Second  Chances

				By Lord Archive



The first chapter is sad and dark. The following chapters are not. 

This story begins over six months after Manga volume 38.

Legal Babble: Characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Video, 
etc..., and are used without permission. I'm only borrowing them. I'll 
return them. I can't afford the overdue charge Nabiki insists on.




			-----------------------------
		   Chapter 5 - Anger, Sorrow, and Regrets
			-----------------------------


Everyone sat quietly at the Tendo household, eating breakfast. The reason 
no one was talking was that Akane was angry. Actually she was more than 
angry, she looked ready to kill. No one knew why she was angry. Sometime 
last night she screamed, "I'll kill him!" but had said nothing since 
then.

Akane sat there fuming. She wanted to tell the others why she was mad, 
but she couldn't. To tell them would mean Akane would also have to 
tell them she's from two years in the future. She'd have to deal with 
her anger by herself. Akane could not believe what she read in 
Ranma's journal she had brought from the future. She didn't want to 
believe it, but thinking back to her previous life, she saw it was 
probably true. 

Akane shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was getting late and she 
needed to get to school. "Come on, Ranma. Let's go." Her voice carried 
the chill of an arctic wind.

"Ah... okay." Ranma got up nervously. He was a little afraid he was the 
'him' she was going to kill.

Genma leaned over and whispered to Ranma, "What did you do to her, boy?"

"I don't know. I asked her for a date, that's it," Ranma whispered back, 
before grabbing his book bag and chasing after Akane.

Genma shook his head.  He then grinned. 

---------------------------------

Ranma walked on the fence, a little further away from Akane than he had 
walked the day before. "Um... Akane?"

"Yes?" Akane's tone still held the anger she felt.

"Who's the guy you're gonna kill?" 

Akane turned and glared at Ranma. Seeing his concerned look, her anger 
lessened. She realized she needed to say something to him.

Akane sighed. "He was a friend. Someone I trusted implicitly. I found out 
he'd been lying to me. Worst than that he made me think... someone who 
was a very close friend of mine was really a bad person a lot of the 
time. I accused... that friend of being wrong about so many things that 
were the fault of others. For that, I'm really sorry... to that friend."

"Well, you can apologize to that friend, and when you see that guy, you 
can tell `em what you think of him."

A tear rolled down Akane's face. "I wish I could. That friend is gone 
now, and that guy... well, is gone too. I will never get to say what I 
want to say to them."

Ranma jumped down in front of Akane. "If you can never talk to them, then 
forget `em. There's no point to thinkin' about things ya can't change."

Akane gave him a weak smile. "I guess you're right. I can at least make 
sure not to repeat that mistake. Um... Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Kuno's mine to deal with today." Akane brought back her anger. It was so 
much easier to deal with than her sorrow and regret.

"I thought we got him to stop chasing after you."

Akane laughed. "I hope he has, but I doubt it. He can be pretty 
stubborn."

"He doesn't care about honor?"

"He does, but he'll try to warp it to fit his view of reality."

"Are you sure you want to fight him?"

"I'm sure. If he challenges either of us, I'll make him eat grass." A 
predatory gleam was held in Akane's eyes as they approached the school.

Nabiki stepped out of hiding, trying to understand what Akane just 
said.  

------------------------

Akane shook her head at the sight of her assembled 'suitors.' They all 
looked ready to fight, which meant no one had yet to inform them of 
Kuno's defeat at Ranma's hands. They all shouted their 'love' for her 
in their battle cries and were quickly mowed down.

Ranma leaned against the front gate. "When do they learn?" he mused.

Kuno strode towards Akane. "Ah fair goddess, it pains me to see your 
fiancee does not seek to protect you from your attackers. For this I 
must take it upon myself to URK!"

Akane held Kuno by the collar. "Kuno-sempai! I'm already in a bad 
mood. I thought the challenge made it clear. Ranma defeated you, and 
you leave us alone. He did and you apparently aren't. Where is your 
honor?"

"My honor is to protect fair maidens."

"The person I need to be protected from is you! You will call off these 
morning fights and you will leave us alone!"

"Let me save you from your unwanted engagement!"

"Who said it was unwanted? It may be forced, but we haven't made up our 
minds if we want it or not."

"How can you want to be engaged to the foul cur?" Kuno demanded.

"You don't know him and you insult him?! Kuno die!" The next thirty 
seconds was filled with completely mindless violence Akane enacted on 
Kuno's personage.

Akane stomped off to class followed by Ranma. 

Nabiki walked over to Kuno and tsked. "You are really pathetic." She 
grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the nurse's station.

------------------------

Akane sat at her desk, ignoring her teacher. She had too much on her 
mind. <'You don't know him and you insult him?!' Why can't I get that 
out of my mind?> She sighed. 

Akane glanced at Ranma, who had fallen asleep. 

Akane noticed her text book started to get a couple drops of water 
on it. 

Akane looked at the board. 

Akane tapped her pencil on her lips. 
Akane scribbled down some ideas. 

------------------------

"It's your fault we had detention," Akane said coldly.

"You didn't have to skip school with me," Ranma retorted.

"I know, but it's kind of fun to blame you," Akane giggled.

Surprised at this response Ranma turned around and saw her smiling. 
"Well, ah, whatever." 

Suddenly, water mysteriously fell from the sky onto Ranma. A voice from 
above shouted, "Sorry, didn't think anyone was down there."

"How did that just happen?" onna-Ranma asked.

Akane laughed, "You have a water curse. You're going to have to expect 
to find water inexplicably drawn to you. If someone tosses water out a 
window, you'll be under it."

Ranma sighed. "Oh, joy."

"Ah, Tendo Akane, I see your cowardly fiancee is once again not by your 
side," Kuno said.

"Just who are you calling cowardly?" Ranma snarled.

"If it isn't the fair maiden who mightily tossed me from the pool. Let me 
introduce myself, I am the rising star in the Kendo world of martial 
arts, known to my peers as the..."

"I know who you are, Kuno the true blunder."

"That's Blue Thunder, my Dear."

"We don't care Kuno, leave us alone," Akane said coldly.

"But how can I stay away and deprive you of your true love? I must stay 
by your side and protect you from your unworthy fiance."

"Unworthy?! Who are you to say who's worthy? A cat would be more 
acceptable than you!" Ranma retorted.

"You challenge my word?" Kuno drew out his bokken, holding it at the 
ready.

"I challenge your word and your sanity!"

"If you win..."

Kuno said no more since before Ranma punched him in the jaw. They both 
attacked, parried, and dodged. Ranma's inexperience in fighting in her 
female body allowed Kuno to land a blow to her shoulder. Ranma returned 
that blow two dozen fold, knocking Kuno to the ground.

 Kuno thought before fading into unconsciousness.

Akane looked at Ranma's shoulder. "You should get Dr. Tofu to see that."

"Who?"

"He's our family doctor and friend. He patches me up whenever I get 
hurt."

"It's not that bad."

"Isn't it?" Akane tapped the wound.

Ranma crumpled onto the ground.

"Come on, he'll fix it up like you've never hurt it before. He is very 
good."

"All right," Ranma grumbled.

------------------------

"Hello," Akane called, entering the clinic.

"Why hello, Akane. What brings you here today?" Dr. Tofu greeted 
friendly.

"Ranma, here, decided to play pound the Kuno, and Kuno got a lucky hit 
in," Akane answered.

Dr. Tofu raised an eyebrow. "She must be very good if Kuno could only 
get a lucky hit in. And did you say her name was Ranma?"

Akane nodded. "Ranma's better than I am."

Dr. Tofu looked at them quizzically. "I thought I heard Ranma was your 
fiance."

Akane blushed slightly. "Um... he is. Ever hear about Jusenkyo?"

"Akane?!" Ranma uttered.

"You can trust him, Ranma. He might even be able to help you," Akane 
said reassuringly.

Ranma didn't answer, she just stared at the floor.

"I'm afraid I haven't heard about Jusenkyo," Dr. Tofu said, confused.

"They're a group of magical spring in China. If you fall into a spring 
and you'll take the cursed form of whatever drowned there when splashed 
with cold water. Hot water returns you to normal. In Ranma's case it 
was spring of drowned girl," Akane informed him.

If it was anyone else besides Akane had said it, he would've thought 
it a joke. "It must be difficult for you to adjust to the curse," 
Dr. Tofu said, concerned.

"That's an understatement. Getting engaged didn't help any," Ranma 
grumbled.

"Well, let's take a look at your shoulder, and then I'll see what I 
can find out about your curse."

------------------------
The next day-

"Hey Ranma, here," Nabiki said, handing Ranma a letter.

"This is to me?" Ranma asked.

"'To the girl side,' Kuno said. I don't think he believes you're the 
same person."

Ranma opened the letter marked, "To the Water Sprite Girl." He read 
aloud, "On Sunday, in the tenth hour meet me in the second field of 
Furinkan High School."

Akane twitched as she heard this. "Sounds like either a duel or a 
date."

"A date? Come on this is Kuno were talking about," Nabiki said flatly. 
"The same guy who's obsessed with you."

"Yes we are. He only showed interest in me after I beat the crap 
out of him. Seeing as Ranma has done the same in his girl form, he may 
have 'fallen in love' with 'her.'"

"I can't just ignore this," Ranma said flatly. "If this is a 
challenge, I have to fight. If it's a date he'll be sorry."
-----------------------------

Author's notes:

Thanks to the numerous pre-readers and those who sent C&C on this 
series.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/fuji/9061/second