Disclaimer: You know, needs a general disclaimer.... I'm tired of saying the obvious. Ranma Takahashi, and whatever else.
Note: Before I forget, the reason that Happosai is not here......... I just don't like the guy. He ruins the mood, especially the serious parts. Whine, complain, moan all you want, he's probably not gonna show.
Chapter Four: Settling Dust, and the Old Man's Gift
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Ranma awoke when he heard a strange beeping noise. It sounds like an alarm clock, but I don't have mine set to anything. He realized that it was Monday. That means I gotta get up and go to school. He attempted to get up, when he realized a hand was resting on his chest. He looked over, and saw Akane's sleeping figure beside him. Akane.... He recalled the events of the night before. They had shared kiss after passionate kiss, until Akane showed signs of sleepiness. He had teased her a bit about her yawning, but he hefted her up onto her bed, kissed her again, and then had turned to leave, when she grabbed him by the sleeve.
"Ranma.... stay with me tonight...."
Ranma was a bit startled by her request, not realizing what she meant. Oh God, is she asking me..... to sleep with her!? He gulped loudly, loud enough for Akane to hear. She smiled, and explained. "You pervert. That's not what I meant. Just lay here, next to me." Ranma had relaxed, and fell onto the bed next to her. They had continued talking, quietly teasing and cuddling, until they both fell asleep.
Ranma let his thoughts come back to the present. He softly shook Akane. She'll get mad if I let her sleep in. "Hey, Akane. Wake up. It's time to go to school." She stirred a bit, mumbling out a 'Ranma', before opening her eyes and spotting him. She stretched her arms and legs before sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Morning, stupid."
"Morning, tomboy. You ready for school?"
"No."
"Me neither. I'll leave to let you get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs." He got up, and had almost left the room, before Akane stopped him.
"Wait."
"What is it, Akane?"
"What do we.... tell everyone? Not just our family, but everyone at school?"
Ranma smiled. "The truth, dummy. What else?"
She smiled back, breaking his heart once more, before he left to go change.
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Akane came down the stairs as usual. She took her place next to Ranma, as usual. Everyone began to eat, as usual. But then, Akane did something completely UN-usual. She picked up one of her own fish cakes, and held it out to Ranma's mouth. He happily munched on the piece she offered him, then in turn gave her a piece of his rice ball. This exchange of food utterly stunned the Tendo family. Soun and Genma choked on their tea. Nabiki let a bit of rice drop from her gaping mouth. Even Nabiki, who usually kept her composure, had to put her food down and cover her mouth in surprise. Only Jason could keep a straight face. It took a whole lot of effort to keep that right corner of his mouth from twitching upwards. But inwardly, he was beaming. Ah, finally. It seems like this week is going to be a good week.
"A-Akane??? R-Ranma??" Soun and Genma addressed their respective offspring.
They both smiled up at their fathers. "Yes?"
Nabiki managed to speak for them. "Well, you two seem to be acting rather friendly. Are you sure you're not sick? I'd better take some temperatures. Or maybe even my own. This has got to be a hallucination."
Kasumi, however, broke the mood with her own comment. "Well, I think that it's wonderful that Ranma and Akane are getting along so well. They're really acting like an engaged couple now."
Ranma and Akane grinned, then threw the biggest bombshell by giving each other a small kiss. Jason clamped down hard. Those two are gonna kill me. This is just too funny. But he somehow managed not to laugh, although he couldn't stop the lopsided grin from appearing.
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Ranma and Akane, once vile enemies, crossed the school courtyard together, arm in arm, for the first time in a while. Every pair of eyes was drawn to the unlikely couple, as they entered the school. Even Kuno was frozen solid, as he watched his 'love' pass by happily with his archenemy. SAOTOME........ AND AKANE!? THIS CANNOT BE!!! From afar, Kodachi witnessed with exteme contempt as Akane led her darling into school. Why..... why would my darling Ranma be with her!??
All throughout the day, students kept whispering to each other. The rumor had started. Like wildfire, everyone in school, even the professors, knew about the new couple. It amazed everyone. During lunch, Ranma and Akane tried to sit together, but their respective friends drew them away for an interrogation.
Ranma's buddies were rather excited about it. "So, did ya kiss her yet? Really? Did ya get to see her naked? What? C'mon, man, ya gotta put up the moves!" Ranma was trying in vain to defend himself from the barrage of questions, but they were coming too quickly to answer.
Akane was stuck in a similar predicament. "So, what was he like? Oh, don't be shy, is he a good kisser? Really? Did you get a feel? Oh, you're such a stiff!" Akane quickly turned several shades of red with each question escalating in detail. But she managed to get away from her little group and head over to Ranma. When his friends saw her approaching, they nudged Ranma in the ribs, and scuttled away to watch from afar.
Akane sat down next to Ranma, who was lounging under the shade of his favorite tree. She was reluctant to even face him, with all the gazes from her fellow students. However, Ranma swiveled to face away from Akane, and laid his head down on her lap. She smiled, and they began to converse, forgetting all about the witnesses of their new closeness.
"You embarrassed?"
"Heh. I was."
"And now?"
Akane bent over and pecked him on the lips. "What does it matter?"
Ranma smiled. "Nothing, tomboy. Nothing at all."
She faked a frown. "Stupid."
"Uncute."
"Jerk."
And this continued all through the lunch period. They eventually fed themselves, occasionally tossing food into the other's mouth. It was a relaxed lunch. The initial fear of getting this close during school had worn off. Ranma closed his eyes, savoring the moment. Ya know...... I could get used to this.
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Jason was wandering the streets of Nerima, familiarizing himself with the various shops and locations. The town's not that big. It won't be too long before I really learn the lay of the land. He rounded another corner, and halted when he saw a warm sight. A small little shop, with a sign that said 'Musical Instruments', was visible from down the street. Jason picked up the pace, and soon found himself standing in front of it. An array of flutes, drums, and guitars stood in the front window of the store. Some were the traditional Japanese instruments, but Jason spotted some more familiar sights, such as a trombone, and an electric bass. He also read a small poster on the window that said, 'Closing Soon'. What a shame. There aren't too many places like this anymore. Oh, man, I wish I could own a place like this. He opened the door, and walked in.
It was a cozy enough store. On the left, a cashiers desk with a hollow frame held some of the smaller instruments. On the right, shelves lined with larger cases ran along the entire breadth. A few stand-alone racks held cleaning tools and booklets to aid a musician. An older man was sitting behind the counter. Jason approached him.
"Hello, sir. How are you doing?"
"Why, hello there, young man. And what brings you to my store? Is there anyting... specific you need?"
"I'd like to ask a question about the poster on the window. Are you really gonna close up?"
The man sighed. "Oh, yes. I've had this store for 15 years. Seems like forever. But lately, fewer and fewer people have come by. These old pieces don't catch the fancy of young people these days. Although, that electric contraption back there is quite popular with todays crowd."
Jason nodded. "Tell me about it. I don't many kids take up the old stuff anymore. They like the rock bands. Not that I'm saying they're bad, but the older stuff never dies."
The man looked at him with understanding. "I see you play something. You seem to know a lot."
"Yes, I play a variety of things. My favorite is the alto sax."
"Ahh, yes. A beautiful instrument. Too bad the guitar is the favorite of the young ones."
Jason agreed. Too many kids take up the guitar, only to mimic the concerts and the CD's they listen to. "It's a pity, indeed. But tell me, old man; why close the store?"
"Oh, that. Retirement is not so far away anymore. I'm not much of an active person. My son owns an estate out in the country. He is very well off, playing with his satellites and his rockets. They pay him very handsomely to send those things hurling into space. Ahh, how the times have changed. But I'm rambling. Yes, this store doesn't carry its weight as well as it used to. I'm going to miss this town, but I value my remaining years above my past ones."
"Are you going to sell?"
"Sadly, I'm not selling it. I'm being cheated of it, but there is nothing I can do. An outlet store wants this little spot, and they are buying out at a ridiculous price. Barley 5 of what its worth."
"Horrible. And the instruments?"
"I have no use for them. I was going to donate them to the local school, but they would just collect dust on the shelves. Today, I seal the deal with that wretched corporation. Ah, I wish there was some other way....."
Jason pondered for a moment. Interesting. It may not be much, but I would have something to bring in some money during the weekdays. And on weekends I play my gigs..... Hmm. I wonder how much it would cost....
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Ranma and Akane laughed all the way home. The gasps they heard when they left school, hand in hand, were priceless. "Oh my, and I thought she hated boys." "Forget hating boys, I thought they hated each other." "Well, they do live together, it was bound to happen." "But they argued so much, how could they even stand looking at each other?"
"Y'know, Akane; I could get used to this."
Akane giggled. "I already am, Ranma. It's not like this is so different from what usually happens."
Ranma looked over at her, puzzled. "What? We used to fight all the time. This is definitly different from the way it was."
"I'm not so sure. I mean, sure, we had our arguments. God, did we have THOSE. But there were times, those few, precious times, when we got close. We were just never aware of how close we were. But now we know. Now, we're not afraid of it."
Ranma stared up at the blue sky. "Yeah. It's good now. I like it."
A head rested on his arm. "Me too, Ranma. Me too."
They finished their walk home, and were greeted by their family estatically. Soun and Genma were hugging each other in pure joy. "Saotome, look at this! Marvelous, isn't it? Our children, together, finally! The Anything-Goes future is secure!"
"Truly wonderful, Tendo! Our ancestors would be proud, I'm sure of it!"
Kasumi was back to her normal self. She took the couple as though it had always been that way. "Well, you two, I hope you're hungry, because I'm cooking an extra special meal, in celebration."
Nabiki snickered. "Yeah. The loverbirds finally landed on the same branch. I am SOOOO happy." The sarcasm could be seen dripping from her mouth.
Akane, with a clever smile on her face, one-upped her older sister. "Oooh, Nabiki! Jealous?" And she pulled Ranma upstairs before Nabiki could respond.
"Hmph. She's a bit arrogant."
Kasumi lightly scolded her younger sibling. "Now, Nabiki, I think we should be happy that those two stopped fighting. It's going to be a lot more peaceful now, don't you think?" She smilied sweetly.
Nabiki huffed again, but she conceded. "I guess. Maybe I'll get used to it before I head off to college."
Upstairs, Ranma got on workout clothes, while Akane did the same in her room. It still seems a bit strange. After all this time, we're finally together, and I can't help but wonder how we got here. He remembered his quiet new friend. It was Jason. That sly old fox gave me the courage I needed to tell Akane how I felt. Not to mention his music being so calming. He finished donning his garbs, and trotted down the stairs to the dojo.
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"Faster, Akane. You need to come off the roll faster, or else a downward strike will crush you." Ranma was tutoring Akane on some advanced techniques of the Anything-Goes Style. Before Ranma arrived, she had practiced steadily, and had been the best martial artist in town. But with all that went on involving Ranma and his rivals and his other fianceés, she had gone lax on her usual level of training. This fact hadn't been lost on Ranma, and so, he decided to focus on making Akane a great fighter.
First on his list of things to improve was her reaction time. It wasn't by any means slow, but one of the principals of Anything-Goes was to be prepared for anything. A quick reaction here or there could save a match. And so, for the very first time, Ranma attacked Akane. He of course pulled his punches, but he kept them fast, so Akane had to work hard in order not to take a hit.
She had done well, in Ranma's opinion. She wasn't bad, only rusty. A few more days of these routines, and Akane would be at her peak again. After all, martial arts was like riding a bike. You don't ever forget, you just need time to remember.
"Ok, Akane, one last run. 20 strikes, full-frontal. Ready, set, GO!" He charged at Akane, right fist cocked, ready to deliver a vicious right hook. Akane tried not to anticipate the attack, expecting a fake, but her left arm insinctivly rose to meet it. Ranma swung his arm down, opened his palm, and rolled into a leap, feet first, ready to deliver three kicks at knee level. Akane blocked the first two with her right foot, then jumped over Ranma's flying form to evade the last one. Ranma landed squarely, then leaped upwards and backwards, rotating quickly to build momentum for his next barrage. He threw three punches, which were really just whacks from his extended arms. Akane knocked each one away, but failed to put distance between her and Ranma's landing spot. He touched down in close range, and flicked his foot out twice to try and tap the outside thigh. She twisted her lower body to the side, and threw her hands over the kicking leg. She did a full sideways flip, and let her momentum carry her into a roll that put distance between her and Ranma. Ranma's remaining 12 attacks came in a complicated tornado of punches, kicks, and even a headbutt in the middle of it. Akane successfully deflected every attack, except for the headbutt, which threw her off-guard. It glanced off her chest, but she regained her composure, and finished fending of the last few blows.
"Good. The roll was nice and quick, but you didn't expect that head hit, did ya?"
Akane plopped onto the wooden floor, and caught her breath. "Nope. That was dirty, Ranma. I assumed you wanted to get a feel of my chest, without using your hands."
Ranma put on a hurt face. "Now, you think I'm the kind of guy that would do that to ya? Whatever is this world coming to?"
Akane stood up, and playfully bopped him in the gut. "C'mon, let's go eat. I'm starving."
"You pig. All you think about is food."
"Oh? And whose the #1 consumer of food in this house?"
"Oh, that's easy. My dad."
"He eats bamboo half the time, stupid."
"Tomboy."
"Jerk."
"Yeah, yeah, I love you, too."
Akane smiled, and hopped on Ranma's back. "What would you do without me?"
"Marry Shampoo."
"That's not funny, it's....."
"......Scary. I know.", Ranma finished it for her. They laughed, as Ranma carried his love to the dining room.
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They found Jason there, already seated, discussing something with Nabiki, who seemed genuinely interested. Akane found it strange that Nabiki was actually having a conversation with the normally quiet Jason. It must have something to do with money.
Soun and Genma welcomed the two kids, and Jason greeted his buddy with his lopsided grin. "Hey, Ranma, what's up?"
"Nothing. You seem happy 'bout something."
"You bet. I just came across something so cool you just have to see it. It's an old music store that this old man was going to practically give away. I convinced him to let me have it for the same price, on the condition that I keep the store the way it is. He was so happy that he didn't have to let that outlet store have it."
"Wow, you bought a store? How could you afford it?"
"I couldn't. That's what Nabiki and I were discussing. She's come up with this genius way to pay off the rent using a system of intrest-generating accounts, so all I would have to cover would be the actual merchandise. I don't have to pay the man directly. Over a period of two years, I'll pay the corporation's price, plus intrest. It was the only way he could get the rights away from them."
Akane's eyes grew wide. "That means you're gonna stay here for two years? Isn't that a little long-tem?"
"Oh, of course I'm not gonna stay here. I could never bring myself to impose on you like that."
"No, no, I mean you're gonna stay here, in Nerima, for two years."
Jason looked down. "I plan to stay here for the rest of my natural life. It's as far away from home as I can imagine."
"Why do you want to stay away from your home?"
Jason didn't answer. He only stared down at his unfinished meal.
Akane apologized quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's all right..."
"Thank you. I really don't wanna talk about it." His voice had turned cold. Nobody could see his eyes. An awkward silence filled the room. Strangely enough, Nabiki was the one to touch him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "Yes?"
"I've still got some details we need to go over. Why don't you come up to my room? We'll talk there."
Jason nodded, and followed Nabiki up the stairs. Soun, Kasumi and Akane watched as their sister disappeared from view. They all turned to face each other, huddling into confrence mode.
"My, my, my daughter has never acted like that."
"True, Father, true. I wonder if......"
".......She likes him?" Akane finished the thought.
Genma and Ranma looked at the crouching trio. Ranma cocked an eyebrow, while Genma only shrugged. They finished their meals, and sat down to watch some TV.
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Nabiki lay sideways on her bed, while Jason faced the ceiling, eyeing a sheet that Nabiki had given her.
"So.... this is how we're gonna do it?"
Nabiki nodded. "Yup. By filtering amount of money from account to account, they gain intrest faster than a pile of money just sitting there. You'll be able to keep that shop open, no problem."
Jason nodded. "Thanks, Nabiki. It really means a lot to me. But, why...."
She interupted him. "Profit. Remember, we agreed on me getting a teensy cut of your yearly income after the first four months. It ain't out of charity, bud." She looked over at him. He was staring intently at the sheet. This must really mean a lot to the old boy. "Yo, Jason?" She saw that he remained staring blankly. She started to speak again, when she noticed that the corner of his mouth was twitching, ever so slightly. Is he trying not to laugh or what? What is up with him? "Yo, Jason, just what is so funny?"
"I wasn't gonna ask why you're helping me. I was gonna ask, why do you put that weird little tail on your signature."
She didn't say anything. Jason slowly got up, as to not disturb the laughter contained within him. He walked out of the room, and closed the door quietly behind him. With a howl that hadn't come out of his mouth since he arrived, he burst in to sporadic fits of laughter.
Nabiki heard this, and for the first time, was caught off-guard. She couldn't think of and come-backs. She thought about the man that was outside of her room, cackling like a hyena. She blushed, ever so slightly. Ya know..... he IS kinda cute.....
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AN: Aww, not much of a chapter, huh? Well, set up chapters are necessary, ya know. But it wasn't a complete dissapointment. And before anyone complains, I know that you can't just decide to buy out a store on a whim, but hey, its a fanfic. I'll do whatever the hell I want.
No song this time. Sad for you? Grow up. Go learn the flute or something. Bang on some pots. Play the spoons.
Ahh, so it is revealed. Nabiki like Jason. Not too far-fetched, I hope? Naaahh, didn't think so. Well, like I said, a quiet chapter. Not to many notes, either.