A/N: Happy New Year:D I didn't really like this chapter that much, because it was more of a transitional one... but things will definitely pick up in the next! ;) Enjoy the chapter.
Kismet
A Ranma ½ Alternate Universe
By Andrina
Chapter 5
"I am not an adventurer by choice, but by fate."
-Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890)
Ranma had exceptional reflexes. After years of training, this was to be expected, of course. He could move faster than the average human being, he could hit harder than the average human being, and he could hold out much longer than the average human being.
He could also hear and see better than the average human being.
So it was, that even from his post within the safety of the forest's reaches, that he managed to pick out the voice of Akane, slightly nervous but still steady: "My name is Aka — Akako. Akako Matsushita. Suzu Matsushita is my, uh, father."
He could have smacked his head right there and then. Instead he tensed himself, getting ready to spring at a moment's notice. He did not need to see it, but he knew that Ukyo and Ryoga had to be tensing up too, from where they were situated within the safety of the forest. Wow, what kind of a crummy excuse was that? The general was definitely going to find out that something was not quite adding up, and then they would be in big trouble…
The plan had been simple. They were to avoid violence and confrontation at all costs. Since Ranma, Ryoga and Ukyo would run too high of a risk should they be situated within the crowd of villagers, Akane and Sango were to blend into the crowd instead. If nothing bad happened, then they were to stay in the crowd, and try not to draw any attention to themselves. Ranma, Ryoga and Ukyo would watch over a distance away, concealed within the forest's edges. After the soldiers left, then they would join up and leave the village immediately.
That was Plan A.
If the situation threatened to turn dangerous, Akane and Sango would attempt to do something to help it boil over peacefully. Of course, they would do so in a diplomatic way, and Ranma, Ryoga and Ukyo would be at the sides, waiting. Once the soldiers left, then they would join up and leave the village immediately.
That was Plan B.
As for Plan C (and Ranma sincerely hoped very much that the situation would not deteriorate to the point where they would be forced to succumb to Plan C), should things threaten to turn ugly, not just for the villagers but also for the two young women planted within the villagers, then Ukyo would cause a diversion of some sorts, and they would try, as best as they could, to leave the village immediately. In the end, it all boiled down to leaving the village. It was just a matter of how ugly their departure could get.
Ranma winced inwardly. He hoped it wouldn't get too ugly. Furiously, he swore not to let this happen again. It was wasting too much time and putting too many in danger. They wouldn't get found out without at least ample warning. He couldn't believe he had let security get this lax. After this was over, Ranma would be looking forward to thrashing Ryoga. Although it was entirely possible that Ukyo had already taken care of that task for him. She had been pretty furious the night she returned with Akane, and had left to chew Ryoga out.
Speaking of Akane…
He turned his gaze back to the scene unfolding within the village square, before wincing slightly. She looked pissed. He hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid.
"My name is Aka — Akako. Akako Matsushita. Suzu Matsushita is my, uh, father."
Akane winced mentally. Okay, so that was completely unconvincing. For a moment she stared up at the general on the horse before her, almost certain that he would be able to see right through her crummy little disguise. And the villagers weren't helping much either; she could hear the flurry of disbelieving whispers that rose like behind her. She could somehow sense Sango tensing, ready to take on anything that was thrown their way.
The general stared at her. Unperturbed, Akane raised her head and stared right back, her eyes boring into his… almost as if she wanted to make him squirm. It was inevitable, yet she could feel a surge of anger and repulse rising up. Did this bastard lead the attack on the Temple too?
Akane had a very hot temper. Kasumi often chided her on it, asking her to try and be more understanding and patient with others. The other Maidens knew better than to bother her when she had worked herself up into a rage; the best way to deal with it was to let her find a way to dispel the anger, and within a few hours they knew Akane would be back to normal again.
But she had never quite recalled feeling this… this intensity of anger before. It was more than good old anger, it was fury, combined with loss and injustice and the burning question that choked her should she be careless enough to let her mind wander too much: 'Why?' Akane wanted to hit him. She wanted to hit him so badly. But she did not. She could not. Not now. Not in this situation. So she steeled herself.
She had no idea reining in her emotions could be so hard to swallow. It burned at her, like an angry scald on her skin. Yet somehow she managed to choke it back, and she stared carefully at the general, feeling a strange sort of calm ebb into her.
She unnerved the general. She could see it in the brief tightening of his jaw, in the slight shift he made on top of his horse. This thought registered faintly at the back of her mind, and Akane hid a small smirk. "Old man," the general broke in suddenly. "Don't you know that women should be seen and not heard? You ought to teach your daughter better."
Akane began to fume. Her urge to hit him was redoubling. "Akako is a spirited child," came the serene voice of the old Village Headman beside. "We should not seek to curb this life in her."
Akane stole a quick glance at Matsushita. He seemed to catch her gaze, because the sides of his mouth quirked up in a small smile at her. He understood, then. Abruptly she felt a surge of respect for the bent old man, for handling everything with such imperturbable calm, and without ever missing a beat.
"Very well," the general grumbled. "You, girl! You are his daughter, are you not?"
Akane nodded.
The general smirked, and swung his sword away from the elderly Matsushita. In one fluid motion, he swept it through the air and brought it to an abrupt stop, inches from her face. Akane started. The crowd behind her burst into flurried nervous whispering. Her breathing quickened; that sword looked awfully sharp and shiny…
The general stared down at her. In a calm voice, he announced, "Since you are his daughter, then you will take your father's place in this discussion."
Her breath hitched. Okay, this wasn't really going the way she wanted it to. She steeled herself. All right, think fast, Akane. Think fast like how Nabiki does. How hard could it be? After all, every time Nabiki broke out her smooth talk; she made it look so easy.
"Tell me, Akako Matsushita, about everything you know about the rebels," the general addressed.
Akane chewed her bottom lip delicately. Maybe thinking fast wasn't really her strong point. That's was Nabiki's area of specialization, not hers! But all the same, she was pretty sure she could carry off a convincing fib or two… Besides, this stuffy general didn't look too bright either.
She was saved, however, by the distinct steady voice of Sango. Oddly enough, Sango sounded uncharacteristically demure and polite. "Aka—I mean, Akako won't be able to tell you very much, sir," Sango said carefully, making her way to the edge of the crowd. She kept her eyes prudently on the ground, bowing slightly when she reached the edge and broke out from the crowd to take a stand beside Akane. "You see, Akako wasn't the one who met the rebels."
The general stared down suspiciously from his horse at Sango. "Who are you, girl?" he demanded.
"Sana," Sango replied without skipping a beat. "I'm a friend of Akako."
The general wrinkled his brow, and for a brief moment, Akane let her gaze sweep over him quickly, wondering absently if he found the black moustache heavy. "So," said the general. "I hope you learn from your friend, Matsushita Akako. That is how a woman of your age should be speaking and behaving."
Akane could feel Sango bristling silently beside her. She held back an amused laugh, knowing how bad it would be in such a situation, and instead, sought to reach out for Sango's ire as a means of rooting and steeling herself. "I'm sorry, sir," she tried, and to her surprise, her voice came out soft and gentle. Taking a leaf out of Sango's book, she tilted her chin such that her gaze rested on the earth beneath her feet. It was easier too, now that she did not have to stare right into the eyes of the general. It made fibbing easier. "I must have gotten carried away by the moment," she continued.
Placated, the general cleared his throat importantly. "You have something of importance to add? Perhaps you will tell us who met the rebels?"
"Yes," said Sango calmly. "I did."
The general raised a brow at her simple reply. "As much as I guessed," he answered dryly. "Would you care to elaborate?"
"I was fetching water from a well some distance within the forest," Sango began slowly. "On my way back, I met with this group of people. There were about six to seven of them, and they seemed to have been traveling. They asked if there were an inn at the village, and I told them there was. They asked me to show them the way."
Now the general was looking interested. He wasn't the only one. It seemed as though the entire crowd fallen silent, listening avidly to Sango's 'recount'. Akane was now watching in a curious mix of admiration and dread. Sango carried on, however, in a completely calm and steady manner. "I agreed to show them, sir, because I did not know who they were. They asked a lot of questions, like if there had been any soldiers passing through the village recently. After a while, this young man asked me if the people in our village were happy with His Highness Dasier. I said yes, yes we were very comfortable under His Highness's rule.
"He was a bit disappointed, I think. Then he asked if I would like to have a shot at overthrowing His Majesty and taking over Nerima with them." Here, Sango paused and widened her eyes at the general. "I thought he was joking, sir. But he was completely serious. I was so nervous; I showed them to the inn and left them at once."
"The man," said the general. "The man who asked you. What did he look like?"
"Well," Sango replied slowly, appearing to be thinking hard. "I think he had a braid. He was taller than me, and blue eyes. I'm not sure."
"Ah!" said the general with grim satisfaction. "That's Ranma Saotome all right." Turning to the crowd, he cleared his throat. "Inn-keeper! Who's the inn-keeper?" he boomed.
Akane froze. She hadn't thought of that. Glancing furtively at Sango, she could see that Sango hadn't thought about that possibility either. To her immense surprise, a plump middle-aged woman crept out cautiously and took a stand in front of the crowd. "I'm the inn-keeper, sir," she said, and it was a thin quivery sound that greeted their ears.
"Tell me about these rebels," the general ordered.
The woman pressed her lips into a thin line. For a moment, Akane was afraid that she might give them away. Yet, after a moment, the woman burst fluently into a confident well-paced chatter. Yes, she did take a group of youngsters in. No, she did not have a chance to talk to them much; they kept too much to themselves. Yes, they had friends who arrived after a day or two. Oh no, they took all their meals at the inn. Yes, they stayed a while, but they just upped and left two days ago. How rude of them. Said something about being in a rush. No, she hadn't even known they were rebels or freedom fighters of any sort.
And it was as though this woman's talk had opened up a dam of some sort. It seemed as though the villagers had cottoned on, and this small show of bravery by one of their own was spurring them to back her, and the rebels, up. A few young men whom Akane could barely recall stepped out shyly, and spun tales of how a man with a braid, or a woman with a spatula, or a man wearing a bandanna, had asked them if they were happy, or if they would like to join them.
They're backing us up, Akane thought faintly. They're backing us up, and it was working. This show of spontaneous bravery, of teamwork, and looking out for each other was so surreal she could hardly believe it. She could see the doubt fade in the general's eyes, replaced by a resignation and grimness. Finally she stepped forward slightly.
"I'm afraid they are gone, sir," Akane said, in the most apologetic and careful voice she could manage. "We would like to help, however."
It clinched it.
The general heaved a sigh. "It appears that we are too late," he muttered. "As always. His Majesty won't be happy about it. Very well, we extend our thanks to you for your help. But if the rebels ever return…" He paused and sent a sharp look at Akane. "I would appreciate the dispatching of a messenger immediately."
Akane bowed. "Of course." She kept her eyes firmly on the ground, not wanting, not daring to look up as she heard the distinctive sound of horses' hooves on hard earth, an indication of the troops beginning to pull out from the village. Even when Sango raised her head to watch them leave, she still did not tear her gaze away from the ground.
Just as the rumble of horses and disgruntled men began to fade as the soldiers left the village, she felt a hand come down lightly on her shoulder. She looked up, and was rewarded with a kind smile from the elderly Headman standing behind her. "It's over, child," he said calmly. Then, with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "So, I have a daughter named Akako, eh?"
Akane mustered a sheepish grin at him. "Thank you," she said, dropping into a deep bow. "For backing us up."
Matsushita laughed, and Akane found that she liked the genial sound. "You're welcome," he answered. "My people and I are glad to help. We… ah… we are pleased with your intentions."
Akane smiled, and glanced at Sango as the young woman went forward to the innkeeper to thank her for her quick thinking. Around them, the crowd of villagers were breaking into fresh chatter and dispersing as they returned to their lives. Moments later, Sango jogged up to her side. "You okay?" she asked.
Akane nodded. "Yeah. Still, that wasn't something I would like to repeat," she admitted. "You were really good back there. Thanks for helping me out. I was getting a bit stuck."
Sango shrugged, and after a moment, a small friendly smile spread over her features. "You would have done fine," she assured her. "Anyway, we've got to get going." She jerked her head behind Akane.
Turning around in time to see Ranma, Ukyo and Ryoga emerge from the forests, Akane joined Sango in giving short waves. Breaking into a jog, Ukyo broke away from the small group and hurried forward to Akane and Sango.
"That was good," she said immediately upon reaching them, not even breaking a sweat despite all that distance she had covered in a run. Instead, she beamed at them happily. "That was really good. Good job. Anyway, this isn't really time to talk. You two better get ready. We have to leave."
"Now?" Akane asked. From the corner of her eye she could see Ranma making a detour to the side as he sought to speak with Matsushita.
"Yeah, now," answered Ryoga. He adjusted his belt slightly, and for the first time, Akane noticed how oddly… metallic and sharp it looked. No doubt he used it as a weapon of some sorts. "It's best if we use the time to leave, while the soldiers are in the opposite direction and unsuspecting of us."
"We have a small problem," Ranma spoke up as he joined them. Pinpointing Akane with a sharp look, he pressed his lips into a thin line grimly. "From what I heard from Matsushita, he says that while both Akane and Sango came out to speak to the general, Akane stared at him at first while Sango kept her head down all the time."
Grim understanding dawned on Ukyo and Ryoga's faces. Akane, on the other hand, was at a loss. "So? What's wrong?" she asked.
"Dummy," Ranma said, exasperated. "Think about it. Most women wouldn't act in these parts wouldn't act like the macho tomboy you are." At this he dodged a swipe from Akane and continued without skipping a beat. "You stared at the general, and chances are he's going to remember what you look like. If we encounter him again, he might remember that you're supposed to be 'Akako', and then he's gonna come right back to this village. And then…" He trailed off, and Akane groaned, finally getting the picture.
"Sorry," she said defensively, miserably. "I didn't think of that."
"We'll think of something," Ukyo interjected firmly. "Let's just get going first. Sango, you mind going off with Ryoga?"
Sango hesitated, looking doubtful.
"Don't worry, Ryoga's a jackass," Ukyo said dismissively, ignoring Ryoga's annoyed protest. "But he's a perfect gentleman."
Ranma, on the other hand, looked wary, if not a tad dismayed. "That means the macho chick is coming with us?"
Akane was glaring now. Ukyo smiled, and hoped that no one noticed that her smile was a bit strained. "It only makes sense, Ran-chan," she said quickly. "Think about it, Sango can defend herself fine, and with Ryoga around they should have no problems. Akane-chan, on the other hand, hasn't learnt to defend herself, so with you and me around, everything should work out."
"You forgot, Ukyo," Ryoga interrupted. "That the two of them might kill each other first."
Ukyo's smile became even more strained. "No, they won't," she corrected. "That's why I'm going to be around with that spatula of mine, and any killings are going to come through me first."
Ranma sighed in self-pity. Akane huffed.
Ukyo stared at the two of them for a moment, and heaved a sigh. This was going to be a long trip. What on earth had possessed her to take on the role of the martyr in keeping these two apart? It must be the late morning heat getting to her. Idly she wondered if she could make some last minute excuses and back out. Maybe she could swap places with Ryoga or something.
Ryoga shook his head emphatically at her. Don't get me involved, his eyes flashed dangerously.
Ukyo gave another sigh. Well, she was stuck. "Come on; let's get a move on it already."
"…Great weather, isn't it?" Ukyo said, in an all-too-chirpy voice.
No one replied. Ukyo tried to keep her smile from straining as they padded easily through the forest. Akane walked silently beside her, and Ranma moved a short distance behind them. Sneaking a look at Akane and Ranma, Ukyo noted with growing exasperation that they both wore identical expressions of deep-seated pain and suffering. It was altogether too dramatic, if you asked her. She shrugged to herself. Well, it was fine by her if this was the way they wanted to play it…
Truth be told, she had hoped that the acceptance of Akane into the organisation meant that Ranma would thaw a bit towards her in future encounters. After all, if he went back on his word and decided that having her as one of their members wouldn't be such a bad thing after all, then it must have meant something, right?
Ukyo hadn't expected Ranma to take Akane in.
He had been dead serious the night before when he said no. She had thought she could argue her way through or something; after all, Ranma usually took her advice based on their long friendship through the years. Yet, when he had disagreed, she had backed down, because she had seen the look on his face and she knew that no matter how close they were, Ranma had the stubborn will of wild horses, and once his mind was set, he would never change his mind. That night, when Ukyo had gone to look for Ranma, she had found that his quarters were dark and empty. Then she had gone to look for Akane, to apologize for Ranma's behavior, and Akane too was missing.
Now, Ukyo was a bright young woman. So she put one and one together… and was rewarded with a rush of triumph. The next morning, she went to Sango's quarters and found Akane sleeping like a log, and Sango with orders from Ranma to let her sleep in.
So Akane had survived the test, and Ranma had accepted her.
It was standard procedure, really. For anyone to be admitted into the ranks of their organisation, they had to be first approved of by Ranma, Ryoga and herself. Next, one of them would take the newcomer into the forest and lead them round and round and round. Then they would attack the poor hapless person. It was a good opportunity to assess the newcomer on his or her defense and skills.
More than that, however, it was also the perfect opportunity to understand the person.
Most people didn't really understand a simple fight like the one they liked to use as a test spoke volumes about the way you work. It told tales about your personality, whether you gave up easily, whether you had moral fiber, whether you could think fast on your feet, whether you sought to aggress others… It was precisely why they used it as a test, to judge the newcomers. Chances were most of the newbies didn't know a single thing about the Art. It never really mattered anyway. They were out to judge, not harm. All the strikes and punches and kicks were always pulled at the last moment, enough to prevent them from harming the newbie, and also enough to keep the newbie from realizing what was going on.
Those who passed would be admitted.
Akane passed. Ukyo smiled to herself. She had known that Akane would pass. She had the look of someone who was strong, who would be able to pick herself up despite a fall. She did, after all, have one heck of a pride.
Speaking of pride… Ukyo glanced sneakily at Ranma. He had one heck of a pride too. Maybe this short period of time would be good for them both. At last, someone who was both brave (or maybe it was imprudent) enough to yell back and stubborn enough to rival Ranma. She was going to have to tackle this carefully though, or it could blow up right in her face. Ranma would see that not everyone was a rival. Akane, though stubborn and prideful, did seem like a nice girl. Perhaps they would all be friends one day.
Ukyo grinned happily. Yep, she was going to make them thaw towards each other, and maybe take a step towards becoming friends. But first…
In her musings, she had not noticed that she was now lagging behind both Ranma and Akane. In fact, the two of them appeared to have found a new spat, because they were now beginning to snap loudly at each other.
Oh yes, Kuonji Ukyo would bring friendship to the world!
…First though, she had to prevent them from clawing each others' eyes out. "Okay, break it up, break it up!" she hollered, breaking into a jog towards them.
"I still don't know where we're heading," Akane mused idly. She seemed to be in a particularly good mood despite the fact that they had been walking for hours now and her feet were beginning to blister; the purpling bruise on Ranma's arm was to testify to her good mood. "We've been walking all day. Are we going to join up with the rest of the rebels?"
"Tonight, you mean?" Ukyo asked, surprised. "No, not tonight. I think we're going to have to camp out tonight. The nearest town is miles away. Anyway we won't be seeing the rest for quite some time."
Akane paused to glance at the other woman. "We won't? Where are we going then?"
"Oh, somewhere," Ukyo waved her hands vaguely. "The rest should be scattered all over Nerima now. Depending on what units they're in, they should in the forests or maybe in some of the smaller towns around here. They have orders to lie low until they receive the signal."
"Oh." Akane looked mildly puzzled. "How are they going to receive the signal, if they're all over the place?"
Ukyo gave a mysterious little grin. "It's one of the best kept secrets we have. You'll see," she answered flippantly. Twirling to face the sulking Ranma, she gestured to the setting sun over the horizon. "I think we should stop for the night. Akane-chan's probably not used to such long traveling, and besides, we should get some food. What do you think, Ran-chan?"
"Pfeh," came Ranma's intelligent reply. "Whatever." All the same, the pigtailed youth slowed down agreeably and pointed to a particularly large tree with wide-spreading branches. "That one. We'll stay here for the night."
Akane suspected that Ukyo had deliberately included the mention of food when she suggested them stopping for the night. And it seemed to have worked too, for Ranma was now inspecting the tree carefully, walking around it. Once satisfied, he made a grunt of some sort and broke into a run, disappearing into the forest. Akane blinked, confused. "Where's he going?" she asked.
"To get dinner," Ukyo replied cheerfully. "Come on, sugar, let's get a fire started."
It was the second time in two days that Akane was getting ready to light a fire. Branches and dry twigs were pretty easy to find, and before long the two of them had created a suitable heap of twigs and branches and dry leaves. Ukyo was about to start hunting for a flint. To her surprise, Akane halted her with a mischievous grin.
"Wait," she said. "Watch this."
Ukyo fixed her with a mildly confused stare. Carefully, Akane cupped her hands and stared intently at the space in her hands. She sucked in a deep breath and focused.
Careful now… Slowly… Slowly…
She left her eyes drift shut as she focused, and when she heard the startled gasp from Ukyo, she knew it had been done. Blinking, Akane grinned at the tiny ball of blue and orange flames dancing in the center of her palm. Carefully she dropped to her knees, and with a satisfied sigh, she released the ball and watched it as it rolled harmlessly from her fingers and dropped onto the pile of branches and leaves.
The pile burst into flames immediately upon contact.
Ukyo let out a low unladylike whistle. "Neat," she admired. Then: "I didn't know Maidens could do magic!"
Akane flushed but smiled. "We heal people, so we just learn to channel energy from the surroundings into sick people. It's not really much of magic. But some of us are stronger at handling energy and magic, like our Head Priestess Kikyo and her cousin Kagome, and they eventually learn to work simple spells, mostly domestic stuff to help people," she explained, poking casually at the fire with a stick. "And some people work better with some elements than others. I work well with fire. That's why the Maidens in the kitchen like to get me to light the fires. My sister Kasumi worked well with water… and she was really good at healing too."
Akane fell silent then, and Ukyo wisely chose not to prod.
After a moment of awkward silence, Ukyo perked up slightly. "Well, at least you have some ability with magic. That's bound to come in handy sooner of later. Ran-chan's weird with magic, though. Anything remotely magic ends up being completely unpredictable around him. I, on the other hand, can work magic about as well as I can fly."
She was rambling a bit. Ukyo knew that. She had always had a habit of rambling to get them out of awkward situations and moments. And for this time, it seemed to have worked, for Akane smiled then, and they carried on stoking the fire.
"Ah," said Ukyo pleasantly. "Looks like dinner's here."
Akane turned around slightly to see what Ukyo was pointing at, and then immediately wished she hadn't. Saotome Ranma strolled out of the trees with a satisfied grin, casually swinging two dead rabbits by their ears. She turned green at the sight of the animals flopping around limply.
Kasumi had been showing a rabbit to her right before the invasion came.
But she frowned, pushing that back. She wouldn't let something like that drag her down at this moment. Later tonight she might think about it again, but not now. No, definitely not now.
Still, it didn't excuse Ranma from treating the pair of dead rabbits like that! And she made sure to let him know exactly what she thought of that when she instinctively reached out to catch one of the rabbits as Ranma tossed them over. "Do you have to be that disrespectful to the dead?" she scolded angrily, even as she patted the limp animal in her arms mournfully.
Ranma paused and gaped at her. For a moment he looked like he wanted to retort, but then he shut his mouth. Then he shrugged. "I killed them quickly. At least they didn't suffer," he answered, mildly defensive.
It wasn't as though he had taken pleasure in killing the gentle frightened creatures, like some other sick psycho might have. It was either that or to go hungry for the night.
Ranma hated going hungry for the night.
But the damage had been done, and Akane turned away huffily. Ranma scowled. What the hell was up with that girl anyway? Uncute, violent, always fuming, tomboy, stupid, stupid, stupid…
Ukyo wisely chose to remain silent. Picking up the two rabbits, she shrugged and hurried off to prepare them for dinner.
It was only a matter of time before the rabbits were cooking over the fire. Ukyo had sweetly but firmly refused to allow Akane anywhere near the fire while the rabbits were being roasted; after all, they only had two rabbits to spare for the night. Akane hadn't seemed so happy, but she had grudgingly agreed.
But it was precisely because she was unable to help that she was forced to sit by the tree, trying her best not to scowl at Ranma. Eventually, it seemed that Ranma too was tired of sulking at her, for he got up and announced that he would be washing up in a stream nearby. "I hate smelling like rabbit," he groused to himself, and then he was gone.
Akane, of course, ignored this.
Then they had dinner. Dinner was good. Dinner was very, very mouthwateringly deliciously good. Or maybe that was because Akane was just feeling hungry, having not eaten for most of the day. Ranma returned from the stream just as Ukyo was poking at the meat to check if it were properly cooked.
Ranma seemed happier. Calmer, in fact, as though the time he had spent at the stream had restored his good spirits. Or maybe it was just the sight and smell of food. Akane didn't know, and didn't care to find out either. But one thing was for sure: Now that he wasn't constantly scowling, she found it hard to keep sulking too. So eventually she shrugged it off, content to ignore their little spat in favor of getting herself some food.
It was amazing how quickly they finished the two rabbits. Ranma was the most shocking eater Akane had ever had the misfortune of laying her eyes on; he seemed to have an incredible ability to stuff food into his mouth endlessly. He devoured his share as soon as he could get his hands on it, and reluctantly Akane was forced to gulp her own share down faster if she wanted to keep it.
At last, it came to a showdown over the last large chunk of meat.
Ukyo watched Akane and Ranma warily. She herself had gotten enough of the rabbits, so she was glad that she wasn't going to get involved in this. But Ran-chan, being blessed with a bottomless pit for a stomach, looked like he wouldn't mind snatching up the meat and eating it right there and then. On the other hand, Akane, too, was favoring the meat with a mournful expression and twitching fingers.
Ukyo pursed her lips. She hoped this wouldn't get too ugly. Frankly, she was getting tired of the two of them arguing all day long. "Now, don't get too violent over the meat, you two," she chided.
Ranma stared at Akane intensely.
Akane stared right back at Ranma. Without warning, she shifted her gaze wistfully to the chunk of meat, still dripping juice into the sizzling fire.
In that very moment, the battle was over. Ranma let out a miserable groan and slumped. "Fine, you can have the meat," he sighed. "Figures a chick like you would need plenty of food."
He was surprised when she pointedly chose to ignore his barb. He had thought an oversensitive and over-violent girl like her would flare right up, but instead of scowling or retorting ungratefully like he had expected her to, she simply reached over and plucked the meat out of the flames. But he was downright bowled over when she tore the chunk of meat carefully into two bite-sized pieces and handed one to him, favoring him with an honest smile. Then, to add on even more to his disbelief, she turned her attention back to her own chunk, popping it into her mouth and chewing with great care, all without even the smallest of insults.
Ranma glanced furtively at the dark sky above them. It had to be unreal. Was the sky going to fall next?
Turning his uncertain gaze back to Akane, he saw that she was now oblivious to him, sucking on her fingers with relish, one at a time, and dabbing daintily at the little dribble of juice at the side of her mouth and…
Stop right there. Hastily, Ranma tore his gaze away and tossed his chunk of meat into his mouth, chewing and swallowing with brusque deftness. The meat was sweet, he noted absently. Very sweet.
"…really good and… hey, where's Ranma?"
Ukyo tore her eyes away from Akane at her question and glanced around for the pigtailed young man. True enough, he was nowhere in sight, although the fire was still burning away heartily. Unlike Akane, though, Ukyo was completely unperturbed, having gotten used to Ranma's ways in their years of travel. "Don't worry, sugar," she said dismissively, padding over to the fire. "He's just up in the tree as usual."
"In the tree!" Akane repeated, now looking up dubiously into the shadowy branches against the inky black sky. "What's he doing up in the tree?"
"Sleeping," came Ranma's grunt, and as though on cue a twig fell out from the tree and landed on Akane's head. The young woman gave an indignant yelp and rubbed the top of her head furiously.
"You sleep in a tree?" she echoed incredulously. "What's wrong with sleeping on the ground?"
There came a rustle, and then Ranma poked his head out of the branches. "So I don't have to be near macho chicks like you!" he teased, sticking out his tongue. "Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the fire ants bite!" he sang, disappearing back into the thick leaves before Akane could retaliate.
Akane was steaming. "Why, you…!" Scooping up several pebbles from the ground, she flung them into the tree, and smirked gleefully when she was rewarded with a few yelps of pain and surprise.
"Akane!" Ukyo halted her, shaking her head slightly. "Save your energy for tomorrow; we have a long day ahead. Anyway, Ranma was just joking." At this, there came a grunt of agreement from the tree. "He sleeps in the trees every time we travel; it's just another habit of his."
"Oh," said Akane. She accepted the explanation without protesting; she could feel the day taking a toll on her already. Then something seemed to nag at her a bit, and reluctantly she voiced her concerns to Ukyo. "Uh, Ukyo, there aren't any fire ants around, right?"
Ukyo blinked. "No. At least, I don't think so. Fire ants don't live in these parts," she said confidently.
"Oh, okay then," Akane said, cheering up slightly. "Then I guess it's all right."
Ukyo hid a smile at Akane's obvious unease. Still, she was getting rather tired and couldn't wait to get some shuteye. "I'd love to chat, Akane, but I think I'm going to turn in now. You should sleep too," she advised.
Akane shrugged. "I think I wait till my hair dries before I turn in," she said lightly. "Why don't you go to sleep first? I'll just sit by the fire. My hair should dry fast."
"Okay, if you say so…" Ukyo glanced at her briefly. "Sleep soon, won't you? We've got a long day ahead." She paused to direct a warm smile at Akane. "Goodnight, sugar."
"Goodnight, Ukyo," Akane answered softly. She watched as Ukyo swept her long brown hair into a bun to prevent hair from touching the ground. Propping a brown leather pouch underneath her head to use as a pillow, Ukyo lay down and shifted around to get herself into a comfortable position. Moments later, her breathing had moved into the steady deep breathing of a sleeper.
Akane turned her gaze away, content.
The fire was crackling away. She stared at it for a long moment, and then she scooted closer to the flames, pushing in new twigs with a thoughtful expression on her face. Now that Ranma was out of sight in that tree of his, and Ukyo was fast asleep…
…Now there was peace.
Of course, Akane didn't mean peace in the 'peace-and-quiet' sense. It was more like peace in the 'Ah-now-I-can-finally-spare-myself-the-time-to-mull-over-stuff-on-my-own' kind of sense.
Her throat was feeling a bit sore, she noted absent-mindedly. She had done a lot of screaming and shouting today. Ukyo was really nice, but Akane really wanted some time to herself to think over the day. Hence the reason why she had asked Ukyo to turn in first.
Ranma, on the other hand, seemed to bring out the very worst in Akane. She knew she wasn't the most demure and gentle girl around. Even with the Maidens, she had liked running and jumping around in the forest, activities that were definitely not considered ladylike in the least. But even then, she had never screamed nor shouted nor thrown things so frequently at others before. She had been perfectly civil towards everyone else. She hadn't screamed at Ryoga, or Ukyo, or Sango, or anyone else, for that matter.
It was just Ranma.
Akane scowled. Jerk. She had only met him a day ago, but already he seemed to bring out the worst in her. Stupid, stupid jerk.
Sighing, she reached up to finger the wet locks of hair clinging onto her cheeks. After dinner, Ukyo and Akane had left for a nearby stream to clean themselves up. Tearing and gobbling up chunks of juicy rabbit meat by the fire tended to make you sticky and dirty, among other things. She had intended to only wash her face and arms, but a stumble in the dark led her to wet not just her face, but her whole head as well. Needless to say, Akane had been very annoyed at herself.
Still, it hadn't been too bad. She was thankful it was just her hair; she did not want to think about the wet discomfort she would be feeling if she had fallen entirely into the stream and gotten her clothes wet. All the same, Akane didn't really warm up to the idea of sleeping with wet hair, but with her sitting so close to the warm crackling fire, her hair was almost entirely dry anyway. Just a little while more and she would be ready to turn in for the night.
Having wet hair also, conveniently, gave Akane an excuse to mull over the day's happenings by the fire.
Things had happened so fast, hadn't they? She could hardly believe that she had been following Ranma through the forest in the dark exactly one day ago. Then it was a whirlwind of events and happenings, with her being inducted into the ranks of the rebels, lying and tricking the very same soldiers who had taken away her home, and now, camping out in the forest while they escaped the pursuit of the army.
And the oddest thing was, she loved every moment of it. Of course, she wasn't exactly feeling particularly confident of herself or calm; on the contrary, she was terrified for her own well-being, and she had noticed that she had been a lot jumpier in this new environment. But she was loving it, because traveling with the rebels like this filled her with purpose, and (dare she admit it), a strange sort of excitement and drive that was quickly replacing the fear and uncertainty within her as the day wore on. It had started deep within her, a little flare of faith for the future that came to life in the moment Ranma told her that they were real rebels who were fighting for a real cause. It gave her something to hold on to, and for that she was immensely relieved, because as the day wore on, this flare began spreading through every fiber of her being.
Sitting here by this warm crackling fire, silent and thinking, Akane could hear this strange excitement now roaring in her ears. And she found that she liked the feeling. She liked it very much. It filled her, and she felt as though somehow she had managed to salvage her situation.
What would Kasumi and Nabiki say if she told them she were going to join rebels and rise up to overthrow the King, Akane wondered idly, playing with her hair. She almost chuckled at the thought.
Kasumi would smile, of course, and reply kindly with mild interest, "Oh, I don't know, Akane dear. Rebellions can be very dangerous. Are you sure?" Or she might say, "It isn't very ladylike, is it, Akane? You'll make sure you prepare enough healing salve for yourself, won't you?"
Nabiki, of course, would peer at her for a moment and raise a brow in dubious scrutiny. "Rrrrrright," she might drawl, and grin amusedly at Akane.
In other words, neither Kasumi nor Nabiki would have believed her. In fact, Akane wasn't sure if she might have believed herself either. She would have scoffed and laughed it off, most likely. But she was really going to do it. And she found that she had no regrets.
Being part of the rebels wasn't just going to be about overthrowing the greedy King and restoring the Maidens' honor. It wasn't entirely about avenging her sisters, although that issue was one of the main driving forces. Ranma had said the young women had been captured for King Dasier to… amuse himself with. Akane didn't dare hope, but perhaps there might be a fleeting chance that her sisters might be among those captured pleasure women. After all, Kasumi and Nabiki were certainly considered attractive. Or perhaps they might have escaped or something. She didn't believe Ranma. He said there were no survivors of the invasion… but Akane herself was a survivor, wasn't she?
And in the event that they were really gone, then…
Akane sighed, tilting her head up to stare into the sky.
Then she would do what she could and make sure that Dasier received exactly what he deserved. After all, there must have been a reason why she had survived the invasion with no recollection whatsoever of how she escaped.
With luck like that, there had to be a reason why she was still alive. It must mean, Akane thought to herself absentmindedly, that fate must have something in store for her. She wasn't one to waste a gift so precious.
It was a turning point, Akane sensed. This moment, sitting here in the forest by a fire, was a turning point in her life.
Her gaze fell upon Ukyo, where the several small spatulas strapped onto her belt caught her attention. A plan began to take form in Akane's mind, and when Akane had a plan, she found it incredibly hard to resist. Shiny and sharp, one little spatula was just what she needed…
Sighing softly, Akane touched her hair and found that it was dry. Tomorrow she would carry out her plan, she promised herself. With a tired smile, she laid her head down and let herself succumb to sleep.
Ranma was rudely awakened by the sound of Ukyo screaming his name loudly. It was the second consecutive morning he had been rudely awakened by someone shouting or screaming for his attention, and he was not pleased.
"Ran-chan!" yelled Ukyo, and Ranma detected worry in her voice. Ukyo was a laid-back sort of girl; she rarely got worried. For her to be worried it would mean that something out of the limits of her capability had occurred, and Ranma knew, Ukyo was a very capable woman indeed.
He was beginning to dread being woken up this way; it always seemed to be a prelude to a bad day. Concerned, he swung himself out of the high branch he had been lying on and dropped onto the ground lightly. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Ukyo waved a hand around. "You didn't see Akane, did you?" she asked.
Ranma shook his head slowly. "Jeez, that was it, you mean?" he answered shortly. "She could have gone to the stream or something… nothing to worry about, Ucchan."
"Oh?" his long-time friend retorted, swinging a wild gaze at him. "How many small spatulas am I carrying, Ran-chan? Tell me, quick."
Ranma peered at Ukyo weirdly. "You feeling okay, Ucchan? I mean…"
"Tell me!" she interrupted.
He counted. "…Five," he said finally.
"Exactly!" Ukyo snapped her fingers, looking worried. Ranma was beginning to feel more than a little confused. Waving away his bewilderment, Ukyo wrung her hands uncomfortably. "Last night, I went to sleep with six spatulas," she said slowly. "Six small, shiny and very sharp spatulas. This morning I woke up, and I had five, not to mention Akane was missing."
"… Shit." He was beginning to see where this was heading, and he shook his head emphatically. "No, no way… She wouldn't have. Akane's a real macho chick, but even she wouldn't have been that stupid."
"No?" Ukyo whirled around, turning a sharp gaze on him. "I checked the stream, Ran-chan, she's not there. I've gone into the surroundings, but I haven't found her either." She paused, and then continued in a softer, more fearful tone. "She's lost her family, underwent a very stressful day, and made some of the most important decisions of her life in less than a full day. Last night, she wanted to stay up… and she looked a little more subdued than usual…"
"Shit. Shit, no," Ranma growled, but he could feel worry gnawing fretfully at him. "Split up and search," he directed immediately. "We'll comb this area until we find her."
"Got it," Ukyo nodded. Ranma began to stalk towards the nearest clump of trees. Then, feeling a sudden need to voice himself, he turned back and glanced towards Ukyo determinedly.
"Don't worry, Ucchan," he said firmly. "We'll find her. Akane wouldn't do something stupid like kill or hurt herself or something. She wouldn't."
His voice was firm, but it was also grim. Ukyo gazed at him for a moment before she nodded and headed off into the opposite direction.
Sighing, Ranma entered the forest.
Edited, 3/5/2014.