Arc I: The Plan
Chapter: The Exchange
It had been a couple of days since Akane and Ranma had their talk in the park. During that time, Ranma had remained frustratingly remote and Akane had no idea what to make of it. He seemed oddly upset, but she just didn't understand why.
She was sure that he was unhappy that she suggested he go out on a date with Ukyo, but it seemed so out of character. After all, he had gone on plenty of dates with other people due to one scheme or another. He had gone on a date with Shampoo for the instant nannichuan before he found out that it was a one-use-only item. He went on dates with Kuno a few times. Off the top of her head, she could remember one instance where he tried to get Kuno to give him a wish from the wishing sword and another to convince Kuno he cared for him during the cheerleading competition. He'd been willing to go out with Tsubasa to try to get him over Ukyo. On her suggestion, he had gone out with Kodachi for that competition with the White Lily. And when she thought about it, she realized that he had also gone on a date with Ukyo while he was spying on her date with Ryoga.
So why was this different? Was it because it was the scenario he didn't like? He definitely didn't like the idea of giving into Grandfather Happosai, but she thought he'd gotten over that already.
Was he mad that she would offer him up in a bet? But that seemed ridiculous with the amount of times she was used as a bargaining chip and/or prize in one of his feuds. She definitely understood the frustration of being used as a possession, something someone could just win. But didn't she make it clear that he had a choice? He didn't have to go if he didn't want to.
She was more hurt than anything else because he was being so cold to her. She wanted to talk to him about what he was feeling, but every time she tried, he just blew her off. He barely looked at her in the last few days. Was he really so disgusted by her that he wouldn't even make eye contact?
It was frustrating. If this is how he was treating Ukyo, she could kind of understand why the other girl was acting so desperate.
She looked at her clock and realized that she had no more time to contemplate the mystery that was her pig-tailed fiancé.
Today was her first cooking lesson with Aunty Saotome.
Ranma was in the backyard, punching and kicking at a straw pad he had wrapped around the trunk of a tree. The movements came automatically - having been ingrained in him since he was a young boy - so he also used this time for thinking.
For the last two days he had been going over and over Akane's request. He still couldn't believe that she had really wanted him to consider going on a date with Ukyo. That it didn't bother her that he would be out with another girl.
Akane - like most women - had always been a bit of mystery to him. He never knew how she was going to react to situations. But from the beginning of their engagement, he could always count on her jealousy when it involved other girls. And he loved it. It was a sign that she cared for him, even though she never admitted it. When did that change?
Was this part of the plan she talked about? If so, he really didn't care for it.
Was it his fault? Did denying his feeling before the wedding cause her to feel that he didn't care?
She knew better though, or at least she should have. He knew he was stupid when it came to how he treated her at times, but she had always forgiven him. She was always the bigger person and never nagged him about his stupid mistakes. Somehow she knew he didn't mean the stupid things he said or did.
Thinking back on his original reaction, he realized he didn't really want her to act like the other girls. They were always violating his personal space, pushing themselves and their agendas on him. It was suffocating and did the opposite of what they wanted; it turned him off. Akane was the only one who understood that he wasn't comfortable with physical affection. Although, when he thought about it, he knew he wouldn't mind her pushing into his personal boundaries.
No, what he really wanted was for her to make a claim. She hadn't once admitted to wanting to be with him. Even when she said she heard his proclamation at Jusendo, she never said how she felt. She wanted his confirmation, but why couldn't he get one? It was scary putting yourself on the line like that and not knowing how the other person will respond. Maybe if he had admitted his feelings that day, she would have told him how she felt, too.
After all, she did agree to marry him, right? But was that because she wanted to be with him? Or because she was finally giving into her father's wishes?
He'd gone over and over the same thoughts for the last two days and he was still no closer to an answer.
All he knew was that he missed her.
He had spent the last two days giving her the cold shoulder. He recognized it as childish, but he couldn't help it. She had been trying to talk to him, but he had been fairly curt in his responses. He couldn't even look her in the face because looking into those big brown eyes would cause his resolve to crumble.
It was stupid really, since it probably hurt him more than her. He missed the sound of her voice and the way her eyes lit up when she laughed.
But mainly, he missed her company.
Akane was headed towards the kitchen. Despite her current predicament with Ranma, she found herself in a very good mood. She was so glad that Aunty hadn't given up on her and was still willing to teach her how to cook after their last disastrous attempt.
As she walked, she imagined what she would be learning to make today. Tempura? Teriyaki? Ramen? Sushi? Or would they be baking today? Maybe cookies, brownies or even a chocolate cake!
Whatever it was, she was determined to do a good job.
Maybe, just maybe, if she made something that tasted good enough and she could get Ranma to try some, it would get them over their current problem.
"Hello, Aunty!" Akane greeted as she walked into the kitchen. She looked around and saw that the kitchen counter was filled with produce.
"Hello, Akane dear."
Unable to contain her excitement or curiosity, she said, "So, what are we making today?"
Aunty gave her a rather large smile. "We'll get to that. First, have a seat; I've made us some tea." As the pair sat, Nodoka served them both. "You do remember what we agreed to, right?" When Akane nodded her agreement, the older woman continued, "I know that you are a very talented martial artist, so to help with your cooking, you will need to think about cooking in the same way you do martial arts training. I know that it's been a number of years since you were a beginner, but can you tell me what you learned first?"
Akane's response was quick, "We learned the basics: how to breathe properly, how to kick and punch properly, and the different stances."
"Yes. Those were fundamental to the rest of your training, correct?"
"Yes, any advanced forms we learned were built from these basics."
"Wonderful. Today, we will work on your cooking basics."
At first, Akane was frustrated. Aunty had insisted that she spend the first part of her lesson on identifying the different produce she had laid out on the counter and for her to learn how to tell they were ripe. Her frustration quickly turned to embarrassment. She really didn't recognize some of these vegetables uncooked, much less being able to identify how to tell if they were ripe. However, Aunty was patient in identifying the different items and how to choose the right ones at the market.
She then taught Akane how to wash each item. She had no idea that there were specific ways to wash all the different produce. She didn't know that strawberries were not to be put in water and should instead be cleaned with a clean wet cloth to get the dirt off. She also didn't know that grapes should always be left on the vine to help keep their freshness.
After washing the different food, Akane was instructed on how to cut each item. At first she was very excited, thinking that this was finally something she could do right! But she was chagrined to realize that she had no idea what she was doing. She could use a bokken with ease, so why was a paring knife so difficult?
After mangling a couple of tomatoes, Aunty told her that her form was wrong and that she was using too much force. In other words, she was squeezing the tomatoes too tightly then hacking at them, instead of holding the tomato gently and using a sawing motion to keep from ruining the fruit. Aunty had also tried to teach her the importance of uniformity in being able to cut the produce into similar sizes, which would help in the cooking process.
By the end of her first lesson, Akane had put together a fruit platter and vegetable platter, along with having cut all the vegetables that would be used in tonight's dinner. She had to admit that her platters were not as pretty as something that would have been created by Kasumi - the individual pieces were uneven in size and shape and some had more peel on them than others - but overall she was rather pleased with herself.
Ranma Saotome was starving! It wasn't an unusual predicament since he was still a growing boy and much more active than an average person. So it was unsurprising that he was the first person to be seated for dinner. He was practically drooling at the scents coming out of the kitchen. He was a little concerned when everyone else had gotten to the table and his fiancée was missing. His concern turned to dread when he saw her coming out of the kitchen with his mother, carrying food, looking excited and happy. That was never a good sign and his stomach grumbled.
"Ma, you didn't let her cook anything did you?"
The question came out before he could stop himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Soun and Genma's heads snap up as fear came over them. As he looked up, he saw Akane's face fall. He closed his eyes; partially to shield himself from the look on her face and partially because he was ashamed of himself.
"Actually, Ranma, Akane has prepared a lovely vegetable and fruit tray for tonight."
He did not miss the admonishing tone in his mother's voice. Opening his eyes, he saw the platter in question and silently thanked the heavens. He couldn't get food poisoning from raw vegetables. Looking to his side, he realized that his fiancée had already seated herself next to him and was sitting rather stiffly.
His heart hurt a little just looking at her. Why did he have to be such a jerk sometimes?
He was distracted when his mother handed him a bowl of rice and soon everyone had started their dinner. His mother had put an end to the Saotome food fights while they were living in their old home and she had placed herself in between the two men in her life to ensure that they - mainly Genma - would obey her wishes. Nodoka had also insisted that they would both try to show some manners while eating, which slowed their pace and left the rest of the household grateful.
"Mom, this teriyaki is great!"
"Thank you, son. How is the miso soup?
"Goob..." Swallowing, he said, "I mean, good. Can I have some more rice?"
Nodoka smiled as she reached for his bowl.
"Is the rice ok?"
"It's great as usual."
Eyeing his bowl, he missed the grin spread on his mother's face and the corners of Akane's mouth tilt upward as she ate her food.
"That's good to hear. You can thank Akane; she made it."
Both Genma and Soun choked on their food, while Kasumi smiled at her youngest sister and Nabiki raised an eyebrow at her bowl.
After her lesson, Akane had watched as Nodoka cooked the rest of the meal, asking questions about the process and listening as Ranma's mother explained how to tell when food items were done cooking and what order to add ingredients in. She had no idea that all the items had different cooking times, so it wasn't a good idea to dump everything in at the same time.
She had hesitantly asked if she could make the rice and after a moment's pause, Nodoka had agreed. She had then walked the younger girl through measuring the appropriate amount of rice and the proper way to rinse it. Akane was a little too eager and had lost at least a quarter cup down the sink before she slowed her motions. Afterwards, the Saotome matriarch showed her how to add the appropriate amount of clean water and watched as she put the pot into the rice cooker and plugged the machine in. She had smiled at the look of pride on Akane's face. Giving the excited girl an indulgent smile, she reminded her to make sure the switch on the rice cooker was in the cook position and not the warm position.
Ranma reached slowly for his bowl, now wishing he hadn't asked for a second helping. But he had already eaten one helping and if it was gonna make him sick, a second bowl wouldn't make much difference. Besides, the rice had tasted fine.
"Err...thanks, 'kane."
The walk to school Monday morning began quietly. Akane had wanted to try to talk to Ranma again, but was too distracted by her own thoughts. Today was the day that the trade would take place. There were so many variables and too many things that could go wrong. This was Nerima and nothing ever went as planned. She was jostled from her pondering when Ranma asked her a question.
"Hmm? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"
"I said, do you need any help later?"
"Really?" Akane's face lit up in joy at the thought, "You want to help me?"
It was then, looking at the enthusiasm and gratitude she displayed at his simple offer, did he realize how idiotic he had been. Even if he didn't get answers to all his doubts, one thing was clear; Akane wanted him around. For what and how long, he didn't know. But for now, that was okay. He could build on this.
"Of course, 'kane. I'll always be there for you."
Ranma watched as a blush slowly crept over Akane's face as she processed his words.
Yeah, he could definitely build on this.
Taro felt as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night but was trying to maintain his cool exterior. After a lifetime of having to introduce himself as Pantyhose Taro, he would finally be rid of the ridicule associated with the name. All he had to do was get through the afternoon.
He was currently standing guard at the gymnasium doors with Ranma. Akane had told him, in no uncertain terms, that only girls were allowed through these doors and that they were to bar anyone else from coming in. He thought the assignment was stupid. Why would anyone else try to get in?
A little while later, Taro understood.
He had no idea what to think when a herd of boys came running up to their position and demanded entrance. They all started shouting nonsense. When he was finally able to decipher some phrases, he started to understand.
"It's not fair that you get to see their panties and we don't!"
"Come on, Ranma, first Akane and now the rest of the girls too?"
"You gotta share, man! Just let us look!"
"Let us in, man! Let us in!
"SHUT IT! You guys aren't comin' in and that's final!" Ranma finally yelled.
His statement had caused the boys' collective volume to go from a loud roar to a low murmur. Ranma's presence alone seemed to keep them in line but they didn't look like they would willingly leave.
They all but ignored Taro until a boy standing to his left said to his friend, "I really want to find out if Akane wears thongs or not. I never got a good look up her skirt when she kicked me in the face!"
That did it. Taro wasn't going to let anyone get away with being so disrespectful to Akane when he was around. Grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt, Taro punched him in the face and threw him over the school's boundary wall.
All conversation ceased as every eye turned to Taro. The school boys were quiet as they tried to figure out who the stranger was and he saw several people around him take a step back.
Ranma - having heard the offensive comment - gave Taro both a nod and the evil eye, which he ignored.
After that, it was easy to get the group of males to turn around and go home. If they all ganged up together, they could possibly, maybe take one angry martial artist on a good day, but definitely not two.
After the males left, the girls came forward, having watched the entire fiasco play out so far. Akane had explained that some of the girls were unconvinced this would work and needed to see for themselves that the old pervert would actually do what he said. Others just wanted to see what the trade would be like, so they could be prepared when it was their turn.
Taro was surprised to see what looked like the entire female population of the high school waiting to enter. They moved in small groups and slowly entered the building. It was obvious they were much more dignified than their male counterparts.
It shocked Taro when Ranma suddenly grabbed a homely looking girl who was walking in slightly behind her friends. Looking over, he thought homely was a very generous description for the girl. She was rail thin and very pale, her cheeks were sunken in, she had huge bags under her eyes and her hair was short, stiff, and waxy looking.
Ranma lifted her up by her arms and shook her a little. Concerned, Taro was going to step in to protect the girl but was stopped when he heard her speak.
"Help! Help! Get this brute off me!" The girl said in a high-falsetto and tried to wiggle out of Ranma's grasp.
"Gosunkugi! Dressin' like a girl didn't work the first two times, why'd ya think it was gonna work now?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just an innocent young maiden," she continued in her squeaky voice.
Putting her on her feet, Ranma rolled his eyes and snatched the wig of her...his head.
"Whatcha doin here?"
"Nothing!" He continued in the squeaky voice before clearing his throat. "Nothing, I swear!"
"Sure." Ranma reached into the boy's open handbag and pulled out a camera. "Then you won't be needing this." He proceeded to destroy the camera with his bare hands.
Gosunkugi stepped back and fell on his ass, then proceeded to crabwalk backwards using his hands and feet before getting up and running away. He looked back to make sure he wasn't being chased and turned around just in time to run straight into a tree. He was stuck to the tree for a second, arms and legs splayed wide, before falling backwards on the ground, unconscious.
Ranma walked back to his original position and crossed his arms, looking bored.
Things progressed for a while until, once again, Ranma stopped a girl in line. However, this time he just held his arm out in front of the girl to halt her from entering.
Taro noticed that this one was quite attractive. She had on the standard school uniform, a blunt bob cut hairstyle with bangs, and a smirk on her face that showed absolutely no concern. She looked familiar but he was sure he had never seen the girl before; he would have remembered someone that confident. Not to mention pretty.
"Yes, Ranma?" She asked.
"Taro, search her bag."
Shrugging, Taro grabbed her bag and riffled through. It took him less than a minute to find a hidden compartment on the side of her bag which held a camera. Pulling it out, he raised an eyebrow at the girl.
Completely unabashed, she shrugged her shoulders.
"Can't blame a girl for trying."
She reached for her bag and camera but Taro pulled the latter away from her.
"You can get this back after."
Raising an eyebrow, she smirked as she ran her eyes slowly over his entire body. Making eye contact, she purred, "Definitely."
Taro just gaped at her. He was flattered at her attention, but a little taken aback at her actions. No girl had ever treated him like a piece of meat before and he had to admit he was a little turned on.
Waiting until the girl had entered the building, Taro handed the camera to Ranma, trusting that he would return it to its rightful owner. Ranma slipped it into his pocket with a slight nod.
The crowd of girls had thinned when Taro spotted a lone boy dressed in a school uniform brazenly trying to walk in. Stepping up to the stranger, he said, "You're gonna have to leave."
Narrowing his eyes, the boy pushed by Taro without a response. Annoyed, he responded by grabbing the other boy's upper arm but then suddenly the boy reached behind him and pulled out...a spatula?
What the fuck?
"Taro, she's fine. Let her by."
"She?"
Ranma just nodded while the girl shot Taro a nasty look before putting back her... weapon?
Turning around, she walked over to the gender-bender.
"Hey, Ranchan!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"Hey."
Her smile dropped as she asked, "So you talked to Tendo?"
"Ya, I talked to Akane."
This obviously wasn't the response she wanted. Putting her hands on her hips, she stood akimbo before him and narrowed her eyes.
"Well?"
"You go through with this and I'll stop by Ucchan's tomorrow after school."
"Why didn't you just say so, Sugar?"
Giving him a big smile, she proceeded to enter the gym.
Taro shook his head, he shouldn't be surprised that the cross-dresser was interested in the tranny. It was even logical, in some strange way. But damn this was a weird ass town.
The two bouncers waited until the last of the girls had entered the gymnasium before they walked in and closed the doors behind them.
Taro could swear he was developing a tick.
Akane had gone into the gymnasium through the lockers right as school ended. Knowing that practically the entire school wanted to attend the ceremony - for a lack of a better term - she had pulled out half the bleachers. Taro and Ranma had already been given directions during lunch to keep every male, besides themselves, out of the building. After pulling out the bleachers, she situated a table and three chairs in front of them, and had instructed Yuka and Sayuri to gather all of the girls in their homeroom in the front row.
She was currently waiting in a nearby classroom with one very exuberant old man. She refused to let him into the gym while the girls were entering, not trusting him to be able to keep his hands to himself. She had worked too hard on this to let it fall apart because of Happosai's lack of self-control.
Now she wished she had assigned either Taro or Ranma to babysit the grand-master. Surprisingly, he had kept his hands to himself while they were alone together, not having tried to grope her once. But he had asked her every five minutes when things were going to start. He was currently bouncing around the room, occasionally yelling, "Woo-hoo". It was like watching a five year old on a sugar rush.
For the occasion, he had donned a tan linen suit, white collared shirt, blue and white stripped bow-tie and topped it all off with a matching tan skimmer that had a blue and white ribbon accent. He kept alternating between twirling his hat on his finger and adjusting it on his head, after smoothing out what little hair he had left.
Feeling her patience had reached its end, she finally heard a knock on the door. Yuka's head popped through the door a second later to tell her that they were ready.
Walking in, she saw the bleachers completely filled with female students, all chatting amongst themselves as they waited. She looked over to see Happosai do a small jump, kicking his heels together in midair, before landing and following her forward.
When they reached the table, Akane instructed Happosai to sit in the middle chair, reminding him that he was not allowed to grope or touch any of the girls in any way. She asked Ranma and Taro to sit in the chairs next to him to make sure he abided by the rules and stop him if he decided to get close and comfortable with any of the girls. The only caveat was that they had to turn the chairs around and face the opposite direction. She wanted to save the participants from any unnecessary embarrassment.
She then walked over and assembled her classmates. She quickly explained that they each had to personally hand their items over to Happosai. There were a few murmurs of dissent but when she pointed out that there was no other way to guarantee that each girl had individually donated something, the murmurs quieted down although many still looked uncertain.
Akane had planned to go first and Sayuri and Yuka had volunteered to be second and third, respectively. Walking towards Happosai, Akane was reaching into her bag when suddenly the doors burst open.
"Akane Tendo, my sweet innocent flower! You shall not show your delicate feminine garments to anyone but me, much less give them away to some ancient perverted fiend! I will not allow it!"
Kuno ran towards Akane, bokken held in front of him. He closed a quarter of the distance before a pair of feet smacked him in the face. Both Ranma and Taro had gotten out of the chairs and rushed towards Kuno, each landing a simultaneous kick. They both reached down and grabbed one of his armpits, dragging him out the door.
Akane watched as each boy then grabbed an upper arm and leg. Swinging Kuno back and forth, once, twice, and on the third swing sent him flying through the air.
She smiled. It was nice seeing the once enemies get along and working together.
Happosai sat at the table patiently as he watched his heir and the boy he helped birth handle the delusional wannabe samurai. He was glad it was done quickly since he was tired of waiting and wanted to see the new pretties that everyone had gotten him! Clapping his hands in glee, he started to kick his legs back and forth in excitement.
To think, he had sweet little Akane to thank for everything! He knew she was one of the few that really appreciated him after all.
Once Taro and Ranma had seated themselves next to him, she walked forward, reminding him of the rules. Did she think he was a child? Of course he remembered the rules!
Not wanting to seem ungrateful, he gave her an encouraging smile and nodded his head eagerly. Anticipation built up as he watched Akane reach into her bag.
Suddenly her movements seemed to slow as he saw her pull out something in an exquisite shade of pale pink! The lovely item seemed to move in slow motion as it revealed itself to him inch by tantalizing inch. Once it was completely out of the bag, it gleamed as if rays of light shone from its very core.
As the light dimmed he got to take a good look at the item and marveled at its beauty. It was strapless with a very high cut leg openings and he thought he could see a cute little bow on the back.
It was a bathing suit!
Suddenly time seemed to speed up as he reached for the item. Taking it gently from her hands he held it up to himself as he caressed the material to his face and took a sniff.
It even smelled like her!
"Oh sweet little Akane, you shouldn't have! It's so lovely!" he cried out as tears swam in his eyes.
Forgetting himself, he made a move to thank her properly with a hug when he felt a pair of hands push him back down by the shoulders. Those young brats had stopped him from appropriately showing his thanks to the lovely creature before him!
That was when he remembered he had to sit and was not allowed to show his appreciation.
Sniffing, he said, "Thank you, Akane."
She smiled at him - and what a lovely smile it was - before saying, "You're welcome, Grandfather."
Instead of going to sit down, she walked to one end of the table to oversee the rest of the transactions.
The next girl up seemed to be a little nervous but pulled out the most beautiful, black lace bra with thin pink ribbons woven through the tops of the cups and a small pink bow in the center.
It was a work of art.
"Thank you. This is...I...thank you!"
Moved beyond words, Happosai was practically in tears with his gratitude. Not knowing what to do, he looked at her and hoped his gratitude showed in his eyes. It seemed to work because she smiled a little and patted him gently on the head.
Oh little Akane had the most wonderful, beautiful, most gracious friends!
They had slowly made their way through the group of girls before him. As they handed over their lovely items, he would examine each, while marveling at their loveliness. Then he tried to express his gratefulness to the girl before he lovingly folded each item into the burglar's sack - it seemed too strange to carry them in anything else - as the girls went back to sit in the stands with the rest of their classmates.
They reached the half-way mark when Akane made a motion to stop the next girl from moving towards him. Bewildered, he turned his head towards her.
"Grandfather, it's now time to fulfill the rest of the bargain."
Oh. Pantyhose. He'd forgotten.
Happosai took a moment to think over his situation. He could easily take the new items he acquired and dash out of the gym without honoring his part of the bargain. He would get a stash of new pretties for nothing! However, he had really enjoyed himself this afternoon. Sure, he missed the thrill of sneaking peeks at girls while they were changing and the adrenaline he got from being chased by a group of angry women. But this made for a nice change of pace. Never before had he been in a room with so many lovely young ladies and have them be so nice to him! None of them were trying to beat him up or throwing things at him. He never understood why so few women appreciated it when he tried to compliment them. Besides, if he ever felt the urge to have a panty raid, there was still the all-girl's school nearby that he'd been meaning to visit.
Turning to the boy in question he asked, "Are you sure you want to change your name? Why Panty..."
"Yes! I'm sure," he interrupted the old grand master.
"Fine, then your new name shall be Garter Belt!"
"No!" "Grandfather!" Taro and Akane shouted at the same time.
"You know what we agreed to," Akane added, giving him a stern look.
"Fine, fine. But are you quite sure you wouldn't like the name Bloomers?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Taro ground out. He was holding onto his patience by a thin thread.
Happosai looked the poor boy over, shaking his head. What was wrong with him? He should be enjoying his youth but instead he was high strung and stressed out. A vein was throbbing on his forehead, and was that a tick developing in his right eye?
Sighing, he said, "Very well, very well. Your new name shall be Awesome Taro."
The old man stared at the teenage boy questioningly. Why was the moron just gaping like that? Wasn't this what he wanted?
Then suddenly Taro ran up to a random girl and asked, "What's my name?"
She giggled and said, "Umm...Awesome?"
"That's right, my name is Awesome!"
He jumped in the air with his arms straight out, forming a Y. Once he landed, he ran towards Akane, grabbing her by the shoulder, which in turn caused Ranma to rise from his chair, eyes narrowed.
Ho, ho, this can prove to be rather amusing.
"Thank you, thank you!" Taro pulled Akane into a big hug, pinning her arms to her side, rocking her left and right. He pulled back and said, "This never would have happened if it weren't for you!" He leaned in and gave her a rather enthusiastic kiss on the cheek before letting her go and screaming "THANK YOU!" He ran out the doors, leaving a red faced Akane staring after him.
Happosai chuckled at the poor girl's shock. A pretty girl like her should be used to that sort of attention by now. If her fiancé treated her better, she'd be.
"Get offa me! Get off I said!"
Sighing, he looked down at the struggling youth under him.
When Taro had pulled Akane into a hug, Ranma started forward but found his movements stopped by Happosai's index finger. Happosai then jumped behind him, pulling his arm backwards and forced Ranma on the floor.
Despite what he thought about the boy's lack of respect, Happosai was glad that Ranma would inherit the Anything Goes School that he founded. His first two disciples had been disappointing to say the least, even though they both were decent martial artists. One was a push over who turned into an emotional mess after the death of his wife. The other was inherently lazy and turned into a glutton, willing to sell his son off for food. Happosai didn't have many standards, but even he didn't approve of offering up the heir to the school for food.
Ranma though, was different. He had skill and spunk. He wouldn't let anyone push him around and that was exactly what this school needed to persevere.
And what Ranma needed was Akane.
A girl that would challenge him so he wouldn't turn into his father. A girl who had a natural talent for the arts herself, guaranteeing that he would sire a powerful heir. A girl who understood the perils of being a martial artist and the dedication it took to be a master.
But damn was that boy stupid. Happosai couldn't blame the lad for enjoying the attentions of the other beautiful young ladies around him, but he needed to secure his relationship with Akane first. Then the boy could participate in all the extracurricular activities he wanted.
So to ensure the future of the school, he would just have to help things along. At the moment it involved making Ranma jealous. The boy needed to know that if he didn't make a claim, others would be happy to take his place.
And if Happosai had a little fun in the process, then all the better.
"Ummm… Right… Why don't we continue what we were doing," Akane said, blush still staining her face.
"Of course, sweet little Akane!"
Damn that old freak! Look at him, sitting there trying to act all innocent. Who the hell does he think he's foolin'? No one!
Ranma fumed and wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of him. And Taro.
That stupid bastard, hugging and kissing my fiancée. My Akane. Who the hell does he think he is? What right does he have to lay a finger on her, much less use his lips! When I see…
"Ranma?"
He looked up to see Akane bent over him and offering him her hand. He wanted to smack it away in frustration, but then he looked into her eyes.
They were full of emotion. He could easily make out the concern in them, he was used to her looking at him like that, so it was easy to identify. They also seemed to be… apologetic? That was not a look she gave him often, but he thought he had deciphered it correctly.
There was a time when he didn't understand his fiancée at all. The things she did and the way she acted were often contradictory and strange. It took him a long time, not to mention a lot of bruises, to finally be able to read her. And he was still only working at a first grade level.
Sighing, he took her hand and held it lightly, enjoying the warmth radiating from the skin as her delicate fingers clasped his. Unwilling to let go of her hand, he got up slowly and held on for a moment longer than necessary before going to sit in his original spot.
Akane had walked over a moment later and claimed the empty chair, turning it around so she was faced the same direction as Happosai. He sat and desperately hoped this ordeal would be over soon. Yes, it was for a good cause, but he still didn't like the idea of giving into the pervert and it still made him angry.
He had snuck a peek when it was Akane's turn to make a donation and he was disappointed to see her pull out that bathing suit. He had hated that thing for a long time as it was the only barrier between him and seeing Akane naked. All of her naked.
But since then, that piece of clothing had starred in many of his fantasies. He often thought of how easy it would have been to pull the flimsy piece of cloth down until her breasts were free of their confinement, bouncing before him. Pert and inviting. How he could pull the suit down over her curvy, luscious hips before he slipped it off over her delicate feet before he guided her to sit on the edge of the furo. She would then slowly spread her legs for him and he could finally look at the treasure at her core.
He sighed. Yup, he was really sad to see the swimsuit go.
While Ranma was uneasy with physical affection and awkward when forced into embarrassing situations with the girls in his life, he was still a healthy teenage boy with a very vivid imagination. His honor would not allow him to act on his baser impulses but his fantasies allowed him to indulge in those activities with only a little guilt. He never planned to have a certain blue-haired girl star in most of his day dreams, it just happened. A lot.
Now all he wanted to do was go home and try to scrub the image of Taro kissing and hugging his fiancée out of his brain for good. Just the thought caused him clench in hands in anger. The next time he saw that asshole there was going to be hell to pay.
Just then, he caught some of what Akane was saying.
"...so that makes the last person."
"No, I don't think so."
"That is everyone in our class, I promise you, Grandfather."
Suddenly Ranma was splashed over the head with cold water. Sputtering in indignation, he stood up and screamed, "Whaddya do that for?"
"It seems, Akane, that we have one more girl in the class that has not given me a personal item."
"What the hell? There is no way I'm giving you anything, you old freak!"
Happosai ignored Ranma and kept looking at Akane with a pout on his face, "You did promise me all the girls would participate."
Ranma moved forward, wanting to pound the old pervert into the ground, but was once again stopped by the feel of a soft hand on his chest. Looking down, he saw that Akane was standing close to him. Very close.
He had no idea how she got within his personal space without him noticing. Martial artists were trained to be highly aware of their surroundings as a way to be prepared for attacks. Being the best martial artist around, it was logical that his keen senses were also the best. But somehow, Akane always managed to slip under his radar.
Looking into her eyes, he saw that they had a mischievous sparkle in them and she mouthed, 'Trust me.' He gave her a slight nod in affirmation, or it may have just been confusion, his brain was a little hazy after staring at her mouth.
She turned around and he regretted it as she moved her hand from his chest. She went to her bag and bent down to retrieve something, all the while giving him a glimpse of her bottom. He cursed those damn uniforms for obstructing what he was sure would have been a spectacular view.
Akane handed a cloth wrapped package over to Happosai, saying, "I had Kasumi get me a clean pair of Ranma's underwear this morning."
Eyes glistening, he greedily grabbed the package from Akane. Unwrapping it, he froze, standing still as stone as the material dropped from his hands. He crumbled and turned to dust on the floor. Ranma looked down to see that a pair of his boxers lay on the floor and chuckled to himself.
Bursting into tears, Happosai cried, "Akane! H-how c-can you be so c-cruel to me!" He sniffled, as he looked at her with big round eyes, twiddling his fingers together and toeing the floor with his foot.
Ranma rolled his eyes as he watched Akane squat down so she could speak to Happosai eye to eye. Speaking in a low gentle tone, like you would a crying child, she said, "If you don't want them, I'm sure that Ranma would be happy to take them back. Now, why don't you go home and you can organize all your new pretties?" She gave him a warm smile.
Giving one last sniff, Happosai nodded eagerly and grabbing his sack, bounded off towards home.
Ranma went to pick up his underwear and shoved it back in the cloth it was previously wrapped in as Akane thanked everyone. The gymnasium slowly cleared as Ranma helped his fiancée clean up.
As soon as everyone left, Akane grabbed her bag and pulled out a thermos, handing it to Ranma.
Taking the thermos, he smiled at it. He was touched that she had packed this just for him. He shouldn't have been shocked though, she was always looking out for him, but after growing up the way he did, it always surprised him that anyone would show him kindness the way she did.
"Thanks, 'kane." Pouring the water over his head, he smiled warmly at her and said, "Let's go home."
A/N: Thanks, PepperonyOwl and alwaysZutarian for being awesome beta readers!
For those of you who do not own the manga but would like a set, Viz is re-releasing the series in two-in-one books. Bonus: the books are now being printed in the original Japanese format.
Original Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Revised: May 11, 2015