As was said before, Ranma's words caught Akane a bit by surprise. As a consequence she had no response for his words.
"I don't know what's going to happen when you use this," Ranma continued. "The Karyu Shoten Ha is going to be totally random. It might cancel the hiryu shoten ha. It might send the cyclone spinning off completely out of control. It might not do anything at all. There's just no way to be sure."
Akane nodded, her attention now fully focused on the task at hand.
"This technique is dangerous Akane," Ranma said. "It's dangerous and unpredictable and if I didn't think you could handle it, I'd never try teaching it to you. Remember that Akane, you can do this."
Well that statement of confidence just brought all kinds of warm feelings to Akane's heart. Sometimes (though not very often) Ranma really could say the right thing.
"You ready?" Ranma asked.
*****
The day of the duel.
The fight had actually gone very well for Akane so far. Inexplicably Shampoo hadn't been putting up much of a fight, almost as though her heart wasn't in it.
At first this was enough for Akane to hold back. She even stopped her attacks at one point to ask Shampoo if she was all right.
Then Shampoo had told her that she would "ride" Ranma "like a bronco" after she killed her. That had been more than enough to set off Akane's anger, and she had leapt into the attack once again.
In fact, she was halfway through the spiral before she realized what Shampoo was doing.
She was going to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha! Ranma had been right!
"It's not going to be that easy, Shampoo!" Akane declared as she pressed her attack, doing her best to concentrate as she did it. Timing was everything!
"Weak pervert girl give up now," Shampoo taunted. "No can win Shampoo!"
"I'm not giving up!" Akane shouted as they reached the center of the spiral. In her excitement she almost missed the telltale sign, the tingling sensation that told her that Shampoo was about to unleash the dragon.
*****
"Timing is everything Akane," Ranma had told her as he was explaining the move. "If you strike too soon or too late, the Karyu Shoten Ha won't work at all. You have to strike to the ground at exactly the same moment that Shampoo strikes to the sky. If you just watch her and wait for her to start moving you'll be too late, you have to FEEL it. You have to feel her taking hold of the energy. If you strike at exactly the right time with your heat charged ki, you'll be able to break Shampoo's control over the energy, and you might even prevent the cyclone from manifesting at all."
*****
She felt it! Without hesitation she thrust her heat charged fist to the ground, not even really physically aware that Shampoo was thrusting her own cold charged fist to the sky. "KARYU SHOTEN HA!"
Then she was struck by an unbelievable blast of cold as the cyclone manifested. She was hurled into the air, caught by the full force of the cyclone.
She'd failed! The Hiryu Shoten Ha had manifested! She must have been a fraction of a second too late...
The cyclone stole her breath as it pulled her higher into the sky, and she could feel unconsciousness clawing at her. Damnit! How could she have failed like this?
She saw Shampoo nearby, herself caught in the cyclone.
"I... I'm not..." Akane was finding it almost impossible to speak, but she didn't have to. She wasn't going to lose to Shampoo! Drawing on all of her anger, she unleashed the other technique Ranma had taught her, the Kuroi Ikari. A seemingly endless supply of black Ki energy (she was VERY angry after all) blasted from her palms...
... only to be caught in the winds of the cyclone and scattered.
No! Akane lost consciousness convinced that her last desperate attack had failed.
*****
"Akane," Ranma said quietly, fearfully, as he hunched over his fallen fiancee, "are you all right?"
The black, energy charged cyclone of the Hiryu/Karyu Shoten Ha had already faded. Across the field Shampoo lay unconscious and slightly smoldering, clearly unable to continue the fight. The duel was over.
Akane was in the meanwhile only now starting to get her bearings back. "Where... where's Shampoo?" she asked as she struggled back to her feet.
"It doesn't matter Akane," Ranma said. "You beat her. You won."
Akane seemed stunned. "What?"
"You did great," Ranma said, feeling an enormous amount of pride for his fiancee. This was a feeling he could definitely get used to.
"But..." Akane protested. "The Karyu Shoten Ha didn't work!"
"It worked fine," Ranma said. "I told you it was unpredictable. You knocked the cyclone out of whack just enough so that you both caught the full affect."
"And using the Kuroi Ikari to dump ki energy into the cyclone was an inspired piece of strategy," Cologne said as she hopped over. "I doubt Shampoo saw that coming at all."
Akane blinked a couple of times, seeming a little dazed and confused. "When I... what?" She then promptly fell over again.
Ranma had a feeling that Akane's use of the Kuroi Ikari, though it had turned the cyclone into a fiery trap for Shampoo, was as likely as not just an accident. She'd probably on impulse tried to blast Shampoo even though in those winds it would have been impossible to actually aim or anything. However some advice Cologne had given him just a few minutes ago caused him to hold his tongue.
Akane gave up trying to stand and just lay there on the grass, a smile on her face. "I won," she said, almost with a sense of wonder. "Can I just stay here for a while then?"
"As long as you want," Ranma said.
"Thank you, Ranma," Akane said. "Thank you for training me."
Ranma couldn't find words to respond. She was so damn cute...
"Well boy, now that that's out of the way..."
Both Ranma and Akane were startled by the sudden appearance of Genma, Soun, Nabiki, Nodoka, and Kasumi, who surrounded them like an ambushing army.
"Yes," Soun said. "Now that the last of your other entanglements has been dealt with, its time for you and Akane to think about the future."
"That's right boy," Genma said. "It's time you and Akane got married. We can have everything ready in a couple of hours."
"Hey," Ranma protested, feeling more than a little like a trapped animal, "what do you think..."
"Oh son!" Nodoka cried, throwing her arms around her son, "I'm so happy for you!"
"Now wait just a minute!" Ranma demanded, "I never said I'd..."
Before Ranma could even begin to finish his sentence, a look of real and terrifying ANGER flashed across Soun's face.
"Are you telling me that you were just using my little girl?" he demanded in a low tone promising instant painful death.
"..." How exactly was Ranma supposed to respond to that?
"Of course not," Nodoka admonished Soun. "No manly son of mine would do such a thing."
This, of course, did nothing to alleviate Ranma's growing terror. Fortunately, he still had an escape rout.
"This fight don't solve nothin!" he protested. "Who says Shampoo's given up anyway? And what about Ukyo? Pop engaged me to her too, remember? I can't be gettin married until all of my other problems are taken care of."
Nabiki smiled. "Ukyo's not an issue anymore."
"Huh?"
"It's a long story," Nabiki said. "I'll have to tell you about it later."
"Likewise, Shampoo will not oppose this match," Cologne said, her tone unreadable.
"And nobody has heard from Kodachi in quite some time," Kasumi added.
Ranma felt Akane slip her hand into his and give it a squeeze. Feeling his heart pound, he looked back to her and was greeted with a look that couldn't have been more loving, more supportive. In an instant he knew that she would go along with whatever decision he made.
But at the same time he could tell that this was what she wanted, what she wanted more than anything else in the world. The look she gave him, the absolute thrill she seemed to take in the idea of getting married, was something like a metaphysical bear trap on his heart.
Everyone waited with varying levels of patience, and Ranma knew he was trapped. The best he could hope for is to buy some time.
"Umm..." he said nervously. "Can we have two weeks to... umm... well... get ready?"
*****
Nightfall found the couple in Akane's bed in each other's arms; a situation that had, admittedly, become fairly ordinary as of late.
Of course them both being girls at the time was certainly NOT ordinary, but a little experimentation is a healthy thing, isn't it?
Ranma-chan stared at the ceiling as Akane snuggled up to her. She felt a bit woozy, somewhat confused, and perhaps a little dirty over what they had just... ummm... done. Maybe it was a lingering side affect of having all of her sexual inhibitions temporarily obliterated by a weird gaijin's love potion, but Akane had become remarkably adventurous lately.
"Mmmmm..." Akane purred softly, "that was lovely."
THAT was something Ranma-chan decided she would have to get used to, the idea of Akane purring seductively like that. In many ways it seemed so unlike her, in others...
"Did you enjoy it Ranma?"
Ranma-chan instantly froze. Oh man... how does a guy answer something like that? The experience was... well... but he was a guy! He... it wasn't...
"Well... umm... that is..."
Akane began to giggle a little. "Don't worry, you don't have to answer," she said as she turned her head to gaze into Ranma-chan's eyes. "You're a guy after all, even if..." her voice trailed off as her fingers did a little wandering over some of her fiance's more feminine features. Ranma- chan couldn't help but shudder at her touch, and Akane giggled again.
"Two weeks," Akane whispered as she rested her head on Ranma's chest.
"Yeah," Ranma said, feeling another kind of fear beginning to rear its head. She had to talk to her, she had to tell her that she wasn't ready to get married yet, that they were moving too fast. "Akane..."
"I didn't think I could ever be this happy," Akane said softly. She once again turned her head to look into Ranma's eyes, and the words Ranma was going to say caught in her throat.
"I've wanted this for so long," Akane continued, her eyes shining with a bright, agonizing love. "I don't know why it was so hard to say it before, or why it's so easy now, but I love you Ranma. This isn't about our fathers or any stupid promises they made, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
And I love you too Akane, Ranma thought as he got lost in her gaze (of course it might have been better to say it rather than just think it).
But still... it wasn't that simple, was it? They... they weren't even out of high school yet! How could they be thinking about getting married now?
But Akane seemed so happy! Ranma had never seen her so happy. This was what Akane wanted more than anything else in the world. How could Ranma tell her that they needed to slow down, to wait until they were older? Could she accept that?
She had to make Akane understand. "What about kids?" she asked. That was the ticket, hit her with the big question and let her come to the conclusion they were going too fast on her own.
Akane sighed contentedly as she rested her head on Ranma's chest again. "I think we should wait for a while," she said. "Someday... someday I'd like a nice big family, but not right now."
Ranma was stunned. She had been sure that that would have been like a bucket of cold water to snap Akane out of her spell, but she'd just essentially waved it off. How could she be so...
Then again, Ranma couldn't deny that some part of her thrilled at the idea of one day starting a family with Akane. Maybe it really was as simple as Akane seemed to want to believe. Maybe they really could just get married and damn the consequence...
"Or maybe I should go get some hot water," Akane whispered seductively, "and we could start on that family right now."
An undeniable feeling of absolute terror shot through Ranma.
"Naw..." Akane decided as her hands began to wander. "I think I'll keep you like this for a while." She kissed Ranma full on the mouth.
After that, there was really nothing more to say.
But it didn't change anything.
*****
The Day had arrived.
"You look wonderful Akane," Kasumi said as she looked over her little sister, who wore a sparkling white wedding gown.
"Thank you," Akane said, feeling lighter than air. All the old romantic cliches were right. This was the happiest day of her life, even if she felt a little bit silly sneaking around.
Her father and Ranma's parents had decided that the obvious mistake in the previous wedding attempt had been in publicly announcing it. Even with Ukyo out of the picture, Kodachi who knows where, and Shampoo apparently conceding the inevitable, if word got out about the wedding, there was no doubt it would be a disaster.
That was why this one was being held in virtual secret. There would be no announcement until well after the deed was done and the couple wed.
"Nothing will go wrong this time," Akane said to herself.
She was amazed at how right this seemed. All the old fears, the uncertainty about Ranma's feelings for her, were gone. All it had really taken was Ranma giving his consent to the wedding. Once he'd said it, that was all Akane needed to know. Even if he could never seem to bring himself to say it, Ranma loved her. They might fight a lot, he might make her mad on a regular basis, and he might be the biggest jerk in the world sometimes, but none of that mattered against the love they shared and the vows they would very soon be taking. It really was that simple.
Or so Akane thought.
Nabiki, wearing a grim expression that Akane had never seen before, brought her a folded sheet of paper.
Confused, Akane took the offered paper and opened it up, recognizing Ranma's scrawl without difficulty.
It said simply "I'm sorry."
She felt a tremor of fear as she looked to her sister. "I... I don't understand..."
"He's gone Akane," Nabiki said gravely. "It looks like he packed during the night and slipped out while we were getting everything set up."
"No," Akane whispered, searching Nabiki's eyes for any sign that this was just some cruel joke. All she found was sadness and a heart-wrenching sympathy that only served to show that this was real.
"I'm sorry Akane," Nabiki said.
"No," Akane uttered again. "It can't be... we... we were..." She fell to her knees, feeling like her world was collapsing in on itself. "It can't be... I... I love him... he... he can't have..."
But he did.
*****
TO BE CONTINUED!
*****
Author's Notes:
Someone once asked me if I heard the song superfreak playing in my head while I wrote Akane's scenes in this story (or something like that. I'm too lazy to look up the specific review). Well, right now I'm hearing Komm Susser Todd (in my heart of hearts, I know that I could never love again, I've lost everything, everything, everything that matters to me, matters in this world...) Poor Akane!
1) Yep, any ideas I used to have for what order I was going to release these chapters in is now right out the window. Right now I'm thinking I'll alternate between this story arc and the Kasumi / Tofu story arc, then move on to my remaining lineup of pairs, but whether or not I'll be able to stick with that plan is anyone's guess.
2) So why exactly does this chapter, which is supposed to be about Soun and Nodoka, revolve entirely around Ranma and Akane? Well, for one thing it isn't EXACTLY about Soun and Nodoka, it's about Soun and Nodoka getting together. That's the difference that makes all the difference. Suffice it to say Ranma leaving Akane at the altar is the first step in setting up the Nodoka/Soun matchup. The second step involves a panda getting killed in a tragic traffic accident, but we'll get to that in part two.
3) I hope nobody was disappointed by Ranma's reason for leaving. Nothing dramatic or earthshaking, just an overwhelming case of cold feet. Face it, mighty occasionally god slaying martial artist he may be, Ranma is still only sixteen years old. He's still a kid being pushed from all sides into something he doesn't understand and knows he's not ready for. That's like ten kinds of scary right there. But what does this mean for him and Akane? Well, we'll just have to wait and see what comes, won't we?
(technically I already provided part of the answer to that question. Here's a hint: It's hidden in chapter two and might look like a plot hole right now.)
4) No I don't consider Akane's tender declaration of love out of character, especially after reading the Manga. Just given her willing participation in setting up the first wedding it's clear to me that she's been thinking along these lines at least since Jusendo. You will never convince me that she wanted to marry him just to get him the cure for his curse. Add to this the... erm... closeness they've shared in this story, the effort Ranma put into training her to beat Shampoo, and the very fact that Ranma consented to the wedding at all, and, well, that's certainly going to make it easier for her to start saying what she really feels. From her standpoint, she's won. Ranma is hers and there's no reason to be afraid of what might happen anymore. Of course, this does make Ranma's leaving her all the more heartbreaking...
(It all returns to nothing, it all comes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down...)
Pointless tales of pairing off
NonStandard Issue Disclaimer:
Ranma 1/2 is not mine to do with as I please. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some other people whose names I don't recall. Please don't sue me!
Also, whatever order I originally planned to release these chapters in seems to be completely shot to hell. Shikata ga nai.
On the plus side, there is almost a coherent continuity to them now.
--------------------
CASE 7: Soun Tendo and Nodoka Saotome, OR On Honor and Obligation
Part 1: Too Goddamn Fast!
*****
Roughly when (if not where) we started in the last chapter...
"This is awful," Akane complained as she took a bite of food, "and you call my cooking terrible."
"Well if you didn't want me cooking, Akane," Ranma shot back, "why did you volunteer me?"
They were sharing what in many places and for many couples would be a nice, romantic, intimate dinner for two. In their case it wasn't quite like that. For Ranma this just seemed to be another meal at the Tendo household. Something that frustrated Akane to no end.
The jerk treated this so flippantly! Hadn't they just made love? They'd just shared something beautiful and wonderful and now it was like it never happened!
Akane could feel her anger and hurt rising. Did that jerk really care so little for her and what they shared?
"Akane," Ranma said nervously, noticing her irritation, "did I do something wrong?"
"Just forget it Ranma," Akane said just a bit bitterly. "It's not like it matters or anything." She began shoveling food into her mouth to demonstrate that the matter was closed.
Each time they had made love Akane had felt a wonderful feeling of contentment and joy afterwards as she lay spent in Ranma's arms, and she knew that he felt the same thing. He was so tender and loving during those times... But it always seemed to die out. They always seemed to come back to this, with him sitting there getting her mad all over again, and it tore at Akane's heart. A part of her wanted to make love to Ranma again just to get that moment of perfect contentment back.
"Geez Akane," Ranma said, "whatever I did or said, I'm sorry, okay?"
No it wasn't okay, Akane thought. It wasn't fair! Ranma knew her deepest feelings for him, but she stumbled around blind, wondering if she was his fiancee or just his plaything.
She had to know, she realized, setting her bowl down. She had to know now before it ate her up inside. "Ranma," she said, feeling nervous like she never had before, "I... I need to know something."
"Wha... what?" Ranma asked just as nervously. Maybe he sensed something in her tone of voice, or maybe he was afraid she was going to ask him to sleep with her again.
"Ranma," Akane said softly, "I... I need to know... if you... if you love me."
She got no response. Ranma seemed to have been struck dumb by her words. He sat there, motionless as granite. His eyes seemed vacant, lost, almost as though he had stepped out of his body to consider his response.
Or as though Akane's question had stopped his heart and rendered him comatose. Take your pick.
*****
"Because," Akane continued, "If... if you don't then there's no point in... in being... well... being engaged."
You mean you didn't hear me? Ranma was stunned. He told her how he felt already at school when they were... well... She hadn't heard him? Damnit! He'd said it, those three words that he hadn't been able to say before. "I love you."
And Akane hadn't heard him! Of all the...
There was, of course, an easy solution to this problem. He could just tell her again, right here and right now, in no uncertain terms. He could take her hand and say "Akane, I love you."
Yeah, that's exactly what he would do, he told himself with resolve. He opened his mouth to speak...
But the words wouldn't come out.
What if he did tell her? Would that mean she'd be rushing to get married again? He remembered vividly how she had looked when he saw her just before the failed wedding, standing there in her wedding dress. She'd never looked so radiant, so beautiful...
...so terrifying.
Would he have gone through it then, if everything hadn't fallen apart like it did? He probably would have. Everything had happened so fast he might very well have been married before he had a chance to grasp how scared he was, but now...
Okay, yeah, he... well... he loved Akane, but marriage? They couldn't possibly be ready for THAT, could they?
No. Ranma was still trying to get a handle on how things were now. There was no way he was ready to go any further.
But would Akane understand that? For that matter, would their parents? Not a chance in hell. If he told her now, after all this, that he loved her...
"Right Ranma?" Akane asked him rather icily.
"Oh... umm..." he said, realizing that he had completely lost track of what was going on. Akane waited impatiently for an answer to a question he hadn't really heard, and Shampoo was... wait, when did Shampoo get here?
"What's up Shampoo?" he asked, trying really hard to look like he knew what was going on.
"Ranma," Shampoo said, "Shampoo forgive you for giving in to pervert girl if you come with her right now."
Oh crap! "Give... give... giving in?" Ranma sputtered, gripped in a small measure of panic. "I... I don't know what... what you're talking about..."
Akane smacked him. "Jerk," she said. "She was there, remember? She probably heard the whole thing." She turned her attention back to Shampoo. "And who are you calling a pervert girl!?"
"Shampoo call it as she see it," Shampoo replied. "Shampoo always figured you for screamer, happy to be proven right."
Ranma didn't know anyone could get that red in the face. "That... that was... that was all your fault!" Akane protested. "All because of those stupid cookies of yours! I'd have to be drugged to let him touch me!"
Ranma felt the direct hit to his pride, and on instinct he struck back. "Oh yeah!?" he snapped, "Well who'd ever want to touch an uncute tomboy like you!"
"Is that so?" Akane snarled, "You didn't seem to mind all that much in the bath an hour ago!"
"Maybe I was just taking pity on ya!"
"YOU JERK!" Akane shouted, and Ranma once again found himself wrapped in oblivion thanks to her mallet.
*****
How could he say something like that? Akane fumed over Ranma's unconscious form, ready to smack him again as soon as he showed signs of life.
"Excuse, please," Shampoo said, "Shampoo still here."
Akane turned her death gaze to Shampoo, which didn't seem to much impress the Amazon.
"If you no like Ranma," she said. "Then why you keep him? Give to Shampoo and he never be around to make you angry."
Akane's anger somehow just seemed to burn away. "Ranma is not mine to give," she said, feeling drained. His insults hurt before, but now they felt like an ice pick in her heart. Maybe he really had told her how he felt...
Ranma was currently too unconscious to provide comment.
"If he no yours," Shampoo said, sensing her prey's weakness, "then you no mind Shampoo take..."
In an instant all of Akane's rage was back. "HE'S NOT YOURS EITHER!" she thundered in a voice loud enough and angry enough to crack glassware.
And for perhaps the first time that Akane had ever seen, Shampoo seemed truly afraid.
However, that fear didn't seem to last long. "This no over," she said. "Shampoo challenge you!"
For some reason Akane's anger just seemed to melt away once again. "I won't fight you over Ranma," she said softly.
"Shampoo no challenge for Ranma," Shampoo replied. "Shampoo want punish stupid pervert girl for interfering. Get Ranma after kill you."
And once again the anger came back. How dare she even think... "All right Shampoo," Akane said menacingly. "I'll fight you. It's time we settled this once and for all."
"Two... two weeks," Ranma mumbled from the floor.
"What?" both girls said in surprise.
"Wait two weeks before the fight," he said as he sat back up. "Akane isn't ready yet."
"What is that supposed to mean!" Akane demanded.
"Two weeks or two years," Shampoo said. "Make no difference. Pervert girl good as beaten."
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Ranma said. Akane meanwhile quietly fumed at the implication that she wasn't yet up to the task of beating Shampoo, in the process completely missing the menacing tone that Ranma's voice had taken.
"Okay," Shampoo said. "For airen I give pervert girl two more weeks to live." She then bounded out of the house.
"Oh man Akane," Ranma said as he gingerly felt the lump on his head, "didja hafta hit me that hard?"
"Why did you tell her to wait?" Akane asked quietly.
Ranma got something of a nervous look, as though he expected her to hit him over this. "You... you aren't good enough yet to beat Shampoo."
"I see."
On some, logical level Akane probably understood what Ranma meant. However, on the level she was currently operating on, she only heard him say that she was weak. Was that what this was all really about? Weak, uncute, in need of his protection, his pity... Was that how he really saw her?
Once she probably would have clocked Ranma right then and there.
Instead she practically leapt on him, popping the buttons off his shirt as she started stripping him.
"Akane... wait... we..." Ranma babbled, caught (as always) by surprise by Akane's aggressiveness.
"Shut up Ranma," Akane pleaded desperately. She needed this, she needed the warmth, the tenderness, the fantasy; not the uncertainty, the fear she had now. "Just shut up."
*****
Skipping ahead a bit...
"We've got three days left, Akane," Ranma said as the two of them stood in the garden, about to begin the day's training session, "and we've still got one big thing to cover."
They'd been training pretty much nonstop for the last eleven days (with the exception of the occasional attack from Shampoo and Mousse) and Ranma was quite impressed with the progress Akane had been making so far. However, he knew it wouldn't be enough. Right now, all things being equal, Akane still didn't stand a chance against Shampoo.
But she could offer Shampoo one heck of a fight, and, if everything went right, if Shampoo did what he expected, and if Akane could master what Ranma was about to teach her, that might just be enough.
"Okay Akane," Ranma said. "The important part of this is for you to be aware of what's happening around you. Concentrate, I want you to see the patterns of energy as you're moving in. It's a sure thing that the old ghoul will teach Shampoo this technique for the fight, and you have to be ready to counter it."
Akane nodded, a look of determination on her face.
"All right Akane," Ranma said, "Come at me."
Akane lunged forward, and the dance began.
When he had first decided to start training Akane, Ranma had whimsically hoped that he could teach her this technique, the Hiryu Shoten Ha. The shear power the heaven blast of the dragon offered when used properly made it an excellent technique to have, but in short order Ranma realized that Akane couldn't master it, certainly not in the limited time they had.
The most important element of the Hiryu Shoten Ha was the soul of ice. If Akane couldn't keep her cool, couldn't keep her legendary temper in check, then she would never be able to use it.
And come on. Akane, keeping her temper in check? Not a chance!
Unfortunately, the same personality defects that made Akane incapable of mastering the Hiryu Shoten Ha also made her extremely vulnerable to the attack. Even now as Ranma led her into the spiral, even though she knew full well what to expect, she was already getting frustrated with her inability to connect with a hit and was loosing her control over her anger. Ranma could feel the heat of her aura building.
If she didn't have a counter to the Hiryu Shoten Ha, Akane could be in a lot of trouble when she fought Shampoo.
Fortunately, Ranma had a solution (albeit an imperfect one). Though he had been training Akane to improve her speed and her skill, he'd also been focusing heavily on getting her to recognize her inner energy. He'd already taught her to channel anger charged Ki into an attack similar to the Shi Shi Hokodan, now it was time for the next step.
They reached the center of the spiral. "Watch carefully Akane," Ranma said as he thrust his hand into the air.
Akane's eyes went wide as the cyclone manifested and hurled her into the air. The force of the attack wasn't that great (Akane hadn't been that angry), but Ranma nevertheless quickly moved to catch his fiancee before she hit the ground.
"Did you feel it?" he asked as he held her.
*****
She certainly had.
When she had first described the Hiryu Shoten Ha, Cologne had made a big deal about how it was pretty much just a clash and mingling of temperatures. But that wasn't what she had just seen, Ranma had been actively controlling it. She'd never noticed it before, but it just made so much sense. No wonder he had been able to use it practically like a gun against Saffron without even forming a proper spiral! Ranma's control of his energy was just that good.
Ranma set Akane back down on her feet. "The old Ghoul never really talked about it much," he said, "but the Hiryu Shoten Ha has a lot to do with controlling the energy you're drawing in. With the most basic form even the guy using it isn't aware he's actually manipulating things unless he's really paying attention, but he is. Without control over his Ki and the Ki he's drawing into the spiral, he ain't gonna be able to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha."
"So what does this mean?" Akane asked. "If I can see the patterns of energy well enough, can I take control of it from my opponent? Can I turn it against him?"
Ranma shook his head. "No, at least not exactly." He paused, as though carefully choosing his words. "You... umm... well... you don't have the control to form the cyclone."
Akane scowled. That sounded a great deal like Ranma telling her that she didn't have what it takes, and she didn't like it. "Is that so?" she said, just a little bit of displeasure in her voice. Just enough to let Ranma know he had better think VERY CAREFULLY about what he was saying.
"Now wait just a minute Akane," Ranma demanded, the vehemence in his voice catching Akane by surprise. "We ain't got time for this. Shampoo is gonna be out for blood when you fight her. We can't be goofin off. If you wanna get mad and hit me, wait until after you beat Shampoo."
As was said before, Ranma's words caught Akane a bit by surprise. As a consequence she had no response for his words.
"I don't know what's going to happen when you use this," Ranma continued. "The Karyu Shoten Ha is going to be totally random. It might cancel the hiryu shoten ha. It might send the cyclone spinning off completely out of control. It might not do anything at all. There's just no way to be sure."
Akane nodded, her attention now fully focused on the task at hand.
"This technique is dangerous Akane," Ranma said. "It's dangerous and unpredictable and if I didn't think you could handle it, I'd never try teaching it to you. Remember that Akane, you can do this."
Well that statement of confidence just brought all kinds of warm feelings to Akane's heart. Sometimes (though not very often) Ranma really could say the right thing.
"You ready?" Ranma asked.
*****
The day of the duel.
The fight had actually gone very well for Akane so far. Inexplicably Shampoo hadn't been putting up much of a fight, almost as though her heart wasn't in it.
At first this was enough for Akane to hold back. She even stopped her attacks at one point to ask Shampoo if she was all right.
Then Shampoo had told her that she would "ride" Ranma "like a bronco" after she killed her. That had been more than enough to set off Akane's anger, and she had leapt into the attack once again.
In fact, she was halfway through the spiral before she realized what Shampoo was doing.
She was going to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha! Ranma had been right!
"It's not going to be that easy, Shampoo!" Akane declared as she pressed her attack, doing her best to concentrate as she did it. Timing was everything!
"Weak pervert girl give up now," Shampoo taunted. "No can win Shampoo!"
"I'm not giving up!" Akane shouted as they reached the center of the spiral. In her excitement she almost missed the telltale sign, the tingling sensation that told her that Shampoo was about to unleash the dragon.
*****
"Timing is everything Akane," Ranma had told her as he was explaining the move. "If you strike too soon or too late, the Karyu Shoten Ha won't work at all. You have to strike to the ground at exactly the same moment that Shampoo strikes to the sky. If you just watch her and wait for her to start moving you'll be too late, you have to FEEL it. You have to feel her taking hold of the energy. If you strike at exactly the right time with your heat charged ki, you'll be able to break Shampoo's control over the energy, and you might even prevent the cyclone from manifesting at all."
*****
She felt it! Without hesitation she thrust her heat charged fist to the ground, not even really physically aware that Shampoo was thrusting her own cold charged fist to the sky. "KARYU SHOTEN HA!"
Then she was struck by an unbelievable blast of cold as the cyclone manifested. She was hurled into the air, caught by the full force of the cyclone.
She'd failed! The Hiryu Shoten Ha had manifested! She must have been a fraction of a second too late...
The cyclone stole her breath as it pulled her higher into the sky, and she could feel unconsciousness clawing at her. Damnit! How could she have failed like this?
She saw Shampoo nearby, herself caught in the cyclone.
"I... I'm not..." Akane was finding it almost impossible to speak, but she didn't have to. She wasn't going to lose to Shampoo! Drawing on all of her anger, she unleashed the other technique Ranma had taught her, the Kuroi Ikari. A seemingly endless supply of black Ki energy (she was VERY angry after all) blasted from her palms...
... only to be caught in the winds of the cyclone and scattered.
No! Akane lost consciousness convinced that her last desperate attack had failed.
*****
"Akane," Ranma said quietly, fearfully, as he hunched over his fallen fiancee, "are you all right?"
The black, energy charged cyclone of the Hiryu/Karyu Shoten Ha had already faded. Across the field Shampoo lay unconscious and slightly smoldering, clearly unable to continue the fight. The duel was over.
Akane was in the meanwhile only now starting to get her bearings back. "Where... where's Shampoo?" she asked as she struggled back to her feet.
"It doesn't matter Akane," Ranma said. "You beat her. You won."
Akane seemed stunned. "What?"
"You did great," Ranma said, feeling an enormous amount of pride for his fiancee. This was a feeling he could definitely get used to.
"But..." Akane protested. "The Karyu Shoten Ha didn't work!"
"It worked fine," Ranma said. "I told you it was unpredictable. You knocked the cyclone out of whack just enough so that you both caught the full affect."
"And using the Kuroi Ikari to dump ki energy into the cyclone was an inspired piece of strategy," Cologne said as she hopped over. "I doubt Shampoo saw that coming at all."
Akane blinked a couple of times, seeming a little dazed and confused. "When I... what?" She then promptly fell over again.
Ranma had a feeling that Akane's use of the Kuroi Ikari, though it had turned the cyclone into a fiery trap for Shampoo, was as likely as not just an accident. She'd probably on impulse tried to blast Shampoo even though in those winds it would have been impossible to actually aim or anything. However some advice Cologne had given him just a few minutes ago caused him to hold his tongue.
Akane gave up trying to stand and just lay there on the grass, a smile on her face. "I won," she said, almost with a sense of wonder. "Can I just stay here for a while then?"
"As long as you want," Ranma said.
"Thank you, Ranma," Akane said. "Thank you for training me."
Ranma couldn't find words to respond. She was so damn cute...
"Well boy, now that that's out of the way..."
Both Ranma and Akane were startled by the sudden appearance of Genma, Soun, Nabiki, Nodoka, and Kasumi, who surrounded them like an ambushing army.
"Yes," Soun said. "Now that the last of your other entanglements has been dealt with, its time for you and Akane to think about the future."
"That's right boy," Genma said. "It's time you and Akane got married. We can have everything ready in a couple of hours."
"Hey," Ranma protested, feeling more than a little like a trapped animal, "what do you think..."
"Oh son!" Nodoka cried, throwing her arms around her son, "I'm so happy for you!"
"Now wait just a minute!" Ranma demanded, "I never said I'd..."
Before Ranma could even begin to finish his sentence, a look of real and terrifying ANGER flashed across Soun's face.
"Are you telling me that you were just using my little girl?" he demanded in a low tone promising instant painful death.
"..." How exactly was Ranma supposed to respond to that?
"Of course not," Nodoka admonished Soun. "No manly son of mine would do such a thing."
This, of course, did nothing to alleviate Ranma's growing terror. Fortunately, he still had an escape rout.
"This fight don't solve nothin!" he protested. "Who says Shampoo's given up anyway? And what about Ukyo? Pop engaged me to her too, remember? I can't be gettin married until all of my other problems are taken care of."
Nabiki smiled. "Ukyo's not an issue anymore."
"Huh?"
"It's a long story," Nabiki said. "I'll have to tell you about it later."
"Likewise, Shampoo will not oppose this match," Cologne said, her tone unreadable.
"And nobody has heard from Kodachi in quite some time," Kasumi added.
Ranma felt Akane slip her hand into his and give it a squeeze. Feeling his heart pound, he looked back to her and was greeted with a look that couldn't have been more loving, more supportive. In an instant he knew that she would go along with whatever decision he made.
But at the same time he could tell that this was what she wanted, what she wanted more than anything else in the world. The look she gave him, the absolute thrill she seemed to take in the idea of getting married, was something like a metaphysical bear trap on his heart.
Everyone waited with varying levels of patience, and Ranma knew he was trapped. The best he could hope for is to buy some time.
"Umm..." he said nervously. "Can we have two weeks to... umm... well... get ready?"
*****
Nightfall found the couple in Akane's bed in each other's arms; a situation that had, admittedly, become fairly ordinary as of late.
Of course them both being girls at the time was certainly NOT ordinary, but a little experimentation is a healthy thing, isn't it?
Ranma-chan stared at the ceiling as Akane snuggled up to her. She felt a bit woozy, somewhat confused, and perhaps a little dirty over what they had just... ummm... done. Maybe it was a lingering side affect of having all of her sexual inhibitions temporarily obliterated by a weird gaijin's love potion, but Akane had become remarkably adventurous lately.
"Mmmmm..." Akane purred softly, "that was lovely."
THAT was something Ranma-chan decided she would have to get used to, the idea of Akane purring seductively like that. In many ways it seemed so unlike her, in others...
"Did you enjoy it Ranma?"
Ranma-chan instantly froze. Oh man... how does a guy answer something like that? The experience was... well... but he was a guy! He... it wasn't...
"Well... umm... that is..."
Akane began to giggle a little. "Don't worry, you don't have to answer," she said as she turned her head to gaze into Ranma-chan's eyes. "You're a guy after all, even if..." her voice trailed off as her fingers did a little wandering over some of her fiance's more feminine features. Ranma- chan couldn't help but shudder at her touch, and Akane giggled again.
"Two weeks," Akane whispered as she rested her head on Ranma's chest.
"Yeah," Ranma said, feeling another kind of fear beginning to rear its head. She had to talk to her, she had to tell her that she wasn't ready to get married yet, that they were moving too fast. "Akane..."
"I didn't think I could ever be this happy," Akane said softly. She once again turned her head to look into Ranma's eyes, and the words Ranma was going to say caught in her throat.
"I've wanted this for so long," Akane continued, her eyes shining with a bright, agonizing love. "I don't know why it was so hard to say it before, or why it's so easy now, but I love you Ranma. This isn't about our fathers or any stupid promises they made, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
And I love you too Akane, Ranma thought as he got lost in her gaze (of course it might have been better to say it rather than just think it).
But still... it wasn't that simple, was it? They... they weren't even out of high school yet! How could they be thinking about getting married now?
But Akane seemed so happy! Ranma had never seen her so happy. This was what Akane wanted more than anything else in the world. How could Ranma tell her that they needed to slow down, to wait until they were older? Could she accept that?
She had to make Akane understand. "What about kids?" she asked. That was the ticket, hit her with the big question and let her come to the conclusion they were going too fast on her own.
Akane sighed contentedly as she rested her head on Ranma's chest again. "I think we should wait for a while," she said. "Someday... someday I'd like a nice big family, but not right now."
Ranma was stunned. She had been sure that that would have been like a bucket of cold water to snap Akane out of her spell, but she'd just essentially waved it off. How could she be so...
Then again, Ranma couldn't deny that some part of her thrilled at the idea of one day starting a family with Akane. Maybe it really was as simple as Akane seemed to want to believe. Maybe they really could just get married and damn the consequence...
"Or maybe I should go get some hot water," Akane whispered seductively, "and we could start on that family right now."
An undeniable feeling of absolute terror shot through Ranma.
"Naw..." Akane decided as her hands began to wander. "I think I'll keep you like this for a while." She kissed Ranma full on the mouth.
After that, there was really nothing more to say.
But it didn't change anything.
*****
The Day had arrived.
"You look wonderful Akane," Kasumi said as she looked over her little sister, who wore a sparkling white wedding gown.
"Thank you," Akane said, feeling lighter than air. All the old romantic cliches were right. This was the happiest day of her life, even if she felt a little bit silly sneaking around.
Her father and Ranma's parents had decided that the obvious mistake in the previous wedding attempt had been in publicly announcing it. Even with Ukyo out of the picture, Kodachi who knows where, and Shampoo apparently conceding the inevitable, if word got out about the wedding, there was no doubt it would be a disaster.
That was why this one was being held in virtual secret. There would be no announcement until well after the deed was done and the couple wed.
"Nothing will go wrong this time," Akane said to herself.
She was amazed at how right this seemed. All the old fears, the uncertainty about Ranma's feelings for her, were gone. All it had really taken was Ranma giving his consent to the wedding. Once he'd said it, that was all Akane needed to know. Even if he could never seem to bring himself to say it, Ranma loved her. They might fight a lot, he might make her mad on a regular basis, and he might be the biggest jerk in the world sometimes, but none of that mattered against the love they shared and the vows they would very soon be taking. It really was that simple.
Or so Akane thought.
Nabiki, wearing a grim expression that Akane had never seen before, brought her a folded sheet of paper.
Confused, Akane took the offered paper and opened it up, recognizing Ranma's scrawl without difficulty.
It said simply "I'm sorry."
She felt a tremor of fear as she looked to her sister. "I... I don't understand..."
"He's gone Akane," Nabiki said gravely. "It looks like he packed during the night and slipped out while we were getting everything set up."
"No," Akane whispered, searching Nabiki's eyes for any sign that this was just some cruel joke. All she found was sadness and a heart-wrenching sympathy that only served to show that this was real.
"I'm sorry Akane," Nabiki said.
"No," Akane uttered again. "It can't be... we... we were..." She fell to her knees, feeling like her world was collapsing in on itself. "It can't be... I... I love him... he... he can't have..."
But he did.
*****
TO BE CONTINUED!
*****
Author's Notes:
Someone once asked me if I heard the song superfreak playing in my head while I wrote Akane's scenes in this story (or something like that. I'm too lazy to look up the specific review). Well, right now I'm hearing Komm Susser Todd (in my heart of hearts, I know that I could never love again, I've lost everything, everything, everything that matters to me, matters in this world...) Poor Akane!
1) Yep, any ideas I used to have for what order I was going to release these chapters in is now right out the window. Right now I'm thinking I'll alternate between this story arc and the Kasumi / Tofu story arc, then move on to my remaining lineup of pairs, but whether or not I'll be able to stick with that plan is anyone's guess.
2) So why exactly does this chapter, which is supposed to be about Soun and Nodoka, revolve entirely around Ranma and Akane? Well, for one thing it isn't EXACTLY about Soun and Nodoka, it's about Soun and Nodoka getting together. That's the difference that makes all the difference. Suffice it to say Ranma leaving Akane at the altar is the first step in setting up the Nodoka/Soun matchup. The second step involves a panda getting killed in a tragic traffic accident, but we'll get to that in part two.
3) I hope nobody was disappointed by Ranma's reason for leaving. Nothing dramatic or earthshaking, just an overwhelming case of cold feet. Face it, mighty occasionally god slaying martial artist he may be, Ranma is still only sixteen years old. He's still a kid being pushed from all sides into something he doesn't understand and knows he's not ready for. That's like ten kinds of scary right there. But what does this mean for him and Akane? Well, we'll just have to wait and see what comes, won't we?
(technically I already provided part of the answer to that question. Here's a hint: It's hidden in chapter two and might look like a plot hole right now.)
4) No I don't consider Akane's tender declaration of love out of character, especially after reading the Manga. Just given her willing participation in setting up the first wedding it's clear to me that she's been thinking along these lines at least since Jusendo. You will never convince me that she wanted to marry him just to get him the cure for his curse. Add to this the... erm... closeness they've shared in this story, the effort Ranma put into training her to beat Shampoo, and the very fact that Ranma consented to the wedding at all, and, well, that's certainly going to make it easier for her to start saying what she really feels. From her standpoint, she's won. Ranma is hers and there's no reason to be afraid of what might happen anymore. Of course, this does make Ranma's leaving her all the more heartbreaking...
(It all returns to nothing, it all comes tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down...)