Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.
Ranma stared open-mouthed at Akane. Not only did she seem perfectly comfortable in this environment, she was sitting there drinking tea! There was only one logical conclusion. He had brainwashed her. All right, so it wasn't THAT logical. But he really did not want to consider the other options. So he did what he did best. He made a perfectly normal decision. He decided to kick the guys ass. Unfortunately, before he could begin his assault, Akane stood up and walked over to him. "Ranma, this is a friend of mine. At the moment I realize you probably wanna pummel him, but how about you go home and I'll be there in awhile? I'll explain everything, I promise." Ranma looked at her as if she was clinically insane. "Are you kidding me? Yeah, like I'm gonna leave you with a guy I don't know ALONE IN HIS BASEMENT!!!" Ranma did not have a chance to continues because a plump woman who looked about mid-40's came into the room. "Now you all listen here. I'm sure Akane and Kyle are tired, so how about we let them sleep for a while? You can stay here until she wakes up? That seems like it would work for everyone." Kyle was about to protest when the woman fixed him with a stern glare. "I'm sure whatever you and Akane have to talk about can wait until tomorrow. Now Kyle, you go sleep in your bedroom. Akane, dear, do you mind sleeping down here on the couch?"
"Not at all."
"Then it's settled. Ranma, was it? Yes, come along…." Before Ranma knew what was happening, he was being whisked up a flight of stairs and into a kitchen. The kitchen was a bit messy, with pots and pans lying around the counter. She ushered him into a seat at the counter. "Hungry? I just made some cookies." Ranma, you had never in his life turned down cookies, nodded eagerly. She made him a plate of cookies and sat down. "Well, I suppose you're curious as to how my son and Akane know each other. It's actually quite an interesting story, and a long one at that, so before I begin in there anything you need?" Ranma shook his head. "Well, then introductions first. I am Mrs. Peach. The boy who you saw in the basement was my son, Kyle." A gothic boy walked into the kitchen and started rummaging around in the fridge. "And this is my other son, Justin." Justin seemed to give up and began filling a cup with water.
"Hey."
Ranma sighed. Before the story began, he needed to know something. "Mrs. Peach? Did Kyle and Akane ever…. You know… Date?" Justin, who had been taking a drink of water, sprayed it back out into the sink and began choking on it. Mrs. Peach thumped him on the back and he began laughing. "DATE?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??" Mrs. Peach threw him a look of disdain. "Well, how was he supposed to know, Justin?" She turned her attention back to Ranma. "No they never dated. Akane was practically part of the family. It would have been, to say the least, extremely awkward."
Ranma sighed and thought for a moment. Then he gasped and pointed at Justin. "Then YOU must have dated her!" Justin pretended to gasp. "Oh my god, you're right! After all that makes perfect sense!" He shook his head. "Honestly, I've never met anyone so thick. No, I never dated Akane." He spoke as if speaking to a five year old. Mrs. Peach glared at her oldest child. "Justin, go check on your sister." After Justin left the room, Mrs. Peach turned to Ranma. "I also have a daughter, named Ally. She's only 5, but she is bursting with energy. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Akane. Sweet girl. Well, anyway, I suppose I should start at the beginning. I was Akane's mother's best friend in high school. Her other daughters never took to me very well, but Akane always wanted to come over. She and Kyle have been playing together since they were in diapers." Ranma conjured a mental picture of Akane hitting a poor little boy with a rubber mallet. He had to use most of his will power not to laugh. Mrs. Peach seemed not to notice as she continued. "After her mother died, poor little Akane was heart broken. She started coming over here as often as she could. Her father never really cared for me, so she usually came over alone. All her birthdays, quite a few holidays, almost any big party she wanted to have, they were all over here." Mrs. Peach smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Which is why you'll see pictures of her around the house. As I said before, she's always been part of the family. And my daughter simply adores her." Mrs. Peach turned to face him. "Anything else you need to know?" Ranma shook his head. "No, thanks for all your help Mrs. Peach." She took the plate that had once been covered in cookies and placed it in the sink. "No problem, dearie."
Author's Note: I wanted to show a bit of a soft side of Akane, but I think that'll happen more in the future. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Ally makes her appearance next chapter! YAY! I LOVE ALLY!!!
Sarrin's note: meh…Ally is hyper… so much splat…..