A/N: Please don't hurt me! I couldn't help it, I partied hardy! lol I am SUCH a loser... However, here's what I promised... It's short, but it'll hold you over till Tuesday, ne?
Ladies Ball Chap. 3
By: Ranichan
The couple began to work silently, still unsure of themselves. Though the tension had evaporated, both of them knew how the bulk of their conversations usually ended, so they're words didn't stray from the task at hand.
Nabiki soon remedied that, however.
"We'll both work on a side and then we'll connect both sides to a catwalk, and that will be our stage," Ranma decided after looking over the blueprints.
"Okay, I'll work on this end," Akane stated. As she walked to her side bearing lumber, Nabiki, under the cover of the side door, chanced flicking a large screw into her path. Akane began to fall forward, letting the lumber fly into the air. She was surely going to be injured under all the wood but Ranma wasn't stopped by the inevitable.
In one fluid motion, he caught her in his arms before she hit the ground and placed himself over her, protecting her from the falling wood.
With a grunt, Akane dug herself from beneath the wreckage. "Are you okay?" she gasped propping Ranma up by his collar. Their faces were merely inches apart.
Ranma refrained from calling her clumsy. For the past hour or so, they had been working well together, no matter how restrained. "Yea... I'm fine, you?"
"Yes.. uh... sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going..." she mumbled bashfully.
They soon noticed their close proximity and compromising position and quickly seperated from eachother. Both were equally uncomfortable, so they hastily got back to work and did not speak until their individual projects were complete.
"All done!" Akane grinned wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm.
"Yup, me too," Ranma sighed scoping out his work. "Now we just gotta build and then attach each side to the catwalk and decorate, right?"
"Yea."
They both stood back to view eachother's handiwork only to find a monstrosity. They had worked seperately on a shared project without comminitcation and it showed. As did their frustration.
Ranma couldn't help but notice that Akane's side had some obvious imperfections. It was undoubtedly crooked with one end being noticibly higher, and loosed planks jutted haphazardly at the base of the stage. "Oy, Akane, we have a problem..." Ranma groaned. His hand hit his forehead and slid down in exasperation.
Akane sucked her teeth as she noticed the flaws in her side of the stage. It was already nine o'clock and Nabiki wanted the stage done tonight. They would have to somehow fix it.
"We're gonna have to fix your end," Ranma mumbled coldly.
"What do you mean, 'fix up' my end?" Akane asked defensively, her voice taking on an angry tone. She had invested as much time and effort into her end as Ranma did and his words attacked her ego though she, too, recognized her error.
"I mean we gotta fix up yer junky end! Can't you do anything right? You'd think if a tomboy can't do girly stuff, she can at least do men's work but you're neither here nor there!" Ranma quipped, his patience running thin. he could only answer her hostility the only way he knew how.
They were soon arguing heatedly once more. Words were thrown about the dojo with painful percision as they struck down those at whom they were aimed.
"What in the world..." Nabiki's voice trailed off as Akane and Ranma turned to face her. "This needed to be finished and like a fool, I left it to you guys. Ranma, if this isn't done by tomorrow morning, fixed and decorated, I will not grant you that 40,000 yen reprieve."
Ranma winced as his eyes moved to the ground.
Akane, realizing the importance of that reprieve to Ranma, interjected, "Nabiki... it's my fault to you know, I-"
"Akane, that line of credit hangs in the balance, as well. Neither of you can afford to let me down. Now, I want this done before breakfast tomorrow or both deals are off the table." She left the dojo nonchalantly but as she approached the house, she couldn't help but break into a wry smile. "This is working better than I thought. A few hours in the quiet together should be good for them..."
"A line of credit?" Ranma asked as he sat on the dojo floor, propping himself up with his arms.
"Yea... to buy whoever I want at the auction... A 40,000 yen reprieve?"
"Yup, and if we don't finish, then neither of us are going to get any where, now are we? We're gonna have to work together," Ranma declared.
"Because obviously, last time didn't work," Akane sighed.
So they put their past disagreements and embarassments aside and thought of how they could fix the "stage".
They came to the conclusion that Ranma would repair Akane's side while Akane would proceed in decorating the room.
Once again, they set to work, late into the night.
As Ranma finished the last touches to cleaning up Akane's end, he hatched a plan. "Hey, 'Kane, just what are the conditions of that line of credit?" he asked, innocently enough.
"Well, I have to help with the stage, stay away from the kitchen tomorrow and pay back 10 of what I spend," Akane answered as she began to tie the balloons she was blowing up together into an arch formation that would hang over the stage.
"Hmm... Who do yo think you'll bid on?" Ranma posed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I've thought about it... but I haven't decided on anyone yet." Akane hesitated, the balloons forgotten. With her mind not on the task, a lone balloon slipped from her fingers and floated gracefully to the ceiling. "Oops... um... why?" she inquired curiously.
"Well..." Ranma had to really prepare himself for what he was about to do. Losing his confidence, he continued down a different path. "What if you don't decide? Will you just not bid?"
"Um... I don't know, I mean, I want to help since... well, you know, I've caused a lot of... trouble around her."
"Hmmm..." Ranma inadvertantly agreed.
"Why?" Akane asked once more. He was hinting at something and he had peaked her interest.
"I was just wondering, you know, if by tomorrow you still don't have anyone in mind, if you'd... settle for me?"
Akane blushed deeply. Was Ranma asking her to buy him? The gesture wasn't that romantic but what would ensue after she had won him, a day alone with him as her willing company to do as she pleases. Romance clouded her thoughts. As far as she knew, she had no intimate feelings for Ranma, nor any hopes that their relationship would flourish but the notion of romance in her life was infinitely exciting.
Ranma was nervous to look her way. He couldn't believe he asked her. Though that was his intention, he didn't realize how it might sound when he said it. His face burned with embarassment and he hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
Akane, still flustered, stole a glance his way and caught sight of him. "Wait a minute... what am I thinking? This is Ranma! He doesn't have a romantic bone in his body!" she mused. "He probably just needs me to help him. That's it! He wants me to pay back his debt! Or... 10 of it..." she thought to herself, anger clouding her vision. "Well, a whole day, just you and me and I'm the boss?" Akane reasoned aloud.
"Um... yea, I guess that's how it works." Ranma replied, his eyebrows furrowed.
"You have to do everything I say?" Akane asked, feigning a flirting tone.
"What am I gonna do with you?" Ranma inquired, shocked.
"What are you gonna do without me? Afterall, that's why you're asking, right? So, I can bail you out?" Akane snapped.
"Well..."
"Well?"
"Well," Ranma sighed, "Akane, look I really need your help. I mean, we're friends right? Despite everything, we're friends and I really need this. If a girl doesn't pay enough for me, Nabiki is gonna auction me off as a girl... to KUNO! Come on, you can understand this, right? I mean... I'M A MAN!"
Akane suppressed a giggle. On the outside, Ranma was always so cocky, so brash, so hostile, yet, in this moment he was childishly trying to protect his ego and pride, and without his usual steely composure, he was so adorable!
"Are you laughing?" Ranma cried.
"Yes, and... I'll help you." Akane decided.
"Really?"
"Yes, but you're going to have to help me pay Nabiki back."
"Deal."
"But what are we going to do? You know, the day after?" Akane asked.
"Well, it is up to you."
Both of their faces flushed. An uncomfortable silence fell over the dojo. Akane was the first to speak up.
"Well, like Nabiki said, 'If this isn't done by tomorrow, both deals are off the table' and you'd be out of luck, so let's get to work."
"Yea... now, I just have to build the catwalk and attach everything."
"Need any help?"
"Erm... honestly?"
"And I promise that if this doesn't work, you can borrow one of my dresses for you and Kuno's date," Akane laughed.
"This is serious!" Ranma cried. He caught a glimpse of Akane's red, gleeful face and couldn't help but laugh. "It is!" he chuckled. He never noticed how funny she could be... or how cute.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I know, it's short and you probably think it doesn't fit into the whole plot thing lol but you'll see. I'll have another update by Tuesday. Yubi Kiri ;)
