** I do not own Ranma 1/2. That masterpiece is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. **
** I know this update was a little longer than most, but there is a good reason. Other than life being in the way of sitting down and writing, I couldn't post this chapter without the next one completed, or at least close to completed. I only need to clean up and edit the next chapter a little more, then it will be posted- so no real wait at all for Chapter. 26 Thanks for sticking with me! Drama is fun to write, but please remember it isdrama. Thanks for being amazing! **
** Ranma420 - We are definitely more than half way through the storylines for this story that are in my head. I can't 100% say how much longer, because I could likely go forever, but I will wrap it up and just make a sequel if there is any interest at all in one, or I'll write something different. I would give this a few more chapters at least. **
Ranma sat nervously at a table in a little ice cream parlour on the outskirts of Nerima. He looked down at his hands and noticed they were trembling slightly. Why did I let Ryoga talk me into this? Oh, right.. best man. Who knew there were so many side jobs for a best man that could include dating someone? Ugh, I'm so nervous. Why am I so nervous? When did I become this insecure idiot? Ranma looked up as he heard the door chime to announce a patron entering. Ranma recognized the woman walking through the door as Machiko and stood to politely acknowledge her, with a warm yet timid smile and a half bow.
Machiko smiled when she saw Ranma and walked over with a bit of a sashay to her walk. Ranma noticed, but wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It had been some time since he'd had anything resembling a date, aside from the failed date with Akane and the poison mushroom. In fact, outside of Akane, Ukyo, his mother and Megami, he didn't really talk to any other women. Because of this, or maybe despite this, he wasn't entirely sure what any of Machiko's behaviour meant. He simply returned the smile with anxiety and apprehensiveness noticeably plastered all over his face.
Machiko stood in front of her chair and waited, staring intently at Ranma. Ranma stood there for a few moments, confused, before the expectation dawned on him and he pulled the chair out for her to be seated. Machiko looked pleased with the situation and sat down. "Hello, Ranma," she said sweetly as she lowered herself onto her seat.
"Hello, Machiko," Ranma returned the greeting, unsure of how to proceed on this almost blind date. Ranma sat back down and started mentally reminding himself to breathe so he wouldn't pass out. He started to become concerned he would suffer another panic attack, which only increased the anxiety he was feeling.
Machiko noticed Ranma's demeanor and sighed. "You don't have to be nervous, Ranma. I won't force Ryoga to marry me if this goes poorly. That's all my parents' idea anyway. I just wanted an excuse to get to know you. I liked what I saw and wanted to see some more of you. Can we just get to know each other a little bit?" Machiko asked.
Ranma nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm not very experienced with dating," he explained, embarrassed at the admission. He was 19 years old and knew that he should have more experience at this point in his life.
"Not experienced? That's interesting because I've heard that you are plenty experienced," Machiko said with a smirk.
Ranma looked at her with a confused expression. "Pardon? What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, I heard you have a child. You can't be too inexperienced if you have a child," Machiko said with a smirk and a slight purr in her voice.
Ranma didn't know what to make of this. He obviously only had a brief romantic relationship that only became intimate once before she left, but how could he explain that to a stranger. Is she.. Is she looking to have sex with me? "Oh, right. Yeah, I guess I am a little," Ranma attempted a response, a little flustered at the thought of someone possibly trying to seduce him.
"You have a little girl?" Machiko asked.
Ranma nodded and smiled brightly at the topic change. "Yeah, Megami. My daughter. She's amazing," Ranma answered with ease. Megami was easy to talk about.
"I was told her mother died in childbirth?" Machiko asked.
Ranma felt a light jab in the heart and winced slightly. "Umm.. yeah. She did. I really would prefer not to talk about her. No offense, but I don't know you yet and that's a very sensitive subject," Ranma said, fearful he would offend the woman across from him.
"No problem. I can definitely understand that," Machiko smiled again. "So, what else can you tell me about yourself other than being a nervous wreck?"
Ranma was dumbfounded. This girl was brazen and reminded him a lot of Miyuki when they first met. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, so he just put that aside for the moment. "Well, I'm the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts," Ranma told her.
"Wow! How do you manage that with a baby?" Machiko asked.
"Well," Ranma looked away. "My pops would like it if my whole life revolved around the school, but it had to take a back seat to the parenting thing," he explained.
"That's understandable. I'm the current heir to the Negishi Corporation. We mostly develop electronics, but I'll be inheriting the CEO position when my father is ready to retire. I am heading to Business College next year after graduation," Machiko told him.
"Electronics? Like the GPS systems your parents made for the Hibikis?" Ranma asked.
Machiko nodded. "Exactly," she said.
"Ryoga doesn't know anything about electronics. Why are they trying to marry you to him?" Ranma asked.
Machiko laughed. "My parents know I'm plenty smart enough to run the company myself. They just want me to have a partner who could protect me and help me with physical tasks. Someone strong like Ryoga sounds perfect to them," Machiko explained. "You seem to be plenty strong as well." Machiko winked at Ranma.
Ranma blushed. "Well, I've been training in the art my entire life," Ranma told her, remembering the unwavering ego he used to have before Jusendo and wondering how to get it back before he further humiliated himself with his awkwardness.
Machiko giggled, placed her elbows on the table and her head in her hands before cocking her head to one side and fluttering her eyelashes at Ranma. Ranma gave her a confused look. Despite having his limited experience in relationships and women, he still didn't understand flirting and was often unable to recognize it.
Ukyo and Akane walked through town, on their way to a small cafe that had just opened up to discuss wedding plans. They needed a change in scenery, and Akane insisted due to being cooped up inside since the poisoning incident by well meaning relatives and friends. Ukyo was constantly checking in and trying to help Akane walk, which was starting to drive Akane a little bit insane.
"Ukyo, relax. I'm feeling fine now," Akane said as she forced a smile at her friend.
"Are you sure? You don't need me to carry you or take a break on the bench here?" Ukyo asked.
"Ukyo, I promise that I will let you know if I feel weak. I am feeling really good today!" Akane laughed, although she really wanted to scream.
"I see Akane all better now," Shampoo said, appearing in front of them.
"Shampoo, you stay away from me! What were you thinking trying to poison me?" Akane yelled at the amazon.
"Ha! Ranma need marry Shampoo. Akane still obstacle, even though Akane and Ranma break up," Shampoo said as she frowned.
"Shampoo, Ranma and I are not together. I have a boyfriend and he's wonderful. Ranma and I are friends. If Ranma doesn't want to be with you, it has nothing to do with me," Akane said sternly. "I am warning you, Shampoo. Stay away from me!" she added.
Ukyo moved in front of Akane. "Back off, sugar," she warned.
Shampoo scoffed. "Spatula girl and kitchen wrecker think Shampoo stupid," Shampoo said with fire in her eyes.
Ukyo smirked. "We don't think you're stupid, Shampoo, we just think you're a terrible person. I mean, if we even think of you at all," Ukyo said.
Shampo's face dropped as she composed herself after Ukyo's insult. "Shampoo need Ranma marry Shampoo right away. Amazon law say Shampoo need return Amazon soon with husband," Shampoo barked. "Shampoo leave Akane alone only if Akane leave Ranma alone!"
"Ranma can talk to whoever he wants, Shampoo," Ukyo said as she maneuvered into a battle pose, still positioning herself in front of Akane. Shampoo huffed at the remark, snarled at the girls, then ran off.
Ukyo looked back at Akane. "You're not going anywhere alone for a while," Ukyo told her.
Akane rolled her eyes at her friend. "I'll be fine. Let's go to that little ice cream shop Nabiki was telling us about instead of the cafe. That way, we will be further away from the drama in Nerima," Akane suggested. Ukyo nodded in agreement and started to lead the way, still being the overprotective, well meaning, very annoying friend that she had been previous to Shampoo's arrival.
"I think you're very handsome, Ranma," Machiko said as she held her gaze on Ranma's blue eyes, "Your blue eyes are like a deep sea I would happily drown in."
Ranma blushed. "Uh, thanks. I think you're very attractive, too," Ranma said, unsure how he actually felt about the entire situation. She's really pretty, smart and outgoing.. but am I ready to try to date someone else other than Akane or Miyuki? Has it been long enough since Miyuki died? What if Akane changes her mind? What if she doesn't? Should I be alone forever? Ranma lost himself in his thoughts while the woman in front of him watched with amusement.
The chime on the door announced the entrance of more patrons. Akane and Ukyo entered just as Machiko was placing her hand on Ranma's and batting her eyelashes at him. Ranma's blush was still evident as he was working through his thoughts while keeping his eyes on the woman in front of him. Machiko picked up Ranma's hand and started to examine it. She giggled as she placed it back down, although Ukyo and Akane couldn't make out what it was she was actually saying to Ranma.
Ukyo and Akane raised an eyebrow at each other. "Do you know anything about this, Akane?" Ukyo asked.
Akane shook her head. "Nope. I don't know about any other women that Ranma even knows outside of the usual crew," Akane said as she rolled her eyes.
Ukyo cocked an eyebrow at her friend then turned to look over at Ranma. Ranma's eyes were still on the mysterious new girl, as he hadn't yet noticed the two friends. Ukyo could see the nervousness from across the room and pondered the situation in front of her. "He's on a date?" Ukyo asked, although it wasn't really a question and more of an observation. She walked over to the table, Akane reluctantly following behind her at a slower pace.
"Hey, Ranma!" Ukyo greeted with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Ranma's face dropped. "Ukyo. Akane. What are you two doing here?" he asked.
"That's a great question, Ranma. I think the more important question, though, is what are you doing here?" Ukyo asked. Akane stayed silent behind her, with absolutely no desire to engage in this awkward exchange.
Ranma chuckled nervously. "It's a long story," he explained. Ukyo crossed her arms over her chest, as if awaiting her explanation.
"Hello there. It's lovely to make your acquaintance, Ukyo and Akane. My name is Machiko. Sorry, but Ranma and I are on a date and should really be getting back to it," Machiko said, barely taking her gaze off of Ranma to glance at Ukyo. Machiko stood up as Ukyo and Akane's eyes widened with disbelief at the woman's behaviour. "Come on, Ranma. You can take me for a walk," Machiko ordered as she stood up from her seat, grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled him to his feet.
Ranma got up and sheepishly started to walk past his two friends. "We will talk about whatever is going on here later," Ukyo hissed quietly to Ranma as he started to walk past the girls.
"All I can say is this isn't what it looks like," Ranma paused for a brief moment. "Okay, it's a little bit what it looks like but I have a really good reason."
"What reason is this?" Ukyo asked.
"Ranma!" Machiko called from the doorway after realizing he wasn't following her.
"I have to go. We will talk later like you said," Ranma gave Ukyo and Akane a weak smile before turning and heading toward Machiko. Once he made his way over to Machiko, he proceeded to follow her out the door.
Ukyo looked back at Akane. "I'm sorry, Akane. How are you feeling about this? Are you okay?" Ukyo asked and she took Ranma's spot at the table he just left.
Akane sat in the other seat, a red aura growing around her. "I want to pummel his stupid face in," she answered. Ukyo's eyes widened. Akane sighed, causing the aura to dissipate. "I don't know. I'm perfectly happy with Kaze, but I guess I have some lingering jealous feelings when I see Ranma with other women. A lot more than I even realized. The urge to hit him took everything in me to control, which is why I kept quiet," Akane admitted, "Old habits die hard, I suppose."
Ukyo looked at Akane sympathetically. "It's understandable. Feelings don't just go away. To be truthful, it kind of makes me jealous, too, even though I love Ryoga very much. I was in love with Ranma for a long time and I still care about him, so when I'm caught by surprise like this it makes me want to rip his head off," Ukyo giggled as she raised her hand to signal the waiter, although quite concerned with her friend's admission about her feelings for Ranma.
Ukyo and Akane ordered their dessert.
"Who do you think that girl was? I've never seen her before and Ranma definitely has not mentioned her," Akane asked.
"I don't know, but I am positive that I will find out," Ukyo said, determined. "My best friend isn't going to keep some girl a secret from me. I'll make sure of it."
"Hey, Ryoga. Is Ukyo back yet?" Ranma said, slowly entered Ucchan's later that evening, keeping his eyes peeled for evidence of Ukyo's presence.
"Hey, Ranma. No, not yet. She's still out with Akane," Ryoga said looking up from behind the grill he was cleaning.
"Good. We might have a slight problem," Ranma explained.
"What?" Ryoga dropped what he was doing and snapped his attention to what Ranma was telling him.
"Ukyo and Akane showed up to the ice cream place I took Machiko to," Ranma said sheepishly.
"What? I thought I told you to stay out of Nerima!" Ryoga yelled.
"Sorry, man. I was just outside of Nerima. I thought that would be enough," Ranma said apologetically.
Ryoga growled slightly then went back to furiously scrubbing the grill. "What did you tell them?" Ryoga demanded.
"Nothing!" Ranma defended. "Machiko did tell them we were on a date, though."
"Oh, good. As long as that's all they know. The last thing I need is my bride to be worried about this," Ryoga calmed down a little.
"However," Ranma started.
"What do you mean however?" Ryoga asked.
"However, Ukyo told me that she intended to speak with me about this as I was leaving with Machiko. You know she isn't going to let it go. How do you want me to handle this? The last thing I want to do is make a bigger mess of the situation," Ranma said.
Ryoga sighed. "Let me think about it for a few minutes," Ryoga said, then paused for a moment as he remembered the second part of his plan. "How was the date? Is there a second date arranged?" Ryoga smirked at Ranma.
"I didn't actually ask her if she wanted a second date. Were you actually trying to set me up with this girl?" Ranma asked.
Ryoga chuckled. "Maybe. You can't dwell on someone who isn't here or someone who isn't available. Machiko is available and pretty. I don't really know much else about her except that she likes you, so why not see if something's there or could be?" Ryoga asked.
Ranma sighed heavily. "I don't know," Ranma said.
"Why not? You aren't committing to marrying her. You're just getting to know her. Come on, Ranma," Ryoga nudged him.
Ranma shook his head in disbelief at his friend. "You're a jerk. Fine," he said defeated. It was an easy defeat, as there wasn't a lot being asked of him.
Ryoga smiled. "Good. I'll set up the next date, but you need to take it from there. I don't know where your ego went, but you need to remember that you are Ranma Saotome, Master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. You can handle a simple date," Ryoga said with encouragement and pride.
Ranma laughed. "It's crazy how far we've come as friends. Thanks, man. I needed that," Ranma said, feeling truly grateful to have Ryoga in his life. He was his only close friend who also happened to be a guy. Mousse could have been a friend, but he's too busy chasing after Shampoo and Ranma definitely did not want to be around Shampoo.
"Ranma!" Ukyo said from the entrance of Ucchan's.
Ranma winced. Shit. Here it comes. "Hey there, Ukyo!" Ranma said, pretending nothing of significance had occurred.
Ryoga jumped over the counter and greeted his bride-to-be with an embrace. "I missed you so much, my future wife," Ryoga said, "Ranma tells me you met Machiko."
Ranma raised an eyebrow at his friend, as they never finished discussing what to do about the situation.
Ukyo looked at her fiance with suspicion. "You know this woman?" she asked.
"Of course. Her parents are friends with my parents. Ranma and Machiko met when we went to go find my parents and I decided to set them up on a date. I thought it would be good for him," Ryoga smiled at her. Ryoga wasn't really lying, he just wasn't being entirely forthcoming with the whole truth.
Ukyo looked at Ryoga, then at Ranma. "You said you have a really good reason," Ukyo accused.
Ranma shrugged. "Well, the good reason is Ryoga played the best man card. Wants me to have a date to the wedding. It's going to cost him one day, in some way, when I get married," Ranma chuckled.
Ukyo shifted her gaze between the two men suspiciously. "Okay. I guess. I wish I had known about this prior so I could have kept Akane away," she said with immediate regret.
"Why would you need to keep Akane away?" Ranma promptly asked with growing curiosity.
Ukyo looked at Ranma. "Don't give your hopes up. It was a little hurtful for her to see. That's all," Ukyo told him.
Ranma felt his heart flutter. "Oh. I didn't realize," he said. He looked over at the clock. "Sorry guys, I have to go put Megami to bed before my mother kills me. I've been gone for a few hours. She loves Megami, but she doesn't like taking over my responsibilities too long, especially since she watches her while I'm in class. I'll talk to you both tomorrow, okay?" Ranma said, as he hurried out the door.
Ukyo looked at Ryoga. "Oops. I shouldn't have said anything," she said. Ryoga smiled and then put his arm around her.
After putting Megami to bed, and making sure she was sound asleep, Ranma couldn't contain himself any longer and rushed over to Akane's house.
He knocked on the door. Kasumi answered and allowed him to enter to visit Akane. Ranma hurried up the stairs, anxious to figure out what Ukyo meant with her earlier statement. He couldn't let this go. His mind was going a mile a minute. If there was any chance at all that this could mean anything, he needed to know. He lightly knocked on her bedroom door.
"Yes? Come in!" Akane called. Ranma took a deep breath then opened the door. Akane looked up from her bed where she sat in her pajamas, placing the book she was reading down beside her.
"Hey Akane," Ranma said.
Akane blinked a few times. "Ranma? What are you doing here so late?" she asked.
"I.." Ranma started, then realized he really didn't have a good answer for that. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he finally answered. It wasn't really a lie, he figured.
Akane cocked her head to the side, inspecting the man in front of her who had clearly rushed over based on his obvious increased heart rate and mild amount of sweat. "I'm okay, are you okay?" she asked.
Ranma gave a small smile, as he realized he was being ridiculous. "I'm sorry, Akane. I'm not sure what I'm doing, to be honest with you. Ukyo mentioned that you felt a little hurt seeing me with Machiko and I.. I don't know," Ranma looked away from Akane and took another breath to give himself a moment to find the words. "The truth is I really needed to know what that meant."
Akane sighed. "Ranma, you can't keep reading into things like that," she told him.
"Why? Because I'm going to be disappointed or because it does mean something and you don't want to admit it?" Ranma said, surprising himself with the meager amount of confidence he found.
"Ranma.." Akane trailed off, almost threatening him to stop.
"Listen. I know I really screwed up. I know you have real feelings for Kaze. He's an amazing guy and he's good to you, I know that," Ranma kept talking as he looked back toward Akane and moved closer to her. "Akane, I love you. I love you so much that I don't even know what to do with myself most of the time. I have been beating myself up over what I did to you for a long time. Although my brain is telling me that I need to stop all of this, my heart won't let me. I will do my best to accept if you really want to be with Kaze, but if there is even an ounce of desire inside of you that's for me then I have to fight for it."
Akane took a nervous breath as Ranma got closer. Ranma sat on her bed, his body turned to Akane.
"Akane, I'm sorry I've been so stupid and hurtful since you met me. I put you through hell, and I know it will take a lifetime to make up for it. I acted impetuously. We were meant to be together. We are the heirs to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. There is no one else I can or would want to run the school with. You have always been my destiny. It was set out for us, which probably made the whole thing feel forced, but it was so much more than that and I just didn't see it at first. I should have told you from the very beginning how incredible you are. I should have let my walls come down and told you how I felt long before we ever made it to Jusendo. I was just a stupid kid, and I'm not all that much older now but every moment I grow even a little wiser, I realize just how stupid I was to let you get away," Ranma didn't know where the words were coming from, but they kept pouring out, full of contrition for his mistakes and poor past behaviour.
Akane couldn't believe this massive declaration happening in front of her. She knew Ranma cared about her and said he loved her, but this is the first time since Jusendo where she actually thought she could feel it. "Ranma, I don't understand why you want to be with me all of a sudden. You always called me uncute, so why are you saying these things now?" she asked.
Ranma leaned in closer to Akane. "It was never true. I only said that because I was so scared of what I actually felt. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," he told her as Akane momentarily lost her mind and threw her arms around Ranma's neck to pull him into a kiss. Ranma was stunned, but had no intention of giving up this opportunity. The kiss was passionate and only grew deeper. Ranma pushed Akane back against the wall. Ranma held himself up with one hand against the wall while he cupped Akane's face with the other.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
Akane and Ranma ignored the phone and continued.
"Akane!" Kasumi called from downstairs. "There's a phone call for you!"
Ranma broke the kiss and looked at Akane with a blissful smirk. "You've never been more beautiful than you are in this exact moment, flustered from kissing me for real for the first time," Ranma said as he smirked at Akane.
"Wow," Akane said as she stared into Ranma's deep blue eyes, legitimately shocked at how amazing that kiss made her feel. There were a thousand thoughts flooding her mind as she reached over and grabbed her phone. "Hello?" Akane waited for the response. Akane's face dropped and her eyes widened. "Kaze! Hello! How is it going in Canada?" Akane asked, in utter disbelief that she had forgotten about her boyfriend while kissing someone else.
"Akane, is Ranma there?" Kaze asked.
"Ranma? Why are you asking about Ranma?" Akane asked, very confused.
"I just had a gut feeling that Ranma was there and that I should call you," Kaze admitted.
Akane looked over at Ranma. "No, I don't know where Ranma is. Do you need to talk to him?" Akane asked, wincing at her own lie. Ranma raised an eyebrow at her, confused as to why Akane would lie about his whereabouts.
"No, not really. Just a bad feeling. Anyway, it looks like most of the cleanup is done now and I can head back home. Things are pretty much back to normal around here. I'm going to rest first and then I will make the journey home tomorrow. I have some pretty amazing news, though. I found the cursed person in all of this mess! I'm bringing them with me tomorrow. They are quite apprehensive, but this storm made their situation worse. There is a lot to explain, I will tell you all about it when I get back tomorrow. I miss you," Kaze told her.
"Oh, that's wonderful news! I miss you, too. We will see you tomorrow then!" Akane said with a bright smile on her face, which dropped the second she hung up the phone. She looked over at Ranma. "Ranma, Kaze didn't deserve that. What are we doing?"
Ranma felt his heart rip apart and looked away from Akane, in fear that he may actually start crying in front of her if he saw her face again. "I'm sorry, Akane. I'll go," Ranma got up off the bed, adjusting his clothing. The moment was ruined in spectacular fashion.
"Ranma, wait," Akane stopped him as he turned to look at her. "This wasn't your fault. This was on me. I'm sorry I let it get that far before thinking things through."
Ranma smiled sadly at Akane. "It's okay, Akane. I broke your heart. This is just karma."
Akane stood up from her bed and walked over to Ranma. Ranma watched her intently, unsure what Akane was going to do. Akane stopped right in front of Ranma, then pulled him into a hug. "Ranma, I don't want to break your heart no matter what you did to me. I just can't do it to Kaze, either. Let me have some time to figure this out. We'll talk soon, I promise." Akane let go and looked up at Ranma. Ranma nodded, then turned to leave the room.
"Oh, Ranma. One more thing," Akane stopped him once again. "Kaze says he finally found the cursed person and is bringing them to Nerima tomorrow."
Ranma nodded. "That's great, Akane. I'll come by tomorrow, then," Ranma said morosely, then continued to leave Akane's room. Nothing had ever felt as electric as that moment when not only did Akane kiss him, but they kissed each other. Ranma felt years of their relationship come crashing together in pure ecstasy before it was destroyed by one simple phone call by one important person.
Akane sat on her bed staring blankly at the wall. Shit. What just happened? Why did I do that? Why did it feel so right?