Chapter Five: Welcome Home Ranma
"Akane, I… I…" Ranma stuttered, the wind picking up, blowing Akane's hair into her eyes.
Akane didn't care though; she just wanted to see Ranma. The uncertainty she heard under his voice was worrying her. She needed to know… know if he did care like before he left, or if it was true that feelings can change over time. Once the wind settled, Akane's eyes widened in shock and pain as she saw Ranma was gone.
'Maybe he didn't care after all.' Akane thought sadly. But that was all forgotten as she felt a pair of arms envelop around her body tightly and she drew in the scent of the outdoors mixed a little with ramen and spice… Ranma's scent.
"Akane, how could you ever think that I would do that to you. The day I abandon you or my… no our child is the day that I die," he whispered into her hair, holding her close; afraid that this was all just a dream and when he opened his eyes Akane would be gone.
"Really Ranma…?" Akane asked with some uncertainty. She too thought that this wasn't reality and she was imagining things going her way.
"Akane," Ranma said softly, pulling back so he could stare into her eyes. Rich brown met stormy blue. He cupped her face between his hands and moved it so close that their lips were centimeters apart. "Akane… I love you," he said in a firm, determined tone.
Akane's eyes welled up with tears, and the sincerity she heard in his voice was enough to know that it was true.
'I finally have him… this isn't a dream.' She thought smiling brightly. She had to hide her laughter as she watched Ranma begin to panic.
"Akane, don't cry… I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" Ranma said in a panicky tone, concern covering his face.
"Idiot," Akane muttered softly, Ranma didn't mind the insult hearing the care behind it. "I'm crying because I'm happy."
"I do love you Akane," Ranma murmured, smiling brightly, and bringing their faces closer together.
Akane just nodded her head affectionately and moved with the flow. Ranma's movements wavered for a moment, a look of hurt flashing through his eyes. But as quickly as it was there it was gone. He continued with his movements, closing his eyes as they got closer. Ranma could feel her breath on his lips as they got closer, and he was ready to close the gap.
"Hm-hm," Mousse cleared his throat. He watched with an amused look as the two pulled apart as if fire had touched them. "If you're done being all lovey-dovey, I think we should head back to the dojo," he commented, trying to keep the grin down.
"One of theses days Mousse," Akane heard Ranma mutter under his breath. But he hid that mistake quickly and just gave him patented glare. "How about you go ahead of us," Ranma suggested, a mischievous gleam lighting in his eyes.
"I think not Saotome… no matter what the reason," Mousse began, his face distorting with some disgust. "I would rather not feel the wrath of Ukyou… I thought you of all people would understand that."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ranma muttered, shivering a little at the thought. 'Then again, you would deserve it for ruining my moment with Akane.' Ranma thought bitterly.
"Then get moving Saotome," Mousse commanded, bowing in a mocking way.
"After you my good man," Ranma said through clenched teeth.
"I want to watch the rear for attacks," Mousse stated simply. "… And make sure that you actually go," he added as an afterthought.
Ranma was about to make a retort on that but Akane intervened. She placed a small delicate hand on Ranma's forearm and when he gave her a questioning look, she just shook her head and gave him a bright smile.
'No matter how much I want to see Ranma give Mousse a swift kick in the a…' But Akane's train of thought was cut off as she felt herself being lifted into the air.
"Ranma!" Akane shrieked as her arms automatically flew around Ranma's neck. "Really, you should warn a girl before you do something like that," she scowled. She was only met with Ranma's infamous smirk, before she felt the familiar feeling of rushing air under her as Ranma started hopping from one roof to another across Nerima.
"Come on Akane, we have to go before his lordship wets his pants," Ranma said in a playful tone.
"I heard that Saotome," Mousse growled from behind them.
"Good, then you know that at the moment, I really hate you!" Ranma called back.
"I could care less how you feel about me Saotome! All I care about is not getting an angry Ukyou to deal with!"
"What's this, the great Amazon warrior afraid of a girl with a giant spatula?" Ranma mocked, as he took one last leap, and landed in the familiar surrounding of the Tendo's backyard.
"Shut the hel…" Mousse began as he landed behind them. But he was cut off by the familiar voice of everyone's favorite Okonomiyaki chef.
"Finally!" Ukyou yelled, rushing over to them. "Ranma, your father wants you in the dojo. Akane, Kasumi needs you to help with something… I'll join you later. Oh, and Mousse, we need you to…" Ukyou's voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of Mousse's face, and definite evidence of a black forming. "What the hell happened to you?!" She screeched pushing Ranma out of her way, rushing to Mousse's now stuttering form.
"Well you see…" He began, backing up and holding his hands in a warding way.
"Forget that! I waste good money to get you contacts and you're still blind enough to go and get a black eye!?" She screamed, fists clenching tightly. Ranma could've sworn that if she squeezed any tighter, and she would've punctured skin.
"Now wait just a minute!" mousse bristled, standing straighter and obviously taking offense.
"No you wait just a minute! What the hell are you? A pansy! What happened to this Amazon pride and warriorship that Cologne is always on about?! All you had to do was escort them home! But no, the great Mousse couldn't even do that without getting a stupid black eye! I bet a baby could've done a better job than you!" Mousse winced at that, pride in pieces now from the beating Ukyou was giving it.
Akane was about to interrupt, but a hand on her shoulder stopped he r.
"Let's go into the house," Ranma's voice whispered into her ear.
Akane just nodded her head and walked off to help Kasumi as Ranma went off to see his father.
"Yo pop! I'm back!" Ranma called out as he entered the empty dojo. "I thought Ukyou said he wanted to talk to me," Ranma muttered with a confused look before he sidestepped to the right.
He watched with satisfaction that a white clad blur tumbled to the floor. He shook with silent laughter as he watched his dad painfully try to stand up.
"Long time no see pop!" Ranma greeted, moving closer, holding a hand up in greeting.
"Looks like you've improved boy," Genma muttered, looking up at his son proudly, a small smile tracing his lips.
"Or maybe your skills have just digressed," Ranma commented, giving an offhanded shrug. Genma started at the comment, before he calmed himself and plopped down, sitting cross-legged on the floor, giving Ranma a considering look.
"What do you want pop?" Ranma questioned, wanting to not beat around the bush, a little nerved by the look his dad was giving.
"Akane is pregnant," he stated bluntly.
"I… I know," Ranma stuttered, some of his courage faltering a little. The way his dad said it, it sounded more like someone was dying rather than a life starting.
"So are you going to do the honorable thing and marry her?" Genma jumped right in. Him, being like his son hated to beat around the bush.
"I'm not going to just marry her out of honor's sake," Ranma growled, giving his dad a hard glare. 'I should've expected this.' Ranma scolded himself.
"But you do love the girl."
"How would you know?" Ranma shot back.
"Because, you wouldn't have done what you did if you didn't… unless you were a pimp or something."
Ranma near fell to the floor in shock from being called a pimp by his dad.
"No, I'm not a pimp!" Ranma exclaimed with an embarrassed face, praying to every god out there that Akane didn't hear him.
"Then you will marry the girl."
"Her name is Akane, not 'the girl' as you've so intelligently said!" Ranma shouted defensively.
"Doesn't matter," Genma stated, waving his hand in a 'who-cares' manner.
'Does too!' Ranma thought angrily. But he didn't express thoroughly to his dad. "Look, it's none of your business what Akane and I do. So just butt out pop," Ranma grounded through clenched teeth.
"Boy, do you actually believe that Tendo will let us stay here knowing that you got one of his daughters pregnant and won't do the honorable thing?" Genma questioned in a stern tone. Ranma didn't answer, for he wasn't sure what the answer was. "Well I'll tell you Ranma, he won't. He won't put up with this and we'll be out on the streets again. You won't be able to watch the child being raised, see the kid's happy or sad times. Get the joy of watching your child triumph, or comfort them when they have a nightmare. Do you want to go through life with that regret…? I've always regretted taking you from your mother… having her miss out on what a fine young man her son turned into… and how you must've felt without her around. Do you really want to put hour own kid through the same thing? To know they are so close, yet so far?"
Ranma was baffled by what Genma was saying. It all made sense, yet at the same time it didn't.
'Since when did my old man think like this. He actually sounds smart. It's scary.' Ranma shuddered a little. 'But what he's saying makes sense. Can I really do that? Will I even be able to live with that?' Ranma was broken out of his thought from Kasumi's soft voice calling everyone to dinner. His head shot up as Genma placed a knowing hand on Ranma's shoulder.
"Think about what I said my boy," Genma stated in a stern voice, before he left Ranma to his own thoughts.
"Ranma! Isn't the food delicious? I really think Kasumi outdid herself this time!" Akane's sweet voice called out to him during the middle of the party celebrations.
"Yeah, it's really great," Ranma said half-heartedly. He was still hung up on the things his dad said.
"Thank you Ranma… but that pork you're eating was made by the help of Akane," Kasumi commented, smiling brightly.
"What?!" Ranma near choked on the meat he was eating.
"Yes, Akane helped flavor it. She's becoming quite the cook, having a few rough spots here and there," Kasumi explained in a motherly tone, pride sneaking under it.
"Really?" Ranma asked in disbelief as he turned to face Akane.
"It really isn't a big deal," Akane said, turning shy all of a sudden. "Kasumi had already fixed the sauce, I just poured."
"Don't be silly Akane, you know that you helped make the sauce. Quit being so shy," Kasumi scold.
"But… really… Kasumi," Akane stammered, speechless.
"This is great Akane! I always knew you had it in you!" Ranma exclaimed, but was thinking along the lines of, 'Well, a little white lie won't hurt her.'
"Really?!" A bright smile adorned Akane's face as she took in the compliment.
"See Akane, I told you he would like it. Now about your eating habits…" Kasumi started, and began to tell Akane that the food she ate now could very well affect the type of food the baby would like.
Ranma didn't want to listen to this, so when he saw Ukyou sneak off outside, he took his chance and left too. He came to find Ukyou just sitting peacefully, staring up at the stars.
"Hey," Ranma murmured as he took a seat next to her.
"Hey yourself," she greeted back, glancing at him briefly. "Why aren't you partying?"
"I could ask the same of you," Ranma countered.
"It was getting too loud for my taste," she said softly. "But you… this party is for you. Akane's waited a long time for you to come you know. Wanted to talk," Ukyou explained, putting an emphasis on talk.
"Are you talking about the whole baby thing?" Ranma asked, now realizing that this was probably hurting Ukyou.
"N-no… well… yes," Ukyou stuttered. "So I guess you know."
"Pretty hard not too. It's not everyday a guy comes back from a trip and finds his fiancée at least five pounds heavier," Ranma joked, to lighten the mood.
"Don't let Akane hear that," Ukyou laughed. "These emotional periods have been killer. I swear, she can be as sweet as Kasumi one minute, then all gon-ho to kill someone the next."
"I figured that out the first time I commented on her weight," Ranma muttered in a regretful tone, looking nervously around.
"You didn't?!" Ukyou exclaimed, shock evident in her voice.
"How was I supposed to know she was pregnant!?" Ranma shouted in his defense.
"True, but you should never comment on a girl's weight," Ukyou said thoughtfully. "Besides, the news was hard on everyone."
"Yeah… I'm kind of surprised by the way you're handling it," Ranma commented after quite some time.
"Well, what did you want me to do… attack Akane until the baby was dead… no that wouldn't do. All I would succeed to do is get you to hate me and push you closer to Akane. I could just wait until the baby is born and kidnap it… but then you would still hate me as a result. Maybe I could wait until the baby is born and kill it… but the results would be the same as if I kidnap it but I would have the title murderer hung over me. Besides Ranma, I pretty much knew that I lost when I heard you slept with Akane… in a way I guess I always knew. But I refused to believe it. Now the only thing I have left for me is your friendship…" Ukyou murmured in a solemn tone.
"Ukyou…" Ranma said tentatively as he grabbed her hand. "You never lost having me as a friend. In fact, I always thought we were great friends… and I don't want to lose it over something as trivial as this… 'Sides, I know I'm gonna need you when Akane starts having more mood swings."
"Ranma…" Ukyou breathed softly, looking up so that her bright blue eyes would meet his stormy ones. "Thank you… can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything… that doesn't involve me leaving Akane."
"Hold me please…" She said in a pleading tone. The tears that she had tried so hard to keep in were starting to flow freely down her cheek. "Hold me tight."
Ranma just gave her a small nod before her body came forward and melted with his. Nervously, he wrapped his arms around her small form, holding onto her as if he let her go she would disappear. In a way, he knew that part of that was true. She wouldn't pop out of no where yelling Ranma honey anymore. Nor would she blush madly at something he said and bash him with her spatula out of embarrassment. The days of her loving looks and gestures were gone, and now things would be back to friendship… hopefully.
Ukyou's sobbing form stilled after a few moments, and suddenly out of nowhere Ranma felt a hit to the back of the head. Ranma looked up to see Ukyou standing over him, holding her infamous cooking spatula in hand.
"That's what you get jackass for sleeping with another girl before breaking things off with me!" She reprimanded with a small scowl. She gave him one last hit before heading back into the house.
"That's my Ukyou…" Ranma said softly with a smile, rubbing the back of his head.
The party was going great with Mousse at the moment doing some tricks.
"Come on boy! Be hearty, drink some sake!" Genma exclaimed, pushing a cup in front of Ranma.
"Pop I don't need sake to be hearty!" Ranma shouted, pushing the cup away.
"Nonsense boy! Everyone knows sake is what makes the world go 'round!" Genma pushed it back. Ranma was about to protest again, but Akane stopped him.
"Just take a sip and make him happy," she whispered into his ear.
"Yeah Ranma, just a small sip," Ukyou hissed. "We don't need him raging and ruining the party."
"Fine," Ranma snapped in a curt tone. He snatched up the cup and took a small swig. Now he wasn't an expert on sake, but there was something funny about the taste. But he pushed it aside and decided to enjoy himself. He was about to bite into some of the cake Kasumi placed in front of him, but Ukyou's cry stopped him.
"Mousse! Watch what you're doing!" Ukyou shouted out. Ranma looked up to see Ukyou holding a dagger, centimeters from embedding itself into Akane's face.
"I'm sorry Akane!" Mousse exclaimed with utter disbelief and shock. "It slipped ou…" Was all he managed before he went flying out of the room and into the backyard.
"OOPS, it slipped," Ranma sneered before he jumped after him.
"That was un-called for Saotome!" Mousse shouted as he got up.
"Don't care,' Ranma half said, half slurred. He shook his head as things began to blur a little.
"Are you okay?" Mousse stood straighter and some of his anger faded away.
"I'm fine… I'm fin…" Ranma managed out before he fell forward.
"Ranma!" Was the last thing he heard before he went from the conscience world.
"Ranma!" Akane called out the first time she noticed him falling. "RANMA!" She shouted out, and watched in horror as he hit his head against a rock near the pond. She rushed over to him and lifted his head up immediately to check for injuries. She let out a sigh of relief to find that he just had a rather large bump form where his head connected with the rock. "What happened?" She looked up to Mousse.
"I don't know… one minute he's standing, the next he's falling," Mousse murmured, he himself baffled by the strange events.
"Hey… Saotome." Akane heard her dad whisper.
"Aye Tendo." Genma whispered back.
"Isn't that the sake we had for the master?"
"You mean the one laced with sleeping powder?"
"Yeah, that one!"
"You know… I believe it is," Genma muttered before he and Soun soon joined Ranma in slumber, a furious Akane standing above them, and a struggling Ukyou holding onto her.
"Let me at them! Those jerks! I can't believe them!" Akane rambled, waving her arms around, trying to get out of the vice grip Ukyou had on her.
"Akane… you need to clam down… high blood pressure isn't good for the baby," Ukyou said in a soothing tone, only loosening her grip some what when she felt Akane calm down.
"Yeah you're right… besides, I'm sure Ranma will do worse to them when he finds out why he all of a sudden passed out," Akane said with a small laugh.
"That's it Akane, just look on the bright side," Ukyou said softly. "Now let's get that lug-head of a fiancé upstairs!" Akane burst out with laughter as she nodded her head in agreement.
The sun shone brightly as it rose in the dawn. It's bright light shining in through windows and lighting the dark. Particularly in the Tendo Dojo was the sun a specific waking source.
"Man… did someone get the license of that bus that ran me down," Ranma muttered as he tried to raise his arm to rub his aching head. He did a double take when he realized he couldn't move his arm. 'What the…' He thought as he looked down. "A-Akane…" Ranma stuttered out upon seeing the youngest Tendo daughter laid curled up next to him.
"Ranma…" The said girl murmured as she began to stir in her sleep. Thus, causing the pigtail boy to panic. Akane sat up and began to rub the sleep form her eyes. "How are you Ranma?" She asked as soon as her vision cleared.
"Wha… Ah… um… Ah," he stuttered intelligently.
Akane blinked curiously at him, waiting for a response. When Ranma opened his mouth once more to reply, he didn't get a chance, as Akane shot out of the bed. Before Ranma could comprehend what was going on, she ran out of the room at a sprint. Ranma listened to the slam of a door somewhere downstairs.
"Damn morning sickness…" Akane muttered as her head hung limply near the toilet bowl. "Not again," she moaned as she felt the familiar churning in her stomach. "Agh!' She moved her head back over the bowl as the contents from whatever meal, she wasn't quite sure what, left her. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt something rubbing her back.
"Akane," she faintly heard Ranma. She looked up to see a concern-faced Ranma staring intently at her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes… I'll be fine," she murmured. "I'm just tired."
Before she could react, Ranma slipped one hand under her knees and the other at the small of her back. He effortlessly picked her up and began to move out of the bathroom and started to climb up the stairs to place her in her room.
"Man Akane… gained a little weight, huh?" Ranma joked as he placed her on the bed.
"You… you jerk!" Akane screamed as she slapped him. "I thought we already went over this!"
"There's nothing to go over tomboy! It's simple if you think about it really…" Ranma retorted.
"It is…" Akane got confused, tears welling in her eyes.
"Yeah, you've just been eating more than you've worked off," Ranma replied in what he figured was a tone that made him sound smart.
"No! That's not it!" Akane shouted, the tears flowing down. 'Damn these hormones!'
"Then what is it?" Ranma was doing a great impression of a truly baffled person.
"You jerk, how many times are you going to make fun of my weight," Akane sobbed.
"Akane… I'm sorry… it's just…" Ranma was starting to panic and h er tears weren't helping.
"A pregnant girl can't even go one day without her weight being mentioned!" Ranma froze upon hearing her words.
"Pre-pregnant? What… how?" He stuttered.
"What do you mean how?" Akane asked, disbelief evident with a hint of anger. "It's called sex Ranma!"
"I know that!" Ranma shouted, disgust coming to his face. Akane felt a pang in her heart when she saw it. "I meant whose is it?"
"Wha-what do you mean whose?" Akane asked. The hurt she showed wasn't nearly as much as she felt. "Ranma, is this some kind of sick joke?!"
"No," Ranma asked with horror, but Akane ignored him.
"You know damn well that the baby is yours!" Akane had dubbed this worst moment of her life and was about to tell off her 'fiancé,' but his next words froze her entire being and took the cake.
"It can't be mine… we never slept together."
A/N: There's your chapter, I hope everyone is happy! I know I said that this was on hold, but getting reviews on it even after that, just made me want to write. That and I just got over that huge writer's block I had! Now, you can do the following, first, you will not throw anything at author because of the cliff, (if you can call it that.) Second, you can tell me if you like it better in third person, or first person. Third and most importantly, REVIEW!!! Bye until next time!