Genma grunted and rolled his eyes in annoyance, then he said in a heavy voice,
"Good thing ya have decided ta leave this house as well, Ranma.. If ya marry that girl, I won't let ya stay at my house anymore.."
"Her name is Akane. Don't address her like that, pop!"
"Huh! Whatever! You wanna leave, then go! Huh; you think it's so easy staying at the tent, my boy! Go enjoy yar life! I know soon you will come back crawling and crying to me and beg for my forgiveness!!"
"Jeez, dream on, pop!! I ain't coming back at your house; and anyway, why would I wanna apologize to ya for? You should be the one who should apologize to Akane.."
Genma arrogantly smirked at him and said in a harsh tone,
"In my next lifetime maybe..!!"
Genma started laughing hard after saying that, seeing this, Ranma shook his head in distress. He turned his face to look at Akane, who looked back at him with a small smile on her face. He smiled back at her and carefully slung his arm around her shoulder,
"Let's go, Kane.."
"Yeah.." Akane whispers back to him and held his other hand tightly with hers as they began to walk hand in hand,
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!"
They both got shocked and stopped walking and saw Nodoka coming towards them with angry steps. Her eyes were hard, her hands balled, it was looking as if she was ready to punish anyone who would dare to disobey her at that moment.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Mom.." Ranma tried to approach her gently, "Please don't stop us.. We need to leave.."
"NO!! Neither you, nor Akane; NO one is leaving this house without my permission! You hear me?"
"But mom, You know we can't stay at this place anymore.." Ranma explained to her impatiently.
"And why?" She asked him in a serious tone.
Ranma sighs tiredly and said,
"Because this is Genma Saotome's house! And I can't stay at a place where he will use this fact to insult my fiance anytime he wants to.." He carefully laid his hands on Nodoka's shoulder and said in a low tone, "Try to understand, mom! I can't continue to stay here.. Please let us leave in peace.."
"Yeah right!" Genma said grunting, "Whoever disobeys me and doesn't fulfill my wishes, they can freely get out of my house! The same rules goes for you too Nodoka! If ya try to stop Ranma again, then I won't let ya stay at my house anymore.. Don't try to cross your limit, woman!"
A fire blazed through Nodoka's furious eyes, she glared at Genma with hatefulness, and let out in a venom-filled tone,
"How dare you?!! You..you..you.. Dirty gambler!!! CHEAT, PATHETIC OLD GUY!!"
"STOP IT!! HOW DARE YA TALK TO YOUR HUSBAND LIKE THAT!! MIND YOUR TONGUE, NODOKA, OR ELSE I WILL THROUGH YA OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!" Genma lashed out at her in an angry tone.
"I DARE YA TO TRY AND TOUCH HER, POP!! Stay at your limits!!" Ranma glared at him dangerously.
Nodoka came in front of Ranma, her eyes locked with Genma, her features strong like an iron, her voice sharp as a blade.
"This is your house? Oh Really?! Won't you get tired of lying, Genma Saotome?!!!"
Genma suddenly became nervous as he started stuttering in his reply,
"I.. I.. I.. Of course this..this is a Saotome house! It's my father's house and he gave it to me!"
Nodoka smirked hopelessly, she shook her head in disbelief and said with the same heated tone,
"I think you have forgotten something!! Let me help you remember all the sins you did, Genma. I think you have forgotten how greedy you were!! Such a cheap and so evil-hearted person, who gave away their family house on a gambling game and shamelessly lost it; never thinking once how his wife will survive after this and how it will affect their only child..!!"
Akane took a sharp breath of shock; Ranma also became clueless as he asked Nodoka with a surprised tone,
"Mom! What are ya saying? I don't understand!"
Still heatedly glaring at Genma, she said with an intense tone,
"I haven't said this to you before, son. Only because I didn't want you to think low about your father. That's the error I made that time by not telling you, but I won't repeat my mistakes anymore.." She turned to look at Ranma and Akane, then said in a pained filled tone ,
"The truth is, I hadn't willingly let you go for ten years, Ranma; that time, the circumstances I had to face, I had no other choice but to let you go; because I wanted to save you, my son."
Ranma was fully astonished, he held his mother's hand tightly and asked her in disbelief,
"What are you saying, mom? Please tell me, what happened.."
" Oh Ranma… When you were only five years old, at that time your father had come under the influence of gambling games so badly that he had crossed all his limits and did something unthinkable! From some close source I came to know that your father had lost our house in a gambling game! The person he lost the house to, was a very dangerous man and I knew that he could do many nasty things to Genma if he found him. I was so scared at that time because I knew that your father had scamed him by saying that he owns this house; but in reality, it was in your grandfather's name! Soon, that guy found out that Genma had scammed him and this house doesn't belong to his name at all. I was so frightened at that time, I thought that the guy would want to take you away from me as his winning price, because he was willing to go to any level to take his money back! And That's why, when Genma came to me that night and lied to me about wanting to train you alone, I had to let you go with him, only because I didn't want you to face the worth of that crazy man!
Genma left with you and misfortune had circled me from all the corners. That man was so cruel , Ranma; but at that time, thankfully, father Saotome came to our house and helped me to deal with that person.."
"My father?" Genma asked her, gulping in nervousness.
Nodoka just closed her eyes in annoyance and said to Ranmaas she looked at his eyes,
"Your grandfather, unlike other Saotome, was such a genuine and kind person. He immediately took action, and managed some money to give to that person. But by doing so, he got himself a big burden because he had to borrow lots of money from others. But still he was energetic enough to tell me to leave and look for you guys; but I didn't leave his side. I stayed behind and for the past year's, I was working alongside my father Saotome to help him with all the debt he had to take on his back because of his greedy son!!
Your grandfather always wanted to meet you, Ranma, and he really cared about you. But still he was worried about the fact that Genma is the one who is responsible for your upbringing .. And
that's why when he became sick, he decided to name this house to me; so that I can decided ; which Saotome deserves their family treasure.And this is the last Saotome family treasure we have left with and I have vowed to him that I will take care of it with my life.. "
"WHAT!! WHAT DID THAT OLD MAN DID!! THIS IS UNEXCEPTABLE..!!"
"BUT IT'S THE ONLY TRUTH, GENMA SAOTOME!! And thankfully you can't change it!!" She again turned to face Genma with an angry face as she continued saying, "Tell me Genma, What did you think that day when you tried to steal the family treasure, huh!? That I will keep this precious thing out there in the open so that you can come anytime and have your dirty hands on it? " Nodoka said in a solemn tone, remembering the day when Genma tried to steal the family treasure from the Saotome shrine.
"But..but.." Genma tried to explain, but he was completely lost for words.
"I just can't believe this..!" Ranma said breathlessly, feeling sick all of a sudden, "Ya had to go through all this, mom!! All by yourself !! So what's the point of having a son like me?!"
Nodoka sighs and went close to him, she laid her palm over his cheek and made him look at her,
"Dear, as much as I know, you didn't even knew that your mother is still alive or not! How could you have helped me at that time?"
Ranma held her hand tightly and said in a guilt-filled tone,
"Then why haven't ya said it to me when we meet each other, mom? Why did ya keep it a secret from me?"
Nodoka sighs, "Because I didn't want you to hate your father, Ranma, that's why.."
Ranma shook his head in distress and asked her in disbelief,
"After all those things he did to you? Ya still wanted me to respect him, mom.."
Nodoka nodded her head and said truthfully,
"When I saw you the first time, Ranma, and when I saw how manly you have become, just like your grandfather, I couldn't hold any grudge against your father anymore. I tried to look for you lots of times, but I didn't even have any clue where he took you. Only one hint I had at that time was, his wish to marry you to one of the Tendo daughters. That's why I started coming to the Tendo house to search for you. And when I found out that you were promised to Akane and I saw her.." She looked at Akane and went to her. She lovingly grabbed her both cheeks and wiped the silent tears from her eyes, then she said happily,
"When I saw this girl, I forgot to be angry with him anymore. I was happy that, at the end, this greedy guy has done one great thing to engage you with a girl like Akane and that made me feel so happy that I forgot everything."
"Oh Obasama..!"
Nodoka kissed her forehead lovingly and smiled at her. Then she again turned to face Genma and said furiously,
"And now, you DARED to break my kids apart, Genma; not once, but for numerous times; and for that , I will never forgive you!!"
Genma gulped nervously and tried to reason her ,
"Darling, try to understand, it's all that Soun's fault! If he hadn't been an idiot and fix the dojo before Kasumi's marriage then.."
"THATS ENOUGH!!" Nodoka roared out in a harsh tone, "Dojo! Dojo! Dojo! My son never asked for any dojo!! So why you need this dojo so desperately huh!To bribe it for your another gambling game!"
"No.. it's not that.."
"Just keep quiet!! You.. you selfish fool!! Before, I used to think that you have ruined only my life, but no, the suffering this Tendo girls had to go through because of you, is more crucial than what I have went through! Because of your insensitivity , these Tendo girls have lost their mother, because of you their beautiful lively family broke apart, because of you Suki had been misjudging my son, because of you they almost broke apart and lost each other ! And for that, I will never forgive you!!"
Nodoka sighs as she closed her eyes in distress, then looking at Genma, she said with a trembling tone,
"I can't tell you how guilty I feel for all this, but I know I can't change what had happened in the past. But I have promised myself one thing, and that is I will always take all the responsibilities of these Tendo girls like a mother and I won't take my eyes off from my daughter Akane. If necessary, I would care less for my own son, but I will always be ready to give my life for my daughter's wellbeing. And you, Genma Saotome, DARED to tell her to leave! I have asked you again and again to STOP!! But you were way too THICK HEADED to understand that! You have lost your chance, Genma. Now I will only think about my kids wellness, and I can perfectly see that if you stay with them, you will ruin their life! That's why I have decided…. You, Genma Saotome, will leave my house right this second!!"
Ranma looked at his mom with a proud expression on his face, he grinned at her and turned to look at Akane. She looked frightened at that moment, she glanced at Ranma worriedly and became completely speechless. Ranma slowly approach her and squeezed her hand, but before he could say anything to her, they head Gemma's miserable filled tone,
"No! You can't do this to me! I am a old man, where will I go?"
"You should have think about it before your cruel actions ..." Nodoka said firmly, not melting a bit my his fake sadness.
Akane came behind Nodoka and told her in a shaky tone,
"Obasama.. please forgive him.. it's okay, give him one more chance, please .."
Genma hastily nodded his head and looked at Nodoka for forgiveness,
"Yes Akane dear, I am ready to apologize to you too, please forgive me this time.."
Ranma growled and gently pulled Akane beside him. He protectively laid his arm around her waist and intensely looked at her, then spoke out to her in complete disbelief,
"What on earth are you saying, tomboy? Are you out of your mind? You still want to forgive this guy after what he did?!"
Akane sighs and says, "Yes Ranma! I know what I am doing! Let's just forgive him this time! I know he acted recklessly but.." Akane tried to speak her opinion, but she was stopped by Nodoka. Nodoka stood in front of her and looked at her eyes and said in firm tone,
"Akane dear, You are way too kind and young to understand this guy's real motives. Well, now I can clearly understand why Suki was worried about you. It's really easy to melt your heart , isn't it dear? But as good as this habit is, this could be very dangerous too.That's why, I won't let this guy manipulate you anymore!" She stared at Akane with her warm eyes and gently held her shoulders, then she said in a soft tone,
"Dear, I believe that Suki trusted me with your well-being, when she sent you here to me and now, your responsibility is in my hands . And I don't want to take any chances to protect my kids anymore . Genma is a threat to my kids happiness and he has dared to cross his limits over and over again."
She turned towards Genma and fiercely looked at him, "Leave my house right now, Genma Saotome. This is my house and my kids will stay with me for the rest of my life! And I don't want to see you near my kids anymore!"
Genma gulped and said in a shaky tone,
"Ranma; my son! Say something to your mother!! Do something for your father please .."
Ranma shook his head and said in a hard tone,
"I was ready to leave this place when ya told us to leave, because I thought that it's your house, pop! Now that I know that it's my mom's house not yours, I think I don't have any right to say anything about this. It's her house, so it's her decision!"
Genma frantically traded looks from Akane, Ranma to Nodoka. But only Akane looked a little bit concerned; the other occupants' expressions were as hard as iron. He sighs defeatedly, understanding the fact that he has messed up big time and there is no escaping from it. He looked down and slowly started to walk to leave in silence..
Clap…Clap…Clap..*
"Well, well, well! I was not expecting that to happen!! What a pleasant surprise!!"
All of them got completely shocked when they heard the familiar voice coming from the hallway. Nobody was expecting to hear that voice at that moment , that's why when they heard the voice and when they saw the person slowly entering the hall with a wide smile on her face, all they could do was to look at her in complete awestruck!! Nodoka was the first one to react to her presence, as she whispers her name in surprise,
"Oh my Kami! SUKI!!"
Suki giggled softly as she saw all of them looking at her like they have just seen a ghost. She shook her head in amazement and said,
"Yap! It's me!! What is it, Akane? Are you not happy to see me here?"
With that statement being said, Akane quickly came back to her senses, she gave a big breath of relief and ran towards her. She hugged her tightly, with all the warmth she have, her heart started beating hard in over-enthusiasm as she asked her in a pleasant tone,
"Mom!! I am so glad to see you! You have no idea how much I have missed you!"
Suki laughed lightly and rubbed her back,
"Silly, we haven't been apart for 24 hours! You already missed me!?"
Akane broke the hug and rolled her eyes at her and said pouting,
"It felt like 24 years to me!!"
"Aha!?" Suki started laughing again, but her laughs were cut short when she suddenly got attacked with another fierce hug, from none other than Nodoka. Suki was surprised at first, but was pleased to hug her back in return. Nodoka sighs pleasantly and looked at her with tears in her eyes,
"Oh Suki, thank you so much for sending my Akane back to me! You don't know what this means to me.."
Suki sighs and looked at both of them and said,
"I am not that cruel to separate a mother daughter bonding such as you two have!"
Nodoka and Akane smiled at each other as Nodoka puts her hand on Akane's shoulder. Akane smiled at Nodoka in appreciation, then she again looked back at Suki and asked her,
"But how come you are here, mom? I saw you leaving last night, then how?"
Suki giggled slowly and replied,
"Well, I did left last night, but.. I kind of had a panic attack when I realized my mistake. That's why when our flight reached the first stoppage , I took the first flight back here again!!"
"You did that! Really! But why?" Akane asked in disbelief.
Suki sighs and said,
"Because for a moment, I forgot what my real priorities are!"
"But mom! What about that meeting; you said it was important for you!"
"Nothing is more important to me than you, Akane!! What is the point of running to gain success, when I did all this to make you happy!? I can't just let my daughter dive into darkness alone! I had to come back for you and see how you are doing.. And to be honest, I am so glad that I made the decision to come back here! Otherwise , I would have missed such a drastic twist taking place and my, my, Nodoka, you surprised the hell out of me, woman!"
Nodoka laid her hand on her lips and giggled sillyly,
"Oh dear, it was destine to happen! I was waiting to reveal this truth for so long! But, I didn't get a chance!! But today, I am happy that I have finally said it to all of you! Dear, did you hear all the things that I said to Genma?"
Suki nodded and said excitedly,
"I have been here for a very long time, Nodoka. Maybe in the midway , when this guy was yelling nonsense to my daughter." Suki glared at Genma as he looked down in shame, "I was ready to come in and protest, but I didn't had to ; because there was someone else already, who was protecting my precious daughter for me."
Suki looked past Genma and saw Ranma standing there with a nervous look on his face. She slowly made her way towards him, upon reaching his side she sighs and told him,
"I could have never imagine that, your love for my Akane is so deep, Ranma. My past experiences.." Her voice broke a little , but she composed herself and said, " You can say, I have lost all the faith that love still exists in this cruel world! But now, looking at you guys, I have no doubt left, Ranma.. You know, I was so surprised when I heard you taking the decision to leave your house for Akane's sake and start from zero, all because you want to be with her. Despite knowing the fact that you won't get anything in return by marrying her; you never stopped protecting my daughter and stood up for her..!"
Ranma sighs and said in a plain tone,
"I never wanted anything, aunt Suki! I am habituated to stay under open skies since my childhood, that's why it's really not a big deal for me. One more truth is, I am now also habituated with Akane. Yes, we are still young and learning, we may fight each other tooth and nail; but Akane is the one who always stood up for me in my hard times. She never thought once before jumping in danger for me! What I did was nothing compared to what she did for me in the past. And the way she always cared for me when nobody did, unknowingly, she has also become my habit. A dependence, which I can't live without. Like breath , I need her in my life so that I can stay alive myself ..! What else do I need from her? Though Sometimes I feel that she deserves a better person than me! And I am not capable enough for her.."
Suki shook her head and said in a warm tone,
"With all the ups and downs I have seen my whole life, I can say with my head high that my daughter has chosen the greatest partner for her! You two complement each other, Ranma!"
She paused for a moment and turned to face Akane. She motioned Akane to come to her, as she slowly came to her side. She held her hand tightly and hooked it with Ranma's hand. Suki looked at their clamped hands with happy tears in her eyes as she said,
"I am really very sorry! I have troubled you both so much! I never wanted to believe how much you guys love each other! But you have proved me wrong! From now on, I promise you guys that I will never question Ranma ever. There is no doubt left for me anymore." Suki paused for a moment and laid her hand on Ranma's cheek, "Ranma; I have hurt you a lot, my son.. But you never let me down. I heard from Akio what happened to you. I felt so terrible that I had taken my Akane with me and didn't try to investigate the situation any further. But you have stayed strong and I am really very proud of you.."
Ranma's heart started beating hard. Suddenly the raw feeling return back to him, which he felt during the period when he thought Akane had left him. His emotions tried to escape through his eyes, but he blinked his eyes and said in a shaky tone,
"If ya hadn't sent Akane back here, I don't know what I would have done..! For that, I owe you my life, aunt Suki.."
"Aww.. I haven't done anything, son. Your love and genuinity pulled her here to you.."
Ranma smiled at her and nodded his head, then began saying, "And please don't apologize to me for anything, aunt Suki. It's not your fault, please don't feel sorry about anything . I can understand why you were so protective of her, she is a bit of a Baka and clumsy too, so I know.."
"Hey!!" Akane tried to protest, but Ranma didn't stop and continued saying,
"But I do believe that it's all this tomboy's fault! I mean, she always manages to freak me out with her misunderstandings, she is always jealous and jumps to the conclusion most frequently! She has the strength of a gorilla and she is as violent as a caged tigress ; but still she decided to leave me at that place sleeping! Can you believe that!! She could have woken me up and beat the hell out of me; but instead of doing that, she decided to act like a dumb and leave me at that place in tears, like a crybaby!!"
Suki and Akane looked at Ranma with wide surprised eyes as they stood there completely speechless. Suki cleared her voice and decided to go beside Nodoka again. Ranma traded looks between them and asked them in a confused tone,
"What?!! Why are ya looking at me like this.."
Akane pouted at him angrily and said,
"Do you even know what you have said right now, you jerk!!"
Ranma slyly smiled at her and said,
"Ofcourse I know what I have said, tomboy..!"
Akane twirled her one eyebrow and asked him,
"Are you trying to insult me or something?"
"Why'd ya think that? Why'd I wanna insult a tomboy like ya?"
"What did you just say, Ranma?!!" Akane growled and scolded him angrily. She began to unclasp her hand from him as she said in an angry tone, "Honestly!! You are such a jerk!! If you feel like this about me then.."
Ranma smirked and pulled her towards him. She was not expecting the pull, she ended up on his arm with a surprised yelp. She looked up at him , pouting angrily and saw him smirking down at her. Then he whispers to her in a harsh tone,
"I ain't letting this hand go ever, tomboy! You are mine and I love you.."
Akane blushed hard hearing that and playfully slapped his chest. He started laughing lightly and hugged her tightly. Suki smiled fondly looking at their childish bickering, she sighs happily and heard Nodoka saying,
"Why are you still standing here, Genma!? I asked you to leave.. SO LEAVE!!"
"Oh Nodoka, don't be so harsh on this poor guy!"
Ranma and Akane both broke their hug, but Ranma kept his hand around her waist protectively. They looked at Suki with their surprised eyes and heard Nodoka asking her,
"What are you saying, Suki! Do you want me to forgive this dupe man!" Nodoka asked, surprised.
"Oh no, no!! How can I be so good?! I am not an angel!! I am just asking you to let him stay for just some more moments, that's it?"
"But why! I don't understand.."
"Because I want to rub some salt on his open wounds!"
Genma gulped hard and started sweating in nervousness.
"No.. I think I should leave then.."
"Please Genma, I insist!!" Suki said playfully.
"Oh! That's a wonderful idea, Suki!! But how though?" Nodoka asked, somewhat excitedly.
Suki slyly smiled at her and pulled out an envelope from inside her bag and showed it to all of them and said proudly.
"With this..!!"
They all looked clueless, but Akane remembered the envelope and spoke up first,
"Say mom, isn't it the envelope you said you want to give me and Ranma together.."
Suki giggled and said,
"Glad you remember, dear! To answer your question, yes, this is the same envelope. But as you know, last time when I wanted to give it to you, Ranma was not here and the circumstances were…" She sighs tiredly and holds it towards Akane and motions her to take it from her hand, "Let's just say, I think Kami decides the perfect time for everything, so I think today is the big day! So, open up and see what's inside.."
Akane didn't take long, she quickly took the envelope from her hand; she quickly opened it and started reading it. Her over-excitement was making her hands shake with excitement, Ranma came beside her and held her hand to steady her trembling hands. She gave him a grateful smile and carefully began to read the document on their hand.
Akane took a sharp breath of surprise. She hastily looked up at her mom, her mouth was trying to suppress her surprise, but she was unable to form any words.
Suki giggled sillyly as she asked her,
"What happened, Akane? You didn't like your surprise?"
Akane released a shaky breath as she said in a unsteady tone,
"Mom.. this is.. Oh my gosh!! This is.."
"An insurance approval letter!?" Ranma said plainly, not understanding the meaning of it as he began to scratch his head in confusion.
Akane looked at Ranma with a wide smile on her face, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she said in a broken tone,
"Ranma! Baka, you still don't understand what is it? Do you?"
Ranma tried to read the documents closely as he mumbled,
"Ummm.. let me see.. It says that.."
"It says, they have approved the insurance request for The Tendo residence. And the company will take responsibility for all the costs to fix The Tendo house and The Tendo Dojo!"
Ranma stood there with his mouth wide open as all of this sudden revelation made him completely dumbfounded.
"Oh MOM!" Akane cried out loudly and ran to hug her with all her might.
"My, my, you are going to g break my back.." Suki said laughing as she hugged her back.
Akane broke their hug and asked her in a frantic way,
"Mom, this solves all the problems! Oh God, why haven't you said this to us earlier? When did you do all this? I don't understand!! What is going on?. I am so..."
"Calm down, calm down.. I will explain everything to you.." Suki sighed and said in a soft tone,
"When the last disastrous marriage incident happened in the Tendo dojo, at that time I had decided that I have to do something to take care of the property. Then Nabiki also told me what they have done with the Saotome house and I have made up my mind. That's why I have done all this without telling anyone. Only me and Nabiki knew about this. I didn't tell your father, because I knew it was no use, he wouldn't want to do this because he wouldn't want to spend a single money on this. So, with Nabiki's help, I took all the signatures from him without his knowledge and made insurance for the Tendo house and Dojo."
"Oh Suki! This is wonderful! I mean.. I still can't believe this is actually happening !!" Nodoka said with tears in her eyes.
Akane smiled through her tears and asked her,
"Mom, I love you so much!! Thank you.. This means world to me!"
Suki sighs while smiling at her and wiped her tears clean,
"Anything for you, my child. This is just a document, this is nothing, I can give my life for you!"
"Oh Mom!" Akane cried and hugged Suki tightly. After some emotional moments, Akane again broke their hug and asked her,
"Mom, please don't mind if I ask you this, when did you get this approved? Is it just only now, or.."
Suki smiled and said,
"I won't lie to you, Akane; I got this done as soon as I arrived here! Sure I didn't tell you guys about this, but this is one of the main reasons why I came back to Nerima."
"Then.. Why didn't you tell it to father, mom? He is still working hard to repair the house, you know .."
"Honestly Akane, I wanted to tell you guys sooner about this, but when I saw how things began to unfold in front of us because of this incident , I decided to play silent for some time being. I lost all my hopes for your father to come to his senses; for so long I wanted to make him realize his mistakes. But his fake friendship with Genma had put a blindfold on his eyes. However, when Kasumi told that Soun has decided to spend money for Kasumi's wedding instead of fixing the dojo, some hope returned to me. And then after I came back here and noticed how this incident alone started to snatch masks from some so-called good friends, I decided to keep it a secret till everyone shows their true colors. It was a win or lose situation for me. Either it would have showed me that I was wrong the whole time, or it would show the reality to your stubborn father ! But thankfully, your father came to know the truth soon and started taking his responsibility sincerely. And about me;"
Suki smiled and looked at Ranma. He was looking so anxious and a bit frightened too. She sighs and slowly goes towards him. She held his hands with her warm hands and said,
"This child has also managed to pull the blindfolds off my eyes and has made me realize that we can still count on love. I won't lie, I thought that Ranma would also turn out to be like his father and marry his other fiance when he would find out he would not get anything by marrying Akane. But I was wrong! On one hand I did win, but on another hand I did lose this battle too! His innocence and genuine love for my daughter has left me awestruck! Trust me Ranma, I never felt this pleased to lose to someone before! You have proved me wrong, dear! And I am glad you did that.."
Ranma warmly smiled at her and nodded his head,
"Thanks aunt Suki.."
Suki also smiled at him and asked him,
"So tell me, Ranma, would you take this responsibility to fix this dojo? Can I count on you, son? You know, as soon as it's fixed and repaired, you both can again start a new journey and start your "Saotome-Tendo anything-goes martial arts" school! So what say, honey?"
Ranma looked at Akane and said in his reply,
"In one condition though.."
Akane seemed to be confused by his reply; Suki also looked perplexed as she asked him in a warm tone,
"What is it, Ranma?"
Ranma turned to face her again and said,
"This school's name will always be by the name of the Tendos! I will only teach there as a sensei; but the main hair will be Akane, it's her family Dojo, it's her right.."
"But Ranma.." Akane tried to interrupt him, but Nodoka stopped her and said,
"My son is right! And it's very important because It was your mother's wish too, Akane dear. And I want everyone to respect that.."
Ranma smiled hearing that and nodded his head in appreciation. Suki fondly smiled at Ranma, her eyes filled with happy tears as She became emotional thinking about Natsumi. Ranma hesitantly laid his trembling hand over her one shoulder, making her smile at his kind gesture as she sighs and gave Ranma a warm hug.
Akane gave a sigh of relief seeing this happening! It was too good to be true for her, to see her most dearest persons showing care for each other. But this emotional moment soon got diverted by Nodoka's voice, as she cleared her voice loudly to draw all their attention towards her. They all looked at her in surprise and saw her staring daggers at Genma.
"Why are you still standing here, huh!!"
Genma laughed nervously and said,
"Honey, Mrs Suki asked me to stay, so.."
"It's Miss not Mrs, Mr Genma Saotome!" Suki intervenes as she turned to face them all, "The show is over now; you may leave now.."
"But.. but.." Genma started talking in panic, "Look, I am sorry! Please let me stay! I promise I have no issue anymore. Now that everything is taken care of, why would I have any objections!"
"BUT I HAVE OBJECTIONS WITH YOU STAYING HERE!" Nodoka scowled furiously, "I do not want to repeat myself again, Genma Saotome! Please leave, or else you are leaving me no other choice but to use my other option, which is taking my katana out for you."
"Honey, listen.."
"JUST LEAVE!!"
Genma sighs and looks down in defeat. He started walking out of the house and soon left the house in silence. The house became completely quiet after that. Neither of them had the courage to approach Nodoka after that. Her back was turned from them, her shoulder slumped and a somewhat gloomy atmosphere surrounded her. It didn't take them long to understand that she must be upset because of this. Akane turned her worried face to look at Suki; she
returned her look and understood what her daughter might want her to do next, she slowly nodded at her and said to Nodoka in a warm tone,
"Nodoka, dear; you know, you don't have to send him like this if you don't want to.."
"Yeah mom, if ya want I can go grab him back here.."
"Yes obasama! Please don't be sad! We will call him right away!"
Nodoka started laughing upon hearing that and shook her head in amazement, this reaction made all of them more surprised as Akane went by her side and asked her,
"Obasama? Are you alright?"
Nodoka turned to face Akane with a bright smile on her face, she again started laughing hard looking at their worried face. She held Akane's shoulder and said in a cheerful tone,
"Yes honey, I am absolutely fine! I am just…" She sighs and said, "I am just feeling so light-hearted suddenly! I should have done this a long time ago!"
"But Obasama.." Akane tried to say but stopped when she saw her shaking her head.
"No, Akane! I know you guys may be thinking that I am upset about this. But trust me, I am not. To be honest I have never settled my marriage with him after I came back here! For some reason I couldn't forgive him! I was just happy that I got back my son and because of that Genma, I got to know you. That's the only reason I was putting up with him.. But now, after what he did, he deserves this punishment!"
Suki sighs and said ,
"Oh Nodoka, you are such a strong woman! I really adore you.."
Nodoka smiled at Suki and then suddenly her mood changed at a 90-degree angle. She started laughing again. She held Akane more tightly and started shaking her with excitement as she said in a more cheerful tone,
"Now stop worrying about me, my silly child! We have lots of other things to worry about!! Now that everything is done and settled; we have to plan a grand wedding for both of you! Then you have to give me grandchildren too!! Oh Akane!! I am so excited to meet my little Ranma and Akane!! Awww I will die fussing over them! Look, I don't care if it's a girl or a boy; just promise me you will give me a bunch of them!! Don't worry about anything, I will single-handedly take care of all of them!! Ohhh I am so excited!!! I am sure within one year I will have twins playing on my laps! We have to plan the names of the kids too!! They would be adorable!! So what you think we should name them, huh, do you have any name on your mind? What about Ren? Then Sora? NO! Daichi…"
Ranma was completely awestruck when he heard what his mother was telling Akane. At first he became worried that his mother might be upset because of his father, but then when she started her long family planning with Akane, he became absolutely speechless. Akane looked extremely terrified as his mother kept shifting their positions while holding onto her shoulders and demanding kids from her. He was surprised by his mother's sudden declaration, but he was not ashamed. For some reason, thinking about marrying Akane and making a family with her, this idea is not making him freak out anymore, it's actually giving him a very delightful feeling in his heart. This feeling is so pleasant that his heart started to beat in a very satisfying way, and his whole feature became feeble as an amusing smile adored over his face. He gave a satisfying sigh and suddenly he noticed the person who was standing right beside him.
Suki was looking at Akane and Nodoka with her wide frightening eyes, her face almost turned blue as she kept listening to the list of baby names Nodoka was suggesting Akane. Her face was drenched with sweat, her body tensed and she looked ready to cry anytime now. Ranma smirked at her reaction, which made Suki to turn towards him nervously,
"Bunch of ki.. Kids!! Ranma.. Akane.. she is just a kid.. how can she? And her study.."
Ranma smirked again and without any hesitation, he gently laid his hand on her shoulder and said in a genuine tone,
"Akane is my responsibility, Aunt Suki! Her dream is mine too. I know that she wants to finish her studies first and I will be with her in every step that she takes! Don't worry, she won't get a baby until she finishes her studies, I promise you that.."
Suki gives a big sigh of relief, she looked at Ranma with appreciation and said in a soft tone,
"I know how good you are at keeping your promises! I trust you, Ranma.. Thank you…"*
--One year later———
A year earlier, that particular day had changed lots of things for our couple's life. They never imagined that everything would settle down this smoothly in their usually chaotic life, but miraculously , it did!
That same day, Kasumi and Tofu had returned from their honeymoon and found out about the reunion and the dojo. They were obviously surprised and thrilled by the news, but the news that Kasumi gave them that she is already one month pregnant, made all of them more surprised! Things changed drastically after that and soon Nodoka understood that it's not possible for her to be a grandmother any time sooner, but she was happy by the fact that at least she would be a grandmother of Kasumi's baby.
Then the issue came when Akane had to decide where she would live. Akane decided to play with Ranma for some moments, knowing very well how to annoy him and wanting to see his reaction. She agreed to move to her hostel and Kasumi's house on the weekends. Making Akio the happiest guy on earth, on another hand flaming Ranma's jealousy in full form.. But as the issue roused in a serious manner, Ranma dismissed it immediately and hotly declared ,
*"She is living with me..!!!"*
Leaving no room for arguments anymore for anyone.
From that day on , Akane started living with the Saotomes. Nodoka had given Ranma's room to Akane as she started living in the opposite room, leaving Ranma with no other choice but to sleep in the living area. But, Ranma had other plans in his mind. He used to set up everything in the living room to show his mother that he is sleeping there, but when it comes to sleeping, he always secretly slips into Akane's room at night and she always welcomes him with her open arms. But after some months, he realized that, his mother knows about this from the very beginning and because she didn't want Akane to feel uncomfortable in front of her, that's why she told Ranma to stay at the living room, so that Akane would think Nodoka doesn't know anything about them. Ranma kept it a secret from Akane, and was very thankful to his mother.
Everything was going well in their life. Ever since Suki left to go back to her work, Ranma had taken more caution in taking care of Akane, not wanting to disappoint anyone anymore. Despite Akane's multiple requests and scolding, he still made sure to drop Akane to her college and to bring her back home as well. She was whiny at first, telling him that Akio will be with her! But he couldn't admit the fact to her that this is one of the vital reasons why he never let her go there alone.
This is one of the many problems he is facing after everything settled down between them. His possessiveness for her reached to a certain point where he started to feel insecure about their relationship. He knows that he is overthinking stuffs and he should trust Akane, but still, for some reason he can't shrug off the feeling that someone might take her away from him. And the fact that didn't help the situation is, when he noticed how the other guys from her college stared at Akane.
Akio also told some incidents to him which explained to him clearly that some guys are crossing their limits to come closer to Akane! He was so angry when he found out the truth about what Akio said to him, he is a guy himself, and he could definitely tell, those looks that they are giving Akane and those simple approaches, we're definitely not simple at all!
He always feels frustrated that he can't join the college with her so that he could scare those freaks away from her! But he made sure to send everyone warning signs by staring daggers at them. Thankfully, Akane understood his need to be by her side. At first she used to complain about it, but eventually, she also started to enjoy his presence beside her.
As days went by, she started clinging to him more possessively when they used to go to her college and sometimes, she even kissed him goodbye and made sure that people saw them clearly. At first he became panicked and confused when she dared to kiss him passionately in front of her college gate, because she was the one who asked Ranma to not to display any affection publicly.. But when she started breaking the rules and the barriers one by one, he became more than happy to follow her, who is he to complain about it anyway.
But then one day he noticed that, the more those guys insisted Akane to be with them, Akane always answered them by being more closer to Ranma in front of their eyes. And then one day Akio came to him and gave him one secret information ,
*"You are not the only one who is jealous, man!! Your girl is more jealous than you are! Some girls in our college were planning to send you mail to ask you to go on a date with them! I know about that because they wanted to use me as a mailman! And after I told this to Akane; oh gosh, she became so furious!! And next thing I saw, she was kissing you senseless in front of those girls! Haha! Poor ladies! They were so heart broken! But I heard that they won't stop and they will try their luck again! So be ready to endure your fiancés' jealousy attacks, Ranma! You are such a lucky guy, must say!!"*
Ranma felt his lips twitching into a grin whenever he thought about his hot headed fiance., it always made him greedy with happiness and of course his ego boosts up in a tremendous way. He was very satisfied to know that he is not alone in this jealousy game, his tomboy is also on the same road as him. He began to enjoy this possessive side of her, he never could have imagined how bold and sexy his tomboy would turn out to be.
Yes, Ranma's main focus always wandered around Akane, but that doesn't mean he didn't take care of other important things. He continued to work as a Sensei at different dojos and in a very short period of time, he managed to gain popularity for his mastery and good teaching skills..After some months, the work started at the Tendo residents to fix the dojo and the house. He also made sure to take care of that matter, so that they could soon finish the work, uninterrupted.
Suki managed to fix her problems and became extra busy with her work. But somehow she found Soun with the help of her sources, and after three months, Soun finally returned back to Nerima and started living with Kasumi. The council became so happy to get him back to the town, and they soon offered him to be a part of the council as he used to be before.
Ukyo constantly tried to apologize to Ranma numerous time! But whenever he used to see her, either he would lose his temper on her, or ignore her completely. Though Akane felt bad about this, she didn't interfere this time and let Ranma do whatever he wished to do.And because of Ranma's request, She also started ignoring Ukyo.But one scenario made her shocked to her bones, when one day Ukyo approached her with her wedding invitation. She was more thrilled when she found out that the groom was none other than Ryoga! She couldn't manage to stay mad at her anymore after that and immediately forgives her and promises her that she will come to her wedding. They also came to invite Ranma, but Ranma didn't flinch and ignored the invitation. But surprisingly, on the day of her wedding, when Akane went there with Akio, she was surprised to see that Ranma also joined the wedding to support them. Ukyo was so happy that her Ranchan had finally forgiven her, she started wiping in joy, not caring about her makeup being ruined, she ran to Ranma and hugged him and cried for his forgiveness. After that day, everything between them got normal again..
Things were going perfectly fine for all of them.. Until the day came when Kasumi finally gave birth to her first baby boy! Everyone was so happy and excited to welcome the new member in the family, but being an aunt for the first time, Akane's excitement touched the skyrocket! She started acting like a kid herself and started to go to Kasumi's house anytime she felt like going. She even started to spend the night there, making excuses like, her sister needs her to take care of the baby. And if she takes care of Kasumi's baby at night, Kasumi could actually get some sleep that she badly needs. It's not that Ranma is jealous of that baby boy (kinda though, but he won't admit it) ; the thing which is bothering him is, he can't sleep without her anymore! Whenever she went there to spend the night, he tossed and turned all night, not getting a blink of sleep and not to mention, his uneasiness of thinking that Akio will be there with her too was making his days feel like hell. These uneasy thoughts and his sleepless nights began to make him restless and tired. But he can't just ask Akane to stop helping her sister and tell others what problem he is facing at the moment. Only he knew how tough it's getting for him day by day. And he knows that he has to do something about it soon, otherwise he would go completely crazy!
"Honestly Ranma!!! I still can't believe how perfect our Dojo looks now! It's so strong too!!"
Akane explained cheerfully as she happily twirled in the middle of their Dojo. Ranma sighs tiredly as he rested his back against the wall and looked at her with an unhappy face. They are currently at the Tendo residence. All the repairs had been done; but they were all so much hooked up with Kasumi and her kid that nobody had the time to come and see the finishing work of the property. That day, Ranma practically had to drag Akane with him to show her the result of the Dojo. Well that's just an excuse for him though, in reality , all he wanted to do is to just spend some quality time with her, alone and uninterrupted. But now that he got this opportunity after so long, his mind became clouded with multiple unwanted thoughts, making him upset all over again.
When Akane didn't get any response from Ranma, she stopped and slowly turned to look at him with a pout on her face.
"Ranma!! What's the matter with you!" She slowly started to walk towards him. When she reached his side, she immediately noticed the gloomy aura that surrounded his feature. She got a little worried about him, she slowly laid her hand on his cheek and ask him in a soft tone,
"Hey;... Is there anything wrong!!"
Hearing her concern-filled tone, Ranma growled in irritation, because hearing her casual tone , it ticked off his mood even more.
"Ranma?"
"What!" he replied hotly.
"Are you okay?"
"Do I look like I am okay.. Damn it.."
Akane looked confused, but decided to play with him.
"Umm let me check; hmmm…" she put her hand on his jaw and started moving his head from left to right. He frowned annoyingly as she said while pulling his face closer to her, "Apart from your eye bags, I haven't noticed anything wrong!!"
" 'Kane; I am not joking!" He said in a serious tone.
"Really..." She giggled and circled her arms around his neck in a sensual motion, then she whispers to him in a playful tone, " I am sorry.. Now tell me, what's bothering my fiance..hmm?"
Ranma sighs and closed his eyes for some moment; then looking back at her, he said in a heavy tone,
"I am tired, Kane! I am tired of everything!!"
Akane frowned hearing that and asked him in a warm tone ,
"Tired of what Ranma!"
Ranma took a sharp breath and said,
"I am tired of being your fiance all the time!"
The smile vanished from Akane's face immediately. She gradually puts down her arms by her side and asked him in a tone of disbelief,
"Ranma, do you even realize what you have said to me?"
Ranma growled and started walking away from her. He started pacing like a caged lion and looked way from her, too frustrated to look at her.
"Ranma..!"
"Look, I hate it!! I thought I could go on with you like this, but I can't anymore! Damn it!! I can't take this pressure anymore!! I don't want to be your fiancee anymore!! I bet ya don't even have any idea of what I am going through now. But, this is too much..!"
He stopped his crazy pacing and looked at her. He was surprised to find that Akane was silently standing on the corner, her eyes wet with tears as she bit her lower lips in anticipation . He sighs again and quickly goes to her side. He gently held her shoulders and said,
"I guess, I don't even know what I am doing now..! I am feeling so disturbed right now that I don't even know what I am telling ya!! You are driving me crazy, tomboy.." He carefully wiped her face and said in a soft whisper tone, "Kane, please; marry me.."
This is the least thing she was expecting to hear at that moment. She took a sharp breath of surprise , she started blushing furiously as she whispered in surprised tone,
"Ranma! What are you saying? Are you serious about this! But.."
" Please don't say any buts or anything like this! Try to understand my situation!"
"Ranma; I understand what you are saying, but you have promised aunt Suki that we won't get married until I finished my studies.."
"Nope! Never! I promised her that you won't have to be pregnant till ya finish yar studies first!"
Akane blushed more and said,
"Ranma, I think you are too stressed now, that's why you are saying this in haste. Look baby, for outside world maybe we are just couples in love, but only we know how far we went with each other! I have given you everything; my love, my trust, everything that I have, I trusted you with that, I have nothing left to give you, Ranma. We are already like a married couple.."
"But we are not a married couple, Akane! And that's what is bothering me so much!!" He took a deep breath and started saying in a heavy tone,
"I hate to see those guys from your college who are still giving you proposals because they think that they can still have a chance with you because we are only fiancés! I hate it when I can't sign any documents behalf of you, because I am just a fiancé! I hate it when I still have to check myself in public when I am with you. I hate this feeling of fear and anxiety that I feel whenever I stay with you in your room!! The fear of getting caught with you in the same bedroom and later feel guilty about it. I don't want to feel guilty about it!! I am tired of this hide and seek game we are playing to be together! I want to marry you and make you mine fully. Look, it's not about how close we are with each other, I want to make you a part of me and I want to be part of you. I want you to show off your wedding ring to those morons' faces! I want to have all the right to sign in any paper because I am your husband! I want to go to our room to sleep with you, without any fear of getting caught! I don't want to feel any guilty, because of some line I may have crossed. I want to be with you uninterrupted and with all the rights in this world! Look, I know; I am being selfish here and asking you something out of plan; but please;
please give me a chance. I promise we won't plan any baby till you are ready for it; and I will always be by your side to achieve your dreams. Just please.. give me the right that this world needs, marry me , Kane.."
Ranma desperately looked at Akane for her answers. Her face had no expression on it, she looked down in wary and started walking away from him. Ranma got worried to see her act like this. Then when he saw her reaching for the door of the dojo, he got even more anxious and called out her name in urgency,
" 'Kane wait.. I am sorry. Look. If you think I am pushing things then.."
"Ranma.." She slowly turned to face him with a serious expression and said in a quick motion, "If you really want to hear yes from me; .. then you have to catch me before I reach my room!!"
She squealed in delight and started running away from him. She started laughing hard as she thought of the last expression she saw on his face, he looked so perplexed and dumbfounded too!!Soon She reached her room at a record speed and closed the door in a haste. She was gasping hard as she laid her head over her closed door. After sometime, she began to feel guilty for starting this game, because Ranma couldn't make it on time. She shook her head in disappointment and decided to peek from her door to see where Ranma was. She slowly opened her door to peek to see if Ranma made it or not,
"Looking for me?"
Hearing the whisper in her ear, her whole body shook with fear as she sharked and closed the door in haste. Ranma narrowed his eyes at her and flashed her a sexy grin. He seductively hovered over her body and puts both his hands over the door and blocked her escape.
"What took ya so long, tomboy!"
"Ranma! But how!"
"Well, I am used to using windows as my entrance.."
This time Akane was left dumbfounded. He started laughing hard looking at her stunned face. She pouted up at him and said,
"You cheated.."
"Really? Did I.."
Akane playfully pushed him and went to the middle of the room.
Ranma rested his back on the door frame and called out her name in a breathless whisper tone,
" 'Kane.."
She slowly turned to face him with a bright smile on her face. Her simple bright smile immediately quickened his pulse. She was blushing furiously, her cheek red with her blush as she bites her lower lips in anticipation.
For some moment, Ranma fully lost himself adoring her beauty. He gives a delightful sigh and without any hesitation, he went closer to her. He looked at her with love in his eyes as he slowly bent down on his knees and held up one golden ring for Akane.
"Hey, ... I know it's early, but I really need to do this.. Will you marry me, Akane?"
Akane's eyes filled with happy tears, she sniffed and hastily nodded her head. Ranma give a big sigh of relief, he took her hand in his and carefully puts the ring on her finger.
"Oh Ranma!"
Akane exclaimed happily as she sits over Ranma's lap and hugged him tightly.
"I always wanted this to happen, Ranma! You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this! But I thought you were bonded with your promise, that's why I never asked you.."
Ranma hugged her more closely to him and whispered to her,
"I also thought that I could wait; but I think I failed pretty badly. I love you, Kane and I promise you , you will never have to face any barriers in your studies because of this sudden decision.."
Akane broke their hug and looked at him with love in her eyes,
"I know, Ranma; and I trust you with everything!" she looked at the ring on her finger and said in a happy tone, "You did plan it for a long time, didn't you..?"
"Uhhh... I think I bought it for ya last year.."
"Really?!" She asked him in disbelief and saw him playfully winking at her. She shook her head and again looked at her ring, "This is so beautiful, Ranma.."
Ranma smirked at her and reached out to take the silky strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear,
"Compared to your beauty; it's nothing, Kane.."
Akane seductively smiled up at him and looked at him with her desire-filled eyes. His every word was making her heart beat wildly, her whole feature softened at his simple touch as she fully landed her body over him and whispered to his ear..
"I love you, Ranma! I can't wait to marry you and be yours forever!"
He gave a lingering kiss on the nape of her neck and made her look at him. He cupped her face with both his hands. He gave her a desirable look and creased her face with his fingers. Then he whispered to her before drawing her lips closer towards him,
"You are always mine, Kane!! Only mine!!"...*
A/N: Ahhhh!!! Finally I can say now, this fic is finished T-T!! I am so happy about it, but also a bit sad too! I have been with this fic for the last one and half years! So many changes happened in my life during this period! But thankfully, with all the ups and downs In life, I have managed to finish my second long fiction! This journey was not easy for me, but thankfully, you guys were with me all the time and supported my work. English is not my first language and to be honest with you all, I am not trained to learn English so frequently. But I tried my best to convey my imagination to you all. I know there are lots of mistakes; please see them with forgiving eyes. You guys are so kind and helpful; please always keep supporting me so that I can continue writing fanfics!
I want to thank all of my readers; and specially to those who always stood by my side and helped me finish this fic. Trust me guys, if you haven't reviewed this fic and haven't encouraged me to continue writing; I wouldn't have completed this fic on time! Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.. Thank you..
Akane love, Bayby Face, Kaysachan, Justareader, Cupink, Skyviolet1511, Nikichan, Dita5000, erlynortiz10, Banania90, D-Infinity, own son, Gennymp, Saone Takahashi, SILVIA, venesa112, Benani0125,erlynortiz10, Jose, Em ortiz, Gennymp88, naruto hyoudou, Rankosaotendo1957, Rue, Hole-mole4, oyobass, Dita5000, James Birdsong, Ranma420, Niomei, yuna, lliana fajardo, wendy7lindat, Ruuuuu, lselaglezcam, Malak alhamra, CuteClau, PurseMonger, sussie123, yuncole97, Michelle and all my Guest reviewers...
I also want to give a big thank you to the great page, "Mundo Fanfics Inuyasha Y Ranma"!!! You guys have supported me throughout my journey!! You Guys are awesome!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your love and support and I am sorry if I missed anyone's name :p !! And thanks to all of you who have followed this fic and added this fic to their favorite list :)! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone! I would be really happy and thankful if you guys send me your reviews and tell me if you enjoyed this fic or not!! It will be like a reward for my hard work :)!!
I am also planning one epilogue for this fic! Decision is still 50/50; but if you guys want , I can plan it too :).. Anyway, I plan to post lots of future Ranma Akane fanfics! One shots and long fic as well. If you want to get updated with my upcoming works, you can check my Facebook page, "Mrs impatience", for future updates ;)!!
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Love and regards
Riya