ERA…SU….R….…E
SCHOO L ACKS
SPLASH !
"Ah crap !" yelled the male-turned-female teenager as she turned to the right and glared at the old lady, before unclenching her fists, exhaling deeply through her nose and finally resuming running to school with the short-haired brunette.
"How come you forgot about her ? You've been paying attention to her all these past months so what was wrong today ? You were distracted, weren't you ?" asked the latter.
"Was not. Just focused on hurrying to school…" replied the now red-haired female.
"Right, but so were you the other times, and yet you didn't get splashed. Something's on your mind ?"
"Look, Akane, I dunno. Maybe I was just tired, maybe I was wondering if my math homework was correct… I can't remember what was on my mind at that exact time. !" the smaller female replied somewhat impatiently.
Akane scowled.
"Okay, okay, no need to get upset. Sorry for getting concerned about you !"
Ranma cast a look at her fiancée (well, technically his fiancée) and her expression softened a tad.
"Alright, alright, I'm the one who's sorry, eh ! I just… well, I guess I was ticked off for changing back again, that's all. I'm fed up with those gender switches. If only I could find a way to get back to Jusenkyo one day… but it always fails ! Always !"
Akane looked at the pigtailed girl for a few seconds, knowing how much all those missed attempts upset her and how badly she wanted to find the cure to her curse. Had she been in her place, she certainly wouldn't have felt less disappointed.
"I know, Ranma…" A pause, and then, as she focused ahead again : "Ah, here's Dr. Tofu's practice ! Let's get you some hot water and quickly resume running ! We're pretty late !"
-/-
As they were taking out their math stuff for the next lesson, Akane suddenly remembered something and swiftly leaned to the right.
"Ranma !"
"Uh ?"
"Did you manage to find the answer to exercise 3 ? I'm not sure I got the correct answer to that one…"
"Yeah, but actually, it was rather easy, I think."
"Easy ? You think so ? Well it didn't seem tha–"
"Good morning, class !"
They turned to the front as the math teacher was heading to his desk.
"Hum, let me see…" Ranma whispered as he was flipping through the pages of his math exercise notebook.
He found the right page and turned to hand over the notebook to Akane… when he noticed the look of the teacher stopping on him.
Crap ! Why did he have to look my way just now ?
Akane noticed that the teacher was currently staring at Ranma.
"It's okay, forget it or you'll get caught…" she whispered to him.
But that awkward moment didn't work in the boy's favour, because when came the time to solve the first problem given as homework…
"Ranma, would you please come to the blackboard and show us the result of your work on exercise 3 page 52 ?" said the teacher with a severe look.
He knew his "Chinese" student had improved in his results, yet in terms of behaviour, he could still be inattentive and sometimes disturb the lesson. But at least, he hadn't been caught sleeping on his desk for quite a while now, and this was a notable improvement in the boy's attitude.
Said "Chinese" student frowned when he heard the page number.
"Excuse me, you mean… page 63 ?" he asked the teacher.
"No, page 52. Exercise 3 page 63 will be done right after, but for now, let's start by the one on page 52."
The student gulped, as there was only the result of page 63 in his notebook…
"I'm sorry, I… forgot to do that one. I only did the second one, page 63."
When a student didn't do one of his assigned homework, the math teacher usually sent him in the hall, by the classroom door, where he/she had to remain standing while holding a bucket of water.
But remembering that Ranma had recently improved both his behaviour and his results, he decided to be merciful… just this once.
"Hum… then will you please come here and show us the result of the exercise you actually did ?" the teacher said in a calm voice.
"Of course !" replied Ranma with a sigh of relief, surprised that he hadn't being punished.
-/-
"You hadn't written it down in your homework notebook ?" asked Akane at the lunch break.
"Well I checked afterwards and it was written. I guess I just overlooked it. Lucky me I didn't get punished."
"It can happen. You've been making efforts these past months, in your behaviour as in your work. Perhaps that's why the teacher decided to be merciful…"
"But he still asked me to do it for next time…" he complained.
"Eh, so what ? You were supposed to do it anyway, Ranma !"
"Yeah yeah, got it…"
She giggled.
-/-
But alas for him, three days later…
"Mmmh… Ranma, can you please summarize for us the text on civil rights ? What are the main ideas, and the arguments given ?" asked the history teacher.
The pigtailed boy remembered their last history lesson, a week ago, about the "birth" of civil rights, and that their teacher had told them they would need to read an excerpt from one of the funding documents of civil rights.
But he didn't remember reading it…
This time, the teacher did not feel merciful, and our favourite martial artist found himself holding the bucket of water… and hoping that Kuno wouldn't show up to knock over the bucket on him and embarrass him once again in the form of the "pigtailed girl"… although that would lead to that damn suitor finally finding out about the "Saotome Secret".
Yet that wasn't what worried him the most…
I clearly recall last time's lesson, and the teacher mentioning the text to read. I'm sure I took note of that homework … but how come I forgot to do it ? For the second time in 2 or 3 days ?
But when he later checked the list of homework assignments he had written down last week…
"UH !?" he exclaimed as he stared at the page.
Akane, who was waiting for him by his desk, leaned forward and cast a glance.
"I was certain I had taken note of it ! I remember that he told us about that text, so why wouldn't I write it in here at the time ? I was pretty sure I had done it..! That's crazy !" he almost yelled.
Akane put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Well you hadn't. One can forget. But…" She hesitated. "On Tuesday, you had also forgotten to do that math exercise, although that assignment was written in here..."
"Mpff, I do remember that. But how come I don't remember the homework ? I must be tired or something…"
She observed him cautiously.
"Are you sure there's nothing on your mind these days ? Something that would make you absent-minded every now and then ?"
He sighed deeply.
"Nope. Nothing unusual these days. No reason why I would lose my focus."
She got thoughtful about all this, her mind returning to the math issue on Monday… and she suddenly recalled about the first glitch of the day… that also involved a lack of concentration.
That's true ! There's also that ! When he forgot about the old lady splashing her water and got transformed into his female self ! At the time, he said he had been too focused on hurrying to school to notice that lady… but I wonder if this is related to those two homework issues…
She looked at Ranma, who was currently peering at out the window, a perplexed frown on his face, and she couldn't help feeling slightly concerned about all these oversights…
But who knows… maybe he's right… maybe he's just tired lately…
-/-
The next week went by almost without problem, yet Ranma still did get splashed again the following Wednesday ("I was thinking about something and didn't pay attention"), and on Friday, he didn't manage to finish his geography exam, unable that he was to remember what were the two main elements influencing the weather…while he had been the one citing them both when their teacher had asked the class that same question, only 3 weeks ago…!
This time, though, there had been no homework issue, and while Akane had been surprised about the memory lapse in geography, she had globally felt less worried for him that week.
And anyway, other than his recent sporadic inattention, he hadn't changed these past months.
Well, actually, he had, but in a favorable way, softening and showing her consideration, finally respecting her and helping her when he could.
Sure, he could still get wild mood swings* every now and then, get grumpy about this or that, at times, but overall, he was definitely much easier to get along with.
*This is a wink of mine to a 1996 album by The Cure (not their best, alright…), a band that was one of my fav's as a teenager… so this is like a kind of brief homage, in a way.
As Akane had finished her IT technology, she grabbed her homework notebook to see what other assignments were to be done, and opted for the math work.
She opened the first drawer of her desk and, not seeing the calculator, she began searching the drawer…
…until, after an unsuccessful inspection, she suddenly remembered where it most certainly was.
Ah yes, I lent it to Ranma the other day… but since it's not here, I assume he didn't bring it back. Ah, Ranma, how careless you ca-
That's when it hit her.
He hadn't brought the calculator back.
He had… forgotten to return it to her.
She bit her lip.
Another thing he forgot…
But another part of her, the reasonable one, metaphorically "raised a finger" to point out something.
Wait a minute… perhaps he did not forget it, but wanted to keep it because he needed it again later. In this case, it was not a mistake of his.
Yes, that could be it.
But for now, it was her who needed it, therefore she went to his room, and as the door was ajar, she pushed it open.
"Ranma ?"
But he was absent for the time being. Perhaps in the bathroom or downstairs, to get some snack or stuff.
Akane walked to his desk and quickly scanned it, but couldn't find the calculator.
Then probably in the drawer… or…
Her eyes lowered to the bottom of the desk and found his open schoolbag.
Could it be in there ?
Anyway, I should wait for him and then ask him where he put it…
Still, on the other hand, it was her stuff and she needed it now, so it wouldn't be that bad if she got it herself. He would probably understand.
Making up her mind, Akane kneeled by the open bag and leaned forward to get a look inside…
…and her eyes fell on a small dark shape at the front of the schoolbag.
Reaching out, she grabbed the thing and her fingers let her know that it was indeed the calculator.
Smiling, the brunette gave a brief look at the bag's contents then got back up.
And stood still as something reached the surface of her mind.
Her eyes returned to the schoolbag.
She frowned.
No, I shouldn't…
But when curiosity has got a hold of you…
Biting her lip, the wavering Akane finally couldn't resist any longer and kneeled again.
Her hand disappeared in the schoolbag and came back holding Ranma's homework notebook.
She half-turned in direction of the door.
No noise could be heard from the immediate proximity, but she did perceive distant noises somewhere downstairs, probably from the living room. She hoped he was down there and not in the bathroom, from which he could come back anytime… and catch her red-handed !
Quickly flipping through the pages, she reached the two related to next week's homework and read what Ranma had written.
But she quickly saw that something was missing.
There was a chemistry assignment for Wednesday… and an English one for Friday…
She read it all again and her eyes stopped on Tuesday, narrowing as she was thinking hard.
That math homework, there… didn't it comprise 3 exercises instead of just 2 ?
Akane wasn't quite certain about it, but almost.
She gulped and felt her temperature sink.
He has forgotten again ! And several things, this time ! How come he keeps forgetting homework ?
But she jumped and briefly glanced at the open door as she heard Ranma's voice downstairs :
"Ok, I'll do it later, Pops ! But I'd better start my homework now ! We don't have as much as usual for next week, but I still have to do it…"
Little did he know that there was more than what he had actually written down…
Akane realized with nervousness that the voice was getting closer as he spoke, meaning he was about to come up here, so she frantically put the notebook back in the schoolbag, exactly where it had been.
Ranma's footsteps now indicated that he was getting upstairs !
The brunette remembered just in time what she had come here for in the first place and grabbed the calculator.
The sound of the footsteps changed, indicated he had now reached the upper level and was now walking to his room.
Akane wanted to hurry out of there, but if she had, he would have understood immediately that her behaviour was fishy and that she had been up to something.
So she instead walked to the door at only a slightly rushed pace…
…and came face to face with her fiancé !
"Akane ?"
She made an effort to appear as normal as possible.
"Yeah… I had come for this !"
She raised her right hand to show him.
"Ah, your calculator ! Yes, I remember you lent it to me a few days ago…"
At least one thing he does remember…
"Exactly. And since I'll start my math homework, I'll need it."
"Sure. Sorry for not handing it back to you earlier. I'd better start working as well, I guess. The teachers gave us less to do, this time, but homework's homework, right… ?"
His betrothed didn't reply, realizing that he had that impression because he hadn't noted down ALL the assignments…
She hesitated, then decided to ask him.
"Uh, Ranma ? Speaking of homework, are you sure that... that you did write them all in your notebook ? You know, because of what happened last week, during math and history lessons ?"
"I'm pretty sure that I did, yes."
He seemed confident about it, so she was unsure what to do next : insist or not.
"Ok, if you're sure…" she ended up saying in a tone she wished was neutral, but instead gave away her doubts.
He merely looked at her, silent, and since the discussion seemed to have stalled, the short-haired girl left the pigtailed boy.
Back at her desk, she looked down at her math book, then gazed out of her window, lost in thought…
He seemed sure that he had not forgotten anything. If I had insisted, he might have suspected my inspection of his homework notes. But I can't let him get caught by the teachers. I'll find a way to bring it up again tomorrow, or on Sunday.
Then she felt like a weight in her chest…
…as if her heart had got slightly heavier.
But why is he suddenly forgetting stuff like that ? Twice last week, then during the geography exam this morning… and now assignments issues, twice again ! And those two incidents with the old lady splashing water on him…. Oh Ranma… what's on your mind ? What's wrong with you ?
-/-
-/-
Hey Folxxxx,
Just a lil' bit of info here : I'm not an English native speaker, and therefore don't master this language as well as you guys do, therefore please be merciful with me if you ever review this fic'. (Many thanxxxx beforehand !) I'll do my best though. ^^
The title of this chappy, SCHOO L ACKS (I do hope it appeared correctly on FF, because this website doesn't always respect the visual of the original document uploaded…), is a pun on "school" and "lacks", with letter L as intermediary : it refers to the omissions of Ranma regarding school stuff.
In my previous fiction, I put the Author's Notes at the end of the chapters, but this time I'll put them inside, right under the related paragraph, so that you can immediately read the note (without scrolling to the end). If you don't appreciate that choice, just let me know and I'll put them at the end, like before.
Oh, and for the first time ever, I think, I didn't write any FOREWORD as introduction to the story, so for once, the chapter numbers displayed on FF will match the chapter numbers of the documents uploaded (no discrepancy about chapters numbering).
That's it I guess. Thanxxxx for anyone caring to read this fic, and even more to review it. Please try to be kind in your remarks, and not flame me : I like constructive criticism, and if I feel like I can improve, I'll be motivated to do so. I won't be if your comments are too negative or prescriptive (I may do things differently than you do when writing, style-wise, content-wise and form-wise, but that doesn't mean it can't be accepted and respected… we're all different after all, and that's not a problem ! :) )
Take care and be happy… and good luck for your own stories ! :D
Later !
Léo