Chapter Nine
Thorns of the Rose
The couple entered the Dojo. Soun and Genma approached them.
"So how was your first day of training Akane?" Soun asked with a smile
"Well, Cologne says I have a lot to learn. I still think I impressed her though."
"Well that's a great start. Please learn all you can from her…she is very wise and excels in martial arts the way no other could."
Akane nodded, smiling. She went to change for dinner. Ranma went for his bath.
Soun and Genma looked at each other.
"What did I tell you Tendou?" Genma asked, happily "Who would have believed it? Those two are finally starting to come together. Being trained by Cologne is an added plus."
"Yes Saotome. Indeed, the seeds of love have started to blossom. Soon they will grow into vast trees, bearing many fruit."
Genma nodded.
Everyone sat down for a well-deserved dinner. The rest of the night was uneventful, save for a cold wind that started blowing from the north. Rain was in the forecast.
Ranma and Akane walked to school the next morning. Ranma looked up to the sky. A few clouds started to appear. The wind sent a chill down his body.
"Oh man…looks like its gonna rain…" Ranma said, keeping his vigil on the clouds.
Akane turned to him, throwing something at him. Ranma shot his hand out instinctively, catching the object. It was an umbrella. The color matched his shirt.
"Thanks Akane." Ranma said, smiling. "You know how I hate sudden storms."
"Don't worry about it Ranma." Akane said.
The couple endured another full day of school. Ranma stood outside, waiting for Akane. It had begun to rain. Akane ran up to him, trying to prevent the rain from messing up her hair, as the rest of the female student body attempted.
They walked down the street, the rain making a gentle sounding dropping sounds on the roads.
"Hey Akane…I'm kinda hungry. What do you say we stop at Uc-Chan's for a quick bite to eat."
Akane looked up to him. Her feet were starting to get wet, seeing as they shared the same umbrella. "Sure Ranma…you're paying though" Akane said, smiling.
Ranma and Akane entered Uc-Chan's. Ukyo was standing at the grill, serving a few customers. "Oh, hey Ran-Chan, hey Akane!" Ukyo said happily. "What can I get ya?"
"Squid Okonomiyaki please" Ranma said.
"I'll take the deluxe mix," Akane said after him. The two sat at their table…the same one where they had their fight.
Oblivious to this, they started talking to each other, actually holding a conversation on their own.
After a few minutes, Ukyo served them their order. "So…how have you two been?" she asked.
"Well…it was really weird…" Akane started. "Shampoo and Cologne showed up yesterday" Ukyo blinked, stunned. Akane continued. "Shampoo gave Ranma the "kiss of life" or something and said that all was forgiven… Cologne even offered to help me with my new skills."
"Well, isn't that something? Two weeks ago she was hanging offa Ranma like they were already married, now she suddenly she gives up. Those traditions must be brutal."
"Yea you're tellin' me." Ranma started. "It was kinda weird. I was sitting next to Shampoo and she didn't even come close to me…In fact she said not to worry about her findin' a husband, that she would get one when she went back to China."
"Well, what about Mousse?" Ukyo asked.
"I dunno…she said she could never like him…"
"Well, that's just a shame for poor Mousse…" Ukyo looked back to the grill. More customers. "Well I gotta get back to cooking, it's nice to see you two getting along so well. You didn't have your wedding already did you?" Ukyo said with a mischievous smile.
Ranma and Akane blushed a bit.
"Well, see ya" Ukyo said.
"Oh wait, can you bring me another squid Okonomiyaki Uc-Chan?"
"Sure thing sugar…it's on the house…just don't you get used to it" Ukyo said from behind the grill, smiling.
Ranma and Akane finished their snack and started back home. The rain had started to pick up a bit more. They hurried home, not wanting to get wet for obvious reasons.
They entered the dojo, Ranma drying the umbrella off. Akane went up stairs to change. Ranma went into the kitchen. Cologne was there.
"Oh, hey Cologne." Ranma said. "Aren't you missin' someone?"
Just then a small cat jumped on Cologne's shoulders. It was Shampoo. Ranma cringed back.
"Oh…Hi…Sh-Shampoo…I'm just gonna…go to the training hall now…" Ranma managed, heading to the hall rather hurriedly. Akane came down stairs, ready for her next lesson.
Akane and Cologne had their spar, Cologne had got the better of her yet again, but Akane suspected as much. Kasumi invited the pair to stay for dinner. They gladly accepted.
Everything went rather smoothly that night. Genma won his game of GO against Soun. Kasumi cleaned up after dinner and Nabiki had got her money from Kuno at last. Everyone went to sleep, even the rain had stopped, as if granting a new light on tomorrow.
Fruition
Ranma and Akane returned from school, the sun was out melting away the past day's rain. Akane went upstairs to start homework, no training today, not with the science test tomorrow. Ranma went into the kitchen, looking for a snack.
"Oh, hello Ranma!" Kasumi said, hanging the laundry. "You received a package in the mail today. It's on the dinner table."
"Ok, thanks Kasumi" Ranma said. He approached the table. A small box sat there. He tore back the brown paper revealing a small heart shaped tin. Curious, he shook the tin. Something rattled inside. Ranma opened the tin with a snap. He observed what was inside. Cookies…Ranma went to throw the paper away and returned to the cookie tin. Something was familiar about them. He picked one up and sniffed it. Chocolate chip. He eyed to cookies suspiciously.
"I better not…no telling what those cookies are or who they came from." Ranma said to himself.
Kasumi called from the yard. "Oh Ranma…could you help me out for a second. I believe the wash is finished. Could you bring it to me?"
"Sure thing Kasumi." Ranma said, grabbing the laundry basket and going into the laundry room. He retrieved the wet clothes and took them to the side yard.
Akane came down stairs. She walked passed the dinner table, heading for the refrigerator. She returned with a small glass of milk.
"Oh…I hope I can pass that test," Akane said to herself, looking outside at the bright sun. The air smelled so fresh, just like after a spring shower. "With us missing a week of school, we got kinda behind…I'll bet Ranma didn't even hear about the test. I better go tell him."
Suddenly Akane spied a cookie tin sitting on the table. It was in a lovely heart shape. No doubt Kasumi had done this as a gift to everyone. She was prone to do stuff like that. Just like a real mother. Akane bent down, grabbing a cookie. She took a bite of it. It was wonderful. Chocolate chip…her favorite cookie.
"Wow, Kasumi really out did herself on these." Akane said, finishing her last cookie and grabbing a second. She devoured the second one, finishing her snack off with a cold glass of milk.
"Well, better save some for everyone else. Mr. Saotome would probably eat the rest of the tin." Akane said, going outside. She spied Ranma and Kasumi hanging the laundry.
"Hey Ranma!" Akane called. "What's next? Cooking classes?" She asked playfully.
Ranma turned around, smiling. "If anyone needs cookin' classes, its you Akane."
"Well Ranma, I just came to tell you about the science test tomorrow. I know you are prepared so I'll just sit and watch a bit of TV…"
Ranma's face took on a worried look. "T-Test? When did they announce a test?"
"Oh…that's right…you were asleep.'' Akane smiled.
Ranma ran up to her, smiling broadly. "Uh…hey Akane…did I ever tell you how cute you were…"
Akane shook her finger playfully. "Nope, not gonna work this time Ranma."
"Oh come on…you know school is too boring for me. Besides, the last time you helped me I got an 83 on the test. A personal best!"
Akane turned around, going towards the Dojo.
"Hey, wait Akane!" Ranma called after her. "Come on…don't be so Un-cute…"
Akane turned around with a sneaky smile. "I'll help you on one condition…"
"Yea? What is it?"
"You have to try my cooking again."
Ranma looked horrified. "Feh…yea right…that stupid test ain't worth dying over…"
"Oh come on Ranma. I've got a lot better the last couple of weeks. I've been studying Kasumi's cooking and I think I could make something that even you would say is great." Akane said, smiling that cute smile of hers.
Ranma cringed. That smile had always got him. "Fine Akane…I'll give your cooking one more chance. But I better make a 100% on that test…"
"Don't worry Ranma. I have all the notes. Sayuri gave them to me. The rest is up to you and if you decide to pay attention for once." Akane said, going back inside. Ranma returned to help Kasumi. Akane walked by the cookie tin. "Just one more for the road." She said to herself, munching on her final cookie. She went upstairs, preparing all her notes.
Ranma walked back in side.
"Thank you so much for helping me Ranma." Kasumi said.
"Well…it's the least I could do. I figure if Pops and Mr. Tendou could get the groceries, then I could do a little something. Besides, I would hate to be confined to dresses for a day…"
Kasumi smiled, going into the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a few hours."
"Ok" Ranma noticed the cookie tin again. He suddenly got a bad feeling.
"I better get rid of these cookies…I just don't trust 'em." Ranma said, tossing the tin in the garbage. He noticed a small envelope with his name on it. He left it in the garbage. Those cookies could have come from only one person…Kodachi.
"Oh…what was that Ranma?" Kasumi asked, noticing something red go into the trashcan.
"Nothing Kasumi" Ranma said simply. Kasumi went back to her cooking and Ranma started watching TV. He would study after dinner.
Soun and Genma arrived shortly before dinner was completed. They unloaded their bags of groceries and sat down at the table, eager to eat. Akane came down, having finished her "lesson plans" for Ranma. Kasumi served dinner.
"Thank you everyone so much for helping me." Kasumi said. "I'm afraid that little storm yesterday made things run a little late. I am so sorry."
"Oh, don't worry Kasumi, everyone here is indebted to your kindness. It was the least we could do to help." Soun said, with a big smile. Everyone agreed.
Akane was just finishing up her dinner. She looked over to Ranma. Ranma looked a bit different to her some how… Akane continued her vigil on Ranma, confused by the sudden thought she had.
"Hey Akane…what'cha lookin' at?" Ranma asked, his mouth full of food.
Akane snapped out of her trance. "Oh…nothing…I was just staring off into space is all. Well Ranma, you ready for our study session?"
"Sure Akane."
"Remember our promise now Ranma." Akane said, rising.
"Yea…" With that, Ranma and Akane headed up stairs, leaving the rest of the family to finish.
Akane sat down at her desk. Ranma pulled up a chair. Akane started off with some sort of Volcano stuff. Ranma halfway listened; his mind was lost somewhere.
"Ok Ranma. Now is the time to wake up. I made a little test here I want you to take. We'll go back and review the ones you miss."
"Geeze…taking this a bit overboard aren't you Akane?" Ranma asked
Akane smiled. "Well if you don't do good on the test, I lose a guinea pig for my latest recipe don't I?"
Ranma shuddered. Akane slid the papers to him. Reluctantly he picked up a near by pencil and began to fill out the answers.
"Oh, and Ranma, no failing the test on purpose at school. That would be cheating."
Ranma remained unmoved. Scratch that idea…
Akane watched Ranma fill out the questions. Her mind started to wander. "He sure does have strong hands…I never noticed before." Akane thought to herself. She eyed Ranma…he seemed to get more handsome the longer she stared. Akane felt something rise from inside her. Something warm. She got a bit confused. Her hands started to sweat. She wiped the sweat off her hands, looking down at them. Her heart rate increased, as did her breathing. She now felt a bit anxious. She turned back to Ranma, who was oblivious. That warmth came back. Now it was more like a fire. Akane started to get weak. "What is going on?" She asked herself. She wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"Hey Ranma…" Akane asked, trying to hide her condition. "Is it starting to get hot in here?"
Ranma looked up. "No…it feels just fine in here. Somethin' wrong Akane? You look a bit sick."
"Uh…no…I'm fine. Just seems to be getting warmer in her is all. Hurry up Ranma, the test is tomorrow."
Ranma shook his head and resumed his test.
Akane resumed the vigil on her hands. They were starting to shake, just like the time she tried to tell Ranma how she felt, back at Uc-Chan's. Her breathing was now very heavy. The room felt like it was closing in on her. She got the sudden urge to look at Ranma. She turned to him, hiding her face with her right hand. She looked him in the eye. He was trying his best…the word "kiss" popped into her mind. She felt the urge to kiss Ranma.
She tore her eyes away from him; her chest was starting to hurt, like someone was sitting on it. She placed her hand on her forehead, leaning her elbow against the desk. Her body felt weak now. She could barely hold her head up. "What…what is this?" She asked herself.
Ranma turned to her, concerned. "Hey Akane, you feelin' ok? You really don't look so good."
Akane turned to him, looking him in those eyes of his. "Yea…I'm fine…Man it's really starting to get hot in here." She said, opening the window. The cool night breeze felt good on her damp forehead.
Ranma placed a hand on Akane's head. She was a bit warm. Akane's heart skipped a beat when he did that, but she just sat there, weakly.
"Akane…I think you're comin' down with somethin'. You feel a bit warm and you're starting to shake all over. Maybe we should call it a night." Ranma said, gathering his notes and rising from his seat.
Akane whirled. "Wait!" she said. A part of her wanted to stay with Ranma. That part couldn't bear to see him leave.
Ranma turned around "What?"
"Don't leave me Ranma…I want you to—" Akane stopped herself short of completing the sentence. She looked down, confused and scared.
"Akane…somethin' is wrong isn't it?"
Akane just sat in her chair. That heavy feeling in her chest wouldn't leave. She just wanted Ranma to stay in her room…
"I'm gonna get you some of that hot sake stuff. That will help you sleep tonight." Ranma said, going down stairs.
Akane continued to sit in her chair. "What the hell…is wrong with me?"
Ranma returned after a few minutes with a small steaming cup. Akane did not look up to him; she had no idea what was going on.
"Uh…ok Akane. I'll just finish studying. You can trust me; I'll try my best. Maybe you should go ahead and get some sleep," Ranma said, exiting quietly. He closed the door softly; Akane was still in her chair, looking at the floor.
She looked at her trembling hands, covered in sweat. She took a deep breath and let it out. "What in the world is going on?" she asked herself, changing into her pajamas. "I've…never felt like that before." She sat down on her bed, thinking on what happened. Her mind suddenly went forward to what would have happened if Ranma had stayed. Visions of holding him close…She shook her head violently, shaking those thoughts out of her mind.
"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you Akane!" She cursed at herself. Never before had she wanted to be so close to Ranma…
She took a sip of the warm broth Ranma had brought her. It made her feel a little better. The heaviness in her chest subsided a bit, but that fire still burned inside her. She turned the lights out and lay down in her bed. She rolled on her side, bringing the covers up to her neck. She felt so alone all of a sudden. She wanted someone…anyone. She wanted to feel their warmth…
Akane sighed to herself. She started to feel a bit scared now. All these new feelings suddenly came out of nowhere. They were scary feelings, but ones she felt like she wanted to keep. No. She didn't want to lose these feelings, but she didn't want to keep them. She didn't understand them at all, and that's what made her scared. Akane rolled on her back, spreading her arms out sleeplessly.
"Maybe I'll feel better in the morning. Ranma was right, I am starting to feel a bit sick." She closed her eyes, hoping that this was all some strange dream and she would wake up from it sooner to later.
Akane tossed and turned for a few hours before finally falling asleep.
The Longest Day
Her eyes popped open. It was still dark outside. She looked over to her clock. 5:13 am. Akane sighed to herself. It seemed like she was soaked in sweat. Those feelings had returned. That heat that rose up from inside her, that tightness in her chest, that feeling of loneliness. They had all come back. Akane arose from her bed. She needed to talk to someone. It was too risky trying to talk to Ranma, with what happened earlier. Kasumi was too much like a mother. Soun and Genma could never understand a woman's feelings. She needed someone on her level to talk to.
She opened her door quietly and went over to Nabiki's room. She knocked softly a few times. No answer. She tried a bit harder.
"Huh? Yea…what is it…" came a sleepy Nabiki to the door.
"Sis…we need to talk…something strange is going on. It's scaring me to death."
Nabiki woke up fully. If her little sister needed help she would do her best. "Ok, come on in Akane."
Akane walked in weakly. She sat down on Nabiki's bed. Nabiki sat, facing her in her chair.
"What seems to be troubling you Akane?"
"Well Nabiki…yesterday was…well it was scary. When Ranma and I were studying, I started getting anxious. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I was sweating and shaking all over. Ranma thought I had caught a cold, so he decided to study for himself, but I didn't want to see him leave…I wanted him to stay for some reason. When he did leave I…felt so alone…"
Nabiki looked on, concerned.
"I…I don't know what is happening to me. All these sudden feelings…I never felt them before. It's—" Akane paused. This was not like her in the slightest.
"It's what?" Nabiki asked
"It's…like a fire burning inside me. It's really hard to explain."
Nabiki drew closer to Akane, examining her. She was acting very strange.
After a few moments Nabiki nodded and smiled.
"What? Did you find out what was wrong with me?" Akane asked
"Tell me, sis. You two have kissed right?"
Akane started to blush; she turned her gaze to the floor. "Uh…yea, just once though. Well…one time really didn't count…"
"Did you like that?"
Akane's face turned a deep red. "Well…I-I guess so."
"Did you want to do that again yesterday?"
"Sorta…the idea popped suddenly in my head yesterday."
Nabiki smiled. "Tell ya what sis. I'm gonna do you a favor today. No charge."
Akane looked up to Nabiki, confused. "What are you talking about? What kind of favor?"
"Oh…you'll see after dinner tonight." Nabiki said, with her trademark sly smile.
Akane leaned closer to Nabiki. "Stop kidding around Nabiki, this is serious! I don't know what's going on and I don't like it"
"You're right about that Akane, this is serious. Trust me, you'll thank me tomorrow."
Akane was even more confused. "Come on Nabiki…"
"Well…just try following your feelings. If you feel like doing something then do it. It may lead somewhere unexpected."
"Nabiki quit fooling around like this. Are you gonna help me or not?"
"Akane…I'm on your side. Trust me. I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Akane smiled. "Thanks Nabiki." She then walked back to her room, lying in her bed, awaiting the sun that was starting to peek over the trees.
Nabiki sat in hers. "Wait until daddy hears about this. He and Mr. Saotome will jump for joy." She said to herself, lying back down. She had a few more minutes to sleep.
Akane lie in her bed. Those feelings…wouldn't they ever stop? She tossed and turned about until her alarm went off. She got up sleepily and started to get ready for the day. "Maybe I'll forget all this with my sleepiness" she hoped.
Everyone was at the table when Akane arrived. She looked at the table, almost in horror. The only spot open was her usual spot next to Ranma.
"Don't worry Akane…that was nothing last night. You were just feeling a bit under the weather. It won't happen again. Just calm down and you'll be fine." She said to herself, taking her seat next to Ranma.
She ate breakfast with everyone else in an almost normal manner. That fire still burned in her and her chest still felt heavy, but she didn't get one of those awkward thoughts. She smiled to herself.
Ranma and Akane started to school. Akane seemed a bit distant to Ranma, but that happened a lot so no one was worried. Nabiki stayed behind. She was on a mission.
"Hey everyone…guess what!" Nabiki announced. Everyone turned to her, expecting an answer.
"I think something is gonna happen between those two any day now. And when it does…"
Soun looked at Nabiki. "What kind of something?"
"Well me and Akane had a bit of a conversation earlier this morning. I won't go into it but it would be in everyone's best interest to make themselves scarce tonight." Nabiki winked, smiling that smile of hers.
Soun and Genma's eyes widened. They ran to each other giving each other a big hug.
"Saotome…this is…" Soun could barely manage to speak; his eyes were flowing with tears of happiness.
"Ranma, you are just like your father" Genma said. "Tendou, how about we celebrate by going out to eat."
"Saotome…what an excellent idea! We shall leave Ranma and Akane…then…Oh, I am so happy. After all this time…"
Kasumi smiled at everyone. "Oh, isn't this wonderful! I could go to the store and pick up a few things. I'll fix a very special dinner for them to celebrate! It will be so wonderful!"
"Yea everyone. Just remember…we gotta be out of here by dinner. With as fast as things went with those two we may want to consider staying away for a few weeks."
Soun turned to Nabiki. "Oh, you don't give our heirs enough credit. All we can do is hope for the best between them."
"Well I just thought I would shoot that by everyone. Ciao!" Nabiki said, grabbing her school bag and walking to her waiting ride.
"Saotome…it is out duty to provide the best atmosphere for those two."
"I agree Tendou. It is time for Ranma to grow up and accept responsibility."
"Oh dear…I better get started on that dinner. I wonder what to make." Kasumi said, hurrying into the kitchen.
Soun and Genma sat at the dinner table. They could finally start plotting again. It had been a while.
Ranma walked in front of Akane, dreading the test that was in store. Akane walked slowly behind him, trying to concentrate.
Ranma turned around to her. "Hey Akane…you feelin' ok? Maybe you shoulda stayed home today, you look so…not you…"
Akane turned her gaze to the ground. "Well Ranma…I missed a lot of stuff and I cant afford to miss any more." She said, solemnly
"Ok, whatever…"
Akane took a deep breath. She smiled to herself. Those stupid visions had stopped. Finally. She looked up to Ranma, trying to hold back her thoughts. "Hey, wait up for me!" She said, running along side of him.
"Huh? Well that was weird…" Ranma said a bit stunned.
Akane offered a smile to him; she would win this fight…
"Sorry Ranma…I was just a bit worried, but I guess I shouldn't worry so, nothing bad is gonna happen." She said, half way trying to convince herself of that.
Ranma just smiled. "Well its nice to see your sudden recovery."
Akane looked up at the smiling Ranma. "He has such a nice smile…those soft features of his face were a nice touch too." Akane thought to herself, walking along side of him. Her eyes moved down Ranma's form, taking in his strong, defined features. Suddenly, she regained herself. She had done it again. She started to find herself attracted to Ranma physically, not just emotionally, as was the case a few days ago. "Man…where is all this coming from?" She demanded from herself. A part of her wanted to keep looking at Ranma. The other part just wanted some answers. "It…it's like there are two of me all of a sudden." Akane summoned up her willpower, tearing her eyes from Ranma before he suspected anything. She now sank a few steps behind him.
"Ok…this happened so suddenly…last night was the start of it. I felt better after talking to Nabiki, but as usual she didn't give me a straight answer. She said to, "do as you feel and it would lead somewhere unexpected.""
Akane thought for just a minute. She had an urge to give Ranma a big hug.
"As if!" Akane shouted to herself. "That would never work, besides, its not like it's me wanting to…maybe this is me. Maybe I should listen to Nabiki. Nah…that is so not like me it would scare Ranma to death. I sure wish I knew what Nabiki was thinking. That would give me some answers. This isn't like me at all. Something is seriously wrong…"
Akane thought for a few minutes, the school was drawing closer.
"Well…I did feel better after that talk. Maybe that is a clue. Ranma wasn't around then. Maybe all I need to do is avoid Ranma for a little while. That would be easy at school, since there are so many students. By then I'm sure to figure out what's going on."
At that moment, Ranma and Akane entered the courtyard. Kuno was there, staring at Ranma. Akane looked up at him, then back to the ground.
Kuno stared at Ranma, observing him for any "weaknesses"
"Hey Kuno-Sempai" Ranma said with a smile. Kuno ignored him. He looked at Akane. She was walking slowly behind him. Her head was hung low and she carried her school bag, clenching it tightly against her chest. Kuno looked one more time at Ranma. He seemed normal. He should have never trusted Kodachi to handle Ranma.
Ranma and Akane entered the school; Akane felt an air of relief when she was able to sit at her desk. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest, and she started to feel a bit dizzy. The teacher began his lessons. Akane did not pay attention. Her head started to hurt, with all the thinking she was doing.
"Ranma will fall asleep. Maybe then you can concentrate." She said to herself. The day dragged on, Akane did start to feel a little better. She had managed to lose Ranma through the day. She even managed a conversation with her friends. They had noticed Akane seemed a bit different somehow, but she refused to go home. Soon came science class.
The teacher passed out the papers. Ranma turned to Akane and smiled at her. Akane, stunned, turned her eyes away quickly, pretending to get a pencil out of her school bag. "That was too close…" she said to herself. She picked up her pencil and eyed the first question. The answer was "The ring of fire."
"Ugh…everything seems to be against me today." Akane said, the word fire made her remember how she felt about Ranma. Akane looked down at her hand, eyeing her engagement ring. She started to play with it, nervously. The ring made her think of Ranma. The way he smiled as he handed her the box. That look in his eyes when she looked up at him. He made her so happy that day. She turned over to Ranma. He was concentrating heavily on his test.
"Poor Ranma…trying so hard. He even studied by himself. Just for me." Akane said to herself. She smiled, picturing life with him. "I wonder what we will name our children. It didn't matter how many we had, as long as he was happy."
Akane abruptly did a double take. She had thought of having children with Ranma. And she liked the idea. It didn't scare her any more. In fact…she wanted to start soon.
Akane tore her eyes away, hiding her face with her hands. She felt hot all over. The air around her started to get thick, her breathing became very labored.
She placed her head on her desk, covering her head with her hands. "Where is all this coming from?" She asked herself desperately. "This is not like me in the slightest! I guess we would eventually…but that's neither here nor now. Its like someone is…reaching deep inside me and pulling up all these feelings. Like someone is pushing me in that direction." She struggled with this "intruder" trying to push those feelings from the darkness from whence they came. It was no use. Whenever she had a free though, those visions appeared. Her and Ranma…why now? Why not later on, when they could…
Akane started getting scared again. Things were starting to go fast again. She did not like that fast pace. There was no telling where she would end up; that uncertainty made her fearful. A tear squeezed out of her eye. "This is madness!" Akane said, lifting up her head.
She stood up. "Sensei!" she called.
"Yes?"
"I…need to go to the bathroom," Akane said, something was clearly wrong.
The teacher nodded. Akane calmly walked outside, going into the bathroom.
Ranma looked up from his test. Akane was not her usual self. Something was seriously wrong. Ranma's face took a worried look. "Well, trying to get information out of her was like trying to get blood out of a turnip. She will come to me when she runs out of options. I just better not worry about it." Ranma said to himself, returning to his test. He had skipped a lot of questions. He eyed the first one. "Geeze…like I know that one…"
Akane walked into the bathroom quietly. Good, no one was in here. She approached the mirror. She looked a bit sick. She leaned closer, examining herself in the mirror. Her cheek was a bit wet. She grabbed a towel and wiped the tear away. She turned her face from side to side. Nothing seemed to be wrong, except that look on her face. It looked like she was in pain. She pulled the front of her dress down, examining the wound she received about two weeks ago. Dr. Tofu's acupuncture had worked very well. It didn't hurt any but her chest hurt. The pain seemed to come from behind the wound, deeper than Ryoga's finger had penetrated. And it spread from there, to all parts of her body, making her arms and legs feel weak. Akane turned on the cold water, gathering some and splashing her face with it. It didn't put out the fire, but she felt more alert. She dried her face off, examining her self one last time. She tried to smile, despite herself. Even her smile looked forced. She shook her head. This was like some strange kind of torture.
Suddenly, the door creaked. Another person. Akane quickly threw the towels away and started back to the classroom.
She opened the door slowly, as if she didn't know what to expect. She walked a few feet in front of Ranma. Ranma, concerned, looked up to her. She did not meet his eye, but sat down, trying to finish her test.
Akane sat down at her desk. She placed a hand on her forehead, resting her elbow on her desk. Now she felt weak…very weak. Her mind was working hard…going from one place to another. The test didn't help matters. She looked up to the clock. 2:49. Her eyes widened. She had ten minutes to finish her test. She scrambled for her pencil, desperately filling in answers that looked like they were right. Her mind was too tired to care what happened right now, she just wanted this day done and over.
The dismissal bell rang. The teacher called for the papers to be turned in. Akane turned hers in, not meeting anyone's eye. She walked out slowly. Ranma would ask her what is going on. She just couldn't tell him. She entered the courtyard. The fresh air made her chest feel a bit lighter. Finally, room to breathe. She looked ahead, Ranma stood at the stone wall, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets. So confident…Akane loved that part of him. "I'll bet he isn't going through anything more troublesome than that stupid test." Akane said to herself.
Akane approached Ranma. Ranma felt her presence. He turned to her.
"Hey Akane!" Ranma said, smiling. Akane just came along side of him, clutching her school bag tightly to her chest.
"Hi Ranma…" she said weakly.
The two started to the dojo.
"Well Akane…I think I did pretty good on that test. What do you think?" Ranma offered, trying to lighten Akane's mood.
"Yea…" she said softly, keeping her head hung low.
"Whew…I hope I did good. Of course if I pass I gotta try your cookin'…I don't know which is worse, repeating a grade or trying one of your experiments." Ranma said, smiling down to her…
Akane did not respond.
"Hey Akane…notice anything different about Kuno. We walked right past him and he didn't even say a word to us…isn't that weird?"
"Yea…I guess…"
Ranma got fed up. "Ok Akane…what seems to be your problem? I know you. I live in the same house as you. You can't hide anything from me. You worried about failin' that test?"
Akane shook her head slowly.
"Worried about Kuno?"
No response.
"Worried about today's trainin' session? Afraid you can't match my skills?"
Nothing.
Ranma turned around and faced Akane, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Hey Akane…why wont you tell me what's wrong? Could it occur to you that I might be able to help you?"
Akane just stared at the ground.
Ranma placed a finger under Akane's chin, lifting her head up to meet his eyes. Akane did not try to stop him. They looked in each other's eyes. Akane seemed to be lost somewhere. A tear appeared in her eyes. Akane brought her hand up, grabbing Ranma on the wrist. She ran her fingers across Ranma's strong hand…almost instinctively. Akane suddenly realized what she was doing and turned her head away from Ranma. She then started back to the Dojo, seeming to go in slow motion.
Ranma just stood there. Akane was sick; maybe she just had the flu. Ranma watched her, confused. She was walking a bit differently. Something was up with Akane; he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Is she really sick?" Ranma asked himself. "Come to think of it, she hasn't even sneezed or coughed or anything. Maybe she stayed up all last night and she was just tired. Well, whatever is wrong, I'll figure it out before tomorrow." Ranma started after Akane, keeping a safe distance away, not wanting make Akane feel even worse.
The Battle for Reason
The pair entered the Dojo, Akane first. She just dropped her school bag and went up to her room, closing the door softly. Everyone watched as Ranma entered, hands behind his head.
"What's wrong with Akane, Ranma?" Soun asked.
"I dunno Mr., Tendou," Ranma said, looking p the stairs. "I think Akane is coming down with something, she doesn't seem to be actin' like herself somehow…"
Soun and Genma turned to Nabiki. She looked at them with a slight nod.
"Well, I'm sure she will be fine later on tonight, maybe it's best to leave her be."
Ranma shrugged and sat in front of the TV. A knock came from the door.
"Oh, I'll get it." Kasumi said. She opened the door. Shampoo and Cologne. Kasumi escorted them to the dinner table, where Ranma sat.
"Oh Ranma…could you get Akane? I believe she may have forgot about her session today."
Ranma nodded and went to Akane's door. He knocked.
"Y-yes? Who is it?" Came a shallow voice from inside.
"Its Me, Ranma. Cologne and Shampoo are here. You want me to tell 'em you're not feeling well?"
"N…no…I'll be out in a second." Akane said softly.
Ranma leaned against the wall, waiting for Akane.
"Oh man." Akane started to herself, taking off her dress and getting her Gi out. "I forgot that we were supposed to train today…" Akane slipped on her Gi, not wanting to give up in the slightest. She took a deep breath. That fire had not subsided. She straightened out, heading to the door. Her face took a look of determination; she would not let these stupid feelings get in her way of her goal, she was going to fight back against that "intruder."
She opened the door, Ranma looked to her. "You ready?" He asked
"Yes…I'm ready. I'm ready to start." Akane said.
Ranma nodded. Akane was different somehow…not like she was a few minutes ago. Ranma couldn't quite put his finger on it. He walked Akane down stairs and to the training hall. Akane was ready.
*****Heh. Now we get into the good stuff! This chapter marks a turn into my favorite series of chapters. Maybe because of all the cliffhangers. Well, I gotta make this short. Like a Baka I mess up my hand doing something stupid. It could have been broken, but it was just a little sprain. I took a Motrin and a nap and it's fine. It's just kinda stiff and all. Oh well.
Lets see. Updates…updates. Uh…nothing much. Oh…Summer Planet No 1 is playing on my play list. That reminds me of my newest fanfiction, in which the crew goes to a hotel called Summer Planet Number One. Oh yes. And there will be much evilness on my part. Heh. Well not that evil. But it's good, if I say so myself. Unfortunately for the maybe three people that read my goodies down here, it's gonna be a long time before that's ready. And I finally got my Manuscript done. I've been working on that as of late. It's going to be mailed in about two days if everything goes well. Wish me luck!
So, that's it. My hand is hurting. And just incase you're wondering why I do this little thing at the end. It's like a time capsule. I can look back on this fifty years form now when I'm a famous writer and say "Dang…that's what my early work was like"
Until next we meet!*****