Rating: Pg-13
A/N: I would have written this yesterday but I wrote "The Six Friends: Ranma Style" It was a fun, not so serious fic, so now I can get back to this. If you want to email me you can. Thanks for reading!
"There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not."
La Rochefoucauld
Whatever she thought he was going to say, it wasn't that. Suru was just not right for her. He loved her and all but he had no . . . adventure to him. No exciting, enticing sides. Unfortunately, the only person that she was thinking of right now that fit that description was Ranma. She mustered up enough courage to look at his reaction. He looked grief-stricken for a second, but uponnoticing she was looking, started to laugh.
This worried Akane, what if Suru asking to marry her had driven him off the edge?
"Akane? Why? I mean just look at 'er! She's as strong as a gorilla, built like a brick, cooks new life forms, flat as a board, and likes to throw things when she's mad!" Ranma started bawling, he was laughing so hard.
How dare he! If she was so unattractive then why did a handsome, honest, great guy want to marry her? And she was going to refuse just to be with . . . arg!
"Yes!"
"You will?" Suru's face lit up at the sound of this and hugged her right away, pretending not to notice what Ranma had just said.
Ranma stared at her with cool eyes. She had sure taught him! Now, how was she going to get out of this?
"But I can't."
Ranma's face shined and he walked next to Akane, about to put his arm around her. She wasn't going to have that!
"But why? I thought . . . you were over him." Suru pointed to Ranma and searched her face for answers.
It was amusing how their faces contrasted each other. Ranma was standing next to her now, after he had just made fun of her! Was that jealousy she saw in him? Could he be in love with her? No. After all the pain of leaving without saying goodbye, he couldn't just suppose that she would welcome him back with open arms. Akane tried to clue in that there was no way he could love her and that she didn't care.
Then why wouldn't this feeling go away? Suru brought up a good point.
He was quite normal and she loved him for that, but she didn't want to marry him. Well, not now at least. She wanted to go to college, get a good job, and have fun before settling down for good. He wanted to have a good, normal life. No more crazy princes, deranged fiancés, or suitors. With him she would always be 'Akane the bank teller' not the martial artist with a strong fist and a trusty mallet. She liked Ranma being close to her again too. She missed the warmth of his arms; the little she got to be in them was worth it.
She just couldn't choose. Simple as that.
"No! Him? See, Ranma's father should come and he's missing so we could never get married, and I wouldn't want it to be around a holiday because then it would take the magic away from them. So?"
Ranma smiled knowing she was stalling. He still had time to get to her.
"Easy then, we'll wait until January! What date is it today? December thirteenth, right? Well, I guess we should go and find your dad then, Ranmo?" Suru smiled and with a nod to Akane, walked to the door, turning as she laughed.
"That's Ranma."
"Right! Sorry then!" Suru looked at him with a strange look in his eyes, telling Ranma far more than what he let on. Ranma shook off the feeling because . . . it was Suru. The guy was a normal, boring volunteer.
" . . . definantly not Akane's type." Ranma muttered.
Suru shot a glance at him and then smiled as Akane turned to them.
"Ready to go?" She really wanted to get out of here.
Having them in the same room was just bad. Although, they seemed to get along with each other fine. It was . . . Suru.
"How 'bout we do somethin' fun! Like swimmin'?" Ranma did not want to go see Genma again; and if anything was going to be a distraction from that, it would be swimming.
"Uhh. . . see, Suru is kinda afraid of that. He never learned as a child . . . but we can go bowling!" Akane seemed a bit distracted as she said this.
Ranma had the strangest face on. Like he was thinking about old memories or something. What could that mean?
"I'm hungry! Let's go out and eat!" Suru was actually talking rather fast. This was the first time Akane had ever seen him somewhat nervous.
"I agree. How about a block away from dad's house? Know any good places?" I asked.
Suru was about to speak when Ranma chirped up.
"I know just the place! Ucchan's!"
"She moved away after you left, Ranma. Okonomiyaki just wasn't fun anymore I guess." Suru said with a tinge of spite.
Akane and Ranma looked at Suru with awe. She didn't know how he knew that.
"Uh, Suru, I never told you Ranma's fiancé's restaurant was called Ucchan's." Akane was scared. How did he know that?
Ranma smiled and took a second glance at Suru. Akane watched this and questioned them both.
"Uh, I'm sure you told me that at least once!"
Akane thought to herself; they had been together for two years, and it must have come up at least once. "Right."
"Let's go. Who's driving?" Ranma smirked.
Akane looked to Suru and he smiled.
"I'll drive. Now, just to find it." He mumbled to himself.
"What?" Ranma looked sharply at Suru, before a smug smirk worked itself onto his face.
"I've seemed to misplaced my car." Suru said this pleasantly and calmly.
Akane double took this. Suru never forgot where things were. Well, the odd time he'd knocked on the wrong door, but that was when theyhad beenjust starting out.
"HOW CAN YOU LOSE A CAR? HOW?" Ranma yelled out, and stopped himself right away, "Sorry, just seemed like the right thing to say."
"It's fine. Wait a second; I'll just retrace my steps. I'll be a moment." Suru walked off and left Akane and Ranma to stand in the light of only the street lamps.
"Nice guy ya got there. Real cutie!" Ranma declared.
Helooked as if he knew something she didn't. Never a good thing.
Ten Minutes later.
"Oh, hi."
"Forget about us?" Ranma mocked.
Akane was angry. She had spotted the car three minutes ago, but didn't say a word. She walked towards it now and took Suru's hand; he was being odd tonight, dumb. She was wondering why he was acting so off. They all got into the car and Suru started to drive. Ranma had noticed something on the dashboard and grabbed it before anyone could notice. It was a bag;a multi-colored bag, that didn't seem to go with Suru's attitude. Akane had always wondered about it. Suru noticed this and freaked out.
"Put that back! Hurry!" Suru yelled.
This was getting scary. First he gets dumb, now he gets loud. He was turning into a regular Ranma.
"Watch out Suru, Ranma's rubbing off on you." Akane laughed.
Suru laughed too. A little too much to insinuate that they had just met. Ranma put the bag back.
They had all ordered and had finished their meal. Suru had eaten a lot! It had gone quite well though and Suru had gotten back to being himself. Akane sighed in relief. She thought she had lost him for a second. She realized that she would really miss him if he left, now relying on him to be the getaway from her crazy life. Ranma looked up from his burger and fries to point to the garment Suru had on his right wrist.
Suru thought for a second and then stated nervously. "I got it from a student who made them in the work I had got them as a fashion designer."
"The colors really suit 'cha!" Ranma looked at the fabric and chugged back his drink.
"Yes well, yellow and black were the young student's favorites." Suru smiled, signed the bill, and got up to pull Akane's chair out for her.
Ranma beat him to it and Akane smiled sweetly. He had actually done something nice to her, for her! She liked the new attitude Ranma was trying out, considering walking out with him, when Suru took her by the waist and briskly escorted her out.
Akane got back into the car and saw Ranma and Suru exchange a few words.
"I'll drive then, you can sit in the back . . . alone." Suru sneered.
Ranma smiled cheerfully and as he walked he said.
"You know this means war, Charlotte!"
A/N: Ooh! Who could it be? So which name should he go by when I write his lines? You guys decide. Hope you know who it is! Who? Tell me what you think? Short chapter this time. I'll forget if you don't remind me! Next chapter hopefully up soon!