~(Stomach grumbling)~ Ranma puts his hands over his noisy belly as he goes down the stairs with his tomboy trailing down behind him. She was taking her sweet time walking down the stairs while supporting her kimono with her hands. He made a pained face at her and said while whining,
"Can ya move a little faster tomboy… I think I am gonna faint anytime now.."
"Oh honestly, Ranma! And who's fault do you think it was in the first place?!"
"Please, don't remind me 'bout that.. Can ya just hurry up, so that we can reach home fast.."
"Well, if you're this hungry, why didn't you go to Ucchans for free okonomiyaki?" She asked a little uncomfortably as she avoided looking at him.
"Nah! I don't think it's a good idea after that incident happened.." He said as he scratched his face with his finger, then he suggested her with a little excitement,
"Hey, it's never too late ya know.. We can easily go there now and have them free..!"
"Do you have money with you?" She asked him with a small voice…
"Money?! Why do we need them? It's for free, of course!"
She stopped at the gate and turned to him with a straight face. Then she firmly said to him,
"It's free for you, Ranma. Not for her rivals… I don't have money with me either, so.. I should not even think about going there right now.. But, you know what? I think you better go there by yourself, dinner won't be ready this early… So, take your time, go there and have a snack.. Don't worry about me, I'll go-ahead to your house.. I am not that hungry anyway.." She finished talking while giving him a fake smile.
And in return, Ranma gave her a hard bored look and shook his head at her in disappointment. Then he told her while faking a yawn,
"Look, if ya finished with yar boring lecture, can we just head home? I am really feeling tired here.." Saying that bitterly, he started walking ahead of her.
Akane was not expecting that reaction from him at all. She became so stunned to get that answer from him and to see him giving her a disappointed look..
'Why is he angry all of a sudden? Is he... is he hurt?!'
She thought to herself, but then, when she saw him leaving her again, she growled and started following him in haste,
"Hey!" She yelled, "Wait for me!" But he kept walking as he balled his hands by his side, not looking back at her at all. Akane huffed and tried to catch up with him with a lot of difficulties as she again tried to call him to stop,
"Oh honestly, Ranma! What's wrong with you? Wait up! Ranma!"
Ranma stopped suddenly, making her bump into his shoulder. She almost fell over the ground if Ranma hadn't acted instantly and grabbed her arm. Akane sighs in relief and looks up at an irritated looking Ranma. He grumbles and matured to her moodily,
"As clumsy as ever!" He didn't let her arm go and easily pulled her up as he hooked it with his arms. Then without saying anything further, he started walking alongside with her.
Akane gulped in anticipation, her heart started to beat faster as she looked at their tangled arms. It always amazes her to think how strong Ranma really is..! He very often shows this side to her. Always acting like a complete baka, taking her hit ungracefully and behaving like an annoying kid.. It's only times like this when she notices how tough he actually is, how opposite of baka he really is, how matured he is... She blushed with her own thoughts and started thinking of ways to apologize to him for whatever she said to make him upset like this. She sighs defeated when she found no way out, so taking a deep breath and with a shaky hand, she flatten her palm over his arm. And as soon as she laid her palm over his arm, she felt him getting stiff. She looked at him again and saw him sweating and suddenly his strong feature changed to a nervous wrecked one.. Akane was amused at how his expression changes so drastically..! She couldn't control herself anymore as she started giggling to herself while putting her hand over her mouth..
As for Ranma, he became really angry at her for even suggesting him to go to Ukyo's by himself. Well, how can he blame her for that! He is the one who always wanders around with those other girls, it's nothing new! But, that doesn't mean he has to like the fact that Akane is suggesting to him go to his other finances!
'Damn, why did it pinch so badly..?'
He thought to himself bitterly, then he had to stop when he heard her calling him over and over again. He sighed and as soon as he stopped walking, his clumsy tomboy bumped into him, which made her tipped badly. But he can never let her fall, not if his life depends on it. Without thinking that much, he gripped her arm tightly and pulled her up and locked her with his arm. He was still hurt by what she suggested to him.. So he kept quiet and silently started walking alongside her.
'She should hit me for even thinking about going to her, not pushing me to go to her! How could she even say that? Doesn't it bothers her anymore? But.. but it should bother her, right? She just can't lay the topic as casually as she did!'
He thought sadly, then his thinking blanked when suddenly he felt her warm hand spreading over his arm. His whole body got stiff as he gulped in newfound nervousness. He started sweating hard as he forgot to get angry at her anymore.. Then suddenly, his nervous mind filled with calmness when he heard her giggling softly. Her giggles always works like a soothing music to his ears. He turned to look at her and saw her looking down, her face blushing as she hid her mouth to stifle her laughter. Then he saw her looking up at him, her smile widened as she shook her head at him.
"You are such a baka, you know that?" She said with such an affection filled voice that his heart started to beat rapidly.
He sighs and returned her smile with a genuine smile of his own as he replied with a soft tone,
"Yeah.. I know that.."
Hearing that, her eyes tear up as she starts blinking them to go away. Ranma noticed this and bumped her shoulder with his, making her laugh as she wiped the side of her eye-clean. They started heading home comfortably, talking, teasing, laughing, still holding each other, when suddenly they heard someone calling them from behind.
"Akane! Akane! Wait for me!" Akio shouted as he jogged towards them.
They stopped surprised and turned towards the voice with different expressions on their faces.
Akane smiled radiantly at him while Ranma gave him a heated glare…
Akio soon reached their side and stopped while panting hard. He smiled dazzlingly at her and said breathlessly,
"Thank God I have found you.."
Akane smiled sweetly at him and asked him politely, "Akio! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was looking for you, actually.." Akio replies..
"Again!?" Ranma asked with an annoying voice, getting more irritated.
"Ranma!" Akane hissed with a hard tone. Then noticing their still interlocked arms, she quickly tried to untangle her arm from him. Well, she tried her best though, because as for Ranma, when he felt her removing her arms from him, he tightly locked her and made it impossible for her to let go of him. Akane sighs defeated and stops trying to untangle herself from him. She looked at him and saw him giving Akio a childlike sheepish look. She shook her head and said to Akio with a gentle tone,
"Please don't mind him, Akio! He always behaves this childish whenever he is hungry.."
"Hey!" Ranma yelled angrily as he pouted at her face, "I'm not childish, Ya uncute tomboy.."
"Oh yeah!" Akane dared him to answer..
Akio turned his gaze towards Ranma and said,
"Well, it's okay Akane.. To be honest, I was looking for both of you.."
"Really? But why?" Akane asked as both she and Ranma faced Akio with a questioning look..
"Well, Tofu-oniisan has asked me to go to Saotome house after school.. You know, he wanted to talk about the survey about the Tendo house.."
"Oh…" Akane whispered, her features immediately dropped..
Ranma noticed her getting stiff at the mention of her house. He looked at her with worry and saw her trying her best to look indifferent. But she doesn't know something that he knows, he could see through her all the time. No matter how hard she tries, she can't hide anything from him.. He clears his voice and pulled her arm more securely around his and said with a hard tone,
"Well then, let's not waste any more time here.. We better go now.."
Akio nodded at them and soon they started walking side by side. After some moment, Akio again started talking to them casually,
"Hey, Akane.. Would you mind if I tell you something?"
Ranma grunted and Akane turned to him with a beautiful smile as she replied,
"Oh, you can tell me anything, Akio.."
Akio returned her smile with his own as he tucked his hands under his coat pocket and then said to her in a genuine tone,
"You are looking absolutely gorgeous today, Akane..!"
Akane laid her free hand over her cheek as she blushed red and looked at him, stunned.
"Really! You think so?" She asked him not believing.
"Well of course!" Akio almost shouted in his excitement as he gave her a killer look. Then he said again, "Honestly, I couldn't even recognize you at first! You are looking like a complete Japanese doll! So amazingly cute! If you don't mind me adding that too..!" He chuckled slightly as he winked at her direction.
Akane's blushing face got even more hotter as she got amazed by the sudden acknowledgement she was getting. Then her dazed stance broke, when she heard a low growl sound coming from her side and the sudden tightness on her other arm. Akane became confused how to respond to something like this, she is not used to all this at all. She traded her look from Ranma to Akio, then giving up, she started giggling nervously and replied to Akio,
"Oh, Akio, thank you.. You are such a sweet person.." She heard Ranma grunting even more roughly..
"Yeah, that's because I am spending time with one now.."
Akane just kept giggling, while sweat started to come out from her forehead.. Soon, they arrived at the Saotome house and they all went inside the house. At the entrance, Ranma paused and waited for her to remove her arm from him. Akane paused too and looked at him with a helpless eyes. She gently removed her arms from him and whispers slowly,
"Hey, lets go, Ranma.. It's important.."
Ranma looked at her and nodded and went inside the house leaving her standing at the entrance. Akane sighs with a heavy heart, then suddenly she notices her arm and sees his finger marks imprinted on them. It was slightly pink, barely anyone would notice it. But it was enough for her to feel a chill run through her body as she smiles looking at his retreating form as she bites her lower lip..
All the residents of Saotomes, Tendos and Tofus, made themselves comfortable sitting in the small living room. Kasumi and Nodoka, both served all of them some tea and snacks. The atmosphere around them was so tense. No one said a word, only sipping tea and cracking cookies were the only sounds coming from the room. After some moment has passed with complete silence, Kasumi's melody voice broke their stiffed features,
"Oh my! Father! Your cup is empty! Do you want me to fill the cup for you?"
"Oh, no no dear! I am full already!" He clears his voice and looked at all the people present in there. Then his eyes locked with his baby daughter's wondering eyes as he started to say,
"The dojo is completely broken, my daughter.. There is nothing we can do to fix it right away.." His voice shook as he started saying, then Tofu traded his place to give them some information..
"They cleaned up the Dojo today.. Good thing is that the floor is not damaged that much as we expected it to be.. "
"And what about our house, dear?" Kasumi asked with a sad tone..
Tofu looked at her and fixed his glasses as he said,
"About that, the foundation is moved slightly, so they won't allow you guys to stay there for now.. But they can fix the problem, but it requires lots of money, Kasumi.."
Kasumi puts her hand over her mouth as she took a sharp breath,
"Oh my! Father! Do we have that much?"
Soun looked down and said with a low whisper,
"All I have is the money that I gathered for your wedding, dear.. If I spent all this now, I won't be able to arrange anything for your wedding, dear.."
"Oh, father, father, father.. Please don't worry about our marriage right now. We can postpone it if you want.."
Soun started sobbing on his robe and said between his sobs,
"You have sacrificed all your life for us.. And now, now when I thought I could give you something in return, this happens! Oh! Why this had to happen now! Oh Kami!"
Kasumi rushed to his side and started rubbing his back for support…
"Tendo San is right..!" Suddenly Ranma spoke up with a hard tone and said firmly, "You have made enough sacrifices already.. Yea don't hafta make anymore!"
"But Ranma!" Genma intervines in the middle, "Fixing the house and the dojo is more important then any weeding at the moment! Properties are important..!"
"I think you should keep your mouth shut, husband dear!" Nodoka said firmly.
"But, dear.." Genma couldn't continue and gulped nervously, when he saw how heatedly Ranma and Nodoka both were glaring at him.
Nodoka sighs and told firmly,
"My son is right! You don't have to make any more sacrifices, my dear.. We should not consider delaying the wedding.."
"And we should not think about making it simple as well.. It's our Kasumi's weeding after all!" Ranma intervened excitedly, "And as for fixing the Tendo house and Dojo, we will soon find some way out for it, don't worry about it .. Let's not stress over this matter anymore.. Ya guys are stayin here, aren't ya? So you shouldn't be worrying 'bout that now.. Or do ya have any objections for staying here with us? Hey, Kane, Ya don't have any problem sharing my night pyjamas with me, do ya?"
Ranma asked cheekily as he turned to look at Akane. She was sobbing silently beside him and when she saw him looking at her for her answer, she hastily shook her head as she sniffed and said,
"Thank you, Ranma.. Thanks for everything.."
Ranma pouted at her face and while faking an angry look at her he whispered to her,
"Oh, so for me, it's only thanks you are giving, huh tomboy? Ain't I sweet enough?!" He chuckled, noticing her surprised look. Akane understood what he meant by saying that as she giggled softly and softly blinked her eyes at him. Then without thinking about her action, she secretly warped her hand with his, under the table, hiding it from the other members. This sudden action made Ranma blush as he turned to face others with his hand still interlocked with hers.
"Oh, Ranma, Ranma, Ranma!" Kasumi sighs happily as she lays her palm over her chest.
With a newfound excitement, Nodoka clapped her hand once and declared happily,
"Now! Forget about everything, all of you! Only concentrate on how to give our daughter's hands to our good Dr Tofu.. We have only a month left and a lot to do..!"
The once tense room filled with laughter and excitement again, as they talked, laughed and discussed the wedding. Only left for one person as he grumbled to himself, looking down, as he mutters to himself ,
"But, I need the dojo!.. If its not fixed then..."
A/N: Hello everyone! Please do read and review :).. You guys wait for the new chapters and whole week I keep waiting for a review.. Because, that's what keep me encourage enough to write more! See you soon!