Chapter 2: First Date
The first day of school had ended on a surprising note. The fool, Tatewaki Kuno, had challenged the whole school that they could somehow get a date out of either Ranma or Akane if they defeated them in battle. Starting the next day, they had been forced to fight through several dozen male students and then Kuno himself before they could get to class.
The grunts were bad enough, but Kuno's annoyance was on a completely different level. While the others would generally leave them alone outside of the morning battles, Kuno was completely obsessed with both of them and would hit on them whenever he ran into one or both of them. It also didn't help that Kuno was actually quite skilled with his bokken, and while he was nowhere near either of their levels, he didn't go down easy once he started taking them seriously once he realized his normal method of holding back against girls was nearly suicidal. At least it was some decent training against a skilled armed opponent, as they took turns beating the c*** out of him each morning. They speculated with each other that he must be a masochist to be chasing after the two of them of all people and always coming back for more punishment.
Ranma took these attacks mostly in stride, as she was used to dealing with unwanted attention from boys, but Akane was getting frustrated with this treatment and was beginning to lose her focus. Ranma feared that if this kept up, she might accidentally cause a serious injury or lose all trust in men. Already she was screaming that she hated boys, which ironically caused rumors to spread that she was the one who was a lesbian.
'If only she was,' thought Ranma as she watched Akane at bat from her place in the on-deck circle during their game of P.E. baseball. To the casual observer, it appeared that Ranma was simply watching her teammate take her turn at the plate, but Ranma was actually using it as an excuse to stare at Akane herself.
Ranma normally shared the common opinion among the girls at Furinkan High that the tight t-shirts and brief-style gym shorts that the girls had for gym uniforms were excessively revealing and demeaning, but she could certainly appreciate them from time to time. 'She looks so hot dressed like that, and I don't mean the temperature,' she thought as she began to get aroused.
She was therefore not paying attention when Akane fouled off a pitch which then struck Ranma hard in the cheek. "Why didn't you dodge or catch that?" one of the girls asked, to which Ranma could only reply that she had something on her mind. "I'm sorry, sis," apologized Akane as she ran over and pulled the imbedded baseball out of Ranma's check to reveal a nasty bruise. "Let me help you take care of that."
Akane took Ranma back to the locker room with permission of the teacher. As gym was their last class of the day, they could simply leave as soon as they were ready.
Akane grabbed Ranma's chin in her hand and took a closer look at the bruise. "There's a lot of swelling. We should go see Dr. Tofu to make sure it doesn't get too bad." She released her grip and smirked as she put her hands on her hips. "Maybe that'll teach you to pay closer attention to the game, you pervert. You were checking me out again, weren't you?" she accused.
Ranma sighed. "I can't help it. You know how I feel about you. I can't help but look whenever I can get away with it, and these gym uniforms don't help," she explained as she was barely able to hold her gaze on Akane's face rather than drift down to her chest.
Akane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Honestly! I really wish you would get over this and find someone who shares your, um, interests. You know it can never work between us, and even if I did like girls, it would just be too weird getting involved with someone I think of as my own sister."
"I've tried. I really have, but I just can't do it," said Ranma. "Maybe if I knew another lesbian, she could get my mind off of you, but you know as well as I do that there are no open lesbians in this school."
"You could always come out into the open and let any possible dates come to you. It would get you out of the morning battles, too," Akane suggested.
"We've talked about this, sis," replied Ranma. "People think I'm weird enough as it is. I don't want to add anything else to the list. On top of that, I'm certainly not going to put the full burden of the Hentai Horde on your shoulders. You're already starting to crack under the pressure."
"I guess you're right," conceded Akane. "C'mon, let's shower and get changed, but you'd better not peek at me," she warned.
"You know I wouldn't do that," replied Ranma. "I always keep my eyes averted as best I can when I'm in here." She gave a flirtatious grin. "Besides, if I ever were to peek at a beautiful girl like you in the shower, I'd need a blood transfusion from the massive nosebleed I'd get." Akane shook her head as she walked away towards the showers while secretly blushing at the compliment.
Eventually, the two sisters reached Dr. Tofu's clinic. Once inside, they were glad to see he wasn't busy. "Akane, Ranma, it's good to see you two again. That's a nasty bruise you've got there, Ranma. I assume that's why you're here?"
"Yeah, a little baseball accident," replied Ranma.
"I have a balm that works wonders," said Dr. Tofu. "Back in a jiffy."
Just then the phone rang, and Akane went to answer it. "Hello? Can I help you?" After a pause, she responded by saying, "Oh! Yes, yes, I see. Okay, bye." After hanging up the phone, she turned to Ranma. "We have to get out of here soon! Kasumi's coming!"
"Ah, man," complained Ranma. "We can't leave until the Doc takes a look at my bruise. Why now? Please, hurry up, Doc." Ranma began twitching her legs in nervousness.
Finally, Dr. Tofu came back with the balm. "Now, let's see the wound." He removed the bandage. "Hmm, the impression of that baseball...Akane hit it, right?"
Ranma's and Akane's eyes both went wide. "Huh? How did you?" Ranma stuttered.
Dr. Tofu grinned. "With an impression that deep, a bruise that big, who else but you or Akane, and you certainly couldn't have done it to yourself?"
Ranma chuckled, "I guess you're right, Doc. I guess deep down we're just a couple of savages despite how cute we appear."
"Hey! Speak for yourself, you dummy!" Akane shouted. "Some of us like the idea of being thought of as feminine at times. It was your fault for not paying attention!"
Dr. Tofu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "You mean Akane did hit that ball?! I was just joking." Dr. Tofu missed Akane's depressed look as he continued. "But so what, eh? What's wrong with being active? It just means you're healthy." Ranma, on the other hand, couldn't help but notice Akane's rejected look at the ignorant words spoken by the man on whom she had a crush. Realizing that it had gone too far, she wisely restrained herself from making any further comments on the subject.
Dr. Tofu turned back to Ranma. "Hold still, now. I have to apply this disinfectant."
Suddenly, the door opened, and Kasumi Tendo walked in with a cheerful, "Good afternoon, doctor." Dr. Tofu's glasses immediately fogged up, and he wasted no time in twisting Ranma's head to the side of her neck with a sickening "Krrak!"
Ranma jumped up from her chair and hid behind Akane before he could do anything worse to her. Together, they watched as Dr. Tofu made a fool out of himself first using the cloth wrapped around Kasumi's gift of homemade cookies as a mask and then attempting to eat the plate. Finally, Akane couldn't stand it anymore and ran from the clinic, Ranma following as best as she could with a lopsided head.
Ranma finally caught up to Akane back at the dojo, where she had changed into her gi and was crying as she broke concrete blocks. 'I can't let it hurt me,' she thought.
Suddenly, Ranma leaned into her view and made a funny face while sticking out her tongue. Akane wasn't in the mood for games. "What are you doing?" she snapped as she slammed Ranma's head to the floor.
"Geez, Akane," replied Ranma. "I'm just tryin' to cheer you up. You don't need to hit me for it." She smiled as she stood up and rotated her neck. "You did manage to fix my neck, though. Thanks." Akane continued to stare at the ground between their feet with a frown on her face. "C'mon, Akane," continued Ranma. "We've both known for a long time that Dr. Tofu only has eyes for Kasumi."
Akane sniffled. "I know. It's just...this is the first time in a long while that I've let myself get caught at the clinic at the same time as Kasumi. Those comments he made didn't help either. I can't keep fooling myself about it any longer. It's clear that he'll never see me in any kind of romantic light."
Ranma pulled her miserable sister into her arms and began rubbing her back. Akane relaxed in Ranma's grip and lay her head against Ranma's shoulder. "It's all right, Akane. Dr. Tofu just can't see you as anything other than that little girl who kept getting hurt practicing martial arts and getting into fights. He can't understand how much you struggle balancing your love of the Art with your desire to be feminine and treated like the beautiful young woman you really are. Frankly, he's too old for you, anyway. Someday you'll find someone closer to your own age who truly understands you." 'I just wish it could be me,' she silently added to herself. "So cheer up, Akane. You're really cute when you smile."
Akane looked up and proved Ranma's point with a huge smile. "Thank you, Ranma. You always know just what to say."
That night shortly before bed, Akane entered Ranma's room to find her reading in bed. "You're borrowing my 'Sailor Moon' manga? I thought you didn't like that kind of manga."
Ranma shrugged. "Eh, the plot's not bad, so who am I to turn down looking at a bunch of hot girls in miniskirts fighting evil?" She looked up and grinned. "I certainly wouldn't mind looking at your legs if you want to cosplay as one of them sometime. Sailor Mercury has your hair color, but hers is too short, so you'd have to dye your hair or wear a wig and go as maybe Venus or Mars. Me, my chest size would make me a great Jupiter if I wasn't so short. I'm not sure who I'd be. I might have to settle for Naru with my hair color." Akane shook her head at her sister's lesbian antics.
"Ranma," interrupted Akane, "I've been doing some thinking about things now that I'm pretty much over Dr. Tofu. I've got an idea on how to get rid of the Hentai Horde for good, and I'm now willing to go through with it. It involves you coming out as a lesbian, though."
Ranma sighed. "Akane..." she began only for Akane to cut her off with an upraised hand. "I know you're worried about me, but I've come up with a way to get them to leave me alone too, and no it doesn't involve me falsely claiming to also be a lesbian. I want it to be a surprise, though. You just need to loudly make some kind of declaration about your orientation once we take down the grunts one last time and Kuno makes his usual challenge. I'll take it from there."
Ranma's brow furrowed in indecision. "Please, Ranma." begged Akane. "It's time everyone knew the real you, and I'm sick and tired of all those perverted b******s hunting us like we're some kind of prey to be turned into slabs of meat."
"Okay, Akane," agreed Ranma. "We have let this go on for far too long."
The next day, they put their plan into action. With a few dozen boys lying around them, either unconscious or groaning in pain, Kuno stepped forward. "What fools these mortals be! Surely they must know by now that only I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Shooting Star of Furinkan High, am a worthy match for thee, my loves. Come, if one of you can defeat me, I shall allow you to date with me."
"Kuno!" shouted Ranma. "Enough is enough! You're just not my type. The truth is I'll never be interested in dating you or any other guys, whether they're foolish enough to attack me or not."
"Surely, you jest, my dear Ranma," complained Kuno. "How can you swear off men when you have the favor of a noble warrior such as I?"
Ranma shook her head. "You don't understand, Kuno. I've never been interesting in dating any boys. I don't like boys that way. I'm only attracted to other girls."
Kuno's face went pale as several whispers quickly made their way around the courtyard among the students watching the scene. "You're a lesbian?" Kuno squeaked in disbelief. Ranma nodded. Kuno shook his head clear, and his face soon showed his usual determination once again. "Although your fiery-haired beauty is no longer worthy of my love, I can now set my sights solely on wooing your sister, the fair Akane Tendo."
"I don't think so, Kuno!" shouted Akane with a scowl on her face and her fists clenched at her side.
"Surely, thou art not also of the unnatural opinion that you cannot find happiness in the strong arms of a man?" asked Kuno worriedly, remembering Akane's battle cry of 'I hate boys.'
"No, I am attracted to men," explained Akane. "It's just that you and all of the others who attack us absolutely disgust me! All the times I've claimed to hate boys, I've meant that I hate all the perverts here at Furinkan who somehow think I'd be interesting in someone who assaults me instead of asking me out like a normal person. In fact, I'd rather kiss Ranma than any of the boys here."
Akane then proved her point by walking over to Ranma, cupping her cheeks in her hands, and giving her a big kiss right on her lips. Huge gasps were heard in the crowd. Ranma was shocked at first but then began returning the kiss while placing her hands on Akane's shoulders. She felt a fire burn within her during those several seconds before Akane finally broke apart from her. "Wow!" was all she could say in response.
"NOOO!" screamed Kuno. "You unnatural vixen! Thou hast defiled the lips of thy pure-hearted sister! I shall smite thee and free my fierce tigress from your treachery!"
Ranma sighed as Kuno charged towards her. "Well, it is my turn to beat him up, after all." Kuno was off his game as he let his anger control him. A few well-placed blows later and it was over with Kuno flat on his back sporting several bruises next to several pieces of broken wood.
Akane stood over him (although at a safe distance to avoid any chance of Kuno getting a look up her dress) to provide him with her planned ultimatum. "Kuno, for the last time, leave me alone! If you or any of the others attacks either Ranma or me again, I'll ask Ranma out on a date. I think I've proven that I'm not bluffing about this kind of thing." She punctuated her threat by lifting one of her legs and slamming the heel of her shoe into Kuno's groin. Kuno let out a horrific scream until he mercifully blacked out from the pain.
Ranma winced at Akane's vicious attack before following her into the building. She concluded that the rest of the Hentai Horde was sure to give up now, and hopefully Kuno had also learned his lesson, although she hoped he'd be foolish enough to try one more time given what Akane had just promised.
During class, Ranma's and Akane's desks both piled up with notes from their curious classmates, which they both refused to read. At lunch, they also ignored several people who tried to talk to them, instead eating quietly with their friends Sayuri and Yuka, who were wise enough to hold off their own questions for now.
Kuno once again proved to be a slow learner when he burst into their classroom halfway through lunch attempting to attack Ranma. Akane laid him out with a single punch before turning to her delighted sister and asking, "Ranma, will you go out with me Friday night?" "I'd love to, Akane," she replied.
Later in the day, Ranma faced a confrontation from the other girls in the locker room before gym class. Ranma explained and Akane confirmed that she always did her best not to look at anyone in the locker room. With Akane backing her up while no one was able to contradict the claim, and realizing that Ranma had no other real options, they accepted this explanation, although several of the girls couldn't help glancing at her from time to time to make sure she wasn't peeking.
Ranma and Akane left school together with Sayuri and Yuka. They were barely past the school gate when their friends started asking rapid-fire questions. Akane held up a hand for silence. "I'll be glad to answer your questions, but in return I want you two to come shopping with me this afternoon."
"Ugh, shopping," complained Ranma. "You guys can go do that without me."
Sayuri giggled. "You're so weird sometimes, Ranma. What kind of teenage girl doesn't like to go shopping?"
Ranma sighed. "I just find it boring is all, unless we're going shopping for new swimsuits. Akane, remember that one bikini Kasumi tried on last year? It was so skimpy I actually got a nosebleed when she showed it off to us."
Yuka gasped. "So it's true. You really are a lesbian. You weren't just saying it to get those perverted jerks to back off."
"Of course it's true," confirmed Ranma. "I wouldn't want everyone in school thinking I'm gay if I were actually straight, Kuno or no Kuno." She thought of something she needed to tell them and continued. "Don't worry about it. The two of you are good looking and all, and maybe you'll catch a glance from me every now and then, but I'm not actually interested in either of you like that."
Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean there is a girl you like?"
"Well, uh, yeah, um," Ranma began spluttering. Sayuri and Yuka however both noticed that not only had Ranma just glanced at Akane but Akane's cheeks had turned red. "No way!" they both shouted in unison.
"You have a crush on Akane?!" exclaimed Sayuri in disbelief. "But she's your sister! That's so weird."
"Well, it's not like she's my biological sister," said Ranma. "I know it's unusual, but I can't help how I feel about her."
"No wonder you were enjoying it so much when Akane kissed you this morning," commented Yuka.
Akane was blushing harder now. "Ranma really helped me out with a problem I had yesterday," she explained. "The kiss doubled as a sort of thank you present while also underlying my point to Kuno and the Hentai Horde. I really don't think there are any guys at school worth dating after what they put me through. Even the ones who weren't part of the Horde never tried to stop it or otherwise stand up for us or even offer sympathy."
"Maybe we should change the subject," suggested Yuka. "Why do you want us to go shopping with you, Akane?"
Akane smiled. "Well, someone needs to help me find a new outfit to buy for my date Friday."
Ranma's jaw dropped. "You mean you actually want to go through with it? You don't have to do that, Akane. I really don't mind." The last part of her statement was a blatant lie.
"I want to do this for you, Ranma," said Akane. "Besides, it wouldn't be much of a deterrent for Kuno if we don't actually do it. However, I expect you to wear a dress, too. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just something that will make you look nice."
"Aw man," complained Ranma.
Sayuri shook her head and said, "You know, Akane may be a tomboy, but you really take it to the extreme, Ranma. When's the last time you wore a dress or skirt other than your school uniform or when forced to do so for a special occasion? Now that we know you like girls, I'm beginning to wonder if you'd be happier if you were a boy."
Ranma shrugged. "It's just the way I am."
At this point, they reached the intersection where they would separate to reach their individual houses. Sayuri and Yuka agreed that after they went home, changed clothes, and informed their parents, they would meet back up with Akane at her house for their shopping trip.
Friday night came, and Ranma was incredibly nervous. She was actually going on a real date with Akane! It would probably be the only date the two of them would ever have together, but she really didn't want to mess this up.
They had told their family that they would be going out together to see a movie and also grab some dinner while they were out, which was technically all true. They left the house in casual clothes with their dresses and more formal shoes in the backpacks they carried. This proved to be an especially smart decision when Ranma would once again be splashed by the ladle lady. Once outside the gate, Ranma made the bold move of grabbing and holding Akane's hand. She was pleased when Akane made no move to pull away but actually flashed one of her brilliant smiles at the contact.
They both enjoyed the martial arts action film they had chosen to see. Ranma was surprised when Akane actually leaned her head against her shoulder halfway through the film, although she certainly wasn't going to complain about it.
The restaurant they had chosen wasn't fancy or expensive, but it was a nice looking place where they would be waited on instead of some cheap fast-food joint. After they were seated at their table, Ranma first went to the ladies' room to change into the simple sun dress she had picked out to wear. Afterwards, Akane took her turn to change into her new outfit, which would be a surprise for Ranma.
When Akane reappeared, Ranma gasped at the sight of the beautiful girl, no woman, who rejoined her at their table. She was wearing a very attractive blouse that was mostly dark pink with a large strip of white fabric at the top that went across her breastbone and shoulders yet otherwise left her arms bare. A smaller white strip encircled the blouse at her waist. The effect was completed with a red rose decoration at her left shoulder. The blouse was then complimented with a tight dark-red miniskirt that didn't even reach halfway to her knees, white shoes, and a red band in her hair at the top of her head complete with a little bow.
Together they ate and at first talked about some of the usual things they liked to discuss. Ranma was having trouble focusing on the conversation, though, as she continued to look at her date and had become aware of how uncomfortable her bra was against certain parts of her chest.
Once they ordered dessert, Akane's face became serious. "Ranma, I have a confession to make. I did arrange for the kiss at school and this date both as a way to stop the Hentai Horde and to thank you for helping me get over Dr. Tofu, but I had a third reason as well." She took a deep breath before continuing, now unable to look Ranma in the eyes, her hands nervously fidgeting in her lap. "I've never told anybody this before. You see, while I am attracted to boys, I'm also attracted to girls. In other words, I'm bisexual."
Ranma's face lit up like a rocket on New Year's Eve. There was a chance for them to be together after all. She listened carefully as Akane continued. "Anyway, now that I'm over Dr. Tofu, I decided that I owed both of us a chance to kiss and go on a real date. However, this does not mean I want to pursue a romantic relationship with you. This is probably as far as we'll ever go."
At the disappointed look on Ranma's face, Akane tried to explain. "It's not that I'm uninterested in you. I'm actually very attracted to you. I care deeply for you as your sister and friend, and let's face it, you're really hot. There could be some romantic feelings in there more than simple lust. I'm not sure myself. But I'm too scared to try and find out if there can be anything between us. Unlike you, I do like guys, and I've always dreamed of someday getting married and having kids, you know, a normal family. I can't do those things with you. I'll probably never find anyone at Furinkan High, but someday I hope to meet the man of my dreams."
Ranma looked like she was about to cry at this point. Akane reached over and grabbed her hand from across the table. "Please understand, Ranma. I know it's not fair for you, and you're the last person I ever want to hurt, but I can't just limit myself like that. Maybe in a few years if I still haven't found anyone I may be more open to it, but it just won't work right now." Ranma nodded her understanding.
The topic of conversation shifted to lighter tones as they ate their desserts, and Ranma started to feel better. By the time they reached their gate on their walk back home (back in their original clothes, of course), Ranma was smiling again.
Ranma pulled Akane back before she could walk inside. "I've been thinking," began Ranma nervously, "how exactly has this been a date instead of an evening together as friends like we told your parents? Yes, we did dress up, but there are all kinds of reasons to do that besides dating. I think you owe me a goodnight kiss if we're going to consider this a real date."
Akane thought about it and decided that she did owe Ranma this one favor at the very least. "Okay, we'll kiss one last time."
Akane leaned forward only to be surprised as Ranma pulled her all the way into her arms and began kissing her passionately. Akane was even more surprised to discover how much she enjoyed this aggressive move and began returning the passion. There was just something right about this. It didn't take long before their tongues were in each others mouths. After a few minutes, they finally broke apart in exhaustion, both of their faces overheated.
"Wow!" exclaimed Akane as she fought to catch her breath. "That was some goodnight kiss."
"Thank you, Akane," said Ranma as she entered the gate to their property. "I'll always treasure this evening." She looked back and gave a lopsided grin. "Right now, though, I need to go spend some private time in my room with my thoughts and to change my panties."
Akane caught what Ranma was implying as she followed her back to their house realizing that she needed to do the same things herself.
Author's Notes: Woohoo, bonus chapter!
Akane's outfit for the date is the one she wore on the "date" in the animé adaption of the Nabiki Fiancée Arc (Episode 110). Just imagine her with long hair instead.
So this was a pretty WAFFY chapter, but the next one will be more action-packed when Ryoga shows up to challenge Furinkan High's best fighters.