"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
Chapter 6: Lessons
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Luna12
Author's Note: I will refer to Ranma as a 'he' even when in female form. It's just too confusing to deal with it.
Ranma turned to glance over at Akane from their position outside the dojo door. Although she was visibly hiding it, he knew her too well. He could sense her nervous excitement as clearly as if it were a neon sign. It was as if she was vibrating without moving. He took a deep breath and shot her his most confident smile to ease her worries and hide his own. Although he would fiercely deny it, he felt just as nervous as she did. Training himself or learning along side his Pop was one thing, but teaching other students was foreign territory.
He heard Akane take in a deep breath to steady herself and slowly let it out through her mouth. "Ready?" she asked him, a mingle of excitement and apprehension in her voice.
"Of course," came the steady reply, ruined only by the small crack in his voice. Despite coughing as if to clear his throat, Akane noticed it immediately for what it was and, surprisingly, felt herself relax. Knowing Ranma was feeling a bit uneasy actually made her feel less anxious. They were in this together.
"Let's do it, then."
The new students, who had clustered themselves randomly around the dojo before their first lesson, jumped at the sound of the door opening.
Ranma and Akane walked authoritatively into the dojo and stopped in the center to study the assembled students.
A grand total of twenty-five had arrived, from pre-adolescents to adults. Their level of ability and interest in the Art varied as much as their ages. It was clear, by looking at their stance and belt color, who were the most dedicated and had prior experience; they were the ones attracted to the dojo by reports of Ranma's skill. Others, mainly the younger group, were novices eager to learn martial arts for the first time. A very different cluster of eight young men were in neither category. Instead of standing straight at attention, they elbowed and whispered to each other while shooting glances Akane's way.
Akane frowned. She had her sister to blame for attracting these idiots who had no interest in the Art itself. The leering gleam in their eyes as they studied their female instructor strongly reminded her of Happosai.
"Okay everybody," Ranma started, "I'm Saotome Ranma and this is Tendo Akane. We'll be your instructors."
"Saotome-sensei will be taking the advanced students," Akane chimed in.
"And Tendo-sensei will be teaching kendo and the beginners."
'Boy, does it feel weird to call each other "sensei"!' Ranma and Akane thought to themselves, unknowingly at the same time.
"Alright, then. Beginners and anyone interested in kendo, line up over here," Akane ordered.
"And anyone ready to learn the cool stuff... "
Akane gave Ranma a sharp glare.
"...heh heh, I mean 'advanced' stuff, line up over here by me."
The students followed the instructions, splitting up to opposite ends of the large training hall. Akane walked in front of her assembled group, asking for names and making formal introductions. The younger students eagerly replied, but the other students she unfortunately had were not as polite.
"Name?" she asked a spiky haired teenager, whose lewd smirk was already annoying her.
He nudged his friends before answering. "Tanaka Jiro, Akane-chan."
Akane's face turned a dangerous shade darker. "You will refer to me as sensei."
"Or what?" one of his friends challenged. "What can a hot girl like you -"
The young man's response was brutally cut off as he landed flat on his back. Faster than he or the other students were able to process, Akane had grabbed his arm and flipped him over her head and painfully onto the ground.
The figure on the floor struggled to regain the breath that was knocked out of him. He made an uncanny resemblance to a beetle stuck on its back as he attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to regain his feet.
"I only went easy on you because this is a first offense," Akane told the boy. "Next time, I throw you out of my dojo via the wall. Understood?" Akane glared at all of them, clearly letting them know that no more monkey business would be tolerated.
The commotion was not lost to Ranma, who quickly wandered to Akane's side of the dojo.
"Everything okay here?" he asked. His protective instincts had spiked when he saw the caliber of students that joined Akane's group. He knew Akane shared his troublesome ability to attract loony admirers - and the photos Nabiki had filtered around town (which he only discovered an hour before class) would only make things worse.
Ranma looked around at the boy struggling for breath on the floor, and then at the rest of Akane's students. The disrespectful, hormone-driven males were now standing straight to attention. As they watched Akane, a mixture of fear and respect replaced the lecherous gleam in their eyes.
Akane gave Ranma a deviously sweet smile. "Don't worry. I can handle things here."
Ranma smiled back at her. She sure could.
Outside the Tendo Dojo, Genma was literally dancing. It was the same clumsy and ridiculous dance of joy he normally performed with his best friend. For a moment he paused and nearly lost his footing. It felt wrong to be celebrating this moment without Tendo-kun. He quickly shook his head and pushed the feeling aside. Wherever Tendo-kun was right now, he was surely dancing as well; Ranma and Akane were teaching together in the dojo. Their legacy was coming to fruition! With Ranma and Akane working cooperatively, it wouldn't be long before they became even closer. Even better to Genma's mind, was that his position was secure again. After all, his son was a breadwinner - and he was the one who helped train Ranma to do that breadwinning.
Nabiki glowed over her calculator and accounting book. At this rate, they'd be back in the black and then some in no time. All she had to do was continue promoting Ranma and Akane, recruit a few more students, and they would be set.
She gently stroked the thick acceptance letter she kept at her desk. It was now official. Tokyo University's school of economics and finance had not only accepted her, but offered a full scholarship. It was a dream come true, but she couldn't leave her family if the finances were falling apart. Now with Ranma and Akane teaching, she wouldn't have to worry about the income. She could manage the rest of the finances long distance and rely on Kasumi and Akane for everything else.
There were, however, a few more arrangements left to make.
The "Fiancée Brigade" was to meet her in 6 days and her plans were still in their infancy. Originally she had set the deadline to simply buy the family some time — she needed Ranma and Akane to reestablish the dojo without interruptions.
Now, there were other matters to consider.
There comes a point when enough is enough, and Nabiki knew that time had come. Her family had dealt with the untimely death of their mother and now their father. The last thing they needed were more crazy and destructive plots by people attempting to marry either Ranma or Akane.
Settling the fiancée problem used to be a conflict of interest for Nabiki. She had more than enjoyed the profitable opportunities that came from the unwanted attention Ranma and Akane gathered. Now, she was losing money and her family was at risk. Some of her money making schemes had only backfired.
She remembered the catastrophe of the failed wedding all too well. Ranma and Akane's suitors were getting desperate and a clear pattern of elevated destruction was evident. First Nodoka's home was wrecked in the search for a non-existent wedding ring, and then the dojo was literally bombed, among other things, to break up the ceremony.
What next?
Things were beyond simple cooking contests for Ranma's affection or mild stalking by Kuno or Ryoga for Akane's love. If the situation wasn't resolved soon, the "next time" would lead to someone being hurt, as opposed to property damage. In the state that her family was in now, she needed to diffuse the situation before it happened.
Nabiki rubbed her aching temples, trying to ignore the headache coming her way. She needed to lay down the facts if she was to plan anything.
She picked up her pen, and in a method that had always served her well, jotted down notes to get her thoughts organized.
Goal 1: Safely get Shampoo, Kodachi, Ukyo, & Kuno to admit defeat and leave their family alone - or at least safe.
"Hmph," Nabiki sighed. It was infinitely easier to write on her notepad than to get that done.
Goal 2: Get Ranma and Akane together
A year ago, Nabiki never would have considered such a goal, but now she was fully certain; her sister, as stubbornly as she may refuse it on the outside, had fallen in love with the "baka hentai" she was engaged to. Nabiki had a natural talent to read people, and reading through her sister's tough front wasn't so hard. Especially since that tough front had been slipping the past month. She knew something monumental had happened at Jusenkyo, but she was never able to get most of the details until recently.
Akane and Ranma had been getting along suspiciously better once they arrived back from China, which was her first clue. The other was Akane's unusual acceptance to go along with the wedding. Sure, her father had bribed Akane with Ranma's cure, but she knew that wasn't the real reason. Akane could easily have told Ranma about the water first - instead she decided to tell him after most of the preparations were underway.
Clue number two: Ranma had been strangely protective of Akane since returning. If Akane even thought about going out alone, anywhere, day or night, Ranma made some excuse to follow. Even stranger, Akane hadn't become horribly annoyed by him for tagging along.
So, Nabiki went to the only source she could somewhat rely on: Mousse. Although useless in describing visual details, he was the only one who could relate what happened more objectively. At first, he hadn't wanted to disclose all the information, but Nabiki was persuasive, to say the least.
That was when she found out both young teens had nearly died.
First, Ranma was almost absorbed by the monster Saffron, only to be saved in the nick of time by Akane. The problem was, in her attempt to save him, Akane nearly died herself.
Yes, things were getting serious and she wasn't going to let them pussy-foot the issue for much longer. The main obstacle was to get the others off their back...
Nabiki picked up the phone and dialed.
"Hello? Gosunkugi-kun? I have an offer you can't refuse..."
Ranma raked his hand through his hair in frustration for the fifteenth time that day. He was the world's best martial artist. He was never defeated, (or at least, never defeated for long), but none of that had prepared him for this challenge: teaching.
At first, his students had begged him to demonstrate some of his more advanced techniques. Always willing to show off, Ranma obliged by blowing up a practice dummy with a toned down version of his Moko Takabashi technique.
The students "oo"ed and "aw"ed and all seemed to be going well... until someone asked him to explain how he did it.
Ranma's eyebrows rose in confusion. "I already showed you," he explained.
"Uh, sensei, you demonstrated it but how do you do it?"
The lessons quickly degenerated from there.
Ranma would show them an advanced technique, but no one would understand how he did it and Ranma didn't know how to explain it. At least not in words. He always learned by doing, from watching and observing. Why couldn't they?
It was soon clear that although Ranma was a gifted martial artist, his skills did not extend to teaching. The problem was he was TOO good. With his ability to pick up new techniques practically overnight, he had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that most people learnt differently and at slower speeds.
The students started to mutter to themselves, feeling as frustrated as their sensei. Some started pointing and whispering toward Akane's side of the dojo. On that end students were organized in small teams practicing different katas and defense drills. Others were learning the beginnings of kenpo. Everyone was moving and learning something, as opposed to standing around in a dead-end conversation on energy attacks.
"Maybe we should have gone with Tendo-sensei?" Ranma heard a student on his side whisper a little too loudly.
Ranma never felt more insulted in his life. They'd rather learn from Akane than him? Sure, Akane was a black belt but he was the best martial artist. Didn't they know that?
Trying to be covert, students started to dissipate from his side of the dojo to Akane's.
"Hey!" Ranma cried. "Let me show you something else!"
A few stopped to watch as Ranma's hands and arms moved in a beautiful blur of motion.
"Sensei, what is that?"
Ranma beamed. This was something slow-poke Akane could never show them.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken. Mid-fire Heavenly Broiled Sweet Chestnuts Fist."
A student scratched his head in puzzlement. "I couldn't even see what you were doing!"
Ranma's grin grew wider. "That's the point. It's a speed technique. You don't have to pummel the opponent with too much power if you just tap them a hundred times at once."
Another student, whose arms were crossed in front of his chest in evident frustration from sitting idly by, spoke up. "Can you instruct us how to do it, sensei?" The words were polite, but the tone was impatient and he spat the word sensei as if it were a joke.
"Of course I can. You just make yourself go fast."
A few students tried, even with Ranma's cryptic response, and got no where.
Ranma couldn't believe the group of slowpokes he had. "Is that as fast as you guys can go?" he accused, dismayed.
More and more students began to leave Ranma's group, wandering to Akane's side.
Eventually, Ranma was the only one left.
Akane wiped her brow, feeling a bit tired from the day's events. She never imagined that Ranma's students would all move over to her side! Initially she was immensely pleased, but she soon found herself overwhelmed. There were really too many students for one sensei to handle at the same time. In addition, there wasn't much more she had to teach Ranma's students and she had only prepared lessons for the beginners.
Regardless, she tried her best, all too aware of Ranma scowling from the other side of the dojo.
When the students defected to her side she had asked them why. The answer didn't surprise Akane much. Ranma wouldn't even slow himself down enough to spare with her. It was little wonder he couldn't bring himself to go at a slow enough pace for other students.
Akane, on the other hand, was well able to communicate how to execute a move. She could relate to the students that were frustrated or needed a different way to explain a concept. She found teaching to be even easier than when she learned the initial technique. When she noticed a mistake, she could remember how and why she used to make the similar blunder and correct them - not just point out the problem.
When the last of the students left the dojo, Ranma made the embarrassing trek towards Akane's side and the exit.
Ranma was clearly in a mood to go off and sulk, but Akane touched his arm and stopped him. "Hey, wait up."
"Why?" Ranma barked, his pride at the breaking point. "So you can gloat about how much everyone loves you?"
Akane felt her temper rise. She didn't ask for all those students to leave him, after all! She was not about to let him shift the blame to her. "Baka! I want to talk about working out lesson plans."
Ranma huffed and crossed his arms. "What for? It seems everyone wants you, not me."
Akane realized his ego has been majorly bruised (which she had to admit, badly needed it), but it would make him insufferable until his confidence was restored. She remembered all too well the incidence with the do-gi and Happosai's super soba. Ranma would never rest or stop acting like a jerk if he thought she bested him at something.
"That's not true, Ranma. The really good students first came here because they wanted you, the 'amazing' Ranma, not me."
"Yeah, and fine job I did. I showed them everything, just like Pop would teach me, more or less, so why didn't they get it?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Your father isn't exactly the best instructor, Ranma."
"Hey, his methods work," he defended, still feeling touchy.
"Uh huh," Akane's voice was oozing sarcasm. "By almost killing you, giving you a cat-phobia and taking you to the cursed springs of Jusenkyo. Right, he's a great teacher."
Ranma groaned inwardly; she had more than a few good points. "Okay, so his methods might not be for everyone."
Akane shook her head, knowing that was as far as Ranma would compromise. It was one thing for Ranma to go around and insult his old man, but anyone else and he would get defensive.
"Ranma, I have an idea... if you're willing to listen."
Ranma's eyebrows lifted. "Yeah?"
"Well, I can't teach everyone by myself. They're too many students, for one thing and the other..." she trailed off, unsure how to put it, not sure she could vocalize it yet.
"The other?" he prompted.
Her voice was quiet. "I-I'm not good enough yet to show the more advanced students. They're only a little farther behind than me, and well, they need someone better."
Ranma smile grew enormous. "So, you're finally admitting I'm better than you, huh?"
Akane felt like punching him and her hand twitched, ready to beat some humility into the arrogant jerk. Ranma noticed the slight hand movement and closed his eyes, ready for a pounding.
He waited, but there was no impact. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. Akane looked severely annoyed, and her clenched fist still trembled, but she made no move to hit him. He watched her take a deep breath, as if to calm down.
"Don't hit him...yet. That won't get you anywhere," Akane thought to herself. She knew she walked right into feeding his ego, but at least Ranma was listening to what she had to say. "I didn't say that, but, well, I think you'd do a better job once you learn how to teach, that is."
"Hey, I can too teach!"
"Sure, that's why everyone came over to my side today?"
"What's your point, tomboy?"
"What I'm saying, baka, is that we can help each other!"
Ranma paused to absorb what she had to say. "What do you mean?"
Akane sighed in frustration, trying to keep control of her temper. He was so thickheaded. "I'm saying that I can teach you how to teach while you teach me."
Ranma's face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait, can you say that again? Slower this time?"
Akane continued, slowly and emphasizing each word. "If you train me, I can instruct the more advanced students. While doing so, I can show you how to teach."
Ranma's eyes went wide, finally getting it. "Wait, wait a sec. You want me to train you?"
Akane swallowed hard. Why was such a small thing so hard to say? It was as if she was officially admitting that Ranma was the better martial artist, which, (even though she knew he was), was a fact she didn't like to openly acknowledge.
"Yes," she replied.
"You gotta be joking."
Akane felt her thinly kept temper slip. "You're always saying how much better you are than everyone else, and how horrible I am, so put your money where your mouth is, Ranma! Show me how to do it right!"
"I can't show you," Ranma tried to answer, exasperated.
"Why not? You just tried to teach the other students. Why not me?"
Ranma shook his head. "I just can't."
Akane's aura started to glow. "What? Because you think I'm not good enough?"
"That's not it!" Ranma shouted.
"Then what? You'll spar and train with about anyone except me! How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I CAN'T STAND SEEIN' YOU GET HURT! I'd rather get hit myself than let ANYTHIN' hit you!" Ranma's shout echoed in the dojo. He looked astonished at what he'd just admitted. It was true, he knew, but that didn't mean he was ready to say it to himself, let alone aloud.
Akane fell into a stunned silence. She had never expected an outburst of emotion like that coming from Ranma. She knew he was protective of her, and had only been acting more so since Jusendo, but the way he said it...there was no denying it.
"You really do care about me, don't you?" Akane asked. She wasn't mocking him or even trying to force him into a confession. Her question was more a statement of fact, rather than an inquiry.
Ranma knew Akane wasn't actually trying to trap him, but that was still how he felt. His knee-jerk reaction was to deny it, but he stopped in mid-speech. Ever since he was forced to confront his feelings at Jusendo, he found it harder and harder to insult or dismiss such accusations. His mother's words of wisdom from the night before echoed in his mind, but he wasn't ready to say any more than he had already let slip.
There was only one other possible response. If an offensive attack was out, a strong defense was needed. "So, what if I do?" he challenged, neither confirming nor denying his feelings.
It was clear to Akane how nervous he felt. He was practically pacing, jittering from side to side unable to stand in one place. Akane knew she needed to say something, to let him know he wasn't alone in feeling that way. She touched his shoulder, trying to get him to stand still so she could talk to him and make sure he heard her.
"Ranma… I- I don't want to see you get hurt, either. I mean, why else do you think I get so worried whenever you run off to another fight?" She hoped he understood what she meant, but realized that the surprised look in his eyes meant he probably didn't get all of it.
Her next words came out a tentative whisper. "I...I care about you, too."
Ranma's eyes went wide. This was the closest they had ever come to admitting their feelings to each other and he half expected Tarou, Happosai and the rest of the Nerima "wrecking crew" to come barging in any moment and ruin things.
Akane began to blush, feeling uncomfortable. "Anyway," she continued pushing aside her flustering emotions and desperately trying to change the topic, "you can't train me without hitting me."
Ranma felt relieved that the discussion was going back to a slightly safer subject. "That's what I've been saying; of course that's the problem." His tone of voice seemed to imply that Akane was an idiot for bringing up the obvious.
Akane frowned at his attitude, but continued. "I'm not made out of fine china, you know. I won't break if you hit me. For crying out loud, you're the one who keeps saying I'm as tough as a gorilla!"
A ghost of a smile appeared at the corner of Ranma's mouth. "Yeah, you are."
For once, Akane didn't grow too upset by the backhanded nature of the compliment. She merely humphed in reply.
As quickly as Ranma's smile appeared, it faded to be replaced by a distant, haunted expression. "But you're not invincible, either." His eyes met hers and Akane knew his mind was replaying the moment she had laid lifeless in his arms at Jusendo.
His voice continued, unusually serious, concerned and doubtful. "What if I make a mistake and really hurt you? Or even..." Ranma stopped, unable to continue.
"You won't." The statement was spoken firmly and with full confidence.
Ranma's eyebrows raised, surprised.
"I'm a martial artist, Ranma. I can take a few hits and be okay. And I know, despite everything, that you wouldn't allow yourself to really harm me."
For once, it was Ranma who was the less confident one. The feeling of self-doubt was strange and new for him - and he didn't like it one bit.
Akane realized the next move was hers. "Hit me."
Ranma's eyes bulged and his jaw opened in shock. He did not just hear her say that, did he?
"Eh?"
"You heard me. Hit me. I won't block or pound you back, and you'll see that I'm okay."
Ranma's face visibly paled for a moment. "This is crazy."
"Are you going to help me teach the school or not?" she challenged.
"Of course I am!"
"And I need to learn more before I teach?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then hit me and get it over with!"
"Men don't hit girls!" he countered.
Akane grabbed her water bottle and poured it over Ranma's head. "There! Now hit me."
Ranma, now a dripping wet redhead, did not like this. At all. It was insane. It was ludicrous. It also made a twisted sort of sense.
If he, now a she, could control a punch, pull it enough, Akane'd be alright, wouldn't she? In his female form he knew his strength was greatly reduced.
'She'll be okay, she'll be okay, she'll be okay' Ranma kept trying to tell himself. He stood up straight and brought up his fist, which trembled for a few moments before he took a deep breath and regained his control.
Akane saw this and understood completely; he was about to take an important step. She dropped her arms to her side and nodded. A second later, Ranma punched her stomach. It was pulled, but it was enough to double Akane over as she gasped for breath.
Ranma dropped down to his knees in front of her. "Akane, are you alright?" he asked in his soprano voice, extremely worried. "Was that too much? I'm so sorry Akane, I..."
She recovered enough to look up at him and put a finger to his lips, stopping his protests.
"I'm okay. And thanks, Ranma. I know that wasn't easy for you."
She stood up straight, as did he.
"Now, let's spar for real, okay? I'll be fine."
Ranma nodded slowly as Akane assumed her stance. She studied her opponent, noting the relaxed stance he always took when fighting her. It never failed to infuriate her.
They began. It was an intricate game of give and take, with Akane mainly giving and Ranma taking the punishment. In a way, Akane realized why Ranma was actually allowing some of her hits in; he was punishing himself for the one hit he landed on her. Then, as if fully satisfied that he had paid enough for his imaginary transgression, he began to avoid all her moves in the annoying way he always sparred with her.
Akane knew Ranma was still having trouble with the concept of actively hitting her, and she would have to show him more thoroughly that she was not as helpless as he thought. She needed to throw him for a loop, but he knew her fighting style all too well; it was child's play for him to avoid her. Yet, he hadn't seen the special Tendo technique.
Akane waited for the right moment and executed the henkan-henkou. She had to fight to keep her concentration (as opposed to gloat) at the surprised and utterly shocked look on Ranma's face. With a move Ranma had to admit he didn't see coming, Akane clipped him on the chin and sent his female form flying.
Physically, Ranma quickly recovered with a backflip. His emotional recovery, however, was a little stalled. A mixture of feelings warred with each other. He was both surprised and impressed that Akane managed to get through his defenses when he was honestly trying to evade. He felt eager and excited to learn this bizarre kata she executed. He was also upset with himself that she had made it through his defenses, even if he was a girl at the time. Akane was usually notorious at communicating her moves to an opponent, but this time she had taken him completely unaware.
Yet, he had seen it once. He smiled to himself. He could avoid it next time.
Well, almost next time. Both the second and third time she managed to land a few hits, but he was better prepared and they didn't send him flying. The technique's timing constantly shifted, making the most use of the Anything Goes style. She was pretty good, he had to admit, adapting her attack to however Ranma was moving and blocking.
'If Akane wasn't such a slowpoke,'he mentally confessed to himself, 'I'd have hell of a time blocking.'
They separated for a moment and Akane beamed, pleased with herself. "So, are you still going to treat me with kid gloves?"
"Hey, you're not Ryoga. I'm not gonna go full force. You may be a tough tomboy, but you're still a girl."
"So are you, at the moment."
Ranma scowled. "I'm not a real girl."
Akane smiled deviously. "Then why don't I show you how tough girls really are?"
Akane began her attack again, but this time Ranma poured all his energy into his speed and managed to avoid all her hits.
They broke away again. This time, Akane was left disappointed. Her successful streak was short lived.
"You know," Ranma began, sensing her frustration, "we really have to work on your speed."
Akane opened her mouth to protest, but closed it before she could say anything. She had asked him to train her and he hadn't said anything directly insulting for a change.
"Fine," she growled. "What do you suggest?"
Ranma blinked several times. Akane was actually agreeing with him? True, she sounded a bit defensive, but she was actually listening to him.
"Watch me. I'll show you."
Akane placed her hands on her hips, half annoyed by his cocky attitude and half eager to learn.
Ranma smiled on one side of his mouth and struck out in the air like lightning. His attacks began at a manageable speed and steadily increased in velocity until he was performing the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken attack.
"Okay. Now you try."
Akane had seen Ranma perform the Amazon technique before, but she had never figured out how he managed to be that fast. Watching this time hadn't revealed anything else. Akane took a deep breath and tried to move as fast as Ranma.
Ranma watched and shook his head. "Sheesh. You really are a slowpoke."
"RANMA!"
"Hey, it's the truth!"
"That doesn't mean you have to say it like that!" Akane let out a breath full of frustration. "So, what am I doing wrong? What's missing?"
Ranma also felt frustrated, but hid it better. "You're not putting everything into it," he explained calmly.
"I am too," Akane replied, indignant.
"Are not," he snorted. "You're not putting your ki into it."
"My ki?" Ki was life energy. She knew it fueled emotions and a person's aura, and could even be used by Ranma and Ryoga to form energy based attacks, but she had never learned how to use it directly before.
Akane tilted her head at him, intrigued. "How do I channel that into my speed?"
Ranma rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe he had to explain it aloud. "The same way you do everything else."
Ranma's arrogant tone irritated Akane to no end. She counted silently to herself to keep from snapping back at him. "You're doing it again. Try and explain in some detail, will you?"
Ranma rubbed his hands through his hair, feeling at a loss. "I don't know how to say it. You just do it. Like this." Ranma's hands moved in a blur as he demonstrated the technique once more.
"See?"
Akane frowned. "No. All I know is you somehow manage to go faster than what seems physically possible."
Ranma nodded. "Exactly. You do get it."
"What?"
Ranma smirked. "Of course it's physically impossible. That's why you channel ki into it."
Akane looked doubtful. Tofu could manipulate some simple ki lines in the body via pressure points, but that's not what Ranma was talking about here.
Akane tried it again, with the same lack of results. She sighed in frustration. "How do you do it? I've never tried something like that before."
"But you have!" Ranma protested. "You do it all the time!"
Akane raised her arms in exasperation. "What do you mean I do it all the time?"
"You don't honestly think a girl your size is naturally as strong as a gorilla, do ya?"
Akane scowled at him. "Ranma, just what are you getting at?" Her voice warned him that any false step in speech would send him flying.
"Don't you ever wonder how you knock me clear to the other side of Nerima in one blow? You channel the ki as strength."
"I do?"
Ranma looked surprised. "Yeah. I thought you knew."
Akane shook her head. "No, I never thought about it before. It just… happened."
Ranma's smirk grew even larger. "Now you see why I can't just explain it in words? It's just so, so instinctual for me. You use it for strength, I use it for speed."
Akane's mouth twitched into a wry smile. "If you had said that earlier, I would have gotten it, you know."
Ranma rubbed the back of his head bashfully at the gentle rebuke. "Yeah, whatever. So, you gonna try it?"
Akane tried to recall in detail what she did whenever she slugged someone with her "gorilla" strength. Suddenly, she had it. The common element was how angry she felt at the time. Her emotional energy would overflow into every pore. Just as Ryoga's depression fueled his ki, and Ranma's overconfidence fueled his, she would have to rely on one of her naturally stronger emotions.
'That should be easy,' Akane thought to herself. She had been feeling angry and frustrated more than ever lately. The trick was to channel it for speed instead of strength.
It took several more attempts, mainly with Ranma goading her, before she reached a speed that was twice as fast as she had ever been before. It was still not as good as the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, but it was close. A little more practice and she would get it.
Akane was breathing hard from the day's hard efforts, but her mood was better than Ranma could remember in a long while. He understood, in a way. Nothing made him quite so happy as when he mastered a new technique. Sure, Akane hadn't mastered it yet, but she was heck of a lot farther along today than ever before.
A small smile began to form at the corner of his mouth, as well. 'I should have done this sooner,' he thought to himself. Then again, not so long ago neither of them would have had the self-discipline or maturity to be together like this.
4 days later at the Tendo Dojo...
"Okay everyone. All advanced students are to report to Saotome-sensei, not me. Understood?" Akane announced firmly.
The students began to grumble.
"But Tendo-sensei, Saotome-sensei, well, he -"
"Can't teach?" Akane finished for the nervous boy. "Is that what you were about to say?"
Ranma scowled from the other side of the dojo. Akane had asked him to wait over there while she talked the other students into rejoining his side. He was not happy with this plan at all, but his attempts to directly convince the students had proved grossly unsuccessful.
"Trust me." Akane continued. "Saotome-sensei was just a little overeager last time. Today's lesson will go much smoother. Now go. I need to instruct these white-belts."
Looking incredulous, the students reluctantly left Akane's area to join their other sensei.
They were pleasantly surprised to find that things did go more smoothly.
Through trial and error with Akane in their evening training, Ranma was learning how to instruct others. Whatever lesson he would work on with Akane, he would directly apply to his class. The students stopped grumbling, now that they understood what it was they were attempting and how to get there.
In the end, Ranma was surprised to find these students learning even slower than Akane. He has always mocked her skills since he weighed them against his own, but she really wasn't that bad. He only had to compare her to the general populous of martial artists to realize that. Just because she wasn't at the insane ability of Shampoo (who could be a bit challenging for him if he was also in his female form), that didn't make Akane less of a martial artist.
Ranma looked around the dojo and felt pride well up at the sight of his students learning and growing. He couldn't believe how nicely things were going for a change. Everything was working out. He and Akane were getting along better than ever since they started training and teaching together. With him sticking his foot in his mouth less often, and Akane managing to control her temper more, Ranma was able to see more of the true Akane.
He remembered the advice Tofu gave him his first week in Nerima; that Akane was really a sweet girl deep inside. He was starting to see that more and more lately. Secretly, he had always known it was there, but he had refused to acknowledge it. It was so much easier for him to concentrate on her flaws, to complain and fight against the arranged marriage. It wasn't like that anymore. He knew her too well to honestly think badly of her. Sure, her cooking was toxic and she had a fireball temper, but everything else... he realized he was getting distracted and went back to correcting his students.
Akane glanced over at Ranma's side of the dojo and smiled. Ranma was managing fine now, thanks to their evening sessions. Moreover, an actual relationship was starting to form between them. They weren't just learning how to teach or improve in the Art during their private training — they were learning how to get along. Interactions in the dojo carried into other aspects of their lives and they weren't stepping on each other's toes as much anymore. She was starting to see less of Ranma-the-arrogant-asshole and more of the real Ranma, the awesome, kind guy with a good heart she had only caught glimpses of before. The feelings she had for him, which she had bitterly fought against in the beginning (yet had slowly started to acknowledge over time) were becoming stronger.
Marriage no longer seemed like a horrible trap. Genma had wisely backed off after going on Akane-Air and hadn't mentioned the engagement. Now, there was an agreement between Ranma and Akane, never spoken but somehow understood; they were free to follow their own hearts, without pressure.
They were each giving the other a chance by starting to hang out more, with a few casual trips to the movies and ice-cream parlor that week. Thanks to Nabiki's arrangement, they were safe from harmful interruptions (for the time being), and they were making the most of it. Ranma hadn't said anything obscenely insulting and Akane hadn't lost her temper at him. She felt the warm glow in her chest she was starting to associate whenever she thought about Ranma.
Suddenly, she noticed that Ranma was also staring at her. Their eyes met and they both blushed and turned away, paying attention once more to their students. Akane smiled inwardly. Things were finally looking up.
! SMASH !
"Oh dear!" Kasumi exclaimed, picking up the shattered remains of glass from the picture frame. She put down the duster to get a broom to clean up the mess. She couldn't believe she knocked the photo down - she usually wasn't klutzy. She had dusted that cluttered bookshelf hundreds of times before without ever knocking something over. She bent over and picked up the picture. It was a photo of Ranma and Akane, sitting together and smiling; laughing actually. It had been taken without their knowledge by Nabiki the other day.
Kasumi put the photo back, and felt an inexplicable chill tremble down her spine, despite the warm weather. In her heart, she knew this was a bad omen.
Author's Note: To make up for all the short chapters, this one turned out really long, though not intentionally. Hmm, I think I like this chapter a lot, regardless. It was pretty tricky for me to write, as I know nothing about martial arts. I just fake any references and stuff. So, please don't hate me for the poor descriptions. I'm not into fighting, much. I was a prissy girl who took ballet lessons, what do I know?
Everyone - thank you so much for your support and reviews! They help keep me going and spawn the creative process.
