ALL HORRORS DESCEND UPON THOSE VILE KNAVES THAT ATTEMPT TO STEAL OTHER'S WORK AND CLAIM IT AS THEIR OWN! HELL ITSELF HAST SET ASIDE A SPECIAL PLACE FOR THEE AND HUNGERS FOR THY SOULS! AND IF MY HORDE OF DERANGED RABID WEASELS OR I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY IN THE MATTER, WE WILL SPEED YOU THERE POSTHASTE! IN LIKE NEWS, THESE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MY CREATION. THEY BELONG TO THE GODDESS RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, AND SHE ALONE MAY DETERMINE WHO CAN GET PAID FOR WORK FEATURING THEM. I AM NOT COUNTED AMONGST THOSE PEOPLE, AS I USE HER CHARACTERS FOR MY OWN PURPOSES WITHOUT HER PERMISSION. I SINCERELY HOPE SHE NEVER FINDS OUT OR THAT IF SHE DOES SHE IS NOT UNDULY UPSET BY MY REPRESENTATION.
Apology
Chapter 6A fan fiction by Frictionx42
"Akane! Hey Akane, look! Ranma's coming!"
Akane finally snapped out of her daze at the sound of Ranma's name. Her classmates were all very animatedly looking out the window. Akane stood slowly and with a dazed look in her eye, come up to the window to look out. Her eyes widened when she saw him walking slowly towards the school grounds. Ranma was stumbling wearily, and looked about ready to collapse. Akane let out a gasp, and rushed out of the room. Behind her, the teacher continued, "And so you see, the coefficient of friction tells us that…" droning on about various physics equations, completely unaware that not one of his students was paying the slightest bit of attention to him.
Ranma's head swam, his vision blurred. The streets seemed to go in three different directions at once, as well as flipping over so that people had to walk upside-down on them. His head throbbed and ached. His strength ebbed from his limbs more and more with each grueling step. The rest of the world kept hazing in and out, with ample amounts of black and red added in for extra effect. In one of his more lucid moments, he caught a glimpse of his school sign ahead of him. 'Furinken High School.' He stumbled in through the gates. The walkway to the main building kept lurching this way and that, and threatened to throw itself at him rather violently. A hazy, tree-like thing loomed up ahead of him suddenly, and he steadied himself against it.
Akane quickly exited the building and crossed the school grounds. She slowed to a stop as she reached Ranma. He was wheezing as though he had sprinted the whole way, and was supporting himself on a nearby tree. Worry etched itself across Akane's face as she examined her fiancee's condition. He looked tired and drained, as though he had been hit by one of Hinako-Sensei's techniques. Tears clouded her vision as she looked at Ranma. He was in bad shape; breathing heavily, pale, and unable to hold himself up. As she watched, Ranma fell forward as if in slow motion. Akane ran forward and caught him before he hit the ground. "Need.. talk to 'Kane…" Ranma struggled to say. Akane's heart clinched in her belly and bile rose to her throat as she steeled herself for the impending conversation: the breaking of ties, the calling off of their engagement, the final severing of all that had occurred between them. She knew, deep down, that there would never be anyone else for her, but she hoped that Ranma would find happiness with someone, even if it had to be Ukyo or Shampoo. Despair wracked her mind, but Akane forced herself to look strong – if she broke down now, she felt sure she'd go insane with grief and sink into a massive depression. Akane blinked and two tears fell, clearing her vision just in time to see Ranma lift his head and look at her.
Ranma wondered why he had ever gotten out of bed that morning. His head throbbed, and with each step the pain grew. He was near Akane at last however, so Ranma made up his mind to talk to her before he went home. Suddenly someone appeared before him. He couldn't quite make out whom it was, but she looked pretty familiar- or at least as familiar as an out-of-focus outline could be. He could tell it was a she because she wore a girl's uniform. Ranma was about to say something when suddenly the tree he had braced himself on lurched and he lost his grip. Ranma was falling, and he couldn't seem to move fast enough to stop it. Ranma braced himself as best he could against the impact with the ground, but just before he struck, two very strong and somewhat ungentle arms caught him. "I need to talk to Akane," Ranma said, hoping that this person would take him to her. He waited a second, and then felt two very small wet drops fall onto his cheek. He looked up, and just for an instant his vision cleared. Holding him was Akane, and he wished he had a camera. She looked more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. Holding him and sniffling, with tears streaming down her face, Akane looked to Ranma like an angel. Her eyes were bright and shining, if a little red and puffy, and she was looking down at him with an expression of concern and worry.
Ranma said the first thing that came to his mind, "I love you." And then he promptly passed out again.
"Yes Upperclassman Kuno, I'm sorry I ever stood in your way! I will give you both the Pigtailed Girl and Akane Tendo in exchange for my miserable life!" Upperclassman Kuno towered over the beaten and humbled form of the accursed Saotome with his weapon held high and his shimmering kimono blazing his radiance out for all to see.
"Ranma Saotome, finally you admit defeat to your betters. My warrior's pure heart forbids me from striking at a helpless foe. The vengeance of heaven is slow, but sure. Vile sorcerer, know that it is only for the sake of Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed Girl that I spare you now. Go and never show your face here again, lest I forget myself and cause you to leave this world!" Kuno's splendiferous visage glowed as he issued his final demands on the wicked Saotome. Perhaps if he felt magnanimous later, he would permit Ranma to work as a humble manservant, since for some strange reason his sister had become so attached to him. Obviously her insanity is to blame, for my sister to even consider such a base cretin to be worthy of attention from a Kuno!
Ranma quivered in fear on the ground before him, terror mounting as it was so apparent that the great Tatewaki Kuno could dispatch him with but a thought. He produced a small gem on a chain from around his neck and laid it on the ground at Kuno's feet. "Upperclassman Kuno, you are most generous! Here is the key with which I have kept you from your loves. Now they are free to fly into your arms as fate has determined from the beginning. I will now depart for good, and never shall you see me again, for I value my wretched life too much to return to face certain death at your masterful hands!" Ranma's face became distorted by shadows, and he began to fade from sight.
"Hold, sorcerer!" Kuno called out to him, halting Ranma's departure. "You also must give up your powers from now on!" Kuno commanded the vile Saotome.
"But Upperclass-!" "Knave!" Kuno cut him off, "Tempt not thy early fate by following not my instructions. I shall not suffer thee to loose your evils upon another place! Swear off thy wickedness or prepare to face the true wrath of heaven!" Kuno blasted Ranma with his brilliance, utterly destroying the shadows that had come to take him away.
Ranma blanched and fell to his knees, crying, "Yes, Upperclassman Kuno, I shall do your bidding, just spare me and I will serve you for the rest of my days!"
"It is good that you have learned your place in the great scheme of things, Saotome. Now, there are some things I must attend to, so if you would just go and tell my good Sasuke that you are to work under him…"
"Yes, Upperclassman Kuno, but first you must do something." Ranma had a sly grin on his face, as if he knew something was going on.
"Out with it man! I must make haste to my loves lest they are forced to wait even longer before feeling the depth of my love for them!" Kuno's displeasure was great. Perhaps a week without food would help to remind this insolent whelp of his place.
Ranma stood up and grabbed Kuno's shoulder, shaking it roughly. "You need to answer question two!"
Kuno awoke abruptly. He was sitting in the middle of his math class, and everyone was looking at him expectantly. Nabiki Tendo was shaking him by the shoulder and had an annoyed look on her face. He was beginning to dread more and more the thought of having her as a sister-in-law. Still, if he could win her over to his side, his family fortunes would likely triple within a year. This bore some consideration…
"Mister Kuno! If you are finished with your afternoon nap, we would like to hear the answer to question two!" The instructor also wore a very displeased look on his face.
"Pester not the great Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinken High school and the rising young star of -" The instructor cut him off by hitting him on the forehead with a piece of chalk.
"Mister Kuno, we don't have time for that. Go stand in the hall!"
"Yes, sir." Kuno slumped out of his chair and made his way to the door. Nabiki just gave a big sigh, and rested her chin on her hand. When will that moron ever learn?
Akane held Ranma close to her. As she held him, he seemed to regain his strength at a truly amazing rate. Within only a few minutes Ranma seemed much better and he tried to sit up.
"Akane, I-" Ranma began, but Akane put a finger to his lips.
"Hush, Ranma. It's all right. I'm sorry about what happened, and I'm just glad to know that you're going to be all right. I lost control the other day, and- Oh, Ranma!" she began weeping again. Ranma roughly got to his feet and gathered Akane in his arms, whispering quietly to her that everything was going to be all right.
(Author's Note: That's it. That's the end of my writings from so long ago. On to the new stuff!)
Akane fell into Ranma, thrusting her face into his chest and apologizing with a fervor similar to Ranma's when he finally began to apologize to her only a few days ago. As she began crying in earnest, sounds of her despair floated up to an open window on the school building above. On the other side of that window a self-absorbed incompetent waited, buckets in hand as he thought of his hated enemy Ranma Saotome.
"That wretch hasn't shown his face here all week! Surely this means he has finally realized that his cowardly ways cannot possibly win against the steadfast purity of the great Blue Thunder! The wrath of heaven is slow but sure, and methinks it is nearing time for him to – What's that I hear? The sounds of a tender young maiden in needs of a savior!" Kuno dropped the buckets he was holding and rushed for the window. "Keep thy hope, fair one! None other than the great Blue Thunder, scion of the noble house of Kuno comes to your aid!" With a mighty yell, Kuno leaped from the window to the ground below and drew his bokken. "What now, knave? Seek thee to press your intentions onto..." Kuno stopped in shock as he witnessed the sight before him. There was Ranma Saotome, enemy of all that was good and right, with his beloved Akane Tendo in his arms, obviously the victim of his wild predations as she sobbed in abject misery!
"Saotome, you will take your hands off of her this instant! Your despoiling of the honor of young women cannot be allowed to commence!" Kuno approached Ranma and Akane as he continued his blustering, "Fear not, my sweet Akane Tendo! I shall single-handedly free you and the spirited Pigtailed Girl from his dark embrace!
Ranma flinched as he felt Akane's battle aura flare, but realized that in his current condition he was in no state to be engaging in combat. Instead he walked as Akane stalked towards the buffoon. Ranma gasped as he heard Akane growl her warning.
"Kuno, this is your one, your only, and your last warning. Stay away from MY FIANCEE!" Akane snarled, as she grabbed Kuno's bokken out of his shocked grip, raised it to his face and snapped it in two with a flick of her fingers.
Even Kuno wasn't dense enough to ignore a warning such as that. As the color drained from his face, Kuno stammered, "I-I suppose that the time is ill-suited to the two of us to discuss our happy future Akane Tendo. Perhaps tomorrow evening we shall date and-" Kuno was cut off as Akane threw the grip of Kuno's wrecked weapon into his face, striking his upper lip and -Akane noted with some satisfaction- drew blood. Noting that her violent action had silenced his prattle, Akane growled again,
"That goes for myself and the Pigtailed Girl as well, Kuno." As Kuno began sputtering protests, Akane held up her hand, "We officially deny you any and all of your claims to us. Stop bothering us or you're really going to regret it." With that, Akane spun away from Kuno and clutched Ranma's arm in her own. A small grin played across Akane's face as she looked into Ranma's eyes and winked. "Come on Ranma, let's go home."
Ranma paused for a moment, the memory of the end of his first day at Furinken running through his mind. With a grin he mock-protested, "But it's not even lunch yet..." Behind them, Kuno scowled before gathering up the remains of his mangled weapon and heading to his meditation chamber. Paying no attention to him at all, Ranma continued, "All right Tomboy, let's go." Forgetting his current state, Ranma spun a bit too fast and his injuries reminded him that he needed to take it easy. He stumbled into Akane, one of his hands briefly using her to steady him and keep him from pitching forward to the ground. Once steadied, Ranma gulped and quickly removed his hand from Akane's chest. "Uh, sorry Akane, it was an accident." Ranma steeled himself to take his expected beating, but when he looked at Akane's face Ranma noted that the fiery red that he expected to see in her eyes had instead retreated to her cheeks. The rosy hue seemed to be contagious, as Ranma felt his own face and ears heating up in a furious blush. Akane grabbed Ranma's hand possessively and the two started walking.
"Come on then, Pervert," Akane glanced back at the retreating form of Kuno and with a grin mocked the dejected kendoist, "Lest your base perversions sully the pristine reputation of this school." The two shared laughter as they exited the school grounds. Their puzzled classmates watched the two leave as the teacher continued to drone on, "So you see, when you overcome the static friction, then..."
Author's Notes: I cannot even describe how exited I am to finally have some new material after so many years of sitting on this project. Thanks very much to those who are providing feedback; it's delicious (licks lips).
Sorry this particular chapter is short. I originally (6 years ago, it's in my notes) intended there to be a fight scene with Kuno, but decided to leave it for a couple chapters from now, as there are more important things to be discussed. Such as what Ranma's going to do about Ryoga, and what Akane's punishment should be for losing her control. She ain't getting off easy, and it'll make for a fun chapter to write.