Chapter two
Akane's plan
"Feh…" Ranma thought to himself. "I hate studying, it's so boring. Come to think of it, school doesn't really please me either. But I would hate to let these notes from Akane go to waste though. After all, I guess I kinda owe it to her."
Ranma looked across to his father, snoring loudly. "Man, I can't study like this." He continued, rising from the floor and heading towards the door. He walked quietly downstairs to the dinner table; the cold, wooden steps protesting about being used at such a late time. Ranma threw his papers on the dining table, by passing it for the refrigerator. He opened it up and looked inside. A few pieces of the day's dinner were in there and what was left of that special cake Kasumi had baked. Ranma, realizing that he had left his piece in Akane's room, decided to have a snack. He sat down at the table and tried to continue his studies; something that he really wasn't used to.
Akane was trying to sleep, tossing and turning about. She couldn't get that thought out of her head. Where did it come from and when did it happen? Akane looked over to P-Chan, tossing and turning almost as much as she was.
"Hey P-Chan, sorry about keeping you awake." She said; her smile highlighted by the moon and lights outside her window. "Come on P-Chan, let's go down stairs and watch some TV."
With that, Akane picked up P-Chan and took him down stairs, somehow hoping that the TV would clear her mind.
As she turned into the kitchen, she saw Ranma, sitting at the table with some curious looking papers sitting in front of him. The creaking floor again protested about being stepped on. Ranma turned to the noise noticing Akane and P-Chan were downstairs, looking at him shocked.
"Hey Akane." Ranma said, "What are you doin' here?"
"Ranma!" Akane gasped. For some reason she really didn't feel like seeing him at the present moment.
"What Akane?" He asked, surprised at her outburst. "Are you surprised that I was actually studying?"
"Y…Yea…Ranma" Akane said, trying to regain herself. "I was just a bit shocked."
"Well I figured you put a lot of time into making these copies for me, and after what I did earlier today I guess I kinda owe it to ya." Ranma said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Don't over do it Ranma, studying is more than just reading pieces of paper. It's reflecting on what it means and its value in the course you are in."
Ranma looked at her, with a "what are you talkin' about" look.
"Ranma you big dummy. Here let me help you out." Akane said, sitting beside him. P-Chan suddenly wiggled out of Akane's grasp and disappeared.
"I wonder what's gotten in to P-Chan?"
"Good riddance I say." Ranma said, looking in the direction that P-Chan ran off to.
'You two must really not like each other. You really shouldn't be so jealous."
"Jealous?" Ranma scoffed, "Who would be jealous of a stupid black pig that gets lost on his way from the kitchen to the stairs?" Ranma said that last part louder, so "P-Chan" would get the message.
"He does not get lost from the kitchen to the stairs!"
"Yea it's because you carry him around all the time." Ranma said under his breath.
Akane narrowed her eyes "What did you say Ranma?"
"I said…all this math is a crime. Yea…I can't stand all these equations. What's the point with doing 'em? You'll never use any of this stuff in the real world anyway."
"Well Ranma, the point is that you need to pass all your classes to graduate school. That way you know school is done forever and you wont have to worry about it after that."
"Yea…whatever Akane, just show me what the deal is with all these X's and stuff."
Akane obliged and started explaining an abstract concept to a "concrete" head. A feat that proved more difficult than she had thought.
Ranma struggled with the complex ratios and such, Akane showing an unusual amount of patience during the whole ordeal. He soon noticed that with each question, Akane was slowly sliding closer next to him.
"I wonder what Akane is up to?" Ranma thought to himself, completely ignoring her. Akane was oblivious to this, her mind focused on helping Ranma.
"I'll bet this is that "nice Akane" thing again." Ranma continued. He soon found Akane leaning against him, still going on about the math work. Almost instinctively, Ranma placed an arm around Akane's shoulder, more concentrating on what was happening than his studies.
"…and that's how to solve that one Ranma." Akane finished. She soon noticed what position she had found herself in. It almost felt right, like this was how it was supposed to be. "Hey Ranma, are you listening to me?" She asked after evaluating the situation. Ranma continued to stare into the paper. Akane stuck an elbow into Ranma's side. "Hey Ranma! Wake up, its not that late at night."
"Oh, sorry Akane, I was just kinda comfortable…" Ranma trailed off his words, afraid that Akane could go into one of her mood swings at any second.
"It's ok Ranma, math is kind of boring and I've been noticing your lack of sleep…at the Dojo any way."
Just then, the stairs creaked again. Ranma and Akane separated quickly, afraid their fathers would see them actually getting along. They both looked back to see Kasumi, in her nightclothes, coming down the stairs.
"Oh My!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I hope I didn't ruin anything."
"No, it's ok Kasumi." Akane said. "Ranma and I were just doing some studying for a math test we had tomorrow." Ranma was a little upset about the ruined moment but quickly forgot about it when he learned that the math test was tomorrow.
"Oh that's just wonderful!" Kasumi said cheerfully. "I heard some voices down here and I was wondering what was going on; just incase any one needed a midnight snack. Speaking of snacks, how did you two like the cake I baked for you?"
"It was really good Kasumi." Ranma replied, his slice of cake having long since disappeared. Akane nodded in agreement.
"Good, I'm so glad you two enjoyed it. I was afraid that the cake would have gone to waste with what happened earlier."
Ranma and Akane looked at each other, in almost a manner as to start another argument. Kasumi noticed this and continued, hoping to distract them from each other.
"Yes, father will be overjoyed when he finds out you two have forgiven each other and are starting to get along. It's pretty late now. You two should think about calling it a night."
Akane looked over to a nearby clock. It was 12:36 am. She was with Ranma for almost three hours. "Yea Ranma, it's past midnight. Maybe we should call it a night."
"Yea I guess so Akane," Ranma said. "I got lucky yesterday, the teacher must have been real busy or somethin' to have not sent me outside."
"Ok, good night" Kasumi said, heading upstairs. Ranma and Akane soon followed; saying good night to each other.
"Man, what am I gonna do about that stupid test?" Ranma thought to himself as he lay next to his father. "I sure hope Akane knew what she was doing back there. I know I sure didn't. What was with Akane any way? I don't remember her being that nice before." Ranma thought to himself for a few minutes. He was determined to figure out what was going on with Akane. He started making a mental list of what she had done the past day.
"Lets see here…" he continued. "Akane was acting nice for most of the day- almost too nice. She seemed to want this engagement thing work. Now why would Akane want this thing to work? Maybe she did love me and wanted to go through it? Nah. That doesn't sound like Akane. It has to be more sinister than that. She must be doing this to get back at all the other wanna-bes out there. Yea…that sounds just like Akane, going for revenge. Maybe if they all see how much we're getting along, they would leave me alone."
Ranma turned on his side, satisfied that he finally figured something out without it being beaten into him, literally. He soon fell asleep.
Akane searched for P-Chan in her room, but it was in vain. He had obviously gotten mad about her going near Ranma, almost like he was trying to avoid him. Akane sat on her bed, thinking about what had just happened. There was no denying her true feelings for Ranma now. The only other obstacle left was to tell him how she felt. Akane pondered the right way to go about it.
"A date tomorrow…" She thought to herself. "That would be a perfect place to tell him. I think he loves me too, so that would make it all the easier. I wonder how he will take it." Akane reached over to her lamp and switched it off. P-Chan would be fine, its not like this was the first time he had done this. Akane lie in her bed, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She shook her head in disgust as if trying to shake out these "new" feelings.
"I can't believe it." She said to herself. Akane fell asleep after a while, the moon looking into her room, seeming to wonder what tomorrow would bring.
Humble Beginnings
Ranma awoke unusually early for a school day. The clock said it was 6:42 and school didn't start until 8:30 am. Genma had already woke up a few minutes earlier, no doubt playing Soun in yet another game of GO. Ranma decided this would be a good time to relax a bit and plan his next move, what with everything that had happened yesterday. He grabbed a towel and headed to the bath. A nice relaxing bath would definitely help him concentrate; a skill that sometimes didn't come easy.
"That damn Kuno." Ranma thought to himself, as he sat down in the hot water. Kuno's sword had left a larger cut than he had previously though and the hot water did not help matters.
"I wonder if he's out of the hospital yet. He should be, all it was were two broken ribs. On second though, maybe I did lay a number on him, he might not recover as fast as he usually does." Ranma smiled to himself. "Maybe today I should pay him a visit earlier on today. I'll bet he would be thrilled to death if "she" came to see him. Then I could finally try and make him realize chasin' after me and Akane is just a waste of time."
Ranma could smell breakfast cooking. "Kasumi sure did have a way with food. She had a way with a bunch of things, come to think of it. The laundry was always done and dinner was always a joy." A thought then crossed Ranma's mind. "I can't go see Kuno, wearing my usual clothes. I gotta find a more reasonable set of clothes, like a dress or something." He shuddered at the though of wearing a dress for yet another occasion, but if it would keep Kuno away, he would do it. Satisfied, Ranma got out of the bath and started to get dressed. He would visit Kuno after school.
The sweet smell of pastries filled Akane's room, waking her up. She looked around for a moment. No P-Chan. "I wonder if he ran away and got lost?" Akane thought to herself, not halfway believing it. Akane looked at her clock. 7:13. She had just enough time for a real quick shower before breakfast was served. Akane proceeded to the shower, half way wanting to check on Ranma, just to make sure he didn't have any plans after school. She opened the bathroom door and found Ranma, who was up unusually early. Akane instinctively covered her eyes.
"Hey Akane, its ok.'' Ranma said. Akane did a double take; at least he had his shorts on. It was then she noticed the wound Kuno had left.
"Ranma, didn't that hurt?"
"What, that little thing? Nah. It only started hurting when I got in the water."
"But Ranma, it looks pretty deep from over here." Akane said, genuinely concerned. "You better let me have a look a that."
Akane went over to Ranma and examined the cut.
"See Akane, its not that bad."
"Well I guess not, but maybe you should let Kasumi patch it up for you."
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, she's busy with breakfast and I would hate to worry her."
"Suit yourself Ranma, now if you'll excuse me I just wanna take a quick shower."
"Uh…sure thing."
With that, Ranma left Akane to her shower. "Wow, that was such a change from all the yelling yesterday" Ranma thought to himself, putting on his shirt and going down stairs. "I sure could get used to this "New Akane."
Akane finished her shower just in time to eat breakfast. Everyone was sitting at the table, enjoying their meal and noticing the "New Akane" was back. Soun and Genma looked extremely pleased.
"I see Akane is back to normal now." Genma said, normal meaning nice.
"Yes, after what happened yesterday, I would have thought you two would still be mad at each other." Soun said.
"Oh yes father, they made up last night while studying." Kasumi added, cheerfully. "They looked like such the perfect couple you would have thought they were married already."
Ranma and Akane's faces started to turn red.
"I wonder what kind of studying they were doing last night." Nabiki said slyly, looking over at Ranma
"Oh, I think it was for a math test, Nabiki." Kasumi said, missing the innuendo.
"Yea, Akane," Nabiki continued, looking over at her. "What's one plus one equal?" Akane's looked down into her plate, blushing. Ranma looked at her, confused.
"Well everyone," Nabiki started, "I believe its time for us to leave for school." At those words, Ranma and Akane got up and headed out the door, Nabiki following. A car pulled up to the entrance of the dojo.
"See you guys at school." she said, climbing in. "Oh, and Ranma, don't think I forgot about what we talked about yesterday." Ranma should have known better. The car took off towards the school, leaving Ranma and Akane to walk alone.
"What was she talking about, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Oh, it's…nothing Akane" Ranma returned, trying to figure out how to get proper clothes while being 300 yen poorer.
"I wonder who that was in the car. I would have thought that Kuno would be in the hospital still, after the way you demolished him."
"I dunno, but you know how Nabiki is." Ranma said simply, his mind obviously on something else.
The two walked side by side, quietly. Both thinking on what they should do after school. Akane was the first to break the silence.
"Hey Ranma, " she said, looking over to him. "What are you doing after school?"
"Oh, I have some unfinished business with Kuno. I'm gonna visit him in the hospital. It's about time for the final blow." He said with a smile.
"You're not going to hurt him even more are you?" Akane asked, looking worried.
"Nah Akane, I'm just gonna go over there and let him know that he's wasting his time with both of us."
"Oh…" Akane said, a bit disappointed.
Ranma looked over to her. "Why did you ask? Is somethin' going on?"
"Well kinda…a thought had occurred to me yesterday and I was wondering if…"
"Yea?"
Akane had not rehearsed asking Ranma out.
"Well…maybe you and I should go out to dinner tonight. That way everyone would see how well we were getting alone. Who knows, maybe everyone would leave us alone." she managed, offering Ranma a big smile.
Ranma thought for a moment, looking into the sky. "So it was for revenge and not about love…but I thought that she…well there's still a chance she does. I might as well help her. After all, if just one person got the message that would make my life a lot easier. It would sure be nice to be with the "New Akane" for a little while any way. Just me and her."
"Hey Ranma!" Akane said, jumping in front of him, wearing a cute smile. "So what do you think?"
"It's a date Akane!" Ranma said, returning her smile.
"Good, now there's no getting out of this, so don't stay too long "visiting" Kuno. Now lets hurry up, I don't wanna be late again."
The two ran off towards the school.
School went by fast for once; it had been a while since both Akane and Ranma were in a good mood at the same time. Everyone seemed to accept the fact that they were indeed a good couple. Having Kuno absent made things even easier. Ranma even made an 83 on his math test, by far one of his best grades in that class. Akane showed off her 94 to Ranma in the lunchroom, playfully.
Soon the dismissal bell rang. Ranma went outside to wait for Akane. Instead, Nabiki greeted him.
"Oh man," He thought to himself, "Here goes my 300-yen." Ranma reached into his pocket just as Nabiki approached him. He handed it over, before Nabiki could make one of her remarks to him, or take any more of his money.
"Thanks Ranma," She said, counting her money. Nabiki winked at him. "If you need anything else, like time at home alone with Akane, you know who to call, right? Of course its gonna cost a bit more…"
"Yea, sure thing Nabiki." Ranma said in a manner to dismiss her. "I'll keep you in mind." Nabiki waved to him, her plan to get a few more yen foiled. Better luck next time.
With Nabiki being carted off to the Dojo, Ranma was free to contemplate about his up coming encounters. "Maybe I should ask Nabiki for some money to by clothes? Nah, getting money from her would be nearly impossible."
"Hey Ranma! Ready to go?" Akane asked, surprising Ranma with her presence
"Huh? Oh, hey Akane, sure let's go, I've got a lot to do today"
"So do I" Akane thought to herself.
Ranma suddenly got an idea. "Hey Akane, come over here. I wanna ask you somethin'." He said, waving Akane toward an empty street.
"I wonder what he wants to ask me over there?" Akane thought to herself, going over to Ranma. "I hope it's not about this date coming up. I just can't tell him how I feel yet…I need to wait until later on, when the timing is right."
"Akane, what's with the serious look all of a sudden?"
"Oh, I was…thinking about school."
"Sure, whatever Akane."
"Well, didn't you have something to ask me?" Akane said, a bit annoyed
"Yea I do" Ranma said, checking to make sure no one was listening to them "Well, I need to…borrow a cute dress to go see Kuno, He won't listen to male Ranma but he would listen to female Ranma."
Akane looked relieved "Oh, sure thing Ranma, I'll help you."
"Good, thanks Akane, I'm kinda in a bind for money right now. You know…this sure is cute of you to help me like this." Ranma said with a big smile
Akane blushed at those words. It was rare to hear the word "cute" in a day, especially before the words "un-cute" were said.
The couple walked down the street, quietly; Ranma, planning what to say to Kuno and Akane planning on what to say to Ranma. They soon reached to dojo, having accomplished almost a full day without arguments. Nabiki told Genma and Soun how well the two were getting along. The two proud fathers were overjoyed, hugging their children upon their entry of the Dojo.
"Akane!" Soun said, eyes full of tears. "I'm so happy for you. You are trying so hard for your father. You don't know how much that means to me and to the Dojo. Your mother would be proud!"
"Yes, boy" Genma continued for Soun "We are indeed very proud of you. Not only will there be an heir for the dojo now but many more heirs in the future."
"Oh Mr. Saotome, I'm so glad for you and father." Kasumi said, peeking out of the kitchen.
Ranma and Akane were taken aback.
"H…Hey pops wait just a second." Ranma said defensively. "Just what do you mean by "many more heirs in the future?"
"Grandchildren." Genma said, smiling over to Soun. Soun nodded happily.
Ranma looked over to Akane, standing next to him. She turned her face away from him in embarrassment, turning a bright red.
"Wha…What?" Ranma said, at a loss for words. Nabiki turned to him.
"Just say the word Ranma, I'll even throw in a special first time discount."
Ranma just stood there. Akane was still hiding. "What are all you people talkin' about?" Ranma demanded. "Why would anyone want to have a kid with such an un-cute…." Ranma promptly bit his tongue, almost drawing blood. Akane looked up to him, pleading with him not to finish that sentence.
"Uh…yea, like I was sayin'…babies are so un-cute. You have to change them, they wake you up at night, and they cause you all sorts of problems."
Everyone looked at Ranma suspiciously, Except Kasumi, who smiled at Ranma's take on parenthood. Akane looked up to him, offering a small smile.
"Well, dad" She continued "Ranma and I have a lot of school work to do so we better go ahead and get it done before dinner."
"Ok, Akane," Soun said to her, and with that, the couple went upstairs.
"Man!", Ranma said, relieved. "Pops and Mr. Tendou are taking this thing way to far. Just because we decided to be nice is no reason to think we would…" Ranma stopped there. Akane met his gaze.
They paused for a few moments.
"Well, Ranma, lets get you ready for your little visit at the hospital, but we need to do one thing first." She said, running into the bathroom and returning with a small glass of water.
"Here we go again," Ranma thought to himself. He could feel the cold sting of the water against his face.
"There you go Ranma, now I can help you out." Akane said, almost seeming to enjoy splashing him with the cold water.
"Yea, ok Akane." The now female Ranma said. "Lets make this quick, I don't wanna spend any more time in a dress than I have to."
Akane made quick work, picking out a dress for Ranma. It was a green one, one Akane had worn previously, but not so much as to be noticed on Ranma. Ranma just stood by as Akane was saying stuff like "lets try it like this" and "you should have your hair this way"
"Man, I've never seen this side of Akane before. She seems so…feminine. So this is what the real Akane is like." Ranma thought to himself, not paying attention to what Akane was saying. Akane was oblivious to this, too engrossed in the task at hand.
"Ok, Ranma, I think that about does it." Akane said, pushing Ranma towards her mirror. "What do you think?" Ranma looked at himself…or herself rather. He did indeed look like a lady, which was enough for him.
"Now if you would only wear the right underwear, you would be a real lady." Akane said, playfully.
Ranma smiled to her. "That ain't gonna happen Akane."
"Well Ranma, you're free to go. Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Try not to hurt Kuno again. It is so un-cute when you do that."
Ranma narrowed her eyes at Akane for using his favorite line. "Sorry Akane, sometimes I just get kind of defensive when people try to steal things."
Akane had not heard that line before.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in time for dinner. Wish me luck with Kuno."
"Good luck Ranma."
Ranma started down the stairs.
"Oh, wait Ranma!" Akane said, chasing after her. "Where did you want to go for dinner?"
There was only one place Ranma wanted to go to.
"Lets go to "Uc-chan's!" He said, his mind on Okonomiyaki.
Akane should have known the answer to that, but hoped against hope that he would choose a different place. "This is going to put a damper on my plan." Akane thought to herself. "Actually this might be a good idea. If Ukyo were to see us getting along, she might just stop bothering Ranma. In reality, this is the perfect way. I'll tell him how I feel right in front of Ukyo. She would surely tell the others what had happened."
"Yea, Ranma, that would be the prefect place to go!" She said, with an unusually big smile.
"Ok Akane, see ya around."
Ranma went down the steps and started towards the hospital, Dress and all.
Akane returned to her room to take a quick nap. She had a lot on her mind. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She said to herself. "I don't think I can tell him how I feel, but I have to, I owe it to my family and Mr. Saotome. They will probably make a big deal about it as usual." Akane chuckled to herself. "There's no turning back now, I would hate to be miserable like this for the rest of my life. I don't feel like eating, even though my stomach says otherwise. My mind is constantly wandering, almost to the point I get dizzy. I'll tell him how I feel, I don't care what happens after, just as long as things go back to normal, as if the word normal could be used after tonight." Akane, relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever and quickly fell asleep.
Ranma approached the hospital. "Ok Ranma, time to turn on that female charm" she said to herself. She approached the front desk.
"Umm…excuse me mister. Could you please tell me where Tatewaki Kuno's room is?" She asked in an almost overly cute tone. The gentlemen at the desk looked up and smiled. "Sure thing pretty lady. Mr. Kuno is on the second floor in room eleven."
"Ok, thanks mister!" With that, she headed off towards his room.
Ranma easily found the room number eleven, it was the only one on the left side of the hall way on this segment on wall, the other rooms appeared to be storage spaces or nurses' lounges. Ranma readied herself. "Ok Ranma, here we go. Be gentle. Don't act like you know what happened." She said to herself, knocking on the door.
The door opened slowly, revealing Kodachi of all people. "Good, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone today." Ranma thought.
"Is Kuno-sempai in here?"
"Yes he is." Kodachi said, probably still bitter about losing that martial arts gymnastics thing.
Ranma burst in, heading for Kuno, who was sitting up in bed, concentrating on something. "Kuno-sempai!" She called, "I was so worried about you!"
"Oh, My pig-tailed goddess!" Kuno said, turning to her. "You…you mustn't see me like this!"
Ranma placed a big hug on Kuno, fully knowing what his condition was. Kuno yelped in pain and Ranma backed up, stricken.
"Kuno-sempai, what's wrong? Don't you want to see me? I heard that you got hurt so I ran here as fast as I could."
"Alas, Why did the God's bequeath this unspeakable evil upon me? For, I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, am unable to return your gesture of love, my beloved Pig-tailed goddess."
"Kuno-sempai? Do you mean that you don't like me any more?"
"No, that's not it: A great evil descended upon me a few days ago. His name was Ranma Saotome. He hath smited me upon the battlefield, for I was fighting for my true love, Akane Tendou."
Ranma feigned extreme sadness. "But…Kuno-sempai, I thought you loved me."
"Worry not, my pig-tailed goddess, there is plenty of room in Kuno's heart for the both of you."
"But Kuno sempai…I want to be the only one in your heart."
Kuno looked stunned at Ranma's words. "Such a foul deed does rest upon my shoulders. I must decide on which female will date with me."
"Kuno sempai. I can't stand the thought of you leaving me. Please make your decision now. I need to know how you feel."
Kuno thought for a moment, ever pondering whom he would choose.
"I choose both of you!" Kuno said, getting up and hugging his "goddess." He yelped in pain again. "Alas, the pain I have felt is nothing to the pain in my heart, hearing those words from you. I wish you to leave. You cannot see your brave knight in shining armor like this. It would surely scar you for life."
"But Kuno sempai…"
"Be brave, my goddess. Your champion shall arise again to confront Ranma Saotome. At which point I shall date both you and Akane Tendou."
"You will not touch my Ranma-sama!" Kodachi shouted, having heard enough about revenge on Ranma.
"Such a twisted sister I am forced to dwell with… My pig-tailed goddess, please be brave, for my sake. Now go from here, its is hurtful to your champion to look upon your soft features and not be able to take them into my arms."
"When will you challenge Ranma?"
"The very day I am completely healed, my beloved. Now go. Please, and forget the Kuno sitting before you. Only remember the tall, strong Kuno, whom has defended you."
"Aren't you just wasting your time with Ranma and Akane? Why not come after me instead of those two. I would hate to see you get hurt again, I can barely take hospitals at all, especially when you are inside."
"Please, your champion's mind is hard working on what he must do. He needs time to think about his situation."
"But Kuno-sempai… I will leave you be if that is what you want. I shall return to you Kuno-sempai, until then, farewell." Ranma said, dashing out the door, forcing a few tears just to add effect. She ran all the way to the elevator, a few people looking strangely at her. She got in the elevator, and, sure that no one would see her, let her farce down. She exited the elevator in high spirits, once again smiling to the gentleman that helped her.
"Excuse me again mister. When is Tatewaki Kuno going to be released?"
"Oh hi there, young lady! Lets see here…Tomorrow morning looks like the time he will be discharged."
"How long would it take him before he could fight again?"
"I would say about a month or so, depending on what kind of rest he gets and what he eats."
"Ok! Thanks mister!" Ranma said, playfully turning around and running out the door.
Ranma just then bumped into Kodachi, whom was holding a gift-wrapped box. "Hey, you know my beloved Ranma-sama do you not?"
Ranma nodded.
"Please give this gift of home baked cookies to him. Tell him I will see him later, after he has finished all of them."
"Ok Kodachi…" Ranma said suspiciously. Kodachi bounded off, laughing to herself and everyone near by.
Ranma started back to the Dojo, unwrapping the cookies and taking one out. She sniffed one of the cookies. "It smells normal…I better not take any chances, given Kodachi's track record. I would hate to miss dinner with Akane over a stupid cookie." She thought, throwing the box in a near by trashcan.
"So what if that didn't go exactly as I had planned. One month away from Kuno is enough time." Ranma continued. "It will prolly be more like two weeks. Oh well, me and Akane might be married by then so I shouldn't worry about it." Ranma stopped dead in her tracks. She had done it again, admitting what her feelings were. "I…I shouldn't worry about me and Akane right now." She finally concluded. "I have to concentrate on getting rid of all those freeloaders. Besides, that's what Akane really wants. Dealing with Shampoo and Cologne is gonna be hard. I'll worry about those two later, in the mean time I need to take a shower so I can be ready for dinner." Having cleared her mind again, Ranma raced off to the Dojo, ready for anything that lie ahead of him. Almost anything…
Little Date
Akane awoke just as Ranma entered to dojo. Soun and Genma seemed to be eternally locked in a game of GO. Kasumi was preparing dinner, in her usual cheerful manner. Nabiki was sitting at the table, abacus in hand, figuring out who knows what about her finances.
"Oh, Hello Ranma" Kasumi said, coming out of the kitchen. Nabiki did not look up from her work.
"Hey Kasumi." Ranma said simply, looking around for Akane.
"I hope you will enjoy dinner, it's a new recipe for ramen I found in mother's notebook."
"I'm sorry Kasumi, but me and Akane are gonna go out for dinner tonight, I thought she would have told everyone by now."
"No Ranma, Akane did not even stay awake long enough for her to tell us. As soon as you left she went straight to take a nap. I hope everything is ok."
"Yea, I think everything is fine, she might have not slept well last night, seeing as we stayed up so late. Especially with that math test and all. I hope you understand Kasumi, I hate to miss your cooking."
"Oh no Ranma, please go out and have a wonderful time! After all, you two should start doing this kind of thing if you're to be wed." Kasumi said, smiling.
"Ok, thanks a lot Kasumi. Is Akane awake yet?"
"Oh, I don't think so. Maybe you should go check on her."
"Ok" and Ranma started up the stairs, glancing at Soun and Genma.
"This is wonderful news, huh Saotome?" Soun said, on the verge of tears.
"Indeed it is, Tendou. We should have known better than to think a mere argument could get in the way of true love."
Ranma ignored this latest round of praise and headed to Akane's room. She approached to door tentatively, afraid to wake her. On second though it was Akane that wanted this "date" thing. Ranma knocked softly on Akane's door. "Hey Akane! You awake in there?" She said, in a low voice.
Akane stirred about. "Hmm? Oh! Ranma! I almost over slept." She said, opening the door. She had obviously been sleeping for a few hours.
"Well, I talked to Kuno, I think I bought us two weeks at the most, but with Kuno I guess you take what you can get."
"Well, at least you tried. Hey shouldn't you take a shower first. You can't be seen with another girl going on a date. That's just kinda weird."
"Speaking of weird, you should look at your hair." Ranma said playfully
"Oh stop it Ranma, even though you're a girl now you have no idea what its like to deal with hair."
"I know enough to know when someone has bed hair."
"Ok Ranma, you go take a shower, and I'll get ready"
"Ok." Ranma said. She entered the bathroom, and, deciding that Akane would need a few more minutes, started a nice, warm bath.
Akane went to her closet. "I have to pick a really cute dress for such a special occasion." She thought. She looked around for a few minutes, deciding on a nice blue dress she had worn a few weeks before. Her favorite. She put it on and looked at herself in her mirror. Ranma would surely like this dress. She then began to work on her hair. It was a good thing it was short, as it only took a few minutes to straighten out. All that was left to do was wait for Ranma now.
Ranma, now male, put on his usual clothes and knocked on Akane's door. The door opened, revealing a very cute Akane, smiling broadly.
"Wow, Akane, you look pretty cute in that dress…" Ranma said, gazing upon her.
"Thanks Ranma, I um… picked it just for you." Akane said, rather sheepishly, her eyes going up to Ranma's. They stood, staring into each other's eyes for a few moments. Ranma was the first to speak.
"Ok, Akane let's go." He said with a smile, taking Akane's hand and leading her out the dojo. Their fathers said something, but neither of the two paid much attention.
"So what did Kuno say?" Akane asked.
"Well, Kuno said that he would challenge me as soon as his wounds heal."
"And when is that?
"About a month from now is what the doctor said. But remember, this is Kuno, so it's more like two weeks, give or take whether it's a Friday."
"How did he take your arrival?"
""Oh! My pig tailed goddess! Please don't hurt yourself by looking upon my broken body" or somethin' like that, I really wasn't payin' attention."
"Yea Ranma, you were never one much with details, were you?"
"Nah, details annoy me, so do wanna be fiancées that keep pestering me."
"Yea, it must be tough trying to defend yourself from all those attacks" Akane said trying to be sympathetic.
"Yea, it was rough dealing with Kodachi's poisons, Ukyo's spatulas, and Shampoo's great-grandmother. Shampoo also tried a bit of food lacing if I remember correctly. Then you would always hit me when they tried to capture me. It was a bit stressful, but I think things are gonna…" Ranma realized he slipped his tongue again. The last thing he wanted to do was make Akane angry and reverse all the effort she put into her new attitude. He looked down to her, , Akane looking up to him with a smile, seeming to hang on his every word.
"Things are gonna what?" She asked, curious.
"Oh, Uh…things are gonna get better, I've made up my mind to get rid of all these people so I can finally relax."
"Well, good luck Ranma, you're gonna need it." Akane said.
The couple soon entered Uc-chan's, with Ukyo serving up various Okonomiyaki. "Hey Ran-Chan, what can I get for you?" Ukyo said, happy to see her love.
"Can I have a shrimp Okonomiyaki?" Ranma asked, his mouth starting to water.
"Sugar, you can have any thing you want!" Ukyo returned, flipping a previous order.
"Could you make that two Ukyo?" Akane asked, seeming un-moved by Ukyo's words.
Ukyo looked up to see Ranma was indeed holding the hand of Akane Tendou. "This can't be a good sign for my Ran-Chan." She thought.
"Sure Akane, anything for Ranma's friend!" Ukyo said, with a dash of sarcasm.
Ranma got his usual seat and Akane across him. The two soon engaged in what could be called a conversation, almost like normal a couple.
"We don't have any more tests to study for over the weekend, do we?" Ranma asked, a bit concerned
Akane thought for a moment. "No, I didn't hear of one. Besides, today is Friday. Its not too common for teachers to assign a test for Monday."
The conversation about school continued, as Ukyo observed the two, between Okonomiyaki flippings.
"Something…is different about those two." She thought to herself, cooking as though it were second nature. She noticed Ranma seemed to concentrate more on what Akane was saying than he usually did. Akane seemed to lean ever closer to him, wearing that cute smile of hers. "I wonder what's up with those two. Could they actually be getting along for once? Could this be a date for them?"
Ukyo went over to their table, with the Okonomiyaki. She set them down in front of the couple. "There you go Ran-Chan, I hope you enjoy this."
"Oh I sure will Uc-Chan!" Ranma said, his eyes getting bigger at the sight of the shrimp Okonomiyaki. The couple ate quietly, throwing in a comment the likes of "Ukyo did a great job", and "This is very good"
Ranma finished his first. "Hey Uc-Chan can I get another one?"
Akane took a deep breath. "Ok Akane, this is it." She thought to herself. "This is what the everything comes down to." Akane noticed that her palms started sweating and she was shaking all over. "Ugh, come on Akane, you've faced bigger challenges than this. Remember all the fights you used to get into, the fights you had with Ranma…then why is this so…hard. I have to do this, for my father and mother. What would everyone think if I chickened out now? I have to do this. Dad put all his trust into me carrying on the dojo. And even if Ranma doesn't like what he hears, at least I'll have tried my best." Akane wiped her hands on her dress, and took a sip of her water. Now her throat was starting to dry and she suddenly lost her appetite. Ranma was looking over at the hot grill, watching Ukyo show off her cooking skills. "The Okonomiyaki is almost ready" Akane continued to think to herself. "Here I go!"
Ukyo noticed that Akane had become very tense. "What's up with her?" She thought.
"H…Hey Ranma?" Akane forced herself to say.
Ranma turned around, obviously in a good mood. "Yea Akane?"
"I…Uh…Well I…"
"Is something wrong Akane? You seem a bit distracted all of a sudden."
"Well…it's just that I've…en…enjoyed spending time with you. Its been really fun these past couple of hours and…I uh…wanted to… tell you something"
Akane was starting to falter.
"Man, Akane is sure acting weird." Ukyo continued to herself. Perplexed, she "turned on" her feminine intuition and did a double take on what was happening to Akane. She looked at Akane, hands nervously fidgeting and her eyes were looking down, like she was in deep thought.
Suddenly it hit her, making her drop one of her spatulas.
"Oh…My…God!" Ukyo said to herself, stunned at her revelation. "Akane Tendou is about to tell Ranma that she loves him!" Panic started to set in Ukyo's heart as she stared in disbelief. "Oh no, what does this mean for my Ran-Chan!" Her heart started to race, panic in full swing. "I…I have to stop her or I'll lose my Ran-Chan forever!" Ukyo's mind went in a thousand different directions. She had to stop this exchange, for her sake. She didn't know what to do.
The walk to Ranma and Akane's table seemed to take hours. Ukyo thought desperately, trying to stop Akane. What had Shampoo and the others done at this moment?
"What did you want to say Akane?" Ranma asked.
Akane looked into Ranma's eyes. "Well…I…I…"
Ukyo burst in "Wasn't that Okonomiyaki the best you've ever had Ran-Chan?" Akane looked like she had been hit with a real fist, she looked down at her plate, defeated.
"It sure was Uc-Chan," Ranma said, turning his attention to what Ukyo carried.
"Now for the final blow!" Ukyo thought to herself, noticing that Akane had been defeated.
"Oh Ranma! I'm so glad you liked it, you have no idea how much that means to me!" She said, grabbing the sitting Ranma and giving him a little kiss. Ukyo turned to Akane with a slight smile. Akane was seething, gripping her glass of water in a manner to have almost shattered it.
"Hey Uc-chan! What was that for? You know I…" Ranma turned to the other side of the table. He now stared death in the face. Her name was Akane. Her eyes were narrowed, her teeth clenched and her eyes were actually on fire. Both Ranma and Ukyo backed up. Akane was serious this time.
"What…what have I done?" Ukyo thought to herself, about to regret ever serving that Okonomiyaki.
"You…you…Damn Jerk!" Akane shouted, throwing her chair backwards. Everyone in the restaurant could feel the pain and anger in those words. "What the hell are you doing!"
"H…Hey, wait just a second Akane, I…I didn't…" Ranma tried.
"I ask you out to a nice dinner and this is how you repay me? I was even gonna pay for the meal. But no, you just had to go screw it up like everything else you touch."
Ranma got defensive. "Wait a second Akane!" he yelled, getting to his feet. "If you weren't so un-cute you would have realized…"
Akane cut him off, furious "Un-Cute? Un-cute! I'll show you Un-cute!" She said, dousing Ranma with her water.
"Damn it Akane! Why wont you listen to me?" The now female Ranma demanded.
"Oh, and I suppose she forced you into that kiss. She stuck a knife to your throat and threatened to kill you if you didn't give her a kiss. Is that it? Just like all those other times with Shampoo and Kodachi."
"Yes! I mean no…"
"You know Ranma, sometimes you make me so mad I could just kill you!"
"Oh yea, like that ever stopped you before. You always hit me for no reason and then complain about what I did? No Akane! That's not gonna work this time. You saw with your own eyes what happened."
"Yea you're damn right I saw what happened. I saw you kiss Ukyo. Does that ring a bell up there Ranma or do you want me to draw you a picture?" Akane shouted back.
"Damn! You can be so un-cute sometimes, and here I was thinkin' you had changed. I almost fell for it this time. Guess I shoulda known better than that huh?"
"I did change but you had to keep screwing up. That's why I'm so mad at you!"
"No you didn't change. You're still the same old, stupid, sexless tomboyish Akane as you were when I first met you!" Ranma yelled, his anger way passed its breaking point.
Akane was stunned. She could feel the tears beginning. "Oh…oh yea? Well…well…you're still the same perverted jerk you were when you first came to the Dojo!"
"You know, Akane, I wish I had never met you! All you do is complain about what I do then hit me over it, like you're some kind of angel or somethin'. Well this time its over! I never want to see you again!"
Akane's whole world fell in on itself after those words. The man she loved just said he didn't return her feelings. Akane's anger turned into a bitter rage, her fist was clenched so tight her she lost feeling in that hand. She unleashed her rage in a solid blow to Ranma's cheek, actually knocking her a few feet backward. Ranma flew back and landed behind Ukyo, whom was speechless.
"Fine! If that's the way you want it Ranma!" Akane said, tears in her eyes. She burst out the door and ran back to her room at the Dojo, stunning everyone there. The slamming door indicated that she really didn't feel like talking.
Ukyo just blinked, at a complete loss for words. "What…what just happened?" she asked herself. She then noticed Ranma was now behind her. She turned and offered her a hand.
Ranma lay on the floor, rubbing her face. The fist had almost cut to the bone. She looked up at Ukyo who was offing a hand to her. Ranma looked into Ukyo's eyes, with a look that cut through her very soul. Ukyo was decimated. Ranma, ignoring the kind gesture, rose to her feet and started back to the dojo. No use putting off the inevitable.
All that was left of Ukyo stood at Ranma's favorite table, in front of tragedy. Tears started to form in her eyes…something that she had not felt in a while.
"What have I done?" She couldn't get that thought out of her head. "All I wanted was my Ran-Chan. I…I didn't mean to hurt Akane like that." Ukyo realized that Ranma wasn't her "Ran-Chan" any more. His heart belonged to another.
"Please everyone. This shop will close early. I'm very sorry about all this. You may return tomorrow for a free Okonomiyaki." The few people that were left obliged, and left Ukyo to her sorrow.
"What have I done?"
Ukyo collapsed in a heap on the floor, sobbing. "I have hurt my friend Akane and worse of all, I have hurt my beloved Ran-Chan. Ukyo you idiot, that wasn't you back there. That was a…demon. If you really loved Ranma you wouldn't have done that!" She said to herself, words unable to express her sorrow for what she had caused.
Ranma entered the Dojo, all eyes on her. "Ranma!" Soun shouted. "What did you do to my Akane?"
Ranma shot a death glare at him "It's what she did to me!" She yelled, going upstairs and into the shower.
Akane was in her room sobbing. P-Chan had finally found his way back into Akane's room after wandering the Dojo for hours.
"Oh, P-Chan!" Akane said, hugging him quite hard. "I was about to tell Ranma that I loved him when he went and ruined everything with that stupid Ukyo!" P-Chan was stunned. Had he missed something while he was lost? "I had planned everything perfectly but that damn jerk still found a way to screw up. P-Chan…He…he…said he never wanted to see me again!" Akane was devastated, sobbing into P-Chan's, warm, soft body; the only comfort she could get.
P-Chan had about as much as he could stand from Ranma. He looked up at the pitiful sight, his eyes could barely watch. Sadness and rage had a firm grip on Akane. That rage soon gripped P-Chan
"Don't worry Akane, Ranma will never hurt you like that again. He shall be punished for doing this to you. Your P-Chan guarantees this." Ryoga thought to himself. "It is time he learn the hard way how to treat you, my beloved." Ryoga waited for an hour or so, Akane had cried herself to sleep. Ranma was in the training hall, furiously working off his anger. Everyone else, not knowing what they could do, simply went to bed. Ryoga went into the shower, and started to the hall to confront Ranma.
***** So, there's Chapter Two. Now things are starting to heat up. And just so you all know, I passed my audit! Yay! I got a 1% error margin I think I'm allowed up to 2% but still, that's kinda in the middle. Oh well. Oh, and I'm so happy! Everyone still remembers me! And it's nice to see some new faces too. I look forward to a few more. But for now, that's it. I'll try to update this thing whenever I get a free moment, but I can't guarantee they will be as prompt as the first posting. So, until next we meet! And yes, mighty Denkou-dono. I will be posting my other stories. I hope they do as good as Obsessions did :D:D:D******