Author's Note: Not very long to go now! I'm almost done with this! Yippee!!! Y'all have been awesome! I hope in the next chapter y'all will still review! Thanks for the support and encouragement! God Bless!!! Again, so many apologies for the long break between updates! I have like 1,000,000 more ideas for anime couples running through my head it isn't funny! I have to finish Blush before they send a party to deep fry me and then I have something called 'Hello' for another R/A fic! ;)
It had been three days since the unofficial announcement that the acting couple were not acting, but were indeed legally married to each other. Nabiki had been very proud that she alone conquered two of the most stubborn people in all Japan to signing their futures away without much fuss. Kasumi had been only marginally happy about it, still feeling that tricking the couple didn't set a happy tone to the rest of the marriage.
The parents were another matter entirely. They rejoiced for the three days. Singing, drinking and dancing around in merriment that the Anything Goes Martial Arts future was secure thanks to their children.
The old fiancées had to swallow the bitter pill, and were not exactly on talking terms to either partner in the marriage. Ukyo had only stopped by the house to pick up her things. Ranma, in an attempt to salvage his longest friendship, only got glared at and a door slammed in his face.
Shampoo had been a little more accepting of the matter, but only by a little. It was better that she should loose to a sister Amazon then a complete outsider. Akane had questioned if they would go back to China now that Ranma was no longer up for grabs. Cologne had laughed at that comment. Of course they wouldn't leave an Amazon girl all alone in Japan without the proper training! Akane had suddenly felt ill and excused herself from their café.
If avoiding each other was an Olympic sport, the couple would have a gold medal. Each night Akane would go to bed unbelievably early and Ranma would go to bed incredibly late. Every morning Akane would scamper out and Ranma would wake up an hour later. Kasumi found it rather vexing that they barely looked at each other much less talked.
Running to school had even changed. Once again, Ranma was jogging on the fence as his wife sprinted down the sidewalk next to him. Lunch was spent amongst their separate friends, only sometimes would pig-tailed boy catch Akane looking over at him with such a pained expression that he had to turn away. During class, the girl would catch a mirrored emotion in Ranma's eyes and just like he did, found it too much to bare and would turn away.
By the fourth morning, Nabiki conscience, which many would not believe she had, started to gnaw at her. When day seven rolled around, it was with a heavy sigh she pulled Akane aside.
"Do you hate him that much?"
"Wh-what?" Akane hadn't expect that question in a million years. After all she found out that she was married to the dummy and hadn't killed him. Didn't that prove she didn't hate him?
"Do you hate him?" Nabiki asked again in a slightly annoyed tone.
"N-no."
Exasperated, the middle sister threw her hands up in mild disgust. "Then what is with the two of you acting like you were married to Kuno and Kodachi?"
Akane had been very proud of her lack of vicious temper during this whole ordeal but really, there was only so much a girl could take. "What do you think, Nabiki?"
The brunette gave a cool stare to her sister. Akane's eyebrow ticked in annoyance. "It's not like you wouldn't have chosen him anyway."
The new Saotome crossed her arms across her chest and gave a steady glare to her sister. "But you didn't give us the chance to make the choice." Her words were like ice. "You set us up since the first day."
Nabiki shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying to save a little money."
The second eyebrow ticked. It was a fair warning.
"Anyway, I can't stand to see both of you so depressed. And don't look at me like that. I actually do care about how you look in your pictures, little sister." Nabiki let a small smile tug on her lips as her sister started to growl.
"Your point?" Akane snapped.
"My point is---there is a way out of this marriage." Her voice had become serious and monotone. "Annulment." Then, just to get a rise out of her already miffed sister, the brunette touched her finger to her chin and looked up. "Unless it's already too late for that too."
Nabiki had to duck her sister's wild, pulled punches and stuck her tongue out as she ran out the front door to safety.
"It's that easy, huh?" Ranma studied the papers in his hands as Akane looked away. He sat on the bed and she was on her desk chair silently chewing her lip.
"Yeah," She responded, still not looking at her husband.
"Just sign in and sign out. Like roll call." He gave a short, pathetic attempt at a laugh and dared to see the short haired girl's reaction. Her shoulders were slumped and her face hidden behind the curtain of bangs. Flipping to the last page, Ranma's heart nearly stopped. There it was. Signature number one. Akane Tendo-Saotome.
"I--I didn't know if they wanted me to sign my maiden or married name, so I thought it would be safest to do it that way." Akane explained in a sullen voice.
Ranma was at a complete loss for words which would be considered a blessing at many times in his life. After all he was well known for inserting his foot every time he opened his mouth around this girl. He couldn't help it, she always made him nervous but only in a good way.
"I guess you really don't like this then do you?" His words came out harsher than he meant them to.
Tears were starting to emerge from the bottom of her eyes. "I-it's not that, Ranma."
"Oh come on, 'kane." The pigtailed boy stood up, throwing the papers down on the bed. "You are always calling me a pervert and an idiot."
Defense mechanisms were locked and loaded as the girl sprung to her feet to stare up at him in the eye. "And I'm nothing but a clumsy, sexless tomboy to you." She poked him in the chest with all three adjectives.
"So you are happy that you won't get stuck with me!" The male Saotome battled back.
"You jerk! That's not it at all!" Akane, with clenched fist and teeth felt her anger start to dissolve into a steadily growing numbness.
"Then what is it, 'kane?"
Her mouth opened, but nothing came. How could she simply tell him what she wanted when it would cause her tears to start falling? Ranma would feel bad and then do anything to make her stop crying, even if it meant sacrificing something dear to him. Like his future for example. "Oh forget it!"
Two days later and Ranma had been sleeping with his father again. It wasn't like he wanted to, after all Akane's bed was much softer, but he was locked out. Not to mention the fact she wanted nothing to do with him apparently. If she did want him, then why did the tomboy sign the annulment papers?
Still, Ranma reasoned, she would still look at him in that secret way before they were married or even before they pretended to be married. Just out of the corner of her eye when the teacher was calling roll call, when they were walking home and other odd times. But why had she signed the papers?
The nasty, self-hating part of his mind kept running all of her insults through his tired mind as he trudged downstairs. All the times she had proclaimed him to be pervert, idiot and other such things. Growling in frustration, the boy stretched and plopped down at the table.
Why couldn't anything in his life ever be normal?
After a silent breakfast was finished, Nabiki asked the couple to follow her into her room. They did so without a single word of compliant. Sitting down at her desk Nabiki brought out a notebook and began to scribble down figures, Akane took the bed and Ranma stayed standing near the closed door.
When in the lioness' den, it was always wise to have a quick exit.
Nabiki who is not happy about having all her hard work put to waste. It had taken a while to actually get them to sign the papers and here they were ready to sign their way back out of the marriage. The middle Tendo decided that if they were to ever remarry after this, she'd send them the bill for this fiasco.
"We are gathered here today," Nabiki started and smothered a grin as Akane glared at her sister. "To officially unwed you two. If you want to." Dropping her note book, she picked up a manila folder from the top of her desk, the business oriented girl took out the annulment papers and set them in front of her. Next, she fished around her desk drawers for a pen and set it next to the papers.
Ranma eyed her suspiciously when the brunette stood up and began to walk towards the door. All she did was insist they were on their own and close the door behind her.
Without anything else to do, Ranma turned his eyes to Akane who sat on the bed with her head bowed.
"I guess this is it, huh, Akane." The girl went stiff. The pig tailed boy hardly ever pronounced the 'a' in her name. She always felt like it was some type of intimate name to have only him call her "'kane." Somewhere in her heart a little voice cried out not to make too much out of it.
"I guess so." Lifting her eyes to him, that little voice began to call out louder. "I-it's up to you, Ranma." Akane confessed softly. "I don't want to be like the others. I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do."
"Huh?" Soatome was confused by the sudden change in the girl's personality. "But---what about you?" His voice became rougher, lower. "What do you want?"
Standing up, Akane walked over to Nabiki's desk and looked down at the packet in front of her. Biting her lip, courage slowly worked up to the girl's mouth. It was now or never. Either she was going to have him or a memory. One was better than the other but Akane had made a decision that it wasn't her choice. Well, not all the way anyway.
"Ranma?" "Hmm?" He was trying his hardest not to back away as Akane slowly approached him.
"Can I---uhm," Her nerve was quickly fleeing and before she was able to finish the question, it left her. Akane bit her lip out of frustrating nervousness. "Never mind."
Ranma's fearfulness turned instantly to curiosity as Akane picked at her nails in an embarrassed way. "What?" He pestered, more out of curiosity than actual concern. If Akane wanted something from him, or anything from anyone, all she had to do was ask.
"I--kind of want to know if it's okay, without any pressure from anyone else like last time and only if you want to if we---" Akane's backbone turned into a slug and crawled out of the room once more. Yet when the pigtailed boy started towards the desk, the girl's backbone slithered back into the room and turned to steal. "C-Can you---if you don't mind--k-kiss---"
Ranma's eyes were wide as they could be. Akane and his faces were so hot and red that the boy was sure they'd blister. The dark haired girl bowed her head, refusing to make eye contact. The male martial artist was dumbfounded at her audacity but not repulsed. The very thought of her request made his face became another shade of red.
She actually wanted him to k-k---well, to touch her. His mind was plunged into a steaming hot pot of boiling water. It was foggy but against his better sense, he felt his lips moving. Were they forming a smile?
"'kane---" He slowly reached out to place a hand on each of her shoulders. The noticeable intake of breathe made him jump. She was shocked? Maybe she didn't really mean it when she asked it? "A-are you sure?"
Swallowing hard, Akane took the opportunity to look up at him.
With a slow nod, Ranma followed her suit and swallowed an nonexistent lump in his throat. Gingerly, she placed her hands on his chest and leaned closer.
"Close your eyes." She obeyed without a thought and waited for him to make his move.
Ranma cupped the side of her face tenderly and bridged the gap between their shy lips. It was just like it was when they had to prove their marriage in front of Shampoo. Only this time, it was for real. It wasn't because they were pressured or because they had to.
They flowed in the kiss together, her arms coming up around his neck. The hand he had on her shoulder slipped around her waist to pull her closer.
Too soon for either them, Akane pulled away. She gave a small smile and disentangled herself from his arms. Sighing, she allowed her fingers to hover above her lips before she headed towards the door. Turning around, she studied the young man reflecting her own searching expression. "It's your choice, Ranma." She shut the door behind her.
Ranma's eyes shifted from the door to Nabiki's desk. Sighing deeply, he picked up the pen, closed his eyes and began to apply ink to paper.