Part 3
When Ranma returned to his room, he stripped down to his boxers. His shirt was a lost cause. He'd have to pay for it from the wage he earned helping out with the wedding. When the Training Hall branched out to bookings, it was agreed those who helped would earn a wage for doing so. It had been a joint effect to have save the Training Hall, and every one got paid.
He spat out a curse under his breath. He was angry. But it wasn't from the shirt.
One the wall, near his father's clothes cabinet, he stood in front of a tall mirror, and looked himself over, and he wondered what in the world had happened today. He was an attractive guy and Akane was a—when she wanted to be—a cute girl. Then why for heaven's sake had both of them gotten sick when they asked each other what should have been a yes or no answer?
Confusion filled his mind until to spurned more wonder. Was he truly meant to be with Akane? Maybe it was just not to be?
He shook his head and rolled his eyes with incredulity and left the decision up in the air as he got dressed into something more comfortable.
An hour later, after the party had wind down, and the guests departed, soon after the married couple had left together in a white sports car owned by the groom, leaving for their honeymoon, the clean up then began. And the rest of the afternoon went smoothly.
As smoothly as it could after someone got their heart wretched.
He spent time cleaning the pond of garbage that had blown in and sunk to the bottom. He used a pool net and tried to avoid the fish. But the koi seemed to be in a playful mood, because they kept trying to get purposely caught in the webbing and he had to keep pulling them out.
It seemed these koi had a mind of their own.
"How would you guys like me to cook up some tasty fish with you as the main course?" he said scornfully.
But his threaten fell on deaf ears. Fish didn't have ears. But eventually the koi got the idea and decided play time was over and swam away from him.
He had asked for this chore because he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, he was seriously rethinking his relationship with Akane. The others were all inside performing their own designated chores, Shampoo and Cologne had gone home. Kasumi was washing dishes, Nabiki was sweeping the house, and Akane was busy with—who knew what.
He made one final survey and sweep of the pond and then pulled the net out, and went to leave.
"Finished yet?" came a voice from behind him.
Ranma growled irate, turned, and saw Ryoga dressed in his normal clothes—like a bright yellow banana. The guy was beyond annoying sometimes.
"Oh, you're back," Ranma said derisively. "I thought you broke a leg or sumthin', since you avoided helping out with cleaning? I did, however, notice P-Chan was lurking around, doin' nuthin'. You lazy son of a…" He left the last word open to personal thought.
"My curse does have its advantages sometimes," Ryoga said with a smirk.
Ranma held the pond net so tightly that it almost snapped, but then he forced himself to relax. He didn't want to have to pay for something else. "You know, I really don't want to talk to you right now, or listen to any of your mockery. Get lost, Ryoga. Better yet, get wet!"
And Ranma whacked Ryoga across the head with net pole and knocked him into the pond. Ryoga made a huge splash, after he had staggered back, and fell in. Ranma laughed, letting out some of the tension that he housed.
"That felt good, really good!" he said pleased.
Ryoga's curse instantaneously took hold and P-Chan emerged, squeaking, and he treaded water. Ryoga's clothes floated on the surface. As Ryoga swam to shore, Ranma swept up his rivals clothes with the net and with a mighty swing, flung them through the air, and directed them onto the roof of the house. They landed with a wet splat in a heap.
P-Chan growled at him, bearing his fangs. He squealed angrily.
"At least, they'll dry up there for as long as the sun's out," Ranma said with a snort and a laugh. Then he looked back to P-Chan. "Serves you right, Ryoga. When someone tells your they want to be alone, respect their wishes. I want to be alone."
With his front feet on shore, his body still in the water, P-Chan cocked his head, bewildered and confused, no longer angry. But Ranma didn't care how he sounded. He got the last word.
But then, guilt hit him. He took out his frustration on Ryoga. He sighed deeply. "Ah, nuts!" he said, looking back up at the roof. Then back. "Sorry pal, I didn't mean to do that to ya," he said honestly. "I'm just, well…" He clenched a fist and thought of Akane and the day he had had. "Forget it. It's nobody's problem but my own."
Ranma climbed the drainpipe to the roof and retrieved Ryoga's clothes, then dropped them outside the ground floor bathroom on the other side of the house where he knew Ryoga could get to them, after changing back without suspicion, of course.
P-Chan went back into the house.
Minutes later, Ryoga re-emerged, dressed in his clothes, ringed out but still a little damp. Ranma watched him climb up onto the roof, then sit down next to him. Ranma had his hands around folded legs as he looked out over the landscape.
Ryoga took a breath, then said, "Ranma, what's wrong? You look—forsaken. This isn't like you. Today was a good day for the Tendo Training Hall. Did something happen?"
Yes, sumthin' did happen, but I aint tellin' you! Ranma thought.
Did he love Akane or was it some weird infatuation as he lived with her?
Ryoga loved Akane, but his attachment was more animalistic in nature, and "imprinted" on his psyche from the day Akane found him and named him P-Chan—P for "pig" and Chan for "cute". In his demented reality, Ryoga really thought Akane loved him. He was wrong. And she even said so, during the huge battle whereby Ryoga perfected the Lion Roar Shot.
Ranma knew strange things happened sometimes. He had seen movies where enemies became friends, and friends eventually became lovers. But that could never happen here. The very notion that he and Akane could ever be anything other than…
He stared off into space wondering if that were true? They say polar opposites attract.
The signs were there. Was getting "sick" a way to break the ice? Ranma felt himself blush.
Ryoga waved his hand across Ranma's line of sight, forcing Ranma to blink.
"Earth to Ranma," Ryoga said. "Are you okay? And why is your face suddenly red? Are you coming down with something?"
Maybe, Ranma thought. And he knew he was sick, love sick.
"P-Chan!" suddenly came Akane's voice. "Where are you? Where did you go?"
Ranma watched as Ryoga stood up and smiled, almost giddy with anticipation. "Well, gotta go. P-Chan was here before the wedding, then disappeared. Now it's time for an encore."
Ranma grit his teeth. He detested the notion that Ryoga as P-Chan got to spend more time with Akane than he ever did and saw things Ranma had yet to see of an intimate nature.
Ryoga crossed over to the other side of the house.
Ranma turned, as Ryoga said, "Fish my clothes out of the pond, will ya? I'll expect them to be completely dry in the morning." He winked.
"Why you—"
Ryoga ran and took a flying leap off the roof and splashed into the pond. Luckily, it was deep enough, or the guy could've really hurt himself. Ranma thought he saw some of the koi jump out of the water when Ryoga broke the surface. Within moments, P-Chan swam to shore. He shook off like a wet dog and then trotted into the house—and into Akane's arms.
Ranma gripped the edge of the terrance and watched the reunion. He seethed.
"Fish'em out yer self! You selfish prick!" he said to himself. "I aint your servant!"
He flipped off to leap down, when suddenly he was kicked in mid-air. The impact sent him flying into the pond with a heavy splash.
He emerged, taking a deep breath, coughing out water—lucky he hadn't swallowed a fish. "What the hell! Who did that? What was that fer?"
"Ranma!" came his father's crass voice from under the terrance out-cropping. "When are you going to take the plunge?"
Ranma clenched his teeth. His father was a large, burly man, who often wore a large white Gi, and a head-covering to hide his bald skull. He was a traditionalist, and it was his fault where Ranma found himself in—both with the Jusenkyo curse and his engagement with Akane. Ranma hoped generics skipped a generation. He couldn't see himself bald. He almost found himself such after the curse that inhabited his pig-tail was unleashed, but that was over now.
Ranma knew exactly what his father meant. "Pop! I don't need this right now, okay?" Along with his male persona, his voice also changed—less deep, more whinny. He could hear the change every time the curse altered his body.
He crawled out of the pond and flicked water off himself, his shirt now pressing against his buxom chest like skin tight vinyl. He flinched. Something tickled him.
He took off his shirt, revealing a white tank top underneath, and a koi that had managed to swim up his sleeve and into his shirt's middle, getting trapped, pressed between—and he reached in and pulled it out, it wiggled in his fingers, and then jumped back into the pond.
He hated his curse and vowed one day he would get rid of it. But after Jusenkyo flooded, that was now moot. He hoped there was another way? He wondered if the wedding made his father sentimental like it had Akane, hence the dramatics.
"Don't test me, Pop. I'm not in the mood for this."
"Then when, Ranma? You've had more than enough time to decide. But if you don't want Akane, then there are plenty of other 'fish' in the sea of choose from—like Shampoo or Ukyo."
Ranma grasped his fists. His father could be so callous sometimes. He had had enough to deal with right now. His own internal turmoil. He didn't need more pressure.
"Face it, my boy," Genma Saotome came out into the open in the grassy area, "and I'm starting to worry about you. And you're breaking your father's heart." His father put an arm across his face dramatically and pretended to cry. "You wound me, Ranma. Stop me so selfish!"
That was when Ranma snapped. He grabbed his father and shouldered him, launching him into the pond. Despite his father's girth, Ranma easily tossed him, using his father's own weight against him. His father protested, splashed loudly, sending the koi in every direction. One of them flew into the air and Ranma quickly cupped his hands and caught it. He tossed it back.
His father rose, emerging as a giant Panda, with his glasses hanging off his left ear. His father growled an outcry, but Ranma just scoffed.
"Cool off, Pop," Ranma said, and then left.
Ranma entered the Dojo. It had been cleaned and it was ready for use.
He needed to work out some of his frustrations, and after changing back to his male ego, getting some boiled water, flicked off his slippers, and exercised for an hour without stopping.
Physically exhausted, he dropped on the floor, covered in sweat, spread eagle.
But psychologically, it hadn't helped.
He was just as resentful with his thoughts when he came to Akane as before.
And he didn't have a way to stop the torture.
Maybe someday he would figure it out, but right now—he just play it close to the chest. If Akane forgot their conversion and everything that lead up to it, then he was pretty much safe.
He'd leave it at that, for now.
But he did imagine himself for a moment in that cool white suit the groom wore at the wedding, but with a slight alteration—a pink shirt and a tie.
And his bride—
"Oh my god, what am I thinking?"
END