Travels, Training & Trials, Chapter 5





Travels, Training and Trials

A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
April 8, 2000

Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi, and its characters belong to her. I'm merely borrowing them. The story below is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be used commercially.



Chapter 5


�You think we�ll actually make it through school today?� asked Akane. So far they�d managed to eat breakfast without arguing with anyone, avoid allowing Ranma to get splashed by any of the neighbors, and now were nearing Dr. Tofu�s office.

�I hope so. I wouldn�t want to think I was wearing this stupid thing for nothing.� Ranma tugged at the collar of his uniform and grimaced. He hated wearing school uniforms, but at least the fact that he had one on meant he was finally getting back to a real school.

�It looks good on you.�

Ranma stared, Akane blushed, and they walked into Dr. Tofu�s office together. Dr. Tofu came out from the back the moment they came through the door.

�Good morning! What are the two of you doing here? I don�t see any cuts or bruises, and Ranma doesn�t seem to need any hot water. Aren�t you going to be late for school?�

Ranma looked at Akane. Akane looked at Ranma. Dr. Tofu looked at both of them.

�What�s wrong?�

�Nothing�s exactly wrong," replied Ranma. �But it could get that way if we don�t handle it right.�

Akane pointed at the clock. �Stop beating around the bush, Ranma! I don�t want to be late.�

Ranma took the hint. "Our fathers got this bright idea that I need to get to know Akane and her sisters better, so this Saturday I've got to take Kasumi on an overnight training trip." The words had barely left Ranma's mouth when he began backing away from the doctor. The look in Tofu's eyes was frightening, to say the least.

�You WHAT? You told me you had no interest in Kasumi!�

�I was telling the truth! Let me finish, and you�ll understand.�

There was a slight change in the doctor�s expression, and his hands relaxed.

�Go ahead. I�ll listen.�

�I can�t get out of the trip, but I was hoping you could come too.�

�Me?�

�Yeah, meet us there. You and I can spar some, you and Kasumi can be together, and we all go home the next day.�

Ranma found himself being held by the collar.

�What exactly do you mean by me and Kasumi being together?� growled Tofu.

�Nothin�! I meant you could like, um, take a walk in the woods or something! Jeez! Does EVERYBODY think I�m a pervert?�

Tofu looked terribly embarrassed. He released Ranma and stepped back, waving his hands.

"I'm sorry! It's just--I can't help being protective of Kasumi!"

�That�s fine with me--protect her all you want. But why do you have to jump to conclusions about ME?�

By this time Tofu was his normal calm self again. "I shouldn't have, and I apologize. You two had better get moving or you'll be late."

"Thanks. I'll let you know where to meet us--and don't tell Kasumi you're coming!"

"Sure, I mean why? Hey, come back!"

Ranma and Akane were already too far off to hear Dr. Tofu calling.

*****

Akane nearly ran into Ranma when he stopped to talk to her. She began to lose her balance, but his hand on her shoulder steadied her and kept her from falling off the fence and landing in the canal.

"Sorry, Akane. I just wanted to ask--we've got this weekend covered, but have you thought of a way to handle Nabiki yet?"

"I think so, but there�s a question I have to ask you first. Want to talk about it at lunch?"

Ranma thought of the overflowing bento boxes he and Akane had packed that morning, and smiled. "Sure. Where do you want to eat?"

"I have a favorite spot. I'll show you."

The pair jumped off the fence and raced toward the school gates as Akane spoke. Then they stopped dead, staring at the crowd in front of them.

Tatewaki Kuno stood in front of nearly all of the male students of Furinkan, holding a large rifle-shaped water gun. Several other students were similarly armed, while others carried steaming kettles of water.

Akane's expression went from amazed to furious, while Ranma looked disgusted.

"Better get out of the way, Akane. No sense both of us getting soaked."

"Friends stick up for each other." Akane stepped in front of Ranma and held out her arms. Considering the fact that she was shorter than Ranma the effect was less than successful, but her intent was evident to everyone present.

"Hiding behind a woman, Saotome?�

*****

Akane felt Ranma grasp her wrists and bring her arms down. He gently pushed her aside, sparing her a brief smile before turning his attention to Kuno.

�There�s nobody between us now. You had something to say?�

Instead of saying something, Kuno aimed and fired. Ranma ducked out of the way, but got caught in the crossfire from the other students� weapons.

A satisfied smile came to Kuno�s face. He pointed at the now female Ranma.

�Look! Did I speak lies? He is a monster!�

Ranma just stood there. Akane felt an odd sensation in her chest as she watched. It was a combination of pain, fear and anger. Then all of those feelings were eclipsed by one overwhelming one--compassion.

She had been under attack for months, and knew exactly how it felt. Watching Ranma attacked like this brought out all of her protective instincts.

�Stop it! Stop it, all of you!�

Akane snatched one of the steaming kettles and poured it over Ranma. There was a collective gasp as he returned to normal.

�What you saw before was Ranma. What you see NOW is Ranma. He�s not a monster. He�s a human being with...with a unique problem! If you have problems with it, that�s too bad! I don�t!� Akane grabbed Ranma�s hand and started to drag him through the gates, but Kuno took aim again, and this time he didn�t miss. Unfortunately, he also got Akane.

Within seconds the water gun lay shattered on the ground and Kuno lay on top of the pieces. Ranma stood over him, fists clenched.

�Watch out where you aim that thing!� she cried. �I don�t mind you getting ME wet, but why did you have to get Akane?�

�I--I--wasn�t aiming at her,� whispered Kuno. Then he passed out.

A ring of students formed around Ranma and Akane. A couple of the older boys got close enough to touch Ranma, and one of them poked her chest.

�Hey, those are rea...urk!� The unfortunate student spat out a couple of teeth before collapsing.

�Great,� muttered Akane. �Two down, how many more to go?�

Fortunately, the other students took Ranma�s response to being poked as reason enough to get inside. They scrambled for the school entrance, leaving behind the rest of the water guns and teakettles. Ranma nabbed a kettle and used it before heading inside with Akane.

�How does our teacher feel about students showing up soaking wet?�

Akane just shrugged. �He�ll ignore it.�

*****

They arrived in the classroom with a few minutes to spare, even though they were the last students there. Ranma was surprised when all of Akane�s friends came over to talk to him. Evidently, they were not allowing Kuno�s opinion of him to influence them. Pretty soon everyone had introduced themselves, and a few people got up enough courage to ask Ranma for details about why and how he was cursed. Their responses to his story surprised him. One girl patted his arm, tears in her eyes.

�I feel so bad, Ranma! Isn�t there anything that can be done?�

�I don�t know. I hope there�s a cure out there somewhere.�

There were murmurs of agreement from all of the girls.

*****

Kuno dragged himself into his classroom and met the cold stares of his classmates, including an icy one from Nabiki.

�Pick on Saotome all you want, Kuno, but leave Akane alone! Don�t you think you�ve annoyed her enough?�

He looked for one person to support him, and found nothing. Why? He had proved Ranma to be the monster that he was, so why was everyone angry at him?

Just as the teacher entered the room Kuno caught a soft mutter from somewhere behind him.

�Remind me not to listen to that jerk again.�

*****

The morning passed quickly for Ranma, who was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was exactly where he wanted to be--in a real classroom.

It didn�t take him long to realize that he had a lot of catching up to do. He�d missed a great deal during his travels. Hopefully, he would stay long enough to learn something.

Then he lost track of what the teacher was saying as another thought came to him. He didn�t want to have to leave Akane if it wasn�t necessary.

Ranma looked beside him at Akane, who was concentrating on what the teacher was writing on the board. It was obvious that she had no idea he was looking at her. He�d only known her a couple of days, and she was having a tremendous effect on him. This was much, much stronger than his earlier attraction to Midori--that had taken weeks to develop.

He regretted taking the seat next to her. Perhaps the empty seat at the back of the classroom would have been a better choice. Akane was just too distracting.

Evidently, the teacher thought so too. Ranma�s attention was forcibly wrenched from Akane when an eraser bounced off his head.

�Mr. Saotome, stop staring at Miss Tendo and pay attention!�

The room erupted in giggles at the two red-faced young people who were making a great effort to keep their gazes straight forward.

*****

�So where�s this favorite spot of yours?� asked Ranma.

Akane pointed across the schoolyard. �Behind that tree. It�s usually pretty quiet, unless Kuno decides to annoy us.�

Ranma looked over his shoulder. There was no sign of Kuno. �Doesn�t he let you eat your lunch in peace?�

The pair settled down on the grass, and Akane began to unwrap her bento. She glanced at Ranma and shrugged. �Most of the time. Now and then he forgets how much he hates wearing my lunch.� She frowned when Ranma began to laugh. �Hey! I prefer eating it!�

Akane got to eat her lunch. Kuno walked by and glared at Ranma, but the looks he received from the pair under the tree made him think twice about annoying them. When she was finished, Akane re-wrapped her bento and looked around. No one seemed to be close enough to overhear her.

�Do you have any money, Ranma?�

That was the last question Ranma expected to hear. �Yeah, why?�

�How much?�

Ranma stared. �Why do you want to know?�

Akane leaned closer and whispered to him. Ranma listened intently, nodded, and whispered back. Akane made a few quick mental calculations before replying.

"Between yours and mine, we have nearly enough. I know a way you can earn some extra money. I work after school a few days a week, and I�m pretty sure I can talk my boss into hiring you."

*****

The pair were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice they were being observed. A group of boys sat to one side of them, growing more and more annoyed.

�It isn�t fair! We�ve been trying for months to get close to Akane, and Saotome manages it in a day! We can�t let him get her so easily, can we?�

Another boy shrugged. �He DID defeat her. Wasn�t that the whole idea? Whoever defeated Akane would get to date her. So why are we trying to change the rules now?�

�Easy. He�s an outsider.�

*****

Nabiki changed out of her school uniform, took her books out of her bag, and sat down to do her homework. She�d barely started when someone knocked on her bedroom door. When she opened it she was quite surprised to see Genma.

�Yes?�

�Would you know where my son is? Or Akane? They haven�t come home.�

�Maybe they went out for ice cream again,� replied Nabiki as she closed the door. She had more important things to do than keep track of Akane and her boyfriend. As long as no one was trying to get her to marry Ranma, she was quite content.

Then she pushed her homework aside. Conversation at school that day had centered on Akane, Ranma and Kuno. If people weren�t talking about how Akane had defended Ranma, they were talking about how Kuno had made a complete ass of himself. Then there were the whispers...

Her sister�s admirers weren�t particularly happy that she had been defeated by a newcomer. As far as Nabiki could tell, that meant a lot of trouble for Ranma.

What Nabiki found really amusing was the fact that they were using the fact that Ranma was an �outsider� as an excuse to refuse to honor the agreement that the one who defeated Akane could date her. As far as she was concerned, if any one of them had actually managed the feat, he would have met the same opposition. What had begun as a challenge for Akane�s affection had become some kind of strange school ritual, which no longer had a clear goal.

Now it looked as though the boys really had something to worry about. Ranma and Akane were off somewhere together. Did that mean they liked each other? Was the way Akane was treating him just an act?

�No way,� Nabiki muttered. �Akane�s not that sneaky. Not unless--not unless she really DOES like him.�

*****

�Okay, you take a left here, and then go eight blocks, then right, and the shop will be on the right side of the street. Are you sure you don�t want to take the bicycle?�

Ranma took another look at the map and picked up the boxes he had to deliver. �No, I�d rather run. Thanks for the directions, Akane. Give me a few days and I�ll know my way around.� He grinned at Akane, and was gone in seconds. Akane just shook her head. How could someone run so fast carrying so much?

�Akane? Akane, where are you? We have customers waiting.�

Akane grabbed her apron and clipboard and ran back inside the warehouse. She was too lucky to have a job like this one to jeopardize it by giving her boss the impression that she was goofing off. Akane found her customers waiting in the frozen foods area. She remembered them from previous visits--they owned an Italian restaurant in the district.

�Miss Tendo! We didn�t know you were working this afternoon!�

�Yes, and it�s good to see you both again. You�re back so soon? Business must be good.�

Her customers smiled. �Oh, yes. Sometimes the line to get in goes all the way down to the end of the street. I think we need to get in twice as much as we did last time.�

Akane pulled out her pen and assumed a very businesslike attitude. �Then let�s get started, shall we?�

*****

Ranma ran back to the warehouse as fast as he could. The more deliveries he made, the more tips he could earn. If he could keep up the pace, he and Akane would have no trouble earning what they needed to accomplish their plan. His customer had been quite pleased with the speed of the delivery, and Ranma could tell that the tip he received was more than the usual one. Added to the hourly rate he was getting, this was much better than any of the odd jobs Ranma had taken as he had traveled around.

Mr. Maeda, the warehouse owner, didn�t expect to see Ranma return so quickly.

�You�re back already?�

�Yes, sir.�

Ranma�s boss said something to himself that he couldn�t quite catch. It sounded like �have to believe what she says next time,� but he wasn�t sure.

�Good. I have a huge delivery for you. Think you can carry all of this at once?�

�Not a problem. Where do I take it?�

*****

Nabiki had to be reminded that it was her turn to cook dinner, which made the evening meal a little bit late. This worked out well for Ranma and Akane, who ran in just as Nabiki was putting the serving dishes on the table. She looked at the latecomers in annoyance.

�Where have the two of you been?�

Neither Ranma nor Akane answered. Instead, they just stood there looking uncomfortable. Fortunately for them, their fathers were too hungry to follow up with questions of their own, and chose to leave the subject for later discussion.

They regretted that decision when Ranma jumped up the minute he finished eating and ran from the room, saying something about getting his homework done. Akane stayed around long enough to get the dishes washed, then disappeared into her room to do her homework.

�They were together after school, I�m sure of it.�

Soun nodded at his friend. �But what were they doing?�

Genma punched his friend in the arm. �Same thing all courting couples do. They�re getting to know each other.�

�Do you really think so?�

Genma got to his feet and headed for the stairs. �Definitely. I�m going to get hold of my boy and find out.� He put his foot on the first step and narrowly missed being hit by a flying book.

�Get out of my room, you pervert! What makes you think I�m going to do your homework for you?�

Ranma ran down the stairs, retrieved his history book, and ran back up. Genma and Soun listened in disappointment as the argument escalated.

�Hey, I just asked for a little help! You know I�m behind the rest of the class! Why are you being so uncute?�

�Uncute? I�m uncute? What makes you the judge of that?� From the tone of Akane�s voice, Genma got the feeling that Ranma was in great physical danger.

�Heh, that�s an easy one,� he heard Ranma reply, and his heart sank. �All I have to do is look in the mirror to see a cute girl.�

�Son,� murmured Genma, �that is NOT the way to court a girl.�

The sound of things shattering confirmed his statement.

*****

Ranma looked up from his books when the door slid open, and Genma entered. Genma looked at his son�s disheveled appearance and frowned.

�You disappoint me, boy. You ignored Kasumi and Nabiki at dinner, and now you�re fighting with Akane. How do you expect to choose a wife if you don�t even try to get along with them?�

�Give me a break, Pop! Kasumi�s too old for me, Nabiki�s got TWO boyfriends, and Akane�s uncute! Not much to choose from, is there? OW!�

Genma swatted his son a second time. �You�ll choose, or we�ll do it for you. When you and Akane were late coming home, Tendo and I thought--�

He was cut off when Ranma grabbed him by the front of his gi.

�You thought what? That we were together? You�ve been pushing Akane at me since we got here. Maybe I needed some time to myself!�

*****

Akane stood outside in the hallway, listening. She and Ranma had seen the looks their fathers were giving them at dinner, so they had staged the fight. Their decision to become friends was becoming dangerous.

It was dangerous, and in more than one way. Akane�s attraction to Ranma was growing quickly, and she was having a difficult time dealing with it. Boys still scared her, and he was a boy. At least most of the time.

Akane returned to her room, opened her closet door, and pulled out a box of weights. There was a slim book underneath it, which she opened. Nabiki had found and read Akane�s diary a long time ago, and Akane had made a big show of burning it afterward, swearing never to keep one again. She moved the real diary to her closet that night, knowing that Nabiki would not be able to lift the box of weights. Besides, the book was thin enough to sit beneath the box without being seen. Akane took the diary to her desk and sat down to write.

�I still feel trapped, Diary. Kasumi and Tofu are a couple.
Ranma could never marry her. Nabiki would make him
miserable, and she�s not even trying to get to know him.
That leaves me.�


The pen fell onto the desk, and Akane stared out the window. If she and Ranma decided they didn�t want to marry, he was going to leave. She�d only known him a couple of days, so that shouldn�t make a big difference in her life. If that was true, why did the prospect make her feel so bad?

�Make up your mind, Akane,� she whispered to herself. �Do you want him, or don�t you?�

Akane jumped. Where had THAT come from?

*****

Ranma and Akane left Furinkan�s grounds as quickly as they could. Their day had begun badly, and continued that way. Evidently, Kuno felt that if he continued to �demonstrate� Ranma�s curse to everyone he would win them over to his side. Then he could drive the monster who threatened his precious Akane Tendo away from Furinkan High School, and out of Nerima . He met them at the gates with a water gun, and Ranma had to go into the school female.

Getting into the school hadn�t been as simple as walking in the door. A few of the older boys had ambushed Ranma, saying that his defeat of Akane didn�t count, since he was an outsider and not part of their group. Akane�s reaction had stopped Ranma before he could reply.

�What does THAT matter? I NEVER said I�d date anybody who defeated me! That goes for all of you, and that goes for Ranma!�

The student who�d made the �outsider� remark sneered at her. �Don�t tell me the two of you aren�t dating! Your sister says you�re getting married!�

�WE�RE NOT DATING!� was the last thing he heard--from the lips of both Ranma and Akane--before he went flying. The rest of the boys scattered as the pair passed them by on their way inside.

Ranma had found himself some hot water once he got inside, but staying male had been nearly impossible. The boys of his class had invented a new game--�Splash Ranma�.

When the splashing began, Akane started to rise out of her chair but a look from Ranma made her sit again. Then one of Akane�s girlfriends started to scold the boys. Ranma hissed �NO!� and she stopped mid-sentence.

Ranma got himself some hot water and changed back. His fingers twitched with the desire to go back into the classroom and rearrange the faces of the boys who were splashing him, but he restrained himself. His school day had ended five minutes after his arrival in the classroom two days earlier. Yesterday he was stuck sitting in wet clothes all morning, and he survived it. Today he was going to stay ALL day, even if it meant allowing this sort of nonsense. If the teachers could ignore it, so could he.

The splashing continued, and Ranma kept having to excuse himself to get more hot water. After the sixth time he gave up, and remained female until lunch.

If the boys who were splashing Ranma had known that he was making careful note of who they were, they might have thought twice about doing it.

*****

�I can only work for an hour, Ranma. It�s my turn to cook dinner tonight.�

�That�s okay, Akane. It�ll look better if we get home separately.�

�Yeah, you�re right.� Akane was quiet for a minute, and then she decided to ask Ranma the question that had been nagging at her all day.

�Have you ever had a girlfriend?�

Ranma stopped dead in his tracks. �Where did THAT question come from?�

�I was wondering. You got so mad when the boys said we were dating.�

�Oh.� Ranma started walking again, trying to figure out what to say. �I guess I sort of had one once.�

�Sort of?�

�It�s kind of hard to explain. I think she liked me, but I don�t really know for sure.�

Akane decided to take a chance and see if her guess was correct. �Her name was Midori, right?�

�How the heck did you know that?� asked Ranma.

�I guessed. You acted really weird when I talked about Midori, the little girl next door. Want to tell me about her?�

Ranma was silent, and Akane began to worry that she had said something wrong.

�You don�t have to if you don�t want to. I�m sorry.�

�No. It�s okay. This isn�t a good place to talk about it. How about tonight?�

They arrived at the warehouse as Ranma spoke. Akane smiled at him, and nodded.

�Sure. Want to spar a little? We can talk then.�

�Okay. Now you tell me. Have you ever had a boyfriend?�

Akane wondered whether or not Ranma counted as a boyfriend before she replied. �No. No boyfriends.�

*****

Ranma felt like kicking himself as he watched Akane disappear into the warehouse. Why had he asked Akane that question when he knew how frightened she was of boys?

He wondered if Akane was angry or upset, and kept an eye on her whenever he wasn�t making deliveries. She seemed to be all right, and he gradually relaxed.

He was up on a ladder pulling merchandise down from the shelves when Akane approached him.

�I�m going home. How late are you working?�

�Another two hours. Why?�

�I�ll save you some dinner. See you later!�

She gave him a bright smile that nearly made him fall off the ladder, and ran off.

�She�s not mad at me. Good.�

*****

�Incredible, Tendo! Three nights in a row, three perfect meals, prepared by three lovely cooks. You�re a lucky man.�

Genma reached for the serving bowls as he spoke. There wasn�t much left in any of them, and he took it all.

�You haven�t left anything for Ranma, Mr. Saotome,� remarked Kasumi.

�If the ungrateful boy is late for dinner then there�s more for the rest of us.�

�For you, you mean,� Akane growled. She couldn�t believe that Genma didn�t care if there was nothing left for Ranma, and was very glad there was a meal set aside for him in the kitchen.

Kasumi got up and began to clear the table, but Akane stopped her.

�I�ll do it.�

�Why? It�s my turn.�

�I don�t mind. Go ahead and study.�

Kasumi took off before Akane could change her mind, and Nabiki soon followed. While Akane cleared the table, her father and Genma set up the game board. As she went in and out of the kitchen she caught bits of their conversation.

�...youngest daughter reminds me of a girl Ranma had a fondness for...�

�...only one of the three who ever took an interest in the school...�

Akane began to wash the dishes, wishing she could hear more. Since she couldn�t, she began talking to herself. �They�re talking about me. I knew they were going to pick me. This �training trip� nonsense doesn�t mean a thing.�

�Why are you talking to yourself, Akane?�

�EEEP!�

Ranma threw himself forward and caught the dish that slipped out of Akane�s hands just before it would have hit the floor. As he straightened up, she bopped him on the head.

�Don�t SCARE me like that!�

�You couldn�t tell I was there?� Ranma gave Akane a stern look �We�re not going to spar tonight. I�m going to start teaching you how to sense someone else�s presence.� Ranma was surprised when Akane raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

�Fat chance. Daddy tried to teach me that, and I couldn�t do it.�

�I�m not your father.�

Akane suppressed the desire to agree fervently with Ranma�s comment, and quickly turned away to hide her blush. �Let me heat up your dinner.�

*****

Ranma and Akane sat on the floor of the dojo. Both of them looked frustrated.

�No wonder your father gave up on you, Akane.�

�You mean I�m hopeless?�

The look of disappointment on Akane�s face made Ranma melt.

�I don�t think so. You�re just trying too hard.� He reached out and touched Akane�s shoulder. �You are SO tense!�

Ranma moved behind Akane and began to massage her shoulders, and she tensed up even more. When Ranma felt her stiffen, he stopped rubbing and looked around at her face. Akane had her eyes shut tightly, and she was beginning to tremble. How could he have forgotten her fear of being touched by boys?

�Just try to relax. I�m not making a pass at you, I�m trying to help.�

�I-I�m sorry. I can�t help it.�

�It�s okay. I understand. Do you want me to leave?�

Akane�s eyes flew open. �No!� Ranma was stunned when she reached out and grabbed his arm. �I�m not afraid of you. Try again.�

Once more, Ranma got behind Akane and massaged her shoulders. After a few minutes, he felt her begin to relax. Ranma continued massaging until he felt the tension disappear, then he turned Akane around to face him.

�Are you okay?�

�Yes. Do you want to try again?�

Ranma shook his head. �Not tonight. How about tomorrow?�

�Sure.� Akane hesitated, and looked at the floor. �You were going to tell me about Midori tonight. Do you want to?�

Ranma nodded, and then sat there gazing out at a point somewhere beyond Akane. "I'm trying to figure out where to start." He drummed his fingers on the floor for a minute, and then looked at Akane.

"Midori was the master's daughter at the last dojo we visited before we went to China. We stayed there a couple of months, and that's a lot longer than we usually stayed anywhere.

"We got along right from the start. Midori loved martial arts as much as I did, and we'd spar together. Her father had a fantastic library, and I would stay up late reading. Sometimes she would come in to read too, but I got the feeling she was really there to keep me company."

"Why?"

"Because I finished a book every couple of nights, and she was on the same one for weeks. I think she forgot to turn the pages.�

Akane giggled. Ranma�s breath caught in his throat. She was so damn cute when she giggled! He decided to stop thinking about that and concentrate on telling his story.

�I made up my mind to keep my distance. Sooner or later Pop was going to leave, and I�d probably never see Midori again. It didn�t make sense to get too close to her.� Ranma stopped talking and fidgeted for a few seconds. �I have to be honest. Midori was very beautiful, and that made me nervous, especially if we touched. So after a while I stopped sparring with her.�

Ranma looked at Akane to see if she understood, and she nodded. �She kept asking me to spar, and I was running out of excuses. I could tell she was getting mad at me. Then Pop decided to leave, and before I knew it we were on our way to China.�

�You make it sound really sudden. Did something happen?�

�Um, er, ah.�

�I guess I was right. Want to tell me about it?�

�Pop found out that Midori�s father was trying to marry her off to me.�

�Oh!� Akane was quiet for a while after that, and sat watching Ranma�s face. After a while, she patted his arm.

�Can I ask you something?�

�What?�

Ranma had to lean close because Akane turned bright red, and whispered the question.

�Did you ever kiss her?�

�Why are you asking?�

�I�m not sure--I just need to know.�

Ranma nodded. In a way, he understood. �Actually, Midori kissed me. Took me totally by surprise.�

�And?�

�I kissed her back.� He noted that Akane had gone from red to pale. �Then Pop caught us. We were gone in a few minutes.�

�Oh.�

�I still wonder sometimes if she did that because her father told her to, or if she wanted to. That�s why when you asked me, I said I �sort of� had a girlfriend.�

Ranma scooted a little closer to Akane, touched her hand, and took it in his. �Funny thing about that. I lived in the same house with Midori for weeks. It took time for me to feel that way about her. I�ve only been here a few days, and--�

He stopped short. Akane was staring at him, eyes as wide as they could get. Did she know what he was going to say?

�I feel more for you than I ever did for Midori.� Almost before he was aware of what he was doing, Ranma had Akane in his arms, and his lips met hers in the gentlest of kisses. She made no attempt to stop him, nor did she respond. Ranma let go and backed away, waving his hands.

�I�m sorry! I didn�t mean--�

He was silenced by Akane�s look even before she put her finger to his lips.

�It�s okay. I think--I think I feel the same way about you.� Akane kissed Ranma�s cheek, got to her feet, and ran from the dojo.

Ranma remained where he was.

�We are in DEEP trouble.�

*****

Nabiki opened her door and looked out into the hallway. She had heard running steps, and then the slam of a door. Nabiki saw the duck on Akane�s door vibrating, so it must have been her little sister.

She crept out into the hallway and stood listening. Akane�s closet door opened, and she heard something heavy being put down on the floor. Akane must be working with her weights. She went back into her room and closed the door.

*****

Akane sat staring at her diary. How was she going to put down in words what had just happened? Her first kiss. Something to remember always.

So what did she have to remember? A brief embrace, a very gentle kiss, and a great deal of surprise. So much surprise that she had no time to respond until it was too late.

�Diary, Ranma kissed me, and I just sat there. I didn�t
even move! Why was I such a coward? Oh yes, I
kissed him before I ran away. On the cheek.

Could I really be falling in love with a boy I just met?
Could he really be falling in love with me? I think so.
But if we get found out, our fathers will want us to get
married. We�re too young.

I wonder if Mom knew about this agreement. I wonder
if Auntie Nodoka knows about it. I don�t think so. She
never even gave us a hint.

Worrying about it isn�t going to make it better. I think
I�ll just do my homework.�


Akane put her diary away and replaced the weights. She had the best intentions as far as doing her homework was concerned, but instead of starting it, she continued to worry about her situation until a glance at the clock told her to get going.

*****

Ranma sat on the dojo floor, chin in his hands. He had nearly blown it--big time. Impulse had caused him to put his arms around Akane and kiss her. He was damned lucky that she didn�t freak out. Then again, what she had said was really scary.

She cared for him. He cared for her. Did he dare use the word �love?� After only three days? No, this could only be physical attraction? Right?

Ranma sighed, and gave up. He was asking himself questions that were too hard to answer. He left the dojo and went upstairs to get his homework done. When he passed his father and Mr. Tendo on his way to the stairs, they were still playing. It amazed him how his father could retain his skills when he spent so much time sitting around. As Ranma climbed the stairs he found himself wondering how much better Genma would be if he practiced as much as he played, or if he lost a few pounds.

Akane�s bedroom door was closed, and Ranma could see light coming from beneath it. She was probably doing her homework.

Ranma sat down and began his, but found himself wondering if Akane was all right. She had run out of the dojo so fast. Akane had denied being upset, but Ranma had to wonder whether or not she had been truthful.

He rushed his way through his homework, unable to concentrate on it properly. Then he opened his bedroom window, climbed out onto the roof, and lowered himself down to Akane�s window. She was sitting at her desk, staring out the window. It took her a couple of seconds to realize he was there, then she jumped in surprise. The next thing Ranma knew, Akane had opened the window and was pulling him inside.

�What are you DOING out there?�

�I was worried. Are you okay?� He felt like pulling the words out of the air and stuffing them back into his mouth when Akane began to blush.

�I�m fine.�

�You sure?�

�Well, maybe not.� Akane sat down on the bed and gestured for Ranma to take her chair. �I�m a little worried about our fathers. If anybody had seen what happened in the dojo, we�d be in BIG trouble.�

�I think it�s too late for that, Akane. We�re already in trouble.�

Akane looked hurt, which caused Ranma�s stomach to twist painfully.

�Akane, all I�m trying to say is that this is happening awfully fast. Maybe we need to slow down, set up a couple of rules?�

�Rules?�

Ranma swallowed. �Yeah. Like no touching unless we�re sparring.�

�Okay, what else?�

�I think we need to avoid talking about ro-romantic stuff. Let�s just get to know each other as people, not as boy-girl. Think we can do that?� Ranma looked at Akane�s serious expression, wondering what was going through her mind.

�We can try, but isn�t that sort of like trying to stuff the genie back into the lamp once you let him out?�

�Oh man, we ARE in trouble.� Ranma got out of the chair and started pacing around the room. �Forget it. He�s out, and we can�t get him back in, can we?� When Akane shook her head, Ranma knew he was right. �Then forget the rules. We�ll just try to take it slow, and we have to be REALLY careful not to let anybody know what�s going on.�

�We could keep pretending to fight, like we did last night.�

�Yeah, but not too much, or your sisters might get suspicious. We can�t be fighting one minute and practicing together the next.� Ranma opened the bedroom window and glanced back at Akane. �Of course, pretending to fight with you is sort of fun. You should have heard Pop scolding me last night. It was so hard not to laugh!� He began to climb out, and Akane got off the bed.

�Ranma?�

�What?�

�Nothing.�

Ranma waited a second to see if Akane wanted to change her mind, but she looked at the floor. He shrugged, and climbed out of the window. He was sliding it shut behind him when he heard Akane say something to herself.

�Akane, you coward!�

*****

Akane felt even worse the next day, which was Saturday. After their half day of school, Ranma left with a very unhappy-looking Kasumi. She�d helped her sister pack up her camping gear and a small tent. Kasumi had complained the entire time.

�I don�t have time for this, Akane! I�ve got two exams on Monday, and I need to study. Why can�t you go first?�

�Because we already agreed you would. Take your books with you, Sis. I�m sure you�ll have plenty of time to study.�

�What? I�m going to be alone with this guy I hardly know, and you think I�ll be able to study? I�ll probably have to fight him off!�

Kasumi became quite incensed when Akane started to giggle.

�Hey, I wasn�t joking!�

Akane wiped her eyes, and waved her hands at Kasumi. �You haven�t gotten to know Ranma very well, have you? He�s not the kind of boy who�d force himself on you. Besides, he knows about you and Tofu.� She picked up Kasumi�s books and stuffed them into her backpack. �Trust me. You�ll be able to study.�

*****

Kasumi followed Ranma to the train station, glaring at his back. If he was aware of it, he didn�t let it show.

�Where are we going?�

�A little place in the mountains Pop used to take me to. It�s very pretty there, and I have a surprise planned for you.�

�Right, a surprise. Where did you get the money for the tickets?�

�From your father.�

They boarded the train and found a couple of empty seats. Ranma settled down and stared out the window. He didn�t seem too inclined to talk, so Kasumi dug one of her textbooks out of her pack and began to read. Someone sat down beside her, but she didn�t bother taking her eyes from her book until his hand touched hers.

�Hi, sweetheart.�

Kasumi jumped ten feet. �T-tofu?�

�Surprise!� said Ranma.

*****

Kasumi watched Tofu and Ranma spar as she cooked dinner. This trip was nothing like she�d imagined. It was hard for her to believe that Ranma had arranged for Tofu to join them. Perhaps she�d misjudged him.

The more she watched, the more she saw to admire in his skills. Although she had no interest in pursuing martial arts herself, she knew enough to be able to tell that Ranma was very good. Better than Tofu. He had the same passion for the Art as Akane did. It was really a waste of time requiring Ranma to take this trip, and the one with Nabiki was going to be a similar waste. Akane was the perfect wife for Ranma.

Then Kasumi smiled. Perhaps this wasn�t such a waste after all. If she could get hold of her father�s ear, and tell him her thoughts, he might come to the same conclusions.

Later that evening she didn�t bother thinking about Ranma or Akane. She and Tofu were too busy sitting together, watching the stars and talking about their future together.

*****

Akane stood on the laundry porch, staring at the same stars. Nabiki passed by and looked at her curiously. Akane had been very quiet all afternoon and evening. Did she miss Ranma? Was she worried about what might be happening between him and Kasumi?

That thought made Nabiki wonder about what her trip would be like. She hated camping, and everything it entailed--sleeping outdoors, bugs, being away from the comforts of life. On top of that, she had to spend time with a virtual stranger, and strange was the way to describe him. That curse of his...Nabiki shivered just thinking about it.

Why did any of them have to marry Ranma? The whole idea was insane.

*****

Ranma and Tofu shared a tent that night. Tofu kept Ranma up a long time talking about Kasumi. He finally drifted off, but Ranma stayed up a while longer. He was beginning to understand what it meant to really care about someone.

The concept was a little bit scary. Was he ready for marriage, and everything that went with it?

He could see Tofu and Kasumi together. They were older, and they�d cared about each other for a long time. This thing between him and Akane--it was new. Wonderful, but new. How could he tell if it was a �forever� thing?

His last thought before falling asleep was that he hoped it was.

*****

Kasumi was all smiles the next day. After a long walk in the woods with Tofu, she spent the rest of the morning studying, while keeping half an eye on Tofu and Ranma as they sparred. She couldn�t have asked for a better weekend.

Her good mood was so strong that she didn�t even blink at first when Ranma dropped his bombshell on her as they were walking back from the train station.

�I don�t want you to tell anyone that Tofu was with us this weekend.�

�Okay.�

Then she began to wonder.

�Why not?�

�Our fathers won�t like it.�

Something in Kasumi�s brain began to percolate. If her father didn�t like it, maybe she could use it to her advantage.

�I don�t like lying to Father.�

�Don�t you? How many classes have you cut to see Tofu? If you tell him that he was with us, I�ll say it was YOUR idea. How well will he take that?�

Kasumi gulped. Ranma had her backed into a corner. He was smarter than he let people believe.

Then they arrived at the house, and Kasumi saw something that made her believe she had an edge.

Akane was sitting at the table reading when they walked in. Her eyes met Ranma�s and the look in them was very familiar. It was the same look she saw in Tofu�s eyes when he looked at her. She quickly turned to look at Ranma, and saw the same expression as he looked at Akane.

It was time to start watching the two of them.