AKANE IS ENGAGED TO…

FEMALE RANMA!

CHAPTER 9

PATRON LIST

Carlos A. Valente R.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER REVIEWS/COMMENTS

AO3 VulcanRider: Fashinating

Response: Thanks!

AO3 Caimano: Questo è il capitolo che mi è piaciuto meno, nabiki è poco realistica, non comanda in casa tendo. NEssuno vieta ad akane di ribellarsi, comprarsi un nuovo guardaroba e mandarla a cagare. Nessuno impedisce realmente a Ranma di andare a scuola nella sua forma originale. Questi cambi di genere dal giorno alla notte non hanno né senso né seguito. Impossibile che più avanti tutto non torni alla normalità. Sarebbe troppo sopra le righe anche se è una Fic. Non riesco a capire quale sia il traguardo della storia per akane e per ranma.

TRANSLATED: This is the chapter I liked the least, nabiki is unrealistic, she is not in charge in the tendo house. NEssomebody prohibits akane from rebelling, buying a new wardrobe, and telling her to fuck off. No one really prevents Ranma from going to school in his original form. These gender changes from day to night make no sense or follow-through. Impossible that later on everything does not return to normal. It would be too over the top even if it is a Fic. I cannot understand what the finish line of the story is for akane and ranma.

Response: To tackle the claim that Nabiki is unrealistic… she has sold out her sister and Ranma in non life threatening situations all the time in cannon. With her doing so in life threatening situations to Ranma multiple times near the beginning of the series like when Ryoga threatened to kill Ranma upon seeing him and unlike Akane, her first concern was to start a betting ring over it to make money.
As for Nabiki being in charge of the household? I never said she was, and she has proven in cannon to manipulate her father quite a few times to do what she wanted when she saw him vulnerable enough to do so.
For Akane wardrobe issue? Nabiki only replaced her school uniforms and got Kuno to pay for it. And do you really think that a dojo with no students can afford to pay for a whole set of uniforms out of the blue like that? It is stated in manga and anime multiple times that Ranma and his dad showing up tightened up their budget considerably.
Now the gender transformation issue… I already explained a few chapters back, or rather Nabiki did to Ranma. Ranma agreed to go to school as a girl because of what she told him and promised to help him. The vice-principal and other teachers would refuse to acknowledge it as an actual curse and think he was disguising himself as a boy. So Nabiki originally planned to show it in front of the entire school all at once to make sure it couldn't be denied. So, Ranma gave up on proving it for the time being trusting in Nabiki to help them.
And yes, the future of the story… well that is simple. I wanted to keep everyone on their toes so I made it so you cannot easily guess how it will end.

AO3 NerkloLC: I'm officialy lost, i see way too many paths for the plot, so now i'm just here for the ride and enjoying it.

Response: That is what I intended for, after all, how entertaining would it be if the ending was so easy to predict? Especially a Ranma ½ fic where the original source is already surprising and unique almost every arc. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying this, and hope you have a good day when you read this new chapter.

AO3 Ubermeh: Nabiki is a freaking lunatic.

Response: If you thought that last chapter, then just wait till you see this chapter. Nabiki will really show you how mentally unhinged she can become when she feels she is losing control of the situation.

AO3 Crimson_Blossom1019: God... dammit Nabiki. I don't know if I've seen a fic where she betrays Ranma and Akane like that before.

Response: I have, and it is sadly cannon she is willing to backstab them for her own benefit if she feels the needs to. Only so long as there are no life-threatening circumstances to Ranma or Akane if she does. Nabiki selling pictures of Akane and Ranma to perverts knowing full well what they will do with those photos is a prime example though more tamed than what she does in fanfic situations.

FFN RadicalErin: As much as I like the idea, and I am really enjoying most of it, so far, the 9th chapter stuff just reeks of "everyone is going along with something dumb for no reason". These rumors aren't some huge honor stain, something anyone would realistically worry that much about, and certainly, going along with nabiki makes no sense, at all. I hope that's not the route this heads down, because it will become impossible to reasonably resolve, or even make sense of.

Response: You say it's something that no one would realistically worry about or that it makes no sense to go with Nabiki plan, and your correct. But what about Genma and Soun? Or even Ranma mother? Do you ever recall them thinking 'normally' or 'realistically' in the manga. Cause as I recall, Soun is an overly emotional man who almost instantly panics or jumps to the worst possible interpretation of something, Genma is afraid of his insane wife, and as for that insane wife… I don't think I need to say anything about Nodoka unhinged or wacked out mindset.

As for resolving it if the story turns into that, no worries. I have a clear ending and as a result, a resolution in mind. But given the chaos of the cannon, I think I am justified in not doing a 'reasonable' resolution. But you need to be patient, and as you will see.

AUTHORS NOTES

I hope you all enjoyed my story so far and keep guessing as to where it will go next. Very soon in just a couple of chapters, you will see where the next arc begins, and a certain duo take stage. But for now, enjoy Ranma and Akane as they begin to understand that they cannot rely on their families anymore to help them.

JAPAN

TENDO HOUSEHOLD

THIRD PERSON POV

Breakfast was awkward to say the least, with Nabiki eating at her own child sized table, courtesy of Kasumi showing her 'cruel side' to her younger sister. "I know what I did upset you all… BUT WHY AM I EATING AT A KIDDY TABLE WITH CHILD SAFE UTENSILS!" Nabiki exclaimed, referring not to the photos but the trick she played on Ranma/everyone else this morning. Kasumi had added an extra touch to her 'punishment' for Nabiki as a result of that.

"My apologies, but I don't think spanking a naughty child is an appropriate punishment. Especially if they don't know any better." Kasumi told her, showing her rarely seen spiteful side, making even Nabiki back down from complaining any further. After all, she would get her revenge at school when she sold those new pictures of Ranma to the horde of perverts.

The trick Nabiki had played on them to prevent magically transgendered houseguest from changing back into a guy after going to sleep as a girl was simple. Knowing that Ranma was holding back from trying to go to school as a guy after she told him her original plan. She knew he would likely try to go as a guy now, since she made it clear to them, she doesn't want to help anymore. So, she woke up early to lightly tamper with the water heater in the house. Just before Ranma could take a morning bath after exercising, luckily for her he had gone to sleep as a girl the previous night. However, she knew this was only a stop gap, so she had to push her next more permanent plan into motion quickly.

Her trick had resulted in no hot water for Ranma to bathe… or for Kasumi to cook then clean the dishes for the next two hours. Which was something she had not realized until after Kasumi complained to her about it and insisted on calling a repairman to check it out. Luckily for her, it was a quick fix to undo what she did, but it still meant no hot water for the house for at least the next hour if not a bit more.

Unfortunately for Ranma, it would take the bathroom at least a couple of hours for the bath specifically as their house was slightly updated despite its outward appearance. So, the kitchen used gas while the bathrooms used electric, Nabiki had pushed her dad to change it to a duel rather than pure electric in case of a power outage. As well as the fact that with Akane temper she almost burst open the old gas one in the bathroom a few years ago. So Nabiki didn't want to risk causing a mini explosion in the house.

Nabiki had managed to lie to Kasumi successfully saying she was paying Akane a fair share for the photos since used the remainder for household finances. Which was not a complete lie as Nabiki buying snacks, clothes, and other things for herself did have an effect on the clothing/food budget of the house to a certain point. As well as the fact that she did have to use a small amount to supplement her father's lackluster income due to not actually running the dojo since her mother died. It was this lie that saved her from getting a worse punishment than she expected. But she was still punished by Kasumi in her own harsh way in the end.

Ranma had turned down Kasumi's offer to go with her to the neighbour's house to borrow some hot water. Not wanting to cause Kasumi the headache of trying to help explain his curse if they saw the transformation, nor embarrass her. So, he figured he was stuck going to school again as a girl, making it one day longer for him to try and reveal it to the class at least. He also had to teach her how to do some quick outdoor cooking in the yard using his and his dad's camping gear. This was in order to put together a very basic breakfast compared to what Kasumi was originally intending to do.

Akane, who was wearing the male uniform, got up as soon as she finished her egg and Ranma followed, as he finished off his soup.

"Thanks for breakfast Kasumi, Ranma." Akane told her eldest sister as she waved her off, while also giving her fiancé some much needed recognition for saving their breakfast.

"Thanks Kasumi." Ranma told her as he took both his and Akane's lunches.

"You're welcome, now you two should get going, and here Ranma just in case you two need it." Kasumi handed him two small canisters that he did not recognize. Kasumi smiled at this ignorance. "It's pepper spray, if a guy tries to grab you without your permission, consider using that in their eyes rather than your fist. It will leave a longer lasting impact." She told him, with Akane giving it a look before grabbing hers and putting it in her pocket.

Looking back upstairs where the two fathers were, Kasumi was concerned as to why they did not come down for breakfast. But shortly after everyone left for school, Kasumi went up to check on them, only to hear them laughing with one another as they complimented one another as geniuses. "Oh my, I hope they came up with a solution to the gender identity problem." Kasumi told herself before knocking on the door and letting them know they had skipped out on breakfast.

JAPAN

DR. TOFU CLINIC

THIRD PERSON POV

On the way to school, Akane had suggested stopping by Dr. Tofu clinic for help. Luckily for them, he already had some hot water boiled for some tea. So, Ranma was able to use it to change back into a guy. Letting out a hearty laugh, the doctor patted them both on the shoulder after turning Ranma back into a guy in his office. "If you two ever need help, you can always come to me. Unfortunately, I have no way to prevent your transformation from occurring, but I might be able to do something to give you some control over it." Dr. Tofu told them, seeing a look on Ranma's face that seemed like a little kid happily celebrating their birthday.

"YOU REALLY MEAN IT!?" Ranma excitedly asked him, catching the doctor in a bear hug that made them wince a bit, with Akane giggling at how clingy Ranma could be when happy.

Patting him on the back, Dr. Tofu got them to calm down and let him go. "I'm glad that you trust me to help, but like I said, I can't make any guarantees. But why did you not change at home?" He asked them curiously before being told what Nabiki did this morning. With an exasperated sigh and a playful smile on his face upon hearing the measures she took; he shook his head lightly. "In any case, you two should hurry along before you're late for school." Dr. Tofu told them, sending them with a hint of worry as his tea stem in his teacup fell to the bottom, signaling bad luck.

JAPAN

FURINKAN HIGH

COURTYARD

THIRD PERSON POV

On the way to school, Ranma had gotten soaked by an out-of-control tea cart that had no heated water due to not being fully set up when it began rolling away from its owner.

It was as they made it to school and seeing the shocked looks of the girls in the classroom, with some covering their mouths, the two knew what was waiting for them. Even so, Akane passed Ranma her bag and drew her sword Ranma had altered for her, going full force with Ranma supporting her left flank with kicking attacks. The result was them managing to break through the center, with Ranma holding them off for the moment Akane needed to switch to her indoor shoes.

"RANMA!" She called out, so he jumped back through the open door she closed shut so he could put his indoor shoes on. With that done, they ran upstairs, knowing that none of them would follow the two into the classroom due to homeroom approaching. At least that was the idea.

What had actually happened was that the horde of idiotic perverts instantly broke through the front door Akane tried to seal shut with a broom. Resulting in her having to pick Ranma up in one arm, with his indoor shoes and their bags in his currently small arms struggling to safely hold them all as they ran. With Akane using her sword in her other hand to swat down anyone who got on their heels. "LEAVE US ALONE YOU JERKS!" Ranma shouted over Akane's shoulder, blowing them a raspberry. That is until one of them said Ranma tongue was cute also, causing Ranma to stop and bury his face into the neck of a now even more pissed off Akane.

As soon as they got to class, Akane tossed Ranma onto his desk and then got into a basic forward swinging stance in front of the door. So, when the remainder of the horde came through, she started bashing them all whack a mole style, taking at least two down with every hit. Inching back slowly till she was pushed to the window and Kuno was the only one standing in the doorway.

With a chuckle, he got into a thrusting position. "Very impressive Akane Tendo, and I am glad that you are accepting that you are a boy now for the sake of your fiancé. Well, your fiancé for now anyways… EN GARDE!" Kuno told her before charging, with Akane simply side stepping and hitting him ass first out the window as he saw Ranma huddled on the desk getting distracted.

JAPAN

FURINKAN HIGH

AKANE & RANMA HOMEROOM CLASS THIRD PERSON POV

With a tired sigh, Akane went to Ranma. "Are you alright? Here, give me those." Akane asked Ranma who after giving her a nod of yes, handed his shoes to Akane as she indicated with her hand. Putting them on quickly, Akane moved a loose hair out of the way of Ranma's face to check for any damage to his face. Not noticing the slight blush on his face at her actions due to her worry for his safety as she never wanted to drag him into this morning fighting mess. But instead, he was now a main/secondary target, with him becoming the definitive main target if she ever got taken down or gave up fighting.

"A-Akane are you-" Hiroko asked her but was cut when the teacher walked in right as the bell rang.

"Okay everyone lets get into your… seats." He said to them all but stopped to sigh when they saw the back of the classroom. Seeing that Akane had one hand laying against Ranma cheek, with the other holding onto her sword that clearly had a bit of blood on it, he could guess what happened. Now she did put it down to help put Ranma shoes on, but had grabbed it out of instinct when she heard the teacher open the door.

"You know what, you're on time so I don't care. Everyone just get to your seats, and please, no flirting in the mornings after your one-sided slaughter. Understood Tendo?" The Homeroom Teacher said making Akane and Ranma go as red as his hair at the implications they were flirting after Akane winning a fight… which technically she did, and they were, but it was not what either martial artist would consider an actual fight.

Eventually the guys on the floor did wake up, with the teacher giving all of them detention for nearly disrupting his class and missing their own class. But the teachers knew what they were doing at this point, so a few minutes before the break came, they left early, giving themselves a few minutes so they could get to the teacher lounge before the hallways became crowded.

As the entire teaching staff had predicted, once the break came, Ranma and Akane became surrounded. The only reason they weren't separated was because Ranam jumped straight up and then spun towards Akane landing in her arms. He was aiming for her desktop, but she didn't want him sitting his ass on her notebook, so she stood up and caught him before sitting back down.

"Ranma, don't try to sit on my books like you're in the countryside." Akane told him, not realizing how subdued Ranam had become due to embarrassment of being put on her lap like that in public.

"Ok, I won't do that again." Ranma said embarrassed due to being unable to now get off her lap due to the students surrounding them. If Akane herself wasn't so blind by her anger at Nabiki for assisting Kuno in causing this mess by reinforcing his stupid rumour. Then she would have realized what she did and become just as much if not more embarrassed than him.

"WERE YOU REALLY A BOY THIS WHOLE TIME!?" one of the boys yelled as he cried a small river of tears at seeing Akane in a boy's uniform with Ranma on her lap.

"YOUR SO BOLD TO PUT HER ON YOUR LAP!" one of the girls exclaimed, surprised that their friend did this.

But before more questions could come her way, she held out her hand to stop them. "First off," she said firmly looking at the boy who spoke up, "I am a girl, but Nabiki convinced Kuno to buy a bunch of the boys' uniforms, and she hid my female uniforms from me. On top of that, the vice-principal wrote a letter saying that I had to wear the boy's uniform because of all the fuss everyone was making about me wearing the girl's uniform…" Akane said trailing off as all the boys had slightly guilty looks on all their faces.

Letting out a sigh she continued "... on top of that, a bunch of the older girls complained about not wanting me to risk walking in on them. So now I must use the boys' facilities, and Ranma must use the female facilities now. Due to the older guys also giving a very similar set of complaints to the guys in our grade about not being able to get dressed in the same room as a girl. So, thank you for that." Akane told the boys who, unlike the girls in their class, did not complain about her and Ranma to the vice principal. Even if most of them made it clear they now felt awkward about Akane changing with them.

A collective apology was mumbled through the boys who were realizing that Akane, who they thought was born male but was a transgender female, now had to use the guys' places. With the opposite being for Ranma who was clearly more comfortable changing with them than the other girls.

"As for… Ranma?" Akane said aloud, about to address the girl's statement as her tone slowly turned from tired to questioning. This was due to her realizing the position she put Ranma in when she caught him. Now matching Ranma in his statue imitating skill, she heard none of the squeals of joys from the girls around her at the 'romantic' sight before them.

So much so the teachers didn't even bother saying anything when the two were staring off into space till lunch. Luckily for the two, when lunch did come, four good friends helped to bring Ranma over to Akane and sit him beside her with them covering the front and sides. This snapped the two out of it.

The lunch break was less chaotic thanks to the earlier explanation, but they still had questions of their relationship thrown at them. But they got lucky and managed to just barely avoid them due to Akane's four friends helping the two. Though Ranma had to push back when one of the other girls in class butted in.

"Hey Ranma, I know you like martial arts and you're super good at them. So how about you join our martial arts rhythmic gymnastics club? It is a lot more appropriate for girls than the senseless violence regular martial arts tend to devolve into." she said with a smile, not realizing two things. First was the fact that she offended Ranma and Akane on a deep level by insulting their passion, enough so that even the other girls in her friend group also cringed at the comment. Second thing was the idea that she clearly thought to associate that morning horde with real martial artists who actually took it seriously.

"N-No thanks, but I will keep your offer in mind if I ever want to try it." Ranma told her as he had to force himself to smile at the backhanded compliment he just received from his classmate. Even though he knew her twisted idea of what martial arts were had likely come about because of that morning horde, he still couldn't help but get upset at her for it though.

JAPAN

TENDO DOJO

THIRD PERSON POV

When Ranma and Akane got home, they found their fathers to be oddly energetic compared to the last few days. They would have asked why, but the two older men immediately brought them into the dojo for a talk. They also called out for Kasumi to join them, with Nabiki being dragged with them once she walked through the entrance.

"Akane, before we start, I need to make it clear. As your father I am very proud of you and overjoyed at the strong young woman you have started to become." Soun Tendo told his youngest daughter, seeing her smile bashfully.

"As for you Ranma. You are well on your way to become a strong enough man that can shoulder the responsibilities of the anything goes school of martial arts. Likewise, to Soun with Akane, I am also proud of you as my son." Genma Saotome told them, seeing his son give him a raised eyebrow of suspicion. That actually did make him genuinely proud as he knew he did not raise his son to be a fool who fell to such cheap flattery.

"I know that dad, you didn't have to sit us all down to talk about it." Akane told her father, embarrassed.

"Alright old man, so what are you two up to?" Ranma questioned his father with his arms crossed.

"RANMA!" Akane called out, ready to scold him for disrespecting his father, despite him actually saying nice things to him for once.

"No Akane, Ranma was right to be suspicious of such random flattery. We do have something important to discuss about this gender mix-up issue." Soun Tendo told her, seeing his daughter looked hurt and confused, mostly confused.

"I highly doubt you two have a solution to it." Nabiki said with the judgment in her voice clear. That their intelligence was very low, an obvious thing really to anyone who spent a decent amount of time with them at home. Ignoring how she chose to screw over her little sister and Ranma to save her own face because she saw no way to get them out of the situation without major risk. She still somehow felt she had the high ground compared to them because of the forced engagement idea they had sprung on them and how dumb it objectively was. But there was no way the two fathers would do the same thing as her, Nabiki was sure of that due to how much they cared about a martial artists honour.

Which meant she would have to convince them to stop whatever hair brained scheme they came up with. As well as follow hers of forcing Ranma to spend as much time at home in girl form as possible, as well as continuing to go to school as a girl. Something she believed she could easily achieve in comparison to helping Ranma and Akane how they wanted to be helped.

"Nabiki, don't be rude to father and Mr. Saotome, they were very worried for them." Kasumi scolded her younger sister, remembering how the two skipped breakfast that morning for some odd reason, now thinking it was due to them thinking up a solution.

"We have come to a solution, but it is not just the recent problem, but another one you touched upon Nabiki." Soun Tendo told his second eldest daughter grimly.

"Me?" Nabiki questioned as she pointed to herself, only remembering mentions of seppuku and family honour.

"You see, before I left on the training journey with Ranma. His mother made me write an oath…" Genma told them, beginning to trail off as this was difficult for him to admit to.

"I don't like the sound of this." with a legitimate hint of worry in his voice, Ranma spoke up as he was unable to contain his instinctual dread.

"... that oath was simple, if I failed to raise him to be a man among men, then the two of us would commit seppuku so as to not bring dishonour to the Saotome family name." He said so in a calm resigned tone, like he gave up on resisting an inevitable future.

There was silence…

Then there was more silence…

Finally, there was anger…

"WHAT!" everyone except the two fathers exclaimed in a unified shout.

"YOU STUPID OLD MAN! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BACK IN CHINA WHEN I GOT CURSED! AND WHY ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS!" Ranma yelled into his father's face as he pulled them towards them, granted his female form was still quite a bit shorter even sitting down, so it did not help him be more intimidating.

Removing Ranma's hands from his shirt, the current but soon to be headless head of the Saotome family, if his wife or the amazon found him soon, adjusted his glasses. "I was hoping we could find the cure before I had to tell you of this. But with the rumors of you and Akane going around, I have no choice now but to warn you. As well as to change the course of your future majorly, both for our lives and the future of the anything goes school of martial arts." Genma told him, making it clear now to Ranma what the two men were going to suggest, unlike Akane who still had significant trust in her father.

Akane though, was now regretting thinking about scolding Ranma earlier for talking to his father like he did.

"However, we have a solution to both problems." Soun Tendo said as a smile grew on his face.

Akane and Ranma both now shared a bad feeling they were not going to like this idea the two fathers were about to suggest.

"I have signed a pledge saying you will marry Ranma and become his or rather 'her' husband and fulfill the duty of becoming a man among men on their behalf. I'm sorry, but this is the only way to save the life of my dear friend, who I consider a brother. As well as our school of anything goes martial arts." Soun Tendo told her, hating having to do this but knowing deep down he would likely make the same promise in his friend position. He never abandoned his friend before, and he would not abandon them now, especially as his promise was made with their martial art school in mind.

"... ARE YOU CRAZY DAD!" Akane yelled at him, now also considering punching her father in the face like Ranma did with his own on a regular basis.

"I understand your upset Akane. But tell me honestly. Do you truly think you will be able to handle the household duties as a wife and mother." He asked his daughter, not liking to say it out loud, but he had come to accept it. Even he had to admit that at some point he had to give up on her becoming a wife to help Ranma carry their school of martial arts into the future.

"But think about it, Ranma has proven to have talent when it comes to cooking. Household chores and shopping will also be quick for them to learn with Kasumi help." Soun Tendo pointed out, genuinely believing that once they get that cursed water from China to turn her into a boy, that things would solve themselves naturally.

This of course, showed the negative and horrible influence his former master had on him and Genma, an influence that unlike Genma, he had resisted showing up till now. In another timeline where he did not have this gender mistake happen, or the early reveal of that oath his friend made, he would have been much more reasonable.

JAPAN

TENDO HOUSEHOLD

THIRD PERSON POV

Dinner that night was an awkward and silent affair as the two fathers had not one, but two black eyes each. With bruises covering most of their bodies and Genma Saotome having his arm in a sling due to Ranma being even more rough on him than Akane was with her own father. Nabiki however… was currently grateful for the kiddy table that kept her away from the terrifying duo who she knew would take their anger out on them if she spoke up right now. 'Thank you Kasumi for your petty and humiliating punishments!' Nabiki thought as she cried tears of joy after seeing the horrifically violent beat down from earlier.

"Don't worry Nabiki, I will let you back at the main table after the weekend." Kasumi told her, not realising those were tears of joy and fear, not regret for her actions. This caused Nabiki to almost fall over and panic at this bit of news, with Ranma and Akane giving her dangerous side glances.

"NO, NO, I NEED TO BE PUNISHED LONGER TO LEARN MY LESSON!" Nabiki yelled at her sister in worry as her self preservation instincts kicked in after feeling genuine bloodlust from Akane directed at her.

JAPAN

NERIMA

THIRD PERSON POV

The next morning was busy for those two as they had to get up early to get in proper practice before their classmates arrived for their first lesson. Since it was also the first class Akane father taught seriously in years, as he at most, usually taught younger kids on occasion basic exercises done by most martial artists. Her father even thoroughly cleaned the dojo that morning. Which meant Ranma and Akane had to go jog around the neighborhood, with Akane attempting to have Ranma go out as a guy before a neighbour splashed him with water by accident.

"Oh Akane, are you taking your fiancé out for a morning walk around the neighborhood? Sorry for splashing you dear, let me get you a towel." she said to Akane before noticing she splashed Ranma and shook off him looking taller with black hair as a trick of tired eyes. Luckily for Akane, she had remembered to bring her wallet with her, so they stopped by a nearby store afterwards to buy some cheap slip-on shoes like what Ranma was wearing already. The only difference being that they were a bright red like his hair in female form.

"Thank you Akane, you could have sent me back to your house, you know." Ranma told her, ashamed his fiancé had to do this for him.

Looking at him sadly for a moment she sighed. "No need to worry Ranma, this mess isn't your fault. Nabiki, Kuno, and now our fathers are at fault for this mess. Not you." Akane told him, feeling bad that he was getting dragged down into this mess even more so than her because of the curse his stupid dad got him. After a while of jogging and Akane using the chance to show Ranma around so they both could avoid going home to see their dads, they noticed the time. "As much as I would suggest we eat out, I didn't plan on buying those shoes, looks like we have to go home for lunch." Akane told him, seeing the equal resignation on his face.

Overall, it was a very nice way for the two to spend time together, as long as they ignored the unintentional insults. Though the neighbourhood thought stuff like congratulating Akane on getting a cute wife or assuring Ranma that Akane would be a good husband were good things to say. The two martial artists could only grit their teeth and bare it through forced smiles as they knew those people were not being malicious… well not on purpose anyways.