In a quiet bedroom above a busy restaurant, a tiny man with
a bandanna tied under his nose was rooting happily through a
drawer. He was murmuring happily to himself, and didn't notice
the young woman who now stood in the doorway. "Panties, panties,
panties..." He frowned. "Where are the bras?"
"Shampoo no own bras." said an icy voice from the doorway, a
voice that caused the perverted master to turn towards it with
something approaching trepidation. After staring for a moment at
the beautiful figure back lighted dramatically in the entrance
and the scowl on the face of said figure, he realized that he was
in a bit of danger. Well, discretion was the better part of
valor.
"Ah my lovely Shampoo." he said, getting one last look at
her shapely curves, "I wish I could stay and play, but I must be
going now." He grabbed a handful of underwear and jumped out the
window.
The Amazon was not pleased. "Old pervert come back!!" she
screamed in fury before giving chase.
***
_I could get used to this._ Ranma thought as he and Nabiki
came around the final corner on their walk home. Her hand in his
felt wonderful and natural, and when she looked up and caught him
watching her, she blushed ever so slightly, and looked at the
ground with a surprisingly innocent smile on her face. Any more
happiness and he'd probably explode.
Reaching the dojo, they noticed the banner.
"CONGRATULATIONS RANMA AND NABIKI!"
"What is this?!" Ranma asked, slightly upset as he noticed
the number of people walking in and out of the house and around
the yard.
Nabiki smiled. He noticed that it was a very different
smile this time. It was much less innocent for one thing. "Oh,
didn't I tell you? Daddy arranged an engagement party for us."
***
_They're having a party?_ Pantsu Tarou thought idly as he
crouched once more in the shadow of a nearby tree. He was
getting quite bored standing there. He'd been waiting for
Happosai for almost a week now, and so far he hadn't seen a trace
of him. Maybe he'd moved out. He pulled his cloak tighter
around himself, (not because he was cold, but because it was a
dramatic sort of thing to do, even if no one could see it) and
continued to watch.
***
_Stupid party._ Thought Akane, as she helped Kasumi pass
out glasses of lemonade. _Stupid Ranma, stupid Nabiki._ She
glared at an innocent guest as he asked for a refill. _Stupid
Daddy, stupid engagement, stupid party._
All things considered, she was taking things rather well.
She looked over to where Ranma stood, with that embarrassed
look on his face, the one he used to wear whenever people would
talk about him and Akane. People were pressed tightly around him
offering congratulations, and teasing him about his upcoming
wedding.
_Well, I don't care._ She growled at another guest and
headed back to the kitchen for more ice. He could marry Nabiki
and Shampoo *and* Ukyou for all she cared. It wasn't as if she
*liked* him or anything. It wasn't as if she was in love with
him. It wasn't as if she'd miss the way he sometimes looked at
her, or the way he protected her even when she didn't need it, or
the jealous look that other girls would get in their eyes when
they saw her with him, or the way he sometimes told her that she
was cute when she smiled, or the little flutter that her heart
would give when he touched her hand, or-
"Aaargh!" she screamed. "RANMA YOU JERK!"
"Akane?" Kasumi asked sweetly, "Are you alright?"
"Uh.. Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some more ice."
"Oh. Alright." Kasumi's smile was sweet and vacant as
always. She went to the freezer and pulled out an ice cube tray.
As she worked, Akane suffered another wave of depression. One
silent sob almost got through. Fiercely choking it back, she
decided to get angrier. It had always worked before.
Then again, what had anger ever really gotten her.
Nabiki's laughter drifted merrily to her ears from somewhere
outside. _Stupid Nabiki._
But Nabiki wasn't stupid. Nabiki wasn't stupid at all, and
in the end, Nabiki's cleverness had gotten her what she must have
wanted all along. Nabiki had *tricked* her and had tricked
Ranma, and now Nabiki was marrying *HER* fiance. She had to have
been planning this from the beginning. She'd won too. _Well!_
Akane promised, a determined look coming over her, _Nabiki will
get hers._
***
"Old pervert come back!" Shampoo yelled for the eighteenth
time. Creative insults were never her strongest area.
Persistence, on the other hand, she excelled at. Happosai looked
over his shoulder, unable to believe that he hadn't shaken her
yet.
"I see that I need a distraction." he thought out loud.
"But what?"
His brow wrinkled in concentration (not that anyone could
have told the difference) as he thought.
"That's it!"
He smiled and changed directions. "Oh Ranma? Ranma my
boy?"
***
"Where on earth am I now?!?"
Ryoga looked at all the people around him. They were all
chattering and sipping glasses of lemonade as they walked
aimlessly around in someone's yard. And weren't those Furinkan
High School uniforms that some of them were wearing.
"Oh, hi Ryoga." said Ranma from the cluster of people
surrounding him. "Glad you could make it."
"Wha..?" he thought, still looking around in confusion.
What was Ranma doing here?
***
Akari Unryu was one of very few people who were genuinely
thrilled to hear about Ranma Saotome's upcoming wedding. She'd
run into a friend of hers who was one of Ranma's class mates on
their way to his engagement party. She hadn't planned to come at
first, but her friend had insisted that the invitation had been
an open one. It seemed that the bride's father was so excited to
finally be marrying off one of his three daughters, that anyone
was welcome in his home this day.
It would be nice to see Ranma again. He was such a nice
boy. She'd never be able to repay him for his help in meeting
Ryoga and getting to know him. She hoped that Ranma and his
future wife would be very happy together.
And maybe Ryoga would be at the party.
***
Ukyou shook her head as she led Mousse around another
lamppost. She wished again that he'd just let her go to the
Nekohanten and *ask* for his glasses, but he was insistent. It
was understandable, she supposed, considering the way that
Shampoo had treated him.
They'd spent most of the day talking. Mousse understood how
much it hurt to be rejected by the one you love. Even if Ranma's
rejection had been kinder than Shampoo's, it hadn't hurt any
less. Mousse was a good listener. She looked at him and smiled.
He was handsome too.
At first she'd wanted to hate Ranma. The old anger and
desire for revenge had come back. After hours of soul searching,
she had realized that she didn't really blame him. He had been
placed in a very uncomfortable position, and none of it was his
fault. She hoped that they could still be friends, and had
decided to stop by and talk to him personally.
Mousse had asked to come along. He was still stiff and
sore, and leading him around so carefully was slowing her down
quite a bit, but the truth was that she was glad for the company.
She wasn't sure if she could trust herself not to chicken out or
get upset again.
"Pardon me miss." He said politely as his arm brushed
against a telephone pole.
***
Akane's day was getting worse and worse.
How could Ranma be taking this so calmly? How could he
leave her like this? She wanted to make him pay. Her mind
whirled with schemes to hurt him, to cause him to feel pain like
she was feeling.
Scanning the yard, she noticed Ryoga standing next to the
pond. He looked pretty confused. That was nothing new. She
decided to go talk to him, the beginnings of an idea forming in
her mind.
***
_Almost there._ thought Happosai as he jumped to clear the
wall of the Tendo yard. He had just begun his upward arc when
something grabbed his collar.
"I have you now!" said a voice.
Dangling, the old man looked up into the face of his captor.
"Ah, Pantyhose, m'boy. How nice to see you again."
Tarou sneered. He gave his prisoner a little shake, almost
making him drop something laced and silky. "I'm quite glad to
see you too." He said sweetly. "Now you're going to start
suffering for the humiliation you've caused me."
Happosai looked back at the woman who was following him.
"Can't right now." He said nervously. "Perhaps later this
evening we can sit around and discuss old times."
"Be quiet. If you don't give me a new name right now, I'm
gonna-"
"Hiya! Shampoo catch you old pervert. Now you pay!"
Eyeing the Amazon distastefully, Tarou shook his head. "Get
in line, little girl. I have business with the old man."
Shampoo frowned. She wasn't going to be robbed of her prey
so easily. "Give old pervert to Shampoo." she said menacingly.
Tarou glowered "Hmph. He's busy. Run along now."
A low growling noise came from Shampoo's throat. "I teach
you lesson too then." she threatened.
Getting into a defensive pose, The Pantyhose Boy smiled
confidently. "Alright then." he said. "I accept your
challenge."
Happosai smiled at his good fortune as he squirmed free and
ran off unnoticed.
***
A lot can happen in twenty seconds.
In twenty seconds, a fight can be won or lost.
In twenty seconds, a new love can be formed and an old love
can crumble to dust.
In twenty seconds, you can pose for approximately eight
photographs.
In twenty seconds, the starry-eyed love dreams of a young
girl can turn into the bitter disappointment of a lonely woman.
In twenty seconds, you can make a life long friend, or an
eternal enemy.
In twenty seconds, it is possible to completely ruin some
poor sap's life.
In twenty seconds, new hope can be found that things will
turn out alright in the end for someone that you love and have
worried about.
In twenty seconds, you can lose consciousness due to massive
blood loss.
In short, twenty seconds can change the world.
***
Brush past someone else. Smile and nod, smile and nod. Try
to ignore Kuno as he went happily on and on about how Akane Tendo
and the pig-tailed-girl were now free to date with him. Smile
and nod.
All of this deviousness was new to Akane. Ordinarily, she'd
just scream a lot and break things. She was fighting that urge
now. She had to keep it up. She had to make them pay. She had
to get even.
Looking around again, her eye caught Ranma's as he and
Nabiki posed for those who had brought cameras. He frowned when
he saw her. _How dare he frown at me?_ Or was that worry. No,
of course not. Ranma didn't care about her feelings. He didn't
care if she lived or died.
Drawing herself up to her full height, she turned away from
her former fiance and continued to push through the crowd towards
Ryoga.
By the time she reached him, he had turned around and was
looking dazedly in the direction he had come from. He blinked at
the hole he'd made in the wall surrounding the yard. He'd known
that sooner or later he'd get in trouble for using the Baksai
Tenketsu so much to keep from getting turned around while
traveling, but had never dreamed, even in his worst nightmares
that that trouble would come in the form of an angry Akane Tendo
coming after him for vandalizing her home. Maybe he could get
away before she saw him. She'd never know that he was the one
who did it.
"Hello Ryoga!" Akane said sweetly.
Ryoga's body jerked violently around, and he looked at Akane
in fear. "I'm doomed." he whispered quietly to himself.
"It's so good to see you again. You haven't been around for
a couple of weeks now, have you?" The cheerfulness seemed
forced, even to Akane, but Ryoga didn't notice.
"H-h-h-hello Akane." he finally managed to stutter. "It's
g-good to see you again as w-well."
Akane's smile broadened until it almost hurt to look at it.
"I've missed you too Ryoga-kun." Then her lips turned down into
the tiniest of feminine pouts. "I hate it so when you're away."
"Y-you do?"
"Yes." She moved a little closer and touched his arm with
one idly stroking finger. Her voice lilted and teased. "A girl
always knows where she stands with you. You'd never play games
with a woman's heart. You're a *real* friend Ryoga. The kind of
man a girl can really count on." She looked down at the ground
and frowned a bit, making sure that he saw it before hiding her
mouth with a daintily curled hand.
Not quite sure exactly what was going on, but sure that it
was all Ranma's fault, Ryoga stared at Akane. She sighed
delicately. "Yes, I'm glad that you're back. Things have been
so lonely here without someone to talk to."
***
It couldn't have been called the battle of the century. It
wasn't even the most spectacular battle to take place that month
in the Nerima District of Tokyo, but the battle between Pantyhose
Tarou and the Amazon Shampoo was a turning point not just in
their own lives, but in the lives of a few of the other locals.
If not for this battle, for example, Ranma and Nabiki's
marriage would have been plagued by various love potions and the
occasional murder attempt. It was lucky for them that
circumstances combined to bring the two together in a fight.
At the moment, the dust from that fight was clearing and the
cloaked figure was looking down at his defeated rival with a
smirk on his delicate face.
"That'll teach you." he said to the still dizzy Shampoo.
Then he turned and ran off in the direction Happosai had gone.
Shampoo blinked. She stood slowly and brushed off her
clothes. She looked down the street and noticed Tarou's
retreating shadow. Grunting in frustration, she began to run
after him.
"Airen!" she shouted. "Airen!"
***
He had to endure it. No matter how much it embarrassed him,
no matter how deeply it made him blush, Ranma had to put up with
the attention and the good natured teasing about himself and
Nabiki. There just wasn't a way out this time. Besides, Nabiki
didn't seem to mind it, not the way Akane always had.
Akane.
He turned and saw that she was still with Ryoga. She was
trying hard to look like she hadn't a care in the world as she
pulled him gently toward the house. Ryoga just looked confused.
Still, it was good to see the two of them getting along so well.
Maybe if Ryoga played his cards right, there was a chance for he
and Akane after all. The thought made Ranma smile. Even after
all that Akane had done to him, he didn't want to see her alone.
The same thing went for Ryoga. When this was all over, he hoped
that the four of them could be friends.
They were heading towards the dining room.
Excusing himself from Nabiki (who smiled that secret smile
at him, the one that he was beginning to really love) and the
crowd of well wishers, he headed towards them.
***
Some people say that the beginning of romance means the end
of friendship. There are many cases where this is absolutely not
true, and in fact, most really strong romantic relationships are
really just deep friendships with an added dimension. It is true
in some cases, however.
***
Akane glanced back inconspicuously, just enough to make sure
that Ranma had seen them come this way. He was following them.
That was even better. She faced the house, not even trying to
hide the smirk on her face. She knew he wouldn't be able to
stand seeing her with another man. He was so predictable.
_He's jealous._ She thought smugly. She dragged Ryoga into
the house and turned to face him. She smiled fetchingly as she
held her free hand out to him. He took it slowly, a glazed look
in his eyes. Funny, she'd seen that look before. She wondered
what it meant.
They were alone in the dining room now. Timing was
critical. She had to act fast.
"I want to give you something." she whispered, wishing that
she'd spent more time developing feminine whiles'. She hoped
that it had come out sounding seductive.
"What is it?" Ryoga asked entranced.
_Hold on! Just a few more seconds!_ and then Ranma's form
appeared in the doorway from the porch. _Now!_
"This." she whispered, grabbing the base of his shirt, and
pulling his face down to hers.
Akane had never kissed a boy before. It wasn't at all what
she'd expected. She wasn't sure she was doing it right either.
Ryoga just seemed to be standing there stiffly. Had she been
wrong when she'd thought that he was kind of attracted to her?
Desperate for revenge on Ranma, she held on to the kiss for a few
more moments despite the slightly sick feeling in the pit of her
stomach, the sense that something was very very wrong. She
broke the kiss and tried to smile up at him, but her heart wasn't
in it. Then she glanced over at Ranma, getting ready to pretend
that she was surprised to see him there. She was gratified to
see a horrified look on his face until she realized that he
wasn't looking at her. He was looking towards the door across
from...
A high pitched woman's scream from that direction
interrupted that line of thought. Slowly, Akane turned toward
the sound.
_Oh no. Akari._
Akari's usual cheerful face was twisted into the embodiment
of shock, pain and betrayal. She stared at Akane and Ryoga
unable to do anything but scream. That one scream seemed to
stretch on forever, but inevitable, the young woman ran out of
breath, and the screaming gave way to silence. Two heartbeats
later, she turned and ran.
Ranma jumped past Akane and Ryoga who had a strange parody
of a smile on his face as he fell limply to the ground, a small
pool of crimson collecting on the carpet beneath his nose.
"Akari!" Ranma shouted, but she had already fled.
Akane looked around at Ranma's back in the doorway and at
Ryoga's prone body and wondered what had happened. This wasn't
what she'd planned at all.
***
"Airen! Airen!" yelled Shampoo as she ran past Ukyou and
nearly knocked Mousse over. She didn't even slow down.
"Hey!" shouted Ukyou, annoyed that that... that...
*Amazon*... had the gaul to be chasing after Ranchan *again*!
And on the day of his official engagement no less. It was
intolerable. And the way she'd treated Mousse... Someone should
really teach her a lesson in-
At that moment, Ranma had come out through the open gate and
looked down the street in both directions.
"Ra-Ranchan?"
He looked directly at her at last, and smiled cautiously.
"Hi Ucchan. Mousse. Did Akari come this way?"
"Akari? No. Shampoo just ran by though. I thought she was
chasing after you."
Ranma shook his head. "Haven't seen Shampoo in a couple of
days. Akari and Ryoga had a little... misunderstanding and I was
worried about her. You sure ya haven't seen'er?"
"Sorry." She sighed and tried to remember all the things
that she'd wanted to say to him. With a great effort, she lifted
her chin and looked him in the eye. "Ranma, we should talk."
***
"Who is it?" said Akane as she lay on her bed pretending to
study. The events of the last two days were going around and
around in her head. She was torn between shock over Ranma and
Nabiki, and guilt over what had happened with Ryoga and Akari.
They were such a cute couple. She hoped that they wouldn't
break up over this.
The worst thing was that Ranma had seemed more upset about
Akari than anything else. Didn't he care about her at all?
She'd thought once that he did.
The whole thing was just a great big mess.
For hours now, strange thoughts had been coming into her
head. Unfamiliar painful thoughts that told her that she
shouldn't be so surprised. That she never did anything to tell
him that she wanted him to stay, to protect her, to love her, so
why did she believe that he would know how she felt. Strange how
quickly she'd stopped denying how much she *did* want those
things when the voices started. Memories had flooded through
her. Moments they'd spent together. Violent, unhappy memories
that pointed accusing fingers at her, soft, peaceful, happy
memories that always seemed to end in disaster. Most of all, she
thought of all the times when she could have told him, when she'd
wanted to tell him, but the words wouldn't come. _Did you really
need words?_ some part of her asked in a nasty voice. _Couldn't
you have *shown* him. Couldn't you have made him understand.
No. You couldn't. And now it really is too late._
"It's Ukyou. Can I come in?"
Akane's heart sank. She'd thought for a moment that Ranma
had finally come to make up with her. She was still waiting for
him to say that it was all just a scam, that he was paying Nabiki
to play along so that he could get her angry or jealous or
something. What was Ukyou doing here anyway?
"Come in."
Akane hardly recognized the Ukyou that walked through her
door. The cheerful but defiant career girl that she'd come to
love and hate over the last few months looked strangely tired.
Her usual bubbliness seemed strained, but she smiled at her
former rival with a warm, empathetic expression.
"You look like you could use a friend." she said, closing
the door behind her.
Akane smirked. "So do you." she said, humorlessly.
"True." As Ukyou got closer, Akane noticed something else.
Ukyou didn't just look tired, she looked defeated. Something was
tearing her apart inside.
And then the realization struck. In all the confusion,
she'd forgotten to consider what all of this might do to Ukyou.
Of all the people who chased after Ranma one way or the other,
Ukyou seemed like the most genuine. She had plenty of reasons to
hate him, and yet she loved him. She saw ... something in him
that, for her at least, made up for all the arrogance, the
insults, the thoughtlessness. Ukyou was the one person that had
the most to lose by loving Ranma. She'd never made a secret of
her feelings which made this final rejection nothing short of a
public humiliation.
Akane's last hope that this was all just a hoax went out the
window. Ranma had broken up with Ukyou. He'd gone to her and
officially ended their engagement. He'd never have done that as
part of a scheme. He really cared about her and wouldn't have
wanted to hurt her like this just to play one of his perverted
games. Ranma was serious about this engagement to Nabiki. Akane
looked away from Ukyou's eyes. She couldn't deal with any one
else's pain right now. She could barely deal with her own.
Sighing, Ukyou sat on the bed. "It's not fair, is it?"
A sound that suspiciously resembled a whimper came from
Akane's throat. Then again, it could have been the wind against
the window glass.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?"
Akane looked down at her text book again. Funny, she didn't
remember the print being so blurry. "No."
"Akane, I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth,
but somehow, I don't believe it." She leaned a little closer,
studying her, the tremor in her hand, the slump of her shoulder.
"I do know that it helps to talk to someone about it. If you
don't want me to be that someone, I understand, but I hope that
you'll find somebody."
Akane felt the mattress shift as Ukyou got up to leave.
"Call me if you change your mind."
Before she could stand, Akane's hand grabbed her wrist
tightly. The break in momentum brought her back onto the bed,
and then Akane was hugging her tightly and sobbing.
***
Somehow, he'd come to the ocean. The gentle waves lapped
over the tips of his shoes.
It had been a week since Ryoga had walked out of the Tendo
home needing some fresh air to clear his mind, and he hadn't been
able to find his way back.
He remembered the kiss. Even now, the thought of it filled
his eyes with tears. Akane *did* love him. They'd be so very
happy together once he found her again. That is, if she didn't
think that he'd run off because he didn't want her. The joy
threatened to ebb a bit, but he stubbornly refueled it. Akane
would understand. She was the one person who would always
understand him.
He shouted an oath to the sky. "Akane, I *will* find you
even if it's the last thing I do!" Then he turned and walked
back the way he had come.
***
Ukyou watched Mousse as he cleaned the last table. It was
the end of another long working day, and they were both ready for
a break.
Watching him made her smile. Who'd've thought the kid was
such a perfectionist. He meticulously scrubbed each tabletop as
if he were expecting the emperor himself to come in and check the
place out. She supposed that it came from working for Cologne.
She probably demanded nothing less.
Speaking of the old Ghoul, it was weird how she had taken
Ranma's marriage so calmly. No poisoning attempts or violence.
She and Shampoo had just disappeared suddenly. They'd closed
their restaurant and departed for China without a word to anyone.
It was too bad about Mousse's glasses. Maybe she'd get him
a new pair as a bonus. He was a good worker and she was really
glad to have his help, especially now that the Nekohanten was
closed and much of its business was now hers. He deserved a nice
surprise, and it would probably keep him from running into things
so much while waiting tables.
Besides, he'd always looked so darned cute in his glasses.
Ukyou smiled slightly. Heck. He was cute no matter what.
More importantly, though, he was her friend. He listened to
her and respected her, and that was what really mattered. The
last week had been the hardest of her life, but he had been there
the whole time supporting and helping her in her sorrow. Once or
twice she'd caught him looking at her (or at least in her general
direction) with a soft pleasant smile on his face, but that was
all. The pain of love lost was still too fresh for both of them.
Maybe someday they'd be more than friends. For now it was
enough. She was content.
He'd finished the last table and was looking around trying
to find her. She decided to help him out.
"Hey Mousse! You wanna go see a movie? My treat."
"Yes, I'd like that." He frowned a little. "As long as you
don't mind telling me what happens on the screen."
Her soft laughter filled the restaurant. His joined it soon
after.
***
The forest of Ryoganzawa was as beautiful as she had
remembered. The young girl looked around and tried to smile,
memories of her vacation here with her grandfather many years ago
washed over her. The smile faded. _I miss you Grandfather.
I'm so sorry that I let you down_.
She sighed, then called to her pet. "KATSUNNISHIKI! DON'T
GO TOO FAR!" She heard her prize pig snort a happy reply. He,
at least was enjoying this trip. At nearly 2,000 kg and a height
of 2.5 meters, he was hard to miss as he charged through the
vegetation. Watching him took away the pain... for a moment...
and then the image came into her mind again. The man she loved,
and had hoped to marry with another woman in his arms. Over and
over in her mind she saw his head move towards Akane's, watched
their lips meet. She shook her head to drive out the image as
the despair washed over her again. _Oh Ryoga, how could you do
it? Why didn't you tell me._
Akari walked deeper into the forest, wallowing in unhappy
memories. She had dared to hope that her loneliness had come to
an end. Now here she was, orphaned, and abandoned. Alone.
She was brought out of her mental prison by a sound in the
distance. Charging hooves and Katsunnishiki's squeal of
challenge. He had found an opponent. Akari ran towards the
sound, her brown and pink hair flowing behind her. If he were
fighting one of the forest animals, he could get hurt. Berating
herself for her inattention, she crashed through the underbrush
until she could see the huge black pig. He lay on the ground,
knocked unconscious. His opponent stood nearby.
Looking up, Akari saw the young man from behind. He was
very tall, with soft brow hair tied up in a stub of a ponytail.
He wore black trousers and a dark blue gi top with a white kanji
in a circle on it's back. The broom that he held in one hand
like a bo was old and scarred, as if it had seen many battles
over many years. He turned.
A strangled sound came from Akari's throat when she saw his
profile. Strong cheekbones and large dark eyes gave him a beauty
that was almost painful to look at. He was the most handsome man
that she had ever seen. Even more handsome than...
The noise brought her to his attention. He looked at her.
"Who are you? You shouldn't be here. It's very dangero..." The
words died on his tongue as he saw how she was looking at him.
He swallowed hard. "Are you alright miss?"
"You... You defeated Katsunnishiki!" she stuttered.
Shocked and thrilled at the same time. _He must be very strong.
I wonder if he has a girlfriend?_
The youth looked surprised, then sheepish. "Is this your
pig?" A nod from the girl. "I'm sorry. I thought he was one of
the forest animals." He mistook her expression for one of
sadness, and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry. He'll be fine
in a moment." Smiling shyly, he bowed. "My name is Shinnosuke.
I'm sorry about your pet, but I've never seen such a large pig
before. Are you sure he's not from around here."
Akari bit her bottom lip happily. "Quite sure." A sudden
shyness made her look down and play with the dirt with the toe of
one shiny white leather dress shoe. "Our family breeds pigs.
Katsunnishiki is our best."
Shinnosuke frowned. "I didn't know."
"Oh! Don't worry. He's trained to fight. It's not often
that he's beaten by a human. You must be a strong fighter." She
looked up from her shoes and smiled fetchingly.
"Uh... well, um."
Her smile broadened. He was so cute. "My name is Akari."
He looked at her more closely then. "A...ka...ri?"
"Yes."
His head shook. "There was a girl here. A-ka..." No use.
The memory was gone. But there had been a girl. A very special
one. He was sure of it. Could this be her? Had she come back?
"Have you been here before?"
"Yes. I came here once with my grandfather."
He shook his head again. "There was a grandfather I think."
The memories slipped away again. _Whose grandfather? Hers?_ He
smiled. It must be her. "And now you've come back!"
"Yes." Akari was puzzled, but pleased that he was warming
up. He seemed sweet. Perhaps he was the husband she was looking
for. He was strong and kind, surely grandfather would have
approved.
Walking up to her, Shinnosuke stood very close. "Will you
cook dinner for me, A-ka-ri?"
Akari looked at Katsunnishiki once again. He looked dazed,
but he would be back on his feet soon. She shook her head at him
happily then looked deeply into the beautiful eyes before her.
"Of course." she whispered. "Whenever you want."
***
In all of Cologne's years, the beauty of the sea had never
failed to amaze her. It was a humbling feeling to be surrounded
by ocean further than you can see in any direction, the tiny ship
rising and falling with the waves.
The metaphor seemed apt for the situation she had found
herself in, riding the waters at the mercy of sun and storm,
helpless against the forces of change that she'd felt that day in
the kitchen. It seemed like years ago.
It was a shame really. Ranma would have made a fine Amazon
husband.
After they'd broken him of that stubbornness and trained him
in the proper subservience befitting a man in a matriarchal
society, that is.
Still, Tarou had beaten Shampoo fair and square. And in a
formal battle no less. He was strong, and skilled. He didn't
have Ranma's creativity in tactics, but great-granddaughter could
have done much worse. They'd be married as soon as they caught
up with him and convinced him that he must abide by the law.
It was a good thing he'd convinced Happosai to change his
name. It just wouldn't do to have a "Pantyhose" in the family.
***
"Hmm... What was that?" Nabiki mumbled sleepily, stirring
against Ranma's shoulder.
"Shh. It was just some turbulence. Go back to sleep."
Nabiki nodded, not really hearing the words, but put at ease
by the sound of his voice and the feeling of her head resting
against his wonderfully solid chest and of his arm around her.
She murmured something too soft for him to understand, and then
she was asleep again.
The wedding had been surprisingly uneventful. Then again,
he remembered looking into her eyes as she'd promised to be a
good wife. He wasn't sure what else had been going on around
him. He probably wouldn't have noticed if Ryoga or Kuno or
*Godzilla* had tried to cause a disturbance. Ranma smiled down
at his new bride as the plane made its way towards Hawaii. He
hadn't really thought much about a honeymoon, but Nabiki had
insisted. She hadn't told him yet how they were going to pay for
it, but he had to admit that it was a very good idea. Things
could get pretty insane in Tokyo, and while he didn't mind a
little excitement now and then, he realized that it was really no
way to start a marriage.
Besides, this would spare Nabiki the pain of having to meet
the girl who was coming for him while they were away. Ranma and
his father had had a little "discussion" on the matter and after
much "persuasion" Mr. Saotome had admitted responsibility for the
situation and had agreed to take care of it by himself. Ranma
hoped that this time, he'd keep that promise. Of course, he
wasn't counting on it. Still, he had behaved himself during the
wedding. It had been remarkably eventful.
He frowned slightly, then decided that he wouldn't let it
worry him. He had just gotten married to the most wonderful girl
he'd ever known, and they were going on a trip together. Nothing
else was so important that it couldn't wait until they got back.
For now, he would focus on that lovely happy glow that he felt
whenever he thought about Nabiki.
And those other wonderful feelings he felt whenever she
touched him. He'd probably spend some time focusing on those as
well.
Quite a bit of time in fact, if she was agreeable.
From the way she clung to him now even in her sleep, he
suspected that she wouldn't object.
It was funny. All these years, he'd cursed the pain, the
confusion and the chaos of his life, but now, out of that same
pain and chaos had come this... relationship, this revelation,
this marriage. Somehow, that made it all worth it. He couldn't
find it in himself to hate or resent the hectic way he had been
brought up, or the numerous enemies/fiancé s/curses that had
become such an integral part of his identity. It could go on for
the rest of his life, and he wouldn't complain, as long as he had
Nabiki to help him through it. Even if she was the only good
thing that ever happened to him, it was enough.
_When did I become so philosophical?_ he mused as he gave
her another soft squeeze. He looked out the window of the
airplane and was amazed once again by how bright the stars looked
from so far above the Pacific Ocean. He sighed, then put that
thought out of his head along with all the others. Nothing would
spoil the peace of the next few weeks. Closing his eyes, he went
to sleep.
Three rows behind him, an angry looking man watched with
glaring eyes. _Finally I've found you Ranma Saotome._ The short
blonde man gloated silently. _And now after all these years,
you'll pay for humiliating me._ He chuckled quietly to himself as
the plane sped through the night.
---------------------
Fin.
Thanks to my little bro, who's my best critic, and to Andrew Huang for
putting up with my 8 month production schedule. Please send any comments to
me at 1thatcmi@mystic.slcc.edu or at ourself@hotmail.com . Thanks for
reading this.
.\\ishamouse~ www.geocities.com/tokyo/4022
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Second Student Tendo Kasumi School of Philosophy
"That was Zen; this is Tao."
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