Hello all!

Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction
"The High Cost of Loving - Chapter Two"
"The Money Pit - Part One"
by Suds-kun (suds1964@tir.com)

============================================
Ranma 1/2 characters are created by and copyright Rumiko Takahashi.
Published by Shogakukan Inc. and VIZ Comm.
Story copyright Shaun Schillinger.
Intended for the sole non-profit use of fans.
============================================

Akane jogged into the dojo, her afternoon run just completed.  She quickly 
changed out of her jogging attire and into her gi.  She continued her daily 
ritual by doing her stretching and then going through her kata.  Afterwards, 
she focused on the two cement blocks setting toward the back of the room.  
"Hiyaaa!" she screamed as her fist broke through the blocks.

"Are you ready?" Ranma asked.

"Un." she replied as she made her way to the middle of the room.

They bowed to each other, then Akane made the first move with a fist to 
his head.  Ducking to the side, Ranma dodged her follow up kick. Ranma 
dodged and ducked each attack, occasionally attempting a leg sweep after 
one of her kicks.  He noticed her frustration rising as she continually was 
unable to touch him.  Ranma smirked as he countered her latest attack by 
jumping over her and giving a push. She landed hard and quickly 
countered with a leg sweep.  Ranma caught her foot and tried to tickle her.  
Akane qrowled as she flipped Ranma over her head.  She was standing and 
glaring at him as he landed on his feet.

"What were you trying to do?" she yelled.

"Well, you hardly smile anymore, and I thought you could use a good
laugh."

"I ... laughed ... yesterday!" she shouted as Ranma dodged and weaved her 
combination of punches and kicks.

"Oh, yeah.  I forgot, only one laugh a week is allowed for kawaiikune, 
macho, sexless, tomboys like you." he said as he made a face and stuck out 
his tongue.

"I hate you!" she screamed as her kick sent Ranma through the roof.

===

"Kasumi!"

"Nabiki!"

"Akane!"

"Yes, father?" Kasumi asked as she popped her head out of the
kitchen.

"What do you want, daddy?" asked Nabiki as she came down the stairs.

"I'll tell you in a moment, where's Akane?" replied Soun.

In response to his question a splash from the pond in back was heard as 
Akane stormed into the room. "We can't even train with out him insulting 
me!" ranted Akane.

Soun interrupted his daughter, "Akane, I have something to tell you
and your sisters."

Akane slowly calmed down and looked at her sisters questioningly. They 
both shrugged their shoulders and looked at their father.

===

Soun looked over the table at his three daughters.  "Nabiki has given me a 
report on our financial status and I've come to a conclusion. Something has 
to be done about the cost of the constant repair to the dojo.  Either Akane 
and Ranma get married and start training students or Genma and Ranma 
move out until Ranma marries Akane."

"Daddy, I've given you those reports every week for years and you've  just 
now started reading them?" Nabiki looked at her father coolly. "This isn't 
just another one of your tricks to get me to marry that hentai, is it?" Akane 
shouted as she stood up.

"Isn't there any other solution, father?  What if Ranma got a job like Uncle 
Genma?" Kasumi asked.

"I've made up my mind, Genma and Ranma have to move out until Ranma  
and Akane get married." Soun stated flatly.

===

A dripping wet Ranma had only heard the last of the conversation but she 
understood exactly what was going to happen.  Her pop was going to force 
her to get married rather than be kicked out on the street. She looked at 
Akane.  A blue glow was forming around her.

"A-Akane?" Ranma stuttered as Akane's face became red and she started 
to shake.

"I'm not going to marry a hentai, baka like you!" Akane yelled as she sent 
onna-Ranma flying into the city skyline with a kick.

"Akane, why did you do that?  He was just standing there." Kasumi looked 
to her sister, her normal, happy smile was missing.

"It's his fault that we don't have enough money!" Akane shouted.  "He 
insults me all the time, he's mean when I try to be nice and he and his 
father destroy the dojo every time they spar or argue!"

"Just remember, little sister," Nabiki began, "Ranma makes holes in the 
roof because you're sending him into orbit all of the time."

"He.. he keeps insulting me!" she shouted, "He deserves to be kicked out!" 
Akane swung around and stomped away. "Enough! I'm taking a bath!"

Kasumi and Nabiki watched the storm enter the bathroom.

"The warm bath should calm her down."

"But what about tomorrow, oneechan? _We_ still have to live with her,
Ranma's the lucky one."

"Let's talk about it later." Kasumi said as she smiled at Nabiki and made 
her way to the kitchen.  "This could ruin all of our plans." she thought.

Soun quietly smiled as his daughters left the room. "I'll inform Genma 
when he returns." he announced to the empty room. His smile grew bigger 
then quickly disappeared.  "Good." he thought. 

===

"So, what happened this time?"  Tofu-sensei asked as he helped onna-
Ranma up off the floor and straightened her out.

"Akane."

Tofu-sensei raised an eyebrow.  "Did you insult her again?"

"No, well, yeah. We had been sparring when I tried to get her to laugh. She 
got mad and I called her kawaiikune. Then she kicked me into the pond. 
When I got out and made my way inside. I overheard her father make an 
announcement. Either she marries me, or pop and I have to move out of 
the dojo."

The whistle of a tea kettle drew Tofu-sensei's attention.  He poured some 
cold water into the boiling kettle then handed the kettle to Ranma.

"Arigatoo." Ranma said as she poured the contents of the tea kettle over 
her head.  "Akane said she would never marry a hentai like me and 
knocked me here. I didn't even get a chance to say anything."

"Does your father know yet?" Tofu-sensei asked.

"I don't think so." Ranma paused, " Things had been going so well. We 
had even gone on a couple dates.  Everything changed after the last one, 
when we went out with Ukyou and Konatsu." Ranma let out a heavy sigh. 
"We had thought that if _we_ could have a good time together, why 
couldn't they? I mean, Konatsu had a crush on Ukyou, and she _was_ 
starting to treat him better." Ranma then clenched his fists. "But that damn 
gas attack killed him." Ranma frowned and started to rub the back of his 
head. "Akane and I stopped dating right after that and we were back to the 
old arguing again. It just feels meaner now. No matter what I say or do, 
she gets mad and pummels me."

"I think you should have a talk with Akane about this."  Tofu-sensei
offered. "No insults, just talk about your feelings and hers."

"Why?  She already gave her answer and 'kicked' me out of the dojo."

Before Tofu-sensei could respond, Ranma headed toward the door.
"Arigatoo, Tofu-sensei." he bowed and then left the office.

===

Ranma turned toward the dojo and approached the front door. His father 
was standing at the top of the steps, their belongings next to him.

"Are you going to marry her, boy?"

"Why, pop?" he shrugged, "She made the decision for me when she
kicked me out."

Genma tossed a back pack to Ranma.

"Then, we are going on a training trip."

Ranma slipped on the pack and followed his father past the dojo walls
and down the street.

A small, dark figure followed them.  A quiet maniacal laugh escaping
his lips.

===

Kasumi walked up to the door and raised her hand as if she was going to 
knock. but clasped her hands together in thought. "Has she calmed down 
yet?" Kasumi looked down the hallway. "Father, why did you make that 
ultimatum? We had worked so hard on the two of them and now it's falling 
apart." She turned back to the door and listened quietly. She could hear 
some muffled cries. Kasumi took a deep breath and knocked on the door. 
"She sounds like she's ready for some help," she thought as she waited for 
a response.

===

Akane looked out the window and watched the two figures leave. "Baka," 
she whispered as she laid on her bed and hugged her pillow, her mind 
starting to wander. "Why does he have to torture me all of the time? I've 
had enough of those insults! I..I must have been out of my mind when I 
told him that I cared for him!" A small sob escaped her lips and she buried 
her face in the pillow in a vain attempt to stop from crying. "I..I'm glad he's 
gone, *sniff*, now I don't have to think or worry about him."

*Knock* *Knock*

Akane sat up and quickly wiped away her tears and dried her eyes. "Who 
is it?"

"It's me, Kasumi."

"Come on in, oneechan."

Kasumi entered and closed the door behind her. "How are you doing?" She 
said as she sat next to Akane on the bed.

"Oh, I'm fine, oneechan. Just thinking about how much better it's going to 
be with that hentai gone."

"You seemed pretty upset with Ranma today. What happened?" Kasumi
looked into her sister's eyes, but Akane turned away.

"Oh, the usual. We were sparring and he started to pick on me. First, he 
acted like our training was a joke. Then, he called me a kawaiikune, 
macho, sexless, tomboy. I kicked him into the pond while he was making a 
face at me."

Kasumi smiled at her, a little concerned. "You two were getting along so 
well and now these big fights. What's happened between you two?"

Akane shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He started look..  um, acting 
differently after our last date."

"Oh, the one where Konatsu died?"

Akane flinched and looked away. "I..I guess so. We visited Ukyou 
afterward, she looked o.k. But, he was different. He said that Ukyou 
should be proud of what Konatsu had done." Akane turned to her sister. 
"How could he _say_ that? Didn't he hear her scream? Konatsu died in her 
arms! And she should be proud?" Akane turned away. "It's our fault he 
died, anyway. If I hadn't of talked Ranma into asking them to go with us, 
Konatsu wouldn't have died."

Kasumi put an arm around her sister. "If it wasn't for the four of you, it 
could have been far worse."

"I..I know," Akane sobbed, "but you should have heard Ukyou. I could
just feel the pain and sorrow in her scream. I don't ever want to experience 
that again." Akane wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "Well, now I don't 
have to worry about that."

"Akane, father says that Uncle Genma and Ranma are going on a training 
trip and will be back in one week. Why don't you enjoy this time without 
Ranma? No insults or fights for a week. Maybe my smiling sister will 
return after a few days?"

Akane smiled weakly and nodded.

Kasumi gave a quick hug and walked toward the door. "Sleep well tonight, 
tomorrow will be a great day." She smiled as she closed the door.

Akane smiled and laid down on the bed. "Just like a year ago. No iinazuke, 
just daddy, Kasumi, Nabiki and me."

===

*knock* *knock*

"Come in, Nabiki." Kasumi didn't turn around, but continued brushing
her hair.

"How did it go, oneechan?"

Kasumi turned and smiled. "She's quite upset, but nothing that we can't 
handle. Our plans may have been put on hold, but we can get them back 
together by the due date."

Nabiki sat on the bed. "What's she upset about?"

"She's mad at Ranma, Ukyou and herself."

"Nani?"

"She blames Ranma and herself for Konatsu's death, but that's not what is 
behind her anger at Ranma."

"It isn't? She's mad at Ukyou?"

Kasumi took a deep breath. "It seems that Akane is afraid of losing Ranma 
the way Ukyou lost Konatsu. I believe that she thinks if she loves Ranma, 
he'll die in her arms. So, she's pushing him away to prevent that possible 
pain."

Nabiki drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. "To think I 
envied her for being in love. What a waste, oneechan. I wish _I_ had that 
kind of problem."

Kasumi smiled at her sister. "What did you find out about father?"

Nabiki stood up and started pacing. "I'm pretty sure he's got some stupid 
plan on getting them married. He's feigning ignorance, but I bet uncle 
Genma is in on it." Nabiki stopped, a devilish grin on her face. "But this 
can be used to our advantage. I'll be able to figure it all out when uncle 
Genma returns." Nabiki paused and looked at her sister. "Do you think you 
can get the two of them back together?"

Kasumi didn't bat an eye or stopped smiling. "Do _you_ think you can
use father and uncle Genma's plan to our advantage?"

Nabiki laughed, "Touche', oneechan!"

"Goodnight, Nabiki. Tomorrow I'll be starting to get Akane to relax and 
we both are going to need a good night's sleep."

"Goodnight, oneechan." Nabiki closed the door behind her and headed
toward her room. She paused and looked down the hall at Akane's room.
"I wish I had someone that _I_ loved and they loved me like you've
got, little sister."

===

Akane jogged into the dojo, her afternoon run just completed.  She quickly 
changed out of her jogging attire and into her gi.  She continued her daily 
ritual by doing her stretching and then going through her kata. It was then 
that she noticed the cement blocks.

"That baka!" she thought. "Ran..." Akane stopped in mid yell. "Oh, yeah." 
She looked around, "Hmph, he's gotten these for me for so long, I don't 
remember where the blocks are or what to do with the broken ones."

Akane left the room and returned with a wheel barrow. She picked up the 
previous days blocks, put them in the wheel barrow, took the two new 
blocks and set them up. After a few stretches and her kata, she turned her 
focus on the cement blocks. "Hiyaaa!" she screamed as her fist broke 
through the blocks. "Ahhh, that felt good." She turned to walk away and 
noticed the wheel barrow. She put her hand to her chin, deep in thought. "I 
never thought of this before, but what did that hentai do with the broken 
blocks? I can't remember ever seeing them after our sparring matches. 
Hmmph, I can do it myself, I don't need his help." She loaded up the wheel 
barrow and made her way outside. 

Looking around, Akane's gaze came to the far corner of the yard. "That'll 
work. I can pile them up over there and ask daddy or Kasumi about what 
to do with them." She walked over to the where the walls met and dumped 
the broken blocks on the ground. She started to hum as she put the wheel 
barrow away and entered the dojo. "Yappa pa, yappa pa, hm hm hm."

===

*SPLASH*

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"SWEETO!"

===

Akane smiled at Kasumi.  "Arigatoo, oneechan!" Akane said as she picked 
up her bowl and began eating.  Her father was reading the paper, while 
Nabiki was looking over the business section.  They all quietly ate their 
breakfast and made small talk.

Akane looked around and thought, "It's been so long since we acted like a 
normal family.  Father looks so relaxed."

Nabiki looked up from her paper. "Akane, your shipment of cement blocks 
should be here today. Try not to use them up so fast this month."

"I'll try not to, oneechan. With that pest gone, I should only use two a day."

Nabiki rolled her eyes and stood. "I'm leaving for school now," she
announced and headed toward the door.

Akane also stood and started for her room.

"Akane!"  Kasumi called.

"Hai"  Akane replied as she returned with her school bag.

"Do you think Ranma has returned from his training trip, yet?" Kasumi
asked.

"Not yet," Akane replied, "I haven't seen him at school and it really
has been pretty peaceful there.  If you don't count Kuno-sempai." Akane 
smiled at her sister, "I'll see you after school."

Akane left and began her walk to school.  On the way, she absentmindedly 
looked at the fence.  "Baka." she said under her breath. "Things are so 
much better with him gone. No more insults, arguments, fights, friends 
dying." She shook her head. "Stop that! I won't let him upset me or make 
me sad, I don't need that hentai to make me feel good. With him out of my 
life, I can finally be happy."

She then smiled and twirled about and began walking with a bounce in her 
step.  Not skipping, but close.  Enjoying her freedom, she began to hum a 
happy tune. 

===

Ranma yawned and stretched, not too much or else he'd fall off the branch. 
He quietly grabbed his backpack and jumped out of the tree. "I better head 
for school, Hinako-sensei probably has a ton of homework for me when I 
get there."

Ranma winced as he again tried to stretch. "Some training trip. 50 crazed 
women beating on you is not training." Ranma made his way down the 
street and jumped on the nearby fence. "I wonder what Akane is doing. Is 
she still made at me? I don't know if I want to see her just yet. Besides, I've 
got a lot of catching up to do at school."

As Ranma approached the school, he noticed the time on the school clock. 
"Hey, I'm early for a change!" He looked around the school yard and then 
smiled as he entered the school. "I can get used to this!  There was no one 
waiting to fight me or to try and kill me." Ranma started climbing the steps 
to the next floor. "I better go see Hinako-sensei before classes start if I 
don't want my ki sucked." He hesitated as he reached for the door knob. 
"Akane used to help me with my homework, maybe Uc-chan will help me. 
I'll stop by after school and ask her." Ranma took a deep breath, opened 
the door and entered.

============================================

Thanks to:
Kun-chan for the encouragement
Sebastian Weinberg for the C&C
Raphael See for the comments

--
suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)
suds1964@tir.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/8222/
Reviews at http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/8222/reviews.html
"THIS time, we didn't forget the graaavy!" Cat & Mouse to Dog