Chapter Fourteen
The Apex
Akane stood in the training hall, next to a stack of bricks. A week had passed since the duel with Shampoo and Mousse. The once active Kat Café was now gray and barren; a "for sale" sign replaced the closed /open sign. Ranma and Akane had not heard any word from Mousse, Shampoo, or Cologne. One word could sum up the mood in the passed week: Boredom.
Ranma entered the training hall, watching Akane for a few moments before she turned to him. Akane had been training pretty hard, seeing as there were no other distractions in their relationship.
"Hey Ranma." She said simply. She grabbed the sports bottle that sat next to her on the floor, taking a quick drink of the nice cool water. The outside of the bottle was wet with condensation. She walked over to Ranma.
"Hey Akane." Ranma said, leaning against the wall.
"So…what are you doing here?"
"Nothin' just kinda bored."
"Yea…I know what you mean. Any word?"
"Nope. Cologne and Shampoo are prolly in China by now. I wonder if they took Mousse with 'em…"
"I hope so…"
"Me too…hey, did Shampoo seem different to you on that day?"
"I don't really know. It seemed like to me she woke up from a dream or something. But then again she just left Mousse in that field."
Ranma just stood there, pondering. Akane spoke up after a few moments.
"Hey Ranma…while you're here…wanna have a match real fast?" Akane offered her cute smile.
"Sure Akane…I haven't beat you in a while." Ranma said playfully
"Whatever Ranma…just you wait. I will win a match against you one day." She replied.
Ranma and Akane slid those bricks out of the way and took their respective places, eyeing each other for a few seconds. Akane lead the offensive, throwing a series of punches at Ranma. Ranma backed up, moving his head every which way to dodge the blows. Akane closed in with a kick to his midsection. Ranma leapt over the attack. Akane brought her other leg up high, surprising Ranma a bit. In mid air, he grabbed the high kick, absorbing the impact. The force sent him back a few feet. He flipped in mid air, landing true to his form. Akane rushed in with a punch. Ranma ducked the blow, eying Akane's midsection with his fist. Akane, sensing this, placed her hands on Ranma's back and flipped over him. Ranma launched a backward kick to Akane. Akane flipped and landed on Ranma's foot that was in the air, jumping off towards the wall. Ranma turned around, a bit surprised.
"Wow…I thought I was the only one that could do that…" he said to himself, noticing Akane rebound off the wooden wall and dive at him with a kick.
Ranma smiled to himself, sidestepping the attack. He then threw a fist at Akane. She had her back to him. Skillfully, Akane threw back her arm, blocking the blow. She whirled around, swinging her other arm. Ranma ducked that first one. Akane brought her leg around towards Ranma's face. He bent backward, placing his hands on the training hall floor and flipping backwards out of Akane's path. Akane leapt into the air, coming down with another diving kick. Ranma's eyes widened. Akane was on the offensive and all he could do was defend against her speed, which now rivaled his. Ranma managed to jump backwards, just missing Akane's foot. Akane spun herself around, trying to roundhouse Ranma. Ranma tilted his head back just a bit, feeling the sharp wind from Akane's attack whip across his cheek. That wind almost hurt. Akane spun around once, now bringing her same leg low, trying to trip Ranma.
Ranma looked down at Akane, he was starting to worry. Akane was pushing him right into the corner of the Dojo. Desperately Ranma, wanting to avoid the corner, leapt over the attempted sweep.
Akane smiled to herself.
"Gotcha!" She yelled, thrusting her massive uppercut towards Ranma, The speed of the attack was incredible. The punch landed solidly in Ranma's stomach, knocking him down on the ground.
Ranma landed hard and sat back up quickly.
"Geeze…" he said to himself. "Guess I can't play around with Akane any more." Ranma smiled visibly, it was time for him to take it up another notch.
Akane charged towards Ranma's sitting form. Ranma rolled backward, springing off his hands, meeting Akane eye to eye. Akane launched a punch towards his head. Ranma blocked the punch with his hand. Akane punched again, Ranma blocking in a similar manner. She tried for a kick to Ranma's side. Ranma spun his knee around, absorbing the blow. The hard knee made Akane's foot a bit sore, but she would be fine. Akane looked at Ranma's face. He was smiling confidently. Akane seethed at such a sight. Furious, she punched at Ranma with all her strength. Ranma caught the relatively small fist in his hand, keeping it there with his powerful grip. Akane followed suit with her other fist, getting the same result. She struggled to pull her hands out of Ranma's grip, but was unable to. Ranma was just smiling.
"This isn't funny Ranma!'' She yelled, trying to knee him in the stomach. Instead she again found Ranma's knee guarding his body. She again tried to knee Ranma. Ranma jumped backward, the knee missing him. Ranma planted his foot, attempting to throw Akane behind him. His foot landed in something cold. It was water. Ranma placed all his weight on the foot that was in the water. He slipped, still holding Akane's hands.
Ranma landed on the floor hard, his head bouncing once on the ground. Akane tried to brace herself with her arms, placing them on either side of Ranma's head. Instead she landed, her full weight on top of Ranma. At least her head landed on Ranma's chest, while hard, was not as hard as floor.
Akane braced her arms, rising from her position. She watched Ranma's face contort in pain for a few moments, concerned for him. Ranma was in a fair amount of pain and he had the wind knocked out of him, but he recovered quickly. It was then that Akane noticed that all her weight was lying on Ranma's form.
Ranma opened his eyes slowly, recovering from his fall.
"Ouch…geeze…" he started. He looked up to Akane, who was looking down at him concerned. Ranma felt Akane's weight lying on his body
"A…Akane?" Ranma asked, wincing and catching his breath.
"Ranma…are you…" Akane tried. It was no use
Their eyes met. Akane trailed off her words. They just lay there, a few seconds, questioning each other. Neither attempted to move. Akane's chest was fairly close to Ranma's face, and the position Akane was in allowed her Gi to come open slightly. Ranma glanced at the sight before returning to Akane. That made him forget about his pain. He felt Akane's tense up a bit. What was going on? He just looked into her eyes, his mouth hanging open to regain his breath, now stayed open in confusion. His throat was beginning to dry and a lump was forming in it. He swallowed, his face clearly showing signs of his nervousness. He continued to stare at Akane with an unsure look. Why wasn't Akane moving?
"Hey…Akane?" Ranma tried, still in a bit of a daze.
Akane looked down at Ranma, his mouth was slightly ajar. Hers was held in a surprised manner, shocked that she had not felt the urge to hit Ranma. On the contrary, she felt rather comfortable, aside from her wandering mind. She watched as Ranma started to sweat a bit, his face was turning a bit red. No doubt hers was following suit. She gritted her teeth out of sheer nervousness, watching Ranma's eyes dart back and forth. What was he glancing at so? Why wasn't he trying to get up? Seconds seemed to pass like hours. Akane noticed that she had not moved at all. She didn't really want to.
"Oh…sorry Ranma…I…uh…"
Akane's breathing started to quicken almost as if she sensed what Ranma could be thinking. If Ranma was thinking what she was thinking… She moved her body slightly, as if seeing if she had the power to get up. She tried to get up, placing her knees on either side of Ranma for stability's sake.
Ranma watched Akane's attempt to rise to a standing position. She never once took her eyes off of him. She was as nervous as he was, almost like something was going to happen. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Ranma felt Akane's warmth against his body. A sudden urge came from within him. He figured out what was going on. He wanted to take Akane's warmth into his arms, feeling her soft skin and body against his. Akane started to rise slowly. Without thinking, Ranma moved his arms up, placing them around Akane.
Akane tried to stay calm. She tried to control her thoughts…Suddenly; she felt Ranma's hands around her body. It was comforting to her, almost like she had waited for this moment. She even felt a bit of relief, as if a massive weight was lifted off her chest. Ranma was thinking what she was thinking. She looked at Ranma; he was no longer confused. She placed her arms around Ranma's head, behind his neck. She remembered exactly how much she loved him. Akane gazed into Ranma's eyes; she smiled a bit, as if saying "yes" to Ranma.
Ranma felt her soft hands behind his neck. He started to gently pull Akane's form closer to his. Akane lowered her face, without protest, bringing her lips closer to Ranma's. They both closed their eyes…
Just then the training hall door slid open, making a scratching paper-like sound. Ranma and Akane's eyes popped open, staring at each other for a second, amazed at their own actions. They turned their head towards the sound, spying Kasumi walking in.
"Ranma! Akane! Dinner is almost…" Kasumi began. Her smile vanished as she looked down, seeing Akane lying in top of Ranma and Ranma's arms around her body. Both their faces were changing to various shades of red.
"Oh…oh dear…" Kasumi said utterly stunned. "I…I'm sorry for interrupting. Dinner will be ready by the time you two finish in here. Please, forget I came in." She said, turning around and quickly walking out.
Akane jumped out of Ranma's arms and Ranma sprang up. Their guards were now back up.
"H…hey…wait a sec Kasumi. What do you mean, "finish up in here?"" Ranma asked defensively.
"Oh…well you and Akane should start doing that kind of thing. Father and Mr. Saotome will be so happy that you have finally broken all your walls down." Kasumi said, smiling. She exited the training hall quickly.
"W-wait Kasumi. I…uh…well we tripped and…we didn't plan on doin' this…" Ranma tried desperately after her. It was no use; she was already gone.
Ranma turned to Akane, who was standing in the middle of the hall, extremely embarrassed. Her face was a bright color red. Her eyes were planted firmly to the ground. Ranma chuckled nervously, scratching his head. He looked closer to Akane. She seemed a bit hurt. He approached her.
"Hey…Akane…you ok?" He asked, standing next to her. "Uh…about what just happened…"
Akane closed her eyes. Her body started to tense up. Akane clenched her fist.
"Ranma…you…idiot!" She screamed, bringing her hand up and slapping Ranma across the face.
Ranma was knocked back a few steps. He looked at the enraged Akane. He had done it again. But what had he done?
"A-Akane…" he started.
"Ranma you stupid, perverted, blockheaded moron!" Akane continued angrily. "What the hell did you do? Because of you I…we almost…"
Ranma was taken aback. "W…wait a sec Akane…I had no idea…"
"If you weren't such an idiot you wouldn't have slipped on that water!"
Ranma got on the defensive; his feeling sorry for Akane had just ended then. "Hey, wait a sec Akane! You were the one that had that sports bottle!"
"So what! You should have looked out for it!"
"No Akane! You shoulda' placed that bottle in the corner of the Dojo instead of settin' it down right in the middle of the damn floor! I know you knew better than that!"
"Ranma…just shut up! I don't want to hear your damn excuses any more. Because of you we almost…"
"Wh…what! Wait a sec Akane…I...uh…can explain…"
"Save it Ranma!"
"Well, Akane if you were so against it why didn't you just get the hell offa' me!"
Akane was stunned. Why didn't she want to get up? She turned her eyes to the floor, become docile.
"Well Ranma…maybe I wanted to…"
Ranma's eyes widened. "You…you actually wanted to…so why are you yellin'…"
"Maybe…I wanted to…until I found out what a pervert you were!" Akane resumed. Ranma looked at her angrily.
"Geeze…you are so damn un-cute sometimes! It was only natural to assume…"
"That's not the point Ranma!"
"Oh…so what is the point? We both agree to somethin' and when it doesn't happen, you yell at me? Is that the point?"
"No…the point is…" Akane paused her yelling, her argument wasn't as concrete as she had though. She had to think of something…maybe there was nothing to think about.
"So…what is it? You yellin' at me for no reason…you are too much of a violent maniac…"
"Ranma you are such an idiot!" Akane interrupted, having given up on her argument. "This discussion is over!" She said, forcefully. She stormed up to her room.
"Sex-less too!" Ranma yelled up to her, his temper past its breaking point.
"Geeze…all she had to do was just move. Why did she always blame me for everythin'?" Ranma said to himself. "Maybe I did make the first move…but still…she didn't have to get all angry and stuff…" Ranma just went to his room and closed the door. He had lost his appetite.
Akane lay in her bed crying.
"That stupid Ranma…he knew exactly what he was doing. We almost…what would have happened if…" those thoughts made Akane cry a bit. But something was different about her tears…like they weren't real. "Why…am I crying like this so? I kinda wanted to…so why am I so sad?" Her mind went back to when she exploded on Ranma.
"I shouldn't have done that to him. I guess it was my fault for not moving…so why was I so angry with him? Maybe I wasn't angry at him…maybe I was angry at me…"
She dried her tears of embarrassment and anger and just stared down at the floor. She was confused at her actions. Was she mad because Ranma had actually tried or because he said he could "explain"? Maybe she was mad because she had missed her chance…Maybe she was embarrassed for admitting her desires to Ranma. All of those were possibilities: Possibilities that Akane wasn't quite ready for. They were both to blame for what almost happened.
Unexpected Company
Everyone was happily eating breakfast: Everyone except Ranma and Akane. They refused to sit next to each other.
Soun started, wanting to break the silence between the two.
"Kasumi brings word of good news from you two." He said. He and Genma looked at their children. They were saying nothing, not even looking at each other. Genma and Soun looked to each other then back to Kasumi. Kasumi just smiled
"Yes…it's true isn't it Ranma and Akane? They really do love each other." She said, smiling broadly.
"Um sis…maybe you should look again at what is happening between them" Nabiki said dryly.
Kasumi eyed the two fiancées. Her smile vanished. "Oh dear. I hope they aren't mad at me for dropping in on them."
"No Kasumi." Ranma said, not looking up from his plate. "I'm mad at a certain violent manic that seems to blame everythin' on me." He said in an unusually calm manner.
Akane just looked into her plate, not saying a word. Ranma rose from his seat, starting to the door.
"Where are you going boy?" Genma demanded.
"I'm going out! I can't stand bein' around such an un-cute macho chick." Ranma said, walking past Akane, not even looking at her.
"Good riddance, pervert!" Akane shot back coldly. Everyone at the table winced at the ice in those words. Soun and Genma looked at each other.
"Well Saotome? What about our…"
"I don't know Tendou. It would seem they are not ready for it yet."
Soun nodded solemnly, taking a deep breath and letting it out.
Akane just stared angrily in her plate. She heard Ranma open the front door. She heard a gasp. She perked up, looking at Ranma backing up inside.
"Ranma?" She asked, concerned.
The shock wore off Ranma's face. His face turned to a look of anger. He eyed this figure fiercely.
Akane peeked out the door. She gasped.
"Ryoga…" Ranma said simply. He started towards him.
Ryoga stood in the doorway, bowing pitifully. He was extremely depressed.
"Ryoga…what the hell are you doin' here?" Ranma demanded.
Ryoga straightened out, looking Ranma in the eye.
"Ranma Saotome…I…"
Before he could finish, Ranma struck Ryoga clean across the face, cutting his lip. Ryoga fell backward, holding his bloodied face.
Akane looked up to Ranma, enraged. He was rubbing his fist and was eyeing Ryoga extremely hard, almost burning holes into his soul. Akane slapped Ranma across his face. Ranma narrowed his eyes in pain, but did not take his eyes off Ryoga.
"Ranma! How dare you, you stupid jerk!" Akane said, going over to Ryoga, offering him a hand.
Ryoga looked up into Akane's eyes. They were burning, but had a gentle light inside them. Ryoga forced his eyes away from the sight and stood up bravely.
He bowed again. "Ranma Saotome. I deserved that. After all I have done to you. I have come to apologize."
Ranma's eyes burned at Ryoga. "You tried to kill me…you slept in my fiancée's bed, you almost killed her in one of your stupid tantrums, and you've come to apologize?" He asked, clenching his fist.
"Ranma! Don't…please!" Akane said, stepping in between the two. Ranma narrowed his eyes at his fiancée. He relaxed his fist, seeing his true love plead against him.
"Whatever! I'm outta here!" He said, walking past Ryoga, not seeming to give him another thought. The turned down the street and soon vanished.
Ryoga turned his head, looking at Ranma leave. He turned to Akane, who seemed angered by Ranma's attitude.
"Ranma must hate me so…" he started.
"No…it's not your fault Ryoga. Ranma has been in that mood since yesterday." Akane replied.
"What happened yesterday?"
"Oh…uh…nothing…just don't worry about it" Akane said, trying to cover up what went on in the training hall. "Please come in Ryoga, where have you been all this time?"
"Akane?" Ryoga asked, confused. Didn't she remember what happened? Ryoga bowed very low, Akane took a step back, stunned.
"I'm sorry Akane-san! Everything I did to you. I just couldn't find peace until I apologized as a man."
"R…Ryoga?" Akane was stunned. "It's ok. I forgive you. Come inside, we were just eating breakfast."
"R…really?"
"Sure!" Akane said with her smile. "You can just call me Akane. After all, we're friends aren't we?"
Ryoga smiled a bit. "Y…yea" he said, nodding his head. Akane lead him inside.
"Well if it isn't Ryoga!" Nabiki said approaching him. "So…what brings you back?"
"Well…I had to apologize to everyone. I couldn't sleep good until I had apologized as a man." Ryoga returned. That would be his story for now. He would leave his little premonition out of the conversation.
"Oh…Ryoga! Please, have some food. You must be starving. You look a bit thin." Kasumi said.
"Oh…you are too kind Ms. Kasumi!" Ryoga said, sitting at the table. Everyone eventually warmed back up to Ryoga, even Soun and Genma, having heard his apology as a man. They had no choice but to forgive him.
"How long will you be staying Ryoga?" Soun asked. "You are more than welcome to stay at our Dojo. Perhaps you could even help Ranma and Akane train a bit. I'm sure they would agree."
"I would agree dad…but Ranma seemed a bit angry." Akane said
"Well, what's done is done. I will attempt to apologize to him again when he returns." Ryoga said, continuing to eat.
"Oh…but there is no room left in the house for Ryoga." Kasumi indicated. All the rooms were full. Soun and Genma smiled to each other.
"Don't worry Kasumi. We shall take care of that." Soun said. He turned to Genma. "Shall we?"
"That we shall Tendou." Genma said. They walked outside, towards the downtown.
"I wonder what daddy and Mr. Saotome are planning" Nabiki said.
"I don't know…" Akane replied. "I have a feeling it involves me and Ranma though. Everything else does."
Reflections
Ranma walked down the street. Fate was brutal to him in the past 24 hours.
"Ryoga…what the hell is he doin' back?" Ranma asked himself. "I thought I finally got rid of that guy. Now things are gonna get even more complicated between me and Akane. As if that little incident didn't complicate things enough."
Ranma took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was hurt for some reason, but he didn't know why.
He continued down the street, passing the Kat Café. He looked inside, curious as to what he would see: Nothing, except that stupid closed sign. Ranma just stared at through the café windows. He spotted something. It was his reflection. He looked at himself, standing there. He realized how hurt he really was. It wasn't because of Ryoga…he wasn't a big deal. Something else had hurt Ranma. He had never felt so angry before, and he took his anger out on Ryoga.
Ranma looked closer to his reflection, almost seeing his very soul there, pasted shabbily on that window. All the memories form yesterday came flooding in: All the feelings of fun…and love. And that feeling Ranma got when Akane started to yell…Ranma narrowed his eyes; he clenched his fist extremely hard. He raised his hand and shot it out towards the window that bore his image.
Suddenly he stopped, short of reaching the glass. What would breaking that stupid window accomplish? Ranma figured out why he was so bitter…so hurt. Akane had hurt him where it hurts most: His ego. It lay in shards in the training hall, much like the shards of broken glass that would have littered the street. His self esteem. It lay rotting next to the shards of his ego.
"I thought that was what Akane wanted…She even said so…was she lying to me?"
Who would have known that such a hard hit could come from someone you loved. Then again…maybe that was why it hurt so bad. Maybe it was the pain that made Ranma so angry.
"Why Akane…why did you yell at me back then?" Ranma asked himself. "I really felt something back then…you did too. So why did you get so angry with me?"
Ranma turned from his image, continuing down the street. Why? That was the only question he could ask himself. Why did Akane yell at him so? Why did Ryoga suddenly appear? Why did he fell like never seeing Akane again?
Ranma just kept walking down the street, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure when he would come back…if he ever would.
Desperately Seeking Answers
Akane, Ryoga, Nabiki, and Kasumi sat at the table, having finished breakfast. Ryoga was telling them of his journey to find inner peace.
"After I hurt Akane…I…I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to live any more with the fact that I may have caused the death of one of my best friends. I wanted to see if you were all right, but I was scared that you might not have made it. So, I left and got lost somewhere. Soon I found out that I couldn't sleep at all, so I just wandered around at night."
"Poor Ryoga…" Kasumi said, concerned. "You must have felt just awful"
"Yes, Ms Kasumi, I did. I eventually got the courage to check on Akane, but I got lost on my way to the hospital. I ended up in at Furinkan High. I saw everyone there. I saw Akane win her fight against Shampoo. I didn't know the reasons surrounding the fight, only that it was for Ranma. It was then I decided to leave Ranma and Akane alone."
"How sad…I'm sorry Ryoga." Akane offered.
"Well…we all accept your apology Ryoga. Please stay here with us. You look so…not you." Kasumi said, eyeing him over.
Ryoga nodded.
The group sat there silently. Ryoga noticed Akane seemed worried.
"Akane…what's wrong?"
"Oh…nothing Ryoga." Akane said, giving her smile. She was deep in though about something. Ryoga knew better than to accept that smile of hers. He could see through it.
Slowly, the day worked itself up to dinnertime. Ranma had not returned for dinner as he usually did on these walks. Akane started to worry visibly. Guilt weighed heavy on her soul. Soun and Genma were in good moods. Soun looked over to Akane. His smile faded, seeing Akane just stare into her plate sadly.
"Don't worry Akane. Ranma will be fine. He seemed to have a lot on his mind. I'm sure any minute now he will walk through the door, in his usual mood."
"I don't know dad…he never looked so angry before."
"I…I'm sorry. It is my fault for returning. I will leave.'' Ryoga said, rising.
"Nonsense Ryoga!" Soun demanded. "You have come here like a true man, and I will not allow you to leave before you have apologized to Ranma. Please stay here; it is not your fault. Ranma will just have to get over whatever was bothering him."
Ryoga looked around. Akane was sadly looking into her plate. She had lost her appetite. Genma was eating, thoughtfully. Nabiki had resumed her indifferent demeanor, assured everything would be fine. Kasumi was smiling up to Ryoga, having noticed him looking at her. Ryoga bowed and resumed his eating. Seeing Akane in that mood made him lose his appetite also.
Everyone was in silence, except for the sound of chopsticks against plates and a few crunching noises. A few minutes passed.
"I'm going to bed." Akane said simply. She got up and left. Everyone turned to her, worried.
"Tendou…maybe we should have reconsidered…"
"No Saotome. I will stand by our decision. True love is within those two. I am confident they will make up."
Genma nodded, going back to dinner. Ryoga just watched everyone. He felt so out of place…
Akane got dressed in her pajamas. She noticed her engagement ring, sparkling in the light. She got a sad feeling. She wanted to see Ranma again. Maybe she felt a bit guilty. She went to her window, looking outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ranma's figure heading to the Dojo. No such luck.
"Ranma…you idiot…" she whispered to herself. She gave up her fight and lie in her bed. She would stay up until Ranma came back.
"Maybe I was too hard on him." She thought to herself. "It really wasn't his fault…I guess. Maybe I was the idiot…I could have handled that differently." Akane sighed to herself, staring at the ceiling. It was her fault, for yelling at Ranma like that. She did that quite a bit; yelling at Ranma for no reason, but it felt so normal of her to do that during a situation like that.
"That wasn't the right thing to do…" Akane finally admitted to herself. A wave of guilt washed over her. It was all her fault; now Ranma was gone somewhere, angry at her stupid move.
Akane continued to wait for Ranma to show up, wanting to apologize to him for yelling. He must have been really hurt to not come home yet.
Ranma never showed up.
Something jarred Akane awake. She sat up quickly, looking around her room. Her light was still on. She had fallen asleep. She turned to her clock. 2:13 am.
"Ranma…maybe he's come back!" Akane said, rushing out her door and opening up the door to Ranma's room. Only Genma lay there, sleeping soundly.
Akane quietly closed the door and went downstairs. She opened the front door. It was a foreboding night. The clouds attempted to cover up the moon, casting all sorts of strange shadows. The wind was blowing hard, making the trees rustle and move.
"Ranma…when are you going to come back? I…I just wanna say I'm sorry." She looked down to the ground, defeated. She started to close the door, a tear squeezing out of her eye. She paused, holding the door open. She looked outside again, the wind drying her tears. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to find Ranma. She ran out to the archway, her hair being blown by the strong cool wind. She turned back to the Dojo. No one would suspect a thing. She ran off into the darkness.
"Ranma! Ranma!" She called out to the wind, hoping it would carry her words. She passed by the Kat Café. She looked into the emptiness inside, through the window. She was still wearing her yellow kitten pajamas. She didn't' care. Suddenly, an image appeared in the window. It was a tall figure, wearing dark clothing. That looked like Ranma's birthday present.
"Ranma!" She exclaimed, turning around quickly.
Nothing.
Desperately she searched around the general area. No one was near. It was just some sort of stupid reflection.
Disappointed, Akane continued down the street.
For what seemed like hours, she wandered down the street, eventually coming across the park. Her foot sank into the sand, as she entered, the wind still blowing strongly. She panned across the park, hoping for something: Nothing, except the moonlight, reflecting off the metal in the park. She looked back into the city, seeing the bright lights. She spied a curious object on the ground. Akane approached it, examining it closely
It wasn't an object…it was a footprint. It looked like Ranma's size shoe. She looked up to where the footprints were going. They lead her to a suspicious figure, walking with its hands in its pockets. Akane recognized the figure.
"Ranma! Ranma wait up!" She yelled running up to the figure. The figure did not respond. She approached the figure, pulling on his shirt.
"Hey Ranma…"
The figure just kept on going. Akane got fed up. She jumped in front of the figure. It was Ranma, walking along with his head held low.
"Ranma! Stop…just for a second. I have something I need to say." Ranma just walked passed her, not even acknowledging her existence. Akane stood there, stricken as Ranma continued to walk along.
"Ranma! Stop it! I want to tell you something!" Akane demanded from behind.
Ranma whirled around, his eyes burning. "No Akane!" He shouted. "You already told me enough the other day!"
Akane was stunned. She watched Ranma simply turn around and leave.
"Ranma! I'm sorry about what happened the other day. The truth is…"
Ranma turned around, "The truth is what?" He demanded.
Akane turned her gaze to the ground. "The truth is…I…" Akane trailed off her words…it was so hard to say. Akane clenched her teeth; she forced her eyes up to Ranma's. Tears were stinging hers.
"The truth is I wanted you back there…as much as you did me!" She forced herself to yell. "It was my fault for yelling at you. I was just so scared of what might have happened. I'm…sorry" Akane was now fully in tears.
Ranma said nothing. She looked up to him, wiping her tears away. Ranma narrowed his eyes.
"Well too bad Akane!" He yelled. "You cut me deep back there. I can never forgive you for what you did. Why the hell did you yell at me like that?"
"I…I'm sorry Ranma. I was just so scared of what might have happened. But…I'm not scared anymore…." Akane said, throwing her self in Ranma's arms, crying in his chest.
Ranma pushed Akane back forcefully. He stared into the very soul of Akane Tendou.
"I am so tired of your stupid temper Akane! I'm tired of bein' hurt like this! I'm tired of you always getting' mad at me for no reason… I'm tired of always bein' slapped around…I'm tired of you! This relationship is over Akane! Good-bye! Send Ryoga my regards…" Ranma turned, his shoulder of ice cut deeply into Akane's heart.
"Ranma! Wait…Please don't leave me. I loved you…I…want you to be near me. I don't want you to leave!" Akane said, running after Ranma. She tripped on a rock, scraping her knee. She looked up, seeing Ranma vanish into the woods near the park.
"Ranma! Ranma!" She yelled.
Ranma did not return.
Something shook Akane violently. She sprang up out of her bed, her face was wet and she was soaked in a cold sweat. She was breathing heavily.
"Akane! Are you ok?" A voice called to her. She turned, seeing Ryoga, looking at her worriedly. She whipped her head to her alarm clock. It was 10:48…it was a dream…more like a nightmare. She looked up to Ryoga; her eyes were wide in shock and horror.
"Your light was on so I thought I would see how you were doing. I heard you saying Ranma's name over and over. I got worried and came inside. You were sweating and tossing and turning about. You had so much pain in your face. I had to wake you from that nightmare."
Akane took her eyes off Ryoga and just stared into the wall. "It was a dream…" she assured herself. Ryoga sat down next to her, seeing she was in not so good of a shape.
"Um…Akane…you want me to leave?" He asked.
Akane looked over to him, tears starting down her face. She was so happy it was only a dream, but was still shaken by it.
"Oh Ryoga!" She cried, throwing herself on Ryoga. Ryoga was stunned. He had seen this before, but never as a man. He looked down to Akane's form, sobbing in his chest. That must have been a horrible dream. He put his hands around her, sensing that she needed the comfort.
"Ryoga…it was horrible. I chased after Ranma at night…I told him how I wanted him and he just stood there, like he was mad at me. I told him I loved him and ran up to him. He pushed me back…I was so sad. I ran after him again and tripped on a rock. I watched him disappear into the forest. He said our relationship was over…All I wanted to do was apologize…yesterday was my fault…I was so scared!"
"Akane…don't worry. It was all a dream. Everything is alright now."
"No…everything isn't alright! Ranma and I were training and he slipped and I fell on top of him. We lie there a few moments. We almost…Then Kasumi came in and Ranma snapped out of it. I yelled at him. That's why he was so angry this morning when you showed up. I didn't know what to do…so I just yelled at him. I was so stupid…"
Ryoga just listened on, amazed. After all he had done to Akane, she still bore her heart to him, just as though he really was P-Chan just then.
"Akane…it will be alright. I'm sure Ranma is no longer mad at you."
"Ryoga…I just want Ranma back. It's only been a day…I just have to tell him how sorry I am. Is he back yet?"
Ryoga shook his head. "Don't worry Akane. As your friend, I will help you find Ranma!" Ryoga said, determined to help his love.
Ryoga gently pushed Akane back and rose to his feet. Akane looked up to him. He was serious. Akane jumped up.
"I'm going too Ryoga!'' She said, drying her tears. The two walked outside.
The wind blew strong that night, just like in her dream. Akane and Ryoga reached the archway of the Dojo. She looked back, her hair being blown by the wind. The clouds were trying to cover up the moon, casting all sorts of strange shadows. The tress rustled and moved.
"Where shall we start?" Ryoga asked, not knowing where he was.
Akane looked down the street.
"I think we should check out the park first." Akane said, racing off into the distance. Ryoga followed her hurriedly.
The pair ran past the abandoned Kat Café; Akane did not bother to look inside this time.
Shortly they arrived at the park. Akane started calling out to Ranma. Ryoga followed suit. They split up, going in opposite directions.
Ryoga wandered around. He had got lost again. He looked around, seeing a children's slide and play equipment.
"Oh man…I was supposed to check the park…not the playground." Ryoga sat in the sand, planning his next move. He caught sight of a curious shadow. It looked like someone was on the slide, thinking there motionlessly. Ryoga turned around. It was Ranma.
"Ranma! Ranma Saotome!" He called, approaching the slide.
Ranma looked down to Ryoga.
"Ryoga…what are you doin' here?" He asked. His mood seemed good enough.
"Akane is looking for you. Everyone got worried when you didn't show up for dinner. Akane needs to tell you something."
Ranma hopped off the slide, meeting Ryoga eye to eye. "Where is she?"
Ryoga looked around a bit. "Uh…I don't know. I got lost and ended up here."
Ranma shook his head. "Geeze…you will never change will you?"
"Enough of that Ranma, Akane needs to see you now." Ryoga said, starting off in a random direction.
"I think we should go this way." Ranma said. Ryoga followed him.
The two walked on for a few minutes, spying Akane wandering around.
"Hey! Akane!" Ranma called out to her.
"Ranma?" She asked, looking around. She turned, spying Ranma, smiling there next to Ryoga. "Ranma!" She exclaimed happily, running up to him and throwing herself hard into his arms. The force almost knocked Ranma down. Akane hugged Ranma tightly.
"H…hey Akane…what are you doin'?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Oh Ranma…I was so scared! I had a dream where I told you that I wanted you and you were so angry with me because of yesterday that you said our relationship was over. I was so sad…Then Ryoga woke me up and I started crying and…then you hadn't come back to the Dojo and I got all worried so I decided to look for you…I have to apologize for yelling at you yesterday."
"Hey…slow down a sec Akane…What are you talkin' about?"
Akane looked up to Ranma, he tears in her eyes highlighted by the moon. "W…weren't you angry yesterday…about how I acted?"
"Well yea…I was furious, especially this morning. I even thought about leaving for a few days, but I just couldn't leave you here all alone."
"So you were mad at me then…"
"Well yea…I mean…you could be so violent sometimes. I was kinda hurt too…"
Akane remained silent.
"I thought you were feelin' the same thing I was…maybe I did try to rush it…"
"No Ranma…you were right…I…well maybe just a little bit…I kinda wanted to…"
"…so why did you yell at me so?"
"I guess I was just scared…scared at what would have happened if…"
"Yea…I was nervous too…"
The two just looked at each other.
"So…you forgive me?" Akane asked.
"Of course I do. You can't get rid of me that easily. I came back to my senses when I passed the Kat Cafe. Someone has to train you…besides…you were kinda cute in that Gi. I could never have left that person, no matter how un-cute they were being." Ranma said, smiling.
Akane sniffed a bit, returning his warm smile.
"Thank you Ranma!" She said. "I love you so much!" She exclaimed, grabbing Ranma for another big hug. Ranma returned the hug.
"Hey…come one Akane…people are watching."
Akane moved back, seeing Ryoga looking on, a bit embarrassed.
"I…I'm sorry. I'll leave." He said, walking off.
"Hey…wait a sec Ryoga. If you leave, you'll prolly never make it back."
Ryoga chuckled a bit, embarrassed again. "Yea…I guess you're right."
The three started back to the dojo. Most everything had been resolved.
They arrived at the dojo after a few minutes. Ranma was a bit hungry and warmed up some dinner for everyone. Akane and Ryoga were also hungry, having lost their appetites earlier that day. Everyone ate the food, sitting there reflecting on what had just happened.
Ranma started to yawn a bit. "Well...I'm gonna go to bed. See you two tomorrow."
"Wait Ranma…" Akane said, rising from her sitting position.
Ryoga thought to himself. Now was a good time to leave.
"I will just camp outside tonight. No one ever said where I would sleep. Don't worry, I'm more than used to it."
"Whatever Ryoga" Ranma said simply. Ranma and Akane watched as Ryoga walked out the door and started into the yard.
"I'll bet he gets lost after about three minutes." Ranma said. He turned back to Akane. She was still a bit sad.
"Hey Akane…what's wrong?"
"Nothing Ranma…I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry one last time. You know how I get sometimes…"
"I know…yea I got a bit angry, but well…I forgave you. Just like you did me whenever I did stupid stuff like that. I noticed that side of you when you wanted to help Mousse. You still loved me…even after all that stupid stuff I did to ya'. I figured if you could forgive my hundreds of stupid mistakes, I could forgive you for just this one." Ranma said, ending with a smile.
"Thanks Ranma…" Akane said. She started upstairs. She couldn't help but smile. "But why did you stay out so late? Everyone was worried about you."
"Well…I had a lot of thinkin' to do. I started thinkin' of all kinds of stuff. You mainly…but then I started thinkin' about the Dojo and all that would happen once we inherited it. Before I knew it, Ryoga had surprised me. I guess I lost track of time. That park is real nice when no one is in there."
"So that's the only reason you stayed out so late? To think to yourself?"
"That and the fact the you and Ryoga were prolly real mad at me. I was gonna let you two cool off a bit. I was about to start back home when you two showed up."
"Well…I'm just glad you're back."
"Don't worry about it Akane. Nothin' could take me from you."
Akane smiled and started off to bed.
"Oh…Akane wait up a sec." Ranma called to her, running to catch up with her.
Akane turned with a questioning look.
"I uh…forgot to say somethin' a little while ago."
"What?"
"I love you too." Ranma said, smiling. He went over and hugged Akane. She returned his hug. They looked at each other in the darkness. Ranma brought Akane closer to him, kissing her gently on the lips.
A few moments passed, the couple separated. Akane started back to her room.
"Goodnight Ranma."
"'g'night Akane." Ranma returned. He watched as Akane opened her door and stepped inside. She looked out to Ranma one last time, smiling before she closed her door. Ranma smiled to himself
"Such a tomboyish, un-cute, violent, macho chick…who woulda guessed…" Ranma thought to himself. He lie down in his makeshift bed and quickly fell asleep.
*****Bwa ha ha! By far one of my most evil chapters. Hope that dream didn't scare ya! Hehe. Trust me, I think that's the last of that kind of stuff… I think. Not too sure. I know there's 21 chapters, but for the life of me, I don't know what's ahead. We still have a lot of chapters to go. The final arc takes three of those…so maybe there's not as much left as I thought. Well, whatever. Hope you liked it. This was a fun chapter to write.
And I think I'm gonna give up that rewrite. Ugh…so many things I don't like that drive me nuts now that I know how to write decently. Well, I'll put it off until I can at least devote a full week or so to my writing. May be a few years, so don't expect it soon. I still have to get my original manuscript ready, the sequel ready, finish my newest Fanfic (if it ever ends, that is) and go back and edit my other fanfics. I could have that all done, but I'm playing Diablo 2 more than I should. I just work on my original story and switch on Diablo to play with my friends in real life.
So, enjoy! Until next we meet!*****