Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma, Akane, or any other "Ranma 1/2" characters that appear in this story. However, the story is my own, well as much as my own as the people in my head tell me it is.
Chapter Three
It has been a week since Akane had overheard her father and sister talking in the sitting area. She had tried to speak with both of them about what they had been talking about, but had no luck. Her father just continually babbled, trying to change to subject. And her sister Nabiki just responded with snide comments about her being nosey. Akane finally decided to speak with her eldest sister Kasumi about the matter.
As Akane walked up the stairs to her sister's bedroom, she went over what she would say. As Akane made up her mind on how to approach the subject, she raised her hand to knock on the door. But instead of an answer there was only silence. Akane opened up the door and looked inside, but no one was there. Akane heard voices from outside and walked over to window to look out. She saw both her sisters walking down the path that leads to the market and Akane decided that she would try again tomorrow. She just about left when she caught sight of a strange box in the corner of the room with an old blanket thrown half-hazardly over top. Perhaps it was the way that the blanket was not folded neatly on top the way it should of been in Kasumi's overly neat bedroom, or the fact that in all her years in the house she has never once seen the box before. But either way it seemed out of place and it almost drew Akane to it. She pulled off the blanket and laid it aside, looking intently at the box before her. It had no writing on it, only a lace trim that decorated an otherwise plain box. It almost looked unfinished, in a way. But as unfinished as it may be, the box looked as if it was clearly older than herself, perhaps even Kasumi. Akane kneeled down and gently lifted the lid off of the box. And inside this forgotten box was not things that a person would even want to be kept hidden, but pictures. Lots of pictures. Pictures of Akane and her father when she was very young. It didn't occur to Akane then that not a single picture had her two elder sisters in them. But that didn't matter because as Akane looked through them, she saw a picture of her mother. There was only one picture she had ever seen of her mother and that was in her father's room years ago, but she was sure that this women in the picture was her. The women looked pregnant, but a smile still draped her face as she held her stomach. Akane turned the picture over to read the writing on the back and nearly dropped the picture on the ground. "Akane Tendo, 6 months pregnant. Maybe a boy?" the writing said. Akane never knew the first name of her mother. In fact she hardly knew her mother at all. Her father refused to speak of her and whenever Akane tried asking her sisters, they quickly changed the subject or told her she wasn't old enough to know. All Akane knew was that her mother died giving birth to her because that was all anyone would say. Akane grabbed the picture and frantically leafed through them. It was then that she realized that not one were of Kasumi or Nabiki. Unable to focus, she grabbed a few of the pictures including the one of her pregnant mother and went in search of her father.
Akane found her father in his usual spot at the table looking over some papers.
"Father.."
"Why Akane, what's wrong?"
"What is this?" Akane asked, tears threatening behind her eyes as she handed the photos to Soun.
"Wha- Where did you find these?"
"In Kasumi's room, in a box. Is this my mother?"
"What were you doing in your sister's room? Where is Kasumi?" Soun almost sounded angry, his expression a mixture of fear and anger.
"She went out with Nabiki. I saw them leave when I went to go talk to Kasumi about what you and Nabiki were talking about last week." Akane felt the anger coming from her father. Like she did something wrong by seeking out her sister. But it was strange, in all her life, he was never really angry with her, not like this.
"We told you it was nothing, a misunderstanding! Why must you pry where you clearly don't belong?" Soun half shouted. Suddenly he caught himself and almost instantly the anger and fear disappeared from his face, like it was never there. "I'm sorry, Akane. I'm- I'm not myself today. I think Ranma was here earlier looking for you why don't you go look for him?" And without letting her answer Soun stood up and left the room, leaving Akane puzzled by what had just happened. Never had her father yelled at her like that. Something was going on.
"Hey Tomboy, what are you doing? Do you like sitting by yourself, staring off into space or is this what all tomboy's do when they are alone?" A voice from behind her said, nearly making Akane jump in surprise.
"Ranma you jerk! Don't sneak up on me like that!!" Akane yelled as she somehow brought out her hammer and hit the pig-tailed boy square on the head. "That's it! I've had enough!"