"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Luna12
Chapter 18: "Breakdance"
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Shampoo stared into the bathroom mirror after rinsing the vile taste of vomit from her mouth. She frowned in disapproval at the slightly green tinge to her face. Grandmother had supplied her with plenty of herbal remedies that took the edge off her morning sickness, but nothing was a perfect cure.
As soon as she opened the bathroom door, she was met with the bespeckled face of Mousse hovering in concern.
"Are you alright, Xian-Pu?" he asked in their native tongue. The concern was etched deep in his face, his eyes carefully taking in her slumped, tired posture.
The pitying look only made her feel irritated, a reminder of how she would spend the next nine months as a victim to her body's changes. "You can't help, Mu-su, so just go away."
Instead of slinking away as he usually did at her rebuffs, Mousse straightened his posture with added determination. "I know you haven't been feeling well these past few days. Physically and emotionally. Please, tell me. You know I would do anything to make you smile."
Shampoo paused to consider her choices. It was only a matter of time before the truth would be revealed. Grandmother had planned on waiting until they were all back in China, but of all the things out of her control, she could at least seize the timing of telling Mousse.
"I...That is, Grandmother and I, will be returning back home to the village next week. For good."
Mousse's face brightened for a moment. "You finally gave up on that scoundrel Saotome! Oh, I knew you would come to your senses! I always prayed for this day-"
Shampoo snapped. "Stupid, blind fool! Shut up!" It was bad enough seeing her Grandmother hop about the restaurant with unfiltered glee. She couldn't stand seeing anyone else happy about her having to give up Ranma. She would have her honor and freedom to live amongst her people again, but it was a hollow victory. "I didn't want to give up! But Grandmother made a blood pledge…"
Shampoo reiterated the details. Mousse nodded silently without interrupting. For a moment, she was impressed with how stoically he was taking it. Then Shampoo got to the part of the story she knew would make him hit the roof.
"And now...I'm pregnant with Ai- Shampoo stopped herself. She no longer had any right to use that word, and it was just another reminder of how much her future had changed. "-I mean, with Ranma's child, even though he never touched me the way a husband should."
She sighed, and waited for the inevitable explosion. Part of her was hoping that Mousse would be outraged enough to confront Ranma about it. She could not tell him or have any contact with the Tendos without facing exile. Nabiki had even made sure to include Mousse's name directly in the contract, doing her best to seal away all loopholes. Still, Shampoo hoped Mousse would ignore the consequences. Oh, he'd end up banished from the village, or worse, for breaking the honor of the blood pledge, but it would leave her blameless and able to be with Ranma.
Mousse, however, seemed to take the news with much greater calm than she could ever have predicted. His face had grown dark, and his fists had clenched, but there were no outbursts of temper or expected declarations of revenge.
Instead, Shampoo was met with the biggest surprise. Mousse dropped down on his knees, and gently clutched her hands.
"Xian-Pu...I know you do not love me, but I will never stop loving you. If you let me, I promise to take care of you and the baby for the rest of my life."
Shampoo shook her head in stunned confusion. "You would marry me, and raise the child I carry, knowing it is your sworn rival's?" Her voice was heavily laced with scorn and derision. Had he no Amazon pride at all?
"Yes." Mousse's answer came immediately, strong and confident. "In the end, it is your child. How could I not love any child that was part of you?"
At that, Shampoo was shocked into silence. There was nothing to mock in that response. It was not simply romantic, but utterly...noble.
Shampoo shook her head again, trying to clear away the sudden emotions that were moving her to see Mousse in an entirely different light. She forced herself to be blunt. "I don't love you, Mu-su. And I might never love you."
Mousse's head dropped slightly. "I-I know…. but maybe now, you'll give me a chance?"
Shampoo turned away. Her thoughts a muddle of confusion. "I'm so angry right now, Mu-su. Part of me rejoices to return home, to carry and bring forth a strong warrior-child to our tribe...but I also want to scream and rage. To think that kitchen-destroyer will take what should have been mine!"
Shampoo paced in place, trying to regain her temper. So much was happening so fast. "I wanted Ranma, but your offer is…" Shampoo paused to find the right words. "Not as repugnant as it once was. Let me think about it, Mu-su."
Mousse nodded and slowly rose back to his feet. It was far from the acceptance he desired, but it wasn't an outright refusal, either. For now, that was enough.
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Madame Noa watched her new pupils with pride. Ranma had just bent Akane over in a dramatic dip for the finish. "So, when's the wedding?" she asked.
Startled, Ranma lost his grip and Akane started to fall to the ground. A split second save on his part caught her millimeters from the ground, but Akane was in too much of a panic herself to register the physical blunder.
They became a chorus of nervous sputtering, all the while Akane was still entwined in Ranma's arms. They both looked at each other and blushed. Ranma helped Akane to her feet, and she shyly smoothed out her dress, too embarrassed to make further eye contact.
Noa chuckled lightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. You two make such a nice couple and communicate so well physically, I just assumed..."
Ranma was absently rubbing the back of his head. "Uh... well, we are engaged, but -"
"- it was arranged by our fathers." Akane interrupted, her cheeks still a bright pink.
"We're not ready, yet." Ranma chimed in at the same time.
Akane cocked her head at him, utterly surprised. "Yet?" Her voice wasn't challenging, simply in awe that Ranma had reached a point of sounding so confident about their engagement. Of course, there had been those times Ranma had jealously declared that she was his fiancée, and they had agreed to continue their engagement and see where things led...but never had he so strongly hinted that he was willing to go through with it!
Ranma felt his ears burn and mumbled slightly. "Yeah, well… someday, maybe..."
Akane felt her heart speed away with a sudden rush of emotion. She agreed they weren't ready for marriage now, but to know that he was taking the engagement seriously enough to admit it aloud - in front of someone else no less! - moved her deeply. Her eyes glistened over, and the slow, soft smile that escaped her lips made Ranma feel weak at the knees.
Noa studied the bashful teenagers with a touch of amusement. They had become utterly lost in each other, again. It was something she had the privilege to watch unfold during the daily lessons they had attended all week.
Their instructor had no idea how significant their dancing had become to aid their relationship. Ranma and Akane were finally growing more comfortable touching each other outside of martial arts. Akane in particular was growing more relaxed near Ranma, her usually vigilant guard, (that had been put on hyper pervert awareness since Kuno's declaration and subsequent creation of the hentai horde years ago), had dissolved more and more with the positive reinforcement.
Madame cleared her throat, feeling a little bad at having to break the tender looks they were giving each other. "Shall we resume our lesson on the tango? You've done remarkably well with the waltz and foxtrot, but -"
Ranma finished for her. "We kinda suck at that one."
Tango was on the extreme end of leader-follower ballroom style. Whenever they tried it, Akane ended up feeling yanked and pulled, and subsequently short-tempered. Not to mention the numerous bruises she's given Ranma's shins and toes from misstepping.
Mai and Genji had flaunted their tango-DAFT variation, and Akane had trouble believing they could ever catch up in time. She and Ranma had tried transferring their newly gained dancing skills into a proper DAFT routine in the dojo, but were having difficulty.
Akane sighed. "Ranma's right. Tango is really not our style. I'm not sure how to work any of these dances in time for the tournament."
After a brief description of what DAFT required, Madame agreed. Although they had made great strides and their physical prowess was impressive, ballroom dancing wasn't quite right for their personalities. They were better suited when dancing as equals in partnership, and from the little bit of verbal bicker and playful banter she had witnessed, along with knowing they were martial artists, Noa had just the right idea.
"I actually think an entirely different dance form would better suit you. I don't teach it, but I know someone who can…"
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Whatever Ranma and Akane were expecting from their new dance instructors, it wasn't this. Akane tried not to openly stare at the two men in front of her, secretly glad she had Ranma for company in the sketchy surroundings.
It was hard to imagine these two - who despite their drastically different hairstyles, were identical twin brothers - as professional associates of Madame Noa. Instead of a pristine dance studio lined with mirrors, they practiced dancing in the alleyways and secluded areas under a bridge. Their pants were highly stylized, baggy and sagging. Both sported unnaturally bright hair colors. Akane vaguely recognized them copying some of the fashions she'd seen in foreign films of New York City in the 90s. If anyone fit the slang term "yankii", it was them.
Still, Madame Noa had claimed they had won multiple Hip Hop Competitions worldwide. So here they were, ready to ask them for a very different style of dance lessons. It was Anything Goes, after all.
Despite the unusual surroundings, Akane introduced herself politely. "I'm Tendo Akane and this is Saotome Ranma. Noa-sensei said you guys would teach us hip hop and breakdancing?"
The orange-haired man scoffed. "Listen to her! 'breakdancing' is what the ignorant media labeled it. If you're gonna learn it, it's b-boying. A'right?"
Ranma stepped forward defensively. "Hey, we don't care about the name. Just if you're actually as good as Noa claimed you were. If not, we got other places to be. C'mon, Akane."
"Whoa whoa, no need to get uptight," interceded the other brother. His hair was kept mostly in his natural dark black with bright orange only at the tips. Instead of short and spiky like his ruder brother, he kept his long and tousled. "My name's Kai. Kyo here -" he jerked his thumb at his brother, "- is an over sensitive artiste".
"I'm not over sensitive..." grumbled Kyo.
Kai ignored him. "Noa-chan's a great dancer. If she sent you to us, you're worth our time."
"Maybe," Kyo interrupted. He gave Ranma and Akane a studious once over. His eyes noted their athletic frames. Both seemed to be on their guard, but neither of them showed any nervousness; just a careful, balanced, and purposeful way they held their posture.
"You're martial artists, right?" Kyo asked them.
Akane's eyes widened. Ranma allowed his face to relax, and his respect for them increased. "Yeah," he confirmed. "We're the heirs to the Anything Goes School."
Kai nodded appreciatively. "Cool. We can work real well with that. Lots of b-boying moves were inspired by the Art."
Ranma and Akane quickly caught them up on their goals and training for DAFT.
Kai looked interested, but Kyo rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The first thing you newbies need to know is b-boying, more than any other dancing, is about self expression. Story telling. Conflict. Tension. It's battle on the street with your body - only without any blows. Get what I mean?"
Akane raised her eyebrows, but Ranma slowly nodded his head.
Kai chuckled. "In other words, you gotta feel it and let it out." He paused and studied them. "In your case, its all about the sexual tension"
Kyo smirked. "Yeah, you two radiate it. When's the last time you got laid?"
Ranma scowled, well used to such goading by Daisuke and Hiroshi at school. Akane, however, blushed an impressive shade of crimson. "Don't be perverted! T-that isn't the issue here," she defended, utterly mortified.
Kai chuckled. "Oh, but it is,"
Kyo laughed along. "You can't tell me you two don't dig each other. You're at least dating, right?"
Ranma and Akane looked at each other simultaneously. Were they dating? That seemed like such a strange term to define their relationship. They got thrown together into an old fashioned parentally arranged engagement. Dating never entered the picture. Fighting and resisting their parent's schemes had taken up all their energy. Now that they were openly embracing their engagement, they didn't know what to call themselves.
Akane quirked an eyebrow as if to dare Ranma. Ranma gave a noncommittal and questioning rise of his shoulders.
Akane sighed and turned back to face the inquisitive twins. "We're engaged," she confessed. "It was originally arranged by our fathers, before we had ever met, to unite our two schools. I'm not sure if you can say we're dating...yet."
Ranma gave Akane a questioning look at her use of 'yet'. It definitely sounded like she wouldn't mind making that 'yet' a reality.
Kai, however, read the body language as clearly as if it were graffitied on the wall. "You two are engaged… but you haven't even kissed?" He started to laugh.
Akane's face started to mimic a tomato. "That's none of your business!"
Kyo joined in. "Hoho, there's that tension we picked up on. What a spitfire."
Kai shook his head and struggled to contain his laughter. "You guys are such late bloomers."
Akane looked ready to explode. "That's it! I'm leaving. I do not have to put up with this perverted immaturity."
Ranma caught her arm. "Hey, don't leave now."
"Ranma, they're - they're just making fun of us!"
Ranma shrugged. "Yeah… but, it's Anything Goes! I've done hell of a lot more embarrassing stuff to win before."
Akane reflected on that. He certainly had. Being a martial artist, especially of their particular school, required some very out-of-the-box thinking and abnormal training. If she was willing to set herself on fire to help him learn a new technique, the least she could do was this. More importantly, she wanted to wipe the smirk off Mai's conceited face.
Akane relented. "You're right. I'm in this to win it."
Mercifully, Kai and Kyo set aside their teasing to ask for a demonstration; they needed to gauge their potential pupils' current skills. Ranma and Akane answered their instructors request with a display of back flips, somersaults, and other gymnastic-style moves. Ranma barely broke a sweat showing off the Saotome-ryu's specialty of utilizing odd walls and angles for aerial maneuvers.
Kyo's surly face softened and Kai was nodding approvingly. The twins then drilled them in the basics of locking, freezing, jerks (four point sudden body movements), and popping (quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body). To Ranma and Akane, it was like learning a strange set of katas to be performed in large, staccato bursts.
Kai nodded approvingly at their progress, and even Kyo was looking amiable.
"Okay. Time for us to school you in uprock," Kyo announced.
Kai nodded. "With your martial arts background, you should pick it up quick-like."
Kyo turned on some music with a hard driving beat from an old boom box, before returning to face his brother. The aggressive dance that began was difficult to describe. They weren't strictly fighting, but their stances and energy felt like a boxing match. They never made physical contact with each other, but at times they mimed using weaponry in rhythm with the music. It was a modern and rhythmic form of rock-paper-scissors, with Kyo and Kai trying to one-up the other with fancier spins, turns, locks, pops, and jerks. Kai seemed to favor gymnastics-oriented technique and form, while Kyo impressively showed off intricate, fast footwork.
Ranma was smiling. Now this kind of dancing wasn't wussy at all. He could spot the martial arts influences in the acrobatics and tightly controlled movements. The competitive element was there, too. He felt back in his rightful environment.
Akane also watched approvingly. There was no leader or follower. It was more like watching a sparring match, with each dancer acting and reacting accordingly. Although she was wondering how they would alter the male versus male competitive form to something cooperative and with enough "chemistry" to satisfy the DAFT judges.
Kyo and Kai finished, and for the first time that day Akane saw Kyo grin. "Okay, go show us what ya got."
Ranma and Akane smiled at the challenge. The brothers hit the play button, and the pounding beat of the music signaled them to start. It was immensely fun, letting loose their competitive spirits in a playful dance of one-upmanship. Without any real threat of violence, Ranma didn't have to worry about holding back, and it was refreshingly rare when his superior speed didn't give him an advantage; there was no point moving faster than the eye could see. Spectators and judges alike needed to see each movement, and they had to be drawn out and exaggerated for artistic effect. For Akane, she relished the extra freedom; unlike ballroom dancing, there was no "submitting of will" to a leader. She and Ranma were equals, enjoying the thrill of motion and a physical banter of give and take.
Kai and Kyo looked like kids who had just been granted access to a candy store; it wasn't everyday they were handed fresh students with so much raw potential. They gestured and talked excitedly to each other as they formulated some advanced choreography. Kai pulled a piece of chalk out of a pocket, and outlined a patch on the cement floor as a DAFT grid.
The music and dancing came to an end, and even Kyo managed to look impressed. "Not bad, newbies. I guess you're ready for the fun stuff."
Kai chuckled, knowing what the next step would entail. "Time for some stylized seduction. We'll put that sexual tension to your advantage."
Ranma shot Akane a cautious glance. Akane nervously smoothed out a lock of hair behind her ear. She had let the twins get to her before, but she was determined to be more stoic this time. Ranma had endured far more embarrassment to master Soul of Ice. She refused to fail at controlling her natural embarrassment after Ranma had managed to master his.
Kai continued and directed them to the grid, then had them enter a position of tight embrace and hold it. Both of Ranma and Akane's cheeks pinked slightly, but they had grown a little more accustomed to intimate dance positions under Noa. Kai continued to reposition them into a variety of stylized poses and dips to practice locking, popping, and freezing into - all while following the beat of the music and managing to "hit" various squares on the chalk grid.
In one position, they faced each other with Akane's right arm around Ranma's shoulders, while his left arm supported her slightly arched back, and his right hand was maneuvered to gently touch her right thigh.
Kyo seemed to become all business, a complete contrast to the content of what he was about to say. "Now hover your hand over Akane's breasts, close but not directly touching."
Akane's mouth dropped, and Ranma was quick to quip, "You do realize that tomboy will kill me for trying?"
Akane swallowed hard and gathered her courage. "I promise not to hit you for trying some moves while we're training, okay? I want us to win."
Ranma felt the blood pound in his veins. That was a big admission of trust coming from Akane. At the same time, being told by her that she was going to let him touch her like that, in public...whoa. His brain entered meltdown.
As if she could read his mind, Akane amended her statement, her cheeks getting pinker. "But I get final say what our routine will be like on tournament day, okay? Just because I'm willing to try anything in practice doesn't mean I'll let anything fly in public."
They resumed; an act that would have seemed impossible to them a half a year ago, but in the past few months they had learned to teach side by side, to properly train as partners in the Art, and to even ballroom dance. Soon, the awkwardness of what they were doing faded into something enjoyable. They were a man and woman holding each other, who had risked death for each other, and who had grown up enough to embrace what they felt for each other.
In the next position, Ranma was bent backwards, with his legs slightly spread out to squarely hit two chalked grid blocks, and his right arm extended behind him to hit another block, all the while his left arm was wrapped around Akane's back; she was leaning down into him, her chest pressed lightly against his, with both her hands on his pecs. Her right leg stayed firmly planted on the ground between his legs to hit another grid block, while her left leg was lifted up and bent at 90 degrees into an artistic pose, reminiscent of a ballet dancer. Their faces were tantalizingly close to each, the sexual tension palpable as they made eye contact.
Ranma gulped. Dammit. Another part of his anatomy was getting in on the action, and he didn't dare let Akane know or sense it.
Ranma broke away, and quickly feigned some coughing as an excuse to walk over and grab his water bottle. He felt strongly tempted to dump it over his head, but he wasn't about to let these strangers know about his curse.
Soul of ice, soul of ice...He mentally repeated to himself, tapping into his training. Controlling his desire and physical reaction to Akane was leagues more difficult than reining in embarrassment or anger. He had to tap into the Amazon technique just enough to keep himself in control, but not so far as to actually have an icy aura. He would have to allow his genuine desire and sexual tension come through for DAFT, after all.
Akane felt her cheeks flush. The heat of Ranma's strong, muscular body under her hands had made her tingle, the spicy scent of him flooding her brain. Then she had felt, or at least could of sworn she felt, Ranma's body react strongly to her as well. Once she would have accused him of being perverted, but she knew it would be hypocritical considering how her own body had reacted to his presence. She took a long sip from her water bottle, a confusing mixture of gratitude and disappointment that Ranma stopped over a minor coughing fit.
They resumed, but the next move was more complicated as Akane had to execute a tightly controlled backflip away from Ranma and and land correctly onto the squares. It was the worst possible timing for her to have a moment of klutziness, but Akane's trick ankle rolled on the landing. It would have been a bad fall, but Ranma's honed instincts kicked in, and his right hand caught her head a mere centimeter above the concrete. His face was directly in front of hers, his lips a hairs breadth away from her own. In unison, their chests pounded harder, their breathing going ragged.
"Perfect! Do that again!" shouted Kai, ruining the moment.
Akane nearly leapt out of Ranma's arms. She couldn't believe she allowed herself to nearly kiss him - her first kiss - in front of an audience!
Kyo snickered at their embarrassment. "Okay lovebirds, back to work."
Ranma and Akane slowly, nervously came back together; this time feeling hyper aware of every touch and glance that passed between them as they danced.
The lesson was over surprisingly quickly after that, but by the time they geared up to leave, the memory of what they'd learned, and felt...well, those weren't as quick to fade. More than they expected, hip hop proved even more intimate than ballroom dancing.
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Shampoo grumpily packed up her grandmother's pantry into another cardboard box.
She had no delusions as to what would likely happen once she left for China. Her former airen would miss the attention she paid him - as a strong, virile warrior of course he admired the attentions of a beautiful warrior such as herself - but he would forget her, eventually. There were so many other women after a prize such as himself, after all.
Even worse, Shampoo knew, deep down inside, that he had already chosen his future mate. It was obvious enough from when he entered the Neko-ken. It had only become more and more apparent over time. Their latest adventure in Jusendo proved it to an alarming degree: Ranma loved Akane. He had slain a god for her, and had remained true to her despite all her seductive traps. He had nearly wed her a mere few months ago!
Shampoo ground her teeth. That she - the greatest warrior and beauty of her tribe's generation - would be unofficially conceding defeat to that violent, second-rate, kitchen-destroyer irritated her pride like sand in her eyes.
Shampoo began to wrap another corked bottle in old newspaper and paused. Right now she had full, unsupervised access to her grandmother's specialty herbs and tribal relics. The blood pledge had very tight conditions, but there was still a way for her to leave her rival a wonderful parting gift.
For the first time in weeks, Shampoo smiled.
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"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" was cheerily called out in chorus by a cute, short haired girl and the handsome pig-tailed braided young man beside her.
"Ha. I won!" Ranma gloated, his scissors defeating Akane's paper. Akane rolled her eyes. "Fine. You get first dibs in the bath."
The return walk from their intense hip hop training back to the Tendo residence was pleasant and calm. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and there were no interruptions. It was delightfully peaceful. Too peaceful.
Suddenly paranoid, Akane stopped in her tracks. It had been over a week since either of them had encountered Shampoo. Usually by now there was at least a bike crash into her home or some accosting on the sidewalk.
Ranma sensed Akane's abrupt change and turned to look around. He didn't sense any danger, but every muscle in Akane's body had tensed.
Akane caught Ranma's eye and debated on expressing her concern. The only times she could recall getting a peaceful reprieve were when Shampoo visited her village in China. Nevertheless, those trips always proved to be a mere calm before the storm. Shampoo would return with even more tricks or wacky magic products to seduce or entrap Ranma.
It especially concerned Akane that Shampoo's notable absence came immediately after their fighting match outside the market. Akane's ribs were still tender from that encounter, but even if Shampoo had been hiding from the embarrassment of a disfigured nose, it would have healed up by now.
"Ranma, don't you think it's odd we haven't seen or heard from Shampoo since she challenged me over a week ago? Do you think they're up to something?"
Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "Oh..I wouldn't worry this time." Ranma tried to keep his voice nonchalant, but Akane didn't miss the mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Akane's eyebrows scrunched in puzzlement. "What are you hiding, Ranma?"
Ranma held his hands out in a placating gesture. "Akane, you really think I'm hiding stuff from you?"
Akane simply glared. She was not falling for his pathetic act. "Spill it."
Ranma crossed his arms, deciding for a good offensive strategy. "It's pretty uncute when you're paranoid." If he had his way, he would keep his embarrassing escapade at the sperm bank a secret. It was bad enough that Nabiki knew.
Akane blocked Ranma's path, not falling for the obvious bait. "And you have the worst poker face in history."
Ranma felt torn between annoyance and a small amount of secret pleasure that Akane knew him so well. There was also a bit of a thrill whenever he verbally sparred with his fiancée. He may suck at poker, but he could bluff and taunt most opponents in a battle just fine. All except Akane, that is. She always gave him a challenge.
Ranma switched tactics and gave her one of his ravishing smiles, the one that in his female form always got him free food from vendors, and with most of his other female admirers, a free pass. "There's nothing to tell, tomboy."
Akane sighed, and instead of her eyes brightening with the familiar glow of frustration, they crinkled into a hurt expression. Her voice was low and flat. "I thought you were going to be more honest with me..."
Ranma gulped. That was not the reaction he planned. He could handle her temper, but never her tears. Akane was right. He couldn't afford to disappoint her again. As much as he hated to admit defeat, this was a battle best worth forfeiting. "I'm... working on getting the Kiss of Marriage revoked. Nabiki's even helping."
Akane was stunned. She couldn't believe she heard him correctly. "Really? When did this happen...and why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Ranma felt more than a bit bashful. "Look, it's not a done deal yet, and I didn't want to get your hopes up."
Despite the warning, Akane felt her spirits lift. Her curiosity only increased. "So is Nabiki blackmailing them or something? I can't imagine anything to get Cologne or Shampoo to give up."
Ranma felt his face warm in embarrassment and desperately hoped he wasn't visibly blushing. "Look, I promise to tell you more about it later, if it works. It's just...ugh..would you trust me for now? I don't wanna go into the details."
Akane gave him a scrutinizing look. His odd reluctance made Akane even more determined to hear the specifics. The core of the matter was amazing enough to accept: Ranma was actually working to tidy up his affairs! It was exactly what her father had asked of them so that they could proceed with getting married. If Ranma was making direct aims to do that, even using Nabiki for it, then he really was serious about his intentions towards her. Shampoo's absence was proof enough that it was working. His barb about trusting him cut through her overwhelming curiosity. She would just have to wait with something this large at stake.
Ranma watched Akane's face carefully, seeing the subtle battle of emotions at play. Hope warred against a long history of distrust. "Alright…" she breathed. "I believe you. But I'm holding you to telling me the full story eventually, okay?"
Ranma flashed her his most beguiling, genuine smile.
Honestly, Akane thought to herself, feeling lost in his joyful expression. It was so hard to stay irritated at Ranma.
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Nodoka pursed her lips. She had not expected to see Kuonji Ukyo so soon. The poor girl was quite determined. She had the gall to arrive at the Tendo household (uninvited no less) to speak with her yet again.
At least Ukyo had come bearing gifts. Ever the chef, she had brought her portable grill and set about making a delicious Okonomiyaki lunch. Even if her aim had been to see Ranma and check up on Nodoka's promise, Ukyo had gladly made generous meals for Nabiki and Kasumi as well.
Once the Tendo sisters had departed, Ukyo courageously stared down her prospective mother-in-law.
"Have you told Ranchan yet, Saotome-san?" Ukyo asked firmly but quietly. She was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She needed to be respectful, but she was also desperate. Ranma's father had proved himself to be an untrusting jerk. Ukyo was giving his wife the benefit of the doubt, for now.
Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "I have not...yet. Have you?"
The question thrown back startled Ukyo. She hadn't seen Ranma at all since the fiasco of their dinner date. Usually her Ranchan would have stopped by for lunch, or dinner, or at least a snack by now. Ukyo worriedly suspected Ranma was avoiding her, even if it meant giving up free delicious meals.
"I haven't seen him in a while. I was hoping to today. I even left Konatsu in charge so I could come."
Nodoka sighed. It was hard to begrudge her. Ukyo was truly infatuated with her son and was determined to pursue him. "I have not forgotten the promise I made to you. My husband," the word came out with distaste, "reaffirms your side of the story. As such, I have made arrangements to move my family into their own independent household. In fact, we're moving out this very weekend."
Ukyo wanted to jump for joy. Her hands clenched the Tendo family's dining table in an attempt to contain her excitement.
Nodoka continued. "The apartment arrangement was only settled this morning. I haven't had a chance to tell my son anything."
Ukyo gave a small nod in acknowledgement, unable to trust herself to say anything appropriate.
"Moving again...I know it will not be an easy transition for my son." Nodoka wistfully looked around the comforts of the Tendo living and dining space, and shook her head. "But I can reassure you, that I am not my husband. I intend to tell Ranma of our promised arrangement...but do allow a mother to choose the appropriate timing."
Ukyo frowned, but nodded. It seemed a reasonable enough request.
"I also have a minor condition to add."
Ukyo froze. She already felt the arrangement was more than fair. Her dowry had been stolen. Years of her life wasted! Even more time wasted while Ranma was wooed and housed under the same roof as her rival. A measly month to court Ranma without inference was the least Nodoka could grant.
Ukyo carefully planned out her phrasing. "Exactly what condition do you have in mind?"
"My son has very important, manly duties at the Tendo dojo. He teaches classes with Akane-chan. He should be free to come and continue."
Ukyo's face fell. She wanted to shout out her protest. The deal was to have a month of Ranma without Akane or her family's influence. How else was she ever going to get even close to a fair shot?! The fear of losing Ranma to Akane, the fear that had grown steadily and had led to her violently throwing bombs at their attempted wedding, nearly choked her.
Ukyo opened her mouth to protest, but only a squeak came out. What could she say? Her mouth suddenly went dry and she had trouble swallowing.
Nodoka studied the stricken girl carefully. "Surely you agree it is a reasonable request?" Ukyo slumped. How was she to argue and still retain a favorable position with Ranma's mother?
The older woman took a slow sip of her tea before resuming. "You told me you believed yourself to be the best match for my son. Unless you are insecure in this belief...?"
Ukyo shot up from her seat. "Of course I'm sure!" Nodoka gave her a pointed look, and Ukyo sat back down. "Fine. I'll agree. I'd never want to get between Ranchan and the Art, anyway." Ukyo crossed her arms. "Even if he has to see Akane."
Nodoka smiled serenely. "I'm so happy to hear that." Ranma's mother nodded, pleased to know that despite Ukyo's obvious desperation, she was willing to be reasonable. "Oh, I almost forgot. Ranma will also still need to see Akane for training in an upcoming tournament."
Ukyo's already strained patience felt ready to snap. It was likely Nodoka was trying to circumvent any attempt to honor their agreement. Ukyo felt her chances at becoming the true fiancée shrivel further. This was already her last ditch effort. She couldn't - no, wouldn't - give up yet.
Her desperate mind worked fast. "Well, I'll just have to take Akane's place in this tournament. Even Ranchan knows I'm skilled."
Nodoka frowned, causing the tiny lines on her face to reveal more of her age. "That would not be feasible. It was a challenge accepted on behalf of both heirs of Anything Goes. It's a matter of honor for Akane to participate. Of course, you're welcome to enroll with another partner."
Ukyo scowled and shook her head. Before she could comment further, they heard the sliding doors open. The greetings of "Tadaima/I'm home!" chorused from Akane and Ranma as they entered the Tendo residence.
Ukyo felt the blood rush to her face and her ears burned. It was to be the first time she'd seen Ranma since their disastrous kiss.
Ranma and Akane stood stunned in the entryway. Ranma was the first to react, looking nervously between his mother and extra fiancée. "Uh, hi. What's up?"
Ukyo felt her throat go dry. Both Ranchan and Akane were watching her with wary eyes. Any thoughts of springing the "good news" early against Nodoka's wishes, vanished. Suddenly, she was terrified to hear Ranma's response.
And yet, another part of her felt angry and outraged. Why was Ranma still playing so hard to get? Couldn't he see that she was the best match for him? She was the "cute" fiancée, not Akane. It was that very comment Ranma made to her when she'd arrived in Nerima long ago that had given her hope, that had left her waiting for him to fully come to his senses and firmly choose her.
Her pent-up frustration bled out into her response. "Just talking with your mom about honor and dowries, sugar. You know, how a man should follow through with his promises."
Ranma gulped and tried to see if his mother was carrying her katana. Thankfully, she seemed to have left it elsewhere.
Akane watched all three faces in the room. She liked Ukyo well enough, but hearing her passive aggressively insinuate Ranma wasn't being manly or honorable - especially in front of Nodoka - made her blood boil. "Ukyo, you know perfectly well Ranma has already proved himself to be very manly to his mother."
Ukyo regretted what she had said the moment the words left her mouth. She had felt insecure and flustered, and she had taken it out on Ranma. Even worse, it made her look petty while Akane got to shine as the supportive fiancée. This was the opposite of what she wanted!
"O-of course." Ukyo turned to face Ranma. "We're still friends, right?"
"Yeah, Ucchan. Why wouldn't we be?" Ranma looked puzzled.
Ukyo felt warm from the reuse of her childhood name. "Then don't forget to come by for food whenever you want," she beamed, knowing full well that Akane could never compete with her in the kitchen. Realizing she should amend how inconsiderate she sounded earlier, Ukyo managed to grind out an honest comment. "And I wish you both luck with your tournament coming up. What's it called? MAD?"
Ranma laughed. "DAFT. It's in two weeks. You should come cheer us on. I bet you could make a killing selling food at the event."
Ukyo beamed. "It's a date."
Akane frowned at the phrasing, but before she could get any comment out at all, Nodoka intervened.
"Thank you for visiting, Ukyo. I'll speak with you again, later." It was a friendly, but firm dismissal.
Ukyo knew better than to push the matter; she bowed and left quickly.
Akane cocked her head and tried to read the discomforted look on Ranma's mother's face. "Is something going on you should tell us about, Auntie?"
Nodoka sighed. She didn't want to reveal her honor-bound patch up arrangement with Ukyo any sooner than necessary, but part of the news couldn't wait.
She looked at her son, admiring with maternal pride his manly image, his brow still glistening with sweat from training. Nodoka shook her head sadly. "I've found an apartment. We're moving out tomorrow."
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Author's notes:
Angela-Jewell rocks my world. This story wouldn't be half as good if it wasn't for her bailing me out when I get stuck on ideas.
Original Publication Date: August 29, 2014
