Arc VI: Making Amends
Chapter: The Fault in the Plan
It had been a very odd week for Akane Tendo.
First, she learned that her pet wasn't really her pet but a boy she knew - she stopped considering him a friend - with a curse.
Second, she found out that her fiancé and father knew about the curse and didn't tell her.
Third, her fiancé, who had always been awkward and shy about displaying his emotions, had started to behave rather oddly.
So she did what she had started doing more and more often when her life got out of control, she went to the park to think. She sat on her favorite bench. It had a view of the water, some shade offered by the tree behind it, and a nice breeze.
She sat and just watched the people around her. It was a beautiful day out and people were taking advantage of the good weather. There were families having picnics, couples strolling hand in hand, and retirees feeding the ducks. It should have been soothing but nothing seemed to be able to make her happy these past few days.
Try as she might, she couldn't shake off the general depression she was in. At first she had shut down any display of her feelings, a trick she had learned recently. All she had to do was focus on keeping her face as placid as possible. She kept this facade on only during the day and had spent the nights crying into her pillow as she tried to figure out when her life had gone so wrong. But as the days passed, she found it easier to wallow in her feelings and the general feeling of apathy had started to overtake her.
She no longer had to try to keep the facade of feeling nothing, now she only felt numb. She no longer cried at night, but neither did she feel like laughing, smiling, or caring about anything. She knew she should get out of this funk, and she tried to, but the aforementioned odd behavior from her fiancé had only made things worse. It was easier to shut him out than feel.
She wished she knew what to do.
And as if by wishing it, she saw a very familiar feminine figure approach her in a beautiful kimono. She smiled automatically in greeting but the warmth never reached her eyes.
"We've got to stop meeting like this!" Konatsu greeted his friend enthusiastically before sitting beside her on the bench.
"This does seem to be our spot, doesn't it?"
"Yes, and I couldn't imagine a lovelier one." He bent over to pick a flower growing next to the bench and sniffed it dramatically as he closed his eyes before he tucked the perennial behind his ear. The flower matched his kimono, making him look even more fetching. "I've missed you these last few days."
"What?" Akane asked before she realized what he was referring to and added somewhat guiltily, "Oh. I just haven't felt like running lately. I'm sorry for not telling you."
"Oh don't worry about it!" he said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. He looked out at the water a while as he subtly tried to gauge his friend's emotional state. It worried him that she lacked the enthusiasm she usually had. After the initial greeting, she had become so silent and sullen.
He had heard from Taro and Mousse what had happened. He had been so surprised by the news because he himself did not know about the curse. He had only been exposed to Ryoga once during the wedding. After he found out the truth, he did recall seeing P-Chan suddenly show up in the dojo. But he had been so focused on Ukyo he had not truly paid attention to the situation. He knew Akane was taking things hard but this was more than he expected.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly.
"I'm fine," the blue-haired girl replied automatically.
She stared off into space, knowing he would not push her. That he would respect her need for privacy and she was glad for it. She also knew that she could trust him to listen and she needed someone to talk to or she was afraid she may never recover.
"No. I'm not alright," she whispered, still gazing at the blue sky.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Yes. I don't know. It's all so complicated."
He waited for her to say something more but when she remained quiet he said, "Would it help if I told you I know what happened?"
Akane turned to look at him then with a look of apprehension on her face. It was the first real sign of emotion that she had shown since he sat down and it relieved him.
She wondered what he meant when he said he knew. Did he know about the secret? Had he been a part of keeping the secret from her the entire time? She couldn't be mad at Taro since he had been the one to expose the truth and had obviously thought she knew about it herself. It had been harder for her to not be angry at Mousse but it only took some thinking to realize that he would not have told her about the secret because they had only recently become friends. She also suspected that Cologne would have given him orders to keep quiet on the matter to use the knowledge to her advantage.
She didn't know if she could take it if she found out that one more person she considered her friend kept this from her.
"Did you know?" she asked tentatively.
Konatsu shook his head, "No. Not in the way you think. Mousse and Taro told me about everything that happened. All of it." He paused and added, "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you are feeling."
She swallowed hard and looked back to the scene before her, this time gazing at the water.
"Have you talked to Ranma since it happened?" he asked.
She only shook her head in response.
"Hasn't he tried to talk to you?"
"Not since we had our last fight."
Konatsu raised an eyebrow at this. He highly doubted that Ranma would do nothing with Akane this upset.
"So, he hasn't tried to make-up with you at all?"
"No, I said he hasn't tried to talk to me since the day after we fought. He has tried to...well I'm not sure. It's a little weird."
"Weird. From Ranma? You don't say," he remarked dryly. That earned him a small smirk and he added, "What has he 'tried?'"
"Well, he put some roses in my locker at school, then he wrote me a poem, and last night...I think he tried to serenade me. I'm not sure as he just stood out by the pond and held a boombox in the air while blasting some music. I was in Nabiki's room and she told me what was going on. I didn't want to look out the window though and she got him to stop by throwing a book at him."
"That's good, isn't it? It sounds like he is trying to win you back."
"Yes, it does sound like that, doesn't it?"
"From that tone, I take it that you don't think so."
Akane sighed heavily. "You know how Ranma is when he's in his girl form and he wants to scam some food or tries to get a guy to do what he wants? He acts super girly, batting his eyelashes, giggling, and pretends to be all sugary sweet?"
Konatsu nodded, "Sure."
"Well, that's how he thinks girls should act." The kunoichi looked confused but remained quiet. "So when he does things like buy roses, write poems, and serenade me, it's because he thinks that is what he is supposed to do to win over a girl."
"Isn't it a good thing that he wants to win you over?"
Akane scoffed. "It would be if it were about me but it's not. It's about him."
The kunoichi frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand."
"Before you came to town, there was this incident with Shampoo. She had this magical Amazon brooch that manipulated a person's emotions depending on how it was worn. Shampoo had it on - I don't know if she knew what it did at first - and she suddenly hated Ranma. She couldn't stand the sight of him, wanted nothing to do with him, and outright rejected him."
She paused trying to gather her thoughts.
"And when she did, he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the idea that she rejected him. It...I think it was a big blow to his ego or something. He had to get her to admit that she loved him. He tried everything to get her back to worshiping him," she sneered.
"He bought her roses, he tried to use ME to make HER jealous. He even..." She chewed her lip, not wanting to hurt her friend but wanting to explain to him the lengths Ranma had gone through. "He was so unsure of himself that he made Ukyo admit...her feelings for him, just so he could feel better about himself."
Akane shook her head as she remembered how disgusted she was at him when she witnessed that. How disappointed she was in him. She had been ready at that moment to walk away from him for good.
"That whole thing wasn't about Shampoo or her feelings for him. Or Ukyo's feelings. And it definitely had nothing to do with my feelings. It was all about him and his ego. It wasn't that he couldn't stand losing her, he couldn't stand losing. If he rejected her and then she left or told him that she hated him, it wouldn't have bothered him. He was willing to tell her that he...that he loved her just to get her to follow him around again."
She swallowed hard as the pain she felt during the incident came back to her. She hated thinking of that event.
"What happened? He didn't tell her that he loved her, did he?"
"No...I ended up interrupting them. But I wonder what would have happened if I didn't. Would he have gone through with it?"
"So, you think that he's doing the same thing now."
"Yes. He's not trying to win me back, he's trying to make sure he doesn't loose. That's why he's acting like this. If he really cared about how I felt he would be...I don't know. More him, I guess."
Akane sighed again, this time in relief. It felt good sharing her feelings with someone. She had kept too much to herself lately and she felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders.
They sat in silence for a while before Konatsu said, "Can I give you my opinion?"
"Of course."
"Have you considered that maybe he just doesn't know what to do? That he's really trying his best? I'm not saying you are wrong, I just don't want you to judge him too harshly, too quickly."
They sat in silence for a while longer, before Konatsu's curiosity got the better of him.
He cleared his throat and said casually, "So he wrote you a poem?"
"Yeah."
"Was it good?"
Akane's lip curved up at the corners, "Not really."
"Was it worse than Kuno's poetry?" Konatsu asked curiously. He had been on the receiving end of some of the kendoist's original works and assumed that Akane had received her fair share herself.
That got a snort from the blue-haired girl.
"No one can be as bad as Kuno."
Akane reached into the hidden pocket in her uniform and pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Konatsu, who unfolded it and recognized Ranma's cat scratch handwriting on it. He smiled as he read the note.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Just like your hair,
and you kick good, too.
~Ranma
Konatsu pressed his lips together as he finished reading the poem, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Well...it...ummm...rhymes," he said, trying to be kind.
Konatsu's lips twitched despite his efforts to keep a sedate look on his face.
"And see? He thinks…he thinks you kick good. That's nice, isn't it?"
He bit his lips together heroically but couldn't stop his shoulders shaking from the effort to keep from laughing. Akane looked at him from the corner of her eyes, the corner of her lips curved up in amusement.
"Is my hair really blue?" she asked curiously.
"Hmm…" he murmured tentatively as he tried to get himself under control.
He looked over at the sudden burst of laughter that sounded from his companion and was happy to see the familiar twinkle in her eyes before he allowed himself to laugh along with her.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Akane felt like herself. It felt good to laugh and to spend time with a friend. To share her feelings and just talk to someone. She had felt betrayed, and by so many people, that she had shut herself off from everyone. She had pushed everyone away and denied herself the thing she needed most, comfort and understanding. It took someone being there for her to realize her mistake.
When the laughter died down, Konatsu handed the paper back. He watched as she folded the paper carefully and stuffed it back into her pocket.
"It really was better than Kuno's poetry."
"Yes. The brevity helped," she added dryly.
Konatsu smirked at the comment. There was the girl that he knew and loved.
Akane looked at Konatsu and she suddenly thought of how easy her life would be if she loved him. There would be no more fights over stupid misunderstandings. No problems with extra fiancées. He always knew how to get her out of any funk. They had such an easy time talking to each other.
Yes, her life would be so much simpler if she loved Konatsu. He was funny. Strong. Kind. He made her feel good about herself. She looked at him again, appraisingly this time. Even with the kimono on she could make out his strong shoulders, his face was beautiful, his eyes twinkled with laughter, and…
Nothing.
The thought of his touch didn't make heart thump in her chest. His smile didn't make her weak in the knees. Sparks didn't fly when she looked into his eyes. There was nothing between them but the warmth of friendship. She wished she could love him or someone like him. Her life would be so much easier.
But it was Ranma she wanted to be with. With him her life may never be easy. Would probably never be calm. He would probably drive her crazy. They would probably always fight over stupid things. But there would also be laughter. Quiet moments where they shared their thoughts. Silly moments where he would make her laugh. He made her happy the way no one else could.
He was the only one that ever made her feel weak in the knees. The only one who made her react so strongly to his advances. That only one that made her want. Just thinking about the late nights in her room and his hands on her body made her body tingle all over.
It was Ranma that she loved. Ranma was the only one she ever loved and probably would ever love.
The thought didn't frighten or sadden her as it did a few days ago. Instead it gave her hope that they could work things out.
Sure he was loud, obnoxious, egotistical, and had no idea how to express himself. But he was also kind, always the first to help those in need, driven, and smart. He would do anything for her, just like she would do anything for him. He had risked his life for her. He was far from perfect but she had never wanted perfect.
She wasn't ready to forgive him yet; it wasn't going to be as easy as that. They still had so much to talk about, so much to deal with. But now that she let go of the initial pain, the initial anger, she was ready to move on and do what needed to be done to get them back on track.
She just didn't know what that was yet.
Excited about her sudden epiphany, she impulsively threw her arms around Konatsu and gave him a peck on the cheek. She blushed when she realized what she had done. She got up suddenly and said, "Thanks, Konatsu," before giving him a glimpse of the famous smile that won so many hearts and walked away.
The kunoichi watched amused as her figure disappeared around a bend.
"You can come out now, Ranma," he said in a calm tone.
He heard a theatrical sigh from the tree above him before the leaves rustled and suddenly the pig-tailed boy was sitting on the bench next to him with his arms crossed over his chest.
"How long have you known I was there?" he asked curiously.
"Not until Akane kissed me," he replied casually. When he saw the Anything Goes Martial artist glare at him, he waved his hands in front of him and added cajolingly, "She doesn't see me that way. She's like a sister to me."
Ranma continued to glare before he let out another sigh and slumped in his seat. He knew that they were only friends but he couldn't help but be jealous that the kunoichi was the one who had brought a smile to her face and caused her to laugh. And that was even before she had given him that kiss. At that point he couldn't keep suppressing his emotions and had slipped out of the Umi-Sen Ken.
He ran his hands over his face and said, "I know."
Konatsu patted him gently on the shoulder and said, "It'll be alright."
"And how do you know that?"
"She kept that poem with her, didn't she?" he said with a confident smile on his face.
Konatsu wanted to comfort his friend but in this situation his loyalties were scattered. He felt an obligation to Ranma, friendship for Akane, love to Ukyo, and his own questionable motives. Would he be helping Ranma get Akane back just to get the pig-tailed boy away from Ukyo for good? He didn't know the answer so he decided that it was best to say no more, even if he wanted to help his friend.
He put a bright smile on his face and said, "Well, I've got to get back to Ucchan's! Ta!" and wiggled his fingers at the pig-tailed boy before walking away.
Ranma sat there feeling a little better than he had before. Maybe it did mean something that she had kept that poem with her, even though she didn't like it. And it was frustrating that she didn't like it! He had worked so hard on it and didn't think it was that bad. It was definitely better than his other attempts.
Eavesdropping on her wasn't his intent, it just happened. He wasn't trying to spy on her either. He had only been following her to make sure she was safe. He was concerned about her safety.
No, that was an excuse he used to make himself feel better. In truth, he had just missed her. Missed talking to her or just sitting with her. So he followed her to watch her, which made his heart ache at the distance that had grown between them. But try as he might, he couldn't stay away from her. And he was glad that he didn't because having overheard their conversation gave him a lot to think about.
She had been right. He did try to win her back by acting like he thought a guy should when wooing a girl. But that was just because he didn't know how else to do it. He was used to girls just falling at his feet, so he didn't know how to win one over. He did what he thought girls would like but he didn't give thought to what Akane specifically would like. He was an idiot not to realize that roses and poetry would remind her of Kuno and his lame attempts to woo her.
But she had been wrong if she thought he was only trying to win her back so he wouldn't lose. This wasn't like that time with Shampoo. He groaned when he thought of that series of events. He was embarrassed and frustrated with himself over how he acted. His ego had been so bruised by the apparent dismissal from the Amazon that he couldn't stand it. He had chased her for his own selfish needs. It was all about his ego.
He hadn't really wanted Shampoo or it wouldn't have taken him so long to say those three words to her. He didn't think he would have ever said it and they would probably have been stuck on that bench all day. His ego and his real emotions had fought against each other, one telling him to do what he needed to win, the other telling him that he knew who he should be declaring himself to. But he could barely admit his love for Akane back then, so he was stuck in indecision for so long, sitting on that damned bench not knowing what to do. Saying 'I love you' to Shampoo would have been a lie and deep down he knew if he uttered those words to the Amazon, Akane would never have believed him should he finally have the guts to say them to her.
He had felt trapped in a situation of his own making. Unable to just leave and unable to utter false words until his blue-haired fiancée interrupted them and somehow allowed both his ego and his heart to win. And he gave thanks every day that she had, for he didn't want to think about the consequences had he been stupid enough to fall for Shampoo's scheme.
But this was different. Trying to get Akane back wasn't about his ego, it was about his need to be with her because he truly loved her. He wanted her in his life and wanted her by his side. He couldn't imagine living without her. He just wished he had given more thought to what she would have liked before going with what he thought he should do. And it was such a good plan too.
Ranma bolted up at the thought and he began to run out of the park and towards Furinkan. He had to put a stop to his plan. He now knew that if it came to fruition, it would only hurt her and may permanently drive a wedge between them.
He had planned an elaborate production to impress Akane after school the next day. Since it was Saturday, they would only be there a half-day. Sayuri and Yuka were going to help him guide Akane to the soccer field where they would ask her to sit and have lunch with them. Then the band, arranged by Daisuke whose sister played trumpet, would come onto the pitch and begin to play as they marched in the background. The theatre club, who owed him a favor for his portrayal of Romeo, would come out and perform a synchronized dance. Sayuri and Yuka would then roll out the red carpet he had hidden in a bush and perform a series of cartwheels and flips they had learned in gymnastics class, along the edge of the pitch where he would be waiting. He would reach her, get on his knees, and beg for her forgiveness. Hiroshi and Daisuke would be orchestrating the entire event on the sidelines, giving everyone their cues. This afternoon was going to be their big rehearsal. Ranma had spent all week negotiating with the different groups to agree to his plan.
He reached the edge of the school and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Hiroshi, Daisuke, Sayuri, Yuka and his other classmates were still there waiting for him. He had time to tell them it was off.
Although a lot of them were helping him out of loyalty to him, their fondness for Akane, or just for their chance to participate in what would be sure to be a legendary event in the making, he was still going to owe a lot of people favors.
After speaking to everyone at school, Ranma went for a walk. He needed to think and he knew that he did better thinking when he was moving. So he walked around as he thought, not noticing anyone. By dinner he was still thinking about things and had come up with few answers. When his stomach started rumbling he realized that he had been out most of the afternoon and headed home, not noticing how dark it was.
By the time he reached home, everyone had already gone to bed. He had missed dinner and hadn't even noticed. He went into the kitchen and looked into the fridge, hoping to find a snack. To his surprise and delight there was a covered plate of food waiting for him.
He ate eagerly and headed for the dojo, where he spent the rest of the night working through the simple katas that would allow him to move while keeping his mind free.
He had only felt this lost once before, in a cave in China. He had thought she had died then and he felt like a part of him died along with her. He had no idea what he would do without her in his life. The emptiness and pain he experienced now felt so much like what he went through then. The only difference was she was safe and whole now, but she was still lost to him.
He needed to get Akane back, but how? She had made it clear that his attempts had only made her more suspicious of him and when she explained it, he could see her point. He had acted purely out of selfishness with Shampoo. He had never thought about her feelings, Ukyo's feelings, or Akane's feelings. He had only thought about himself.
And now, trying to win Akane back, he had behaved in the exact same way! What else was she supposed to think? But he didn't know his attempts would make her feel worse! It seemed like he could do nothing right.
He punched the air viciously as he thought of how sad she looked while talking to Konatsu. His chest began to throb in pain.
If he didn't figure out a way to fix things, she would leave him, and this time he would have no right to follow her or try to win her back. He wouldn't force her to be around him if she…if she hated him.
He swallowed hard at the thought. His eyes began to water and his breathing grew ragged. He wiped the back of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath to try to calm himself. When he felt more in control he looked down and noticed that his hands weren't steady but he couldn't seem to get them to stop shaking. He took another deep breath.
So he would leave. Leave the Tendo home. The only real home he ever had, thanks in such large part to Akane. He would miss her with every breath but seeing her every day and knowing that he could never be with her, never touch her again, would be torture.
It would be worse, much worse, when she finally moved on. And she would, eventually. There was no shortage of guys vying for her hand and one would eventually win. The thought of another man holding her was too much for him. He knew that seeing her with someone else would break him.
No. He couldn't leave. He couldn't let things end this way. So no matter what it took, he needed to find a way to get her to forgive him.
Angry, his mind went back to that fateful night that Akane found P-Chan and replayed the events over and over in his mind. He stopped in the middle of his kata as things became clear to him. Things he had forgotten since then.
He dropped to the floor and pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his head on his knees as he rocked back and forth.
He understood, fully understood at that moment that this whole mess was his fault. In one stupid moment, he had ruined everything. If only he had talked to her then all of this could have been avoided.
But he could fix it! Maybe it wasn't too late. He had screwed things up by not communicating with her, so he would fix things by talking to her. It was long past time he did.
Ukyo Kuonji stomped around her room that night, slamming drawers and glaring. She was angrier than she had ever been.
She had to spend a week suffering through watching Ranma and Akane being...nice to each other. It was sickening the way they had glanced at each other or...ugh...smiled at each other. She had felt so depressed and didn't know what she should do. She wanted to confront the two but she was worried about what would happen. Normally she wouldn't have given it a second thought but she could still remember how much Ranma had scared her when he was looking for Akane. She didn't think she could ever forget the look on his face or the black aura that surrounded him. Even in her anger she shivered at the memory. She was worried about pushing Ranma too far, unwilling to have him look at her that way again.
So she had spent the week sulking which caused Konatsu to dote upon her. He had been extra kind and attentive. At first she didn't think much of it, since he was often in his kimono. But he had begun to wear boys' clothes and her reaction had changed. She found herself blushing under his gaze and stuttering when he asked her questions.
She didn't understand what was happening to her. She only reacted like that to Ranma and that was only when he called her cute. She had never reacted to any other boys like that. Confused, she had tried to treat Konatsu the way she always had, by being slightly dismissive, but it didn't work and she found herself getting flustered around him and wanted to kick herself. It was just Konatsu for heaven's sake!
Unsure of herself, she had actually thought about giving up her pursuit of Ranma and it surprised her. She had been focused on Ranma for most of her life. First to try to get revenge, then to get him to marry her. Would she even know what to do with herself if he wasn't the center of her life?
But if she did let him go, maybe she could find someone who loved her. Someone who chased after her and not the other way around. Someone who could share her dream of running a restaurant and raising kids. She tried to ignore the fact that when she thought of this mysterious future and unknown man, her mind filled with images of her with Konatsu.
She hated feeling so lost!
Then suddenly it seemed as if the fates made the choice for her. Ranma and Akane were suddenly on the outs. It was hard not to miss how cold her rival had become. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to swoop in and win Ranma.
But she had been annoyed when she had been ignored. She had tried to offer her fiancé a fresh okonomiyaki for lunch but he had barely acknowledged her before walking off. She found him later spying on Akane instead of eating his lunch.
Ranma spying on a girl who ignored him over her fresh delicious okonomiyaki?! It was intolerable.
She had then tried to spend time with him during the week but every time she got around him, he brushed her off. That had been infuriating.
Then just that day she had gone for a walk. She wanted some time alone to think, only to find Akane at the park with Konatsu. It only annoyed her, instead of making her jealous, that he would spend time with the blue-haired girl because he was dressed like a girl at the time. But she watched them anyways and was livid when she saw that Akane kissed him!
First, that bitch stole her fiancé and then her...friend!
What was it about Akane Tendo that seemed to make boys crazy? Why did she need both Ranma and Konatsu when she had practically the entire male population of Furinkan under her thumb?
Akane got to grow up with her family in a nice comfortable house. She had never been shunned by her peer group. She had never had to live like a boy. But that wasn't good enough for that princess. She wanted more. She wanted everything that was supposed to be Ukyo's!
Everything was her fault! And it was about time that she was taught a lesson.
Akane walked out of school the next day with her friends and had planned to spend the remainder of the day with them. She had missed a lot in her self-isolation and wanted to catch up with them over some ice-cream. They had planned to eat their lunches at school before heading to their favorite cafe.
She knew that she should try to make up with Ranma but she still didn't know how she should handle things. She hoped that doing something normal like spending time with her friends would take her mind off of their situation and an answer would come to her.
They had walked towards the soccer pitch when she heard her name called. She turned to see Ukyo stomping towards her. As she got closer, the blue-haired girl could see the anger radiating off the chef. Akane frowned in confusion as she could not remember doing anything recently to anger the girl but she instinctively stepped forward, shielding her friends from any harm.
"Akane. It's time you and me get some things straight," she said coldly.
Her tone had Akane's back up and she narrowed her eyes at the chef.
"Fine. Say what you have to say."
"Ranma is my fiancé. He's going to marry me!"
Akane grit her teeth in annoyance. She had been having a hard enough time lately and didn't need to be reminded of how tenuous her and Ranma's relationship really was. She had been angry with him but that did not mean she wanted their relationship to be over.
But what if her treatment of him had driven him into the arms of his cute fiancée? The thought brought a pang to her heart.
"If that's what he wants, I won't stand in your way."
Ukyo scoffed at her. "I don't believe you! You have always been after Ranma and always in my way!"
"I've never stopped Ranma from doing what he wanted. It's always been his choice. I have never forced him to do anything!"
"That's such a lie! He lives with you and your family! Don't you think he feels like he is indebted to you? That he is only around you because of duty?"
"What do you want, Ukyo?" she asked, unable to answer the girl's question. The chef had pinpointed one of Akane's biggest fears. She was already on edge emotionally and the confrontation was pushing her over into anger.
"I want you to give him up. Give up your claim to him!"
"I couldn't even if I wanted to! The engagement is between our families! Even if I told my father I no longer wanted to be engaged to Ranma, he would just switch the engagement to Kasumi or Nabiki!"
Ukyo narrowed her eyes at her in frustration. She had forgotten that fact.
"Fine. I'll just have to settle for kicking your ass and finally proving that I am the better woman."
"You can try. But even if you do manage to beat me, it won't make you the better woman."
Akane handed her book bag to Sayuri who hurriedly walked away from them with Yuka at her side. A small crowd was forming around them. She looked back to Ukyo and noticed how tired the other girl looked. She sighed and shook her head. She too felt tired. So tired of the situation they had all been put into because of their parents. Maybe it was time they all grew up and took responsibility for their actions. The anger left her suddenly and Akane straightened from the defensive stance she had automatically assumed.
"I'm not going to fight you, that isn't going to fix anything. Can we please just try to agree that we will both respect Ranma's wishes and let him decide when he's ready?"
As much as it was painful to admit, Ukyo knew that given a choice, Ranma would choose Akane. She needed this fight. She needed to feel like she had finally beaten the other girl at something.
"What's wrong, Akane? You afraid to lose?" she taunted, hoping to ignite her rival's temper.
As much as she tried, Akane couldn't stop from being irked at the taunt and she clenched her jaw, knowing that Ukyo wasn't going to back down. She really didn't want to fight the girl and hoped that the chef wasn't so angry that she would attack her back.
"Fine. You don't like the plan. But I'm still not going to fight you."
Akane turned and began to walk away which only fueled the other girl's anger.
How dare she just walk away from me? Dismiss me like I'm nothing? Ukyo thought. The blue-haired girl was right though, the chef had too much pride to attack her rival's back. She wanted to win, but fairly. She smiled wickedly as she thought of a way to guarantee the other girl would fight her.
"I formally challenge the Tendo Dojo and its heir; winner gets the dojo sign."
A/N: Before anyone complains, let me assure you that I am not trying to turn this into a story that blames everything on Ranma nor am I trying to make him the bad guy. I'm sorry if this feels harsh, but when I thought things out, it seemed logical for Ranma to do everything in his power to get Akane to forgive him. Just like it seemed logical for Akane to react this way based on their past experiences. For those who think I'm making Ranma suffer too much, just hang in there.
Yes, Ranma's big plan was to plan a flash mob for Akane. I know they didn't become popular until a few years ago but I hope you still liked the idea.
Thank you, alwaysZutarian for all you amazing help and suggestions.
Original Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Revised: August 10, 2015