Chapter Five
The Long Road Ahead
Old Wounds
Akane started back to the Dojo, hurt. "Why does Ranma always have to insult me? Here I was, trying to help him, and he jumps down my throat about me dieing. That stupid pervert would be so lucky if I did. After Shampoo, Ranma is next." Akane started running low on breath. Her heart had begun to race. She needed to sit down. She rounded a corner, spying an empty café. It was pretty late and everyone had probably gone home. She sat under an umbrella, relaxing a bit.
A figure emerged out of the café. Akane caught it by the corner of her eye. She turned to the figure. It was Ukyo. She seemed like she was in bad shape. She didn't seem so bright and cheerful as usual, almost as if she had lost something important to her.
Ukyo turned around. She needed to get a few quick things from the store. Today was a big shrimp day. Ran-Chan would get shrimp Okonomiyaki. Ukyo saw a person sitting at a near by table. It was Akane and she had spotted her. Ukyo stood there, shocked. What was she going to say to her? She had ruined their relationship. There was only one thing to say.
Ukyo ran up to Akane. "Please! Forgive me Akane. I didn't mean to hurt you or Ran-Chan."
Memories from that day entered Akane's mind. "Ukyo had done that on purpose! Why should I forgive her?" She narrowed her eyes at Ukyo. Her temper started boil. Ukyo sat down across from her and looked into her eyes. The tears in her eyes pleaded with her.
"Please, Akane, can you forgive me? I didn't know what I was doing…I…was just scared I was going to lose Ran-Chan."
The anger that swirled inside Akane burst out.
"Lose Ranma? Well, too bad Ukyo, you already lost Ranma, in fact you never had him! I can't believe what you did to me in there! Of all the things to do you just had to go a ruin my date with Ranma didn't you! Couldn't you see that we just wanted some peaceful time together? But no, just like every other fiancée Ranma has, you had to go and try to break us up! Well that didn't' work did it! Ranma told me he loved me and only me!"
Ukyo was mortified…so this was the anger of Akane Tendou. "He…said he loved you…?" Ukyo managed.
"Damn right he did, and you know what else?" Akane said, slamming her hands on the table and rising from her sitting position. "I love Ranma too! In fact, we are going to go through with our wedding. This time no one will stop us. Not you, not Shampoo, Not Kodachi. So why don't you just give up your stupid ways and just leave us alone!"
Ukyo was at a loss for words. She just sat there, knowing she earned every single word that Akane said. Akane winced. Her heart now pounded furiously. She placed a hand on the table, trying to keep herself upright. She was starting to get a bit dizzy. She looked down to her wound. It had started bleeding through the stitches.
"Are you ok?" Ukyo asked, concerned
"Why the hell would you care? You didn't seem to mind seeing me argue with Ranma. Of course that's what you wanted!" Akane fired back.
"Akane I'm…sorry." Ukyo tried.
"Is that all you have to say for yourself? I'm sorry? You ruined our date and almost ruined our life and all you can say is "I'm sorry"? Well you know what? I'm sorry too! I'm sorry I ever called you "friend". No friend of mine would ever try to hurt me like that. And no friend of Ranma's would try to turn his fiancée against him!" Akane suddenly felt very dizzy. She put her hand to her head, trying to steady herself.
Ukyo looked on, not wanting to go near Akane for fear of losing a limb.
Akane fell to her knees, breathing heavily. Ukyo dashed over to her, catching her just as she collapsed. She looked around a moment, tears still in her eyes. "I must have made Akane really mad for her to collapse like that." She thought to herself. She looked around quickly, spying a small clinic down the street. Ukyo picked up Akane and carried her over.
Akane awoke on a very familiar bed. This was Dr. Tofu's clinic. She raised her head slightly. Ukyo was there, looking at her sadly. Dr. Tofu had a satisfied look on his face.
"Well, Akane, you seem to be forever getting in trouble huh?"
Akane sat all the way up. "I don't know Tofu-sensei. I remember being really mad and then everything went black." Akane realized what she had done to Ukyo. She turned to her. "Sorry about all that yelling Ukyo, I don't know what happened, it was like I couldn't hold my anger back and it erupted."
"It's ok, Akane, everything you said was right. I'm not worthy of being your friend."
"Well, I'll forgive you if you forgive me" Akane said with a friendly smile.
Ukyo wiped the remainder of her tears away "Ok, you have a deal there sugar!" she said, sniffling a bit.
Akane turned her attention to Dr. Tofu. "So what happened Tofu-sensei?"
"Well, it looked like your blood pressure went too high. Your wounded body couldn't compensate…"
"No, Tofu-sensei, about how you helped Ranma earlier. I didn't think the breaking point attack worked on humans."
"Well, it's a long story, but here's what I can guess. Ryoga had hit your "spirit center" with his attack. It's a place that is believed to hold your entire being. I examined you and it look like the spot was completely gone. Only the "Fierce Lion's Point" could give you enough courage to find you way. I tried to hit it but the strike must cover a very specific radius in order to work. I just didn't have the tools."
"It's ok Tofu-sensei. I know you did your best."
Tofu thought for a moment. "Hmm if my attempt failed and you are up and about, that means…"
"Yea, Ranma agreed to the marriage with Shampoo, although I know he would never go through with it. Still, I have to stop Shampoo once and for all!"
Ukyo gasped at all that had happened, but decided to remain quiet.
"How do you plan on doing that?" Dr. Tofu asked
"The Duel of the Fates. I issued a challenge to Shampoo; we have five days to prepare. Do you think I can win?"
"Well, Akane. Your wound got a bit worse, what with your blood pressure and all. However, I believe that you can win. I can help you with an acupuncture treatment to speed your body's own healing process. It would also help you to fight off any infections you might get in the next five days."
"Thank you Tofu-sensei" Akane said, lying back down.
"While you are here Akane, we should change that dressing, its all soaked in blood and I would hate for your pretty dress to be ruined."
Akane blushed a little bit.
"Hey, Miss Ukyo" Tofu called. "I could use a hand if you wanted to stay."
"Uh…sure Dr. Tofu. It's the least I can do for Akane."
After an hour or so, Akane's treatment was finished. She was in less pain and able to breathe a bit easier. Akane and Ukyo parted Tofu's clinic and walked outside together.
"Hey Ukyo, I'm really sorry about yelling at you like that. Tofu-sensei told me it was a side effect of the "Fierce Lion's point". Apparently I got a little too much courage."
"Yea, I'm sorry about what I did to you and Ranma. I had no idea it would lead this far. It was just…I really did believe I had a chance with Ranma and I didn't know what to do when I saw you start acting so weird."
"I guess that was a bit unlike me back there huh?" Akane said.
"Well Akane, if there is any thing I can do to help you prepare, I will help you."
Akane thought for a minute. "There is one thing. Do you have anything like walnuts, chestnuts, almonds or something like that?
"Sure, I carry all those ingredients for my restaurant. Why on earth would you need them though?"
"Oh, Well…I…just wanted to surprise Kasumi. She baked Ranma and I a cake a few days ago. Maybe she could use them to bake another. She really does enjoy cooking you know."
"Sure thing, sugar." Ukyo said, leading Akane to her place.
Akane entered the dojo with a large brown bag. It was pretty late. Soun and Genma were just about to go to bed when they noticed Akane come in.
"Any progress Akane?" Soun asked, cutting right to the point.
"Well, dad, it's a long story but I think I have it solved. Ranma did give himself up for me, but only after exhausting all other options. I read in a book about a sacred challenge, the Duel of the Fates, so I challenged Shampoo to a duel. Whoever wins will get Ranma."
Soun looked at Akane, concerned. "Are you sure you want to go through with this duel? You don't seem to be in the very peak of you ability."
"Oh, Dad, I'll be fine. Besides, if I back out, I'll lose Ranma by default. Tofu-sensei helped me out so I think I can beat Shampoo."
"Where is Ranma then?" Genma asked.
"Well…we…kind of got into an argument. Cologne said he had to stay with Shampoo for the five days until the duel, but don't expect him to listen. Once he cools off, I think he will come back to the Dojo."
"Oh, Akane, I saved you some dinner. Please eat some, it's very good." Kasumi said from the kitchen.
"Ok, It's been awhile since I've eaten." Akane sat down at the table and Kasumi brought her a bowl, brimming with Ramen. "This another Ramen recipe I found. I do hope you like it."
Akane sat and ate. It was nice to have a full stomach.
"It was great, Kasumi. Thanks."
Akane went and gathered her bag of "ingredients"
"Oh, what's that Akane?" Kasumi asked, smiling.
"Uh, this is a bag of almonds and such. I thought you could use them for a recipe or something."
"Oh, Good, now I can try that pie recipe in mother's notebook."
Akane gave Kasumi about half of the bag. That would still leave plenty for her. Akane went upstairs, got changed and lay down in her bed.
"Well, tomorrow I'll begin training." She thought to herself. "Today sure was a big day. I don't know if I could stand another one of these. I wonder what Ranma is doing. I hope he's not still mad at me. That jerk…always going overboard trying to protect me. Well I'll prove to everyone that I can win my own battles." Akane sighed, realizing something. "I just can't seem to stay mad at Ranma any more. Every time I get mad, he stands that confident way…Oh well, I better get some sleep, no doubt Cologne will teach Shampoo some of her best techniques. I better learn some myself." Akane's mind continued to wander. Weddings, Ranma, duels, Ukyo, Ryoga. Eventually she fell asleep, her mind was exhausted and her body was tired.
Ranma awoke late that night. Well early in the morning was more like it. She sat up in her bed and looked around. Her room was very dark, almost foreboding. "What am I still doing here? Oh yea, I'm trying to hide from Shampoo. That cake musta done a number on me…I shoulda known. I wonder how Akane is doing. I should prolly go and visit her."
Ranma got up out of her bed and went to the door. It was barred, just like last night. "Geeze, those two have to try something more original than this. It's just getting old." Ranma heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Shampoo.
"Ranma, what you do up so late? Is time for bed, I make room."
"No thanks Shampoo, I can only imagine what you have planned up there."
"Is no planning, Ranma. Is sealing the future of us."
"We have no future Shampoo, how many times do I have to tell you that?"
"Ranma still think Akane will win? Is no chance!"
"Yes, I still think Akane can beat you, and that's exactly who I'm gonna see. I can't stand this place, especially the two creepy people that live inside it."
"Ranma can not escape, is against tradition."
"Yea, whatever, you think these stupid bars are gonna keep me locked in?" Ranma said as she started pushing on the bars. They were pretty strong. Ranma walked back a few steps and attempted a flying kick to the glass. The glass bent and flung her backwards, into a waiting Shampoo.
"Ayiia, Ranma hurt?" Shampoo asked, cradling Ranma.
"Ugh, get offa' me." Ranma said, getting back to her feet. Shampoo watched as Ranma pointed her hands towards the door. "I should have done this last night."
"Moko Takabisha!"
A white energy wave shot from Ranma's hands and hit squarely on the door. The door bent a little bit, but still stood there, mocking Ranma.
"See Ranma. No use escaping. Come to bed with Shampoo. Shampoo's bed very comfortable."
"Please Shampoo, watch this" Ranma said, walking to the smoldering door. Ranma lowered her fist and shot it out to the door, bending the bar. The door gave a creaking sound as it fell to the ground with a crash. Ranma looked back at Shampoo, triumphantly. "See ya around Shampoo" She said, walking out the door and to the Dojo.
"That Shampoo. I sure hope Akane does win. Then I'll be rid of her and Cologne forever. That would make my task almost finished, with just a little "cleaning up" to do." Ranma looked down to the street, deep in thought. He noticed then that he was female.
"Wow, you know it's been a long day when you don't notice yourself changing genders. I guess I've gotten pretty used to this by now. It has its advantages, free food and Shampoo proof…to an extent." Ranma switched her attention to the black sky above. "I wonder when our wedding will be. I guess after telling Akane that I love her that would be the next step. But we are still in school. And the sooner we got married, the sooner pops and Mr. Tendou would expect Grandchildren" That last word made Ranma think even more. "Having kids with Akane…I think that's pressing it a bit. I don't want to think about that right now. I'll just wait and see what happens with her and Shampoo first."
Ranma continued her walk, raising more questions than answers. What was Akane going through right now? If only she knew.
Akane felt a cool wind against her face. She tightened her eyes. She heard a noise, like quiet footsteps. She quickly rolled over, seeing a female with red hair standing beside her bed.
"Ranma!" Akane said, leaping out the bed and throwing herself in Ranma's arms. This female Ranma was a bit softer to hug.
"Hey Akane." Ranma said, returning a hug. "I'm sorry about losing my cool over this duel thing. I should have trusted you a bit more."
"It's Ok Ranma," Akane said, laying her head in her chest. It didn't matter what gender Ranma was, as long as he was still here. "I understand how you must have felt. Tofu-sensei gave me an acupuncture treatment so I would heal faster."
"Ok, Akane, let's go get some hot water, this must be weird for you to be hugging a woman."
"Just give me a few more minutes Ranma. We rarely get quiet time like this."
Ranma was a bit confused at Akane's words. "Akane really didn't care if I was male or female." She moved his hand across Akane's silky hair. She noticed that she was starting to sob a bit. "Hey, Akane, what's wrong?"
Akane took a step back and smiled at Ranma, her eyes had a few tears in them. "I'm just so happy you came back. I was a little sacred that you might…Well, Shampoo is kind of cute…"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that Akane, She did try to make a move, but I stopped her with a glass of water. Scared me to death though, so I stayed in a corner until the sun came up. After that, I just watched those two go about planning. They tried to make me get dressed but I refused."
"I knew you wouldn't let her, but I just had to be sure."
"Yea, I understand. Come on Akane, let's go get some hot water."
Akane dried her tears and nodded.
The couple went down stairs. Akane set the kettle of water to boil proudly, that being the only thing she knew how to do. "It will be ready in a few minutes, Ranma. " She said to her.
"Good, You know, I've started to get used to this body. What do you think?"
"I don't care what gender you are, as long as you're here. That's enough for me."
Ranma smiled at Akane's words.
"Ok, Ranma, the water is done." Akane said after a few minutes. She poured it on Ranma's head.
"Well, Akane, what are you gonna do about the duel?" Ranma asked.
"I don't know. Shampoo has a very good teacher. Who knows what those two have in store?"
"Well, I can help you train a bit."
"I appreciate that Ranma."
The two sat at the dinner table, in silence. Akane leaned on Ranma's shoulder lovingly. Ranma placed a hand around her.
"Hey, Ranma?" Akane asked, turning her head a bit. "What kind of wedding do you want?"
Ranma thought for a minute. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I guess any kind of wedding will do, just as long as it's not with Shampoo."
Ranma looked over to Akane, she had fallen asleep. That was fast. Ranma laid his head against hers. This almost felt right. This was right. Now all that stood between them was five days. Ranma soon fell asleep too. They both had tired minds; it was nice to finally relax.
A sweet smell entered Akane's nose. She opened her eyes slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light. It was passed morning. Akane sat up and looked over to Ranma. He had fallen asleep too. Akane panned over the room. Soun and Genma were playing GO, Kasumi was cooking, and Nabiki was watching TV. A scared feeling came upon Akane.
"Oh no, they saw me and Ranma down here sleeping!" Akane jumped away from her leaning position, jarring Ranma. Ranma awoke, wondering what just happened. Kasumi brought a few plates over to the table.
"Oh, good morning you two." She said, with a big smile. "Breakfast is ready if you two are hungry."
Ranma looked over to Akane, inquisitively. She was blushing… "I wonder what's up with her. Oh, wait a second; I fell asleep next to her. Great, now everyone is gonna make a big deal about it as usual."
Everyone joined the couple and started eating. Genma looked up at Ranma. Here it comes…
"Ranma. We were a bit worried about you. I'm glad to see you home."
Ranma blinked. "Pops was worried about me?"
"Yes, Ranma, everyone here was worried about what might have happened to you." Soun said. "Akane told us her plan. Would you be so kind as to help her train?"
"Uh…sure Mr. Tendou. I had planned on that anyway. Shampoo is a tough customer. She might give Akane a run for her money."
The word money made Nabiki think a bit. She went and got her school bag ready. "Well, see you all later, some of us still attend school." She said, walking out the door.
A look of panic appeared on Akane and Ranma's faces. They were about to shoot off to get ready when their father's stopped them.
"There is no need to go to school. Kasumi told your principal that Akane was sick and may be out for a while. You can go to school if you want, or you can stay home and train. The decision is up to you. Either way, I will not interfere." Soun said.
Ranma smiled. "Good, no school for me then. I can't stand that place anyway. Kuno would be there, looking for me. I would hate to put him back in the hospital."
"Well, Ranma, shall we begin?" Akane said, smiling at him
"Sure, let's teach that Shampoo that she can't just keep walking over us anymore." Akane went upstairs to put on her Gi. Ranma proceeded to the training hall, waiting for her.
Kasumi went back to the kitchen to start the dishes. Genma and Soun sat at the table, alone. They looked happily at each other.
"Only good can come of this, huh Tendou?"
"Yes. It seems you were right, Saotome. Those two really do love each other. It's only a matter of time. I certainly hope Akane can win. Her wound seems to be doing better."
"She did seem to be in better shape. Remember Tendou; it was Ranma's skill that got him into this mess. If Akane can learn from him, she may very well triumph over Shampoo."
"Well, all we can do is watch."
Genma nodded.
Hard Training
Akane stood in the hall, tightening her bandana. Ranma stood across from her, standing in that confident manner.
"Ok, Akane, come at me with all you've got! I'm ready for you!"
"Who does Ranma think he is, being so confident over there?" Akane thought to herself, focusing on her target. "Ok Ranma, I'm not going to hold back!"
Akane ran to Ranma, throwing a punch at his head. Ranma tilted his head slightly, the punch missing him. Akane followed up with a roundhouse kick. Ranma simply ducked the kick. Akane used her other foot do a sort of leg sweep. Ranma did a back flip, avoiding the attack and landing perfectly.
"Come on Akane, is that the best you can do? Even Kuno almost managed to hit me."
Akane seethed at Ranma's jeers. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't even begun to fight!" Akane said, charging again. She threw a series of punches at Ranma. Ranma didn't even move his feet, dodging all of them. Akane launched a kick to his head again. Ranma grabbed her foot and swung her around, making her lose her balance. With Akane's back facing him, he pushed her away with a shove. Akane stumbled a bit before regaining her balance and whirling back on Ranma.
"Ranma! Be serious! This isn't a game!" Akane called, taking a fighting stance.
"Well, it's kinda hard to be serious when you aren't even putting up much of a fight. How to expect to beat Shampoo if you can't even land a blow?"
"Ranma you idiot, I am trying. I…just needed to warm up first."
Akane's temper started to flare. Ranma nodded.
"I better show her that losing her temper is not a good idea during a fight." He thought.
Akane dashed to Ranma, continuing her onslaught. Ranma started backing up to avoid the blows, forming a circle around the dojo. "Ok, here it goes. This ought to scare her."
The circles got progressively smaller. Akane, oblivious to this, continued her attack.
"Ok, Akane, this is it!" Ranma reached the final step, planted his foot firmly in the ground. He lowered his fist. A wind started swirling around Akane. She halted her attack, shocked that she fell for Ranma's trick.
"Hiryuu Shoten…"
"He wouldn't…that move is too dangerous in here." Akane said, seeing that Ranma's fist was moving towards her. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. This was not going to end well.
"Gotcha!" Ranma said, tapping her on the nose. Akane opened her eyes, seeing a smiling Ranma. "Don't let your anger cloud your judgment, Akane. This is a serious duel and we can't have you making any mistakes. Unless you can harness that anger…"
Akane stood in front of him, fuming. "Ranma you Idiot!" She yelled, giving Ranma's jaw a massive uppercut. Ranma flew backwards, landing on his back. "This isn't some stupid game! All I asked for was a sparring partner, not a stupid pervert with a superiority complex!"
Ranma stood back up. "Well, you're the one that asked me to help you. It's not my fault you're too un-cute to accept criticism."
Akane's blood boiled. "If he wants Un-cute, I'll show him un-cute." Akane seemed to fly to Ranma. She threw a solid right punch to Ranma's head. Ranma barely dodged that one. Akane quickly threw a left, catching Ranma in the side of the mouth. She followed her onslaught with a front kick to the right side of Ranma's head. The force of the kick sent Ranma back a step. Akane took advantage of this and sent another roundhouse to Ranma's face. Ranma managed to throw up a forearm, stopping the blow. Akane closed in with another right. Ranma stuck out his hand, grabbing Akane's fist.
"Hey, hold on just a minute…" Ranma tried. Akane was in no mood to talk. She braced herself, slinging Ranma's arm over her body. Ranma went flying with a mighty heave. He did a mid air flip, landing on his feet.
"Wait a second Akane…"
Akane leaped into the air, launching a flying kick at her future husband. Ranma stuck out both his hands, catching Akane's foot, absorbing the blow. Ranma then flung his hands into the air, making Akane hit the ground.
"Will you just hold on a second, Akane?" Ranma yelled.
Akane slowly sat up, grabbing her wound. It wasn't used to so much movement.
"Are you alright?" Ranma asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, Ranma!" Akane snapped. She tried to get up, but the pain was too great. She caved inward, holding her wound. Ranma approached her and offered a hand. Akane looked at the kind offer and slapped it away, fire burning in her eyes.
"Fine, be a stupid tomboy then! See if I care when you lose to Shampoo!" Ranma said, turning his back on Akane
"Well be that way you stupid jerk! I don't need your help to beat Shampoo anyway!"
Ranma whirled on the sitting Akane. "Stupid? You're the one that challenges Shampoo right after you nearly die and I'm the one that's stupid?"
"I challenged her to save you, if you haven't forgotten!"
"No, you challenged her because you're an un-cute macho chick with an over inflated ego!"
"Ranma you…" Akane forgot about her pain and leapt to her feet, racing to Ranma. Ranma got a worried look on his face.
Akane planted a solid blow to Ranma's midsection. Ranma caved inward. Remembering what he had done to Kuno, Akane followed up with an elbow to the back. Ranma was able to catch himself with his hands and knees before he hit the floor. He swung his legs around, sweeping Akane off her feet. Akane fell backwards, but turned the fall into a backwards flip. Akane planted her hands on the floor and sprung backwards, landing on her feet.
"So you want it like that, huh Akane? Remember you could never lay a hand on me, let alone beat me."
"Take a look at your lip" Akane said, smiling menacingly. Ranma wiped his lip; it had started to bleed a little.
"Fine Akane, no more games! You want a fight then I'll give you one!" Ranma charged Akane, launching a fist at her. Akane tilted her head, avoiding the blow. Ranma launched another punch at her stomach. Akane leapt backward, just out of Ranma's reach. He charged again, and found Akane's foot against his face. He was sent reeling.
Akane took the offensive. She dashed in and launched her famous uppercut, which caught Ranma on the jaw. The force of the blow had almost lifted Ranma up off the ground. Noticing this, Akane placed a foot in Ranma's midsection, sending him backwards. Ranma landed on his back and flung his feet over his head, making himself roll. He glanced to see where he was going. A wall was in his path. Akane dashed towards him. Ranma sprang up with his hands and resumed his standing position. He sprinted to the wall, Akane still racing towards him. He jumped on the wall and using it as a sort of springboard, sprang off, aimed at Akane. It was Akane this time that found a foot planted in her mouth. The blow sent her spinning to the ground. She quickly recovered by tripping Ranma and leaping to her feet.
She looked down at Ranma. It wasn't often you could find him in such a predicament. She hurled a fist down at him. Ranma rolled out the way as Akane connected with the wooden floor. Her hand went clean through it. She tried to dislodge her hand, but it needed more time before it would come out. Time she didn't have. Ranma approached her, cracking his knuckles. Akane sprang on her one free hand, doing a sort of flip and grabbing Ranma's head between her legs. She locked her ankles behind Ranma's neck. Ranma tried to free himself, but Akane's legs were too strong. She freed her stuck hand and planted both of them on the ground, giving Ranma a violent throw backwards. Ranma landed hard, hitting wall he had used earlier. He recovered as Akane whirled around on him.
Ranma stood there, breathing heavily. "Ok, Akane you asked for it…I didn't want to do this but apparently you wanted to feel pain." He said. His eyes focused on Akane.
"I'm ready for anything you can throw at me, you perverted jerk!" Akane shouted. She was also out of breath.
"Then get ready!"
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
"Ok, Akane, this is your chance" she said to herself, taking a defensive posture. "Study his moves…and find an opening. This is Ranma after all, there has to be a weakness." Akane backed up, keeping a careful eye on where Ranma's fists were actually going. The whole world seemed to slow down as Akane payed careful attention. She noticed something. Ranma was not guarded from attacks from below his waist while attacking. Akane threw herself backwards, landing on her hands. She shot her feet up, catching Ranma in the chin with her left foot. The blow sent Ranma's head backwards and halted his attack. Akane launched a fist to his chest. Ranma moved his eyes down to see where Akane was aiming. He grabbed her by the wrist, and fell backward, sticking a foot in Akane's stomach and throwing her to the wall. Akane tried the same springboard attack and shot a foot out to Ranma, just as Ranma regained his footing. Ranma caught her foot and threw it to the side. Instead of loosing her balance, Akane planted the foot and brought her other one around, catching Ranma in the back of the head. Ranma fell face first into the wooden floor. Akane approached him. Ranma spun onto his back and threw out a leg to try to trip Akane, but she leapt over the attempt and dove at Ranma with a fist. Ranma did a backward roll, catching Akane in the chin with his foot. Ranma jumped to his feet, exhausted. Akane sprung back to hers, holding her wound.
The two stared at each other fiercely. Suddenly they both collapsed on the ground, trying to regain their breath.
"Had…enough…yet Akane" Ranma asked.
"Just try…to…come…at me!" Akane said.
Neither of the two moved.
A smile started on Ranma's face after a few minutes. "Wow, Akane, I've never seen you like that before. You have actually improved."
"Yea, no thanks to you. You were still holding back your best stuff."
"No I wasn't, usually I don't hit girls; it's beneath me. But this time I though I would make an exception, seeing as you were so eager for a fight."
"Please, you call those hits. I didn't even feel those. You were holding back. Why can't you take this seriously Ranma?"
Ranma gave up his farce pretty quickly. Although he was tired and sore he did pull his punches. Come to think of it, he let most of his guard down, as well.
"Well, what do you expect me to do? I couldn't hit you for real. After all, you have that wound thing goin' on and I wouldn't want to hurt you."
"There you go again, Ranma, always worrying about me like I couldn't watch out for myself. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I can take care of myself"
"Yea, whatever Akane, I'm outta here. This training session is over. You are so un-cute sometimes…" Ranma walked outside, going nowhere in particular.
"Fine, I don't need your help any way. I'll show you! I'll beat Shampoo!"
Ranma paused before leaving. He waved his hand in a manner to dismiss Akane and stepped out the door.
Akane stormed from the hall back to the dining room and back up the stairs. Soun and Genma looked at each other, shaking their heads. "I suppose they will never stop fighting, even if they do get married." Soun said.
"Well, when you combine martial arts and those two, a fight is not too far away." Genma returned. Kasumi emerged from hanging the laundry outside.
"Oh dear." Kasumi said, worriedly. "I just saw Ranma walk away. He looked a bit upset. I hope they didn't get into another fight."
Soun nodded.
"My, those two certainly like fighting don't they? They must love each other a lot," Kasumi continued, smiling thoughtfully. "How wonderful it must be to have a person you can really tell exactly how you feel."
"Yes…of course Kasumi." Soun said simply, returning to his game of GO.
Akane was in her bedroom, gathering her paper bag full of nuts. She went down stairs, carrying the bag. No one seemed to notice. She went outside, chopped a bit of firewood, and set them in a small circle. "This ought to teach Ranma that I know exactly what I'm doing." She said to herself, lighting a match and placing it on the wood and bits of paper bag. She threw a hand full of nuts into the fire. "Ok, here we go Akane. If Ranma could do this then so could I!"
Ukyo Returns
Ranma walked down the street, a few cars passing him. He had his hands in his pockets, staring down at the ground.
"That stupid tomboy. What in the world was I supposed to do? If I had hit her for real, she wouldn't have got back up. That would've taught her a lesson."
A small bell started ringing. The sound was coming from behind him
"Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo exclaimed, parking her bike. "What bring you here? Want to come back to Shampoo's place? Is still enough room for one more person."
"Uh…well…I was just taking a break from training Akane. She has gotten a lot stronger. You better watch out."
Shampoo just smiled, Ranma looking at her, wondering what she was plotting.
"Ranma want come to Kat Café? Is special on pork buns and Soba."
"No thanks Shampoo, I'll pass on that one."
"But Ranma…Shampoo made some special for you"
"I said I'd pass Shampoo, who knows what you put in that "special" Ramen."
"Ayaii! Ranma no like Shampoo cooking any more." Shampoo said sadly. She got back on her bike and prepared to ride off.
She rode off a bit. Suddenly Ranma heard a crash. Shampoo had "fallen" off her bike, her delivery was spilled everywhere.
"Ayaii!" Shampoo exclaimed, looking down at her bike. Ranma turned around to the sight. He should have known better than to walk over to her.
"What happened?' he asked, not really caring.
"Must have hit rock. Delivery is ruined and so is bike. Shampoo have no idea what to do."
Ranma gave her a doubtful look.
"Ranma, you want help Shampoo carry bike to Kat Café? Is reward if you do."
Ranma thought for a minute. Shampoo did have a very curious track record. On the other hand, he really didn't want to go back to the Dojo just yet. This would only take a few minutes, what could go wrong?
"Sure, I'll help you out, but I don't want your stupid reward, whatever it was."
"Oh, Shampoo so happy. Ranma very brave and strong!"
Ranma picked up the bike and started to the Café.
After a few minutes the two arrived, bike and container in hand.
"Can you set bike in back of kitchen? I make repairs later."
Against his better judgment, Ranma entered the café. The streamers were still up, but it looked like they were still serving customers. Shampoo slammed the door behind him. Ranma turned and confronted Shampoo. "Ok, this is getting old. I see you repaired that door. I would hate to break it again."
"Oh, is no worries Ranma…What that?" Shampoo asked, pointing to the side of Ranma's head. Ranma turned his head, looking at whatever she was pointing to. Shampoo narrowed her eyes, extending a finger to Ranma's head. She tapped a small point near his ear. Ranma fell to the ground. It was like he lost all feeling in his body. Shampoo smiled.
"Hey, Shampoo, what are you doing?" Ranma demanded.
"Now Shampoo have you Ranma. Is no escape."
Ranma screamed as Shampoo approached him.
Ukyo, who was just leaving her own store, heard a faint noise. Years of being with Ranma had found their mark. "That's Ran-Chan!" She exclaimed. "I wonder what kind of trouble he got into this time. I better go see what I can do." Ukyo took off to the sound. She wasn't surprised to see the Kat Café.
She went up to the window and peeked in side. The screams had stopped. "Oh, Shampoo must be torturing Ran-Chan…if you could call that kind of thing torture. I have to help him." She pulled out her little throwing spatulas and threw them through the safety glass. It was easy getting inside after that. Ukyo raced to the back kitchen. She found Ranma, huddled in a corner with Shampoo approaching him. She pulled out another throwing spatula and threw it just in front of Shampoo's foot. She paused and turned around, knowing fully who was there.
"Hey Shampoo, that's not playing fair. You shouldn't trick poor Ran-Chan like that."
"What you care Spatula girl? Shampoo going to win Ranma one way or another."
"Well just try it sister!" Ukyo said, unsheathing her giant spatula.
Shampoo looked menacingly at Ukyo, then back down to Ranma. He was a bit confused. Shampoo simply went up stairs, leaving the two downstairs.
"Hey, Thanks Uc-Chan. I should have known better than to trust Shampoo." Ranma managed to clamber to his feet. "She got me with one of those pressure point things again. It's like I can't feel my legs…"
"Fell for it again, huh Ran-Chan? Well lucky for you I was just passing through." Ukyo said walking back outside. Ranma was following her, stumbling a bit.
"So what brought you out here?"
"I heard your pitiful cries for help."
Ranma looked to the ground embarrassed.
"Surely he hasn't forgotten about what I did? Isn't he mad at me?" Ukyo thought to herself.
"Hey Uc-Chan? Why the long face all of a sudden?"
She turned to Ranma, a tear coming down her cheek. "Ranma…I'm sorry! What I did to you and Akane. Can you forgive me?"
Ranma looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Sure! No hard feelings. That was a pretty stupid move though."
"Oh…Ran-Chan!" Ukyo said, hugging him. "You don't know how much that means to me to hear those words. I'm so sorry I almost broke up you and Akane. I thought you would abandon me."
Ranma grabbed Ukyo by the shoulders and held her back. "Hey Uc-Chan? This isn't like you at all. Of course I would forgive you. We're friends aren't we?"
Ukyo looked up into his eyes, hers were full of joy. "Sure thing sugar!"
The two walked happily down the street. It was starting to get dark. Ukyo followed Ranma back to the Dojo, talking about all sorts of things. She parted Ranma at the entrance, for fear of initiating another fight. Ranma waved good-bye and entered the dojo, heading for the training hall. He found Akane there, reading some strange tome and that book Nabiki had used. She kept flipping back and forth.
"Hey Akane" Ranma offered.
"Hi Ranma." Akane snapped.
Ranma looked down at Akane, her back was facing him. "Still mad about what happened earlier?"
"Yes"
"Well sorry, but had I hit you for real you wouldn't have got back up."
Akane remained reading
"What is your problem any way? Geeze,…"
Akane turned around. "My problem is that you never seem to take things seriously. I try to have a real match with you, and all you do is fool around."
"Well maybe my words aren't getting passed your un-cuteness. If I hit you for real you would have got hurt real bad. I can't risk hurting you before your big match. Besides, you should be thankful that I hit you in the first place. Usually I wouldn't even consider it. But things are kinda serious now…"
"Well, Ranma!" Akane said, clenching her fists. "Maybe it didn't occur to you but…"
Ranma cut Akane off, noticing that her hands looked all red and burnt. "Hey Akane, what happened. You burn yourself?"
Akane's anger stopped and worried look showed on her face. "Uh…Yea…I was just trying to help Kasumi with dinner. You know how I am in the kitchen." She said, nervously.
Ranma thought for a minute. Dinner sounded good right about now. "Well, whatever Akane, I'm gonna go eat. Hopefully Kasumi threw out the part you cooked."
Ranma left Akane, alone in the hall. She looked at her hands. This made two wounds. Well the hands would heal before then. She better hurry up though.
She folded the books and deposited them in her room. She returned down stairs and started eating dinner.
Everyone was seated at the table. The dinner looked normal enough. Ranma decided to go ahead and eat. Kasumi definitely cooked this; it was wonderful.
"Wow, Kasumi, this is very good. I'm glad you fixed whatever Akane did to this."
Akane got a nervous look all of a sudden.
Kasumi smiled. "What are you talking about Ranma?"
"Akane told me she tried to help you with dinner. Just look at her hands; you can tell she tried to help."
Soun grabbed Akane's hand, examining it carefully. Akane did not make eye contact with any one.
"Oh, dear! Akane never helped me cook dinner today. Do you think she is mistaken?" Kasumi asked.
"Yes, Akane, what is the meaning of this? We thought you had a duel in a few more days. You can't win if you can't throw a punch."
"Oh…well…it's just that…" Akane trailed off her words. Ranma looked at her.
"Well Akane? What seems to be going on? You're hiding somethin' aren't you?"
"Um…well…excuse me, I need to take a bath." Akane said hurriedly, running upstairs.
Ranma looked around at everyone. He knew what he had to do. He slowly got up and went upstairs to Akane's room.
"Saotome, this waiting game is proving difficult." Soun said.
"Yes, I understand Tendou. It is a different matter having a daughter than a son. However, I believe that it is in everyone's best interests that we remain out of this for a few days, until Akane has won her duel. Then we may begin preparations."
Soun nodded solemnly, Kasumi smiling to herself. Nabiki just sat there, unconcerned. Akane was back to normal. That's all she needed.
Ranma went to Akane's room. "Hey Akane, you in there?" No answer. He heard bath water running. Just great.
Ranma waited outside the bathroom door, back leaning against the wall.
"Hey Akane, mind telling us what's going on?" Ranma asked, hearing the water stop.
"Yes I do mind. It's none of your business!"
"Geeze, there goes that un-cute thing again. Don't you ever get tired of going out of your way to be un-cute?"
"No!"
"You didn't get in a fight with anyone did you?"
"No!"
"You didn't…"
"I said no Ranma. This is none of your business!"
"Well I guess I'll just wait right here then. You have to come out sometime."
Ranma waited there a few minutes, trying to figure out what was wrong with Akane.
The bathroom door opened. Akane stepped out, covered by a very large towel. Ranma could still see her old wound; it looked a lot better.
Ranma jumped in front of Akane. "So you gonna tell me the truth?"
Akane went passed him, her hair dripping wet, not even acknowledging his existence. She slammed her door hard, signaling that she didn't want to talk.
"Man, that stupid tomboy." Ranma said to himself, going down stairs. "I was only worried about her and her duel. Well if she wants to be that way then let her." Ranma parked himself in front of the TV, watching some sort of movie.
Akane got dressed in her yellow kitten Pajamas. Kasumi sure did know how to get stains out. She even sewed up the small hole that was left.
Akane looked down to her hands. They were noticeably burned. "If Ranma found out…he would just die." Akane thought to herself. "He shouldn't be so worried though. I know exactly what I'm doing. Well tomorrow is another day."
Akane picked up her old tome, flipping to the martial arts section. This would show Ranma that she could take care of herself. She flipped through a few pages, noticing an elaborate picture of a dragon, emerging out of blue flames. Akane studied the picture closely.
"I wonder what this is…."
*****Yea, an update of all things. Sorry guys, I would have done this sooner, but dang, the last place you wanna be at during Valentine's day is a grocery store. Or maybe a florist, but we have one of those too. And couple that with the supposed "massive blizzard" (Actually a dusting of snow), you've got a recipe for busy days. Ugh…well, today is my day off, so I'm gonna relax.
Anyway, enough about me. Hope you liked this chapter. Nothing much to it, just a set up. I forget what happens in the next chapter, but I think Akane and Shampoo have their fight. Yea, they do, I just checked. Personally, my favorite battle of the story. Hope to see you there! Until next we meet!*****