"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
by Luna12
Chapter 13: "Trust"
Ranma and Nabiki stepped off the bus, all too glad that Cologne had departed on the previous stop. Ranma still had a sour look on his face.
Nabiki felt a twinge of conscience that was tainting her otherwise elated victory. "Hey, Ranma..."
Ranma turned to face her. "Now what?" he grumbled.
"Sheesh, still with the attitude? I was going to thank you for what you did."
Ranma gave a curt nod, wanting to put the whole sticky business behind him. "Are the Amazons going to leave for good?"
Nabiki nodded. "Technically, we have to wait a few days for the test results to officially come in. With the blood pledge fulfilled, they'll have no choice."
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "I never thought you'd be the one to help me get rid of them."
Nabiki shrugged. "It used to be a conflict of interest, but...I've lost both my parents...I wasn't about to lose my baby sister, too."
Ranma stopped walking, surprised to see genuine emotion from Nabiki. There was both gratitude and warmth in her voice. Her mask of confidence and emotional indifference were gone.
The heartfelt moment ended abruptly, and the playful, all-business attitude returned. "I can only do so much to fix your problems, Saotome. A bouquet of flowers from you, however, goes a long way to patch things up with Akane.'
"Flowers?" Ranma repeated dumbly.
Nabiki rolled her eyes and her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yeah. You know those pretty plants that girls like?"
"Very funny. It's just that -"
Before Ranma could finish, Nabiki was stuffing money into his hand.
Ranma's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and suspicion. Nabiki was giving him cash?
"It's not a handout," she quickly explained. "You earned that from teaching at the dojo. Now use it to get some roses. Red are her favorite."
Ranma continued to stare at her in awe. "Okay, so what have you done with the real Nabiki?"
Nabiki merely snorted and gave a wave as she proceeded to head home. Her work wasn't nearly complete. Although the Amazon solution was underway, she now had a whole other set of problems with Ukyo and Nodoka.
"A woman's work is never done," she murmured to herself.
Ranma watched Nabiki leave, his head reeling from the sudden events of the day. Part of him was still in disbelief that he went through with Nabiki's scheme, but he had to admit, it was a smart, non-violent and permanent way to safely deal with the Amazons. As long as the doctored test results never became public knowledge, he could live with the slight embarrassment.
He wondered how Nabiki was going to patch things up with Akane. That stubborn tomboy still hadn't spoken to him. She had even refused to come down for meals, but she couldn't avoid him forever. Tonight she'd have to speak with him, as they had an evening class to teach.
He fingered his wallet, unused to the idea of having it full for a change. As much as he hated taking orders, (even those disguised as suggestions), Nabiki had a good idea. Buying flowers for Akane would be the olive branch he needed to get the tomboy to hear him out.
The last time he gave Akane flowers had been a complete accident, but he still remembered the gentle blush on her cheeks and the utterly cute and shy smile she gave him in return.
Ranma walked absentmindedly down the paved street, but when he got near the movie theater a familiar voice jarred him out of his thoughts. His head shot up and he looked into the crowd of movie goers. He felt his jaw drop involuntarily.
Akane was walking into the theater... with another guy! Not just any guy, but the scrawny, creepy, pale voodoo loving kid from school: Gosunkugi Hikaru.
Without thinking, Ranma followed them, keeping himself partially hidden by the crowd.
Akane smiled politely at Gosunkugi. The pale boy was dressed nicely in a navy dress shirt and light colored dress slacks. Although the dark color of his shirt only made his sickly skin tone more apparent, it was clear he was making an effort to impress.
Akane felt a pang of guilt. She realized how foolish she had been to rely on Nabiki to convey to Gosunkugi that this wasn't a real date. As angry as she was at Ranma, she didn't want to cheat on their engagement with someone else - even if the state of their engagement was in shambles.
Akane didn't have the heart to directly tell Gosunkugi it was a one-time outing. The boy was wearing his heart on his sleeve, had helped out her family, and he only asked for her company. Except for that one time during the school play, Gosunkugi had never tried to molest her like many of the other boys. Granted, he hardly looked athletic enough to be able to try and join the hentai horde of challengers, but even so, he seemed to be playing the role of the perfect gentleman. The least she could do was go on one innocent date.
Gosunkugi stuttered and handed her an odd arrangement of aromatic herbs with oblong leaves and small blue flowers on the tips. "H-here, Akane-san."
Akane's eyes brightened with surprise and puzzlement at the odd stems. "You really didn't have to, Gosunkugi-kun, but thanks. How...interesting. And pretty."
"They're hyssop," he explained, his confidence growing under her smile. "They ward away evil spirits."
"Oh. Uh, thanks." Gosunkugi really was an odd ball, but given all her experiences with the supernatural, it was a kind gesture.
Ranma glared at the exchange from behind a tall cardboard cut-out for an upcoming action flick. The last thing he wanted was Akane to spot him and accuse him of jealousy, especially after she had been so uncute lately.
His fists clenched reflexively as he watched Gosunkugi hand her some weird weeds. Well, Akane could forget about him getting her roses. Not that she ever knew he was planning to, but that was besides the point. He wasn't going to do some lame, follow-up gesture.
Ranma's brow furrowed. If the guy brought her flowers, didn't that mean Akane was on a date with that loser? He shook his head. What could that stubborn, uncute tomboy possibly see in him?
Not that he was jealous, he quickly reassured himself. There was no comparison between that skinny runt and the great Ranma Saotome. Even if Akane was gullible enough to fall for some ugly flowers...and candy. Ranma's jaw dropped. Popcorn, too? Sheesh, Gosunkugi was being Mr. Money-bags or something, buying all that junk at the concession stands.
Okay, fine. So what if he was showing her a good time and making her smile? He was determined not to be jealous, but that didn't stop his stomach from tightening or his nostrils from flaring.
Ranma fished through his pockets for the money Nabiki gave him. It would be a simple matter to buy admittance and spy on them. If this really was a date, which is sure looked like, then he could call Akane out on her own hypocritical behavior.
Gosunkugi struggled in vain to keep his hands from fidgeting with nervous excitement. Akane-chan was even more kind in person! She smiled at him with genuine warmth and patience as he stuttered and handed her a movie ticket - even though he dropped it several times in the attempt. Unlike the other kids at school, Akane had never laughed or made fun of him. She was one of the most attractive girls at school, with flocks of boys drooling over her, but she never let it go to her head. While others whispered behind his back and shunned him, Akane never hesitated to say hello. The crush he developed was inevitable.
Gosunkugi shoved his hand into his pocket and stroked his hidden weapon; a bravery voodoo charm he handcrafted. Just fingering it lightly gave him a pleasant, warm sensation that made most of his anxieties retreat. He could do this. He could have a date with the girl of his dreams and not embarrass himself!
They took their seats in the darkened theater, but Gosunkugi paid no attention to the film. In preparation for his first - and he admitted, was likely his one and only - date with Akane-chan, he had studied various romance manga for tips. All he had to do was wait for the right moment and garner his courage.
Gosunkugi clenched the voodoo charm in his pocket. Now was the time to use the Yawn Technique!
Just like he had practiced for the past few days in front of the bathroom mirror, he made an exaggerated yawn. As he went to cover his mouth, he carefully stretched his arm up and over so it could lay on the back of Akane's seat.
Ranma felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He was seated a mere two rows behind the couple, glaring at the back of Akane's oblivious head. Gosunkugi raised his arm up and around, and even Ranma could tell the kid was trying the lamest trick in the book.
It was no longer a matter of thought. Instinct took over, and Ranma's hand reached for the hard roasted peanuts he had bought himself at the concession stand. Adapting the Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, the small legumes turned into a battery of machine gun pellets aimed at Gosunkugi's exposed arm.
Gosukugi recoiled his extended limb. What in the world caused that stinging pain? It felt like a slew of bees had stung his arm. He struggled to keep his hiss of pain politely stifled.
Akane had remained oblivious to his actions, her attention riveted to the screen. It was a romantic chick flick, and the lead roles were about to share their first kiss.
Gosunkugi clutched his hidden charm for reassurance. His plan had failed miserably. It was almost the end of the movie, which meant his time with Akane was running out! If he didn't act soon, he would lose the best chance of a lifetime.
He took a deep breath and clenched the bravery charm in his stinging right palm. He had prepared this move, too, though only with a pillow to practice.
With his eyes still closed, Gosunkugi quickly leaned towards Akane's face. Before the distracted girl had a chance to notice, he had sneaked a kiss on Akane's cheek.
Pandemonium broke loose.
Shocked and appalled, Akane jumped out of her seat. Popcorn and candy spilled noisily onto the floor, but was overshadowed by a louder SMACK of flesh meeting flesh. Instinctively, Akane's hand had struck the perpetrator in the face.
Ranma leaped over the two rows of seated movie watchers, and lifted Gosunkugi by his shirt collar a full foot off the ground.
"Hands off my fiancée!" he growled.
Gosunkugi gulped, his face hot and stinging from the slap. His body wriggled awkwardly, like a beetle pinned by its wings.
The reactions of the fellow movie goers ranged from polite shock at the rude interruption to whispered complaints. Someone in the back aisle booed at them to sit down or leave the theater.
Akane felt her face grow warm, mortified on multiple levels. After all her years of successfully defending herself from unwanted advances, she had clumsily let her guard down. The embarrassment of someone sneaking past her defenses and kissing her in public, (even if only on the cheek in a darkened theater), made her want to crawl into a hole and hide. To make matters worse, Ranma was there to witness the entire fiasco. Adding the proverbial cherry to the top of her misery, an entire crowd of spectators were grumbling at them to leave.
Not surprisingly, a uniformed theater attendant quickly arrived. With flashlight in hand, he firmly asked the three to depart and escorted them to the exit.
Outside in the waning light of the evening, Akane's face was livid, and it was hard to determine exactly who was the target of her rage. Her first reaction was to firmly shove the hyssop bouquet back at Gosunkugi. "You had no right to do that!"
Ranma smirked prematurely. Akane turned to face him next. "And what were you thinking, getting us thrown out of the theater?"
The cocky arrogance disappeared. "What, you actually want to date this dweeb?" He pointed his thumb rudely at Gosunkugi, whose already pale face looked worse than usual.
"This wasn't a date!" Akane defended.
"Pssht. It sure looked like one to me!" Ranma retorted.
Gosunkugi knew when his luck had run out. This was a situation even his confidence boosting charm could not cure. They continued their banter, completely ignoring him. Gosunkugi sighed. He was sadly used to being invisible to people.
"What were you doing," Ranma countered, "smooching and being all cozy at the movies?"
Akane was still fuming, her hands on her hips. "Stop being a jealous jerk. It was NOT a date."
She turned her attention back to Gosunkugi. "Look, I'm sorry you got the wrong impression, Gosunkugi-kun. Nabiki was supposed to explain that this wasn't a real date. But regardless, you had no right stealing a kiss from me!"
Akane faced Ranma again. "So what were you doing, following me like that?"
Ranma crossed his arms, his posture guarded. "You didn't think I'd let a clueless, inexperienced girl like you head into a movie theater with a guy?"
"I didn't think he'd try to get fresh with me!" Akane defended. "Even so, I could have handled it myself."
"Ano-" Gosunkugi mumbled, attempting to intervene, but was ignored. A short beep from his phone drew his attention away. He pulled out the device, the latest in mobile technology, and smiled. Email confirmed the lab results had finished; the database was ready for the final tinkering. With a script he had prepared on his phone, it took only a single button to log in and issue the essential command.
UPDATE TABLE male_lab_results WHERE patient_id = 'RS_456dh3sa01' SET fertility_ratio = 0.1;
There would be no salvaging the rest of his date, but he still felt like a winner. He would always have the memory of his lips caressing dear Akane-chan's cheek, and his own private agenda to exact revenge on Ranma was now in place.
The two youths continued their argument, oblivious of Gosunkugi's departure.
Akane threw up her hands. "Would you listen? I was only going along with this because Nabiki owed Gosunkugi a favor."
Suddenly, Ranma started to see the full picture. He tried to recall the characters of the name of the sperm bank. Weren't they read as go-sun-kugi? He doubted it was a coincidence.
"Wait, you knew about Nabiki's dealings all along?" he asked, his face suddenly conveyed a mixture of shock and panic.
Akane's brow scrunched in puzzlement. Ranma's sudden and uncharacteristic alarm cooled her temper. "Not that it matters, but she confessed to me this afternoon."
Ranma's head was spinning. "And you're okay with that?"
Akane shrugged. "I guess. I mean, what's done is done, right? And she did it for the good of the family."
Ranma was in dead shock. "You're not jealous? I mean, with me, you know, to, you know, uh ..." his voice dropped to a whisper, but he still had trouble spitting it out. "...to make a deposit at that bank?"
Akane gave Ranma an odd look. "I didn't know the details, but why should I care?"
"Why?" Ranma's voice was a muddle of confusion and hurt pride. "You get all hung up over Ukyo kissing me, but with this, you don't care?"
Akane felt her temper return in full heat as she was reminded of his hurtful indiscretion. "What does you being a cheating, lying, playboy have anything to do with this?"
"You honestly don't see the connection?" he asked as if she were the biggest dummy in the world.
"Ranma, you're crazy. Not to mention, you're totally overreacting about this."
Ranma gave Akane a look like she had sprouted two heads. "I'm overreacting? I think you're the one under-reacting...for once."
Akane glared daggers and instinctively smacked him hard in the arm for that comment. It was enough to unbalance him slightly, but not send him flying. "I don't see how it's any of your business if Nabiki had to borrow some cash from Gosunkugi's family bank."
Ranma tripped mid-step. "Cash? You mean, money?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Yes, baka! What else would she need from a bank?"
The absurdity of the misunderstanding made Ranma laugh, and he was unable to hold it in. Nabiki was one sly bitch.
Akane obviously was not getting the joke, and at the assumption he was laughing at her, she had already begun to storm off.
Ranma quickly got control of himself. "Hey, wait up!"
Akane made no move to wait for him, but he caught up to her with ease. "So...does this mean you're talking to me again?" he asked, carefully testing the waters.
Akane merely glared at him.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "You're being the most uncute girl on the planet. It's okay for you to get jealous over Ukyo, but I'm supposed to believe that date wasn't a date?"
Akane's eyes flared. "That was different! I already told you, Nabiki -"
"Yeah, yeah." Ranma waved dismissively. "But that's not the point, blockhead."
Akane's aura flared dangerously. "Who are you calling a blockhead?!"
"You!" Ranma continued, not caring how far the fight escalated. "You still won't trust me, even though you see how easy it is for that kinda stuff to happen."
Akane's frown deepened. She hated to admit it, but perhaps Ranma was right. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it had looked that day in Ukyo's restaurant. Sometimes she wondered if his curse wasn't about gender changing, but about attracting as much chaos as possible. Yet, she couldn't shake the image of Ukyo's passionate embrace and Ranma's strong arms around the girl's back. She wasn't ready to fully forgive him...yet.
Akane continued walking, but her eyes refused to leave the pavement. "How do you expect me to trust you around other girls? I'm just supposed to forget about all those times Shampoo is naked in your room, or in your bath? Or Kodachi in your arms?"
Ranma felt his back stiffen defensively. "Hey, that time with Kodachi was a fake photo. You didn't believe me then either, but it turned out she was lying, not me."
Akane remembered and sighed. "That still doesn't explain away you kissing Ukyo, after you specifically promised me you wouldn't."
Ranma had to admit, to himself at least, that the facts were against him. If things were in reverse, he wouldn't believe his story either.
"Look, I don't know how to convince you, but you got to stop thinking the worse of me. I'm not a liar."
"You certainly don't mind lying to an opponent in a fight," she pointed out.
Ranma opened his mouth to deny it, but realized how futile that would be. It was a well used tactic of his to rile up or distract an opponent. Their fighting discipline was called Anything Goes, after all. "That's totally different!" he defended, lamely. "I don't lie to you."
Akane glared at him. "What about that time with the dojo destroyer? You lied to me then."
Ranma gulped. Akane had too good a memory. He had been pretty mean at the time, tricking Akane into thinking she was responsible for him destroying a cure to his curse.
"That was a long time ago..." he tried to excuse.
"Baka! You admit to lying and then tell me I should trust you blindly?" Akane's eyes were brimming with tears. "What else have you lied to me about?"
Ranma stopped dead in his tracks, the remark hitting a little too close to home. He honestly tried hard not to directly lie to Akane, but there were certainly more than his fair share of 'lies-by-omission' and cover-ups when it came to her precious P-chan. "Do you really think that ill of me?" He did his best to turn the conversation back on her.
Akane was trembling and hated herself for showing such weakness. "I don't want to, but you're not making it easy for me."
The remainder of the walk was in contemplative silence.
While Akane and Ranma's argument had ended, a different fighting match began in the Tendo guest room.
"Husband," Nodoka began while stroking the outer casing to her ceremonial sword, "tell me why I should let you live with this dishonor?"
Genma gulped. "Why, No-chan -"
Nodoka cut him off with a glare that could cut steel. "You disgraced that poor girl, and by doing so, disgraced our son and me."
Genma desperately wished he could transform into a panda at will, rather than rely on water.
"What other lies have you made? How have you raised our son?"
Genma knew these words were rhetorical, but he answered anyway. "I have made our son the strongest martial artist in Japan, if not the world, my precious wife."
Nodoka's eyes narrowed. "I did not ask of strength, but of honor. Strength without honor is just creating a bully and a menace."
Genma bowed his head low to the ground. He never had been too proud to keep from groveling to his wife, especially when his head was at stake. "It was for survival. Our discipline is Anything Goes."
Nodoka turned her eyes away, shamed. "So you sacrificed honesty and integrity to feed your bellies? When you could have stolen a single meal, you chose to steal a girl's innocence, her future, and her honor."
Genma realized how badly this conversation was getting away from him, but couldn't think of a way to salvage it. "I made a grave error, but as a father, I have not failed. Ranma is a good son, a good man. Surely you have seen this?"
Nodoka tapped her fingers against her sword with impatience. Her beloved only son changed sex with a splash of water, suffered a debilitating phobia of cats, and - knowingly or not - had stolen the dowry of an honorable young maiden. These were hardly points of accomplishment.
"For our son to become a man among men requires parents that can guide him properly. Husband, I give you one last chance to be honest with me and atone for your mistakes. Is there any other disreputable behavior we need make amends?"
Genma felt his mouth go dry. "None," he breathed, lacing his voice with sincerity.
It was the wrong answer. Nodoka's eyes burned with rage. From her robes she extracted several sheets of paper and slapped it hard between them. They were bank statements.
The color drained from Genma's face. "Ah. I can explain..."
"Explain? Explain a nearly empty balance? Explain how not one yen has been used to rebuild our home while this -" she extracted a stack of receipts detailing expenses for restaurants and bars.
Genma carefully scanned the possible exits. His wife was seated directly in front of the door, blocking the main means of escape.
"I'm waiting for your attempt at an explanation."
Genma bowed and continued to grovel. He had to shift the blame away from himself, which was exceedingly difficult to do when caught red-handed. "It was for Ranma's sake!" he pleaded in desperation.
Nodoka frowned, not at all convinced. "Really? I don't recall Ranma accompanying you to these expensive restaurants and bars, especially when his female admirers provide him free meals."
"What I mean to say, is, that I had to spend the money elsewhere." Genma could feel the gears turning in his mind as he concocted a quick defense on the fly. "It's better for Ranma and us to remain living here with the Tendos, so he can become closer to Akane. If we rebuilt our own home, it would separate them. It was all for the sake of our son's future and uniting the two schools. Not to forget, gaining the dojo."
Nodoka felt her feminine patience wane. She could smell the excrement of lies her husband was feeding her. Even if it was beneficial for Ranma to remain in the Tendo household, there was no reason for Genma to waste their precious funds for his own selfish desires.
"So this is the example you set for our son." Nodoka's voice was dangerously low. "We should lay about as lazy freeloaders, mooching off the Tendo's generous hospitality? The Tendo daughters are orphans who are struggling to support themselves, let alone us! Tell me why we shouldn't leave this instant?"
From her hidden perch near the Tendo guestroom window, Shampoo purred. She was her in cursed cat form, relishing the gossip her exceptionally skilled feline ears overheard. There were certainly advantages to her transformed body. As a cat, she was a silent, stealthy predator with suburb night vision. It was also far easier to climb and hide in the innocent branches of the Tendo family's tree.
Unlike past visits with the goal of seducing Ranma in his bed or bath, this time Shampoo was on a reconnaissance mission. Mousse's news of a forced separation and Nodoka's displeasure needed verifying. She had never imagined overhearing this treasure trove of information. Although her spoken Japanese skills were poor, her listening comprehension was fluent. While Ranma's mother continued to berate the Panda-man, she learned much. Nodoka was even more paranoid about Ranma's perceived manliness than she realized. In addition, she strongly disapproved of them lodging with and depending on the Tendos.
It was the weakness she was looking for; the blood pledge forbid her to directly interfere with Ranma or the Tendos, but Ranma's dear, paranoid, and overbearing mother was ripe for manipulating.
When Ranma and Akane arrived inside the dojo, a surprise visitor was waiting for them.
"Konatsu?" Akane asked, surprised. She had last seen the cross-dressing ninja clinging to the ceiling while Ukyo threw exploding Okonomiyaki.
Konatsu bowed deeply in greeting. "Akane-san, Ranma-san, sorry to disturb you."
Ranma looked nervously around, worried Ukyo was not far behind. The last thing he wanted was another angry or crying confrontation. "Hey, Konatsu, we're kinda busy here..."
"What is it Konatsu?" Akane barreled ahead, purposely ignoring Ranma.
"I just wanted to apologize for my part in Ukyo-sama's behavior."
Akane was confused. "Your part?"
Konatsu nodded bashfully. "I gave Ukyo the Mirror of True Love, and told her to use it on Ranma. Ukyo-sama became very distressed when Ranma didn't see her, and when he pulled away - " Konatsu blushed. "- she threw herself upon him quite passionately."
Akane's eyes went wide.
Ranma stuck his tongue out at Akane. "See? Told ya it was all Ukyo, not me."
Akane's cheeks turned crimson, realizing that she really did jump to conclusions. However, the second part Konatsu mentioned had her full attention. "Konatsu, what do you mean, 'Mirror of True Love'?"
"Oh yeah," Ranma nodded, remembering. "Ukyo was acting all weird, making me look at this framed photograph, but telling me it was a mirror."
Konatsu smiled demurely. "It reflects the face of the person you truly love, rather than your own reflection."
Akane was amazed. If Konatsu could be believed - and he had always been honest with them before - then Ranma really had turned down Ukyo. The cute childhood friend who cooked professionally had failed to win Ranma's heart, even after that passionate kiss.
Her mind was still reeling from the information and its implications, but slowly the odd events of the week clarified. That was why Ukyo got so mad at her on the street, and why the chef shouted with such certainty that Akane loved Ranma.
Akane turned to face Ranma, her hand gently resting on his shoulder. "Who did you see in the mirror?" Her voice was a blend of anxiety and hope.
Ranma flustered and had difficulty thinking of a proper response. Akane's deep brown eyes were pleading for the truth. After all the fuss Akane had made with not trusting him, he hardly felt ready to declare his affections, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her, either. "Well, it wasn't Ukyo," he stated neutrally.
Akane frowned, her worry intensifying. "Please tell me NOT Shampoo."
Ranma made an exaggerated eye roll. "Trust me, Mousse can have her."
Akane felt the tightness in her stomach diminish and her confidence slowly increase. In mock horror she asked, "Kodachi?"
Ranma's mouth twisted into nauseated disgust. "Eww. That crazy loon?"
Akane's face seemed to glow with hopeful radiance, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Ranma felt his heart begin to race. He wouldn't be able to keep up the charade for long with her giving that beautiful smile.
Ranma desperately changed the topic. "So, uh, why don't we have you look, Akane?"
Akane's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Actually, Ukyo shoved it in my face, too... I already know."
Now it was Ranma's turn to be eager for information. "Aren't you going to tell me?"
Akane stubbornly crossed her arms. "You first," she challenged.
Ranma shook his head and made a mock bow. "Oh no. Ladies first."
Akane smirked. All it took was a quick grab at the stack of water bottles and a splash later Ranma was female. "Okay then, you first," she teased.
"Hey!" Ranma protested, his voice now a high soprano. He couldn't believe he had fallen for that same trick twice. "Just for that, I'm not telling."
Akane's eyes went wide. "You-you-you better tell me!"
Konatsu watched in amusement as they chased each other around the dojo, trying to get the other to confess, playfully kicking, dodging and somersaulting in an intricate dance of motion.
Ahh, love... Konatsu mused, departing as silently as he arrived. Imagine if they knew it was Nabiki who asked him to come over and straighten out the quarrel.
Ranma and Akane glanced shyly at each other, neither sure how to begin. Before they had a chance to fully disclose who they saw in the Mirror of True Love, their students had piled in for class.
Now, post showers and the excitement of the day, they were left with no more excuses. Akane had asked him to meet her on the rooftop to talk, but she was having trouble garnishing the courage to speak first.
This was not going to be easy.
Akane cleared her throat lightly. "I'm sorry for not trusting you earlier," she began, carefully watching Ranma's face for his reaction. Ranma had such a bloated ego, she was half afraid it would explode with her admission.
Ranma smirked and opened his mouth to gloat. "Heh. About time you saw it my way -"
Akane cut him off before he could dig a hole for himself. "I'm not finished, baka. In the future, I'm going to try to give you the benefit of the doubt, but that means you have to try harder, too."
Ranma gulped, surprised by the intense, yet firmly controlled emotion behind the words. "Okay, I'm listening."
Akane took a deep breath. Could she really open herself enough - to let her be this vulnerable - in front of Ranma? They still hadn't directly admitted who they had seen in the mirror, but Akane had read Ranma's body language enough to guess that it was her. He had nearly declared his love for her at Jusenkyou, had refused to deny feelings for her since then, (even if he continued to deny stating them). With Konatsu's revelation of how Ranma broke his promise, It was enough to get her to gamble that she had his heart.
Akane took a deep breath. If their relationship would ever have a chance, she needed to get some facts out in the open. "It seems like every time I start trusting you, something bad happens. You act like I'm not good enough."
Ranma felt his head spin. "Whoa, where are you getting this crap about not being good enough?"
Akane plowed ahead, staring intently on a chipped roof tile to avoid his eyes. "'You're the one always saying I can't do any of the things your other fiancées can, and soon as I turn around, you're in their arms. What else am I to think?"
Ranma rubbed the back of his head, surprised at Akane's candor. "Oh, you mean about how you can't sew, or cook, or swim, or -"
Akane's fists clenched and her face turned away. Ranma felt like kicking himself in the mouth. He knew his mouth could go off, but he never realized how much it had permanently hurt Akane's feelings until now. He had assumed that the tough tomboy shrugged off the insults like any guy would. Sure, she got mad right away, but then she cooled off. Now, she was letting him see the long term consequences. The scolding comments Kasumi had given him from time to time echoed in his mind, that beneath the rough, macho-chick exterior was still a sensitive girl, who unfortunately took his thoughtless talk to heart.
"You think I care about that junk?" Ranma asked. "I'm not shallow enough to marry some girl just because she can cook, even if that's something Pop would do..."
Akane brought her gaze up to meet his. She wanted to ask him what he thought of her, but she wasn't ready to leave herself that exposed.
He read the question in her eyes as clearly as if they were spoken. He had hurt Akane's trust badly, and the only way to restore it would be with gut-wrenching honesty.
"You got a lot of good points...stuff that's way more important," he nervously began, but didn't know how to continue. He wanted to tell her how much he valued how she stuck by him; that he could always trust her, something he couldn't even say about his own parents. Unlike himself, Akane was always honest with him. She was the type of person who always tried to do the right thing, even when it caused her distress with no possible benefits. More so, she never gave up. It didn't matter how many times she failed, she always got up and tried again. As much as he wanted her to give up on those disastrous cooking experiments in the kitchen, he still admired her determination to never accept defeat.
Akane's brown eyes were eagerly awaiting more. He sighed. Why was it so hard to communicate with words? "It's like the Art, Akane. I can't talk about it, but I know when it's... right. Like you."
Akane's eyes watered, and for a moment Ranma was afraid he said the wrong thing. Then she gave his hand a soft squeeze. "About the mirror..."
Ranma felt his back stiffen in nervous anticipation. "Yeah?"
Akane smiled. "I'm glad you saw me in it."
"Yeah, I - wait! How did you know?" Ranma's eyes were as wide as saucers.
Akane laughed and playfully winked at him. "You just told me."
Ranma flushed, and hoped his expression was camouflaged by the moonlight.
Akane's face grew more serious. It was her turn to give Ranma the encouragement he needed. "Are you glad I saw you, too?"
Ranma held his breath, the reality of her subtle admission sinking in. He nodded dumbly, a lump in his throat.
Heart racing, Akane's fingers gently caressed his hand. The distance between them closed, and their faces were mere millimeters apart.
No more denials. The immature and petty reasons to deny their hearts no longer held sway.
! CRASH !
The two pulled away, instantly on alert. With years of being attacked by ghostly spirits, rival opponents, and cursed monsters, they were taking no chances.
"Now what?" Ranma whined, his heart racing for a reason completely apart from the thrill of a potential fight. Someone was going to pay for interrupting.
They piled into the hallway, noticing the broken pottery scattered on the floor. Genma was making placating motions to his wife, who stood tall and proud, her katana bare and ready in her hands. She pointed the blade menacingly at Genma.
"You will behave like a man, or so help me, our honor will be restored through your spilt blood."
Genma gulped audibly.
Ranma's face went pale.
"Auntie, what's going on?"
Akane's voice seemed to calm Nodoka. Her gaze turned to meet Akane's, and the older woman blushed and sheathed her sword. "Akane-chan, I must apologize for so disturbing your household." Nodoka gave a small bow in her direction. When she rose, her eyes were sad but determined. Ranma was looking desperately between his warring parents, unsure how to respond.
Nodoka cleared her throat. "This is the last time it will happen. We are moving out."
Author's Note:
You can skip this part, but here are my thoughts and motivations behind this chapter/plot:
Ranma and Akane really needed a good trust talk. Especially for Akane's sake, she has a lot of issues to work through in trusting other people. Not that I really blame her. Soun practically sold her off to the Saotome family without any consideration to her feelings, boys at school have continuously tried to molest and trick her, her own sister (Nabiki) has fun manipulating her, too. Also, Ranma has proven himself to be a jerk (at times). No relationship can really last without trust, so I needed a situation that would force them to confront those issues. Ranma needed to realize how damaging his actions are, and Akane needed to learn Ranma's true feelings enough to gain the confidence to trust him when things go awry. No relationship can last long without trust.
