All night, Akane was plagued by terrible nightmares: Visions of Ranma slipping through her fingers in a murky sea of gray, of watching him run off with Ukyo, happy and laughing, abandoning her like she meant nothing.
Was it any wonder, then, that she'd awoken grumpy and exhausted, with dark rings around her eyes and an overwhelming desire to HIT something?
Preferably Ranma.
But herself, too, because this was all her own stupid fault.
It hadn't helped either that Ranko had disappeared sometime during the night. That little fact unnerved her almost as much as the nightmares. Who knew what her meddlesome friend had been up to?
But after crawling out of bed, Akane learned TRUE fear because the second she stepped outside Ranko's suite, it was to find Ranma standing there, waiting for her.
"R-Ranma!" Instantly, she froze.
"Hey, Akane."
At the sight of him, she almost turned and ran back inside. The only thing stopping her was knowing he'd follow. For now, Akane continued to hold her ground, trying to look more confident than she felt.
She wasn't ready for this conversation at all.
After what happened, what could she possibly say to him? Sorry for rejecting you yesterday? Thanks for the kiss? Congrats on your engagement? What was he expecting?
"H-hey," she greeted back, parroting his words, hoping to feel more in control. "What, um, brings you by? Are you looking for Ranko?"
"No. I came to see you."
Oh. Akane glanced at him more carefully, trying to gauge his mood. He didn't seem angry or annoyed. He looked . . . guilty? Embarrassed?
She would've preferred anger.
Anger she could understand; anger she could handle. Without it, there was just indifference.
And indifference was one step away from her dream coming true.
"Sorry to show up so suddenly," Ranma began, his hand nervously moving to his neck. "I just really wanted to talk to you, you know, before you heard it from someone else."
Her chest tightened. "O-oh? Um, hear what?" Even as she asked, images of him eloping with Ukyo, of leaving her forever, filled her thoughts like a terrible premonition.
Ranma scuffed his feet awkwardly against the linoleum. "Just, about my engagement. I thought Ranko would have told you. Um, but she didn't?"
"Oh! That," Akane said, forcing a laugh and feigning indifference like her life depended on it. "I heard. You and-and Ukyo, right?"
"Yeah. . ."
He eyed her uncertainly, trying to gauge her reaction this time.
Akane was determined to give nothing away. "Yup. I heard, and I'm happy for you," she said, short and to the point. Just like she'd practiced in her head.
He would've get anything out of her. She was a vault!
"You are?" He repeated, and she thought she saw his jaw clench.
"Yup," Akane told him as she began walking, like this was no big deal, just any other day. "Couldn't be happier."
"Great," he told her tightly, keeping pace beside her, and Akane found herself silently cursing the wide hallways. This would go so much smoother if she didn't have to walk beside him. "I mean, after last night, I was worried you'd be upset, or sad, or pissed. Glad to see you don't care at all."
"Nope. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine," she told him. "Honestly, Ranma, I don't care who you marry. You could marry a duck for all I care, and I'd still be happy for you."
"A duck," he repeated, his tone hard and disbelieving.
"That's right, a duck. I'm sure the two of you would be incredibly happy together."
"Huh. Maybe you're right," he told her. "Heck, I bet a duck would be more affectionate than you, honest, and loads cuter. Not to mention, ducks are actually kinda smart, not to mention expert swimmers, and—"
"Alright, already, I get it!" Akane snapped as she came to a stop and poked him in the chest. "Apparently, I'm no better than a waterfowl! Happy now?"
Ranma shrugged as a grin tugged at his lips. "A little."
"And so what if I am?" she told him, annoyance sharpening her words. "I rejected you, remember? So it looks like I don't have anything to prove anyway!"
That wiped the smirk off his face real quick. "Gee, thanks for the reminder, Akane. Almost forgot."
"Well, don't," she finished lamely and then cringed, realizing how she must have sounded.
Petty and angry and cruel.
What was wrong with her?!
Anxious to put some distance between them again, now more than ever, Akane quickly resumed walking, increasing her pace with every mortified step.
But he was still right beside her, not giving an inch.
Honestly! Couldn't he take a hint?!
"You're pretty good at that, you know," Ranma continued, not letting the conversation drop.
Against her better judgment, Akane muttered, "Pretty good at what?"
"Running away."
Her foot must've hit something because the next thing she knew, she stumbled and almost careened into the wall. Red-faced and humiliated, she carefully righted herself and only then noticed Ranma's steadying presence at her back. His arm was extended as if to catch her.
Worry tinged his voice as he looked her over. "You dummy! Are you okay?!"
"Fine," she replied, even though she wasn't. He'd hit a sore spot.
After all, she was here in Wistalia after running from Kuno, wasn't she? And ever since that night Hinako had drained her father, hadn't she started running and never really stopped. . .?
But she was nowhere near ready to admit as much.
"Is there some reason you're following me? You do know that the dining hall's in the other direction, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going there," he told her, like he hadn't just said the most un-Ranma-like thing ever.
"You? Skip breakfast?" She forced a laugh. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
He winked at her. "Never better."
Fear slowly inched up Akane's throat as she realized what direction he was likely headed then. "And what direction might that be?"
She stupidly hoped she was wrong.
Ukyo would be at the training fields right about now. Her and Ryoga had taken it upon themselves to help oversee their morning routine—probably because the generals weren't big on the whole "rising early" or "helping" thing.
Still, he wouldn't. Would he?
"The training fields, like you. Thought I'd say good morning to my cute new fiancée. See how she's holding up."
He would.
Honestly! It was like the jerk enjoyed rubbing his engagement in her face!
"I'm sure she's fine."
"Yeah, but the other guys are probably giving her a tough time, ya know? Wouldn't hurt to pop my head in or maybe knock some heads in," he added, laughing at his own joke.
It wasn't funny. None of this was funny.
How could he go from KISSING her last night to suddenly fawning over another girl the very next morning?!
She never would've dreamed the dummy could be so fickle!
"Wow, I'm impressed, Ranma."
"You are?" He asked, looking genuinely surprised.
"Of course! After I left, it took you TWO whole minutes to move on! You must be very proud of yourself."
He couldn't have missed her sarcasm or failed to see how her jaw had tightened, her entire body tensing with indignation. She watched him swallow nervously out of the corner of her eye as if weighing his response.
"You're counting. . .?"
On second thought, maybe he wasn't weighing anything at all. Maybe he didn't value his life or his honor.
Akane immediately stopped walking, practically vibrating with fury as Ranma stopped, too.
"Akane. . .?"
So many replies danced on the tip of her tongue—You dummy, I hate you! I never want to see you again! Go ahead and marry Ukyo for all I care, you stupid jerk! Last night meant nothing!—but she bit them back. She bit them all back.
Getting angry would only prove she regretted her decision, wouldn't it? And she wasn't.
She wasn't!
"Go on ahead," she said, smiling stiffly as she motioned forward. "I wouldn't want to slow you down."
Ranma looked confused at first, his eyes seeming troubled, but then he recovered quickly and gave her an uncertain smile. "Yeah, sure. See you there, I guess."
"Yup." Akane nodded and watched him hurry ahead. No longer in a rush, she took her time as she tried to calm herself down. The last thing she wanted to do was have a jealous outburst after seeing them together.
It was time for her to get it together!
She had to summon the soul of ice; maybe then this would be easy.
(This was never going to be easy.)
…
Unfortunately, Ranma wasn't the only one waiting for Akane that morning. As the tomboy neared the barracks, every one of the generals, and even a few of her training partners, paused from their drill to turn and look in her direction; huge, ridiculous grins on all their faces.
Looking rattled, Akane noticeably slowed, as if trying to gauge what she was walking into. He wasn't surprised. The generals were rarely here this early, and Ukyo and Ryoga were both noticeably missing.
"Well, well, if it isn't the belle of the ball," joked Ryu Kumon, giving her a wink.
Taro bowed dramatically and with a snicker, asked, "Should we start calling you Your Highness, Your Highness?"
"What in the world are you two babbling about?" Akane muttered, still in a bad mood from before.
Ranma flushed, feeling guilty about that.
Still, a plans a plan so he was determined to see it through to the end.
"I admit to being confused as well," said Mousse, adjusting his glasses as he addressed a training dummy. Without a word, Shampoo silently turned him so he was facing the right direction.
"As am I. I was under the impression that His Highness was marrying Miss Ukyo," Konatsu added, though the poor sap sounded hopeful that wasn't the case.
Little did he know Ukyo was practically sworn to Ryoga already. Either way, he didn't stand a chance.
But all eyes turned to look at Akane anyway. "Well, I'M certainly not marrying him!" she snapped, causing Ranma to wince.
Yup, still mad.
Ignoring everyone the best she could, Akane threw her sword down on the ground, followed by her cloak. Then she moved to one of the practice dummies and started attacking the straw figure with renewed ferocity.
Ranma hoped it wasn't his face she was imagining with every swing . . . but, yeah. It probably was.
It wouldn't last long.
Ryu waved a dismissive hand, not buying what she was selling. "Ukyo's a red herring," he told them with a confidence that came from years of working under the crown. "Everybody knows Ranma's got the hots for little Miss Chosen over there—ain't that right, Saotome?"
Ranma rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you were so interested in my love life. Is it 'cause you're all still single and miserable?"
"Ouch," said Taro, still grinning, only to have Shampoo sidle up next to him and possessively take hold of his arm.
"Husband no is single," she protested.
Taro shoved her away. "I said I'm not marrying you, Blue."
"Huh. Most of you," Ranma corrected with a grin, knowing Taro despised his new love interest. Again, he tried to pry her arm off, but she held fast like a barnacle, refusing to give way.
"Actually, I heard him and Liplock went all the way last night," Lime whispered to Mint, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Ooh, balcony love," Mint tittered as the other moron joined in.
"Where the hell do you idiots get your information?" Ranma demanded as he smacked them both over the head with his fist.
But the fact that he was blushing almost as brightly as Akane wasn't lost on anyone.
Ryu stretched lazily. "Hey, it's not their fault you can't keep it in your pants."
"NOTHING HAPPENED!" Akane shouted again as she threw a kendo stick at his head.
The general easily dodged. "Whatever you say, your future Highness."
Before either one of them could yell at him again, Herb chose that moment to toss the loudmouth a bamboo pole. "If you fools spent as much time training as you did spouting nonsense, then perhaps you wouldn't repeatedly lose to him."
"I only lose because he always cheats," Ryu complained.
"There's no cheating in combat, stupid," Ranma told him as another pole went hurling past him and into the hands of Taro.
Mint and Lime each picked up their poles as Herb expertly swung his through the air, adjusting to the weapon's weight and length. The trainees gathered loosely around the generals, eyeing them warily but ready for anything.
Realizing a fight was imminent, Ranma strolled to the outlining field so he wouldn't be in their way. Though watching others train and fight was torturous—it always made him want to be in the thick of it, too.
However, the desire to see how much Akane had improved outweighed everything else.
After all, if Ukyo wasn't here yet to play the doting fiancée, this was the next best thing.
"Now that you're all warmed up," Herb announced, positioning himself in an offensive stance, his pole extending parallel to the ground. "Any moment now, we'll come at you. The rest of you—avoid getting hit."
Immediately, everyone except Ranma took up defensive positions, prepared to spring into action at a moment's notice—which was good because a moment's notice was all they had. Right after Herb finished his warning, the generals each launched their attack, weapons slicing through the air as war cries filled the battlefield, forcing the trainees to scatter.
But there was only one trainee Ranma was interested in.
Though strength, not speed, was Akane's specialty, it was already easy to see the effects of her training as she repeatedly ducked and twisted her body to avoid getting hit, making it seem effortless. Even against multiple opponents, she moved around them like she'd been doing it all her life. He didn't normally associate grace and poise with the rough and clumsy tomboy, but he saw that in her now.
There was just one problem . . . that's all she was doing.
While the others had started fighting back—Mousse had already drawn his weapons from his long sleeves and was actively trying to break the bamboo poles while Shinnosuke and the others secured their signature weapons—Akane remained solely on the defensive.
Ranma didn't understand it.
Why hadn't she gone for her sword?
Just when he was about to stand and start shouting at her to pull her head out of her ass—to grab something, anything!—Mint materialized right behind her, his pole raised high above her head to strike, and Ranma shot to his feet, the need to protect her drowning out everything else.
But before he could take a step, a broom came barreling down from the other side, blocking Mint's pole and pushing it safely away from her.
The tomboy had just enough time to look surprised and thankful, said, "Thanks, Shinnosuke!" and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a follow-up blow from Herb.
Blocking another of Mint's attacks, her savior grunted, "Anytime!"
Ranma frowned, and feeling petulant, plopped back down on the ground. That should've been me, he thought, his eyes boring holes into the oblivious boy with the broom.
There were several more close encounters after that, moments when Ranma's protective instincts almost made him call an end to the melee, forcing Akane off the field. Everyone else out there DESERVED to get pounded.
Yet, every time, he held himself back. For starters, it wasn't his place, and it wasn't part of The Plan.
He had to stay aloof. Uninterested.
However, as the exercise continued, Akane didn't get any better.
To his eternal frustration, even when it was within reach, when the perfect opportunity came to steal someone else 's weapon, she still never went for it.
It was maddening.
Eventually, thankfully, after several more close calls that nearly made Ranma's heart implode, Herb called an end to the exercise. Akane and the others fell to the ground in exhaustion, and Ranma, feeling like he'd been through the wringer himself, breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Good job," said Taro in a rare show of praise. "None of you were maimed or killed. I'm almost impressed."
"I for sure thought I was a goner there a few times," wheezed Konatsu.
"Truly! Let's never train like that again," Tsubasa whined.
Ranma, still bitter over the excessive heart attacks he'd almost suffered, angrily approached Akane. "One question," he said, fuming. "Why the hell didn't you go for a weapon? Were you TRYING to get yourself killed out there?"
Still sprawled out on the ground, Akane didn't even shift her position or open her eyes to look at him. "I don't have to tell you anything," she muttered tiredly as she flung an arm over her eyes and went back to being passed out.
"Okaay," Ranma muttered, not about to give her the satisfaction of rest as he began nudging her foot with his own. "Then I don't have to stop doing this."
"Ranma," Akane complained as she tried to kick his foot away or evade.
"Akane," he mocked, not letting up one bit.
Realizing he wouldn't leave her alone anytime soon, Akane sighed in frustration. "If you must know," she relented, finally glaring at him. "It was intentional. A weapon won't always be an option, and sometimes it's useless against an opponent. That's why I wanted to try fighting hands-free for once—to prove I don't need one."
"Of course, you don't need a weapon . . . if you're trying to get serially MAIMED! You could've gotten hurt!"
"I could've been hurt with a weapon too, Ranma, but I wasn't!"
"Only because those idiots," he replied, gesturing towards the generals, "went easy on you!"
"I didn't," Mint piped up proudly as Ranma shot him a look that promised endless misery and pain.
Terrified, the pint-sized warrior quickly hid himself behind Lime.
"The point of the exercise," Ranma continued, eyes back on Akane, "is to avoid getting hit long enough to find a weapon from your surroundings. In a real fight, your hands could be neutralized long before you even have a chance to defend!"
"That's not true! They can't neutralize me if they can't catch me!"
"With how slow YOU move?" He scoffed, gesturing to all her fresh new bruises. "Fat chance!"
"WELL, maybe MY opponent doesn't have a normal weapon!"
"Their weapon of choice doesn't matter, dummy! If they see an opening, they'll TAKE it!"
Before Akane could argue that further, Herb, of all people, chose that moment to intervene. "I believe it's called combat training for a reason, Saotome," he reminded him. "There's no right or wrong way to go about it. Although, in this particular instance, I do concur. It was foolhardy to avoid appropriating a weapon in these circumstances. Next time, arm yourself, Girl."
"What he meant to say," Taro added dryly, "is to lighten up, Princey. It's not like your fiancée was in any REAL danger."
"I said we're not—!" "She's not my—!"
Ranma stopped to glare at her, only to find she was already glaring back.
"Anyway," he sniffed, addressing Taro again. "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who almost had their head bashed in by an overzealous oaf!"
"True," agreed Ryu, with a mischievous glint in his eye. "But Shinnosuke here had her back, didn't you, bud?" As he put an arm around him, the unsung hero laughed uncomfortably as Ranma's deadly gaze zeroed in on him.
"Honestly, Ranma," muttered Akane, forcing herself to sit up. "Don't you have anything better to do? Like bothering your cute, new, competent fiancée?"
"Yeah! Go run the country or something!" Mint piped up, still hiding behind Lime—only to have Pantyraid walk up and smack him across the head immediately.
"Hey! I live in this country, you dumb-ass! Keep your crazy ideas to yourself!"
"That's right!" Ryu passionately agreed. "Do you really want a fool like HIM running things?!"
Crossing his arms, Ranma narrowed his eyes on them both. "Sure, go on, laugh it up, you idiots. Pissing off your future sovereign sounds like a GREAT idea."
"Ha! Jokes on you, Ranma! Their ideas are NEVER great!" Lime innocently boasted.
As Ryu and Pantyhose went to town beating the jerk, Akane climbed to her feet and went for her sword. "So, what's next?" she asked, addressing Herb, ready to go again.
Ranma eyed her incredulously. Did she have a death wish or something?!
He'd barely survived their last bout!
"Why don't we wait until Ukyo shows up?" Ryu suggested, tearing himself away from Lime for a hot minute. "Then you two could fight over who gets to marry our little princeling instead."
Ranma glared right as Akane replied firmly: "No, thank you. She can have him!"
"Hey!" Ranma protested, trying not to feel insulted. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to sulk for long. His eyes zeroed in on Shinnosuke, who had moved closer to Akane in a sudden show of solidarity.
"I could go for another round myself," he chimed in, gaining a genuine smile from the tomboy as he hefted his broom.
Unconsciously, Ranma's jaw tightened.
What the hell?
Just WHO was supposed to be jealous of WHO here?!
"Great idea," said Taro, fighting back a smirk. "You two can spar. You were saying you want more hand-to-hand training, right? Getting down and dirty on the ground, rolling about—it'll be good practice."
"Like hell," Ranma protested, shaking off that disturbing image. "I'll train her! She's not gonna learn squat practicing with some amateur anyway. No offense," he muttered, nodding to the amateur in question.
Shinnosuke scratched his head. "I don't think there was any taken?"
"Great, then it's settled. Unless," Ranma added, glancing back at Akane mockingly. "You're chicken."
The dork pushed up her sleeves, as if ready to go that very minute. "Of you? Never!"
"Awesome!" He cracked his knuckles, chuckling, which is right when his fake-fiancée finally decided to make an appearance.
"Wow! Looks like we got here right on time," Ukyo said, dragging Ryoga behind her.
Even though their little spar had been interrupted, Ranma couldn't help but be relieved at the sight of her. So far, the only one getting jealous around here had been him.
"Uh oh, looks like the proverbial wife's returned," joked Taro as all eyes turned to the newcomers.
"Wife, my ass," muttered Ryoga, in total denial, as he hit Taro upside the head, only to have Taro hit him right back. Ukyo, ignoring the squabbling idiots, bounded up to Ranma, grinning widely.
"So," she whispered, leaning forward so no one else could hear. "Ranko told me the plan. You sure you're up to this, Hon?"
"I'm in if you are," he whispered back. "I say we let these idiots squirm!"
"Right!" she agreed and quickly wrapped her arm around his, staking her claim as she turned to face practically every eye in the room. "Sorry we're so late. That big jackass over there decided to go and get himself lost again!"
"You say that like it was a choice," the jackass grunted, so busy trying to strangle Taro he hadn't noticed what was happening with Ukyo.
Which was a good thing.
If he saw, it'd be Ranma in a chokehold instead, and Ryoga could be annoyingly tenacious when he wanted to be.
Shampoo, annoyed at having her panty-boy throttled right in front of her, could only bat uselessly at his arm, demanding, "Let Airen—" whatever the hell that meant, "—go!" as Lime and Mint clung desperately to Ryoga's legs, trying to pry him off too.
Heh. Pantyhose didn't stand a chance.
Oh well.
More curious about how Akane was responding to him and Ukyo, Ranma covertly snuck a glance in her direction, and at the sight of her scowling and feigning disinterest, his grin grew three times as big.
Ha! Take that, tomboy! How do you like it when the shoe's on the other foot?!
However, not wanting to give her the impression that he was gloating, he smartly turned his attention back to Ukyo.
Ryu, meanwhile, stepped forward, clapping the poor sap on the back who had finally released Taro. "No hard feelings, eh, Ryoga?" he said with a smarmy grin. "Sure, Ranma may have stolen your potential wife and has another girl on the side—"
"NO, HE DOESN'T!" Akane yelled back.
"But hey, what can you do?" He continued with a shrug. "What's the point of being royalty if the guy can't get a few perks, am I right?"
As Ryoga started beating Ryu this time, Ranma and Ukyo focused on each other, locked in their own private play. "I sure have missed you," Ranma told her dramatically, grabbing her hands in his.
"Oh yes, me too," said Ukyo, her eyes wide and shining with adoration.
Man, we aren't half bad, Ranma thought as he turned his head slightly, eager to see Akane in a jealous fit.
Only that wasn't what he saw.
At. All.
Instead of crying her eyes out or looking ready to grovel at his feet, the stupid girl was laughing and flirting with that jerk Shinnosuke!
What. The. Hell.
Ranma dropped Ukyo's hand so fast they might as well have been on fire. "Hey!" Ukyo protested, tearing her eyes away from Ryoga long enough to try and snatch his hand back.
"Sorry," Ranma muttered, still glaring at Akane. "I forgot I promised to spar."
"Oh, okay then," she said brightly, her fake smile back in place. "Hurry back now, you hear? You—you cutie, you!"
"Right," he said, already headed towards the tomboy.
Ukyo deflated as she watched him go, lost without her partner. Of course, Ryoga was too busy arguing with all the gossiping jackasses to notice or care.
"Gee. love hurts, doesn't it?" Mint sighed as he took Ranma's place beside Ukyo.
"Huh. You sure got that right, hon."
Mint nodded and then asked, "So, can I see your boobs?"
As Ukyo beat him senseless, Tsubasa and Konatsu could only nod approvingly. "Now THAT he had coming," said Konatsu.
Ranma barely heard the exchange. It took no time at all to reach Akane, but once he did, he grabbed her wrist to get her attention. "So, we gonna train or what?"
Akane scowled at the offending hand. "Oh? Done flirting with your new fiancée already?"
"Well, no," Ranma replied with a smirk, "but training your dumb ass needs to come first."
"I don't think your ass is dumb, Akane," Shinnosuke defended gallantly.
Ranma hissed. "Don't you have a sewer to sweep somewhere?"
"Oh, honestly, stop picking on him, Ranma!" Akane admonished. "It's not his fault he's sweet, honest, and easy to talk to. The complete opposite of you, actually."
Shinnosuke blushed down to his toes as Ranma crossed his arms, leveling her with a look. "You gonna keep stalling, or do you wanna put your money where your mouth is?"
"Anytime, anywhere, jerk!"
To punctuate her point, she threw her sword to the ground with much more force than necessary, followed by her halberd and her belt as Ranma removed his fancy cape, flinging it to the ground at his feet. Not about to be outdone, Akane removed her outer tunic and threw it on the steadily growing pile, leaving her clad in a thin white shirt that allowed her to move more freely.
"Well, grab a seat, boys and girls," said Ryu as he sat down to watch their match. "Maybe they'll even forget we're here and keep undressing. . ."
"WE WON'T!" Akane and Ranma yelled in unison.
"I-I thought they were going to have a friendly spar?" murmured Konatsu.
"Does ANY of this look friendly to you?" Tsubasa asked, shrinking back in fear.
Smelling blood in the air, Shampoo and Mousse sat down to watch too, and even Herb, who usually couldn't be bothered with one-on-one matches, quietly stood back, watching with detached interest.
"You jerks act like you've never watched a sparring match before," Ukyo commented, taking her place beside Ryoga. "It's just training."
Ryu and Taro both scoffed at that. "Sure, 'training,'" mocked Ryu. "If those two don't start making out in the middle of their fight, I've got ten thousand yen with your name on it."
"We can STILL hear you," Akane snapped as she paused in her stretching to shoot him a glare that could kill.
"Great!" said Taro, undaunted. "Then, if you think you can hold out till the end of the fight without tearing each other's clothes off, I'll take that bet and double it!"
"Funny," said Ranma, who had paused from his own warmup. "Because I'd bet my entire kingdom that you two idiots won't last the night if you don't shut the hell up."
"He's mad enough to mean it too," lamented Mint, giving the two generals a consoling pat on the back.
"It was sure nice knowing you," Link added solemnly.
"If you think I'm afraid of Saotome, you brats are dumber than I ever thought," Ryu sniffed.
"That goes double for me," Taro replied snidely.
"Then we're all in agreement—you're ALL as dumb as you look. Now, will you shut the hell up? I'm trying to train a tomboy here!"
Akane rolled her eyes as she finally finished stretching. "Better be careful then, Ranma," she told him. "Last time you tried to teach me a lesson, your sword broke."
"Then I guess it's a good thing we won't be using weapons this time," he reminded her as he headed for the training mound. "And I won't be holding back."
Akane laughed. "Just promise you won't cry when you lose," she said, sticking out her tongue.
Recalling last night and its disastrous end, Ranma cracked his knuckles as he took up a fighting stance. This time would be different; he was through getting beaten. "Don't worry. I won't lose," he promised her.
It was time to remind her why he was considered the best.
…
Akane was a mess.
Standing there, unarmed and vulnerable, with the memory of last night still fresh in her mind—she couldn't seem to take a step no matter how hard she tried.
It was like trying to walk a tightrope with no net or safety line!
She wasn't ready for this!
If martial arts was a dance, hand-to-hand was its tango—and after last night, Akane didn't trust herself to be that close to him again. Not so soon, anyway! When she closed her eyes, she could still feel the ghost of Ranma's lips on hers, the feel of his arms around her waist, his breath against her throat.
And she was supposed to let him get up close and personal?!
Oh no.
She wasn't ready for this at all.
Besides, there was also their awful audience to consider. All those perverts would be watching her every move, gleefully dissecting every look, sound, and touch, and then, afterward, would never let her live it down.
Honestly! Was it any wonder Akane hesitated?!
Why in the world had she let that jerk goad her into something so dangerous?!
"Ready when you are," Ranma told her again, standing ready but aloof. Unlike her, the dummy looked poised, calm, and completely in control—which only pissed Akane off more.
Couldn't he look a little flustered, at least?!
Forcing herself to move, Akane finally shifted into a defensive position and tried to look unshakeable. "Then come at me!" she told him, taking care to keep her voice steady.
She was confident. She was strong. She could do this!
Just pretend he's Hinako and go for his throat.
"Then here I come," Ranma warned her, and just like that, he was off, charging right for her at a speed that was so surprising, it was unnatural. Akane barely had time to turn her head before his fist went flying past her, missing her cheek by mere inches.
Stumbling away, adrenaline pumping, she couldn't help the smile that blossomed over her face at the near-miss.
He was taking her seriously!
Maybe she'd get something useful out of this fight after all.
As she dodged a follow-up strike and grew more comfortable, she told him, "Just so you know, I have no intention of going easy on you either, Ranma."
"Obviously," he replied, smiling himself as he circled her, looking for an opening. "I'm not so stupid as to underestimate you twice—I learned my lesson the first time."
"Oh, so you CAN be smart," she teased, and tired of defending, moved to attack instead. Akane moved with a speed that would've been unheard of months ago, striking out with her fist and following it up with a flying kick that Ranma somehow managed to somersault over. Not willing to waste an attack, Akane followed after him and threw a powerhouse kick at his back when he landed.
Sensing her behind him, Ranma spun and blocked her kick with one of his own, temporarily throwing her off balance. Stumbling, Akane barely managed to right herself as Ranma pressed his advantage, forcing her back on defense.
He's really good, she realized, both awed and frustrated as she parried an uppercut and blocked another strike with the heel of her palm. Really, really good.
She always knew he would be, but knowing and SEEING firsthand were very different things.
And the jerk wasn't even going all out!
Sure, he was taking her seriously, but unlike the generals, HE was clearly holding back. Every punch had been pulled, and every kick was carefully timed to cause the least amount of pain should it connect.
But even that required amazing control and precision, so rather than discourage her, it somehow spurred her on.
She'd MAKE him go all out!
Avoiding a follow-up strike, Akane pivoted on her heel and launched her attack as she spun, hoping to clip him on the shoulder. But Ranma, quicker than ever, swept her fist aside with one hand and countered with the other, landing a quick jab to her upper arm, which sent a stinging pain down the length of her limb.
The pain was minimal, really . . . but even that faded to nothing when she heard the bored jeers from the crowd. Finding the fight less exciting than expected, the onlookers had decided to liven it up in their own unique way.
(Of course.)
From the sidelines, Taro shouted: "That's it, Saotome! Make her pay! Hit the heartbreaker again!"
"Yeah!" Ryu cheered, egging him on. "Make her regret dumping you!"
All at once, Ranma stopped fighting, his face as red as Ranko's hair. "What are you idiots babbling about?! This is TRAINING. I'm not hitting her because I WANT to!"
"Sure," drawled Ryu, rolling his eyes. "I believe you."
Like clockwork, all the other spectators started adding their own two cents, no longer caring about the outcome of the friendly fight at all. "I get it," said Lime, looking pleased with himself. "He didn't want to see her boobs; he wanted to hit them!"
Mint's eyes widened in understanding, and he smacked a fist into his open palm. "Yeah! Love sure is weird."
By this point, Ranma had forgotten all about the fight. His face kept getting redder and redder. "I SAID—!"
"—you're wide open, dummy," Akane warned him seconds before she sent a spinning back kick directly into his stomach. The force of it sent Ranma flying backward where he hit the ground hard, paying for his nobility with pain and embarrassment and probably a bruise or two.
Ukyo cringed. "Ouch! Now that looked painful."
"I'd wager his pride also took a beating," Konatsu agreed, continuing to watch the match through splayed fingers, as if he couldn't abhor the violence.
"He's a fool," said Ryoga as Taro and Ryu congratulated themselves on riling him up. "To be distracted so easily. He hasn't trained enough. . ."
It wasn't long before Ranma must've realized he'd been goaded into letting down his guard. She watched as he dragged himself to his feet while Akane stayed on the defensive, not affected by the chatter at all.
She had Master Happosai to thank for that. He had personally taught her the soul of ice at great cost to her sanity and principles (by constantly stealing her underwear and taunting her about it).
She still slipped now and then, of course, but today, she refused to get distracted.
Luckily, Ranma apparently hadn't undergone any such training. . .
"That's it," he muttered as he cracked his knuckles, his ego and pride stinging. "Now I'm mad."
"Uh oh," Akane breathed as Ranma stalked toward her. She could tell he was no longer in training mode. Instead, he looked hellbent on winning no matter the cost.
She wasn't coming out of this one unscathed; even his eyes seemed darker and more focused.
This was the Ranma she'd heard about.
With a battle cry, he launched himself at her again, only this time with the ferocity and force he'd previously been holding in check. A rush of punches came at her so fast it took all of Akane's effort to knock them aside—and with each carefully coordinated blow, with each palm that hit its mark, she was forced back and back, overwhelmed by the sheer number and speed of his strikes—and she stumbled.
It was only a matter of time before she lost her balance completely.
Determined not to go down alone, Akane braced herself as she allowed one of his many punches to break through her defenses, to strike her hard and fast in the shoulder—and this time, she grunted loudly in pain, playing it up for all she was worth.
Despite his bravado, predictably, Ranma's eyes widened in horrified guilt as he paused for a fraction of a second—just enough time for Akane to grab his tunic as she fell, dragging him down right along with her.
With a crash and a curse, the two fell together, limbs messily entangled as they struck the unyielding ground below.
For a moment, Akane lay there, mildly winded, struggling to catch her breath. Ranma, as planned, was sprawled across her, too, though it took her a full second to recall why this felt so familiar.
That's right. They'd met this way at the cottage when Ranma had landed on her after jumping the wall.
Akane blushed at the memory.
Moving swiftly, Ranma lifted himself so he was half off her, his eyes wide with worry. "You alright?" he asked, checking her over for injuries, gaze moving to the top of her head. She had smacked the ground pretty hard before.
"I'm fine," Akane replied as she rubbed the back of her head, smiling proudly. "Not too bad for a counter-attack, wouldn't you say?"
As her words sunk in, Ranma scowled. "Geez," he complained, though with a touch of fondness. "What's the point of training if you're only gonna pick up the bad stuff!?"
"The bad stuff wins fights," she reminded him happily as she stuck out her tongue.
Which was a bad idea in hindsight. Suddenly, Ranma's gaze was hyper-focused on her mouth, and the air around them felt strangely hot and stifling.
"Um," she began awkwardly, turning her head away. "We should probably get up now."
"Yeah," he agreed softly but continued to stay there, and when Akane turned her gaze back to him, it was to find his eyes had drifted lower, to the column of her throat. "Huh. I didn't know you wore a necklace," he told her, and then daringly reached for the chain of her medallion which must've slipped free during their spar.
Akane had never come to her senses so fast in her life. Eyes wide and terrified, she quickly sat up, shoving him off her as her hand closed protectively over her tunic.
Now, separated by several feet, Ranma stared at her in shock as he tried to figure out what he did wrong. "S-sorry," he told her, though, as usual, he had no idea what he was apologizing for.
"No-no," she hastened to say, shaking her head while still clutching her tunic. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that. . ."
"It's fine. . ." he trailed off, his eyes automatically shifting to where her necklace rested, nestled comfortably out of sight.
Eyes averted, Akane hastily climbed to her feet, heading straight for her small pile of belongings.
Honestly! She couldn't believe she'd been so careless. What had she been thinking? If Ranma had managed to glimpse her pendant and recognized the Tendo crest, then there'd be no more hiding the truth. Everything she'd tried so hard to protect would unravel fast!
She needed to be more careful from now on.
"You alright?" Shinnosuke asked as he handed her the rest of her clothes, sensing her worry.
"Yeah," she told him, even though her heart still felt like it was beating a thousand miles a minute. Instinctively, she put a hand to her chest, feeling the precious, familiar shape of her necklace beneath her palm.
She was fine.
She just had to remember to breathe and never do anything so foolhardy again.
Easy, right?
Then again, everything she'd done since arriving in Wistalia was foolhardy, so she didn't exactly like her chances. . .
…
Ranma watched Akane and tried to wrap his head around what he saw.
As usual, Shinnosuke had been by her side in seconds, quick to hand over her belongings with a comforting smile and an encouraging word.
But for once, Ranma didn't let his jealousy of the other boy blind him to everything else; instead, he continued watching her quietly as Akane took her outer jacket from her teammate's hand and slipped it on, making extra sure her necklace was safely stowed beneath—Ranma knew because he watched her give it a reassuring pat as if to make sure it was still there.
Whatever was on the other end of that chain was special to her; that much was obvious. So what was she hiding? And why?
"What's got you so quiet?" Ukyo asked, stepping to his side. "You didn't even hear the other guys giving you grief!" Lowering her voice, she poorly imitated Taro: "Geez, Saotome, it's called combat training, not a date!"
"Nothing," said Ranma, only half listening.
Ukyo eyed him curiously. "Wow, you've really got it bad. I've never seen you this serious outside of a battle."
That's because Ranma was too busy getting himself worked up over imaginary scenarios—what if it was a wedding ring, and that's why she'd turned him down? Or a trinket from some fiancé she'd been forced to leave behind? Or a locket with some other jerk's image in it?
Several times Ranma had to stop himself from storming over there and yanking the dumb chain right off Akane's neck. It was a wild guess, after all, but the fact remained. . .
What other reason could she have for hiding it from him?
For rejecting him.
Not to brag, but he was a damn catch!
"I gotta go," Ranma muttered as he stalked over to where the rest of his stuff had been tossed, no longer caring if anyone was still watching. But he was careful to avoid Akane's eyes this time, well aware that if she looked at him now, he'd snap and ask her a million questions and really give her a reason to disappear.
The timing still wasn't right.
Like she'd said last night at the ball—she didn't owe him a thing. Ranma had played his hand today poorly and lost. Even now, his pathetic attempts to make her jealous were nothing more than an embarrassing act of desperation any fool could easily see through.
The generals certainly had.
However, Ranma was far from done. He had plenty of cards left to play.
Even if Akane did have some poor sap hidden away somewhere, that just meant he needed to try harder. This was far from over! He had the advantage, for one. He was actually here, and this mysterious dumbass wasn't. That, and Ranma wasn't naive enough NOT to take advantage of every opening Akane left him. If he had learned anything from his scheming old man, it was how to turn a bad situation to his advantage.
He had learned how to master the art of endurance and master it fast. Experience and desperation were both excellent teachers.
Unlike his old man.
His father had a knack for teaching him all the worst lessons.
When he was eight, the King taught him how to swim by throwing him into a pit full of alligators and piranhas . . . a pit Ranma had cheerfully, innocently, helped him dig. Then, on his twelfth birthday, he'd been trapped alone in a seaside cave for months, forcing him to fight for his survival every single day, all in the name of 'training.'
Afterward, his mother was furious, which ended those insane teaching schemes for at least a few years.
But looking back now, stuck in that cave with nothing to do but train, explore, hunt, and observe, Ranma had seen firsthand how even a rock's sharp edges could be smoothed away by the tide.
All it needed was time.
Akane was an awful lot like that rock. With patience, he could wear her down, too.
It was time to start winning again.
And it just so happened that winning was what Ranma did best.
End of Chapter 13