Travels, Training and Trials, Chapter 6
Travels, Training and Trials
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by June “KaraOhki” Geraci
November 5, 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 Six
Akane didn’t get an opportunity to do more than smile at Ranma when he got home before their fathers descended upon him.
“Well, Son? How did the two of you get along?”
“We--”
“Ranma! Did you treat my little girl right?”
Soun’s question got Kasumi’s attention. “Daddy! Ranma was a perfect gentleman!”
Genma looked rather disappointed but continued on. “So, what do you think of her? Will she make a good wife?”
“POP! Gimme a break, will you?” The sight of Akane, who was standing behind Mr. Tendo and his father, dampened Ranma’s fury a little bit. She was struggling hard not to laugh. As he watched her, she put her hand over her mouth and fled upstairs. “Look,” he continued in a calmer tone, “Kasumi’s a nice girl, and a great cook and all, but she’s already got a boyfriend. Did you ever think about how SHE feels?”
“Ranma, honor demands--”
“Yeah, yeah, I know! I have to marry a Tendo girl. Isn’t that why I’m supposed to have a weekend with all three? Don’t ask me to make up my mind after the first, okay?” With that comment, Ranma stalked off.
*****
Nabiki followed Kasumi upstairs and watched her unpack. All Kasumi had done before the trip was complain, but now it seemed to Nabiki that her sister seemed quite happy.
“It looks like you had fun.”
A dreamy look crossed Kasumi’s face. “Oh, yes I did!”
“KASUMI?”
Kasumi jumped. “I, um, we, it was okay.”
“You’re supposed to be in love with Tofu! How could you make out with Ranma!”
“I DID NOT MAKE OUT WITH RANMA!!!”
Nabiki backed out of Kasumi’s room. “Um, maybe we can talk about this ...er...later!”
*****
Ranma wondered why Akane was avoiding him. She’d given him the nicest smile when he walked through the door, and then gone up to her room, where she remained. She couldn’t possibly still be laughing, could she? Wasn’t she interested in how the trip went?
Then it hit him--Akane must be waiting for him to come to her. He ran lightly up the stairs and found Nabiki coming out of Kasumi’s room. This was not the right time to knock on Akane’s door.
“So, Ranma. How was the trip?”
“Okay. I did a lot of training.”
“What about my sister?”
Ranma’s eyes opened wide. “Kasumi? You know she doesn’t do martial arts. She watched.”
Nabiki sighed. “You obviously have NO idea what I’m talking about, do you! Forget it!” She pushed past Ranma and headed downstairs. Ranma couldn’t help but grin. Nabiki thought he was dense, and he was going to let her continue to think that way. He held up his hand to knock on Akane’s door and stopped short. Instead, he walked into his room, went up to the roof, and let himself down to her window.
*****
Akane heard her sister’s outburst, then the sound of her door closing. She flew to the door of her room and pressed her ear against it. Nabiki and Ranma were talking, but she couldn’t tell what was being said. The voices stopped, and then she could hear footsteps going down the stairs.
A tapping at the window made Akane turn around. Ranma was hanging upside-down, smiling at her. She ran to the window, opened it, and stood aside as Ranma swung himself inside. He started to speak, but Akane put her hand over his mouth.
“Shh!” she whispered. “Keep your voice down. Kasumi’s upstairs, and I don’t want her to know you’re in here.”
Akane let go of Ranma and stepped back. She blushed slightly, embarrassed by her impulsiveness. A week ago she would never have considered touching a boy.
Ranma, for his part, didn’t look at all embarrassed. He seemed quite comfortable as he took a seat in Akane’s chair, while she sat on the bed.
“How did it go, Ranma? Did you get along okay with Kasumi?”
Ranma shrugged. “Not bad at all. Good thing Tofu came along, ‘cause it would have been awful if it was just the two of us.”
“Why?”
“You should have seen Kasumi’s face when we got on the train. She was NOT happy to be alone with me. Then when Tofu showed up, she was like a different person!”
Akane nodded. “You can tell how much she cares for him.”
“Yeah. She was so happy to be with him that she was even nice to me. Tofu and I had a good time--we practiced together. He’s really good! Kasumi studied while we practiced, then she and Tofu spent a lot of time talking, and they took a couple of walks together.”
Ranma paused and looked at his hands. When he picked up his head the smile on his face made Akane a little nervous.
“They looked so good together and you could see what a good time they were having. It made me...well it made me miss you!”
As he finished speaking Ranma left his chair and Akane found herself in his arms. “Did you miss me?” Akane blushed as she nodded.
This kiss was better, because Akane was expecting it, and she returned it shyly. Ranma opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise before trying it again.
*****
The crowd at the gates of Furinkan High School was a little thinner the next morning. Kuno was there, as well as some of the members of Ranma’s class.
“You think everybody else got bored, Akane?”
“Could be,” she replied. “They’ve got water guns again. What are you going to do?”
“This.” Ranma grabbed Akane, ran forward, and leaped over the heads of the crowd. He didn’t pause to put her down, but kept running until he was up the steps and inside the school.
“How’s that?” Ranma asked. “We’re on time, and we’re dry.”
“That’s true, but they’ll probably get you in class again. They think they can get away with it because you didn’t fight back.”
“I didn’t want to get in trouble fighting in class, but if they don’t cut it out I’m going to have to do something about it.” As Ranma spoke, he saw four of their teachers coming down the hallway. They passed the couple and stationed themselves at the entryway. The students Ranma and Akane had left behind were beginning to come in, and Ranma couldn’t help smiling as each boy was stopped at the door and relieved of his weapon.
*****
If Ranma thought that being safe from water was going to give him a better day, he was mistaken. The boys in his class took every opportunity to annoy him. If they weren’t throwing things at him when the teachers weren’t looking, they made excuses to get up and walk past him. Every time they did, Ranma would have a foot stepped on, or would have his belongings knocked off his desk. He refused to acknowledge the harassment, concentrating instead on whatever subject was being taught. This had the effect of infuriating the boys.
When classes ended for the day Ranma walked Akane out of the school and stopped just outside the door.
“I have something to do before work. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
“What’s that?”
“Can’t tell you. Gotta run!” Ranma turned and was gone in seconds.
“What on earth is he up to?” Akane asked the air.
*****
Two of the boys from Ranma’s class were walking home together when he appeared in front of them.
“What do you want, Saotome?” asked one of them.
“I want you to leave the water guns at home from now on, and I want you to stop bugging me in class!”
The boys laughed. “And who’s going to make us do that?”
Ranma cracked his knuckles. “I will.”
Ten minutes later he met Akane as she was arriving at work.
*****
The pair made it a point to arrive home separately. Akane stopped at the library and brought home a few books while Ranma came home with a bag from a fast food chain. When Kasumi complained that he wouldn’t be able to eat the dinner she cooked, he just laughed.
“This was just for starters! What did you make?”
*****
The next day there were two less boys at the front gates. The ones who were there were weaponless, and merely glared at Ranma and Akane as they walked past.
Akane glanced curiously at two of her classmates when she walked into the room. They had some very nasty-looking bruises.
“Those two look like they got hit by a bus!” she commented to Ranma. He just shrugged and went to his seat.
There were no incidents in class that morning. At lunchtime, Ranma and Akane sat in Akane’s favorite place under the tree. All of the other boys from the class were standing a few yards away, talking. The boys with the bruises were doing most of the talking, and they kept looking at Ranma. After a couple of minutes they all settled down to eat their lunches, though some of them kept casting nasty looks in Ranma’s direction.
Akane noticed this and looked curiously at Ranma, but he seemed to be ignoring the entire situation. She was about to ask him what was going on when a shadow fell across them.
“Ranma! It’s about time I found you!”
“Ryoga? Ryoga Hibiki?”
Ranma put his bento aside and jumped up to embrace his friend. “How the heck did you find me?”
“Totally by accident. I cut school today to come here and see my...um...” Ryoga trailed off, looking quite embarrassed.
“Girlfriend?” supplied Ranma. Ryoga blushed and nodded, while Akane’s eyes snapped open wide.
“You’re THAT Ryoga? You’re Sayuri’s boyfriend?”
A voice from behind made them all turn. “Ryoga! What are you doing here?”
“I um, came to...” Ranma didn’t think it was possible for his friend to get any redder, but he did. Sayuri already had her hand on Ryoga’s arm and was trying to pull him away when Ranma interrupted.
“Can you give me just a minute more with Ryoga? He’s an old friend of mine.”
Sayuri looked a little confused, but nodded and walked off a little ways. Akane joined her.
*****
“How do those two know each other, Akane?”
“I have no idea!” Akane looked at the two boys. “They sure look like good friends, don’t they?”
Sayuri nodded, looking a little worried. “I hope my friends don’t think my boyfriend is weird because he’s friends with yours.”
Akane turned bright red. “Ranma is NOT weird!”
“I didn’t mean it that way! It’s just that people--well they don’t understand his problem!”
That remark sobered Akane considerably. “I wonder what Ryoga will think of it. I’m sure he doesn’t know yet.”
Akane didn’t realize until much later that she hadn’t objected to Sayuri calling Ranma her boyfriend.
*****
“...and as soon as Pop was able to travel again, he dragged me off. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to you or any of the other guys.”
“I sort of figured that, Ranma.”
Ranma sat down and picked up his bento, gesturing for Ryoga to join him. “How come you were able to find Furinkan High? You didn’t get lost?”
“I stopped getting lost months ago.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. You still live in the same house?”
Ryoga nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“Mind if I visit after dinner tonight? I’d like to say hi to your mother, and there’s something I’ve gotta tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“Not here. I’ll tell you when I get to your place.” Ranma looked up to see Sayuri looking rather impatient. “I think you’d better go see your girlfriend.”
*****
When Ranma and Akane were about to re-enter the school the same bunch of boys who were glaring at Ranma in the morning surrounded him, separating him from Akane. Ranma looked rather annoyed. Then he realized Kuno wasn’t among their number, and thanked the kami for small blessings.
“We don’t like what you’re up to, Saotome,” said their leader.
“What the heck are you talking about?”
The boy poked him in the chest. Ranma glared at him, but didn’t retaliate. “You know what I mean! First you show up and claim Akane, and now your friend is after Sayuri! These are OUR girls. Leave them alone!”
“Heh, Akane should hear what you’re saying! She’d be the first to tell you that I don’t own her. If she wants to be my girlfriend or anybody else’s, it’s up to her. And another thing: don’t interfere with me anymore, ‘cause I’m not gonna put up with it.”
Another boy sneered at Ranma. “And we’re supposed to believe that?”
Ranma gestured at the two boys he’d ambushed the previous afternoon. “Look at Shin and Kenji.” When all eyes turned to the pair, who were looking rather self-conscious, Ranma turned and walked into the school.
*****
When Ranma excused himself after school Akane grabbed his arm before he could leave.
“Where are you going this time?”
“Teaching somebody a lesson, Akane. I’ll get to work on time, don’t worry.”
“But I wanted to talk to you about Ryo--.” Before Akane could finish, Ranma was gone. She thought about what he had said most of the way to work, and memories of the bruises on Shin and Kenji kept coming back to haunt her. If he was responsible for that, who was he after this time? Someone else from their class?
The warehouse was in sight when Ranma caught up to her.
“Who did you beat up?”
“What?”
Akane frowned. “Don’t act innocent. You beat up Shin and Kenji yesterday, didn’t you? So whose turn was it this time?”
“Didn’t have to do it. All I did was walk up to Shima and I thought he was going to wet his pants!”
“Ranma!”
“Well he did! Maybe we’ll be able to get into the school without problems from now on.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the right way to fix it.”
Ranma looked disgusted. “So I should let them keep soaking me every day? I should let them step on my feet, and elbow me in the ribs, and make me look like a dummy? Or a coward?”
“But--”
“Akane! How did YOU react when they harassed you? You beat on all of them! I made an example of a couple, and I’m hoping that’s all it’s gonna take.”
Akane had nothing to say. Ranma did have a point. She walked into the warehouse and got to work. The words “I’m hoping that’s all it’s gonna take” kept ringing in her ears. Ranma’s tactics might work with most of the boys in school—she’d discovered for herself that their “toughness” was mostly bluster--but she doubted if it would work with Kuno.
*****
Akane ambushed Ranma at the door when they got out of work. “Sayuri really likes your friend. How long have you two known each other?”
“I’ll tell you all about him tonight. It’s my turn to get home first, and after dinner I’m going over to Ryoga’s house.” Ranma took one step away from Akane and discovered she was holding onto his backpack.
“Are you going to tell him about your curse?”
“I guess I have to.”
*****
“Ranma?”
Nabiki smiled innocently as Ranma took his eyes from his dinner long enough to look at her. Then he swept his father’s chopsticks away from his bowl before Genma could grab anything.
“Yeah?”
“I think you should know that you’re in trouble with Kuno.”
“So? I can take him any time! What’s his problem today?”
“To use his words? He called you the ‘enemy of women.’”
“Women?” Ranma looked rather confused. “As in more than one? Why’d he say that?”
“Well he knows you’re engaged to Akane--”
“I am NOT engaged to Akane!” objected Ranma.
“We’re NOT engaged!” snarled Akane.
Nabiki waved both their objections aside. “Whatever. He also knows about your little trip with Kasumi, and that you’re going away with me.”
“And HOW did he happen to find out about that?” Akane’s tone of voice made it obvious that she knew the answer before she asked the question.
“I have no idea,” was the only response Nabiki gave before leaving the table.
*****
“That girl is too much trouble,” muttered Ranma. He flew through his homework as quickly as possible and ran downstairs.
As he passed the kitchen he overheard Mr. Tendo talking to Nabiki, who was washing the dishes. “You really should be nicer to Ranma. After all, he may become your husband.”
[Yeah, right,] he thought. Then he dismissed his problems from his mind, left the house, and started to run.
*****
Ryoga’s neighborhood had changed little since the last time Ranma was there. Ranma smiled, remembering how many times he had walked his friend home. At least that wasn’t necessary anymore.
Then he saw a familiar sight. Ryoga. Walking AWAY from his house.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Ryoga shrugged. “Home. Where did you think?”
“Well if you’re going home, you’re not gonna get there walking in this direction! I thought you didn’t get lost anymore.”
His friend turned red. “Well, I, ah--”
“You lied?”
“I didn’t want Sayuri to hear, okay? The only reason I found her today was I got lost on the way to MY school!”
Ryoga’s look of embarrassment was something familiar to Ranma, but this time he felt different about it. Even though the pair were good friends, Ranma had always teased Ryoga on his navigational difficulties. Now he knew what it was like to have a problem that others found amusing.
“Don’t worry about it. Just follow me.” Ryoga looked a little sheepish, and obeyed his friend.
The two walked quietly for a few minutes, each absorbed with his own thoughts. Then Ryoga looked at Ranma.
“You ever get to China?”
“What?”
“That’s all your Dad ever talked about when he was laid up—how he was going to take you to China someday for some kind of special training. Did you get there?”
“Yeah, and I wish I hadn’t!” Ranma regretted his outburst the moment the words left his mouth because he could see the curiosity pop out on Ryoga’s face. “I’ll tell you about it when we get to your place.”
*****
Mrs. Hibiki heard the doorknob rattle and ran to the door. She’d been expecting her son for hours, and was afraid he was hopelessly lost again. Her look of relief when she saw him changed to amazement when she recognized his companion.
“Ranma? Ranma, is that you?”
Ranma bowed, and gave Mrs. Hibiki a friendly grin. “Nice to see you, Mrs. Hibiki! Do you still make those cinnamon cookies?”
“It IS you!” Ryoga’s mother dragged Ranma into the house and enveloped him in a huge bear hug before looking him over. “You’ve grown.”
“Well it has been a while.” Mrs. Hibiki saw Ranma hesitate, then he grabbed her and gave her an affectionate hug. “I’m sorry I never got to say goodbye. Pop never gave me a chance.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. From what you told me of the way your father treated you, I—“ Mrs. Hibiki stopped short and put her hand to her lips. “I have to find Pierre and put him out!” Before Ranma or Ryoga could say a word she ran upstairs.
*****
“You still have that c-cat?” asked Ranma. He looked past Ryoga and stepped back onto the porch.
“Yeah. You know how much Mom loves him.”
“Um, I’ll wait outside until she finds him, if that’s okay with you.” Ranma was relieved when Ryoga nodded and closed the door.
Five minutes later a crack of thunder made him change his mind.
“Oh damn!”
*****
Mrs. Hibiki put Pierre outside, closed the back door, and went looking for her son. She found him standing in front of the hall closet, looking confused, and gently turned him toward the front door.
“This way, dear. I’m sure Ranma must be getting wet.” She watched her son open the door and expected Ranma to come shooting in. Instead the both of them stared at a pretty girl who was standing there dripping and shivering. Mrs. Hibiki didn’t hesitate a moment, but put her arm around the girl and pulled her inside.
“You poor thing, you’re soaked!” Then she looked beyond the girl. “Ranma? Ranma, where are you?”
A soft response made her jump.
“Right here, ma’am. I’m Ranma.”
*****
Ranma sat sipping his second cup of tea, a plate of cookies at his elbow. Once he’d requested hot water and changed himself back, Ryoga had lent him something to wear while his mother tossed Ranma’s clothes into the dryer. Then they sat him down and demanded a fuller explanation than the quick one he’d given when asking for the water. When he saw Mrs. Hibiki’s reaction he regretted having revealed the curse.
“You poor thing! First your father drags you off to that horrible place and gets you cursed, and now he’s trying to force you to marry? You’re just a BABY!”
Before Ranma could express his indignation, Mrs. Hibiki burst into tears. That effectively squelched his anger, and caused him to become quite concerned.
“Aw, Mrs. Hibiki! It ain’t—I mean it’s not that bad! It could’ve been a lot worse, honest! There’s springs there than can turn you into a lot worse things. What if I turned into a pig or something? Somebody might cook me for dinner!”
The tactic worked. Mrs. Hibiki stopped crying and began to giggle.
“You—you! What am I going to do with you?’
“I dunno. Give me some more cookies?”
*****
Some time later Ranma was on his way home, his clothes dry, and his stomach full of tea and cookies. Mrs. Hibiki watched him go, shaking her head.
She wondered how her own son would have reacted to having such a curse, and shuddered at the thought. Then she smiled. Though Ranma had vehemently denied having an attachment to any of the girls he was living with, she could tell a lie when she heard it. If the young lady liked him despite his problem, Ranma was lucky indeed.
*****
When Ranma rapped on Akane’s window and entered her room, the first thing he noticed was the fragrance of cinnamon. Then he noticed the plate of cookies on her desk. His hand automatically reached for one, but she snatched the plate away.
“Talk first. Then you MIGHT get one.”
“But they’re still warm, aren’t they? They’re best when they’re still warm!”
Akane giggled, and held out the plate. “Go ahead, but you’re not off the hook! I want to know all about your friend.”
“I promised I’d tell you, didn’t I? Ryoga’s a good guy. We went to the same junior high.”
“I didn’t think you ever stayed in the same place long enough to go to school!”
Ranma laughed. “I mostly didn’t, but when Pop broke his leg he didn’t have much of a choice. We stayed with Pop’s cousin while he healed, and I got to go to school.” Ranma took another cookie and grinned. “These are good. Anyway, Cousin Yukari said the only way she’d let us stay with her was that I’d have to go to school. I pretended I hated the idea.”
“Why?”
“C’mon, Akane! So Pop would tell me I HAD to go!” Ranma took another bite of cookie and watched Akane’s look of confusion turn to comprehension. “I met Ryoga the first day when he nearly knocked me over trying to get into the school. He was going the wrong way. That guy’s got the worst sense of direction I ever saw. I’d walk him to school every day and walk him home too. That’s how we got to be friends.”
“I don’t think Sayuri knows that. She never said anything about Ryoga getting lost, but—“ Akane cut herself off short and started to laugh. “She said he takes her on romantic walks, and her mother gets mad because she’s always late getting back!”
“They probably wander around in circles ‘cause Ryoga can’t find her house! He’s really embarrassed about getting lost all the time, and he’d be too proud to ask directions in front of his girlfriend. They probably wouldn’t help anyway. His Mom hardly ever goes out ‘cause she’s got the same problem. She does okay IN the house, but if she has to go to the store she’s in trouble. She depends on her dog to lead her back home. You’ve gotta meet Mrs. Hibiki, Akane. She’s really nice.”
Ranma saw a brief flash of what looked like pain pass over Akane’s face before she nodded. He put the plate of cookies back on her desk, sat beside her, and put his arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I will be. Every now and then something makes me really miss my Mom.”
“Aw, man! I’m sorry! Mrs. Hibiki—well—she’s the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had, and I wasn’t thinking! You don’t have to go see her if it’ll make you feel bad.”
Akane turned to face Ranma and threw her arms around him. He nearly panicked when she began to cry. Then he hesitantly put his arms around her and let her cry herself out. When she stopped and pulled away her eyes were red and she looked very embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t done that in a long time.”
Ranma reached out and wiped a tear from Akane’s cheek. “Maybe you needed to?”
“I’m supposed to be stronger than that!”
“What for?”
“I don’t know. Not really. It’s just—the past couple of months have been SO hard! I usually have Auntie Nodoka to talk to, but we don’t always agree, and she’s not here. So I just tried to be tough, and not let anything bother me!” Akane smiled a shaky little smile and squeezed Ranma’s hand. “I didn’t do a very good job, did I?”
“I think you did. Besides, now you don’t have to be by yourself anymore.”
Akane stared, and Ranma’s face grew hot. What had he just said?
“Cause—cause I’m your friend! I’m not going to let anybody pick on you, and I’m not going to let anybody tell you that you can’t be a martial artist—not even my Mom! Besides, Mrs. Hibiki thinks it’s okay!”
“You told her about me?”
Ranma nodded frantically. “Yeah! She wants to meet you.” For the second time that evening, Ranma found himself being hugged by Akane. He let her hold onto him for a minute before gently disentangling himself. Akane’s look of disappointment was a little bit too much for him, so he gently kissed her before heading to the window.
“You look tired. See you in the morning.”
*****
Though she was tired, Akane had a difficult time going to sleep. She kept thinking about what Ranma had said, and the look on his face as he said it.
“You don’t have to be by yourself anymore.”
“I’m your friend.”
The words Ranma had used—“I’m your friend”—had been mild in comparison with the look in his eyes. As far as Akane was concerned, the look in his eyes said, “I love you”.
The more she thought about it, the more disturbed she got. She had sworn to herself never, ever to allow any male to get past her defenses, and Ranma had done it. The realization left Akane such a confused mass of emotions that she simply couldn’t close her eyes. After tossing and turning for an hour, she turned on her light and rummaged in the bottom of her closet.
A few minutes later Akane slept, an old worn teddy bear clutched in her arms.
*****
The next morning Nabiki woke to find her father sitting on the edge of her bed. She yawned, and tried to sweep the cobwebs out of her mind.
“Daddy, is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. Has Kasumi told you anything of her trip?”
“Just that she had a good time. Why?”
Soun looked worried. “That’s all she would tell me. Do you think she’s hiding something?”
That woke Nabiki fully. “If she is, I’ll find out what.”
“Perhaps you’ll find out when you go away with Ranma on Saturday.”
“Do I have to? You KNOW how much I hate camping!”
Soun stood up and looked sternly at his daughter. “You’ll go. Just don’t encourage the boy. Remember our plan—Akane would be the best wife for him, so you must use these two days to make him think favorably of her.”
“Trust me, Daddy. I have no intention of encouraging Ranma. Akane can have him. Besides, you’d have to be blind not to see that he already likes her.”
*****
Akane sneezed, and barely avoided Ranma’s attack.
“You getting a cold?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe somebody’s talking about me.”
Ranma nodded, and the pair continued practicing. After a few minutes they sat down in the middle of the dojo floor. Ranma picked up Akane’s hand, and began playing with her fingers.
“Did you call the inn?”
“I used the pay phone down the street. Everything is set. The only thing left to worry about is packing.” As she finished speaking Akane got up from the floor. “I get the first bath this morning.” She paused, her hand still on the door. “Another thing. If Kuno bothers me today, it’s my turn to hit him.”
*****
Perhaps Akane had been gifted with foresight, because Kuno stood alone at the gates of Furinkan High when they arrived. He ignored Ranma as one unworthy of his notice, and spoke only to her.
“Akane Tendo, why do you agree to lower yourself so?”
“Pardon me?”
Kuno didn’t seem to notice the anger on Akane’s face, but continued to talk.
“I do not know why you or your sisters could possibly allow yourselves to be alone with such a foul creature as Saotome. Surely your father would not allow such a thing, yet your sister tells me the idea was his. Would that I could persuade him to change his mind!”
“Kuno-sempai, my father would tell you exactly what I’m about to. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!!” As Akane finished her sentence, she took a two-fisted grip on her book bag, and brought it up under Kuno’s chin. When she connected there was a loud cracking noise before Kuno was lifted off his feet. He flew backwards quite a distance before crashing into a tree.
Ranma ran over to the older boy and looked him over. He bent down and touched his face. Then he waved at Akane. "Get over here."
"Why? I don't want to be anywhere near that pervert!"
"Dammit Akane! Don't argue with me!"
Ranma's anger made Akane gasp. She slowly approached him, and knelt down. "I think you broke his jaw.”
“GOOD! Then I don’t have to listen to his stupid speeches anymore!”
Ranma had only one word in response. “Hypocrite.”
“What?”
“You heard me. How can you give me a hard time for beating on people and then do this? If there’s nothing wrong with what you just did to Kuno, then there’s nothing wrong with what I did to Shin and Kenji.”
"How could you take HIS side, Ranma? How COULD you? You saw what I went through every day. You know how much it upset me!"
"Yeah, and I saw the way you fought the guys when I first got here. You never, ever hurt anybody the way you just hurt Kuno. I didn't hurt Shin or Kenji anywhere near this bad. You overdid it."
Akane's eyes filled with tears. Her best friend was angry with her, and what was worse was that he was right. She had gone too far.
“I'm sorry!” Akane sniffled, and wiped her eyes. "Daddy always told me that a martial artist has to be controlled. I didn't listen." A loud groan from Kuno made the both of them look down.
“Looks like we better get him some help,” commented Ranma. “After all, we can’t just leave him lying here.”
“I guess not. You stay here, and I'll get the nurse.”
*****
News of what had occurred spread quickly through the school, causing the boys to avoid Akane. None of them had the courage to approach her or Ranma, and the pair went through their morning classes unmolested.
At lunch Ranma noticed what looked like a serious meeting being held across the schoolyard. He watched it curiously, and was even more intrigued when three of the boys broke off from the crowd and approached them. He got up to intercept them before they reached Akane, but was disarmed when they all bowed low.
“Excuse us, Akane,” said Shin, who was one of the three. “We’re here to apologize on behalf of the entire class.”
Ranma watched as Akane’s eyes opened wide before her expression changed to a guarded one. “Really? And what brought this on?”
“What you did to Kuno. I guess we pushed you too far. From now on, we won’t be challenging you again.” Shin smiled, and laughed a little. “We set you free, Tendo Akane.”
Akane’s chin came up, and Ranma expected her to lash out with a fist, but she stayed seated. “I never belonged to you to begin with. Now go away.”
The boys beat a quick retreat, and Ranma stepped in front of Akane until they were back with the others. He didn’t want anyone to see the way she looked.
Akane sat there shaking, her face in her hands. When she finally looked up Ranma was concerned to see tears on her cheeks, but she was smiling.
“Is it over? Is it finally over?”
“I don’t know, Akane. That depends a lot on Kuno.”
*****
To Akane’s surprise, Kuno was waiting for her the next morning. He had an ugly purple bruise on his chin, and his jaw was wired shut. When she and Ranma tried to pass, Kuno thrust out his bokken and blocked their way.
“What do you WANT?” asked Akane in exasperation. Kuno reached into his pocket and pulled out a huge sheaf of papers and handed them to Akane.
“You wrote to me?” An emphatic nod was the answer. Akane fanned the pages, and looked at Ranma. The twinkle in his eye matched hers. Akane handed the papers back to Kuno. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.” The pair walked into the school without looking back.
They were quite early getting to class, and Akane was deep in conversation with Sayuri when Nabiki walked into the classroom. Akane was surprised at first—but then she saw what Nabiki was carrying.
“Nabiki, I told Kuno I wasn’t interested!”
Akane’s sister shrugged and tossed the papers onto her desk. “I figured as much, but he refused to sit down until I took the letter to you. Now I can say I did.”
“Fine, then you can tell him what I did with it,” Akane growled, as she tore the letter up and threw it into the trash.
*****
That night Tatewaki Kuno sat thinking about his Akane. He had tried so hard to overcome the girl’s shyness, but had failed miserably. It was obvious to him that the girl liked him, nay, loved him, but was too timid to admit it. Then he concluded that perhaps he had been too aggressive in his attentions. Evidently it was time to try something different.
“I will no longer pursue her,” he wrote in his diary. “For it seems I am frightening the fair flower. Instead, I will keep my distance, and admire her from afar. Soon she will miss my attentions, and come to me of her own free will.”
The object of his affection was sound asleep and dreaming, not of him, but of an ideal world where Tatewaki Kuno did not exist.
*****
The weekend came too soon for Nabiki. She sat up Friday night and packed her knapsack, including all of the things she felt could not be done without. When she was done, she could not lift the pack.
“Damn,” Nabiki muttered, as she emptied the pack and tried again.
*****
The next morning, Akane appeared at the breakfast table in her pajamas.
“I don’t feel well, Daddy. I think I’d better stay home.”
“Akane, I don’t like to see you miss your classes, even if it is only a half day. Try having some breakfast and maybe you’ll feel better.”
“I couldn’t eat a thing. Excuse me.”
Akane ran upstairs, but not fast enough to avoid hearing Ranma’s comment. “Figures the uncute one gets the day off and I still get stuck going.” That brought her right back down, earning Ranma a smack in the face.
“Watch who you call uncute!”
Soun settled down to read the paper after breakfast, while Genma took a nap. Ranma and Nabiki were gone, and Kasumi soon left for her Saturday classes.
Upstairs, Akane sat at her desk and ate the breakfast she had prepared for herself the night before. Then she slipped into her sister’s room, dumped the contents of her backpack onto the bed, and set about re-packing it.
*****
“C’mon, Nabiki, can’t you run any faster than that? We’re going to miss the train!”
“Look, Saotome, this is as fast as I go. Take it or leave it!” Then Nabiki stopped in the middle of the road. “Or leave me behind. I didn’t want to make this trip anyway.” Nabiki’s defiance turned to surprise when Ranma scooped her up and began running.
“We don’t have a choice. You’re going.”
Nabiki’s surprise turned to amazement when she realized that Ranma was running along easily while wearing his backpack and carrying her and her backpack. He wasn’t even breathing hard. This made her a little nervous. This boy obviously outclassed her as far as strength was concerned. She was going to be alone with him overnight. Was he trustworthy?
Then Ranma arrived at the train station, and set Nabiki on her feet. He grabbed her hand, pulled her into the station, and boarded the train. The pair found a couple of seats together, and the train left the station.
“Tickets, please!”
Ranma dug into his pocket and handed a couple of tickets to the conductor. The man looked at them and separated the tickets from their stubs. “Who is going to Kuroiso, and who is going to Koriyama?”
“I’m going to Koriyama,” replied Ranma, and the conductor handed him the proper stub, while giving the other to Nabiki.
“Have a pleasant trip.”
Nabiki stared at the stub in her hand, and then at Ranma. “Why are we going to two separate towns?”
“I’m going training. You’re going to Momiji Spa.”
“What?” whispered Nabiki.
Ranma dug into his jacket pockets, and came up with an envelope. “Here’s the money for the room. The reservation’s in your name. You should have enough there for meals and probably a massage or something. The place has hot springs, and a pool, so that should suit you better than camping. Just meet me on the train that leaves Kuroiso at 3:00 Sunday afternoon so we can get home together.”
“How do you know I won’t tell Daddy we weren’t together?”
“You won’t. He’ll never believe this wasn’t your idea.”
Nabiki just nodded, and stuffed the envelope into her pack. “What am I going to do with this tent?” she asked. “They’ll look at me funny if I carry it into the spa!”
“No problem. I can carry two.”
*****
Ranma waved goodbye to Nabiki as she exited the train, and settled down to look out the window. He and Akane had planned well, and now he had until Sunday afternoon to spend training on his own. He felt a twinge of loneliness, and had to remind himself that the following weekend Akane would be with him.
“I can’t wait,” he murmured.
*****
Nabiki was almost to the spa when she realized something that made her cringe. Her pack was full of camping equipment. She was going to a spa, and she had jeans, flannel shirts, and hiking boots in her bag.
This was some kind of a sick joke. Ranma must be on the train laughing at her.
She decided to make the best of it, and continued up to the spa. After checking in Nabiki unzipped her pack, hoping there would be something suitable to put on. What she found amazed her.
All of her favorite things were in the bag, including her nightgown, bathing suit, and underwear. Nabiki was about to start calling Ranma a sneaky pervert when she took another look. All of her makeup was in the bag, packed with great care. So were her favorite earrings, her most comfortable slippers, and clothing appropriate for a spa weekend. No man could have chosen these things. No stranger could have known which things she loved the most. Most of all there was no way Ranma could have known how long Nabiki had wanted to go to Momiji Spa.
“Akane. You were in on this!”
Thanks to MageOhki, SabreBabe, Diese, Scott Stevens, my partner Fido, and Robert Knighton for prereading, reading, and reading again. Thanks to Gary Kleppe for his C&C on the first draft