COS67-69
“A Change of Scene” Chapters 67-69
February/March 1999, by June “KaraOhki” Geraci
The characters from Ranma 1/2 in this fiction are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and borrowed without her permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.
Chapter 67
“NO! Nooooo . . .”
The visions in Ranma’s head kept shifting, from bad to worse. No matter how many times he saw them, he never, ever got used to them.
Akane vanished, and her clothes drifted down into Ranma’s arms. She was gone, and it was all his fault for not doing a better job of protecting her. He closed his eyes tightly, trying not to cry. . .
The little doll that was Akane sat on the edge of the table, staring at nothing. There had to be a way to bring her back. . .
Ranma stared at Shampoo, afraid to move, because she held little Akane in one hand, her thumb pressed against her head. All Shampoo had to do was push. . .
Akane looked so tired. Ranma held her close to his face, and pleaded with her. “Don’t fall asleep, Akane! Don’t!” Akane smiled faintly, raised her arms towards Ranma’s face, and closed her eyes. . .
“No. . .please! Don’t leave me!”
Ranma woke, gasping for air. He reached for the light, and looked down at Akane, who was still sound asleep. Just to be certain, Ranma took Akane’s hand, which was reassuringly warm, and felt the strong pulse in her wrist. He was amazed that she was sleeping, because his nightmares usually woke her, and then he remembered that she’d taken a pill before going to bed.
He turned off the lamp and tried to sleep, but the dream continued to haunt him. He’d been having it over and over again since Jusendo. The first time it had happened, which was on their way home from China, Ranma had crept into Akane’s tent to make sure she was still there, alive. He’d sat there for the longest time, watching her sleep, until he was calm enough to go back to his own tent.
Ranma wondered what Akane would think if she’d known how many nights he’d spent in her room between their failed wedding and departure for college. Despite the fact that he knew that she was all right, and he’d only been dreaming, Ranma was never able to go back to sleep until he’d reassured himself that Akane was still there; and therefore he had spent many long hours sitting beside her bed, watching. He’d hoped that the nightmares would go away once he and Akane were married, but they continued to plague him, and he would wake up and turn on the lamp just to look at her. This time he needed to do more than just look, and Ranma gently lifted his wife into his arms, carefully avoiding the bandage on her arm. With Akane’s comforting warmth filling his arms, and her hair tickling his chin, Ranma was finally able to relax, and sleep.
When the alarm rang, Akane stirred, and found herself unable to move. Her dead-to-the-world husband had his arms around her, and she couldn’t reach the clock.
Ranma’s eyes slowly opened, and one hand let go of Akane long enough to turn off the alarm, and then it returned to caress her cheek. He gently traced her black eye, kissed her, then let her go. When Ranma got up and began dressing, Akane sat up and stared.
“Where are you going?”
“Somebody has to tell Konatsu that Ukyo is in the hospital.”
Some time later, still arguing, the couple approached Ucchan’s.
“If you go in there alone, you’ll end up fighting with Konatsu. I’m going so that I can keep things calm.”
“Calm? Akane, you said CALM? Since when were YOU calm? Besides, I said I don’t want you in there! When Konatsu hears that you knocked Ukyo out, who knows what he’ll do!”
That was enough to make Akane stop short. Since she’d gotten out of bed, Ranma had been telling her not to come with him, but not he was finally telling her why. She put her hand on her husband’s arm, her face a mixture of affection and amusement.
“I don’t think he’d try to hurt me.”
“I won’t let him try!”
“Ranma!”
Instead of responding immediately, Ranma touched the bruises on Akane’s face again.
“Your father is going to kill me when he sees this.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah, but you know I promised him that I’d protect you. He’ll say I’m not doing a good enough job of it.”
Akane couldn’t decide whether she wanted to hit Ranma or kiss him. From the look on his face, it was evident that he was preparing to duck if necessary, and his expression changed to relief when she smiled at him.
“You can’t be with me every second, Love.”
A voice behind them made them both jump.
“Excuse me, but have you seen Ukyo? I’ve been searching for her all night.”
The couple turned around. An exhausted-looking Konatsu was standing there.
*****
Shampoo finished packing her bag, and put it into her closet. She’d packed a few things that were important to her and shipped them to Shiro, and the rest would wait until they came back from China. Now all Shampoo could do was wait, and that was something she was not good at. That was why she’d packed the bag--so that she could leave at a moment’s notice.
“Shampoo, come downstairs! It’s nearly time to open.”
Cologne smiled at Shampoo, and handed her an apron.
“Dreaming again, dear?”
Then her expression changed.
“Shampoo! Your ring!”
Fearful that she’d lost her ring, Shampoo looked down at her hand. Then the door of the Nekohanten opened, and she realized what Cologne was trying to tell her. She’d barely enough time to slip the ring off her finger and into her apron pocket before Mousse tossed his bag aside and swept her off her feet, and hugged her tightly.
“Shampoo, you don’t know how much I missed you!”
CONK!
“Behave yourself, Mousse. Make yourself useful. Put your things away and get to work!”
For just a second, Shampoo saw rebellion in Mousse’s eyes. Cologne waved her staff as if to hit him a second time, and Mousse dropped his gaze to the floor, picked up his bag, and headed upstairs. Shampoo moved closer to Cologne, and spoke to her softly.
“Did you see the way he looked at you?”
“I did. Watch yourself, dear. He’s going to break soon, and it may be very dangerous for anyone in the way.”
*****
The Saotomes watched Konatsu run toward the hospital until he disappeared around a corner. Konatsu had been so worried about Ukyo that he’d been relieved just to learn where she was. When he found out that she was in the hospital and why, his anger had flared for just a moment, but one look from Ranma had convinced him to sit still long enough to hear an explanation. Once he’d heard it, Konatsu’s only concern was to get to Ukyo as fast as he possibly could.
“That was easier than I thought it was going to be, Akane.”
“I’m glad. We’ve had enough fighting for one week.”
“Yeah. I think I’ll go see Ukyo tonight before rehearsal.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Ranma shook his head, and squeezed Akane’s hand.
“Not a good idea. I don’t know if she’ll want to see me, and she definitely won’t want to see you. She might even try to hurt you again.”
Ranma walked past the building where his first class was, and Akane tugged on his arm.
“Ranma, aren’t you going in?”
“I’ll walk you to class first.”
Akane sighed. Ranma had that “protective” look on his face again, and it probably would be there for days.
“Ranma, no one is going to bother me. You don’t have to walk me.”
“You don’t want me around?”
Ranma dropped Akane’s hand and walked off. Akane stood there for a moment, hesitating, and then ran after him. She grabbed his arm, and made him turn and look at her.
“I--I’m sorry, Ranma.”
“How come I’m not allowed to be worried about you? Is there something wrong with that?”
Akane took Ranma’s hand and pulled him back on the path.
“No, there isn’t. Walk with me?”
Akane’s morning was uneventful, with the exception of a few stares when people saw her bruises. She was entering her last class of the morning when one of the girls in the class approached her, looking rather uncomfortable.
“Um, Akane, may I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, Kikue. Sit down.”
The girl fumbled around in her bag for a moment, and took out a brochure.
“Look, I know what’s going on between you and your boyfriend is none of my business, but I think you’d better read this.”
Completely confused, Akane looked down at the brochure. Her eyes popped open wide when she read the title:
“How to Break Free From an Abusive Relationship.”
“What on earth do I need this for?”
Kikue looked embarrassed, and gestured to Akane’s bruises.
“I’ve been watching the two of you, Akane, and you have all the signs. I’ve noticed how he’s always with you, holding onto you. Now you show up with these bruises!”
Akane took a couple of breaths, trying to remain calm. She couldn’t believe that someone was accusing Ranma of beating her.
“First of all, Kikue, Ranma isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my husband.”
She held up her hand, showing her rings.
“We just got married, so don’t you think it’s natural that he’d always be with me? Secondly, he didn’t do this. Someone else did.”
“Look, that’s what everybody says, but you shouldn’t be afraid to tell me the truth. You’re married? Sure, he makes you wear a ring, but he doesn’t wear one. That should tell you something, shouldn’t it?”
Again, Akane had to fight to maintain control. Ranma was wearing his ring, but it was on a chain around his neck. The day he’d smashed the fountain his ring had fallen off when he’d changed, and it had taken them a half hour to find it in the grass. Her classmate’s assumptions were annoying Akane almost more than she could handle.
“Whether or not my husband wears a ring is none of your business! I got these bruises defending myself from someone who attacked me last night. If you REALLY need to confirm it, go ask Shiro!”
Akane remembered what Ranma had said to her that morning, and continued.
“Ranma is sticking close to me because he’s worried! Isn’t he allowed to be worried about me?”
Kikue turned very red.
“I’m sorry, Akane. I--I meant well.”
Akane’s anger left as quickly as it had come. She patted Kikue’s hand and smiled at her.
“I know you did. If you knew my husband better, you wouldn’t have thought this of him, and if you knew me better, you’d know that I’m a martial artist. I can defend myself pretty well.”
“Don’t tell him what I said! Please! I’d be SO embarrassed!”
“Okay, I won’t, but I still think you should see for yourself what kind of person Ranma really is.”
After a little hesitation, Kikue nodded.
“Thank you, I will.”
*****
When Akane went to meet Ranma for lunch, she discovered that Kikue wasn’t the only person to draw the wrong conclusions. Ranma stood outside the cafeteria, and it was evident to Akane that he was involved in some kind of disagreement with several students. One of them saw Akane approaching and gestured in her direction.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Saotome! How could you do such a thing!”
“Look, I TOLD YOU, it wasn’t me!”
“Hey!”
When Akane shouted, everyone turned in her direction.
“How dare you accuse Ranma of hurting me!”
“Look at you. How can you deny--urk!”
Whatever the young man had planned to say, it was impossible for him to continue once Akane had both hands on his collar, holding off the ground. She let go with one hand, and waved a small fist under his nose.
“I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. My husband is NOT responsible for these bruises, and if I hear anyone imply it again, we’re BOTH going to flatten them!”
“Akane, take it easy! Put him down!”
Akane dropped the unfortunate student and turned on her husband, fury on her face.
“I won’t let them talk that way about you! You never do more than tap me when we practice together! How could anyone think you’d hurt me?”
The circle around the Saotomes drew back a little when Akane began to glow. Ranma grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him.
“Don’t!”
There was a collective sigh of relief when Akane’s glow faded. Ranma drew her closer, picked her up, and glared at the circle of men standing around them. When they didn’t move, he simply jumped over them and disappeared.
Chapter 68
“Where are we going?”
“Hold still, Akane. I’m taking you home.”
“But--”
“Don’t argue with me! We’re taking the afternoon off.”
Akane quieted as Ranma left the campus and took to the rooftops.
*****
“Mousse! Order for delivery!”
Cologne waited impatiently as Mousse tore his gaze from Shampoo, took the order, and left. The lunch crowd was rather thin, and she waved Shampoo into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Shampoo. I’ve made a great many mistakes, and I’m afraid it’s going to make your life more complicated.”
“Mistakes?”
“I tried too hard to live on both sides of the fence. Even though I disagreed with our traditional way of life, I tried to tell myself it was best that you follow it. I should have told you a long time ago about our family secret, and given you the opportunity to decide for yourself whether or not you wanted to be included. Instead, I encouraged you to pursue Ranma. After he hit you, and I told him he couldn’t marry you, I knew you were still following him around. I like Ranma, and I still hoped you would win him over.”
“That’s all right, Great-Grandmother. It all worked out for the best. Ranma is happy with Akane. I’m happy with Shiro.”
“But that’s not the worst of it. I made a big mistake when I encouraged Mousse to pursue you. He didn’t need the encouragement, and now he thinks you’ve accepted him. I’m afraid we’re going to have a big problem with him.”
Shampoo suppressed the urge to laugh. Mousse had been a big problem in her life for a long time.
“Don’t worry about Mousse. I can handle him.”
Cologne’s hand flicked out and lightly slapped Shampoo’s cheek.
“Don’t get overconfident.”
*****
The wind picked up as Ranma took the direct route home, traveling from roof to roof. Within a minute the rain began, and Ranma landed on the roof of their house in girl form. He set Akane down, climbed down to the kitchen window, and helped her through. Akane barely waited to take off her coat before asking questions.
“Ranma, why did you bring me home? Shouldn’t we be in class?”
Ranma was already headed for the bathroom, shirt half unbuttoned.
“I don’t know about you, but I wanted to get away from campus before I hurt someone.”
The bathroom door closed behind Ranma, and Akane stared at it for a few seconds. A year ago, Ranma would have lost his temper and said something foolish, or gotten into a fight. Today he’d kept his self-control, calmed her down, and gotten them both away before any damage could be done. Coming home had been a good idea.
A sudden thought made Akane smile and she walked toward the bathroom door. Ranma was already working with the shower taps, adjusting the temperature, and Akane peeked around the curtain in time to watch him change. He became aware of her presence, turned around, and watched quietly as her clothes joined his in the hamper and she stepped under the hot water with him.
“As long as we’re taking the afternoon off, we might as well enjoy ourselves.”
*****
Shiro picked at his lunch while he read Shampoo’s letter. Her revelation of Cologne’s secret had been a complete surprise, and also a relief. After everything Shampoo had told him about Cologne, Shiro had been preparing himself for a battle with her, and he was very relieved that one of their problems had been eliminated.
Shampoo had been thrilled when Shiro had written to her suggesting that he take her to China so that he could meet her father. His botany class was taking a trip to China to study and collect medicinal herbs, and it would be no problem for Shiro to arrange for Shampoo to travel with them, and to take the side trip to Joketsuzoku on their own. Now it seemed that Shampoo wanted to explain how Shiro should act in public once he arrived there.
Shiro began to chuckle as he read, totally unaware of the looks of amusement he was getting from the people sitting nearby.
“Shiro, you must pretend to be very meek and humble when you get there. In Father’s house, you can be yourself. Our family will understand, and the Elders will be fooled. I know you might not like this, but it is only pretend. Will you do this for me, please?”
The only possible answer could be yes.
Shiro pulled out a piece of paper, and began writing. He had very good news for Shampoo. He’d signed a lease for a furnished apartment that morning. Shiro’s mother was already arranging their wedding, and it was time for Shampoo to leave Nerima.
*****
“How long will you be gone, Ranma?”
“An hour, maybe. I might be home sooner than that, if Ukyo throws me out.”
The worried look on Akane’s face bothered Ranma all the way to the hospital, and the more he thought about it the angrier he got at his father. Many of the troubles that he and Akane experienced were due to the foolish decisions his father had made. He couldn’t blame everything on him, but engaging him to both Ukyo and Akane had been really, really stupid. Why had he accepted Mr. Kuonji’s offer when Ranma was already promised to a Tendo daughter? No matter who Ranma chose, someone was going to get hurt, and that was one of the reasons he had hesitated for so long to tell Akane how much he cared--he knew that Ukyo was going to be hurt, or angry, or both. It had turned out to be both, and now Ukyo had suffered a breakdown. Genma would be at the receiving end of a lot of trouble when Ranma went home for the weekend.
The young woman at the reception desk smiled at Ranma.
“May I help you?”
“Yes. I’d like a pass to see Ukyo Kuonji, please.”
The reply Ranma got was a smile that made him rather uncomfortable, and an offer to walk him in the right direction.
“It’s time for my break, and I have to walk right by there, so it’s no problem.”
The smile made Ranma wish he was wearing his ring around his finger rather than around his neck, but he accepted the offer and walked as far away from the young woman as he could without appearing to be rude. She dropped him in the waiting area, and gestured to the phone.
“Just pick up, and they’ll let you in.”
Ranma followed her instructions, and soon a nurse opened the door, and gestured him inside.
“You said your name was Ranma? Miss Kuonji seems to spend a lot of time talking to herself about you.”
They reached Ukyo’s room and the nurse opened the door, but it was empty.
“Miss Kuonji?”
The nurse opened the bathroom door, but it too was empty. Ten minutes later, a thorough search of the floor proved that Ukyo was gone.
“Where could she have--are you all right?”
Ranma had gone pale, and broken out into a sweat.
“I have to get home. My wife--”
*****
There it was again. A scraping noise from somewhere up above.
Konatsu left the grill and climbed the stairs as quietly as he could. He arrived in time to see Ukyo climbing out of the window, spatula in hand. He rushed to the window and leaned down as Ukyo was reaching the ground.
“Ukyo! Come back!”
Ukyo just ran.
Konatsu flew down the stairs and out of the restaurant. There were not many people there, and when he didn’t return immediately, one of them went behind the counter and turned off the grill. One by one, they left the money for their meals on the counter, and the last one to leave put up the “closed” sign. His date was waiting outside, and they walked off together.
“That place is getting weird. First the owner disappears, and then this new guy takes off in the middle of the afternoon!”
*****
Akane had just started dinner when a rustling noise from the window distracted her. She smiled, opened one of the cupboards, and took out a bag of birdseed.
Akane had begun feeding the birds shortly after she and Ranma had returned from their honeymoon. An earlier tenant had put a bird feeder outside the window, and Akane was fascinated with the variety of birds that visited her. She’d told Ranma that she missed P-chan less because of them. He’d given her an odd look, but hadn’t said anything.
It was sunset, and the birds usually came for a snack before going to their nests for the night. They’d probably cleaned out the feeder today, judging from the tapping sounds Akane was hearing. Some of the bolder birds would actually scold her when she’d open the window, as if to chastise her for forgetting to feed them.
“All right, all right, I’m coming!”
Akane chuckled as she scooped some of the seed into a cup, and pulled aside the curtain. Then the cup fell out of her hand, and spilled all over the floor. Ukyo was outside the window, attempting to open it.
For one second, their eyes met, and they both understood that the other was thinking. Ukyo had come to finish what she had started. Akane had no intention of letting her do that.
Ukyo yanked at the window, and brought it up a few inches. She got her arm under it, and attempted to push it up the rest of the way. The sound of running footsteps made both girls turn. The door flew open, and Ranma ran into the kitchen. One look at the expression of fury on his face caused Ukyo to cry out as if she’d been struck, and she vanished.
“Oh no! Did she fall?”
Akane wrenched the window up the rest of the way and was about to lean over the sill when Ranma pushed her aside and looked for himself. Ukyo had already climbed part way down. He gasped when she lost her grip in her haste and began to fall. Then a dark figure below caught her.
“Konatsu! Is Ukyo all right?”
Konatsu looked up long enough to nod.
“She’s fine, Ranma.”
Then he disappeared.
Ranma closed the window, turned around, and grabbed Akane. He gave her a little shake, and a little hug.
“How could you think of leaning out when Ukyo was out there? What if she’d pulled you out with her? If you’d both fallen, Konatsu would only have been able to catch one of you, and. . .”
Ranma was unable to continue, but Akane knew what he meant. She pulled out of his embrace, and planted both hands on her hips.
“Baka! I can handle a fall from that height!”
“With someone hanging onto you, Akane?”
“Yes!”
“No you couldn’t, you clumsy tom--”
Ranma stopped short. Akane was neither clumsy nor a tomboy, but his big mouth had done it again. She was looking at the floor, both hands curled up into fists.
“I’m sor--”
“It’s okay, Ranma. You don’t have to apologize.”
“Yes I do.”
“You’re just worried about me, that’s all. That’s what you said this morning.”
Akane paused, and looked up at Ranma.
“I shouldn’t have called you names, either. I’m sorry.”
Ranma pulled Akane tightly against him, and wrapped his arms around her. Akane could feel his heart racing.
“Did you run all the way from the hospital?”
“Yes, I did.”
Akane lifted her face from Ranma’s chest and kissed him.
“Thank you.”
She stepped back and slid on the birdseed, causing Ranma to clutch at her.
“What’s all this on the floor?”
“I was going to feed the birds, but when I opened the curtains Ukyo was out there. I was so surprised that I dropped it.”
“What would you have done if she’d come in?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her unless I had to.”
“I hope you never have to.”
*****
Ukyo struggled in vain as Konatsu carried her away.
“Put me down!”
“No. You’re going back to the hospital.”
“I don’t want to go back there!”
Konatsu had been cutting across campus, and he deposited Ukyo on a bench and sat next to her.
“Why not?”
“I don’t belong--I don’t like it there!”
Konatsu’s response was very gentle.
“You don’t like it there?”
Ukyo began to sniffle.
“No.”
“But do you belong there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it, Ukyo. Ranma told me that you attacked him a few days ago. Is that the way you treat someone you love?”
There was no response.
“Now you’ve tried twice to kill Akane. Why?”
“She took him away from me. Ran-chan is mine!”
“If you say so, Ukyo. But I want you to think for me. Does Ranma love Akane?”
“I don’t. . . he couldn’t. . .but. . .”
“I’ll assume that means yes. You’ve heard the stories about what happened in China, haven’t you? What did Ranma do to that Saffron person?”
“He killed him, I think.”
“Why?”
Ukyo’s response was no more than a whisper.
“For Akane.”
“And what would Ranma do if you killed Akane?”
Konatsu sat there, patiently watching Ukyo think. He could see the internal struggle she was going through, and she was shaking by the time she replied.
“Do you, do you think he would kill me? For her?”
“Maybe.”
“But he’s my friend!”
“Would he still be your friend after that?”
Ukyo’s face crumpled, and she began to cry uncontrollably. Konatsu let her be for a while, and then he picked her up and continued on his way.
*****
While Akane finished making dinner, Ranma swept up the seed and fed the birds. He had phoned Ucchan’s, but no one had answered. At Akane’s suggestion, Ranma phoned the hospital, and discovered that Konatsu had brought Ukyo back there, something that surprised him greatly.
“Ukyo’s back at the hospital, Akane. I’m glad--she needs help.”
“Is there anything we can do, Ranma?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Ranma sat down, and took a forkful of Akane’s stir fry. He swallowed hastily, and drank nearly all of his tea.
“That bad, Ranma?”
“I’ve had worse.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t cook very well when I’m upset.”
“I noticed.”
The hurt look on Akane’s face told Ranma he’d put his foot in his mouth again.
“Sorry, Akane.”
“About dinner, or what you said?”
“Both. And sorry you don’t have a normal life, like other girls.”
Akane’s expression softened, and she reached across the table to pat Ranma’s hand.
“If I’d wanted a normal life, I would have married someone else.”
Ranma held his breath, waiting for Akane to continue.
“I don’t want anyone else.”
*****
“Akane, you look terrible! Does it hurt?”
“Please, Mishi. Don’t make a fuss.”
That was just the start. The entire cast and crew surrounded Akane, asking what had happened. She and Ranma tried to keep the explanation short and simple, and most people accepted it and went back to what they were doing, with the exception of Yoshimi, who was more interested in Akane’s bruises for the visual impact rather than any pain she might be in.
“Do you think we can cover that with makeup? You said you have stitches in your leg? Will they show?”
Akane saw Ranma’s anger at the questions, and shooed him toward the catwalk.
“I’m sure the bruises will fade before next Saturday, Yoshimi. And the stitches come out a couple of days before that. Could you just drop it?”
Recognizing the danger signals in Akane’s eyes, Mishi tapped Yoshimi on the shoulder, and asked him to come with her to see some changes she’d made to the costumes. She glanced back at Akane as she walked off, and was rewarded with a grateful look.
The rehearsal went very smoothly, and Ranma was surprised to find Shiro waiting in the wings when he and Akane left the stage.
“Do the two of you have a minute?”
“We were going to get something to eat, Shiro. Want to come along?”
Shiro never refused an invitation to eat, and the three were soon seated in a small restaurant. The Saotomes were very pleased to hear Shiro’s announcement that he’d found an apartment, and very amazed when he revealed what Shampoo had told them about Cologne.
“You mean to tell me that old bat has been lying to us all this time, and half the women in the village are in on it?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow.”
Ranma just shook his head, and Akane smiled at him.
“She had me fooled too, Ranma. When is Shampoo coming, Shiro?”
Shiro reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter.
“I don’t know. I’ve written her, asking her to come to Ube. Then I can take her to my mother’s house. She can stay with her until the wedding. Can you send this to Kasumi for me?”
“I’ll do better than that. Ranma and I are going to Nerima for the weekend, and I’ll deliver the letter in person.”
“Thank you, Akane. Tell her to come as quickly as she can. I’d like to get her out of Nerima before Mousse comes back.”
*****
“You two finish cleaning up. I’m going to count the receipts.”
Cologne took the cash box and walked into the back, leaving Shampoo alone with Mousse. She didn’t like the idea, but the restaurant needed to be cleaned, and she couldn’t ask Mousse or Shampoo to do it alone.
Mousse and Shampoo worked silently for a while. Shampoo felt very uncomfortable being alone with Mousse, who had stayed close by her all day long. She was sweeping the floor when Mousse carried the last tray of dishes into the kitchen. When he returned, he took the broom out of her hands and embraced her.
“Shampoo, I don’t want to wait any longer. Tell me you’ll marry me right away!”
Shampoo pushed Mousse away.
“I told you, Mousse. I have no intention of marrying you.”
Suddenly, both wrists were taken in a grip that was extremely painful.
“Actually, Shampoo, I’m not giving you a choice.”
“Let go of me!”
Shampoo wrenched her arms free, and kicked out at Mousse. She met nothing but air, as he slipped around her and grabbed her again, painfully squeezing her ribs.
“I said, you have no choice this time.”
Enraged, Shampoo freed herself again, and Mousse went flying across the room, hitting the far wall. He pulled himself to a sitting position and simply looked at Shampoo, who was breathing heavily and rubbing one wrist.
“You’re only going to make it hard on yourself by fighting me. I’m stronger than you--I always have been. This time I’m not holding back.”
Mousse got to his feet and walked upstairs, leaving Shampoo with a kitchen filled with dirty dishes, and a mind filled with very disturbing thoughts.
Chapter 69
Friday was a normal day for the Saotomes, which was a welcome relief to them. Still, they were happy to leave their classes late that afternoon, collect their bags, and get on the train to Nerima.
The Tendo house was dark and quiet when Ranma and Akane arrived. They let themselves in, and were about to go upstairs when they noticed a piece of paper on the dining room table.
“Welcome home. I left a snack on the counter for you.”
Ranma immediately headed for the kitchen.
“Kasumi’s cooking!”
Akane followed at a much slower pace. Someday she hoped Ranma would respond that way to her cooking.
Ranma already had his mouth full when Akane came though the door, and he held a plate out to her.
“Eat up, Akane. This is great.”
Soon, nothing remained but crumbs. Akane started to wash the dishes, and Ranma disappeared. He returned minutes later and came up behind his wife, putting his hands on her waist.
“Where were you?”
“I brought our things upstairs, and put them away. You nearly done?”
“Just about.”
Akane had a very difficult time washing the last couple of dishes, as Ranma’s arms pulled her back against him, and he began to kiss her neck.
“Mmmmm. Stop that.”
“Why?”
“Wait ‘til we get upstairs.”
Ranma’s response was to toss Akane over his shoulder and carry her upstairs.
*****
Shampoo sat up the moment her doorknob rattled. She was about to get up and pound on Mousse when he gave up, and walked to his own room.
It was a good thing she’d packed that bag. Tomorrow she would leave Nerima.
*****
The early morning sun woke Akane and she looked up, momentarily confused. The window was in the wrong place, and the ceiling wasn’t slanted, as it was in the little attic bedroom she shared with Ranma at home. No, this was her father’s house.
Akane came fully awake. When had Ube become home, and the house where she was born her father’s house? She’d have to give that some thought.
Akane left the futon and dressed quietly. She had her hand on the doorknob when Ranma opened his eyes.
“Wha. . .where are you going?”
“To see Shampoo. Go back to sleep.”
Ranma never argued with the opportunity to sleep in, but this time he did.
“Wait a few minutes and let me come along. I don’t want you wandering around by yourself.”
“Ranma! I’m not going to get into any trouble between here and the Nekohanten.”
Akane leaned over and kissed Ranma. She tucked the blankets around him, and brushed the hair out of his eyes.
“You never get to sleep in any more. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Ranma nodded, and Akane left before he could change his mind.
*****
The Nekohanten’s door opened as Akane reached the restaurant, and Shampoo came out with a basket in her hand. She locked the door, and jumped when she turned around and found Akane standing there.
“Akane! What are you doing in Nerima?”
“Ranma and I are visiting my family.”
Shampoo grabbed Akane’s arm and dragged her down the street.
“I hope Mousse didn’t see you.”
“Mousse is back?”
Shampoo’s expression was grim.
“He came back yesterday, and he’s worse than ever. He’s insisting that we marry right away. I have to get away from here!”
“That’s why I’m here, Shampoo. Shiro sent me.”
Shampoo’s eyes opened wide.
“I’m on my way to the market. Can you come with me?”
“Sure.”
When the girls reached the market, they found a bench where Shampoo could read her letter. Akane watched quietly as Shampoo read. She had been wondering how to treat Shampoo, and how she would be treated. Akane had always disliked and distrusted Shampoo, and wasn’t sure how to view her now. There was no longer any rivalry between them, and Shampoo seemed less like a warrior now and more like a young woman in love. After a few minutes, Shampoo folded the letter and tucked it in her blouse.
“Thank you, Akane. I didn’t know what to do. Now I can go to Shiro and leave Mousse behind.”
“I don’t understand. You’ve always been able to handle Mousse.”
Shampoo looked very embarrassed.
“I think. . .I think he has been fooling me all this time. I can see now that he is very dangerous. I still think I could defeat him, but I’m afraid he will hurt Shiro. I don’t want him to find out where I’ve gone.”
Shampoo stopped short. Why was she confiding in Akane Saotome, of all people? Kasumi was her friend, not Akane. Akane was the violent girl who’d stolen Ranma.
No. That wasn’t true. Akane was the girl who loved Ranma, and who was loved by Ranma. The old resentment wasn’t there anymore. Shampoo had no idea how to tell Akane what she was thinking, and was very surprised when Akane put her hand on her shoulder.
“Shampoo, I think we should tell Ranma about this. Can you come by later on today?”
“I’ll try.”
Shampoo hesitated, and spoke again.
“Thank you. I don’t know why you’re being so nice to me, after I tried to kill you, and tried to take Ranma away from you, but thank you.”
Shampoo continued on her way, and Akane watched her go. She was thinking hard about something Kasumi had said in one of her letters, and she ran after Shampoo, calling her name.
“What, Akane?”
“Do you, do you think we could be friends?”
Akane’s stuttered question was answered by a tentative nod.
*****
The sound of the door sliding open woke Ranma. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was his father charging at him.
“Lazy boy! What are you doing in bed at this hour?”
“Pop?”
Ranma avoided his father and tripped him, sending him stumbling across the room and into the wall. The old man was still untangling himself when Ranma pulled on his pants and walked out of the room.
“Give it a rest, Pop. I’ve seen every move you have. I’m going downstairs to find some breakfast.”
The rest of the family was already at the table when Ranma got downstairs. He smiled at his mother, and sat beside her.
“Good morning, Mom.”
“Good morning, Ranma. Where is Akane?”
The question was repeated by Genma, who sat down on the other side of Ranma and began serving himself a huge breakfast.
“Shouldn’t you have thought of that BEFORE you walked into our bedroom, Pop? You didn’t even knock. She’s out for a run.”
Genma opened his mouth to retort, but one look from his wife made him look down and concentrate on his breakfast. It was soon gone, and his chopsticks flew towards his son’s plate. His hand stopped short a second later because Ranma’s chopsticks had grabbed his wrist.
“No way, Pop.”
Genma’s response was to reach for the serving plate, but Ranma held it out of his reach.
“Leave some for Akane. She should be back soon.”
Nodoka took the plate from Ranma, and put it down farther away.
“You had a rather large breakfast at home, dear.”
Ranma just kept eating. Some things, like his father’s greed, never changed.
Ranma heard the front door open, and he moved over a little to make room for Akane. His mother picked up the serving plate, and nearly dropped it when she joined the room in a collective gasp.
“Akane, what happened to you?”
There was already a river of tears in Soun’s lap when he got up, ran around the table, and embraced his daughter.
“Oh, my poor baby girl! Who would do such a horrible thing to you? Tell Daddy if it hurts!”
“Only where you’re squeezing me, Daddy. I’m fine.”
Soun abruptly let go of his daughter, murmuring apologies. Then he stiffened, and turned to his son-in-law.
“And where were YOU when this happened? I NEVER would have allowed you to take my little girl so far away from home if I knew you wouldn’t take proper care of her!”
Even though Ranma had expected this from his father-in-law, it still wounded him. He cringed under the assault, unable to respond beyond a few inarticulate sounds.
“Leave him alone!”
All eyes turned to Akane.
“Ranma was at work when this happened. You can’t blame him.”
Soun started to cry again.
“Ranma promised me he would take good care of you, and he hasn’t done it! I never should have let you leave home. . .”
Soun trailed off into sobs, and Kasumi left her seat and put an arm around him.
“Now, now Father. I’m sure Ranma takes very good care of Akane. Let me pour you some more tea.”
As she spoke, Kasumi inclined her head toward Akane, who took the hint and sat down to eat her breakfast. Soun allowed Kasumi to lead him back to his seat, where his sobs grew softer. Ranma was beginning to think he was off the hook when Genma opened his mouth.
“Son, what exactly DID happen to Akane?”
Between the two of them, Ranma and Akane told the story of Ukyo’s attacks on the two of them, and her subsequent hospitalization. Akane had finished her breakfast by the time they were done, and Kasumi began to clear the table.
“Pop, if you hadn’t engaged me to Ukyo and then run out on her, she wouldn’t be in the state she’s in right now. This is your fault!”
“Growf!”
“Turning into a panda isn’t going to get you out of this!”
“Son, some of the responsibility is yours.”
“Mom?”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to Nodoka, who was calmly sipping her tea.
“Your father made the arrangement for you to marry Ukyo, and that bound you to her. Since you can’t marry her, you should at least do something for her.”
“Mom, that’s for Pop to do. He has to repay the dowry.”
“That’s not what I had in mind, Ranma. I agree that the dowry should be repaid, but Ukyo needs more than just money. She needs you.”
Ranma began to sweat.
“M-me? I’ve tried to be her friend, Mom.”
“That’s obviously not enough for her. Can you be more than that?”
Akane had been taking this all in, growing more and more alarmed. Her worst nightmare had always been that Ranma would choose someone else. Now his mother wanted, she wanted . . .
“You want him to be her lover, don’t you?”
Nodoka nodded.
“MOM!”
“Mother Saotome, how could you?”
“Oh my!”
The reactions from Ranma, Akane and Kasumi seemed to confuse Nodoka. Then she looked carefully at her son and daughter-in-law. Ranma was sitting with an arm around Akane, holding her close to his side. Akane was clutching Ranma possessively, as if someone was trying to take him away from her. Ranma was talking softly to Akane, as if no one else were in the room, and Nodoka strained her ears, trying to listen.
“I wouldn’t consider it, Akane. Not for a moment.”
“Why not, Son? This is a matter of honor, after all.”
“Honor? You said honor, Mom? Ukyo tried to kill my wife! I wouldn’t trust her for a second after that! Forget it!”
After a moment of thought, Nodoka got up, poured hot water on her husband, and pulled him out of the room. They returned after a few minutes and sat down.
“Son, your mother has convinced me that we have to go to Ube and look after Ukyo. I realize this is a difficult time for you right now, so we’ll do what we can until you can do your part.”
“Difficult time, Pop?”
“Well, yes. Akane needs you now, and that’s understandable, but after the baby is born you’ll have to give Ukyo some of your attention.”
Soun spilled his tea.
“Baby?”
Before Akane or Ranma could speak, Soun had once more flown around the table and embraced his daughter.
“I’m so happy! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Daddy!”
“An heir to the School!”
“Daddy!”
“Yes?”
“I’m not pregnant.”
As abruptly as he’d begun to cry, Soun stopped. He let go of Akane, and glared at Ranma.
“What do you mean, not pregnant? Aren’t you doing right by my little girl, Ranma?”
If Akane weren’t boiling mad, she’d have laughed at Ranma’s reaction. He turned beet red, and started to stutter.
“Yes, er no, I mean. . .”
Ranma visibly calmed himself, and tried again.
“Mr. Tendo. . .”
It didn’t work. Ranma couldn’t deal with his father-in-law and tried an easier target: his father.
“First of all, Pop, what gave you the idea Akane was pregnant?
“You’ve been married nearly two months. She should be by now, unless you’ve been doing something to prevent it. The School needs an heir.”
Akane suppressed a cry of pain when Ranma’s hand squeezed hers so hard that it hurt.
“Pop, our sex life is none of your damn business! We’ll have kids when we’re good and ready to, and that isn’t now!”
The reactions from the people in the room were almost predictable. Genma looked angry, Soun tearful but accepting, and Kasumi simply nodded. Nodoka brightened and patted her son’s arm.
“I understand, Ranma. Akane’s busy right now, so you have to wait. I’m sure Ukyo would be very willing to have your baby.”
That was enough for Ranma. He got up, pulling Akane up beside him.
“I’ve had it. Come on, we’re going out.”
Ranma had dragged Akane halfway out of the room when she freed her hand and walked back to her mother-in-law.
“You don’t seem to think there would be anything wrong with my husband having a mistress, do you? Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if your husband had one?”
Genma smiled, and nodded at his daughter-in-law.
“Nothing at all wrong with it, Akane. Why--”
His words were abruptly cut off when the Saotome sword appeared under his chin.
“You were saying, Dearest?”
“Um, I was only. . .”
Genma trailed off, and Nodoka pulled back the sword. Akane’s chuckle made her turn around.
“I think I made my point.”
Akane returned to Ranma, and they left the house.