PM II: Akane likes Kuno??? No way!

PERSONALITY MAKEOVER II
Akane likes Kuno???
NO WAY!

The two stared at each other wordlessly. Ranma-chan could actually feel her eyeballs bulging out. Her thoughts were in a whirl. What does she mean she doesn't know me? How could that be? Unless...oh no! She's got that amnesia thing again!

Akane, upon receiving no answer, shrugged and rose to her feet. She started for the stairs.

"Wait!" she cried in a strangled voice. She grabbed Akane's arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

Akane turned amazed brown eyes on her. She started to giggle. "Well duh, isn't it obvious?" She flicked her wrist at Ranma coyly.

Ranma let her eyes roam over Akane's body, taking in the short white dress and matching pumps. "Uh...not really."

This time her eyes were sympathetic. "I pity deprived girls like you." It was her turn to look Ranma up and down critically. "Ugh! Where ever did you get those clothes?" And while Ranma stood there blubbering, she turned on her heel and went down the stairs.

Oddly enough, Ranma-chan really did feel a dull sense of shame. Her face flushed. She remembered she was not alone and said aloud, "Hey Shampoo! Did you do that xi fa whatever thing on Akane again?"

She was answered by a meow. The kitten purred and snuggled up to her.

Pupils dilating, she felt herself slipping once more into the haze. "Aaaahhhhh!!!" she cried, jumping to her feet.

Shampoo meowed triumphantly and gave chase.

Akane sighed in contentment as she strolled down Nerima's mall. This was where she belonged. Department stores, boutiques, shoppes...all of these were her refuge when she was feeling powerless and impotent. For example: today she'd had a monster of a headache. But the minute she walked in, she felt better already. She sighed in contentment...then suddenly swooned away.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, steadying her. Through half-closed lids she could make out wavy brown hair and dark blue eyes. "Are you all right?" the stranger inquired as he helped her to her feet.

She blushed charmingly and lowered her eyes demurely. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his servant/ninja balancing packages on his arms and legs precariously. Her eyes widened in awe. This guy is seriously rich! She faced Kuno, her brown eyes sparkling with admiration. Her full lips parted slightly.

Kuno was taken by surprise. Nver before had she looked at him that way. He placed a hand to his forehead and wept unashamedly. "Dear Akane," he cried. "Touched am I at the power of our love!"

She blinked, taken aback, but she continued smiling. "Same here." She laced her fingers through his. "What's your name again?"

Kuno struck what he thought a regal pose. "I am Upperclassman Kuno. Junior. Group E. Captain of the Kendo club. Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. But my peers call me...the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!!!"

"Oh!" she cried, impressed. Not only rich but popular to boot! she duly noted. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Do you think the great Blue Thunder can take li'l ol' me to dinner? I'm so hungry," she whined.

He fell down on one knee. "For you I would swim across the deepest ocean, scale the highest mountain, move heaven and earth..."

She laughed with delight. "Buy the best meal?" No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was whisked into Saisaki*, the most expensive restaurant in town. Her eyes glowed as they passed underneath the ornately decorated archway. "Boys are so good to me," she sighed to herself happily.

Ranma raced through the mall, searching left and right for Akane. Where the heck is she? he thought angrily. He was in a foul mood.

For starters, there had been Shampoo, who he'd led a merry chase around Tokyo. Finally, he had passed the Neko Hanten, where Mousse had grabbed her into his loving arms.

Then he'd had to run all the way back to the dojo, figuring for some reason that that was what Akane had meant. But he'd found the training hall empty. While he'd been standing there in a stupor, Kasumi had fortunately passed by and remarked she'd seen Akane at the mall while she'd been out grocery shopping.

That didn't make much sense to him, but he hadn't really been expecting it to. Things were making less and less sense.

So absorbed was he in his thoughts,that he didn't spot Sasuke until it was too late. They collided, and packages and paper bags rained down on them. Ranma managed to punch some of them away, but there was still plenty left.

Groaning, he clawed his way through and yanked Sasuke up on his feet. "What were you doing there??? You were blocking my path."

He just smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know something you don't," he gloated.

Already on the end of his temper, Ranma snapped. He grabbed the servant by the collar and shook him roughly. "Well so do I! I know that if you don't tell me what you're talking about I'll knock your teeth out."

Sasuke gasped and made warding off motions with his arms. "M-M-Master Kuno t-t-told me not to t-tell youuuuuu!"

Disgusted, Ranma threw him to the ground. Sasuke cowered and covered his head. "Ooh, if only I could tell you that master is having dinner with Akane," he whispered.

Ranma stopped in the action of punting him into orbit. His eyes widened as they swept the rows of stores, finally resting on Saisaki. He rushed toward it, ignoring Sasuke's continued whimpering.

An effeminate maitre'd materialized in front of him, grinning broadly. "May I help you?" He received a punch in the nose.

Ranma scanned the brightly lit hall. He found the two hunched over their meal at a corner table. As he watched, Akane laughed and laid a hand on Kuno's arm. His blood level skyrocketed. Not able to take it any more, he stomped over noisily. He grabbed her arm. "C'mon. I'm taking you home."

Akane turned and fixed blazing brown eyes on him. "How dare you!" she said, bristling indignantly. She raised herself to her full height and declared proudly, "I sir, am a lady."

Ranma could only stare at her for a moment, then he started to sputter the first thing that came to mind. "You! You aren't a lady! You're just a kawaiikunee tomboy!"

Instead of whacking him with her mallet, she gasped in horror and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She started to sob. "H-he called m-me-"

Kuno rose to his feet, bokken drawn. He shoved it in Ranma's face. "You fiend! Look what pain you are causing her! For what you have done, i will fight with you!"

Ranma ignored him and instead reached out to touch Akane tentatively. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

She let out a bloodcurdling shriek, making people turn their heads to gape at them. She shrinked back from his touch. "Get your hands off me, you...you slime!!!"

Suddenly two sercurity guards were at his back. "There he is," pointed the maitre'd hysterically, holding his disfigured nose. He was grabbed by the shoulders and manhandled out, even as he kicked at them futilely. The last thing he saw before he was thrown out into the street was Kuno smirk and raise a hand to his forehead in a mock salute.

"Akane's with who???"

Nabiki jumped to her feet, clutching the edge of the table.

Ranma glared at her, annoyed that she was making him say it again. "I said," he repeated through clenched teeth, "that she's somewhere with Kuno. Happy now?"

Nabiki sat down, her face turning ashen. She stared straight ahead unseeingly.

There was a moment of silence.

The Yamanes are having a garage sale," Kasumi announced with a soft smile.

"Really?" Soun asked with interest. "We'll go there tomorrow."

He received an enthusiastic thumbs-up sign from his panda friend.

The rest of the evening passed with nothing more said by either Ranma or Nabiki.

*Japanese restaurant in Manila, Philippines. If you ever find yourself here, I recommend you check it out.

NOTE: Kuno's introduction was lifted off Ranma 1/2 Graphic Novel No.1 (Viz).

Return to DREAMSPINNER'S FANFIC DOMAIN

Return to main page