Ryoga felt devastated . Tired and worn out, he gave a big sigh as he desperately looked at his cellphone in his hand. He could feel the hatred filled looks that every occupants who were present at the lobby area were giving him. With his shaky fingers he again tried to dial Ranma's number but the outcome was still the same…. No answer from his side.
"AHM.. AHM.. I am sure you understand the consequences you have to face for making us wait for this long!" A deep masculine voice called out angrily. To that, Mellow, the other waitress growled angrily and said,
"I don't understand why I am WASTING my time and energy standing here, Hinata!?"
Hinata laughed with a gurgling sound as he said with his deep tone,
"Sorry for wasting your precious time, Mellow sweetheart, but you are the only eyewitness of what this idiot did to our innocent friend." He moved closer to Mellow and whispered to her, "And don't worry, you will get your commission as soon as he agrees to give the money!"
Mellow narrowed her eyes at him and said,
"Fine! But I can't wait for too long! Whatever it is, do it quickly.."
"Just give us five minutes, honey.." He winked at her and stood up straight. He pulled his black suit tightly on him, making a slapping sound as he firmly announced,
"This is the LAST time I am asking you, sir, are you going to pay for the damage or we call the police and hand you over to them?"
Cold sweat ran through Ryoga's forehead. He gulped and said with a pleading tone,
"Please.. You have to give me some more time! My friend is not answering my call.. He must be busy or else.."
"Friend? Wait a minute, are you talking about that sweet guy who ran after Juliet?" Mellow asked, wondering loudly.
Ryoga hastily nodded his head and said,
"Yes, he is the one! Please believe me, once he comes back here he will fix everything for me."
Hearing his hopeful tone, Mellow couldn't stop herself and started laughing out loud, and said in between her laughing,
"You are completely baka if you think he will return here for you!"
Ryoga growled and snapped at her, saying,
"He is my friend! He will definitely help me out of this stupid situation!"
"Oh really ?" Mellow chuckled and shook her head in dismay, as she said, "Judging by your nerve-wracked state, I can bet that he hasn't even picked your call yet! And as clearly as I witnessed the scene, I can easily tell that your friend has some sort of connection with my colleague and you were trying to break them apart by insulting her again and again. Which is a very low act, if you ask me, honey. You have some nerve to think that after what you did to them he will come back here to save you! You are such a pathetic ruscale, my God!"
Her words alone slapped him harder on his face then any physical blow. He started to feel guilty about what he did to them. In his haste to prove Akane wrong in front of Ranma, he portrayed himself as a devil and acted as a sinner. He can't justify his actions anymore! The damage has been done already and now, he have to accept the consequences of his idiotic act.
Hinata growled in an annoyed tone, too frustrated to realize how quite the room has suddenly become. He slapped the table beside him hard and snapped at Ryoga,
"Look man, I am not going to tolerate this stupidity anymore! If he is not picking up your call then call someone else! And if not then I am calling the cops RIGHT AWAY!" Saying that he pulled out his cellphone to call the cops.
"Alright , alright! Jeez, you are such a scam!"
Ryoga mumbled nervously and this time he decided to call Ranma's parents instead of calling Ranma. His fingers were literally shaking with nervousness. He knows if he calls Ranma's parents now, they would help him right away. But by doing so, they would know about their secret plan and maybe, they wouldn't allow Ranma to stay here anymore.
"What are you waiting for? Are you calling or should I call the police?" Hinata asked in a warning tone.
After a brief silence, Ryoga dropped his phone on his lap and muttered in a depressed tone,
"Go ahead.. You can call the cops on me. I… I dont have anyone to call anymore."
Hinata growled and muttered angryly,
"Such a waste of time! Damn it!" And he started to dial the cop's number in haste.
"HOLD ON A SECOND!"
Hinata stopped calling as he looked up in surprise. Ryoga became completely speechless; his nervousness turning into a flood of relief when he saw Ranma entering the hall with a sour expression on his face.
"RANMA! My Pal, I am so glad…"
Ryoga tried to call out to him in extreme joy; but Ranma stopped him midway as he held his hand up to indicate him to stop. Ryoga gulped as he closely observed Ranma's expression and held his tongue back in fear, because he never saw him angry like this before.
"So… you came for him at last!" Mellow said smiling, holding her hands together in front of her chest.
At first, Ranma gave her a plain look, but then when he recognized the woman he sighed and nodded his head at her which earned him a genuine smile from the girl.
"Tsk.. Why are you so fussy about his arrival, huh?" Hinata said moodily and went infront of Ranma and said, "You guys have wasted a tremendous amount of time of mine and now..."
"Come to the point. What did ya want from us?" Ranma asked with a hard tone.
Hinata was not expecting the interruption, he felt insulted and annoyed at the same time. He balled his hands by his side and said with a stern serious tone,
"Your friend here has broken very sensitive rule here, which is violating our worker."
"HEY, BUT YA JUST CAN'T PUT ALL THE BLAME ON ME, MR! I.." Ruoga tried to protest but stopped himself when he noticed the heated glare everyone was giving him. He gulped hard and normalized his tone, "I mean, how could I tell the difference? Here, one woman practically looked so willing to me and the other woman was resisting.."
"A NO is a NO..!!!" Ranma said with greeted teeth as he gave Ryoga a deadly glance, "And don't ya dare disrespect any other woman ever again! Shame on you man!"
Hearing that, Mellow smiled and said,
"The rules are clearly mentioned everywhere here; at the entryway, at our lobby, at our menu's front page also. And I hope you remember that I asked your friend if he knew about the rules and he said yes to me." Saying that she walked towards Ranma and handed him a leaflet and said, "Look at this, it's clearly mentioned here that all the waitresses should be treated with respect and no one can touch them without their permission. Especially those who are wearing white aprons."
"And if any person breaks these rules, they would have to face a huge amount of penalty and if they are unable to pay, they would be handed over to the cops with the charge of harassment. I hope you can clearly understand what I mean to say." Hinata intervened as he sternly looked at Ranma.
Ranma looked at Hinata and said in a hard tone,
"Its a dirty game you are playing here.."
Hinata smirked and said arrogantly, "Heh.. it's called business, my friend! Anyway, it's not that I am misguiding anyone here. I gave warnings everywhere, but people like him is way too naive to see what are they doing. And no matter what my colleagues are wearing, either it's a golden apron or white apron, no one has the right to disrespect and mistreat any woman, not in my workplace, nop, never, ever.. Or else this is the consequence they have to face.."
Ranma released a big breath and asked in a deep voice,
"I am sorry for his behavior… Now please Name the amount .. I will pay ya right away..."
Honata smirked and said,
"I like you actually! Now we are talking, Mr.."
Ranma, and Ryoga reached their apartment in a dead silence, neither Ranma uttered any word to him nor did Ryoga dared to start any conversation with him.
At their apartment, Ukyo welcomed them at the doorway and immediately escorted Ranma to sit down on the living room couch. She waited patiently for them to explain the event to her, but to her dismay they sat quietly for a long time and she also noticed how Ryoga was trying his best to maintain a distance from Ranma.
After a long time of uncomfortable silence, Ranma finally broke his silence and explained everything to Ukyo. At first she became totally unsure if she was hearing it right, but then her surprised state turned into an immense hatred for Ryoga. She furiously glared at Ryoga and stood up in outrage,
"RYOGA! HOW DARE YOU!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST AN IDIOT, BUT IDIOT IS NOT WHAT YOU ARE! YOU..YOU…YOU PERVERTED JACKASS!"
Magazine in hand, she rushed towards him and started beating him constantly with it!
"YOU JERK! YOU PIG!.. YOU… YOU.."
"HEY! STOP HITTING ME YA CRAZY WOMAN!" Ryoga protested hard and tried to shield his head from the hard slap Ukyo was constantly giving him with the magazine.
"WHAT! CRAZY! ME! YOU DARE TO SAY THAT AGAIN TO ME, JACKASS! YOU KNOW WHAT, RANCHAN SHOULD HAVE LEFT YOU THERE WITH THE COPS! YOU DESERVE TO BE IN JAIL AFTER WHAT YOU DID.. RIGHT, RANCHAN?..."
When silence greeted her, she looked back at where Ranma was sitting moments ago and to her dismay, she saw the seat empty. Ukyo sighed and noticed the shadow of Ranma as he entered his room.
"Oh my poor Ranchan!"
She swiftly left Ryoga's side and walked towards Ranma's room and saw him sitting on his bed. His room was dark, but she could clearly see him by the light which was coming from the living room. She slowly entered his room and silently sat beside him. She instantly noticed the empty cup on his hand, which he was giving all his attention to. She was about to ask him about the cup but when she noticed the red lipstick mark over it which he was carefully tracing with his finger, she assumed the possibility and kept her mouth shut.
"Ucchan.."
Taken aback by his sudden call, she shook a bit and asked in a haste,
"Huh? Umm, sorry, what is it, Ranchan?"
"What if she… I don't know, Ucchan.." He sighed and said, "What if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore.."
"Oh Ranchan!" Ukyo laid her hand over his arm and said, "The way you comforted her, I am sure she would love to continue talking with you. Please don't worry about anything, honey."
"Damn it, Ucchan! Stop sugar-coating everything!" He closed his eyes tightly, feeling way too frustrated and completely lost, as he continued saying, "I don't know why but I am feeling so restless right now! Whatever happened tonight;... her tears, her broken state, it broke my heart so badly! I swear, somehow I felt that she wanted to tell me so many things. She was hiding a deep sadness within her heart. I want to know everything about her! But we barely know each other, why would she wanna share her secrets with me! What am I to her? Why am I feeling so restless for her! Why is her being sad and lost bothering me so much! I just want her to trust me and tell me everything! I don't want her to fear me at all! But why would she trust me!? How can she trust a liar like me! You understand what I mean to say right, Ucchan? I am lying to her since DAY ONE! How can she trust me! She shouldn't trust a lier like me at all!" He intensely looked at her and saw her giving him a stern look.
"Please Ranchan, I understand what you are going through now but you have to trust yourself first! Just give it some time and get a hold on your emotions for now. To be honest with you, this wish of yours to know more about Akane sounds almost impossible to me. I have known her for so long, she is an amazing girl and the best person to be with, but she has always been a mystery girl to me. Like you, I wanted to know a lot about her too, but she was never open to me! That's why eventually I stopped and never asked her anything.."
Ranma's face faulted immediately, he growled loudly and laid back on his bed making a thumping sound. Ukyo owed at him and said,
"You should take some rest, honey! Please don't overthink stuffs!"
He hides his eyes with his arm as he thought to himself,
'Damn it,woman! What are you doing to me?! ….What do ya want from me?!... Who are you anyways?... Why do I want to know about you so badly?... What is wrong with me! ….What are ya doing to me, Kane..'
'Kane..'
' I trust you, Kane! … You don't have to explain anything to me!'
"Akane!"
'And hear me loud and clear, ...we ARE friends.. no matter if you want it or not.. I am not going ta leave your side..'
"Akane..!!!"
'Kane….'
"Akane…!!!"
"I am not going ta leave your side ever..'
"AKANE!! WAKE UP YOU SLEEPY HEAD!"
Akane moaned tiredly, she pulled her blanket over her head and said,
"I am awake, idiot! I don't wanna go today. You go without me."
Akio was completely taken aback by her sudden announcement, he growled in annoyance and entered her room without her permission,
"HEY! I won't let it happen and you know it very well, Akane!"
"I SAID, I don't wanna go today! I need some rest!" Akane muffled replied came out from under her blanket.
" REST! What the...! What is wrong with you! These last two days all you did was sleeping, mopping, eating and sleeping again!"
"I don't care! Leave me alone now!"
Akio growled angrily and said in a heated tone,
"I am not asking you, I AM TELLING YOU GET UP THIS INSTANT!"
"Oww! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I AM NOT GOING TODAY!"
Akio took a deep breath to calm himself as he began to say again, in a much more calmer tone,
"Akane, listen, if you start missing classes then it will definitely cause problems for your studies.."
"Would you please leave me alone, Akio! I can skip once in a while if I want to! Don't act like you are my father and stop bossing me around! Now get out of my room!" Akane replied harshly.
There was no debate after that, Akio silently left her room, loudly closing her room door behind him.
Hearing the noise, Akane quickly rose up from her bed as guilt started to build up in her heart.
"Oh no! Akio wait! I am sorry.."
But it was late as he left a long before her realisation. She moaned and started running after him in a frantic way.
"Akio! AKIO WAIT!" She asked as she ran after him. But he didn't look back at her and left the house without saying a word. When she saw him leaving the house without her, she stopped and snapped at him angrily,
"Uhhh! That IDIOT! AKIO! I HATE YOU!"
"No you don't."
Akane moaned and turned to look at her elder sister who just popped out from their kitchen with her trademark smile on her face. Akane pouted at her and said,
"Kasumi… why he never gives me any break! I am tired of his insistence!"
"Oh my!" Kasumi laid her hand over her cheek and asked, "But you never complained like this before! What happened to you today?!"
"I don't know….!!" Akane looked completely lost and miserable, she looked ready to cry as she sighed and said, "I don't know anything at all!" saying that with a frustrated growl, she ran up to her room again.
"Oh dear!" Kasumi started following Akane. Upon reaching her room she saw her getting dressed up, with an angry pout on her face. She fondly smiled at her imouto and went inside her room. Her smile slowly faded away as she kept looking at her imouto. She bites onto her lower lip as she said in a soft tone,
"I am sorry, Akane dear. It's all because of me that you have to go through all this! If it's not for me then.."
"Don't you dare say that again, Oneechan! Or else I.." Akane hastily turned to face Kasumi, though she said those words with hard determination, her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. She ran towards Kasumi and hugged her tightly and said, "Please don't say anything like that again! You know how it hurts me."
"But, Akane; if I hadn't been a burden on you, you wouldn't have to do this job in the first place!"
"No!" Akane whined and broke their hug. She sternly looked at her sister and said, "I would have done this job in any situation, Oneechan. You know very well why I need to save up for.."
"Yes..but.."
"No buts please!" Akane sighed tiredly and slowly walked towards her bed and took a seat on the corner of her bed. She began to massage her forehead and felt her sister sitting beside her.
"Oh honestly, I should have listened to that idiot and left with him! Now you are misunderstanding my situation and it's making me even more miserable, oh Kami!"
Kasumi smiled at her and laid her hand on Akane's free hand and asked her calmly,
"You know you can tell me anything, right Imouto?"
Akane sighed and nodded her head. Then taking a deep long breath, she started explaining to her about the things that were bothering her, (in a frantic way)..
"This is STUPID! Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!"
Kasumi was completely taken aback by her sudden outburst! She became even more confused when she saw her young sister acting so unusually as she stood up in haste and started pacing like a caged tiger,
"I mean, why am I skipping my class? For WHO am I skipping my class for? I never did this before! At first he came, he looked at me like I was a ghost, then he told me I am the girl of his dreams! Then he insisted we become friends and when I thought we could become friends, he stopped sitting beside me! He even stopped talking to me! THE NERVE OF THAT IDIOT! Then he suddenly popped up that night and his friend Ryoga...uhhhhh! Then he chased me and even comforted me! He then told me he ignored me because that IDIOT AKIO told him that me and Akio were engaged and that was the reason he was ignoring me! THAT IDIOT AKIO! HOW DARE HE SAID THAT TO HIM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!UHH!"
She looked at Kasumi with an angry pout , making her sweat in nervousness as Akane said in one breath,
"So WHAT if Akio declared that to him! He always tells the same thing to other guys too! It never bothered me before! WHY DOES IT BOTHERING ME SO BADLY NOW! AM I GOING INSANE, ONEECHAN?! WHY OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD I CHOOSE TO BREAK DOWN IN FRONT OF HIM! UHHH! OH HONESTLY, WHAT WAS I THINKING! NOW HE WILL THINK I AM A CRYBABY AND WEAK! Wait a second…. WHY DO I EVEN CARE ABOUT WHAT RANMA MIGHT THINK ABOUT ME! THIS IS STUPID! I DON'T CARE IF HE THINKS I AM A CRYBABY OR WEAK! WHY WOULD I CARE IF HE SEATS BESIDE ME OR NOT! I DON'T CARE ABOUT HIM AT ALL! HE IS NO ONE TO ME! NO ONE! Yes! That's right!You know what, I will NOT skip my classes because of him! WHO IS HE TO ME , HUH! I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE! THAT'S STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPIDDD!"
Still speechless, Kasumi dumbfoundedly looked at her sister as she huffed angrily and walked out from her room in haste.. After some moment of silent, she gave a long sigh and said to a lonely room,
"Oh my my my!"
Akane arrived at her classroom just in time. She saw Akio giving her a stern stare as she slowly entered the classroom. She angrily pouted back at him and calmly sat on her bench. She could feel a presence beside her. She gulped and tried her best to ignore her willingness to see who was sitting beside her.
"Akane.."
Her heart instantly dropped when she heard Ukyo's voice who was sitting by her side. She balled her fists and bites on her own tongue, hating herself for feeling sad because of this silly reason. But despite being sad, she looked at Ukyo and smiled at her,
"Hey, Ukyo."
"How are you, today?"
"I am fine! Thanks! What about you?" She asked while smiling.
Ukyo smiled back at her and said,
"I am fi.."
"Ucchan.."
Both of them looked up and saw Ranma standing with his bag on his shoulder. He had a tired expression on his face as if he hadn't got a blink of sleep last night. He looked at Akane and then to Ukyo as he said with a cracky tone,
"Can you please move back to yar seat, I want to seat here."
Ukyo smiled up at him and looked back at Akane and said,
"As I was saying, I am more than fine, Akane!"
Ukyo winked at her and rose up from her seat . She gave an encouraging nod to Ranma and let him sit at his own seat beside Akane.
Ranma sat with a soft huff, still not getting enough courage to look at Akane eye to eye.
Akane's heart started pounding so hard when she felt Ranma's presence by her side. She looked down and tried her best to act as casually as possible, but she could tell she was failing miserably.
Ranma was out of words too. He doesn't know what to say to her or how to start a conversation with her! For last two nights he couldn't sleep a bit! Whenever he tried to sleep, her tear-filled face and heart-wrenching cries would come to his mind which kept him awake all night long. That's the reason why he came late for the class." Before entering the classroom, he had prepared a long speech about what to say to her, along with an act of casual behaviour. But now after seeing her face, he became completely clueless of what to say to her and that cluelessness began to make him more restless and frustrated at the same time. He growled with agony and without saying anything to her, he helplessly looked at her and kept looking at her, intensely.
Akane immediately felt his intense stare on her. Her casualties gone, she broke all her resistance and looked back at him with the same desperation as he was showing to her.
Both looked exhausted, both confused about their feelings, and both helpless to their situation.. Their stare kept each other fully captivated. Both wanting to say so many things, but both got lost in their own frantic thoughts.
Her intense stare and worn-out expression made him more desperate to do something quickly to make her comfortable around him. After some time, he rested his elbow over the table as he looked down and sighed defeatedly. After some moment has passed, he slowly looked up at her again, but now with a small smile on his face as he offered a friendly fist bump with his hand to her.
She became surprised to see him shifting his mood to an angry young man to a friendly smiling man so quickly! Then she noticed his fist which was pointing towards her. She couldn't stop but smile at his gesture, though confused and tired of her mixed-up feelings, she sighed and smiled back at him. While shaking her head in defeat, she slowly bumped her fist with his fist in a friendly punch….
A/N: I am so sorry that I have taken so long to update. I hope you guys will understand why I was late. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this fic. Please let me know by your reviews. With your reviews I can also get a glimpse of how many of you are still reading this fic. Thank you all so much. I hope to post soon :)