Chapter 3 Deja Vu
DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE. GAH IRRITATING MUCH!
It was the day.
Akane could not believe it herself, but the day has finally come, and with impeccable timing. She tried to shake off this nagging feeling that something was bound to happen to stop the wedding, but to no avail.
It is only paranoia, that's all there is. Akane could only think of it this way, considering what has happened in the past.
Today, she will let go of her worries, enjoy the feeling of wearing her wedding dress, walking slowly towards her handsome and dashing husband-to-be, the love of her life, who will be amazed at how beautiful she would look like as she walks towards him.
Akane woke up around 7 in the morning and Kasumi brought her breakfast in her room. Everyone decided that she and Ranma would not see each other before the ceremony begins at ten this morning and both parties agreed.
'Nothing like a real surprise when Ranma sees Akane-chan in that gorgeous wedding dress,ne?' Nodoka gushed, making Ranma and Akane blush. Last time, before that failed wedding, even Ranma himself could not keep himself from staring at Akane and blushing, eventually admitting to himself and even to Akane how cute she looked.
Akane could not help but smile at the memory, although what happened afterwards was another story which Akane would rather forget. Instead, she focused her attention on her new wedding dress, already laid out beautifully on her bed. Kasumi helped her prepare her shoes, her veil, her accessories and other essentials, ready to wear.
Nabiki has also called for a photographer, hair stylist and makeup artist, insisting that they needed to keep a documentary of this wedding and to make Akane look her best. She said, it was after all the first wedding in the family.
After breakfast, Akane took a long, hot shower. She wanted to smell and look fresh for one of the most special days in her life. As she happily hummed to herself and giggled while playing with the bubbles forming in the tub, she wondered how she got so lucky – how many other women can actually say that they have married not only the man they wanted, but also the one they needed? Oftentimes, she heard that you end up with the one you need more than the one you want. She thought that Ranma, for her, was both.
She wanted him and he needed him in her life. They were both stubborn and childish, but she thought that they would eventually overcome this. The most important thing was that when trouble comes, no matter what the odds, they were unconditionally always there for each other. And if she was going to spend the rest of her life with someone, it could only be him. Only Ranma.
The wedding preparations all passed by in a blur – with Kasumi leaving Akane to the professional hands of the photographer, makeup artist and hair stylist, while she busied herself in the kitchen with Nodoka, preparing the post-ceremonial banquet.
Akane sat in front of her vanity mirror, as she let the hairstylist and makeup artist work their magic on her. She insisted that she should be given just a simple hairstyle and a light makeup; after all, she wanted to see herself in her photos looking natural instead of completely made up. The simple and natural Akane was what she wanted Ranma want to see and marry today, not an exaggeratedly dolled up one.
The two professionals complied with her wishes and indeed did a great job on her – at the end of all the fussing, as she opened her eyes, she could not believe how closely she resembled her late mother.
Her hair, which has grown slightly longer (now down to her shoulders), has been pulled into an elegant, loose bun adorned with colourful pink and red flowers and her white veil. She was helped into wearing her gown and shoes, and as soon as she had everything on and all the necessary photographs were taken while she was being dolled-up were completed, she was left alone to prepare herself and calm her nerves before the ceremony began.
Akane could only stare in utter disbelief as saw her reflection in the mirror. Standing opposite her, her reflection looked exactly like how her mother looked like on her wedding day – except for the western-style gown and veil. No wonder Soun and her older sisters always commented about how she resembled their mother.
Akane thought, suppressing a tear from escaping her eyes, how proud her mother would have been today had she still been alive. She would gush and would fuss over her, and tell her how beautiful she is. She would also definitely love Ranma and would be proud of her daughter's choice to marry such a man.
Even Akane would have to agree that for once, even if it was by fluke, finally her father made a decision for her that was careless, but at least she ended up wanting how it all turned out. Being engaged to Ranma was definitely not in her plans in high school, but now that they have graduated and she has finally realized how much she loved the guy, she thought that it was probably the best decision her father has made for her and the Tendo Dojo.
Akane tried to raise her head to keep the tears from flowing and ruining her makeup. She had to agree that the makeup artist did a fantastic job following her request – she looked natural, yet not pale altogether, thanks to the red lipstick, light blush and natural earth-tone makeup the makeup artists applied to Akane's fair and creamy skin.
Today, she would get married, and there would be no turning back after this. But she knew that this was what she wanted, and she would never regret this decision.
At about 9 in the morning, a soft knock came on the door, and as Akane opened it, an excited looking Soun, Genma and Nodoka came rushing in to hug and gush over the bride.
Nodoka had tears of joy glistening in her eyes, while Soun was bawling, saying something along the lines of 'your… mother…. proud…', while Genma looked at Akane approvingly, commenting that 'it was unbelievable how his baka son has managed to get himself such a beautiful bride'.
Nodoka had to whack Genma on the head for that comment, saying 'I don't see why not. Our son has grown up so manly and handsome; he deserves nothing less for a wife.'
She turned back to Akane and hugged her tightly. She whispered, "From now on, do not hesitate to call me Okaa-san, ne Akane-chan?"
Akane's already overflowing emotions were about to explode from so much happiness with Nodoka's words. She could only nod as she hugged back her future mother-in-law.
"Ranma's photographs are being taken downstairs and at the garden right now," Nodoka whispered. "I made sure to ask the photographer to take a photo of Ranma the moment he sees you." Nodoka glanced briefly at Akane's reflection in the mirror then back at Akane. "You look beautiful, dear."
Akane blushed and hugged Nodoka more tightly. "Thank you, Okaa-san." It definitely felt good to call someone Okaa-san again.
Meanwhile, outside at the koi pond, Ranma was looking uncomfortable while having his photographs taken. He was already having the jitters and could feel the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and getting unnecessary attention was definitely not helping in getting him in the mood or getting the right expression in front of the camera.
The photographer kept saying that he looked too stiff, and Nabiki eventually had to tap him on the back and glared at him.
'Look, buster. My sister looked like she was on cloud nine in her photographs. You at least have to show how happy you really are instead of looking constipated in your photos. You don't want your future kids to comment on how stiff or forced you looked on your wedding day…"
Nabiki leaned closer, her nostrils flaring as she whispered, "… Because you and I both know that you want to marry my sister. You are a lucky groom for getting someone like my sister, NOW AT LEAST LOOK LIKE IT!' and pushed him back in front of the photographer, who had a sweatdrop at the back of his head, as he watched Nabiki cross her arms, with a satisfied look on her face as Ranma took a gulp and a deep breath, finally looking better and more calm as he declared, "Go on, gimme your best shot."
Nabiki had to chuckle at the pun, and thought that this was indeed the Ranma she knew. The photographer let out a sigh of relief, and snapped away.
"Now that's more like it!" Nabiki and the photographer said in unison.
It was finally 10 o'clock and Akane was led down to the dojo, where the ceremony was going to be held. The photographer followed her all the way from her room to the dojo. Inside were Nodoka, Genma, and a very nervous looking Ranma. The priest stood in front of everyone, ready to welcome the bride, accompanied by Soun, Nabiki and Kasumi. Dr Tofu was standing next to Ranma. Ranma asked him earlier to be his best man, and the doctor happily asked both of her sisters to be her bridesmaids, and it was Kasumi who offered to help her hold her long train of veil.
Akane's heart was thumping so quickly as she was nearing the Dojo, but at the same time, she felt elated and she loved this feeling. It was the same as going to a martial arts competition, knowing that she would have a strong and worthy opponent – both daunting yet satisfying at the same time.
Ranma, on the other hand, has finally managed to calm his nerves, and looked so much better as he quietly waited the doors to slide open to reveal his bride-to-be.
He knew that Akane was going to look beautiful and he wanted to watch her walking the aisle up to him, and preserve the way she looked in his mind forever. He held his breath for a few moments then released it, knowing his future wife would be breathtaking.
Ranma's already thumping heart skipped a few beats once he heard the door swing open, allowing the morning sunlight to enter the room. As the Dojo's doors fully swung open, Ranma had to squint his eyes as the form of his bride emerged and was framed between the sliding doors.
Everyone's eyes turned to the bride as she entered the Dojo; everyone was beaming and holding back their tears of joy as Akane entered, holding a small bouquet of red roses. Her lips, painted as red as the roses adorning her hair, and bunched up in the bouquet she was holding, were curved into a small and shy smile, yet her eyes told everyone how happy she was to be here – heck, she was positively glowing.
Ranma gulped, and thought that he has never seen a woman this beautiful before in his life, and maybe never would; he simply knew that ever since he realized that he was in love with Akane, he could never look at any other woman the same way again.
Akane's eyes finally locked with his, and despite his nervousness, he gave her a small goofy smile which made Akane giggle slightly. Her Ranma would never change; childish yet mature when he wanted to be, overconfident yet shy whenever he was with her, brutally honest and sharp-tongued, yet never when it comes to how he truly felt when it came to matters of the heart – yes, her Ranma was full of contradictions, yet this was what drew her to him.
It took a few more steps before they were finally standing next to each other, and Ranma reached out his hand to her as they walk the final steps up to the priest.
The room fell silent, and only the soft snapping of the camera and creaking of the Dojo as the couple walked to the front could be heard.
Finally, when they were standing in front of the priest, he cleared his throat and started, "Dearly beloved we are gathered here to-…" But before he could finish his sentence, an explosion was heard at the side of the Dojo, sending everyone flying off to the other side. Ranma, with his quick reflexes, managed to carry Akane up in his arms, hoisting her up into the air, into safety.
Ranma set Akane down and asked her softly if she was okay, and Akane could only nod. Their eyes both shared the same expression, both asking the same question.
What the heck happened?
The priest was lying unconscious near the wall, a small pool of blood gathering on the side of his head. He must have hit his head pretty badly as the blast hit him- and with his lack of martial arts knowledge, he did not have any way to defend himself from the impact.
Ranma looked around and scanned the area, feeling better as he soon as saw that everyone else was safe. Dr Tofu was holding onto a terrified-looking Kasumi, while Soun was crouching protectively over a shocked Nabiki. Nodoka and Genma were on the floor, unscathed, but the looks on their faces were equally shocked.
Ranma stood up protectively over Akane, as he loudly demanded, 'Show yourself, you bastard!'
As the smoke begun to settle, a familiar shadow of a woman all of them knew all too well stepped into the Dojo. Her signature insane fits of laughter and its echoes hung in the air as everyone stared in shock at the leotard-wearing woman, holding yet another bomb, who doesn't seem to be hers.
Ranma could only think, Yes, that bomb was someone else's. But how did it fall into her hands? Unless…
Everyone stared back at the intruder's sinister eyes – the life out of them seemingly disappeared; she looked demented.
Akane managed to worm herself out of Ranma's protective grip and hoisted herself up despite her heavy gown trying to pull her down. "What do you want now, Kodachi?" Akane demanded, with as much fire in her eyes as she could muster.
But Kodachi looked unfazed. Instead, she broke out into another fit of laughter, as she held out the bomb.
"I will never allow you to win, Tendo Akane. You tricked my Ranma-darling into marrying you, and I shall not allow this to happen," Kodachi declared.
Akane let out a disbelieving snort.
"Ranma-darling? Tricked him into marrying me? It seems that going abroad has not cooled down your insanity, Kodachi," Akane said in one breath, while fearlessly stepping closer towards Kodachi. She stood a foot away from Kodachi and put her arms on her hips as she continued, "Ranma…he was NEVER yours, and he will never be as long as I live."
At this statement, Kodachi's eyes turned darker. "That can be arranged…and you just asked for it!"
Before anyone could move, Kodachi pulled her gymnastic ribbon, coiled it around Akane's body, up to her neck in one breath, and hoisted her up in the air, dropping her painfully on the floor.
"Why you!" Ranma, snapping out of his shock, moved towards Kodachi, but before he could reach her, a familiar clawed weapon coiled its way around Kodachi's feet, making her lose her balance.
As Ranma looked up to see who the new person was, he heard Shampoo and Ukyou's worried shrieks as they entered the Dojo, and Ranma saw Mousse standing next to Kodachi. He was panting really hard as he tried to free the bomb from Kodachi's grip.
Shampoo and Ukyou turned to Kodachi and stood protectively in front of Ranma.
"I knew Crazy-woman was up to no good," Shampoo said in a deathly serious voice.
"Anyone who tries to hurt Ranma-honey is going to get it from me, you hear?" Ukyou threatened.
Ranma did not care what was happening at the moment, despite the shock of seeing all these people, who were not supposed to know about the wedding, and were supposed to be somewhere else far away from here, suddenly appear right in front of his eyes. He ran towards Akane, who looked visibly in pain from her not-so-smooth collision with the floor.
He tried to release her from Kodachi's ribbons, but to no avail. The ribbons were coiled so tightly that she couldn't even breathe properly.
Ranma was about to order Kodachi to release Akane, when he realized that a fight has already broken out between the two girls and Kodachi. The latter has managed to free herself from her restraints, and when Ranma found Mousse knocked out on the ground, with his stolen bomb rolling off from his grip as he lay unconscious, he immediately knew that Kodachi must have used some sort of sleeping potion.
"Ranma…" Akane whispered as she tugged weakly at his tuxedo.
Ranma could only stare in shock as he realized how cold her hands were getting. Her lips were turning into a sickly tinge of purple and she was panting heavily. What the heck happened to her?
"Ranma…I think…she poisoned..me…" Akane managed to utter.
Upon hearing this, Ranma frantically tried to untie her like a madman. But Akane, with all the energy she could muster, shouted, "No Ranma! You might get poisoned! The poison is attached to something in the ribbon!" And with that Akane fell back panting and breathing more heavily than ever.
Dr Tofu immediately ran from tending to the priest and left it to Kasumi as he asked her to grab a pack of ice and bring the priest and everyone back to the Tendo house to keep them safe, despite everyone worrying about both Ranma and Akane.
As soon as everyone reluctantly moved out of the danger zone, Dr Tofu grabbed the handle of the forgotten ribbon on the floor and used it to uncoil the ribbon slowly as Ukyou and Shampoo teamed up against Kodachi, who has managed to pull out a fresh ribbon from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Ukyou, Shampoo! Beware of her ribbon! It might be poisoned too!" Dr Tofu called out at the two girls.
Ukyou and Shampoo tried to dodge the ribbons as much as they could, fearing for the poison.
As soon as Dr Tofu managed to uncoil the entire length of the ribbon from Akane, he spotted the small shiny object from the inside of the ribbon, the culprit behind Akane's current state. He immediately discarded the ribbon, took the needle and tucked it in between a handkerchief he pulled out.
Dr Tofu looked at Ranma, who was now cradling Akane. He took off his tuxedo and used it to cover a now shivering Akane.
"Ranma, hurry and take her away from here, I'll take care of this," he declared. Then he pointed at a red mark on Akane's shoulder, "Suck out as much of the poison as you can, and put her to bed. Get Kasumi to tend to her; she will know what to do."
Judging by Dr Tofu's serious expression, Ranma knew that if he did not move fast, Akane's life will be in mortal peril. Without wasting time, he scooped Akane up into his arms, looked up at Shampoo and Ukyou who were moving in a blur with Kodachi's movements, yelling out, "I'll leave her to you guys!" and he jumped out of theDojo into the safety of the Tendo house.
Upon Ranma's exit, Dr Tofu stood up straight and focused on his subject; he knew that he could not afford to make a mistake or have a poor aim on this one – it was a do or die situation and he had to nail this once. He closed his eyes and felt Kodachi's ki; he was thankful for the distraction Shampoo and Ukyou were providing because Kodachi will not see this coming.
As soon as Kodachi's back turned away from him, he made a graceful and swift leap up in the air, and poked her pressure points in matter of seconds. The last one, he hesitated for a fraction of a second.
As Kodachi unconsciously felt the effects of Dr Tofu's 'spell' and to Shampoo and Ukyou's surprise, suddenly lost her balance and began descending. Dr Tofu knew he would have to do it, and in a fraction of a second, he applied the last of his pressure point technique to a part of Kodachi's head, before she finally fell into Dr Tofu's arms, and they landed on the floor with a soft thud.
Shampoo and Ukyou, who were both busy being both on the offence and defence, were dumbfounded for a second, as everything seemed to have happened so quickly. A few seconds ago they were battling against a wild and angry Kodachi and now, she was lying unconscious and looking peaceful in Dr Tofu's arms.
A moment of silence passed everyone and upon seeing the quiet look on Dr Tofu's face, Shampoo and Ukyou decided that it was best to stay silent – Shampoo already had a rough idea why Dr Tofu looked like that as he carried Kodachi.
A few seconds later, a very disoriented looking Kuno appeared, flanked by an equally-disoriented looking Sasuke – they both looked as if they have been put to sleep.
Despite the effects of the sleeping potion still making his thoughts and vision slightly hazy, Kuno tried to survey the scene in front of him – the Dojo was in a state of chaos, and there was no one there except for Shampoo and Ukyou with cuts on their faces and ripped clothing, Mousse lying on the floor, unconscious, and finally Dr Tofu holding his sister in his arms.
"What…happened…" was all Kuno could utter.
Dr Tofu's expression hardened as he silently walked over to Kuno.
"Kuno-san, please take your sister with you," Dr Tofu said in a very uncharacteristically silent voice – one that held a pang of guilt and suppressed rage. He held his breath for a while. "…and please make sure she never comes back to bother this family again."
Kuno was shocked but all he could do was extend his arms to catch his sister as Dr Tofu deposited her in Kuno's arms with a blank expression on his face.
Dr Tofu walked towards Kuno and whispered in his ears, "I'm sorry for what I had to do to your sister; I'll carry the burden if I have to, if it means protecting this family." With this, he got on his knees and gave the deepest bow of apology he could offer, despite the rage welling inside him.
Next to them, Ukyou and Shampoo felt a mix of pity and relief, knowing fully well what Dr Tofu has done to Kodachi.
Kuno could only look in confusion at what Dr Tofu meant, and without looking up, he revealed, "I have deleted your sister's memories of Ranma and this family; everything about her high school memories – essentially her memories when she met Ranma and everything after that."
At this, Dr Tofu slowly stood up, with a serious expression, his eyes holding a firm look as he and Kuno looked eye-to-eye. "Please, take her away if you have to and let her have a new beginning. She has done enough damage to herself and to this family." Dr Tofu stepped back and bowed again, as deep as he could.
Kuno watched the doctor, who has always been cool and occasionally goofy, looking at him and begging him in a very serious expression. He was dumbfounded by the revelation – his sister has lost her memories of Ranma and the Tendo family. He closed his eyes, as if trying to wash away part of his anger, guilt and pity for his sister; but despite these emotions welling deep inside him, he knew that what the doctor did what was necessary – someone had to put an end to all this madness his sister has wreaked. He had to take her away from all these and give her a fresh start.
Kuno looked down on his sister's peaceful expression and realized that truth be told, maybe this way for the best.
He has never been fond of his sister, nor did he feel any concern for her in any way. She has always been selfish and independent that Kuno has equally been an insignificant person in her life despite being related by blood. The fact that they had an insane father did not help matters – maybe that was why they both turned out this way. A part of his better judgment thought that maybe, erasing part of her memories which have turned her into this desperate and sorry case of a scorned woman would be for everyone's benefit. Even if he thought that Dr Tofu had no right to do so, and that Ranma was to blame for making his sister's psychological imbalance worse.
This time, he would make sure that his sister would get a fresh start somewhere and he would play a role as a brother to her. It was the least he could do to make up for this.
The moment his sister popped out of nowhere and made him and Sasuke inhale her sleeping potion on their way to the Tendo Dojo, he knew immediately that she overheard him and Sasuke talking, and that she would go after Akane Tendo. He knew it was his fault that his Akane may have been hurt, and that his sister has now lost part of her precious memories.
Before he left the Dojo, he asked without looking at Dr Tofu, "Is everyone alright? Is….Tendo Akane…"
"She is currently receiving treatment after she got stung by a poisoned needle which your sister put on her ribbons while she attacked Akane," Dr Tofu replied, finally standing up straight.
Kuno's jaw hardened and he closed his eyes.
"I trust that she is no mortal danger?" He asked hopefully.
Dr Tofu only shook his head slowly. "We cannot tell that for sure; I am yet to study the poison your sister administered to her before I can come up with a cure. But I promise you, I will make sure that she will survive from this."
"If she needs further treatment, I, Tatewaki Kuno will ensure she is properly taken good care of until she is fully healed. This is the least I can do to apologize for everything my sister and I have caused," Kuno said. He turned to Sasuke, who was standing speechless as he watched the two men exchange words. "Sasuke, you will stay here and report back to me as soon as Tendo Akane's condition gets better."
Sasuke bowed. "Yes, Master."
Sasuke watched his Master walk out of the Dojo, without a word. He was sure that has never seen his Master like this –he was always brimming with youthful energy and confidence, but today seems like the first time he was almost lost for words, and actually humbled.
The moment Kuno was out of sight, Dr Tofu dashed out towards the Tendo household, followed closely by Sasuke, Shampoo and Ukyou who needed answers to their questions. Everything happened in a blink of an eye that there was no room for questions and answers. All they wanted now is to run to the Tendo household and check that everyone was safe.
Akane was on her bed, beads of cold sweat breaking on her forehead. Her breathing has stabilized but her temperature was turning cold, and the wound was turning into an ugly shade of purple. Her eyes were half closed, and she seemed to be in a delirious state.
Ranma was on her bedside, holding her hands unconsciously, demanding why Akane didn't seem to be getting much better.
"Kasumi, I already sucked out as much poison as I could...why is she still like this?"
Kasumi held out a damp cloth and dabbed it on Akane's forehead.
"It may be the after-effects. We need to find a real cure…"
Kasumi was hoping that Dr Tofu would hurry up and find a cure for Akane – she didn't know how much time it took for the deeply penetrated poison to actually spread into Akane's body and leave her either in a permanent state of delirium, or maybe fall into a coma.
She knew the signs; she has watched the same case on television before. She was just afraid to tell Ranma that it could be dangerous once the poison has been in her body for more than half an hour. Now ten minutes have elapsed and they are yet to find a cure which only Dr Tofu could provide.
As if on cue, the door burst open, revealing Dr Tofu who immediately rushed to Akane's bedside and without wasting time, checking her vital signs.
Without saying a word to Ranma, he signaled for Shampoo and Kasumi to follow him out and made sure to close the door so Ranma would be out of earshot. A few seconds later, Kasumi reappeared and told Ranma that everything will be fine.
Ranma looked worriedly at Akane and thought that as much as he wanted to stay with her, he wanted desperately to find a cure. As he was about to stand up, he felt Akane weakly tug at his shirt.
He looked down at his supposed-to-be bride, trying hard to open her eyes. Her makeup was a mess and she looked as pale as death. Her hair, once tucked under heir veil was now a messy heap. She was still wearing her wedding dress, and despite the fact that she looked like this right now, Ranma still found her so beautiful.
"Akane, I need to go and help find a cure…"
But Akane shook her head weakly. "Don't…leave…please…"
Kasumi had to step in and put her hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Just leave it to us and do not leave Akane's side. We'll come up with a cure soon."
Ranma knew something was wrong when Kasumi was checking her watch anxiously. She walked to the door and when she opened it, she saw Nabiki, Ukyou, Soun, Genma and Nodoka, who were wearing worried and anxious expressions all over their tired-looking faces.
"She will be fine," was all Kasumi could say as she closed the door before she went down and left them all standing up in the landing. They knew that Kasumi was silently requesting that Ranma and Akane be left alone.
Silence filled Akane's room as Ranma held Akane's cold hands once more, hoping that he could at least transfer some warmth from his hands into Akane's.
Déjà vu, was it the term? The failed wedding, Akane getting hurt, the SAME people barging in and ruining the wedding.
Why? Was fate telling them that they were really not supposed to be together? Why isn't he the one lying on the bed poisoned rather than Akane? He wondered how many more times Akane would have to be hurt by getting involved with him. He pounded one of his fists in frustration on the side table as he thought that life was unfair; why does it always have to be Akane? Why his fragile Akane? Time and time again, she has come to his rescue just to save him.
Flashbacks ran in his mind – when she was possessed by that cursed doll, when they battled against those Phoenix creatures, when they battled that multiple-headed dragon…and many more times.
Before realizing it, he found himself crying again.
Another déjà vu, - when she was lying in his arms unconscious, the time when he silently told her how he really felt.
Akane…why do you always have to be the one saving me? I…only bring misfortune to you…
He knew it was his fault. If only he was man enough to make it clear to every one of his fiancés that he has chosen Akane, damn his pride, then maybe, maybe he could have changed things. They would have been married now and maybe everyone would have moved on with their lives and accepted it.
But what if they got married and some old enemies came after them? What now? He dreaded to think about how many more unknown fiancés could appear out of nowhere, or unknown enemies could surface and use Akane as a bait or hostage.
If I were to disappear from Akane's life…would she be safer?
These thoughts whirled in his mind as he listened to Akane's breathing. He wondered how things could take a turn for the worst in a blink of an eye. A few minutes ago, he was off-guard, simply reveling in the beauty of his bride-to-be, feeling butterflies in his stomach, finally getting married. And now….
He looked at Akane and wiped his tears. "But that was always the case for us, huh Akane…it was always in the blink of an eye. Our meeting, our engagement, and everything about us or anything that involved us. You always had to be on guard because people might attack you at any moment…you were so fragile yet you liked to show everyone that you were strong…"
"I always said you were a weak tomboy…but I guess you were always the more courageous and more gutsy out of the both of us…I'm sorry for everything…"
Ranma's mind became plagued with several thoughts that he wanted to brush off but knew he could no longer escape; he already knew what to do. He gave Akane's hands a squeeze and held them up to his cheeks as he leaned into them.
It was at that moment when the door burst open, revealing Dr Tofu who walked immediately to Akane's bedside. He took in the scene and tried to plunge the syringe into Akane's arm without interrupting the couple's silent moment.
Outside, Ukyou and Shampoo looked at each other silently, sharing the same knowing expression, fully aware that they have lost to this girl. As much as they have wanted to deny that Ranma indeed loved Akane even after seeing the signs years ago, the fact that he was sitting next to her on her bedside, crying while holding her hands to his cheeks, uncaring about anyone else, seeing no one and thinking of nobody else besides the woman right in front of him, they knew that it was time to raise the white flag as they quietly retreated while holding back tears in their eyes.
Goodbye, Ranma.
A/N: Finally updated! Sorry for being SOOOO LATE. I've written half of this a few weeks back but I got lazy coz I was so busy and tired with my part-time job. I also admittedly lost interest writing for a bit, but when I opened my email I realized that there were people actually subscribed into my story so THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I hope this new chappy does not ruin your expectations. And sorry for it being so long and all…hehe I hope it didn't feel like I rushed everything.
In any case, I hope you guys liked this chappy somehow. It's a prelude to the meaty part of the story.
And with that, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Caia-chan: Thank you for your review and for pointing that detail out. I am still going to stick to the prologue that Akane indeed lost her memories over the past five years. And as for the one in the prologue, yeap it is indeed nine years. ;) You'll see why as the story progresses so stay tuned :D
Pahlee: Thank you for your kind comments ;)) I hope this chappy didn't disappoint. :D