Travels, Training and Trials
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
karaohki@snet.net

July 3, 2001


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



Chapter 8

The next morning, Genma and Soun waited until
their children left the house before resuming
their favorite topic of conversation.

"All in all, things are progressing nicely.  I
don't see a reason to rush anything."

Genma shook his head.  "I'd prefer to see them
married"

"I can' t help thinking that they may be too
young.  My wife was 18 when we married.  If I
remember it right, yours was 20."

"Tendo, I told you, they've GOT to get married!
It may be a matter of life or death!  You know
how Nodoka is!"

Soun turned a little pale.  "You may be right,
old friend.  Perhaps this weekend trip may
solve everything."

*****

The pair on the fence continued to accelerate
as Ranma tried to outrun Akane despite the fact
that she was keeping up with him.  Other
Furinkan High students who took the same route
watched in amazement as two blurs passed by.

"Kuno had it wrong," commented one of them.
"The best guy for Akane wasn't one who could
beat her--it was one who could keep up with
her.  They're scary!"

*****

"He's not there?"  Akane skidded to a stop and
gazed all around the schoolyard.  "Wow!  No
Kuno!  Why, I wonder?"

Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and dragged her
toward the school.  "Don't wonder!  Just enjoy
it!"

On the roof, Kuno stared intently at Akane.
Something about her was different, but he
couldn't figure out what it was.  He put down
the binoculars and rubbed his eyes.

"Every day he gains more and more influence
over you, my love.  Do not despair, for I will
discover what sorcery he is using, and I WILL
free you!"

All of the students looked up at the sky as the
sound of thunder rolled across the schoolyard.

*****

Three minutes before class was due to start
Sayuri ran into the room totally out of breath.
She came to a stop and leaned on her desk,
looking exhausted.  Akane ran over and pushed
Sayuri into her seat.

"What happened to you?  You look like you're
going to pass out!"

"I didn't think I'd get here on time!"

"But you live just down the street!  Did you
oversleep?"

"No.  I went to Ryoga's and walked him to
school."  Sayuri paused, took out a
handkerchief, and wiped her brow.  "It was
harder than I thought it would be.  He kept
trying to go the wrong way.  Tomorrow I'll
leave my place earlier."

"He told you, didn't he?"

Sayuri nodded.  "I had to pry it out of him,
actually.  He was scared I'd break up with
him."  Sayuri got a faraway look in her eyes,
and sighed.  "Like I'd EVER do that!"

"Wow, you are SUCH a goner!"

"Look who's talking!" hissed Sayuri.  Then her
frown turned to a sly smile, because her friend
was too tongue-tied to respond.

*****

Late that afternoon, the sound of the doorbell
made Mrs. Hibiki put down her mending.  She
found Ranma standing on the doorstep, holding
the hand of a pretty girl.

"Ranma, how nice to see you!" she exclaimed.
"And who is this?"

Ranma smiled at Mrs. Hibiki and squeezed
Akane's hand.  "This is my girlfriend, Akane
Tendo."

That made the young lady's eyes open wide, and
she turned deep red.  She still managed to
smile shyly and greet Mrs. Hibiki.

"How do you do, Mrs. Hibiki.  Ranma has told me
a lot about you."

"How nice!  Please, come in!"

Mrs. Hibiki had barely seated the young couple
at the table and started preparing tea when she
heard the sound of new arrivals.

"Mom?  I'm home!"

Two seconds later Ryoga and Sayuri entered the
kitchen.  Mrs. Hibiki immediately hugged her
son and greeted his girlfriend.

"Hello, Sayuri!  I was making tea for Ranma and
Akane.  Won't you stay?"

Sayuri looked chagrined.  "I wish I could stay,
but I promised my mother I'd help her take down
the winter curtains.  I was just walking Ryoga
home.  Can I stay another time?"

"Of course you can!  Now run along and help
your mother."

*****

Akane was never quite sure how it happened, but
the next thing she knew Ranma and Ryoga were
out in the yard and she was sitting alone with
Mrs. Hibiki, telling her all about her history
with Ranma.

"...so we both know that when we get back on
Sunday, our parents will expect Ranma to choose
one of us."

"And what do you want, dear?"

"Me?"

Mrs. Hibiki nodded, and patted Akane's hand.
"What do you want for yourself, and for Ranma?"

Akane looked down into her teacup, but it
didn't hold any answers.  She avoided Mrs.
Hibiki's gaze as she looked around the kitchen.
She could feel her face getting hot, and knew
she was blushing badly.  "I think I wouldn't
mind being engaged to Ranma."

"Not mind?  Is that all?"

"Well, I guess I would like it, and I guess
Ranma would too."  Akane didn't think it was
possible for her cheeks to feel hotter, but
they did.

"As long as your parents don't take it any
farther than that, I'd say that's a good idea."

"What do you mean?"

Mrs. Hibiki smiled.  "I see nothing wrong with
an engagement, but there's a question you need
to ask yourself.  Where do you see yourself
five years from now, or ten?  Do you want an
early marriage, or do you want to wait?"

Akane opened her mouth to answer, but Mrs.
Hibiki wouldn't let her.

"Wait.  Don't tell me.  Talk to Ranma.  This is
something you have to do together, just the two
of you."

"But our parents--"

"No.  What you do now will affect the rest of
your lives.  Make sure the decisions you make
are ones you can live with, because it will be
the two of you living with them, and not your
parents."

"Akane!"

Ranma's voice and the sound of running
footsteps made both women turn toward the door,
where Ranma and Ryoga appeared.

"We'd better get home, Akane.  Isn't it your
turn to cook?"

A glance at the clock had Akane flying out of
her chair.  "I'm going to be in trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll help.  With two of us, we
should get done pretty much on time.  Sorry we
can't stay, Mrs. Hibiki!"

Akane barely had time to say goodbye as Ranma
dragged her out of the house.

*****

Ranma set up the rice cooker while Akane took
vegetables and tofu out of the refrigerator.
Akane then set about chopping the vegetables.
She seemed to be concentrating very hard on
what she was doing.

"Akane?"

"Yes?" she answered, without taking her eyes
from her task.

"Is something wrong?"

"Why?"

Ranma turned on the cooker and put the bag of
rice away.  "You didn't say a word all the way
home, and you won't look at me.  Did I do
something?"

"It's nothing."

Ranma took some of the vegetables from Akane.
"Let me help with that."  He got to work before
he continued to talk.  "I told you the other
day that you were a lousy liar, and you haven't
improved any.  What's going on?"

The knife clattered onto the cutting board and
Akane turned away.  "I was just thinking about
something Mrs. Hibiki said."

"What did she say that's got you all upset?"

"I'm not upset, it's just that she gave me
something to think about."  Akane took a few
steps away from the counter and peeked out of
the kitchen.  Then she returned and whispered
into Ranma's ear.

"She asked you that?"

Akane nodded.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't.  She said it's something we have to
talk about."

"Now?"  Ranma knew he'd said the wrong thing
before he'd finished saying the word.

"NO!" hissed Akane.  "Just think about it, and
we can talk on Saturday!"

"Okay, fine.  You going to finish chopping
those, or do you want me to?"

*****

The rest of the week was surprisingly quiet.
Ranma continued to develop his fledgling
friendships with the boys at school, while
Akane spent a lot of her time listening to
Sayuri talk about Ryoga.  Her friend was trying
to talk Ryoga's mother into letting him
transfer to Furinkan High so that she'd have to
spend less time getting him where he belonged
in the morning.

Ranma and Akane spent very little time alone
together, and most of that was spent doing
homework.  By unspoken mutual agreement, any
serious discussion between them was going to
have to wait until Saturday.

Both of them continued to ignore Kuno, who was
watching them with such an intensity that Akane
wanted to hit him.

*****

Before they knew it, Friday had arrived.  Akane
had just finished packing for the next day's
trip and was strapping her tent to her backpack
when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Sis, are you busy?"

Akane opened the door for Nabiki and waved her
inside.  "I'm just about done packing.  Why?"

"Kasumi and I are going to a movie.  Want to
come along?"

"You bet!"  Akane finished securing the last
strap and reached for her jacket.

"Think Ranma will want to come with us?"

In the end, everyone but Genma went out for the
evening.  Genma had pleaded a headache, saying
that he preferred to spend a quiet evening
resting.  He waved them out the door and waited
until they were out of sight before heading up
to Akane's room.

*****

The next morning Genma came down looking for
his son.  Nabiki, Kasumi and Soun were at the
table, but neither Ranma nor Akane were
present.

"Where is that boy?" demanded Genma.

"You mean he's not upstairs?  I haven't seen
Akane either."  Kasumi got up and ran upstairs.
She returned moments later.

"Akane's not there either, and her backpack is
gone.  It looks like they started their trip
early."

Genma beamed.  "Good boy!  He's showing some
initiative!"

Soun frowned.  "I don't like to see my daughter
skipping school."

"Nonsense!  School isn't that important."

*****

"Where are we going, Ranma?  Is it the same
place you went with Kasumi and Tofu?"

Ranma shook his head and led Akane into the
train station.  "No way.  I don't want anybody
following us, so we're going somewhere else.  I
think you'll like it."

Some time later the pair was hiking in the
region of Mt. Nantai, where Ranma led Akane to
a lovely spot near a stream.  They took off
their packs and began to set up camp.  Ranma
was putting up his tent when he heard an
exclamation of dismay from Akane.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at my tent!"  Akane held up the tent for
Ranma to see.  It had been thoroughly shredded.

Ranma took the tent from Akane's hands and
examined it.  "Pop.  It had to be Pop."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah.  Him and his 'headache' last night.  He
had to have done this when we were all at the
movie.  Might as well toss this thing out--it's
not gonna do you any good."  Ranma turned and
pointed at his own tent.  "You can sleep in my
tent.  I'll just camp out by the fire."

Akane was silent, and Ranma wondered what she
was thinking.  "Are you sure you'll be warm
enough?" she finally asked.

"Heh.  I'll probably be warmer than you.  I'll
have the fire."

The pair finished setting up camp and sat down
to eat the sandwiches they'd packed at home.
Akane was rather quiet, and seemed to be
avoiding Ranma's eyes.

"Akane, are you okay?"

"I guess so."

"You're worried about something."

The only response he got was a nod.  Ranma
drained his tea, put down his mug, and moved to
Akane's side.  She jumped a little when he put
his arm around her, but responded to his smile
with one of her own.  She didn't seem inclined
to talk, so Ranma did.

"I've been thinking a lot about what Ryoga's
mom asked--the part about where I wanted to be
in five or ten years.  You know, I never really
sat down and thought about it before."

"Never?"

Ranma shrugged.  "Nope.  Pop and I have been
traveling around all these years, and all he
ever said was I had to be the best martial
artist of my generation.  I never really
thought much about the future.  Until now."

His grip around Akane's waist tightened.  "I'm
not really sure where I'm going yet, so I don't
know where I'll be in five years, or in ten.
Thing is, whenever I try to think about it, I
keep seeing one thing.  You.  With me.  Right
now that's the only thing I know I want for
sure."

*****

The words "You.  With me" echoed in Akane's
mind, completely shattering her composure.  She
knew that she had to respond, and fought to
regain her calm.  "I've been thinking too.  You
have always traveled, and I have always lived
in the same house.  Our fathers want us to stay
there, and teach the Art."

"We're not supposed to be talking about them!"

"I know."

"Then tell me what YOU want!  That's what's
important!"

"I want to be with you.  I see us together,
even past five or ten years."  Akane blushed
and continued.  "I think we would be happy
together."

"So do I."  Ranma hugged Akane again, and
leaned down to kiss her.  "I think then I have
only one more question to ask."

"Yes?"

"Will you marry me?"

*****

Akane looked up from her cooking as Ranma
entered the clearing, carrying a small load of
firewood.  He smiled at her and began to stack
the wood neatly.

They had spent the entire afternoon talking,
planning and making decisions about their
future together.  They would become officially
engaged, and marry after graduation from high
school.  That seemed very simple and clear, but
there was one thing the two of them agreed on.
What was simple and clear would become
complicated once they got back to Nerima.  She
pushed the unpleasant thought away and began to
fill plates.

"Everything's ready.  Come eat while it's hot."

Ranma joined her and she handed him a plate.

"This is good."

"Thank your mother."

"Mom?"

Akane laughed.  "I was a disaster in the
kitchen before your mother showed up.  Mom was
trying to teach me before she got sick, but if
she looked the other way I added my own
ingredients.  Even if she watched me carefully
so I'd follow the recipe, I burned nearly
everything.  Poor Mom."  Akane put her fork
down in her plate and stared into the fire.
She was brought back to the present by a hand
grasping hers.

"Akane?"

"Sorry.  Sometimes I really miss her.  I wish
she could have met you.  She would have liked
you a lot."

"Do you think MY Mom will like me?"

All thought of her mother disappeared as Akane
looked at the anxiety on her fiance's face.
"We can go see her and find out.  Then you'll
know."  Ranma didn't reply, and Akane squeezed
his hand.  "If we leave early tomorrow morning,
we could go see her before we're expected at
home.  You want to go?"

"You had to ask?  What time do you want me to
wake you up?"

*****

By the time they finished eating and cleaned
everything up it was quite late.  Akane
retreated to the tent to change into her
pajamas, and reappeared a few minutes later.
Ranma smiled at the sight of her in bathrobe
and slippers.

"You look cute that way."

It was impossible for Ranma to tell if his
fiancee was blushing with only the light of the
fire to illuminate her face, but he was pretty
certain that she was.

"Never mind that.  I think you're going to have
to share the tent with me."

"What for?  I'm not cold."

Akane pointed up at the darkness that was
beginning to obscure the stars.  "You will be
when it rains."

"It's not going to rain!"  The rumble of
distant thunder contradicted Ranma's statement.

"Hurry up and get in here before you get
soaked!"

Ranma barely made it before the rain came down
in buckets.  He was trying to find a way to
arrange things to fit two people in a one-
person tent when a huge lightning flash lit it,
and he found himself practically being
strangled by Akane.

"A-ka-ne!"

"What?"

"I...can't...breathe!"

Akane let go immediately.  "I'm sorry!  I can't
help it!"

"Don't be scared.  Help me move these sleeping
bags, okay?"

Akane was soon in her sleeping bag, and Ranma
turned off the lantern and crawled into his.
Ten seconds later there was another lightning
flash and he had his arms full of fiancee.
Akane was trembling.

Ranma stroked Akane's hair and tried to soothe
her.  "It's all right.  Nothing's going to hurt
you."  At the same time, he was trying to deal
with an intense desire to do more than stroke
her hair.  Akane eventually fell asleep.  It
took a long time for Ranma to do the same.

*****

A small bird landed on a low branch near the
tent and began singing.  It woke Akane, who
smiled and tried to turn over.  Then she
discovered that she couldn't move, because
someone seemed to be holding her.

Her eyes shot open.  Someone was indeed holding
her.  Ranma held her close to him, and she had
an arm across him as well.  She watched him
sleep peacefully for a little while.  [This
feels good.  But if Daddy ever saw us this way,
we'd be married in a second.]

That thought was enough to make her move.  She
brought her hand to Ranma's shoulder and shook
him gently.  "Hey!  You were supposed to wake
ME up!"

Ranma didn't respond.  Akane extricated himself
from his grasp, left the tent, and was headed
off into the trees when she heard movement
inside the tent and Ranma emerged.

"Good morning!"  Akane waved and continued on
into the trees, noting that Ranma was heading
in the opposite direction.

*****

When Akane returned Ranma was uncovering the
wood he'd managed to throw a sheet of plastic
over before the rain hit.  The grass was damp,
and Ranma saw her shiver.

"I'm going to get dressed.  Be right back."

A few minutes later Akane returned holding her
toiletries.  Ranma had started a fire and was
by the stream getting water.  They filled a
kettle for tea and brushed their teeth.  Akane
was washing her face when Ranma reached for the
bucket so he could wash his.

"Won't that make you change?  The water's so
cold!"

"I don't think just washing my face will do
it."

It didn't, and Ranma grinned.  "I'm trying to
figure out how much water it takes to make me
change."

"Mmm."  Akane sounded preoccupied, and Ranma
looked up to see her brushing her hair.  Her
eyes were closed, and she appeared to be in
another world.  Ranma watched, fascinated.
There was something about the rhythm of Akane's
movement, the way the brush swished through her
shining hair and the look of total serenity on
her face that made Ranma itch to reach out and
take the brush from her.  He wanted to be the
one to be pulling the brush through the
beautiful hair that flowed nearly all the way
to her waist.

It was with great difficulty that he restrained
himself.  "You're going too fast.you're scaring
me."  The memory of Akane's words made him sit
down quickly.  He hadn't even realized that he
had risen, reaching out toward the brush.
Instead he sat watching, and hoping that one
day Akane would trust him more.  He was having
a difficult time believing that she had agreed
to marry him.  Eventually Akane opened her
eyes, gathered her hair together, and fastened
it with the barrette he had given her.  She
seemed to become aware of Ranma's gaze and
looked up.  Something of his thoughts must have
been evident on his face, because she caught
her breath and looked down quickly.  The serene
moment was gone, and Ranma felt a little
guilty.  He got up and added more wood to the
fire.

"I'll start breakfast."

*****

Later that morning two nervous young people
walked down a street unfamiliar to both of
them.  Ranma had been quiet for the longest
time, and Akane was beginning to worry about
him.  She squeezed his hand to make him look at
her, and gave him an encouraging smile.  "I
think we're almost there."

"I don't know if I'm ready."

Akane was surprised to hear so much doubt in
Ranma's tone, and covered her feelings with a
stern look.  "Don't talk that way.  I didn't
think you were afraid of anything!"

"Besides cats, you mean?"  Ranma's weak smile
and weaker joke made Akane's heart ache.  She
wished that there was some way to guarantee his
mother's acceptance of him.

"Let's go," she said softly, and led him to a
small house, where she rang the bell.  No
answering call came from inside, and though
Akane listened intently she heard no footsteps.

"Hello!"  The friendly voice was coming from
the side of the house, rather than inside.
"Are you looking for Mariko?"  Akane stepped
back from the door and looked over the fence,
where an old woman stood holding a rake.

"No, ma'am.  We are looking for Nodoka
Saotome."

"I'm afraid she's at the hospital with Mariko."
The woman sighed, and it was obvious that she
was trying not to cry.  "Mariko and I have been
friends for over forty years, and I had to say
goodbye to her yesterday when they took her to
the hospital.  She won't be coming home again."

Akane bowed to the older woman.  "I'm sorry we
disturbed you.  Let's go home, Ranma."

"You are Ranma?  Nodoka's son?  She has been
talking of nothing but you for days!"

The disappointment on Ranma's face was very
evident to Akane.  He had come all this way to
see his mother, and she wasn't there.

"When you see her, would you please tell her
that I was here?  And that I'm sorry I missed
her?"

"Of course I will.  And what is your name,
young lady?"

Before Akane could speak Ranma put his arm
around her and smiled proudly.  "This is my
fiancee, Akane Tendo."

"So you are Akane.  Nodoka speaks of you often,
and I am glad to meet you.  I am Mrs. Mitsuo."

The young couple thanked her again and started
their trek to the train station.

*****

"We're home!"  Ranma winced as he and Akane
called out their greeting, and waited for the
stampede.  Nothing happened.  Ranma looked at
Akane as he slipped off his shoes.  "Nobody's
home?"

"I'm surprised they weren't waiting for us at
the station."

"Hi, you two!"  Nabiki's voice made them look
away from each other as she walked into the
hallway.  "You've got a couple of hours'
reprieve, I think.  Daddy and Mr. Saotome went
out this morning, and said not to expect them
back until dinner."

"Did they say where they were going?" asked
Akane.

"No, but they were up to something.  I'm sure
of it."  Before Ranma could say anything Nabiki
had her hand on Akane's arm and was steering
her away.  "At least it gives us time for girl
talk.  Kasumi!  Akane's back!"  Kasumi's voice
was heard from somewhere upstairs, though Ranma
couldn't make out what she said.

Akane turned around and gave Ranma an
embarrassed smile.  "I don't think I have a
choice.  See you later."

*****

Ranma waited until Nabiki dragged Akane up the
stairs and he heard the bedroom door close
before picking up their packs.  He walked
upstairs and deposited Akane's pack outside her
room before retreating into his.  He unpacked
his things, brought his dirty clothes
downstairs, and came back up with a cool drink.

It looked to Ranma like it might take some time
before Akane's sisters were done with her, so
he decided to study.  He opened up the bureau
drawer where he kept the book he used to take
notes in class and settled down to review them.
For some unknown reason, he couldn't
concentrate.  Something was off, and he closed
the book to try to determine what it was.

"Something's missing," he muttered.  As Ranma
spoke, he realized what it was.  He had folded
the ribbon Akane had left in his room and
tucked it into the book, marking the place he'd
wanted to review.  Now the ribbon was gone.

He flew to his feet and opened the drawer,
hoping that the ribbon had slipped out but a
thorough search revealed nothing.  Some of his
things were out of place, a fact that had
escaped his attention earlier.

[Pop's been in my stuff, and he has the
ribbon.]

*****

There was a soft thump outside Akane's door and
Nabiki opened it.  Akane's pack sat there.  She
picked it up and brought it into the room.
Akane reached for it, but Nabiki waved her off.
I'll unpack.  YOU start talking."

"Where do you want me to start?"

Kasumi laughed.  "Did Ranma bring anyone else
along?"

"No, he didn't."

Nabiki looked up from Akane's pack.  "Did he
send you off anywhere?"

"No."

"Then you've been alone with the man for nearly
two days.  What happened?"

Kasumi would have said more but Nabiki put her
hand on her arm and quieted her.  Then she
looked at Akane and her eyes narrowed.  She
gestured at Akane's pack.  "What happened to
your tent?  It's not here."

"Somebody trashed it.  Ranma thinks it was his
father."

"Where did you sleep?"

"Did anything happen?"

The questions came simultaneously, causing
Akane to start waving her hands at her sisters.

"Wait a second, and I'll start from the
beginning!"

*****

"...and that was when he asked me to marry him."

"What did you say?" asked both girls at once.

"What do you think I said?"  Akane's voice
dropped to a whisper.  "I love him."

*****

"To our children!"

"To our children!"

Two extremely intoxicated men emptied two more
glasses and grinned happily at everyone in the
tavern.  For the twentieth time that night,
Genma pulled a yellow ribbon out of his pocket
and waved it around.

"That's my boy!  Knew he was closer to the girl
than he admitted!  Knew it all along!"

"Dunno, Saotome," mumbled Soun.  "You looked
surprised to me when you found it."

*****

"...and on the way home we stopped to see Auntie
Saotome, but she wasn't there.  Ranma felt
really bad about it."

"You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not.  Ranma talked to his mother on
the phone the other night, and she wanted to
see him.  Don't tell his father!"

Nabiki looked at Kasumi.  "I think we should
get Ranma in here."

Akane got off the bed.  "I'll get him."

*****

Ranma looked up from his notebook when a soft
tap sounded on his door.  "Yes?"

"It's me."

The book hit the floor as Ranma got to his feet
and opened the door.  Before he could say a
word Akane had him by the arm and dragged him
into her room.  When he saw Kasumi and Nabiki
there he gulped and looked at his fiancee.
"Akane?"

"They don't bite."

Somehow, Akane's remark didn't reassure Ranma.

Kasumi got off the floor and stunned Ranma by
hugging him.  "First, welcome to the family."
Then she took him by the shoulders and shook
him.  "Second, how could you DO something so
dumb?"

"What did I do?"

"You were going to show your mother your curse?
Just like that?  Don't you realize that you and
Akane might have had the shortest engagement on
record?  That you could be DEAD right now?"

Ranma brushed Kasumi's hands off his shoulders
and took a step back.

"I'm a man!  Mom's going to see that!"

The last couple of words were shouted in a
higher tone of voice.  Ranma whirled around in
time to see Nabiki hiding a glass behind her
back.

"Was that necessary?"

Nabiki gestured at the now-female Ranma.  "It's
a little reminder of reality, Ranma.  You may
be male, but you don't LOOK it all the time."

"Do I act like a girl when I look this way?  Do
I talk like a girl?"

"No, but--"

"Would a girl do this?"  As he spoke, Ranma
grabbed his fiancee and planted his lips on
hers.

Kasumi and Nabiki gasped.  Ranma heard them,
but ignored their reactions.  He was more
concerned with Akane's.  She was just standing
there, stiff.  Then suddenly she seemed to
loosen up, her arms came up to hold him, and
she was kissing him back.

Ranma broke the kiss and moved away from Akane,
keeping a firm grip on one hand.  "Excuse us
for a second."

*****

Akane was still trying to catch her breath when
Ranma pulled her into his room and shut the
door.

"What happened in there?  Was it because I look
like this?"

Akane shook her head violently.  "No!  That
wasn't it!"

"Then what?"

"My sisters were looking!"

"Is that all?"

"Ranma!"

Ranma laughed.  "Go back to them.  I'm going
after some hot water."

*****

Ranma found all three Tendo girls sitting on
the bed when he returned.  He pulled out
Akane's desk chair and straddled it, facing
them.

"You're all awfully quiet."

"We were waiting for you," replied his fiancee.
She smiled at him, but he could tell she didn't
have her heart in it.  "I think we have a
problem."

"If you mean Mom--"

"Besides that.  You told her neighbor that I
was your fiancee.  That means your Mom's going
to find out we're engaged.  I know Auntie.
She'll get involved."  Ranma tried to
interrupt, but Akane held up a hand.  "It won't
be right away, because she's probably at the
hospital twenty-four hours a day, but it's
going to happen, and then we're going to be in
trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Auntie likes to manage things.  Between her,
Daddy, and your father, they're going to drive
us crazy."

"That could be prevented, you know."

All heads in the room swiveled to look at
Nabiki.

"Glad to see you're paying attention!  We've
got a few days before Aunt Nodoka shows up
here.  Maybe a week or two, depending on how
long it's going to take her to settle her
aunt's estate, and you can depend on it that
she's going to be in a hurry to get here.  So
you've got to have our fathers under control
before that.  Make sure you're not going to let
them push you around, or rush you.  Got it?"

Ranma nodded, wondering what Nabiki had in
mind.  From Akane's expression, he could tell
that she was just as curious.  Unfortunately,
she didn't get to tell them what she had in
mind because there was a huge crash downstairs.

For a second Akane's doorway looked like an old-
time Hollywood movie as everyone got stuck in
it trying to get out at the same time.  Then
they all burst into the hallway and flew down
the stairs.

Soun and Genma were sitting in the entryway of
the house, where they'd evidently lost the
ability to walk any farther.  The two of them
looked extremely intoxicated and extremely
happy.

Ranma was thoroughly disgusted.  "Two Sundays
in a row?  You're pathetic, Pop!"

Akane and her sisters were crowded together
behind Ranma, and he turned to look at them.
They looked at him, and then at each other, and
seemed to come to some sort of non-verbal
agreement.

"Let's go start dinner," said Nabiki.  The
others followed her out of the hallway.
Evidently they were going to let Ranma deal
with Soun and Genma.

Ranma grabbed his father by the arm, and did
the same to Soun.  "Come on, let's get the two
of you into the tub.  I'll bring you some tea,
so maybe you'll be sober enough to eat."  He
forced them into the bathroom, got them
soaking, and took off to get the tea.

When Ranma got to the kitchen door he stopped
and stared.  All three Tendo girls were hard at
work.  He watched as they wove their way around
each other like ballerinas performing a
particularly complex dance sequence, never
getting in one another's way.

"Um, excuse me?"

Suddenly he had three pairs of brown eyes
staring at him.

"I just wanted to make some tea.  Maybe it'll
help them sober up."

*****

Kasumi waited for Ranma's footsteps to fade
away before speaking.  "I'm sorry I jumped to
conclusions when Ranma first got here.  He's a
nice guy."

Akane looked suspiciously at her sister.  "He's
mine!  You can't have him!"

"I don't want him, Akane.  I have my Tofu.  I'm
just sorry I treated him so badly."

"Ranma doesn't hold grudges, Sis, but if you
want to tell him that maybe you should."

*****

Ranma could hear the wailing before he got
anywhere near the bathing room.  It looked like
Soun and Genma behaved very differently when
intoxicated.  Ranma's father tended to be loud
and aggressive, and evidently Soun got weepy.
He wondered how to handle this unexpected
wrinkle in the situation.  Ranma simply wasn't
accustomed to dealing with overemotional men.
He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders,
and walked in.  Soun was in tears, and when he
saw Ranma he cried harder.

"My poor baby.  You hurt my baby!"

Genma grinned when he spotted his son.  "There
you are!  Well done, boy!"

Ranma put the tea tray down.  "What did I do?"

Genma reached over the side of the furo and
pulled a yellow ribbon off the floor.  "You
don't have to hide it from us!"  He waved the
ribbon around, avoiding Ranma's efforts to grab
it.  "Nice trophy, boy!  You must have pleased
her very much!"

"Give that back, old man!  It ain't a trophy!"
Ranma finally succeeded in retrieving the
ribbon.  Then he grabbed his father by the head
and pushed him under the water.  Genma
struggled, but Ranma held him down until
bubbles began to come up.  Soun opened his
mouth to object but Ranma growled at him and he
backed away, still sobbing.  Ranma waited a few
more seconds before me hauled his father's face
out of the water.

Genma was gasping and coughing, and by the time
he was done was quite red in the face.  "What
did you do that for, boy?"

Ranma shoved the ribbon in his pocket, and
pointed a finger in his father's face.  "I
didn't touch her!  Why do you have to jump to
conclusions?"

Soun stopped crying.  "You didn't hurt my
little girl?  I thought--"

"You thought so too?  Why should I be
surprised?  Hell, that's what you EXPECTED when
you sent us off together!  Well you're wrong!"
Ranma got to his feet and walked out of the
bathing room, throwing one more remark over his
shoulder.  "Drink the tea.  Dinner's nearly
ready."

*****

Akane was carrying a stack of bowls into the
dining area when Ranma returned.  His red face
and set jaw told her that something was wrong.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing!  Everything!"  Ranma turned his back
on Akane and then whirled around and pointed
toward the bathing room.  "It's bad enough that
the guys at school think, but Pop..."  Words
seemed to fail Ranma, and Akane watched as his
hands became fists.

"What?" Akane asked quietly.  She was pretty
sure she knew what Ranma was trying to tell
her, but she needed to hear it.

"Pop was sure we were going to--you know.  Your
father was sure too.  They've been planning it
all along!"

"I suspected that too, especially after what
happened to my tent.  They've been trying to
manipulate us."

"And they've been doing a very good job of it,
haven't they?"

Akane jumped at the sound of Kasumi's voice.
"Sis?" she asked weakly.

"Kasumi's right.  The two of you have to keep
your cool.  Think before you talk, and don't
let them get to you!"

Ranma and Akane remained silent as the two
girls went past them to put the serving
platters on the table.  Nabiki smiled and waved
the couple to the table.  "Remember what we
said before?  You have to be the ones in
control.  Don't let them get to you!"

*****

Ranma took the advice seriously, and resolved
to keep a lid on his temper during dinner.  He
realized it was going to be a very difficult
thing to do when his father came to the table
showing evidence of being ready for a battle.
He didn't speak, but kept looking back and
forth between Ranma and Akane as the serving
dishes were passed around.

The girls made an attempt at normal
conversation, but the tense atmosphere at the
table soon caused the talk to trickle off.
Ranma rushed through his meal and began to rise
but his father's glare stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Pop?"

"Sit down, boy!"

Ranma sat.  "Well, what do you want?"  The
words popped out of his mouth before he stopped
to think, and then he had to muffle a yelp when
Akane pinched his leg.  She was reminding him
to keep his cool, and the looks coming from
Kasumi and Nabiki were sending the same
message.

"You know what Tendo and I want.  A decision."

Ranma dithered.  "Well, I--"

Genma glared.  "I've had it with you, boy!
You've been putting this off too long!  If you
can't make up your mind, I'll do it for you!"

Genma looked at each girl in turn, and Ranma's
dinner threatened to come back up.  He couldn't
let his father be the one to choose his wife.
He grabbed Akane's hand and stood up, dragging
her along.

"You don't have to.  I already did."

Genma nodded.  "I thought so."

*****

"My little girl is engaged!  I'm so happy!"

Akane pulled her hand free and went around the
table to her father.  She knelt down beside him
and put her arms around him.

"Don't cry, Daddy!  There's no reason to cry!"

The tears turned off as abruptly as if a switch
had been pulled.  "You mean it's not true?"

"What?"

"Are you engaged or aren't you?"

Akane hesitated, and her eyes automatically
went to Ranma.  He came to her side, knelt down
beside her, and took her hand in his.

"We are, sir."

*****

Nabiki held her breath and waited for the
disaster to happen.  She and Kasumi hadn't been
able to coach Akane or Ranma about how to
handle their fathers, and now it was going to
be too late.  They would be bullied or
manipulated into doing whatever their parents
wanted them to.

Soun, however, surprised her.  Nabiki was
certain that he would start planning a wedding
on the spot.  Instead, he slapped Ranma on the
back.  "Good for you, son!  I'm very proud of
both of you."  Then he settled back in his seat
and smiled at his family.  "Now that that's
settled, what's for dessert?"

Nabiki struggled to keep her surprise from
showing.  "I picked up some ice cream."  She
got to her feet, trying not to wobble, and
gestured at Akane.  "Come help me."

Akane headed straight for the freezer, but
Nabiki grabbed her by the arm and pulled her
into the farthest corner of the kitchen.  "What
is he up to?"

"What?"

"Come on!  You didn't fall for that, did you?"
When Akane just looked confused, Nabiki firmly
resisted an urge to shake her little sister.
"That's not Daddy!  He should be crying again,
or making plans for a huge wedding, or
something!  He's being much too cool."  She
paused and thought a second before continuing.
"That was all put on, I'm sure of it.  Mr.
Saotome bullied Ranma into saying he'd chosen
one of us, and then Daddy cried until you
admitted it was you.  They're up to something!"

"What do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure.  They started acting weird
yesterday afternoon."  Nabiki opened the
freezer and got out a couple of tubs of ice
cream.  "Call Ranma in here, would you?  I need
to talk to him."

"Won't Daddy get suspicious?"

Nabiki growled in exasperation and stuck her
head out into the hallway.  "Ranma, this ice
cream's frozen solid.  Can you help scoop it?"
Then she turned around and glared at Akane.
"You've got to learn to use your imagination,
little sister."

Ranma walked into the kitchen and took the ice
cream from Nabiki.  "How come you didn't ask
Akane to do it?  She's strong enough."

"I know that!  I needed an excuse to get you in
here."  Nabiki took a stack of dessert bowls
out of the refrigerator and put them out on the
counter.  "The two of you need to be really
careful."

"What for? asked Ranma.  "We got engaged, so
they should be happy!"

"Yeah, right.  They should be, but they're not.
Don't question me; just trust me.  Be careful."

Ranma shrugged.  "Okay.  What do you think,
Akane?"

"If Nabiki is worried then we should listen to
her."

"Hey, where's that ice cream?"

"Be right there, Pop!  Keep your shirt on!"

*****

Despite Nabiki's warning, Ranma didn't see
anything worth worrying about in his father's
behavior that night.  Genma seemed in an
unusually mellow mood, either from relief over
his son's engagement or the amount of sake he
imbibed.  Ranma wasn't sure.

His future father-in-law, on the other hand,
was anything but mellow.  He spent the entire
evening in "celebration" mode, alternately
crying and smiling, and telling everyone how
pleased he was.

Ranma let them talk, and stayed around until he
got tired of hearing what they had to say.
Then he got up and gestured to Akane.

"We've still got some more homework to finish.
Want to do it together?"

Akane nodded agreement and the two headed
upstairs, oblivious of the knowing grins behind
them.

*****

Kodachi Kuno was trying to study.  She wasn't
making very much progress.  She finally tossed
the book aside in frustration and left her room
to knock on her brother's door.

"Did you want something, Sister?"

"Your pacing is disturbing my study, Brother.
Is something wrong?"

"I am worried about my love.  The fiend Saotome
was alone with her all weekend."

Kodachi laughed.  "From what you've told me of
her, she's quite capable of taking care of
herself."

"Perhaps, but I fear he has an unwholesome
influence on her."

*****

"My turn to make the lunches today.  You two
get to wash the dishes."  Nabiki dashed into
the kitchen while Ranma and Akane cleared the
table.  Kasumi had already left for campus.
They were still washing the dishes when Nabiki
left them their lunches and picked up her own
bento.   "Hurry up, slowpokes, or you'll be
late.  See you there."

Ranma dried the last dish and wiped down the
counter.  "I'll get our books, you grab the
food."  He returned moments later and they
headed to the entryway to put on their shoes.
Soun and Genma stood there, blocking the door.
Ranma looked at the expression on his father's
face and knew he was in trouble.

"You wanted something, Pop?"

"I want you to go upstairs and change clothes.
Put on something nice."

"Why?"

"Because you're getting married."

*****

"What?"

Soun looked at his daughter.  Akane's question
had come out in the form of a squeak, and the
hand that gripped her bag was white-knuckled.
"You too, Akane.  You can't be getting married
in your uniform."

He expected that his daughter would look at her
fiance, but he didn't expect them to nod at
each other and turn back to them with defiant
looks.

"No!"

Akane's father looked at his friend.  It was
time for Saotome to take over.

"Then you'd better start packing, Ranma."

"You're not making any sense, Pop!  Why?"

Genma reached into his pocket and produced a
letter.  It was addressed to Ranma.  "This came
in the mail for you while you were away.  It's
from your mother.  How is it that she knows
where you are?"

"Um, maybe we should sit down?"

*****

Seconds later all four of them were seated at
the table.  Both young people looked very
nervous, while their fathers seemed completely
confident.

"I'm sitting now, Son.  Explain this to me."

"Mom called last Sunday while you were out.  I
got to talk to her."

Genma glared.  "Don't you realize how dangerous
that is?"

"No, I don't!  Mom would never hurt me!  Do you
know how happy she was to talk to me?"

"And did you happen to mention your curse?"

There was a long silence.  Ranma was still
hesitating when Akane squeezed his hand and
smiled at him.

"No.  I didn't.  I just told her there was
something she needed to know, but that I wanted
to show her in person."

Genma turned white.  "You didn't!  We're dead."

"You're such a hopeless coward, Pop!

"Give me the credit of knowing my wife better
than you do!  Now get upstairs and change your
clothes."

"I already said no!"

"Then we're back to your other choice.  Go
pack."

"Why does Ranma have to pack, Mr. Saotome?"

"Because, Akane, we're leaving."

*****

Akane's whole world turned upside-down.  "WHY?"

"I'm not taking any chances with my life, or
Ranma's.  If the two of you were married when
Nodoka got here, she would accept Ranma as a
man.  If you won't marry, then we have to
leave."

"But we're engaged!  Isn't that good enough?"

"I have to agree with Saotome, Akane.  It's
just too dangerous to take any chances."

"But Daddy, we're only sixteen!"

"That's right, Mr. Tendo.  Don't you think
we're too young to get married?"

*****

"Of course not!"  Soun nearly choked on the
words as he remembered what he had said to
Genma only seven days earlier.  "It's not that
you'd be on your own, which would worry me.
You'll be here, with older people to guide
you!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better,"
remarked Ranma.

Genma stepped in.  "Wouldn't that be better
than being on the road again?  Permanently?  If
we leave now, we won't be able to come back."
He gestured at Akane, who was holding onto
Ranma's hand as if her life depended on it.
"You're happy here with the girl.  Do you want
to leave her behind?"

Ranma turned to Akane.  "We gotta talk."
Without asking permission to get up Ranma rose,
taking Akane with him.  Then he snatched his
letter out of his father's hands and went
upstairs.

When their footsteps died away Genma looked at
his friend, a triumphant smile on his face.
"It's working, Tendo!"

Soun nodded.  "I think it is."

*****

Ranma led Akane into his room and slid the door
shut.  When he turned around Akane was looking
out the window.  She was holding herself very
stiffly, and the next thing Ranma knew her
shoulders started shaking.

"Akane?  Why are you crying?"

Her reply was muffled by her sobs.  "What did
you say?  I don't understand you," Ranma said
as he crossed the room, took her by the
shoulders, and turned her around.  She put her
arms around him and buried her face in his
shirt.

"Will you write to me?" she sniffled.

"Write to you?  What makes you think I'm
leaving?"

Akane pulled away from Ranma's embrace and took
a few steps back.  "You don't have to marry me
if you don't want to.  It's not fair to force
you."

"Maybe not, but I can't leave you.  I already
told you that, didn't I?"

"But--"

"The only thing that'll send me away is if you
don't want me to stay."

*****

The knot in Akane's chest dissolved, and the
relief was so intense that she nearly fell to
her knees.  She swayed, and Ranma stepped
forward and caught her.

"You okay?"

Akane couldn't speak.  She just held onto Ranma
and sobbed.  She could feel him stroking her
hair and back, and murmuring something intended
to be soothing.  After a minute or two she
calmed herself and pulled back to look into her
fiance's eyes.

"I was ready to let you go, even though it hurt
so bad.  Do you think we can do this?  Do you
think we'll be happy?"

"We'll MAKE it work.  We're a good team, Akane.
I promise I'll take good care of you.  Always."
Ranma leaned forward and kissed Akane's
forehead.  "We'll be okay."

Akane looked down at the floor.  Nodoka's
letter lay there.  "Maybe we should read that."

They sat down on the floor and opened the
envelope, which was still intact.

"I wonder why Pop didn't open it."

"It's addressed to you, isn't it?"

Ranma shrugged.  "Didn't think that would stop
him."

Akane looked over Ranma's shoulder as he read
the letter.  Nodoka began by repeating what
she'd said over the phone about her joy in
finding her son.  She requested that he have
his father contact her, and the tone of the
request made Akane flinch.  It was Nodoka at
her most formal.  She also encouraged Ranma to
choose the youngest Tendo daughter as a wife.
"You are the same age," the letter read, "and I
am certain you and Akane would get along very
well."

*****

Fifteen minutes later Soun and Genma were
twitching with tension.

"If they don't come down soon, we're going up
after them," Genma announced.  Just then the
sound of footsteps on the stairs announced the
return of their children.

Ranma didn't own much in the way of "good"
clothing, and Genma immediately saw that he was
wearing the best of what he had.  Akane was
wearing a very simple cream-colored dress, and
was holding onto his son's hand.  They both
looked nervous and a little bit angry.

Genma nodded at his son, and got to his feet.
"I see you've come to your senses.  We should
get going."

*****

"I said excuse me, Kuno!  I would like to get
to class on time."

"I will allow you to pass, Nabiki Tendo, once
you tell me the whereabouts of your sister and
Saotome."

"They're on their way!  Are you deaf?"

Nabiki pushed her way past Kuno and entered the
school.  Several of Akane's friends were
waiting just inside the entrance.

"Isn't Akane coming today?  She's late!"

"I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Nabiki went past them and up to her classroom,
wishing she felt as confident as she sounded.
She stationed herself at the window and stayed
there until her teacher told her to sit,
waiting in vain for her sister and Ranma.  They
didn't come.''

After an hour Nabiki could no longer stand not
knowing whether or not her sister had come to
school.  Once she came to that conclusion, she
got her teacher's attention.

"May I be excused for a moment?"

"Of course."

She hurried down the hallway to Akane's
classroom and peered inside.  Her desk was
empty, and so was Ranma's.  Two minutes later
she was out of the school and on her way home.

*****

Akane fidgeted as the clerk read over the
marriage certificate and handed it to Ranma.
"Very good.  Your stamp goes here, and Miss
Tendo's here."

Ranma looked at Genma.  "Stamp?"

Genma reached into his pocket and produced a
hanko.  "Here you go, boy."

"I didn't even know I HAD one of these!"

"I was, um, holding it for you!"

Ranma glared at his father and stamped the
document.  Genma held out his hand for the
hanko but Ranma shoved it in his pocket.  "It's
mine, isn't it?"

"I suppose you've got mine, Daddy?"

Soun flinched and handed Akane her hanko.  She
snatched it from his fingers and turned to the
clerk.  "Where does this go?"  He pointed to
the proper place on the document, and Akane
hesitated.  If she refused to stamp the
certificate, it would be invalid.  But if she
did that, Genma would take Ranma away.  Her
eyes met Ranma's, and she could see that her
hesitation was worrying him.

"Akane, you okay?  You don't have to do this if
you don't want to."

"And lose you forever?"  Akane stamped the
certificate.  "I can't do that."

Ranma smiled at Akane.  "Guess you're stuck
with me now."

Akane smiled back.  "I wouldn't put it that
way."

"Excuse me, but would the two of you sign
here?"  Genma wiggled some papers between the
newlyweds, and handed Ranma a pen.

"More forms?  I thought we were done!"

"Not quite."

The newlyweds sighed and signed the forms.

*****

"But I have another class!" protested Kasumi as
Nabiki dragged her out of the building.

"You're going to have to skip it!  Akane and
Ranma didn't show up at school!  They're not at
home, and neither are our fathers.  Something's
wrong!"

"Where are we supposed to look?" asked Kasumi,
and then she gasped when Nabiki turned white.

"City Hall.  I'm sure they're at City Hall."

They arrived there in time to see their fathers
come out, with Ranma and Akane following them.
It didn't take too much thought for Nabiki and
Kasumi to realize they were too late.


-----------
more to come
-----------

My thanks to Todd, David, Andrew, Robert, Brad
and Ann for prereading and comments during the
time this chapter was being put together.

Your comments are always welcome - karaohki@snet.net
Send to me, the list, or both
--------------------------------------------------
http://karaohki.anifics.com
--------------------------------------------------
     You could turn this way,
I'm also lonely
     this autumn evening

Basho

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