Jusendo Aftermath
By M. Zephyr
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.
Ranma x Akane. This is my suggestion for how the manga should have ended, after Ranma killed Saffron at Jusendo.
Chapter 3. Dating and Beyond
The next day, Akane and Ranma returned to school. As might have been predicted after their long absence, their reappearance generated more than a little turmoil. Tatewaki Kuno met them as soon as they arrived at the schoolyard, demanding to know why Saotome had spirited off the fair Akane Tendo for so long and insisting that he release her from his spells. After pummeling the idiot, they were subjected to a barrage of questions from classmates about where they had been, and whether anything was going on between the two of them, most of which they refused to answer. Some of Akane's so-called friends even asked her outright, in confidence of course, if she was pregnant. Their teachers were skeptical about the excuses they had for missing so much school, and irritably pointed out the amount of work they would have to do in order to make up for time lost.
Neither of them missed the fact that Ukyo did not show up for school that day. On the other hand, Kodachi Kuno put in an appearance at lunchtime, intent on attacking Akane for the perceived insult of running off with her darling Ranma-sama. Dealing with her left Akane very little time in which to eat.
Nabiki, naturally enough, sold the story of what had happened in China to everyone during lunch period, although some of her customers angrily demanded their cash back, saying that if they wanted to read totally unbelievable fiction, then Sailor Moon was less expensive. Nabiki refused all refund requests, telling them to talk to Akane and Ranma if they didn't believe it. So, after lunch, the two of them had to field more questions about their adventures.
After they trained together that evening, Ranma stopped Akane on her way out of the dojo. She turned around and looked at him questioningly. "Was there something else about our training session tonight that you wanted to discuss?" she asked him curiously.
Ranma started nervously tapping fingertips together, while stammering, "Um, well ... not exactly. I mean, no. I wanted to ... uh, I was thinking about dinner Friday."
"What about Friday's dinner?" Akane asked, puzzled. "Was there something in particular that you wanted Kasumi to prepare?"
"Er, no, that's not what I meant." Ranma was looking very frazzled. He turned and walked a couple of paces away, then spun around and walked back. He took Akane's hand in his and seemed to be examining it, then sighed and released it again. "Um ... I was just ... wondering ... if you'd like to eat dinner with me Friday night. I mean alone ... no, together ... I mean just the two of us."
Akane tilted her head down so that she could look into Ranma's eyes, which were trying not to meet her own. "Ranma Saotome," she inquired quietly, "are you trying to ask me out on a date?"
"Uhhh ... yes?"
Akane's smile lit up her face. "Well it's about time! Of course I'd love to go out to dinner with you Friday night. Do you already have someplace in mind?"
Ranma nodded, looking relieved. "I was thinking of Shamaim. I think it'd be good to go to a place that won't remind us of either Ucchan's or the Nekohanten. The food's supposed to be pretty good."
"Sounds nice," she told him, still smiling. Then she leaned forward and kissed him, very lightly, before spinning around and heading in to take her bath. She also wanted to find Kasumi as the safest person to whom she could gush out the news that Ranma had finally asked her out on a date.
Ukyo didn't come to school the next day either. Ranma considered going by her restaurant to check up on her, but Akane persuaded him that he should let her have more time. In the end, he decided to take Akane's advice.
Over the course of the week, the teachers and students at Furinkan gradually accepted the young couple's latest adventure as just one more episode in their chaotic life, and the situation slowly returned to normal. Normal, that is, except that nobody could miss the new closeness between Akane and Ranma, which they weren't troubling very much to hide. They would arrive at school and leave in the afternoon holding hands; they would sit together for lunch and talk peacefully; when Ranma fell asleep during class Akane would merely poke him with a look of fond exasperation. It was rather unnatural, and some of their schoolmates would occasionally look around nervously, wondering what dire consequence might result in order to restore karmic balance. Nabiki raked in quite a bit of money from people who made bets on how long it could last. Ukyo never showed at school all week.
Friday night came at last and Akane found that she was as nervous now as Ranma had been when he asked her out. She took some care with her appearance, even asking Kasumi to help her with her makeup. The effect was captivating, but made her even more nervous about the upcoming date. Her sister had to gently push her out of the room and to the top of the stairs.
Ranma was waiting at the foot of the stairs, trying to deal with the butterflies in his own stomach. He attempted to distract himself by giving some of his attention to the silly game show which Nabiki was watching in the family room. The first time he had seen her watching that show, Ranma had thought it was a bit out of character for her to be interested in something so pointless, but had come to the conclusion that it had something to do with the size of the cash prizes. Maybe she had hopes of appearing on it herself some day, or more likely, talking him into doing so and then splitting the winnings between them.
At the sound of Kasumi clearing her throat, Ranma looked back up the stairs and then nearly fell over. He was staring at Akane, unable to look away, and he became aware that his mouth was opening and closing like a fish. He closed it with a snap, but was still unable to tear his eyes away, or even to say anything.
Akane felt her spirits boosted by his reaction, and giggled lightly as she walked down the stairs. She stopped in front of him, then looked down as she asked, "Do I ... look okay?"
"Kawaii ..." Ranma breathed.
Akane anxiously waited a moment longer, then looked up with a brilliant smile as no "kune" was forthcoming. She slipped her arm through his and said, "Shall we go?" Ranma nodded sharply without saying anything more, and Akane steered him out into the yard and through the gate. They walked slowly down the road toward the restaurant he had chosen.
After a few minutes of putting up with her date just staring ahead blankly while they walked, Akane decided that, while she had enjoyed his initial reaction, enough was enough. She stopped and rounded on him. "Ranma! Either come back to Earth and start paying attention to me, or I'm going back home."
The young man turned and looked at her, then visibly shook himself. "Sorry, Akane. I guess I'm really not used to dealing with this side of you. I'll try to do better." He forced himself to relax, and they continued their walk, talking quietly about recent events.
The restaurant proved to be as good as report claimed, and was different enough from their usual haunts that both of them were able to relax even further and thoroughly enjoy their dinner. They spent most of the meal discussing reactions of their classmates during the past week, and aspects of her martial arts training on which they had been working.
After leaving the restaurant, Ranma led Akane to a small temple nearby. Nearly deserted at this evening hour, it was both quiet and peaceful. Akane looked around, feeling contentment filling her, but also a measure of curiosity. "Why did you want to come here, Ranma?" she asked him.
"Well, for a couple of reasons," he replied. "First, I wanted to give thanks, to whomever was watching over us that day, that you were restored to life at Jusendo. I can hardly bear the thought of how I almost lost you forever." He bowed his head and closed his eyes, and Akane did likewise, silently expressing her thanks for having been given another chance, allowing them to admit their feelings for one another.
After a few minutes, Ranma stirred again and Akane looked into his blue eyes and smiled. He returned her smile and said, "The other reason for coming here was that, um, it seemed like a good place to ask a certain question." He lowered himself to one knee in front of her, holding her hand in both of his. "Akane Tendo, I love you more than I can possibly say. I cannot conceive of my life without you in it, and I want to share the rest of my days with you. Will you marry me, and be my wife, my partner, my friend, forever?" He pulled a small box out of his pocket, and opened it to show her a golden ring with a small diamond set in it.
Akane dropped to her knees beside him and threw her arms around his neck. Her eyes were very moist and her voice a little wavery but she answered without hesitation. "Yes, Ranma, I want to marry you. I love you too. I'm sorry that it took so long for us to realize it, but I don't ever want to risk losing you again." She pulled back a little allowing him to take her hand and slip the ring onto her finger. They both knelt there, staring at it for several minutes, not speaking, letting the realization spread through them that this moment had truly arrived. Taking a deep breath of utter happiness, Akane turned her shining eyes toward her fiancé.
He met her gaze with a cocky grin. "Glad you didn't go back home after all?" he asked.
"Huh?" She looked at him confused, not understanding.
"Back before dinner," he elaborated. "When you threatened to go home if I didn't wake up and start paying attention."
She pursed her lips, trying for a look of outrage but failing to achieve it. Akane attempted a mock slap, but Ranma caught her hand and then pulled her toward him. Their lips came together, at first with a gentle sweetness, but then searingly, with rising passion, as liquid fire spread from this point of contact throughout their bodies to completely engulf them. With difficulty they recalled their surroundings and pulled apart, looking deep into one another's eyes.
"So, um, are you sure about waiting until the end of July?" Akane asked him teasingly.
"Don't tempt me," Ranma answered with a chuckle. "We both know it's for the best for a lot of reasons. But right now there's an animal part of me that wants to run off with you and elope right this minute."
"Mmmm," the sound coming from her throat let him know that there was a part of her which also agreed with this sentiment. "So, shall we go home instead and let the families know that it's finally official?"
"Yeah, might as well," he answered. "But why don't we take the long way home, through the park?" It occurred to him that there were several private spots along the way where he might be able to convince Akane to dally for a while.
Akane laughed softly. "For a baka, that's not a bad idea. That way, you might find some chances to get in some more practice kissing me. I think you could use the practice. Besides, at least I can feel confident that you won't be dodging me for this sort of 'training'."
Ranma drew himself up indignantly. "Whaddya mean, 'I could use the practice.' Are you suggesting I'm no good at kissing?" His expression suddenly looked a little forlorn. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
Akane smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed him lightly. "No, baka, you're fine. I just want to enjoy the practice. And who knows? Maybe it will get even better, hard though it may be to believe." They walked off hand in hand, heading for the park which was only slightly out of the way home.
Despite some pauses for 'training,' the two of them arrived at the house all too quickly. As they walked through the door, they saw that Kasumi was already running toward them in her apron, squealing in delight. ‹How did she know?› Akane wondered to herself. Kasumi threw her arms around her little sister, hugging her tightly, murmuring congratulations. Then she pulled back to lift Akane's left hand and admire the ring.
The others drifted into the front hallway, their curiosity aroused by Kasumi's squeal and the breathless noises she was now making. Akane looked at Ranma and shrugged with a smile. On the way home they had discussed how they were going to announce their acceptance of the engagement, and had envisioned a scene where they would gather everyone together in the family room and make a formal announcement. It seemed that the kami watching over them had something else in mind. As soon as Nodoka caught sight of the ring, she began to squeal as well, and grabbed Akane's hand to take a closer look. Nabiki stood speechless, her lower jaw hanging, unable to credit that the two of them had finally gone and made it official. Ranma desperately wished he had a camera to record her expression so that he could sell embarrassing photos of her for once. Soun predictably sent forth a gusher of tears, hugging and soaking everyone indiscriminately. Genma, a little better prepared for this moment than everyone else, merely beamed at his son and heir while entertaining visions of the united school, filled with little Saotome's all learning martial arts.
The group eventually made its way back to the family room. Genma and Soun brought out sake to celebrate, pouring for everyone and proposing toasts to the happy young couple. Akane knelt down beside Ranma close enough for their knees to touch, and took his arm in hers. As she related the details of their date and the proposal, Kasumi and Nodoka reacted with happy exclamations.
On the other hand, Ranma couldn't help but notice Nabiki standing off to one side, an intent expression on her face, her lips moving occasionally with nods of her head. He felt a measure of disgust, as she was obviously making mental notes, likely with an eye toward settling the various wagers she'd accepted against this day. He resolutely turned back to Akane, putting her sister out of his mind so as not to spoil his current happiness.
As she related the story, Akane kept her eyes fixed on the ring Ranma had slipped onto her finger, an expression of wonder on her face. She still found it difficult to believe that it was really there.
"So, Akane," her father began, wearing a huge grin on his face, "it's time to make plans for the wedding. I can have a priest here in a day or two ..."
Akane cut him off short. "You are correct that it is time to start planning for the wedding, but it is not going to be done in haste. Ranma and I have already discussed the date, and we want to wait until the end of July or beginning of August to get married, during the coming summer break."
Soun Tendo made a face, and shook his head. "Nonsense. There's no need to wait that long. We should do it immediately."
"No." Akane insisted, coldly. "We can't possibly do it properly any sooner than summer break, and my wedding will be done properly. Also, to be perfectly frank, Ranma and I need some time to adjust to the idea. It wasn't that many days ago that we were both loudly denying that we would ever get married."
Akane went on, overriding her father's attempt to interrupt again. "Furthermore, and I'm sorry to say this daddy, but I don't feel that you or Uncle Genma are the proper people to do the planning. If Kasumi and Auntie Nodoka would help me, the three of us can take care of all the necessary planning."
Ranma's mother was smiling the sort of grin a shark might envy, while giving her husband a look which warned him to hold his peace. "I quite agree with Akane. While I certainly want to see our two children married as soon as possible, I want their wedding to be a wonderful event. And that means it will not be done with undue haste. The break after the end of the next school term sounds like an excellent choice to me."
Soun frowned rebelliously at these pronouncements. He looked over at his dutiful daughter Kasumi, but she gazed back coolly and shook her head slightly. He realized that he would get no support from any of the women in the room. When he turned to Genma, even his old friend failed him. Ranma's father shrugged his shoulders and said, "They seem quite determined, Tendo. Look at it this way. They've finally agreed to get married, so why rock the boat? It's only a few months." With a sigh, Soun admitted defeat.
Monday morning found Akane and Ranma once more walking through the school gates holding hands, except that this time they could each feel the ring on her finger within their handclasp. As was to be expected, Kuno met them just inside the gate and demanded that Ranma release the "fair flower of womanhood, Akane Tendo."
Akane, sounding utterly bored, asked, "So which one of us do you want to thrash you today, Kuno? Me? Or Ranma?"
"You do jest with me, beauteous one," Kuno intoned. "I shall cut down this scurrilous rogue, and then you shall be free to express your love to me."
"I think that means me," Ranma said, in a hesitant tone which sounded like he wasn't completely certain. "I'll just be a moment and then we can go to class."
Akane released his hand and blew him a kiss, then backed off. The students watching the byplay from a distance were shocked at her gesture, but none was as shocked as Tatewaki Kuno. He was standing close enough to detect the glint of the ring upon her finger and knew what it implied. Kuno's face turned scarlet, to the point where onlookers expected to see steam coming out of his ears. Then he shouted the single word "Never!" and swung hard at Ranma.
Of course, Ranma was expecting the attack. He easily avoided the blow, and delivered a kick to Kuno's fundament, calling out, "Never say never!" Kuno swung back around and stopped short in puzzlement, not seeing the pigtailed boy where he expected. He was still hunting around for him when Ranma dropped out of the sky onto the kendoist's back, and put him out with a tap on the skull. Ranma then walked over to Akane, reclaimed her hand in his, and the pair continued on into the school.
Once in the classroom, the couple went to their desks, and pulled their schoolwork out of their bags. They didn't even notice the group of girls who suddenly went silent, staring at Akane's finger and the ring it now bore. This was followed by a rapid spate of breathless whispering and ended with all the girls in the class rushing over to surround the startled Akane, buffeting her with questions. When the boys realized what the girls were going on about, they turned to regard Ranma with shock shading to awe, then surrounded him, demanding answers.
Akane and Ranma slowly got across the information that they had admitted their feelings to one another during their recent adventure in China, and had formalized the matter on Friday night. It took a while to explain it all, an endeavor made all the more slow by late arriving students drifting in and wanting to know everything from the beginning. At one point, Ranma turned to Akane and called over the heads of the students between them, "Maybe we should have let Nabiki print up pamphlets."
The first warning they had of potential trouble was the clamor cutting off as sharply as if with a knife. Akane and Ranma looked up to find that Ukyo was standing in the classroom door, staring at the two of them and the surrounding crowd of classmates. A path cleared between the martial artists as fellow students quickly moved out of the way, reluctant to stand in a possible combat zone.
Ukyo's eyes were twitching at the little bit she had overheard. She kept reminding herself over and over of what she had promised to Konatsu that morning, when he had talked her into leaving all of her spatulas at the restaurant. As the last of the students moved out of her line of sight, Ukyo caught a glimpse of gold on Akane's finger, and promptly forgot all of her promises. With a cry of anguish she dove for Akane, the one thought in her mind to annihilate her rival. Ranma interposed himself between them and bound Ukyo's arms to her sides using his own. She continued to struggle for a couple of minutes, but finally recognized the futility of it and went limp. Ukyo could see Akane gazing at her with sad eyes, teeth biting her lip, and felt as if someone had driven a spear through her chest. Quickly, though not quickly enough, she tore her eyes away from the sight. Ranma sighed and pulled her without resistance into the hallway. A glare tossed back toward the classroom prevented anyone from following them.
"Ukyo," Ranma whispered urgently, "I'm sorry, but after our talk last week you had to have known that this was coming."
"Let go of me, Saotome!" she spat.
"First, promise you won't try to hurt Akane," he countered.
After a long, furious moment, she inclined her head in agreement. Ranma released her, and she shook herself. Voice breaking, she said, "I just wasn't expecting it this soon, let alone my first day back in school. I wasn't ready for the sight of that ... ring." She scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, then looked up, glaring angrily. "I haven't forgiven either of you. But I've got myself under control now, so let's just go back in there. The bell is about to ring."
Without waiting for a response, Ukyo turned and marched back into the classroom, her head high and a flame in her eye that prevented anyone from daring to speak. Ranma watched her for a moment, worry clearly written on his face. Then he sighed and walked back in, sitting down at his desk. He ignored the questioning looks, and then the bell rang, forcing everyone to take their seats.
Kuno had to be pummeled into unconsciousness again, both at lunchtime, by Akane, and after school, by Ranma. Also after school, Kodachi showed up, having heard by some unknown means of Akane's engagement ring, and demanding loudly that it be turned over to her. The two fought briefly, after which Akane dumped her unconscious body beside that of her equally inert brother. Smoothing down her skirt, she gave Ranma a sunny smile, and they left to go home for their afternoon training session.
A couple of weeks brought an end to the school year, and the activity around the household centered around Nabiki's graduation and the party which would be held in celebration. The middle Tendo was ecstatic over her acceptance at Tokyo University, where she planned to study Finance. On an early afternoon, both families arrived at the Furinkan High school grounds for the graduation ceremony. Luckily, the weather was perfect.
As the invited speaker was droning on, Akane leaned over close to Ranma's ear and whispered, "Can you believe we're going to be seniors?"
Ranma smiled, and whispered back, "I never had a doubt that you would be someday. Now me on the other hand ..." He chuckled. "I'm just glad we won't have to put up with Kuno after this. At least not as much, since he'll still be living here in the city. It's a pity he didn't decide to go on to some college, preferably one located far, far away." Akane gave a brief laugh as well, then settled back into her seat, schooling her features not to show her boredom.
Eventually the ceremony drew to a close, and people were hugging and congratulating Nabiki, while taking photographs of her with everyone there. Even Ranma gave her a half-hearted embrace. As the group was preparing to leave, wanting to get home in time to meet the guests who had been invited to the party, Ranma hissed a warning in Akane's ear. "Heads up. Here comes Kuno." Akane looked up in the direction Ranma was facing, to see the would-be samurai approaching them, wearing his graduation robes but carrying a bokken.
Akane was about to say something scathing to the approaching fool, but Nabiki cut in before her, witheringly. "Kuno-baby, just what the hell do you think you're about to do? We don't have time to put up with your nonsense. If you muss up either Ranma or Akane right before my graduation party, you are so going to pay!"
The other new graduate looked down his nose at her. "Fear not, Nabiki Tendo, I am not here today to issue a challenge. I merely wished to reassure my fierce tigress that my thoughts will still be with her, even though my absence from this institution will constrain me from daily offering her the opportunity to express her love to me. Saotome, foul sorcerer, do not imagine that I shall forget what you have done, ensorcelling the fair one into this unholy engagement. I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Nerima, shall retire for the nonce to my estate, but the day shall come when I shall emerge to defeat you!" He turned and strode off.
"What a nut," Akane declared, and everyone nodded in agreement.
A few weeks later Akane and Ranma started their senior year in high school while Nabiki began her studies at Tokyo University. One significant surprise was that Ukyo did not show up when the new school year began, and Ranma was reluctant to go by her restaurant to learn why. Nabiki provided the answer, her sources having informed her that the okonomiyaki chef had transferred to a different high school, presumably not wishing to share a classroom with Akane and Ranma, where she would have to see them together.
Plans for the wedding and reception to occur in July were proceeding apace and, as Akane had insisted to her father, those plans were mostly being made by herself, Kasumi and Nodoka. Each time the two fathers attempted to make some grand suggestion to improve things, the three women would stare at them in icy silence until they slunk out of the room and returned to their shogi game. After much discussion the trio, with Ranma's agreement, had decided on a very small western-style ceremony, although without best man or bridesmaids, to be held at the temple where Ranma had proposed to Akane. Afterward there would be a very large reception, held in the dojo and on the surrounding grounds, to which it seemed that half of Nerima was being invited. The half not chasing after either Akane or Ranma, if the future bride and groom had anything to say about it.
Meanwhile, Ranma continued to train Akane, who was progressing at such a rapid pace in the martial arts that he felt ashamed at his previous reluctance to help her in this regard. Besides, he had discovered a wonderful benefit of her training. After these sessions, Akane would be so sore that she gratefully permitted him to massage the aches out of her muscles, and his hands were being allowed to gradually come closer to areas of her body which would have seen him malleted to the moon not so very long ago. This tacit permission would then carry over later when she was sitting in his lap and they were kissing. Ranma did not guess that Akane had planned for things to happen in that way, as a means to allow the two of them to learn to accept and become accustomed to physical intimacy as their wedding night slowly drew closer.
At the end of the first month of the school year, the repairs to the Saotome house were finally completed, fixing the damage done by the other fiancées shortly before the Jusendo adventure. Ranma's mother and father moved back into that house but, much to his relief, Ranma was permitted to remain at the Tendo's after both he and Akane had expressed their desire for him to do so. As a concession for not being permitted to help plan for the wedding, the two fathers were given the task of furnishing the Tendo guest room as a bedroom suitable for the soon to be married couple. Naturally, they were closely supervised at this task to make sure they did nothing particularly foolish. After the wedding Akane's old bedroom would become a guest room.
The day set aside for the wedding finally arrived, although Ranma could have wished for better weather. The sky was overcast and promising rain. It was decided that everyone in the wedding party would carry umbrellas with them to the temple, to keep both Ranma and his father in their own shapes, if at all possible. Neither Akane nor Ranma ate much breakfast, both being too nervous to have any appetite. They gave each other one last quick hug before they were whisked off to separate rooms to be dressed in their tuxedo and gown. As was to be expected, Ranma was ready long before Akane and was nervously pacing back and forth in his room waiting to hear that it was time to go.
At long last his mother stuck her head in the door and said brightly, "Akane is ready now, dear. Try to calm down, and let's go downstairs." Ranma swallowed a large lump, and followed her down to the family room.
A few minutes later he looked up to see Kasumi and Nabiki entering the room, followed by a vision of surpassing loveliness. He had always known that Akane was beautiful, but today she was absolutely stunning. She shyly said, "Hello Ranma," and he tried to greet her in return, but was only able to manage something like, "Aguh ... Gwufa? Ooga? Whoa." Akane smiled, feeling pleased with his reaction. In a cheerful voice which nonetheless held a hint of warning, she remarked, "Now let's not have any flashbacks to our first date, Ranma. I want you paying attention to our wedding."
Ranma seemed to wake up, then laughed and shook his head, offering his arm to escort her to the hired limousine. The first stop was the city hall, which Nabiki had pulled some strings to get them into despite the fact it was a weekend. Everyone marched into the appropriate office and filled out the paperwork which would make Akane and Ranma legally married, and watched as it was properly filed. At an early point in planning the wedding, it was decided to take this step before the ceremony. Now, no matter what other chaos the day might bring, the marriage was recorded and legal. Ranma looked at Akane curiously, a look which she returned, as they realized that as far as the government of Japan was concerned they were now married. Of course, they didn't feel married yet, but they were due to take care of that next.
Leaving the building, they climbed once more into the limousine, which now took them to the temple for the religious ceremony. The one which would make them feel married. The day was pretty in a not-very-sunny sort of way, but the sky was growing darker and everyone was casting nervous glances at it. Still, the rain was holding off so far.
They all entered the temple, sighing in relief that things seemed to be going smoothly. Ranma walked to the front of the room where the priest was waiting to begin. Nabiki started the music for the wedding march, and Soun Tendo escorted his daughter Akane to stand beside Ranma and placed her hand in her fiancé's.
Akane gazed into Ranma's blue eyes, and he looked back into her brown, and the rest of the world faded away, leaving only the two of them. They were both vaguely aware of someone speaking at length, and both of them murmured the words "I do" at some sort of half-recognized prompting, but neither was afterward able to recall anything which had been said. In a dreamlike state they slipped the wedding rings on each other's fingers, and then moved forward to kiss, forcing the priest to slightly rush his permission for said kiss. When they pulled back from their kiss, they were both beaming so brightly that it could have lit the entire room. Ranma whispered "my wife" at the same time that Akane whispered "my husband," and then they were surrounded by the members of both families, offering congratulations.
One more brief ride in the limousine brought them back to the house, and they managed to enter the dojo just before it started drizzling outside. The photographer took some more pictures of the newly married couple, both alone and with members of their families, and then the guests began to arrive. Their classmates were among the first arrivals, and quickly came over to congratulate the newlyweds, except for Hikaru Gosunkugi, who proceeded to nail voodoo dolls to the dojo walls while crying. There were many people whom Ranma knew only vaguely or not at all, such as friends of the parents, members of the town council, or distant relatives of both the Tendo and Saotome families. He was amused to see that the old woman who constantly managed to splash him with her ladle was present, although without the ladle.
Just as the party was getting underway, Ukyo came in carrying a stack of okonomiyaki. Without warning she launched a couple of them at Ranma who, although rather startled, attempted to catch them. Unfortunately they exploded when they reached him, knocking him backwards, and scorching his tuxedo rather badly. Ukyo darted forward to grab Ranma, snarling, "We need to get you out of here before they can start the ceremony, Ranma honey."
However, she was cut off as Kodachi Kuno suddenly appeared in front of her, wearing a black wedding dress, and taking the slightly charred Ranma into her arms. She told him, "Hang in there, Ranma-sama. I'll save you from having to marry that harpy, Akane Tendo."
Ukyo watched this scene and yelled in shocked tones of disbelief, "Showing up here in a wedding dress? Have you no shame?" Then more thoughtfully, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Ranma, who had been regaining consciousness, opened his eyes to sudden danger. He leaped out of Kodachi's arms just before a katana descended through the space where he'd been lying. Tatewaki Kuno raised his sword once more, declaring loudly, "Saotome, you cur! How dare you attempt to conduct a wedding with the fair Akane Tendo without my permission! I will not allow it!" Again he attempted to carve the groom into small pieces.
Dancing around the swinging blade, Ranma shouted back, "Why would we need your permission?"
Akane, and most of the others watched these events in a state of shock. A voice called out over Kuno's blustering, "Sweeto! Let me kiss the bride!" Happosai appeared in front of Akane, latching onto her wedding gown, intent on glomping her. A glowing mallet appeared out of nowhere, and the miniature martial artist was launched through the roof of the dojo. Unfortunately, cold rainwater poured in through the hole he made, aimed unerringly for Ranma, causing him to change into a red-haired girl wearing a tuxedo.
"P-pigtailed goddess?" Kuno's voice was quite strained as his delusional brain tried to cope with the fact that the redhead he loved was standing in the same spot that the evil Saotome had occupied a moment before, and wearing the exact same tuxedo.
"R-ranma-sama?" stammered his only slightly less delusional sister Kodachi, as the transformation she had just witnessed finally began to penetrate her brain for the first time.
Akane turned to her sister Nabiki, her voicing rising quickly in outrage, "Nabiki! This is your fault isn't it? You sent out invitations to every lunatic in Tokyo!"
"Of course," Nabiki replied coolly. "After all, each guest is obligated to bring a gift of money."
Akane counted slowly to ten, not that it helped much. She asked in a grim voice, "And exactly why do they think that they can show up at our reception and stop the wedding which already took place?"
Nabiki answered smugly, "Because the invitations they got said that the wedding ceremony was being held at the dojo, at this time. Otherwise, they might have made an effort to find the real ceremony earlier, and might have showed up to cause trouble then."
Akane was on the verge of shouting something back, but just stopped with her mouth still open, and then slowly closed it. That last argument almost made sense, somehow.
In the meantime, not having heard the conversation between the sisters, Ukyo took advantage of the current state of shock of the two Kuno siblings to rush up and grab Ranma's arm. "Come on Ranma sugar," she urged him, "we need to hurry and get out of here before they can force you into this marriage!"
Ranma turned and gave Ukyo a very puzzled look. "Um, Ukyo, first of all, I already told you months ago that I love Akane and wanted to marry her. Nobody forced me into this."
"No!" Ukyo shouted. "You can't love her! You're mine, and you have to marry me!"
Kodachi's eyes widened as this conversation served to confirm the suspicion which was forcing its way into her head despite her best effort to prevent its entrance. Beside her, her brother was beginning to shake like a leaf.
Ranma was rapidly losing patience with Ukyo. "No, I am not yours! We've already gone over this. Anyway, it doesn't matter any more. I don't know what idea you've managed to get in your head about what's going on, but you've interrupted our wedding reception! We were married earlier!" He thrust his left hand in front of the stunned girl's eyes, the wedding ring on his finger clearly visible.
Ukyo's eyes rolled up in her head and she started to fall. Before she could hit the floor, Konatsu had dropped from the ceiling and caught her in his arms. "Oh, mistress Ukyo, why did you insist on this? Why didn't you listen?" Still holding the woman he loved in his arms, he bowed to Ranma, turned and bowed to Akane, then left to take the forlorn chef back home, carrying her unconscious form.
Akane joined Ranma, taking the red-haired girl's arm in hers, and as one they turned to face the Kuno's. Kodachi once more tentatively asked, "Ranma?" to which he nodded. The gymnast swallowed heavily once, and then again. "I see. I do not know what manner of creature you are, but I must inform you that one such as yourself is certainly not worthy to be seen in my presence. I insist that you do not trouble me again in future." Ranma simply nodded, his face shifting from startled to bemused.
All three of them turned to regard the elder Kuno sibling, who was staring off into space and muttering to himself. "Some strange magic ... the vile sorcerer disappeared and the pigtailed goddess was standing in his place. She claimed to be married to Akane Tendo ... but of course that is impossible. It was stated that Saotome married my tigress earlier today. Was I indeed too late to stop this travesty ...?" His voice trailed off into noises too low to overhear.
Kodachi laughed, saying, "It seems that my brother may intend to convince himself that he has not been in love with a man all of this time. That will never do. I shall convince him of the truth of it, that I may enjoy taunting him about it for years to come. And now, it is time for us to leave this peasant's hut." With that, she knocked Tatewaki over the head with a club, wrapped him up in a ribbon, and proceeded to drag him out of the dojo.
The pair watched the Kuno's leave, hoping that it might be for the last time. Akane spoke in a considering tone, "You know, taken all in all, this hasn't worked out so badly. Given the kind of chaos that seems to erupt in our lives, I'm surprised that this day didn't turn out a lot worse. I mean, can you imagine what today would have been like if, in addition to those troublemakers, Shampoo and Mousse were still in town? And if they had showed up at our wedding instead of the reception?"
A pained expression crossed Ranma's face. "I'd really rather not. I can easily imagine that we might have ended up not getting married at all, and I would have hated that."
Akane gave her new husband a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. "Come on and let's find you some hot water. That body looks ridiculous in a tuxedo."
That night found the newly married couple at an onsen inn up in the mountains. The training that Akane had put them through paid off as they confidently climbed under the blankets together and focused on providing pleasure to one another, building up to their first experience with the ultimate physical expression of their love. And their second. And their third. The night hours were well advanced toward dawn before sleep finally started to claim them, with Akane's head lying on Ranma's chest. Her eyes closed, and feeling utterly content and happy, Akane murmured, "Tell me one more time, Ranma, please?"
Ranma smiled, feeling sleep claiming him. He whispered, "I love you, Akane Saotome, now and forever."
His wife whispered back, with her last waking thoughts, "And I love you, Ranma Saotome, with all my heart and all my soul."
The moon looked in through the window, bathing the sleeping couple in soft light as they lay there in each other's arms. The coming days might bring them new adventures, but for this night, at least, they were allowed to enjoy the peace they had earned.
THE END
Author's note:
Well, there you have it. My suggestion for how the manga should have ended. It wasn't intended to tie off every loose end perfectly. Will Ukyo accept the situation now that they're married? How about Kuno? Happosai is still a problem. The parents probably won't stop interfering. Life's like that. All of the problems aren't solved, but this stage of their life has reached a reasonable conclusion.