Many Roads, One Path 3

By Lord Overon

Akane sat and watched out of her window to the tree below. She had in past when troubled listened to the tree as the wind blew through its boughs. This was one of those times. From the photograph in her hand the problem that was her many concerned was easily discernable. In her hand was a photo, a glossy 8 by 12 photo with exquisite finish. She was standing in the focused light holding in her hands a young girl who was smiling brilliantly. She in turn was being embraced by a man whose chin lay on her shoulder, his face next to hers.

That had been a wonderful day. Since after Furiken, she could not remember the last time she had gone to the zoo. To the fair maybe with some friends but never to the zoo. She always went to the fairs because that was where many of her friends wanted to go to scope out the boys or to raid their boyfriend’s pocket. She enjoyed a good smile watching them extricate money from the boys for all sorts of different treats. But she never had a boyfriend and her reputation as a boy-hater had chased off most of the boys except for the ones who thought that capturing her would be a challenge. She had soon showed them how much of a challenge that would be. Then she had met Ranma.

At first she had been wary of him. He was a boy at any rate in her books when she had met him. The longer she stayed with him though, the more she had to change that estimate to manhood. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him stare at her in the beginning. That was what probably drew her interest to him in the beginning. Any boy who had not shown that much interest in her body was either attracted to the same sex or was happily married. She was perplexed at first after a few of her friends got married, how their husbands would always trails their eyes behind their wives. It was an uncanny sight. Ranma eyes never lingered on her for too long. She wondered if that had led her to feel comfortable when she was with him instead of caution she displayed when she was around other young men. With his trademark short remarks and unnatural physical ability, she had grown attracted to him quickly. Even that first day when he held her above the hut, she had felt a bit lightheaded.

That initial event was rather chauvinistic but Ranma had allowed her to jump down by herself, then he had shown her somewhere private and had saved her from near death. Something she did not like remembering. He never asked anything after she thanked him and he had never brought up that experience in any of their chats.

The only other man she had ever been interested in was a chiropractic martial artist. The only one in the world to her knowledge, though Nabiki was always constantly showing her how narrow her view of the world was. Ranma was also a martial artist. She couldn’t believe how easily he defeated her or how natural he made astonishing feats seem. When he was holding her and jumping with her in his hands she almost felt as if she were flying.

She could no longer deny how much she cared for him. She missed him deeply. She missed laughing and talking with him on the phone. She had never been a heavy user of the phone with Nabiki in the house but for the last month, the phone became her almost constant companion. She sighed, she really did miss having him to talk to, and that dull pain in her chest she had felt when they had agreed to avoid each other for the next month was still throbbing like an open wound.

Soun Tendo was worried, after five weeks of endless talking over the phone and weekend meetings, everything stopped suddenly. For two weeks Ranma had not called nor had Akane called Ranma, and for a whole week his life had been hell.

Akane had taken to staying up late into the night watching sappy movies and eating ice cream, chips, anything she could get her hands on. The bright friendly warm humming Kasumi-like person she had transformed into over a month ago had suddenly disappeared. What was left was a loud obnoxious overeating bloodshot fury who had returned to destroying masses of cinder blocks in the Dojo. The classes were run as they had been but even the students could sense the tension in the air and dared not ask any questions. Okay maybe she wasn’t that bad, but it was a far cry from the girl she had been in the last few weeks.

Soun had had the audacity to ask his daughter something about Ranma and the look in her eyes scared him. She had this haunting sense of longing floating behind her eyes, but he could see that it was being hidden behind a cloud of anger. Akane and anger were usually hand in hand and today had returned to one of those days in her teenage years were she was just a true bundle of fury.

Nabiki had promised to run interference with the Kunos for the next month. She had tricked them both into signing a waiver for psychiatric testing that would take at least a few weeks for their lawyers to get them out of. So in the following weeks, Akane would be free of Tatewaki. Saturday Kuno appeared at their doorstep. The beating he received was harsher than any Nabiki could remember.

Akane had ushered him in civilly enough and Soun had to concede that he did not mind the gifts of sake the boy brought. Kuno however did something that he shouldn’t have. Apparently he had been brought up to speed as to what had happened over the month. His conclusion: the sorcerer’s spell had been finally undone. He coincided the day of the spell’s demise with the one in which Akane had last seen Ranma. Tatewaki had made one fatal mistake though during his visit. He began to insult Ranma right in front of Akane. Soun could not remember the exact words but all he knew was that Tatewaki lit the fuse and then fanned the fire. He remembered creeping away from the two until the bomb finally exploded. In a few seconds, Akane had grabbed Kuno, turned him into a pile of human goo in front of his eyes and then booted him out of the house. With Akane’s eyes glowing like a demon, Soun fled to his room and called a secret family meeting to discuss Akane. During the week, they lured Akane out of the house to have that meeting and then Friday night, they sat down and discussed the facts of the case.

Nabiki kept on insisting that Akane had intentionally broken up with Ranma but Kasumi did not accept that. Instead, she thought they had a fight. Although Nabiki had overwhelming coincidental evidence to support her claim, there was one very effective argument that Kasumi had that could not be defeated. Why was Akane so broken up about Ranma if they did not have a real relationship? The answer to that question could not be found.

They catalogued Akane’s behavior and patterns. First, she had fallen back to her old high school habits that reeked of anger and frustration. Second, her cooking had fallen into an inedible state again which meant that she wasn’t concentrating when she was cooking. And third, her room was a mess. The normal meticulous Akane would never let her room fall into disarray. The three of them ventured into her room looking for any visible clues. That was on Nabiki’s insistence, she still did not believe in this romantic nonsense that Kasumi was talking about. There was no way that Akane could fall in love with Ranma. It was simply preposterous.

On the hangers from Akane’s closet, a set of clothes had been put aside. On further examination, Soun realized that those were the clothes that Akane wore when she went out with Ranma the last time. That was strange for Akane, Nabiki had pointed out, but it was not conclusive she reminded them. Soun spied an envelope peeking out from inside a drawer and curiosity got the better of him. He flipped the top and allowed the contents to slide out. His eyes popped out when he saw what they were. There were the photos of Akane, Ranma and that adorable girl Kyonno posing for a picture. In the background her could distinctly see a fairly large grouper.

“This is all the proof we need!” exclaimed Soun.

“No it isn’t,” countered Nabiki. “So they took some pictures together, big deal. Anyone can take a few pictures,” she added

“Here’s our proof!” Kasumi exclaimed excitedly as she held one of the photos to the sunlight.

“What proof?” asked Nabiki. “It’s just a photo.”

Kasumi held the photo to the light coming from the window for Nabiki to see. On the glossy coat covering the photos, there were dull splotches made from some liquid.

“Tears,” Kasumi concluded, smiling as she knew she had claimed victory.

Nodoka Saotome was in a quandary. Ranma spent almost all his spare time on the Dojo varnishing and adding the extra touches that would make it complete. He and Ryouga had removed the extra trees and had pounded in the poles that would be the support for a walkway from the house to the Dojo. He had even begun to clear away the weeds and bushes that encroached on the property. All this was well and good, the only problem Nodoka saw was the lack of female support from one female in particular.

Ranma had not called her, nor she him in over a week and Nodoka as any mother would, was getting worried. His relationship with Akane had been blossoming so nicely. What could have happened? She questioned him about it but he had been terse in his answers. Not short enough to be impolite but enough to tell her that he was not budging from his position.

She had no idea what to do about the boy. He was as stubborn as she was and impossible to move. Early on, she could make him do almost anything, but his independence had grown since then and she could safely say that Ranma was his own man. That didn’t mean that he knew what was good for him.

Ranma had grown even more irritated over the week. His appetite had shrunk which had her alarmed. He even began to push himself in his training in the Dojo. Something was not right and she knew it, but how was she going to get her stubborn son to listen to reason. She had pestered him about called Akane but he had evaded calling her. Damn pride again, that’s what kept him from calling her. Pride was righteous and all but this time he was going to far.

It had taken her years to help mend Ranma’s social skills which were still lacking but at least he could communicate with others without resorting to a fight. As manly as she knew her son was he was also shy. That was something she had tried to get out of his system but to no avail. She knew that peeping did affect him but it had yet to rid him of his shyness to female contact. She was sitting down pondering what to do about the situation that Thursday when the phone rang.

“Moshi moshi, Nodoka Saotome speaking, how may I help you?”

“Moshi moshi, Mrs. Saotome. This is Akane’s sister Kasumi. This is a bit urgent. Can meet to discuss Ranma and Akane?”

“Oh yes dear, where did you have in mind?’

“My husband owns a clinic in Nerima. Just ask anyone for Dr. Tofu and they will show you the place.”

“An excellent idea!” exclaimed Nodoka. “I’ll be over in about an hour.”

The others on the other line asked Kasumi what she had said. “At the clinic in an hour,” Kasumi informed them. Closing the house, they all walked to the clinic, Kasumi and Nabiki having to restrain their father from running.

At the clinic, they were not kept waiting long as a woman wearing a kimono and sporting red brown hair entered the clinic. Their conversation before had been extremely succinct as even Nodoka was feeling the pressure of trying to get something done before the end of the week.

“You must be Ranma’s mother,” greeted Kasumi. Nodoka bowed.

“Correct my dear, and you must be Kasumi.” Kasumi bowed.

“The others are waiting,” Kasumi informed.

“Others?”

Introductions were made around the table as Kasumi served tea.

“It’s been a long time Soun.”

“Yes Nodoka, how is Genma?”

“As well as to imagined. He is paying off his debt to society at the moment. I was very cross with him when he returned…but we’re moving off topic. We are here to discuss Ranma and Akane.”

“Akane has been acting strangely,” volunteered Kasumi.

“So has Ranma,” responded Nodoka. “He’s lost his appetite.”

“I don’t see how that a problem,” Nabiki stated rather stoically.

“He eats like his father.”

Soun gasped. “That is very serious,” he spoke sagely. “We have to put an end to this,” he added slamming his fist on the table.

“I agree,” replied Nodoka thought she raised her eyebrow at Soun’s show of emotion. His wife would have never approved of that. “What do you propose? My son is very stubborn and he will not call or talk to Akane unless he is tricked.”

“It’s the same with my daughter. She’s inherited her mother’s stubbornness too. But we don’t have any idea what to do?” pleaded Soun.

“We have to do something to get them together?” insisted Kasumi.

“What about a tournament?” advised Nabiki. “They are after all into martial arts.”

“No, my son does not participate in those anymore,” informed Nodoka

“We could just lock them in a room together,” Soun offered.

“A good idea but anything could happen in a closed room,” advised Nodoka. “I would send them camping but anything could happen on a camping trip too.”

“What about dancing?” asked Kasumi. “Ranma and Akane were dancing in that picture.”

“A brilliant idea,” commended Nodoka. “And I know just the place too.”

“What do you mean you’re taking me out?” demanded Akane. Soun immediately broke down in a fit of tears.

“Akane is being mean to me!” he complained.

“Oh be quiet daddy, you’re embarrassing me,” Nabiki scolded as she entered the room snacking on a box of crackers. “What daddy means is that he needs a date for tonight and he doesn’t have enough money to bribe me,” clarified Nabiki. Akane frowned at Nabiki but knew that if Nabiki did not want to do something and you did not raise the price high enough, then there was nothing you could do to change her mind. That was her modus operandi. With a huff, Akane turned and walked upstairs to get ready. It was nice of daddy to offer to take her out. It was proof that Ukyou’s plan was working well, too well.

As Akane lay down in the furo, she couldn’t help but remember how wonderful Ranma’s skin felt under hers when she had fallen in. At first she didn’t even register what had happened. She had been so happy that she had survived the slipping and sliding of the bathroom that someone being in the furo was the furthest thing from her mind. She did admit that she was probably in the wrong. She was too accustomed to the routines in the house. Nabiki and father bathed at certain times during the day so she hardly ever bothered to check the sign unless she wanted to take her bath at those times. He had made her apologize and she could still remember the touch of his lips against hers when they were kissing. What she missed the most though out of everything she had done with him, was the presence of his arms. When they went out, no matter where they went out, Ranma had always had his arm close to her. He was either holding her hand or holding her close. Either way, she knew he was near and just his presence alone made her feel warm and accepted. That was something no one else had ever really made her feel besides her closest friends. Ranma made her lower her defenses. He made her laugh. She enjoyed every minute she spent with him. Now, she would not be able to spend any more time with him. The only thing she wanted at the moment was to feel his hand in hers or just his presence. That alone would give her comfort, knowing that he was near.

Banging on the door knocked her out of her reverie.

“Akane, some of us need to use the bathroom too,” sarcastically informed Nabiki. Akane scowled a bit at the interruption but picked up her towel. In her room, she dried off. Retrieving the manila envelope out of her desk, she slid the picture out. She smiled as she saw him behind her, smiling at the camera, his arm around her shoulder. ‘Mr. & Mrs. Saotome and kids,’ the caption read. Mrs. Saotome, Mrs. Ranma Saotome. The name had a lovely ring to it, she wondered who that lucky woman would be. She would have to be someone spectacular to attract Ranma’s interest. Maybe someone like her sister Kasumi. Someone special like that. Leaving the picture on her desk, Akane attacked her wardrobe. She still needed something to wear tonight.

In the city, Soun unfolded a sheet of paper with directions and handed them to Akane. Soon, they were facing the front door of the Imperial Waltz. The plain wooden doors were not particularly impressive and no one greeted them until they walked to the next set of doors. There a gentleman bowed to them and asked Soun for his name and the number in his party. After scribbling something down in a book, he graciously ushered them to a table at the rear of the establishment. A moment later, they were served menus.

“This isn’t too bad,” Akane claimed as she looked at the prices on the menu. She had been to more expensive restaurants than this. “Why did you want to come here daddy?” she asked.

“Oh, no real reason. “Someone told me the food here was very good.”

An hour later Akane sat back and smiled. The food had been wonderful, simply wonderful. As the waiter took their plates though, he placed a small platter with a cookie in front of her and left.

Akane recognized the Chinese fortune cookie but why would they be serving them? She shrugged and broke the cookie, pulling out the slim white of rice paper. Without looking at it, Akane ate the cookie.

“Well what does your fortune say?” asked Soun.

“I haven’t read it yet,” confessed Akane before she took the slip in her hand and read it. ‘Take ten steps forward and one right to meet the right one,’ it instructed.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Aren’t you going to follow the instructions,” Soun asked.

“Why bother daddy, you know they never come true.” Soun had his eyes fixed on her though and Akane shrugged and slid out of the cushioned seat to stand up next to the table. She looked down and paced herself.

‘One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten…’ she counted in her mind then she turned right and gasped. “You!”

This was not one of those good days for Ranma. After that last meeting with Akane, he hadn’t dared call her in case he jeopardized the plan. Instead, he hung around the house and began the final preparations on the Dojo. It needed a coat of varnish on the wood and some paint on the roof. The land around it needed a lot of work. His mind created a checklist and one by one he began to reduce the list. He just needed something to keep him occupied.

While he worked, he remembered a lot of little scenes from the month that had passed by. He smiled as he remembered Akane’s attempts to swim and when Akane had fallen asleep next to him. It was so comforting to have someone to relate to. None of the other girls save Ucchan understood his dedication to the art but even Ucchan did not care that much for the art. It was ultimately just part of her cooking style, an addendum so to speak. Akane was into the martial arts and though she had not developed her skills as much as he had, from just their sparring sessions he could still see that will to learn. That desire to become the best. He had been like that once. Overwhelmed with the desire to become the best, he hadn’t given up the dream, but he tended to be more laid back about it. Regular training was good, always training like Genma taught was a bit ridiculous. Sometimes all Ranma needed to do to learn something knew was stay put. With Ryouga’s ability to get lost, he would always stumble upon a new discipline every so often.

While Ranma systematically destroyed one of the trees that was dying and could fall on the Dojo in years to come, he wondered what Akane was doing. He really had no reason to see her and Ukyou had advised him not to see her. She knew what was happening to him better than he himself knew.

“Ranma dear, would you like to take me out to dinner?” asked his mother as he lumbered into the house for a drink. Knowing her, it was more of an order than a suggestion.

They had a quiet dinner. Ranma knew his mother was trying to cheer him up but he really wasn’t in the mood. He would put on a good face for her though. The only good point about the whole thing was that the restaurant really did cook some good food. Ranma smiled at that. Now, he was just sitting back and enjoying the music. He knew Akane would enjoy coming here. Maybe he would ask her to come in a few months.

“You!” someone exclaimed next to him. He opened his eyes and turned around.

“Akane? What are you doing here?” Ranma asked.

“I was just going to…wahhh…ooomfph,” she replied as someone deliberately bumped into her sending her into the seat and into the arms of Ranma who head her protectively.

“Mom, Mr. Tendo?” Ranma addressed the two culprits.

“Huh? Dad… Mother Nodoka, what are you doing here?”

The two sat opposite the couple at the table.

“Now Ranma I’m tired of seeing you spending all your time on that Dojo, and Akane your father is tired of seeing you moping around the house all day.”

“But…” Ranma questioned.

“No buts Ranma,” she replied sternly. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you or why you have stopped talking to each other, but you’re driving the rest of us crazy. Now kiss and make up?”

“But we aren’t...well I don’t think…” stuttered Ranma.

“I…we are not really…” stuttered Akane.

“What is my daughter not good enough for you!” exploded Soun in his demon head.

“Are you saying that you don’t want my son!” growled Nodoka.

The two gulped at their overreacting parents and hesitantly reached for each other and pecked each other on the lips. Then turned their heads back to their parents.

“I’ve seen dogs kiss better than that,” commented Nodoka with her hands crossed. Soun nodded his approval of her comment.

Ranma and Akane’s shared a glance and Ranma pulled Akane closer to him.

“Okay but it’s a private affair between the both of us,” Ranma told them.

“Yeah,” added Akane gathering courage. “I can’t kiss him in front of my own father.”

“Very well then,” conceded Nodoka, “But we have decided that you should both go on a training trip. You’re both martial artists so I’m sure that you will find a lot to do in the woods. I’ve packed a bag and left it in the Dojo at our house Ranma. It has everything you need.”

“Yes mother,” he replied.

“Good,” remarked Nodoka as she closed the deal then she smiled. “You kids have fun now. It’s time for us old birds to go home. Soun…” she beckoned.

“Soun?” the man still had not moved.

“Soun!” she exclaimed, nudging him forcefully in the ribs. He fell out of the seat. “As I was saying we are going home.”

“What about the classes?” asked Akane. “I still have classes to teach.”

“And I have work,” added Ranma.

“That’s never stopped you before,” Nodoka remarked to Ranma’s comment. “And about the classes Akane, your father will be happy to teach them. If your mother were still alive she would give him a good one in the kisser. Making his girls do all the work…she would have creamed him.”

As Nodoka dragged Soun off, Akane turned to Ranma. The two stood there blinking at each other until the waiter brought them some drinks: a going away present from Nodoka.

“So what are we going to do?” sighed Akane. “It seems that Ukyou’s plan is working well, too well but…at least we got to see each other again,” she added with a slight blush.

“Ukyou’s too smart for her own good,” acknowledged Ranma. “And I guess I missed you too,” Ranma added also blushing slightly. Akane smiled and as she saw others take to the dance floor, she took Ranma’s hand and pulled him towards the others.

“Come on Ranma, let’s see what else you can show me,” Akane taunted lightly.

Ranma smiled and followed her as the music fell into a fast paced beat. With some alcohol in her veins and Ranma at her side, Akane felt her inhibitions weaken as she danced with him. The music was lively and soon she was too immersed in having fun to think about anything else.

When a waltz began to play Akane stood confused as to how to move to the music. Nodoka had worked that into part of Ranma’s training so he took her hand and guided her for the first few minutes allowing her to get a feel for the dance. Soon thereafter, Akane was comfortable with the dance and with all her nervousness gone, she ended up with her head lying against Ranma’s chest and her arms tightly along his waist as the music slowed to a soft melody.

Akane spared a glance at his face and saw him smiling softly at her, his eyes shining with happiness and warmth. She felt herself perpetually drawn towards him. She never knew when it happened, but all she felt was the touch of his lips against hers before she lost all control of what she was doing as her body went on autopilot. She didn’t remember much after that. All she remembered was finding her head lying on his chest once again as the music played on.

“Akane, would you like to go now?” Ranma asked her sometime later. She nodded lightly and after retrieving her purse, the two walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. The air outside was a lot cooler than when they had first entered and neither had a coat. Instead, Ranma hugged Akane tightly as the two of them walked towards the train station. Inside the train, neither dared to say a word as they held each other and as they closed in on the Saotome House that night, either had yet to say a word. The wind was billowing slightly and as there was nothing to block them from its path. Ranma helped Akane to the door. Not that Akane couldn’t help herself mind you, but there was something to be said about having a handsome and very desirable boy’s hands and body close to you when you were trying to keep warm.

As they entered the house, Akane sat down on a comfortable sofa while Ranma made a brief trip to make sure his mother was sleeping. He returned and sat right next to Akane. The two faced each other but neither said a word. Finally Ranma decided to say something to break the ice.

“What are we going to do?” he asked.

“Nani?”

“Are we going to do what our parents want or are we going to stick with the plan?”

“I…I don’t know,” Akane slowly replied finding it very hard to talk. For some reason her mouth had suddenly gone dry and she was having problems speaking. She smacked her lips with her tongue trying to get moisture to them.

Ranma scratched the back of his head. He needed something to help him think and to get him out of this unfamiliar territory. He was feeling nervous around her at the moment. He wanted to ask her if she would like to be his girlfriend. He really wanted her to be his girlfriend, but he was afraid. With Ukyou, it had been arranged and he knew Ukyou from his childhood. Akane was different. Akane was his friend like Ukyou, but he did not want to distance her. He didn’t want to change what he had with her. He just wanted to see if they could make it work. He knew he wanted something more with her than just friendship. With all those thoughts in his head, he recognized the beginning of a headache. He needed a sugar rush of some kind.

Akane sat there and watched his retreating form. She could distinctly remember kissing him while they had been dancing but he had not brought it up and neither had she. She reveled in the emotional high she felt when his arms were wrapped around her from when they left the restaurant to when they arrived at the house.

Akane had no doubt in her mind what she felt for him. The only question was did he feel the same way. She liked spending time with him and she did not want to mess that up. She knew she wanted to be something more than a friend. She had ignored it when she had first met him, but that feeling had grown and prospered with all the time they had spent together. She wanted to be something closer to him than a friend but she did not want to jeopardize what they already had. Should she ask him or should she not? It was a very daunting task ahead of her. It was either to ask and brave the answer to the question or remain silent and let things continue the way they were. What should she do!

Ranma walked into the kitchen and searched around for something to snack on. In the sink, there was a cup, in it the watery remains of ice cream. He smiled and opened up the refrigerator. There was one cup left. Grabbing two spoons he returned to Akane.

“I thought you got lost for a second,” she humored him.

“Very funny, I brought you some of this,” he told her and handed her a spoon.

“Thanks.” She took a spoonful. “What flavor is this, this is good!” she remarked.

“You’ll have to ask mom. She buys it from some guy she knows in town.”

As Akane dug deep with the plastic spoon to scoop out some more she commented how hard it was. She blighted herself as her spoon broke the next time she tried to scoop out some..

“Damn, it broke!” she exclaimed. The ice cream had somehow managed to break the tension that was building between them and though both had questions to ask in the back of their minds, they did not want to ruin the fun they were having together

“I guess you are too strong for your own good,” Ranma irked her. She stuck her tongue out at him. “Here take some of this,” he told her holding out his spoon. She reached out for it. “Uh uh uh, this is my spoon. You broke yours, know open up.”

Akane glared at him and opened her mouth. In went the spoon as promised.

“This is embarrassing,” she growled.

“A little bit of embarrassment never did any harm anyone,” Ranma rebuked and held the spoon out for her. She opened her mouth expecting him to give it to her.

“Get it yourself,” he dared. She leaned forward but as soon as she got close he pulled it back closer towards him. Akane inched closer and closer following the spoon. Finally she had caught up with the spoon but as soon as she closed her mouth, he pulled away. Akane dived with it, ending up landing on him, some of the ice cream rolling down to her chin.

With Akane on top of him, Ranma could not help himself as he reached up with his lips and kissed the creamy liquid off her skin. Akane bent down, and once their eyes met, their lips did of their own accord.

“I think we just answered our question,” Ranma whispered to Akane as he tried to catch his breath when their lips parted.

“I think I need to hear the answer again,” Akane whispered back before she lowered her lips to meet his again.

When next they parted Akane snuggled in between Ranma and the back of the sofa.

“I think you should go to bed,” Ranma advised.

“What do you think I’m doing,” she replied. Ranma looked at her queerly then shrugged and made himself comfortable. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before settling back and wrapping his arms around her.

“Goodnight Akane-chan,” he whispered into her ears before closing his eyes.

“Goodnight Ranma-chan,” she replied before kissing him lightly on the nape of his neck and snuggling in closer.

In the morning, Akane blearily awoke to the smell of a very strong herbal scent. As her eyes focused, she saw Nodoka sitting on the chair opposite them. She was intently staring at her.

“Good you’re up,” noted Nodoka. “I see you and Ranma both like to sleep late. That’s good and all the rest, but you really ought to get going.”

“Going?” asked Akane groggily as she yawned.

“Akane cover your mouth,” scolded Nodoka. “Yes going. You and Ranma are supposed to be going on a training trip and already you’re both late. Now you need to wake up Ranma. I’ll see you both in the kitchen,” she told Akane as she rose gracefully and disappeared into the kitchen.

Akane was up and surveying her prey. Black hair, gray-blue eyes and a cute butt. Now what was the best and most mischievous way of waking him up? She settled on the easiest in the end as she rolled him off the sofa. He hit the ground with a thud and immediately began to protest.

“Hey what’s the big idea!” he shouted before Akane rolled off and landed on top of him, forcing the air from his lungs and then engaging him in a game of tongue war.

“Children aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?” Nodoka asked them bringing out a tray with two steaming teacups. “Both of you drink this quickly.” They both reached for the cups and were scolded. “Would you two get off the floor?” she asked exasperatedly. “Children these days, just no manners around their elders.”

Akane and Ranma parted and sat on the sofa under her orders and drank their tea quickly. Nodoka laid a map on the table.

“Here’s a map of where you two have to go,” Nodoka stated. “Soun and I decided this would be a good training exercise, after all, the two of you are the practicing masters of the schools.”

She pointed at a particular spot on the map. “You take the train and get off here. From there you have to hike to these three temples and then over the mountain to this village. There you can take the next train back.”

“We can’t do that in a day!” declared Akane.

“A day! You have a week. Now the two of you better get going. Your packs are ready. All you two have to do is change.”

“Change?” queried Ranma.

“Ranma dear, your usual is waiting for you in your room. Akane, there’s a gi in the guest room waiting for you. Now go and change,” she ordered.

Five minutes later, both were downstairs and she served them breakfast. After breakfast, they walked over to the Dojo and found the packs waiting for them. They returned to the Dojo and kissed Nodoka goodbye, then they were on their way.

Two hours later, they were off the train and hiking in the woods with Ranma in the lead and Akane trailing behind him. Akane had out her compass and a map. Ranma just watched the sun and after glancing at the map, he knew what direction they needed to head in. Akane trusted her compass. Between the two of them they headed in the same direction. Three hours later, they stopped for a short lunch made of soup. Since they were near a stream, Ranma decided to take advantage of that stroke of luck. Minutes later they were hiking again and two hours later, they had a serious problem.

In front of them lay a small hill, but behind it, they could see the peaks of some of the mountains it would lead to. Akane’s compass showed that they should move to the right of the mountain while Ranma judged that they should move to the left. That left them in the position where one person had to yield. The only problem was the fact that they were both obstinate and opinionated about the matter. Akane because she trusted modern equipment and used it to bolster her lack of confidence. She had never been hiking on her own before. Ranma because he chose to trust in instinct above anything else. It had helped him too many times when he was on the road before and he wasn’t going to shun it now. The polite insistence had downgraded to a small tiff in the middle of the forest.

“It’s to the right. According to the map we should move to the right,” Akane demanded as she shoved the map in his face. “The compass is pointing in that direction too.”

“I don’t care about that stupid thing. I’ve never used it anyway. We should go to the left.”

“Why!” she demanded.

“It’s just a feeling,” he replied.

“You want me to go there because of a feeling!” Akane screamed.

“Hey they have never been wrong before,” Ranma defended.

“We’re going right!”

“No we’re going to the left!” Ranma affirmed.

The two stood with their hands crossed and glared at each other, neither willing to budge. Akane glared some more and then pulled out her hand.

“What are you doing?” Ranma asked.

“Rock, paper, scissors,” Akane replied. Ranma shrugged. “You don’t know what that is?” Ranma shook his head.

“You’re such a baka!” cried a frustrated Akane.

“I’m not a baka!” defended Ranma.

“Yes you are!”

“Well then you’re…uncute!”

“What did you say!” she shouted as she rounded on him.

“I said you’re an uncute tomboy!” Ranma replied.

“Why you bastard!” she cried and then slapped him hard on the cheek. “You just go your way and I’ll go mine!”

“Fine!”

“Fine then!” she shouted and hoisting her pack she went off to the left. She didn’t bother looking back as she growled to herself moving forward.

Filled with fury, she didn’t look back until well after she had left Ranma. She had marched straight ahead through the forest in front of her. The land was steadily climbing and Akane just went with the flow, checking her compass occasionally.

Damn that Ranma, why couldn’t he just listen to reason and follow her like a normal boyfriend was supposed to. This was the first trip they had taken after reaching a strange agreement between themselves and now their trip seemed to be in ruin. Was it a warning? She looked back and stopped. She listened, waiting to hear any sound of him following her but she heard nothing. She knew that there was nothing she could do now. Had she stopped right after leaving she would have given him a chance, but she had rushed through the brush in a rage. She would have to go through those patience lessons again from Kasumi. Her anger was always getting her into trouble and this was the perfect example. She had been sent out on a journey with the first decent cute guy she had seen in years and the first thing she does is argue with him. Well there was no turning back now, she had to go forward and hopefully she would meet Ranma at the first temple.

Akane began to pant a little as she was forced more and more to climb using her hands along with her feet. Low lying branches lay in the path she wanted to take and half her time was spent trying to scale ruts and avoid those branches. She had seen enough bee hives in her life to know to avoid them.

Finally with a huff she crossed the hill on the right side only to look down at the deep valley that awaited her there. She turned towards the left and noticed that a ridge ran from the hill on the left side all the way to the mountain. It would be a lot easier to cross to the mountain from that direction. She cursed herself for not listening, but her pride would not let her turn to the left. Instead, she began to plod down into the valley. The going was very difficult as ruts appeared over that side of the hill. It didn’t help any that bramble bushes ran rampant with the trees. The thorns scratched her hands when she mistakenly tried to hold them for support. It was a good thing that the gi she was wearing was thick.

She plundered onward down the steep slope stumbling many times along the way. As the tree canopy grew thicker once again, the brambles thinned out giving her some measure of relief though she had to hike through longer and longer periods of shade.

The weather began to grow a little colder, and the light was fading fast. Akane spared her first glimpse to her watch and gasped as she looked at the time. She hadn’t even set up the tent yet and it was already sundown. She hastened to find a clearing of any sort around her but the more she searched, the darker it became. Finally she just settled for a place that did not have brambles to pitch the tent. She would pitch the tent, start a fire, cook, eat and then sleep. She knew she would meet Ranma in the morning.

She opened her backpack and began to pull out the contents wondering what exactly had been packed for her. Ranma’s had water and food at the top so that hadn’t really had to dig very deep. The first thing she pulled out to her relief was a tent with all the attachments. She hadn’t just one of these before. In the failing light, she pulled out a torch and began to read the instructions, assembling the frame and then sliding it inside the respective holes. Then, she banged in the corner pegs and side pegs then tightened the guidelines. She clapped her hands in pride. She had done it; the tent was up. The only problem she had now was the thick canopy overhead had basically blotted out all sunlight. She could not see anything around her without the torch.

She began digging in the bag for some matches or something of the sort to start the fire. Maybe some lighting fluid to get it going. As she dug, she found the first aid kit, clothes, towels, a letter, but no food, and no matches. She sat down next to the bag in disbelief. Ranma had all the food and probably all the matches too. Her stomach grumbled loudly. She had been ignoring the empty churning for a long while in her haste but all her adrenaline was ebbing leaving her a hungry tired husk. Akane didn’t dare venture outside the little area she had set out for herself. She could barely see ten meters ahead with the torch! She packed her backpack again and sat down on a fallen tree truck outside feeling very hungry tired and lonely when something landed right in front of her.

She fell back with a scream at the sudden attack when she realized that it wasn’t any predator. No, in fact, it was Ranma of all people. “What are you doing here?” she asked testily as she picked herself off the floor.

“Just bringing you some food,” he replied as he set down a pot and pulled out two bowls and a pair of chopsticks. He filled his bowl and began to eat, then filled it again and ate his fill. Akane took some and ate it and was surprised at how good it tasted but then she had heard that when you were hungry, anything tasted good. After Ranma had his fill, he said nothing but just hopped into the nearest limb and settled his head on his backpack.

Akane sighed as her eyes trailed after him. She had her fill and then wandered into the tent. There was a crinkle in her side pocket and Akane pulled out that letter. She wondered whom it was from. Using one of her nails she slit open the top and began to read with her flashlight.

‘Akane:

I hope that the both of you are having a wonderful time in the woods…’

‘Yeah a wonderful time,’ Akane thought sarcastically.

‘There are just a few things you ought to know about my son. He is very headstrong and verbally impulsive and abusive. I’ve tried to amend those to the best of my abilities but his father had him too long. You should have seen what I had to work with. He also has strange ideas about women, which I tried to change with some success. There was a time he would never take a woman seriously in the art. Your sister has told me about your faults as well. An angry prideful maniac was what she called you at your worst. The only advice I have for that is if you start a fight, remember that making up is sweeter.

Don’t forget that the woman is head of the house or in your case tent. He has to obey you in the tent, if he doesn’t, I’ll have a word with him when you get back. Remember though, he has the authority on the field. He has a lot more outdoor experience than you can possibly imagine. The field is his and the tent is yours and for goodness sake don’t let him cook or you won’t do anything for the whole trip. Love mother Nodoka.’

So she was the master of the tent and he the master of the field. She guessed she did owe Ranma an apology since she had started it. But how was she going to get him down from up there. Then she had a spark of inspiration.

“Ranma Saotome, get your ass down here!” she shouted from inside the tent. Akane smirked evilly as she heard the thump of him falling off the tree limb. “Now get inside this tent! And I hope you are not thinking of dirtying my tent with your dirty old gi!” she warned. A minute later, Ranma hesitantly stepped in the tent wondering why he was listening to her in the first place. “Good now come lay down beside me, I need my beauty sleep,” Akane ordered.

Ranma nervously lay next to her on the open sleeping bag. How did he get himself into these predicaments? Okay, maybe he did let his mouth run away again when he called her an uncute tomboy but she had called him a baka first, he was not going to apologize before she did. So maybe he was lonely while he had been out there by himself. He had returned with the food as a peace offering so now it was her turn to do something. Just how had she managed to get him in this position anyway? When she had shouted at him, he was so startled that he had fallen from his perch, now she was acting as if she owned the place. He heard Akane clearing her mouth and turned to face her. ‘When had she moved so close to him,’ he wondered.

“Look Ranma your mom told me that you’re stubborn and tend to say things that you don’t mean,” she began and then a slight line of blush covered her cheeks, “And I guess I do get carried away at times too.”

“Carried away?”

“Okay, I get touchy…”

“You get angry,” Ranma replied succinctly.

“Okay, okay, so I have an anger problem!” Akane conceded.

Ranma smiled and wagged his finger at her. “You said it, not me,” he reminded her.

“Oooh, you irritating little…Akane Tendo Surprise Attack Tickle Torture!”

“You think that will oohooho…hahhahahha…stop…ahh…okay...aha...if that’s the way you want to play it…”

Akane had been winning the contest until Ranma neatly defected her hands and started attacking her with his, now it was her turn to beg mercy as Ranma trained hands took advantage of her weakness. Finally he had pity on her and stopped attacking her, instead, he just wrapped his arms around her. Akane was fighting to control her breath when Ranma nibbled the back of her ear. She reflexively moaned in appreciation as the sensations overwhelmed her and turned around to kiss him. They kissed passionately for a few minutes until Ranma abruptly stopped.

“Why’d you stop?” she asked hotly.

“We need some rest for the morning,” was Ranma’s excuse. Akane nodded as she snuggled up next to him. Ranma nervously removed his hand from where it had migrated to just south of her cute butt. He wasn’t ready for that, not at the moment.

In the morning they were up and had everything packed after a good breakfast. With the wind in their faces, they continued plodding onwards the more they walked the more it dawned on Akane how much easier it would have been to take the left route. She didn’t tell Ranma though. He didn’t need to know that yet. In favor of getting more territory covered, they opted to have a late lunch and continued hiking until they reached a break in the trees. There they had lunch and continued onwards. By nighttime the second day, they had reached the footsteps next to the temple. They would have to climb a series of stairs- nothing that would take a lot of strength but Ranma knew that Akane needed a rest. She was not accustomed to running about all day as he was. That night, they made camp and once again fell asleep with their arms around each other.

During their affectionate banter Ranma made sure to keep himself in control. He did not know what was going through Akane’s mind but this was the first time he had ever been this close to a girl that he was attracted to for a prolonged period of time. Well maybe except Ukyou but then they always seemed to have fun as friends before anything else.

He knew they had been set up when he could not find a tent in his pack, or a sleeping bag. That was his mother’s doing he knew. One tent and a solitary sleeping bag was her idea of having them share a room in the middle of the deserted forest. He had to admit that it was the ideal plan if she wanted to get them hitched and quickly at that.

He had found a letter in his pack as he began searching in his pack for supplies. It was addressed from Kasumi and he had read it with great anxiety. Kasumi remarks about her sister filled the page but Ranma could remember a few reminders that Kasumi gave him. The first was that Akane was prideful and arrogant at times. Words his mother had often described him with. She also stated that Akane was a bit touchy about her martial arts and cooking and when she was younger, Akane was prone to anger fits. He hadn’t seen any of those except for the little fight he had today. Kasumi had also asked his a favor. She wanted him to take care of her little sister. She wrote that although Akane might act as if she knew what she was doing, the reality was that Akane had never devoted much time to hiking and she would bolster her confidence by acting as if she knew what she was doing. Kasumi wanted him to take care of Akane. That was one of the primary reasons why he had bitten the bullet and returned. The other was that he had been extremely worried about her being in the woods on her own.

He had tracked her after they had parted, staying high in the trees above and moving surreptitiously though the branches. He had seen her fall many times and his heart went out to her but every time he wanted to go help, he had to stop himself. This was a training trip and Akane would never get better if he coddled her like a little child. That was one of the lessons he had had to learn when he began to teach students. He didn’t like to see them get hurt but that was part and parcel of training. Sort of like letting a kid get burned by fire so that they would know not to go near one again. That prevented kids from playing with matches and open flames at a young age. It was the same with training. When you bit off more than you can chew you reflected and realized that you needed someone to give directions.

He had shadowed her until she stopped to pitch her tent. He left her there for a few minutes to go prepare dinner then returned. He had found her in her sorry state staring out on the darkness and his empathy surmounted his pride and he jumped down. Akane had tended her wounds that morning and there were many scratches along her leg. Thankfully the gi she wore protected most of her body except for her hands and face. There were a few scratches but nothing that would leave a permanent reminder

The next morning they began the climb up the stairs. For Ranma, it was excruciatingly boring just climbing stairs but he put up with it walking alongside Akane. For her this seemed to be a lot of exercise. For him, he was wondering when it was going to end. At last they came to the top of the stairs and there the shrine lay in front of them. To say they were disappointed was an understatement. The place was overrun with brambles, trees and grass. There was a wooden sign posted on a falling door.

“Moved to Okinawa,” Akane read. She stared at the place in disbelief. “We hiked all this way for nothing!” screamed Akane in desperation.

Ranma scratched the back of his head. “Well not really, this is still a good place to train.”

“Train?”

“Well isn’t that why we came here?” he questioned. “We’re all done with the warm-ups so its time to train.”

“You aren’t tired from all that climbing?” she asked incredulously.

“That’s nothing, you should have seen what pops made me do when I was younger for stamina training,” Ranma replied. “So let’s start training already!”

Akane thought that she had been a training maniac when she was younger but she nothing on Ranma. From the time they had reached the abandoned temple to the present, he was working on combinations that she could never even dream about executing. He hadn’t stopped for anything and that had been three hours ago. She desperately needed a rest and dropped on the floor panting. The moment she opened her eyes, Ranma was standing next to her.

“Akane is that all you have? The way I’ve been training Nabiki, she’ll give you a decent run for your money in a few months.”

“You’ve got to be joking?”

“Nope. She was taught the same as you; just she stopped. But she’s been watching you and Soun practice when you do so it’s still up in here,” he pointed to his head. “She’s got more speed than you do and probably better tactics. The day she reaches your stamina level, she might be able to beat you. How would it feel to have the working girl of the house giving the master a run for her money.”

“Nabiki could never beat me. She stopped because I was beating her when we were younger. She never liked it anyway,” Akane defended her martial ability.

“That’s probably true, but her stamina has been on the rise since she was forced to train again and she’s currently undefeated in the matches I set up for her. She usually is the underdog but she defeats her opponent using tactics. As her trainer, I’m telling you that she might be able to beat you in a few months….unless of course you let me train you.”

‘So that was where Ranma was going with this,’ Akane thought. “And why should I let you train me?” she asked suspiciously.

“Cause I’m better than you,” Ranma replied.

“And what if I say no?”

“Then I won’t train you and Nabiki will defeat you in a match that I’m sure your dad would want to see.”

“Okay, alright,” she conceded. “What do I have to do?”

As night fell on the forgotten site, Ranma was spoon-feeding Akane some of the food he made. Akane would have cooked if it weren’t for the fact that currently she couldn’t feel her arms. They had frozen up on her and she couldn’t move them. What she could feel though and still remember was the pain. Oh yes, the pain was still fresh in her memory as she glared at Ranma.

Ranma was a baka. She would say it to his face, except that her lip was swollen. Bastard! Who ever heard of training someone in speed by tying one hand behind their back to a post and then throwing sticks and stones at them and telling them to deflect the stones. She didn’t get any splinters, but the stones had hurt, they had hurt a lot.

“Is widdle Akane mad because she can’t handle the weasy twaining,” taunted Ranma. “Maybwe I should give widdle Akane some dolls to pway with.”

“Just shut up and feed me,” she growled. She was feeling horribly sore and was acting a bit bitchy but underneath it all she was smiling. Smiling because this was the first time anyone had taken her training seriously. Dad had been too afraid to hurt her when she was growing up and her skill had not improved in a long time. Her strength had increased and she could deal with multiple opponents, but in a one on one fight she was at a disadvantage. Ranma had pushed her and pushed her hard but she was happy because for the first time she believed that she was training how she should be training. Not the pansy breaking cinders with her hands. Nabiki had egged her on more than one occasion that cinders are stationary and don’t fight back. Instead she had been given real training, she was feeling real pain for the first time and though she wanted to kick Ranma’s butt, at the same time she wanted to kiss him so hard that his lips would chafe.

Ranma grinned and gave her another spoonful of soup. “Don’t worry, you’ll feel better in the morning when we train with your legs.”

Akane was shocked speechless at his announcement, allowing him to scoop her up and carry her to the sleeping bag. He gave her a soft kiss before closing his eyes, leaving Akane fearful of the next day. Was she going out with a monster?

As promised, the next day, Akane found herself tied to the pillar when she woke up. Apparently Ranma thought it best to get her ready before she woke up. She would get back at him later for that. That morning she tried her best to kick the sticks he threw away from her body. Thank goodness all he used were sticks. She had missed more than a few as she tried to kick them away. Tired, panting from the heat and very sore, she was glad when Ranma called an end to the session three hours later for lunch. Lunch, she didn’t even have breakfast! At least her hands were able to move so she didn’t have to go through the embarrassment of having him feed her. The only problem was that she couldn’t move.

“Well I guess we ought to be going now. We still have two more temples to visit.”

“Not to burst your bubble,” Akane interjected. “But I can’t walk.”

“Easily solved,” Ranma replied as he packed away all their supplies and hefted the two packs onto his back. “I’ll just have to carry you.”

“Carry me! No way, that’s too embarrassing. What would someone say?”

Ranma scratched the back of his head. “We’re in the middle of a forest, there’s no one around.” Akane growled at him then lifted her hands to indicate that she was ready. In one fluid motion, Ranma scooped her up and jumped into the air. Akane screeched as she experienced sudden weightlessness. That and the fact that the ground had mysteriously disappeared. She clung tenaciously to Ranma then screamed at him. “What are you doing!”

“Huh, I’m just getting us there faster…wait a minute, you mean you’ve never tried jumping on tree branches before?” Akane vigorously shook her head. “Jeez, I guess we’ll have to teach you that. Even Ucchan knows how to do that.”

It would take Ranma the rest of the day while carrying Akane to reach the outskirts of the next temple on their list. Akane would never tell him but that was the most enjoyable part of the trip. With the wind in her hair and the feeling of weightlessness that she only got on a roller coaster for a few seconds reaching her senses every few seconds, she felt like she was on the best ride she’d ever had. Not to mention the fact that she was currently holding on to the leanest warmest teddy bear that she had ever hugged and she felt safer in his arms than she had ever felt before. That didn’t mean that she wanted everyone to see her being carried though. They might think she was just along for the ride and was not a martial artist herself. She instructed Ranma to put her down just outside the tree line to the second temple so she would not be seen. From far off, she could hear the sound of activity inside and knew that this temple was at least still there.

Ranma tried to help steady her on her two feet as she walked the last stretch to reach the temple. It was on a base below the summit of the mountain they would later have to cross. The base had been leveled to allow them to build. Akane had shooed Ranma away from her, determined to make it on her own. Ranma shrugged and walked next to her. He was a bit winded after carrying her and their luggage but he had been through worse. Akane was still feeling the effects of the days training and just like the ugly bruises on her arms and chest, he knew she was similarly bruised on her legs; nothing serious of course, but enough to remain a reminder for a few days.

Finally they reached the entrance and were ushered in by the monks. The women there took Akane to one side while the men took Ranma to the other. Akane was delighted when she was carried into a room that was filled with food. It seemed that supper was about to be served and she was starving. If it was one thing she was learning from Ranma, it was the fact that training left you very hungry.

Ranma was ushered to the closed chambers behind thick doors. There were two people sitting and meditating. Finding nothing else to do, Ranma sat down and was about to follow their example when the woman came forward and handed him a cup of water.

“Your mother wrote to us beforehand of your arrival,” the woman told Ranma. “She says you’ve been lax in your training and this would be a good way for you to be manly.” The woman herself seemed a bit confused as to what was meant by that. Ranma didn’t. He knew perfectly what his mother wanted him to do. She wanted him to train as a woman and to peek on the other girls while he was doing so.

“Now young man, I don’t quite know what your mother means by this,” the older man replied as the veins on his head popped up under the stress of trying to understand just what Nodoka meant. Ranma shook his head and unclasped the chain around his neck. He poured the water on his head and replaced the chain.

“Oh!” the others replied surprised. “Interesting. You may go now,” they told her. Their voices betrayed their utter astonishment at the transformation. The woman hit a gong and the doors opened. Two women came in and escorted Ranma-chan to the dining room and to a particular seat.

“Akane Tendo, this will be your roommate for the next day,” they told Akane.

“What about Ranma?”

“Who is this Ranma?” they asked her.

“The man who came here with me,” she replied.

“Oh, the men are in a separate part of the temple,” they told her then bowed and left.

“Hi, I’m Akane, who are you?”

“Ranko, we’ve met already,” Ranko lied. “In one of your tournaments.” Well it wasn’t actually a lie. He did see her fight once, but he had not competed. It would have cheapened the tournament. With his level at that time, he would have leveled all the other competitors.

“You’re here for training?” Akane asked.

“Not me, a friend of mine is, though I won’t mind picking up a few more techniques,” Ranko replied truthfully.

“I know what you mean. I haven’t been seriously training in awhile,” Akane confessed. “Ranma made me remember why you have to train hard.”

“Who’s Ranma,” Ranko feigned. Ranko was getting tired of all this lying. Except for the select few, the curse had remained a secret, especially after they found the stones that would stabilize the curse. It would work for a couple of days before it needed to be recharged and wearing it in the other form seemed to recharge it faster than not wearing it at all. Ranma suddenly realized that his mother’s plan was genius. Ranko had not noticed Akane’s blushing until Akane began to speak.

“Well…he’s my boyfriend,” Akane replied in a hushed voice.

“Is he good looking?” Ranko asked, not missing the chance to bolster her ego.

“Yes, he’s quite handsome.”

Ranko smiled but then food was placed in front of her. As the delicious aroma assaulted her, Ranko lost all attention on Akane and hungrily devoured the food and the seconds that came after. Akane stared at her in shock.

“Uh…that’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Akane asked.

Ranko shook her head between bites. “If you are going to be training you need a lot of energy. Here, eat some more,” Ranko told her pushing another plate of food in front of Akane.

“I couldn’t!” Akane protested.

“I insist,” replied Ranko. Akane sighed and began on her second plate, She was surprised when she finished it.

“Are you full?” asked Ranko.

“A little…”

“Then here’s another plate.”

“But I couldn’t…”

Ranko handed her the plate. “Eat.”

Akane lay back groggily. After that last plate, she thought her insides were going to explode. Ranko opposite her was still eating to Akane’s amazement and the others around them. When her chopsticks hit the table all were amazed at what the petite woman had accomplished. Ranko stretched and winked at Akane. The room was already empty except for a few. Apparently, there was a line for the showers. Akane and Ranko were shown to their rooms and given a clean change of clothes. Akane still had her backpack when she noticed that Ranko didn’t have one.

“Where’s your pack,” asked Akane.

“Don’t have one. Don’t need one,” was Ranko’s reply. Akane shrugged and collected her clothes to change. She was surprised when she saw the white gis that were left for Ranko and her to change into. They were even given towels.

Ranko grabbed her stuff. “I’m ready to go take a shower, see you later,” Ranko told her and was out the door. Moments later, Akane rushed out trying to find her. Asking around, Akane finally found the shower they were talking about. It wasn’t a shower at all, but a small stream that was flowing from the top of the mountain that cascaded down from a manmade waterfall. Akane soon found her target. The petite redhead was standing nude above a pool pondering whether to dive in. No one else was around. Akane figured everyone else had already taken a shower. Setting her things down by Ranko’s Akane stealthily crept up on her.

“Hey Ranko going in?” Akane asked suddenly.

Ranko eeped and turned around too quickly, her feet found no purchase on the mossy rock and she splashed in the pool a moment later. Akane laughed as Ranko glared at her then Ranko grinned and splashed her. Ranko was glad for the coldness of the water. Akane huddled up trying to cover herself. “C…cccold,” Akane stuttered. Ranko took no heed though and splashed Akane until she was soaked.

“You better get in here and wash quickly,” Ranko advised her. “The water will do wonders for those bruises on your body.”

Akane nodded and stepped in, taking the bar of soap that lay at the side and giving herself the once over. Ranko was already out and threw Akane a towel as she climbed out. Akane gratefully caught it and dried her skin before wrapping the towel around her. Ranko was almost finished with her gi when Akane reached her.

“I’ll wait for you around the corner,” she told Akane. Akane nodded. They both walked back to their room after and unanimously hit the beds, Akane taking the time to apply some cream to her bruises to help with the swelling.

In the morning, Akane felt herself being roused.

“Come on Akane, it’s time for the morning exercises,” whispered the redhead that she had met the other day.

“What time is it?” asked Akane.

“Time to get up,” Ranko replied rhetorically.

Akane tumbled out of bed and was moving torpidly until Ranko opened the door. The cold mountain air sobered Akane quickly and she clearly heard the sounding gong. As they joined the exercises, Akane watched, as Ranko seemed to fall into the kata as soon as she jumped in. Akane struggled a little before she too was precisely following the leader.

After the morning exercises, Akane was reminded of what training was all about. The day was over and Akane was flexing her hands and legs wondering if they would be able to work again. They had given her speed training as they watched her movements. Her training had a lot of incentive. She had to pull a screw from a circuit that was imbedded in rock before the circuit tripped and she was shocked. She had only managed to do it once with her right hand. Both hands looked as if they had been fried. Wait a minute, how did they get electricity way up here?

Akane had no idea where they had taken Ranko as the two met for supper. Ranko looked tired, though Akane could see no marks on the girl. The girl ate like the night before and Akane was surprised as she too devoured a lot of food. Ranko did not even bother with a bath, electing to go directly to bed. Akane shrugged as she took a quick bath and found the girl fast asleep when she arrived. Akane sat on her bed and stared at the wooden beams. She hadn’t seen Ranma for a whole day and she was missing him terribly. She hoped he was thinking of her and everything was all right.

The next day, Akane awoke and could not find her roommate. She stumbled around again until the cold air awakened her when she opened the door. Exercises were first, then another day of training.

At lunchtime, Akane was called away from the infernal contraption that they had her training on. She followed them until she was brought to a room and was surprised to see Ranko there. Apparently Ranko was participating in some match as she saw the redhead on one side of the ring. On the other side, three masters wearing brown gis approached the ring and bowed to the two sitting on a high chair overlooking the event. Ranko likewise entered the ring and bowed. Ranko bowed to her opposition and allowed the three to circle her.

The sum of the ages of the three masters would probably end up being at least ten times that of Ranko’s by Akane’s estimation but the girl seemed nonplussed by her opponents. In fact, Akane could almost make out a smirk on her face. It was apparent that the masters facing her did not all use the same style. The stances they adopted spoke of the diversity in their training. To her amazement, Ranko did not adopt a stance and least it wasn’t one to her knowledge. She just stood there like a statue and beckoned the others to attack her.

Akane gasped in fright for her roommate as all three seemed to blur before her eyes but then those same eyes almost popped out in amazement as with one backward flip she passed between two kicks while blocking a punch from the third. As her hand touched the floor, Ranko executed a double reverse roundhouse in mid air, which was blocked on both sides. Her adversaries regarded her with a little more respect as she flipped to right herself. Again Akane could make out the smirk on the girl’s face.

Another flurry of attacks were directed towards her and Akane was just simply amazed at the skill being displayed. The girl was half-dodging half-blocking her opponents and seemed to weave in and out of tight spots. She had yet to produce any real offence but the defense being shown was extraordinary. As the girl wove through her opponents, time ticked harmlessly bye and Akane was again amazed by the stamina being shown by all the people in the ring. In the scorching heat, rivulets of perspiration adorned their faces but none were tired and all seemed to be enjoying the little competition.

As the three masters once again readied to attack Ranko, the girl adopted a stance. It was one Akane had never seen before but the way her legs were moving, it must have something to do with Kung Fu. Once again the masters attacked but this time instead of dodging, everyone watching could hear the loud thuds as a wall of blocks met most of the offensive attacks. One attack did happen to snake its way past Ranko’s defense. As she felt the impact, she moved with the force using the torque to spin her body. Surprised by the move, two of her opponents failed to block the series of whirlwind kicks and found themselves on the hard ground. They steadied themselves and prepared for another round. Luckily for both of them, neither had stepped out of the ring.

While they assessed their next attack, Ranko was systematically herding the third towards the edge of the ring. The master knew it but his biggest problem was that he had no way to stop her. Luckily the other two attacked just before he was nearing the edge. Ranko dodged effortlessly, as if she knew they were there, but after she dodged one, she kicked another just above the pelvis. With the added momentum, that master was unable to stop before the rope marker of the ring and was subsequently out.

The other two rounded on Ranko and sought to push her back. She was not cooperating however and the two soon had to change tactics and give themselves more room. Ranko followed them though and with a burst of speed, she nailed one with a thrust of her hands after landing two stunning punches. That master flew back and as he rolled with his momentum, he was unable to prevent himself from stopping before the rope. Two were out and only one remained. Ranko just grinned at the remaining person.

She was not fazed by Ranko’s taunting. Instead, she circled the petite redhead and tested her defenses from a distance having the advantage of being both taller and having a longer reach. Ranko could have told her that did not matter from the beginning but who was she to ruin the fun.

She blocked one of the low kicks with her foot and the two battled using their feet less than a few inches off the ground. As Ranko stepped on the woman’s foot, the woman executed a masterful maneuver bending and bringing her other foot in an overhead kick. Ranko was caught by surprise by the plot and actually smiled but she blocked the foot with her hand. Temporarily off balance, the woman was treated to the dirt floor by a foot sweep. Ranko flipped back and allowed the woman a little breathing room. Ranko wasn’t ready to end the fight just as yet. She was just aching for a little action. Again the two met and exchanged some blows though this time it was Ranko who was gauging the woman’s defenses. The woman knew she was outclassed but could not understand why the redhead in front of her was not finishing the job. She was glad that the redhead was not embarrassing her but the girl never went for the finish. Either the girl was full of herself or she had the skill to back her up. It was probably the latter.

Again the two faced each other but seeing the faces of the crowd Ranko decided it was time to end game. It had been fun and she wanted to continue but she did not want to humiliate the fighter in front of her in any way. The woman had given her a good fight. She was going to end it in a spectacular fashion.

Again they rushed at each other in a flurry. Punches were traded but nothing landed on either until the woman landed one on Ranko who flipped back. Finding some hope, the woman continued her assault, forcing Ranko back until only a few millimeters separated her from the rope edge. As the woman began to execute a final combo, Ranko saw her chance. With inhuman speed she dodged the woman’s punch then used it as a lever to propel herself over the woman. Ranko did not even wait to touch the ground kicking the woman in the flat of the back as she passed over. Ranko rolled as she landed and stood straight up after popping off the floor waiting to see if her opponent had survived. She hadn’t. The woman had fallen out of the ring. Ranko had won.

The three stood in a line opposite Ranko and bowed to her and she bowed to them, then they bowed to the pair seated above. There was no cheering from the gathered crowd but from the murmurs within one could see that all were impressed with the petite redhead’s skill.

Akane was stunned speechless as the others began leaving. She thought she had seen some good fighters but even the ones Ranko was up against were way beyond her league and they were not as old as she had first thought. And Ranko. Akane had never seen such agility and grace from any fighter except Ranma. Akane knew that she had to train harder. She knew now what a real martial artist could do if they really put their mind to it and she resolved not to stop training until she was somewhere within reach of Ranko’s skill level. The girl was absolutely amazing. Akane could hardly wait to meet her in the room again.

“Miss Tendo, you are needed,” someone told her and Akane followed the person as she was led into the main building. As she entered, she was temporarily blinded while her eyes adjusted but after they adjusted, she saw Ranma at the end of the corridor. Seeing him she immediately ran up and hugged him.

“It’s time to go,” he told her.

“Already?”

He nodded. Some others came in and brought her pack with them.

“Just let me say goodbye to Ranko.”

“That will be unnecessary,” one of the people sitting in the room told her. “You will see her soon enough.”

“At least let me tell her goodbye,” Akane replied a bit irritated. The man nodded his head in the negative. “She cannot be bothered at the moment but you will see her again.”

Akane harrumphed but there was nothing she could do. She was a guest here and asking another time would be impolite to say the least. The man bowed and they were left alone near the entrance.

With her sore hands Akane followed Ranma as they began their trek up the mountainside. Akane asked Ranma if he saw the fight and when he nodded in the negative, she began to describe what she had seen with a measure of awe. Ranma of course did not mind the kudos she was giving to Ranko. Akane occasionally mentioned that Ranko could probably give him a run for his money but Ranma smirked at the suggestion. It would be interesting to see who would win between his girl side and his boy side.

What started as a rugged hike began more of a scramble as Ranma helped Akane up some of the small cliffs that blocked their way. Her adulation of Ranko diminished as her breath was being taken away from her. Her hands were still tender from their treatment making her movement troublesome. Finally they reached the summit and began to hike towards the third and last temple that was on their list. They knew that they would not reach it before nightfall so they pitched camp under a rocky ledge and after eating, had a good night’s rest.

The next day they reached the third temple and as before, they were separated as soon as they arrived. This time though, Ranma was truly sequestered away from Akane and once again, the teachers sought to train Akane in speed while Ranma trained in the techniques and skills that were being displayed by the others. For two days they were separated and for two days all Akane could think about to relieve the throbbing pain in her arms and legs was the knowledge that after this she would be able to relax and rest, and hopefully she would be falling asleep next to Ranma again. She was too accustomed to cold sheets. The prospect of a warm bed was growing on her. After two days of insane training, Akane finally saw Ranma as they were released. When she saw him she ran up to him and hugged him. She smiled as he kissed her lightly. Together, they walked down the beaten path to the village, Ranma helping Akane as the bruises on her hands and feet hampered her movement. None of her bruises were serious but walking did aggravate them and had her wincing anytime they were pinched or squeezed.

Slowly, they descended from the mountain and as they were descending, Ranma saw the glimmer of a lake not very far away. He did not tell Akane though. Slowly, they made their way down the mountain until they began to walk past the outskirts of the town. As they continued walking into the heart of the down, the houses became denser.

Akane was tired and her deep breathing showed it. She allowed Ranma to go off and make their travel plans while she rested. It seemed that everywhere on her body hurt, everywhere. After a few minutes Ranma came back and led her to a small bus.

“I thought we were taking the train?” she asked.

“We’re taking a little detour,” he consoled her. Akane didn’t have the energy to argue. She just got on the bus and slid in the seat. The weather was still hot and humid and she was very glad that Ranma wasn’t holding her at the moment. She would have had to ask him to give her some room to breathe and she did not want him getting the wrong message. As the bus rolled along the road, the heat of the day and exhaustion from all the training and hiking caused her to doze off.

The next time Akane woke up, she was surprised to find a cool wind blowing. She was still perspiring but she didn’t feel as hot as before. She opened her eyes and gazed around. She almost fell off the chair when she found out where she was. Somehow she had been transported onto a small barge in the middle of a lake. There were other people around on other similarly built primitive barges having fun but Akane had no idea how she had got there, that is until someone popped their head up in front of her.

“Hey Akane, you’re awake!” remarked Ranma as he surfaced.

“Ranma where are we, how did we get here and what are you doing?” Akane blurted out in her sleepy daze.

“Relax,” he soothed. “I just thought you’d like to cool off at the lake. The water will do your bruises some good,” he assured her.

“But I don’t have a bathing suit,” she protested.

“Well just wear something,” he told her.

Akane frowned at him and found her bag. The only problem was that she couldn’t change into anything without the other people in the area seeing her or Ranma for that matter. It was a predicament that was worse because she also wanted to jump in the water. She growled as she pondered what she should do.

“So are you coming in or not?” asked Ranma.

“Just give me a minute,” she replied testily. She would have thought a lot longer before a wave of water crashed into her making her shriek in surprise. She shivered at the coldness of the water. She turned around to stare at the culprit who grinned mischievously at her.

“Ranma you’ll pay for that,” Akane chattered through her teeth.

“Promises, promises,” he jeered and sent another wave at her. By the time the third one hit, her gi had been pretty much soaked. She growled at him then stared at the water around her suspiciously. Tentatively she reached in with her toe a prodded the water for its depth. She could not feel the bottom. She winced knowing that she was in water that was probably deeper than he height but she lowered herself in anyway. The water was cold but Ranma was right, the cold water did soothe her aching muscles and all those bruises on her body.

She felt warm hands around her body and turned around to stare at Ranma.

“Feeling better?” he asked. Akane nodded and smiled. “So do you feel up to some swimming practice?”

Akane considered the question for a moment. It wasn’t that bad of an idea. There were no waves on a lake and Ranma was also there. Akane didn’t know that a person in fresh water was less buoyant than one in salt water, but she didn’t need to know that little fact. As soon as she pushed off though, Ranma held her back on the barge.

“Whoa there, if you do want to swim, I suggest you take off your gi,” he advised. “It will pull you under.”

Akane saw the wisdom in his words but she was hesitant. All she had under her gi was her underwear. The scanned the horizon and though a few barges were about, most were too far away to ever see her from that distance. Satisfied that no one would peek on her, Akane slipped off her gi as she held onto the barge. She looked around for Ranma, but he was nowhere near. Instead, he was a ways off in the water. He wasn’t that far off, but far enough that she would have to swim to reach him. She would have liked a refresher course but it didn’t look like Ranma was going to offer one.

Akane took a deep breath and tried to remember everything Ranma had taught her. Then, she took the plunge. She didn’t try to look forward, all she did was try to swim. She didn’t even bother stopping until she felt two powerful arms around her, holding her at bay.

She struggled a little but ceased when her head was clearly above the surface of the water. She looked down at Ranma and clung on for dear life.

“Maybe that wasn’t such a great idea.” Ranma remarked but Akane was not listening. Ranma towed her back to the barge.

“Let’s try that again,” he told her, “Except this time, maybe we should try threading water first so you can stay above the water when you stop.”

“What!”

“Just a little mistake on my part,” Ranma confessed meekly. Akane moved to hit him but as soon as she let go of the barge, she felt herself drowning and once again held onto him like a lifeline as he shuttled her to the barge.

“Maybe you ought to fix your clothes before we start,” Ranma advised as he averted his gaze. Akane was confused until she looked down. She readjusted her bra but was already blushing crimson from her embarrassment.

“I’m decent,” she told him and he turned around to start explaining again.

“Okay, just do what I do. Kick with your legs and use your arms to stabilize yourself. It’s pretty tiring at the beginning but it will get easier the more you do it.”

Akane complied with his instructions. With all the training she had been doing and the soreness of her muscles, she found it very difficult. Ranma was at her side watching her as she stayed above the water’s surface. She continued to thread water until she could feel that the coldness was getting to her and she was running out of energy. She reached for the barge and missed, falling into the water. The next thing he knew, she was being lifted out of the water and laid on the barge. She hadn’t taken on any water, nor had she panicked, but it was nice to know that Ranma had been there for her anyway.

Ranma too lay down next to her in the shade from the roof of the small thatched barge. With all her tiredness and soreness creeping to the fore, Akane did not ever spare a second thought to the sparseness of her clothing as she snuggled up to Ranma in her underwear. Ranma just held her protectively trying to ignore that pre-stated fact about Akane’s dress before he too fell asleep under the cool soothing wind.

The day’s rest and relaxation had livened Akane’s spirits. She had awoken at twilight slightly confused as to where she was. Then she remembered where she was and wriggled out of Ranma’s embrace. She blushed furiously when she realized just how little clothing the two of them had been sleeping in. While rummaging though her bag the noise she made woke up Ranma. The two stared at each other for a little while and without saying a word agreed that they needed to get dressed. Akane threw on her gi that had been baked by the sun that afternoon as did Ranma. Fully dressed they paddled back to shore.

The walk to the train station in the cool night air was refreshing and both of them enjoyed their little trek together. They arrived at the station just after midnight and finding a bench, they made themselves comfortable. The next train was due early in the morning. The only thing Akane remembered that night was the lulling sound of air rushing past the speeding train when she briefly opened her eyes sometime that morning.

She awoke to find herself in a cool room under a blanket. She was still in her gi. This was probably one of Ranma’s little excursions once again. She threw off the blanket and plodded downstairs hoping to find out where she was.

“Akane, finally you are awake. You sleep just like my husband,” someone scolded her. Akane looked down to see Nodoka talking to her. She was in the Saotome House. “Now dear, why don’t you go and get changed. I’ll give you some clothes later.” Akane did as she was told and found clothes waiting for her in the changing room. Climbing down the stairs she was assaulted by the aroma of breakfast. She sat down expectantly at the table and had herself a good breakfast.

“Now why don’t you go help Ranma in the Dojo?” suggested Nodoka.

Akane did as she was told.

Akane found herself crushed by her father the next time she arrived home as her father began bawling about how she was okay and was still alive. The next to get attacked was Ranma who had accompanied her home though he was beginning to become accustomed to the man’s antics. Akane had mentioned how often her father tended to have these attacks. What they were both surprised at was Soun’s invitation for him to spend the night if he needed to. It was late, but it wasn’t that late.

“That’s okay dad, Ranma needs to go. He has work tomorrow, isn’t that right Ranma?”

“Huh…oh yeah,” he replied as Akane nudged him in the ribs.

“But what about all that ice cream I bought to celebrate?” pleaded Soun.

“Well, I guess I could stay for some of that,” Ranma corrected himself. Akane fought the urge to bash him over the head. His appetite was healthy but it did tend to rule some of his choices.

Soun grinned and returned with a tub of ice cream and a few bowls. Then as the two men sat down, they began their conversation on training grounds once again Akane found herself actually interested in what they had to say and was not totally bored. She recreated her torrid training from the temples they had visited. Soun remarked how much easier training had become causing Akane to growl. When Ranma agreed, she harrumphed and crossed her arms. As Akane moved to get away, Ranma pulled her back down by the waist. Seeing the two together, Soun used this as an opportunity to escape, using the excuse that he had a class to prepare for. The result was a Ranma vs Akane tickle fight which ended in a pleasurable kiss for both parties, pleasurable until they were caught by Nabiki as she entered the house.

“Would you two get a room?” she sarcastically remarked.

Surprised, Akane rolled off the sofa but was pulled back on by Ranma who held her close.

“What’s the matter, you jealous?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around Akane. This time Nabiki stuck her nose in the air and left the two alone, Akane giggled at her sister’s response. After some more pleasurable activity, Ranma made his way back home.

Communication between the two was continuous as they chatted over the phone at night. Soun started taking care of the afternoon classes, giving his daughter more spare time in the afternoons. Akane took advantage of that extra time by visiting Ranma at the Saotome Dojo to help him with the weeding and planting of the surrounding area. The lot had been vacant for a long time and had been overrun with vines and unchecked shrubbery. Most had been cleared away but the ground still held many weeds that needed to be removed before even trying to level out the land and plant a lawn. Nabiki had grown accustomed to seeing her sister arriving home at night for a brief shower and then for bed. Nabiki herself was having less time for her own devices these days.

As Akane lay back trying to sleep one of those nights she thought about their whole relationship from the start. When she had seen him for the first time, she had thought him a stranger then they developed a weird sort of kinship after the fiasco with the Kunos. That kinship sparked a good friendship when he had helped her out in her time of trouble. That friendship grew as she had spent almost the entire holiday with him. He was just so carefree and easy to be with. So unlike all the other boys she knew, not that she knew many that well. She knew she began to feel something more during that weekend when she had to hold him while swimming. It was the first time she put herself in circumstances out of her personal control. She liked being in control of situations around her and hated when things got out of control.

She could still remember the touch of his skin against her body and the feel of his cordlike taught muscles as he swam into shore. Maybe then had been the turning point, or maybe it had been the time she had pulled him down on top of her on the beach. That was one of the first times she could remember feeling his breath against her skin.

Even now she couldn’t remember what impulse gave her the audacity to ask him to kiss her. Was it just because Nabiki was standing there questioning her or was it something different? She didn’t know what had caused her to do that. It was magnificent though, her first kiss. Akane suspected who was Ranma’s first girlfriend but she wouldn’t tell him. That girl had given Ranma good practice though and Akane could attest to that.

She vaguely remembered the night she had asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend. She knew it had been a moonlit night and they had been on the roof staring out into the ocean while eating, but beyond that, she could remember nothing. She could remember nothing more than worrying about Kuno and his stupid ideas, and staring at Ranma as he closed his eyes to the sea. That was when she had asked him, it seemed like a simple trade off at the time in her mind, Ranma for Kuno. She knew she was getting the better offer but only now was her trade paying in dividends.

The following Saturday promised to be one of fun and adventure. Akane had planned a day at the Fair and only hinted to Ranma the day before they might be going. She knew that Ranma had made no plans for that day and was eager to see him. It was strange that even though she saw him almost every day, she still missed him as soon as she reached home. It was uncanny.

Saturday was the following day but this time Akane met Ranma at the Saotome House, there she had to pry him away from the Dojo. The work was nearing completion and Ranma was eager to finish. Instead of planting seed, Ranma decided to plant clumps and seed. Now all he had to do was get the grass and plant it. The trees that he wanted were already planted, as were the shrubs. The earth was level and all the rocks broken into filling for the sides of the trees. All that was needed was the finishing touch of the grass and the project would be complete.

Akabe had not the patience for that and dragged Ranma out of the Dojo. Ranma was being uncooperative until she planted a sweet kiss on his lips. After that, most of his arguments waned and he found himself dressed and following her out the door.

At the park, Akane immediately attacked the rides and holding Ranma’s hand she guided his towards the ones she wanted to try. The first was naturally the roller coaster, but after being in Ranma’s arms while he was jumping from tree to tree, the ride lost a lot of its attractiveness. Indeed Ranma didn’t seem that enthused about it afterwards. Casting that one as a loss, they tried the others. Again, even the most exhilarating rides were tame compared to her recent experiences. The only good thing about the whole affair from Akane’s point of view was that her body was still acting as if she expected a thrill from the rides. As such, she had been clutching Ranma for most of the time and she had to admit that she was thoroughly enjoyed their close contact.

It wasn’t as if this was a defining moment that ceded Ranma to her. No, instead she was growing more accustomed to having him around her and holding her tenderly and softly. Holding her so lovingly that she had no desire of wanting him to let go.

The rides gave way to the games and the vendors were beginning to know the couple by face. It seemed that no matter how much taunting or distraction they threw at the boy nor how great the odds were stacked against him, he would always win. The girl wasn’t that bad either. After collecting a humungous number of assorted teddy bears and stuffed animals, they decided in the end to trade all the stuff in for one solitary large bear to the relief of the vendors who were losing all their trade. At least now, they could get back most of their merchandise to try and make some more money.

For the rest of the day, Ranma and Akane walked around the fair with the teddy bear around Ranma’s neck much to the amusement of others who were passing by. Ranma and Akane were chatting amicably or maybe a bit too amicably on a bench when Akane was assaulted by two little kids on sugar highs. They were her two nieces. Akane smiled and turned around. Sure enough, there was Kasumi holding a little bag for her daughters. Tofu was with her though he had the job of carrying some of the things his daughters had won in another bag. As the two girls saw the teddy bear, they immediately scrambled for it, adoringly staring at its size.

“Akane Ranma, how are you? I didn’t expect to see you here,” remarked Kasumi.

“It was a last minute decision,” Akane lied.

“Hi Kasumi, I see you and the kids are having fun.”

“Oh yes Ranma, they love to go on the rides,” Kasumi replied. Inwardly she was beaming at the closeness between the two. Akane wasn’t sitting on his lap but there was no space between them. Akane was holding one of Ranma’s hands in hers while Ranma’s other hand was wrapped around her shoulder. What really caught her attention though was the fact that neither had moved when they had seen her. That meant that they were very comfortable around each other and from what she could see, very much in love.

“Hello Ranma,” greeted Tofu.

“Hey Dr. Tofu, what’s up? Taking the family out for the day?” he asked.

“Yes, the girls just love going to the Fair. I’m sure your kids will love to come here too,” he added while glancing at the two of them causing them to turn slightly red in embarrassment. The four continued talking while the girls busied themselves with the huge bear. As the time trickled by, Kasumi and Tofu thought it best that they go. The children also wanted to go but then they stopped and stared at the teddy bear with indecision. If they left with their parents then they would not be able to play with the bear. Ranma calmed their fears though when he grabbed the bear and handed it over to Tofu.

“Here take this with you,” Ranma offered.

“Oh my we couldn’t,” Kasumi protested.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ranma waved off. “I’m sure the kids will have more fun with it than we can.”

“Thank you very much,” Kasumi responded. “Kids tell Uncle Ranma thank you for the gift.”

“Thank you Uncle Ranma,” the repeated while grinning and hanging around their father’s feet. Ranma mussed their hair a little and watched them go.

“That was very nice of you,” Akane remarked as she walked up and held his hand.

“I didn’t get much gifts when I was young,” he told her then kissed her lightly on the lips. “So where to now?” he asked.

Akane shrugged and led him away to find something to do. While searching they found a ride that was mostly hidden from view by the others. It was an imported ride called the Crazy Teacups. Having nothing better to do, the two hopped on and found themselves seated in a teacup. The ride did not start immediately though as the conductor waited until he could fill most of the seats. Ranma and Akane were seated next to two young teenage couples.

The conductor pushed the lever and the ride began. The cup began rotating slowly at first but then rotated faster and faster. Ranma himself was starting to feel a little dizzy since he had not prepared his senses for such an assault. He could feel Akane’s grip on him tighten as they moved faster and the cups began to buck.

He heard screams from around them and suddenly he found it hard to breath as someone yanked on his chain. It was the girl sitting next to him. In her hysteria, she had grabbed onto the chain and now refused to let go. Her knuckles were turning white from the tension. With a snap, the chain burst sending the pieces flying away with the momentum of the cups. Ranma could only look on, unable to do anything. He sighed and turned his attention back to Akane. He would have to wait until after the ride before he could do anything about the chain.

When the chairs began slowing down, the acrid smell of vomit filled the air. The ride had apparently disagreed with some people. Asking Akane for her help, the two looked around for the chain. Akane had been the first to spot it but when they found it, it had been broken into more than one piece. Some of the links had been squeezed by the rotating machinery splitting them. Ranma pocketed the chain, especially the blue stone clasped in the center and they exited the ride.

They hung around for a little while, meeting up with Kasumi and her family. The kids were becoming more restless though since they hadn’t been given a nap for the day. Kasumi decided it was time for them to return home. Ranma and Akane were invited to accompany them but Akane declined the offer. As she watched her family leave, Akane held Ranma by the hand they ended up sitting under the lamplight in a park on the outskirts of Nerima.

The grass was thick and comfortable and they were looking over the slowly running creek by which the park was built. Propped up under a tree Akane found herself in a comfortable position on Ranma’s lap as she lay her head against his chest and stared out into the sky. There was still some time before sunset and Akane wondered if they would see it. The clouds were rolling in heralding the tip of the incoming front. It was moving quickly and should be gone by morning. Akane could not remember how long they had just been lying there but she was reminded of the time when she heard the light snoring of Ranma as he fell asleep.

He did not sleep with the loud grunts that she remembered from her father. His was lighter, almost peaceful. That was something she could live with. She took a deep breath and snuggled in closer. Now that they were actually going out, what direction did she want this relationship they had to go.

The idea of spending the rest of her life with Ranma seemed wonderful in her mind. She couldn’t remember a time she felt as calm and peaceful as when she was in his arms. During the time they spent together, she realized that he was brash, arrogant and bit pigheaded at times but those were faults that she could live with. She knew she had a bit of temper that made up for all of that.

She did not care about his faults. She cherished his honesty and truthfulness. She had never heard him lie to anyone while he had been around her. He also treated everyone the same and looked out for others. Most of all, he could listen. Sure he had his fair share of jabber but Akane knew she could talk someone to death at times. Ranma never seemed to care and was always attentive. And last but not least, he was a martial artist like herself. She wondered what he was like when he was younger.

She had asked him why he didn’t compete in tournaments. He replied that his father just wanted him to be the best and he sacrificed everything for the art. He wanted to be the best so badly that every little defeat nagged at his conscience. Then he found his mother and she introduced him to set of martial arts teachers who refused to train anyone who refused to lose. At first he hated them but he grew to like their teaching.
They fought not to be the best but to develop their potential to the fullest. It was from them that he learned to be independent.

Akane smiled as she wrapped Ranma’s hands around her. She liked it when he held her. It was just so secure. She knew she felt more for him than that little crush she had on Tofu when she was still a kid. She knew that the only reason she developed that crush was his fixation on Kasumi. Kasumi liked him and because of that, she grew to like him. She didn’t have a crush on Ranma, it was more of an affection for him after he had helped her out. When they had been together that weekend something had happened to her. She didn’t know what it was then but she knew the day she had seen him in the restaurant. Those had been two weeks of hell for her. Every time she looked around she would miss the excitement raging through her body as she remembered the times that she would hang around with the cordless phone talking to Ranma about mundane subjects or about training her students and new techniques.

On the training trip they had their disagreements but they were nothing compared to the love and acceptance she felt when he held her at night. He would just hold her as she slept and Akane loved the way he would just nuzzle her ears playfully. There was also another important fact. Ranma treated her as an equal. He did not look down on her as Nabiki did, nor did he idolize her like Kuno. He just said what he meant and treated everyone the same. Well everyone but her of course, he treated her as if she was special.

She couldn’t remember how long she had been sitting on his lap or when she had fallen asleep that night. She awoke as the earth seemed to shake from the loud clapping of the thunder above. Slightly shaken she found herself lying in Ranma’s lap. From the dance of the lightning above she could tell that a bad storm was rolling in. Hastily she shoved him awake. Ranma awoke blearily but one look at the sky told him what was going on. He jumped up, grabbed Akane by the waist and began to jump from tree to tree. However, his action was not fast enough. With a brilliant flash of lightning and a loud peal of thunder, the frigid rain began to fall heavily on both of them. Akane tried to snuggle into Ranma’s chest to escape the rain when she knew that something was not right.

The rock hard muscle of Ranma’s chest had given way to something that was bulging from his shirt and was soft at the same time. Akane shifted her eyes and screamed as she found herself gazing at the outline of a female breast.

Ranma heard her scream and stopped suddenly, landing in the park to see what was the matter. He had not felt anything, having had more than a few years to become accustomed to the curse.

“What’s wrong?” Ranma asked. He still had not realized he had changed.

“Ranko!” Akane gasped, staring at him. It was her, Ranko from the training ground. The pouring rain had drenched her bangs and the face was the same as the person she had thrown in the water when they had been on the training trip. Ranma looked down and saw the female parts staring back at him. Ranko reached to the back of her head and chuckled nervously.

“I guess it’s time to tell you,” he nervously replied. “I got cursed at Jusenkyou too. While Ryouga turns into a pig, I turn into a girl,” Ranma explained as the rain fell.

Akane stood there shell shocked beyond belief. She had not witnessed the change but Ranma had been holding her before and Ranko had released her. What he was saying was true! The almost perfect boy she had been dating was the girl in front of her.

Ranko held out her hand to Akane and held her by her shoulders. “Akane I’m sorry for not telling you sooner but I was afraid.” Ranko tried to give Akane a hug but Akane slipped out and slapped her hard on the cheek.

“You…you…you pervert!” she accused harshly. “You used me just like Ryouga didn’t you.”

Ranko reached out to her. “Akane that’s not true, I didn’t want to hurt you,” Ranko blurted out.

Akane slapped her hand away and pushed her to the ground.

“Stay away from me you freak. Get away from me!” she shouted as she thrust out her hands and started walking backwards. It was happening again. The same thing that had happened with Ryouga. She had told Ryouga everything about her until she finally found out that day she had spilled tea on him, who he really was. She had been horrified to know that the cute animal she thought was a pet that she could confide was in actuality a boy. A boy who now knew her deepest most innermost secrets. A boy she did not even know. Even though he pleaded that he did it because he loved her and couldn’t bear to hurt her, she pounded him. Later, Nabiki had found out who he was and Akane remembered the name. She remembered the name because it reminded her of what could happen if she let her guard down and here it happened again. She had let her guard down completely for Ranma and he was only trying to use her like Ryouga had.

Ranko walked towards Akane and tried to plead with her. “Akane. It’s a curse, it’s not my fault!” Ranko pleaded but she just backed away more.

“NO get away from me you sex changing freak!” she shouted as she backed up into a hedge. Cornered, she growled and with a burst of speed, she punched Ranko in the face and made a break for it as the tears rolled down her face mixing with the rain.

Nodoka was up and staring at the rain outside. It had been times like these when she would miss Ranma and Genma the most. Times like these where there was nothing to do but sit and stare at the clouds and brood. She would be alone in a house all to herself. It had been the most challenging time of her life and she berated herself for making that stupid promise. It hadn’t been the highlight of her life. That was when she had reconciled with her parents. She knew beforehand that they had no liking for Genma. Even her mother had disagreed but Nodoka knew that she had to be stubborn about it and marry him. Then after her parents still did not accept Genma, she stalked out of the house distancing herself from them. In the first few months when Ranma was born she had been elated and had asked them over but her father had been nagging her and again she distanced herself. Genma had come up with the training idea and he said he needed to take Ranma away from her for a while to train. She hadn’t been thrilled about the idea but when Genma profusely promised to bring him back a man amongst man she had been sold. She had been so naive then.

She knew her husband and she knew his love for food. She thought he would be back in a few weeks after wasting away his supplies. The letters came every month as he promised and she was surprised when he lasted a month then another, then six months. But then the letters began arriving sporadically and she would assault the mailbox everyday with the hope that another letter had arrived. After one year had passed, they stopped coming altogether and Nodoka knew then that she had lost.

Like a true traditional woman she bore all the hardship of keeping a household alive. She found work here and there. Nothing spectacular but enough to feed her and keep the property they owned. Another year had passed and she had heard no word from her husband about Ranma. She had been waiting tables at a restaurant and had gone into the bathroom to clean up when someone called her from behind. It was her mother.

As mother and daughter spoke, Nodoka felt herself coming alive again. Even though it was primarily her mother who was against Genma, her mother was also a compassionate person. Nodoka sat and talked to her mother putting up a brave front. She had taken control of the discussion up until her mother asked about Ranma. That was the question that broke her resolve and her mother knew that she was hurting. A few carefully placed questions and Nodoka was crying in her mother’s arms. Despite all her protests and assurances, her mother carried her back home to her father.

The day she saw Ranma after ten long years. She couldn’t describe the feeling. There was Ranma right in front of her being helped along by two officers. She had been so ecstatic that she ran and crushed him in a hug. He had been so surprised that he stared at her and asked ‘who are you?’ When she told him who she was, he crushed her in a hug and the two of them cried in each other’s arms.

She was disturbed from her thoughts when a figure stalked up the stone path leading to the front door. She knew who it was but why she was here, Nodoka had no answer to. The door closed softly alerting Nodoka that something was wrong. Her child always entered the house full of energy.

“Ranko what’s wrong?” asked a concerned Nodoka as the soaking redhead plodded into the house.

“Akane knows now,” Ranko whispered to her softly. Nodoka could see the unshed tears in those bright blue eyes and did not have to ask what she meant. As Ranko turned to head up the stairs, Nodoka hugged her daughter tightly before allowing her to wander up to her room. Nodoka returned to her window watching. Today was not a good day.

“So where is Akane?” Kasumi asked her father.

“In her room,” Soun answered. “She’s been there whole day.”

“What’s wrong?” Kasumi asked.

“I don’t know, she came home like that after she went out with Ranma and she won’t talk to me.”

“Did you call Mrs. Saotome?” she queried.

“Yes.”

“What did she say?”

“She said that Akane did something and that only Akane could fix the problem.”

“Did she say what it was?”

“No, she said Akane knew and that was all that mattered.”

Kasumi pondered the situation for a few minutes before she walked up the stairs and knocked on Akane’s door.

“Go away daddy,” was the reply from within. Kasumi could tell from the response that Akane had been sobbing.

“Akane it’s me Kasumi, I’m coming in.”

Kasumi heard no response so she turned the knob slightly and opened the door slowly. She was startled to see so little light in the room. The shades had been drawn giving the room a somber gloomy aura.

“Akane what’s the matter?” Kasumi asked softly as she entered.

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” Akane lied. Kasumi could tell by the way she answered. She had comforted her little sister too many times to not know when something serious was happening. Akane was hiding something from her and it was something that affected her greatly.

“Akane I know something is wrong,” insisted Kasumi as she walked closer to the bed. Around the bed, clothes had been strewn around with various books and magazines that Akane owned. This was certainly atypical for a girl who prided herself on keeping her room clean. It reminded her of Akane’s room after the break up except this time it was far more extreme than Kasumi could even imagine.

Kasumi found Akane staring at a picture in her hands. She couldn’t make out what it was, but she could see that it was something she held dear. Kasumi walked around the bed and sat down, hugging her sister.

“Akane, what is it? You can tell me can’t you?”

Akane turned towards Kasumi and Kasumi could see the pain fear and anguish that her sister had been going through. “Oh Kasumi…he…” Kasumi didn’t hear anything else as Akane buried her head in her arms and began to cry as Kasumi held her.

Minutes later, Kasumi let her sister regain her composure on her own. Akane sat on the bed and Kasumi pulled up a chair and sat down.

“What happened?” Kasumi asked.

“Ranma and I were…in the park …when it began to rain. He changed…”

“He changed?”

“He changed into a girl,” whispered Akane. “Just like Ryouga did.”

“Oh my!” replied Kasumi.

“He even said it was a curse just like Ryouga’s,” Akane added softly.

“What did you do?” Kasumi asked softly.

“I…I ran away,” Akane whispered then began to cry again.

Kasumi moved next to her and held her.

“Why does this happen?” protested Akane. “It was going so well. He was…he was perfect.”

“Then why did you run away?” Kasumi whispered. Kasumi knew her little sister had been hurt by Ryouga but Ranma had done nothing wrong. So that was Ranma’s secret that Nodoka had mentioned.

“I…I just couldn’t…” Akane replied staring down at her feet.

“You were afraid,” Kasumi told her. “You were afraid just like with Ryouga.”

“No…I…”

“You were afraid just like with Ryouga except this time its different.” Akane didn’t even move to look up. “It’s different because you love Ranma.”

“I do not love him,” Akane protested.

“Answer me truthfully Akane, do you love him?” she asked.

“I…I…” Akane stuttered.

“Yes or no Akane,” Kasumi insisted softly. “Do you love him?”

“I…I…I do,” Akane confessed and stared at her hands.

“Then there is nothing I can do,” Kasumi replied with a whisper and got up. Akane held her arm.

“What do you mean there is nothing you can do?” demanded Akane.

“You don’t want him,” Kasumi told her. “If you wanted him you would have already gone after him. You would have done something by now.”

“But I…I can’t. I called him a freak and a pervert…”

Kasumi shook her head.

“Excuses, all you have are excuses. If you really loved him you would have gone and apologized. Nabiki was right; you are all pride and no courage. There is nothing I can do to help you Akane,” Kasumi told her as she walked slowly out of the room. She had almost closed the door when she heard a small choked voice.

“What should I do?”

Kasumi smiled. Maybe there was hope for her little sister.

Akane picked up the phone. This was it, this was what she had been advised to do.

“If you really want him, you will do anything to get him,” was the final word of advice Kasumi gave Akane before she exited the house leaving Akane to her thoughts. Akane sighed trying to gather her courage, and dialed.

“Moshi moshi, this is Nodoka Saotome, how may I help you?” was the always courteous answer on the phone.

“This is…this is Akane,” Akane stuttered. “Is Ranma there?” she asked meekly.

“Even if my son were here,” answered Nodoka sternly. “Why should I let him talk to you?”

“I…I’m sorry about what I did. I want to apologize to him.”

“The time for apologies are over,” Nodoka replied tersely. “I don’t have patience for little girls who go around squeaking apologies days after they have insulted someone’s honor. I only speak to women who want to fix the problems they created. Goodbye.”

“Wait! Wait!” Akane practically shouted into the phone

“What is it!” demanded Nodoka. “I don’t have time for girly chitchat.”

“This is not girly chitchat. This is a woman to woman conversation,” Akane barked. “Now what can I do to get back my Ranma!” Akane demanded.

“That’s better,” responded Nodoka while chuckling to herself, she had played Akane right into her hands. “I’ll get to the point. Ranma’s gone to see his father for a few days and after that he’s going on a training trip. There’s a point to this trip so this is the only way you will ever see Ranma again…”

Akane listened in shock as Nodoka laid down her demands and Ranma plans.

Akane worked through the night with Kasumi’s help to prepare all that she needed. Early that morning before the sun was up, she got to the train and was shooting off towards her destination. She jumped off the train station and began sprinting immediately after she had balanced the package she was carrying. The sun was already beginning to set and she had yet to reach her destination.

She frowned as once again she was being forced to run through uneven terrain but she just gritted her teeth and continued forward. After thirty minutes of non-stop running, she came to the bridge that Nodoka had told her about. There she stopped for a breather.

In front of her were the remains of an old volcanic cone. Thousands of years of weathering had separated it totally from the mainland except for a narrow fifty-meter long slit of hardened magma. Akane looked upon the narrow bridge in trepidation. Over and over she reminded herself why she was doing this and with a yell she ran forward. She was shocked when she found herself on the next side of the bridge seconds later. A stocky man with a white gi with a bandanna tied across his head addressed her as soon as she crossed: “Let me guess, you are Akane.”

“Hey pops!” called Ranma as he ran over the bridge intent on having a good spar with the old man. There was no answer. “Pops!” Still no answer. That was puzzling but Ranma knew his old man was fickle. Genma might want to test him and jump out of nowhere in the dark. The old man was just too predictable. His sensitive nose picked up the pleasurable aroma of food coming from inside the small hut that his father had built. It was more of a getaway than a house. Ranma knew that his mother had to be inside. As Ranma entered, a floorboard creaked giving away his presence.

“Good you’re here. Now sit, it’s time for you to eat.”

“Akane what are…”

“Sit!” she shouted sternly as she placed food on the table. “Now eat!”

While Ranma ate, a good deal of eyeballing occurred as he stared down Akane as she sat in the small kitchen cleaning up a mess that he knew did not exist. He wondered why she was here. After all the harsh words she had directed to him the last time they had met. The food was excellent, his senses told him but he was not concerned with that. No, he was more concerned with the person in front of him. Her hands moved gathering up the boxes and bags that she had carried to the hut. She tried to hide it, but Ranma could read her indecision and nervousness by her movements. He surreptitiously followed her movements as she walked around the miniature kitchen they had set up trying to look busy but failing miserably.

Why had she come? She had made is crystal clear the last time they met that she wanted nothing to do with him. It was possible that she came back to apologize to him. The idea was heartwarming but that was all it was, an idea. Even if she did apologize, Ranma knew that there would be no return to the life they had been living for the past few months. He didn’t even know if she wanted to be friends, or if he wanted to remain her friend. Why have a friend who couldn’t even accept who you were, the idea itself was preposterous. Akane would never feel comfortable around him again and that meant that they couldn’t have any fun together. What was the use of having a relationship like that? He shook his head. This was going to be a dead end and he knew it.

The training trip. He was going on a training trip and he promised himself that this time he would not be returning alone. He was too lonely just being by himself. Ryouga and Ukyou had each other and even though Ukyou would not say it, he knew she found great comfort in the fact that even though Ryouga would easily get lost, he would always come back to her no matter what. It was something he admired about the lost boy, though he would never tell Ryouga that to his face.

The last plate was placed in front of him and Ranma obliged, glancing as she knelt on the opposite side of the table. Ranma eyed her once more and she sat opposite him on the table. He could see that her hands were sweaty and she was trying to concentrate on what she was doing. He didn’t act as if she was there though as he just ate slowly, waiting for her to make her move. He knew she was up to something. He could feel she was up to something. Finally as he scraped the last bit of rice from the plate, the chopsticks were placed on the table. He rocked back and crossed his arms, if she was going to say something, now was the time for her to say it.

Akane was nervous as hell as she tried to work up the courage to say what she needed to say. The last couple of minutes had been torture to her. Every time she peeked at Ranma she noted that his eyes were not on her. She didn’t feel that way though. She felt as if eyes were watching her from every direction, watching every move she made, waiting and biding their time. Her palms were soaked in perspiration and every few minutes, she would wipe them on the hem of the pants she was wearing. Finally she had the last of the food in her hand. Nodoka told her how hungry he would be but she had not expected he would eat all that. She walked over and set it down in front of him as he had another bowl in his hand. As he accepted the plate she cautiously sat down and pondered her situation. The entire time she had been walking around the kitchen was just an attempt to get her ready for her next focus which would be addressing Ranma. The plate lay flat on the table now and she heard the patter of the chopsticks as they struck the table. Ranma folded his arms. She knew he was waiting. She counted to three and then opened her mouth. She was surprised to find her mouth parched but she forced the words out.

“Ranma I’m sorry,” she croaked, her head down and her eyes closed. The words had to be forced out but she had said it. She waited for the explosion that would come after. She was prepared for it.

“That’s okay,” Ranma replied softly. “You get some sleep. Tomorrow you can go home and forget all about it,” he finished. Then he got up silently as Akane sat there shocked. The only sound to be heard was the shutting of the sliding door and the insects outside.

Ranma sat silently as he soaked in the hot spring. That was the primary reason why his father would stay here. The old man would give anything for a hot soak, so he spent his off days here on the summit of the mountain. It was on a plateau lower than the hut but it afforded a good view of the ocean. The water at the source behind the hut was very hot but cooled considerably by the time it trickled to the manmade pool his father had constructed.

He was relieved. Akane had given her apology and he had accepted. That was what he thought was going to happen. His first response had been to rant and rave about her prior behavior but years of his mother’s influence had quelled that impulse. He had been quite impulsive in his teens and he knew that he would have probably exacerbated the situation had it happened a few years back. Now he was a tad wiser and a lot less prone to anger. What did he have to get angry at?

He had been hoping, praying about him and Akane. He really did like her, maybe loved her. She had such an enchanting smile and he enjoyed every minute he had been with her. Then he saw the other side, the side she had shown glimpses of but had suppressed. The side of her that hated something that was now part of him, that, even though he tried his best, he had found no cure for. That Akane scared him a little. It scared him because that Akane had hurt him deeply by her words and actions. That Akane was the demon hidden within the angel he had grown to love and appreciate. That Akane had won.

Apologies were what were expected of her. She had slighted him and an apology was the least she could do to retrieve whatever honor she had lost. It was all done with. Today he felt oddly free but had no idea what that freedom was. He felt lonely too. Tomorrow he would leave them all behind and begin a journey to find himself. Akane was the past, he had to find a future.

She had finally awoken from her daze to find herself alone in the room. Nodoka had told her what to expect of her son but Akane had been shocked as to what he had said. Nothing, absolutely nothing. She was readying herself for shouting, swearing, even some violence, but nothing had prepared her for the soft sigh of acceptance. He didn’t even sound as if it made a difference and his voice. It seemed so sad, so devoid of the life she associated with it. Unlike the voice that would tease and laugh with her, that one seemed so lot and mechanical.

One part of her plan had been finished. Nodoka had given a very stark outline but Akane knew what had to be done. Kasumi had asked her if she loved Ranma. She had thought about it, truly thought about it on the train. Did she love Ranma? She didn’t know if she truly loved him. Then she thought about what life would be like without hearing his joyous laughter, or his teasing or his arm embrace. Without that, she just felt a little bit colder, a little bit lonelier, and a lot more depressed. That was when she realized that she needed him. Not for anything else but to just have him around her though she really wanted to have him hold her. She had never felt safer or more loved than the times he would just hold her as they sat or slept. He didn’t even have to be watching her, talking to her or awake for that matter. All he had to do was hold her and she felt like she was in the most comfortable and secure spot on the world. She missed him; she missed him terribly.

She knew what his plan was. After visiting his father, he was going to take a training trip. He would leave alone on this trip but he would not be coming back home alone. It didn’t take much common sense to know what he meant by that. When Ranma returned he would be married. Akane knew what marriage meant to her. It was the same as what happened after Kasumi married Tofu.

When Kasumi moved out, she visited regularly but that’s just what she did. She visited. Ranma’s first priority would be to his wife and children. She knew him, and she knew that he would take that responsibility seriously. That meant that most of his time would be divided between his family and work; friends would fit in somewhere. She would probably never see him on a constant basis. She didn’t think she could live with that. She didn’t think she could live seeing him with another woman who would bear his children, knowing that she gave up the chance of having a live with him. It was up to her now, to make him understand. To mend the rift that she had created.

That was why she had formulated a plan before she had even arrived. It was a plan she had come up with and it was falling to pieces in front of her. She guessed where Ranma would go now that he had eaten. He had given her the hut to sleep in and that was what she would be doing later. She had other ideas for the moment. Though the ideas that crept to her foremost thoughts had her lightheaded, Akane fought to create a mask of determination. This was her plan; this was her last stand. She had to do this if she wanted Ranma. Yes, she wanted Ranma and as Kasumi had told her, she would do whatever it took to get him.

She changed into her robe and walked outside. Not surprisingly, except from the faint light from the stars and a partially blocked moon, it was pitch black. Akane circumnavigated the obstacles in her way as she found the path that she knew had to be there. Stumbling slightly, she made her way forward until she came to a clearing. Sure enough, in the still water, Ranma lay. His eyes were closed and his head lay on his clothes that were piled to the side. As she approached, his eyes opened and he glanced at her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as his eyes closed again.

“I was hoping to soak,” Akane replied meekly.

“I’ll leave,” he told her as he began to get out.

“No, that’s alright,” she protested.

“Are you sure,” he asked as he lay back down in his spot.

“Yes, I don’t mind,” she replied.

As he lay back, Ranma heard the fall of her robe at the side of the pool and felt the ripples in the water as she entered.

“Ranma,” Akane meekly whispered, “we need to talk. I’m really sorry about what I said.”

“You’ve already apologized and I accepted, there’s nothing more to say,” Ranma replied tersely.

“No, you don’t understand why I did that,” Akane softly protested.

“I do,” Ranma countered. “Ryouga told me everything.”

“He didn’t,” Akane objected as she sunk deeper in the pool opposite him. “There’s a lot he didn’t know about.”

“Like what?” asked Ranma as his eyes opened genuinely interested in what Akane was going to say.

“Other people knew about P-chan and didn’t tell me anything about him. They just laughed and snickered behind my back. Nabiki finally told me after she found out.”

“Look, I know what he did was wrong but what does that have to do with me?”

“It has everything to do with you,” Akane replied harshly. She knew Ranma would not follow her so she continued. “Ryouga was the first boy I ever trusted and after I found out about the curse I couldn’t trust another boy for a long time. Then you came along and I thought I could trust you. When I saw you change I…I froze…”

“I guess I could understand that,” Ranma replied.

“No, it’s not understandable,” barked Akane. “I shouldn’t have said those things!”

“But I did the same thing Ryouga did,” Ranma told her. “Remember when we went bathing as girls…” he reminded her.

“That’s different!” she remarked.

“How is it different?” he asked. “He saw you undress, granted he passed out every time your took off your shirt, but…”

“No,” she objected. “He used me. He slept in my bed; he listened to my deepest secrets. You never did that,” she objected, wading closer to him. Stopping close to him. She could almost feel him next to her though there was nothing to see in the hidden dark depths of the water around them. Her heart was racing though. Racing because somehow she had to make him see what she meant otherwise she would lose him forever.

While Ranma thought of something to say she continued. “You helped me when we were there,” she whispered softly. “I shouldn’t have said any of the things I said,” Akane told him as tears started to trickle down her eyes. “You’re not Ryouga, you’re Ranma. You’re my Ranma. So you change into a girl. I can deal with that,” she told him as she held onto his shoulders. “Your not a freak or a pervert,” she whispered. “You’re my Ranma,” she told him as she stared into his eyes then she kissed him softly on his lips.

Ranma didn’t want to reply to her presence or the soft kiss that she planted, but he could not deny the stirrings that she caused in his heart. Before he knew it, he was replying to her kiss and she threw her weight on him bringing them closer. It would take a few roaming hands to brief him about a fact that was becoming more pronounced as they kissed. Ranma, although slightly pinned, managed to break the kiss.

“Akane, you’re not wearing any clothes,” he choked out as he panted from the heat of their embrace.

“Neither are you,” she remarked also panting for breath. She smiled and her eyes twinkled. “The engagement is over anata,” she whispered in his ear. She took advantage of his shock by pressing her lips to his once again.

“Dear are you sure we should be doing this,” asked the bald man in fright. If what Nodoka said should happen did happen then his son might not be too pleased at being disturbed.

“Don’t worry Genma, I know just what to do,” she replied as she walked up to a section of the house and knocked on a wooded beam. She could hear the faint scrambling inside. “Just wait a few more minutes,” she told Genma. After her mental count, she pushed him up front directing him to walk in front of her as normal men should do. Genma understood and walked over to the sliding door and entered. Nodoka followed. As Nodoka expected, Akane had on a robe and was in the kitchenette searching for another package that Nodoka had her bring. Retrieving some hot spring water from outside as the two sat down, Akane made some tea and served it, before sitting very close to Ranma.

“So Akane, were you successful in your quest?” asked Nodoka.

Akane blushed heavily giving Nodoka her answer.

“Well then, just sign this and I’ll be on my way.”

Nodoka took out a slip of paper from a satchel she had been carrying and handed it to them along with a pen.

“What is it?” asked Ranma.

“Why your marriage certificate of course,” Nodoka responded. “I knew this day would come sooner than I expected though I didn’t expect Akane to work so quickly.”

Ranma picked up the pen hesitantly.

“Anata aren’t you going to sign it?” asked Akane with a small tang of annoyance.

“Yes dear,” Ranma announced sarcastically as he quickly signed his name and then snaked his hand around her waist. Akane mock glared at him as she snatched away the pen and signed her name quickly.

“Good. I’ll see you two later so you can have some…time together…Genma!”

“Yes dear?”

“Take your things. There’s a lot of work for you to do around the house.”

Genma’s eyes almost glazed over when he heard her response. After a second of shock, he had returned with all his things crammed into a backpack and started walking outside. Before leaving Nodoka beckoned Akane to come closer and whispered into her ear. “Don’t let Ranma wear you out,” she warned. Then grinned as she left another parcel of food for them to enjoy. As Genma helped her cross the bridge, she had visions of grandkids assaulting her.