Ranma « is owned by Rumiko
Takahashi
This is a sequel Love and Marriage: The More
Dangerous Path
The Chosen
Path
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By: Anand
Rao
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a proud Colliding
Symphonies
Production
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Chapter 1: The
First Step
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Ukyou slumped down in the booth and
sighed. She glanced around the restaurant, gaining a new
perspective. In the six years that she had run Ucchan's, she had rarely
sat at one of the tables just to relax and think. Sometimes her customers
would carry their problems into Ucchan's, just like she had at the moment.
She hoped that a nicely cooked meal would put some cheer into their lives.
Unfortunately, there was no one around to cheer
her up.
She looked at the unopened bottle of champagne
that was standing on the table in front of her. (Why do I feel this way?)
she thought, trying to stare through the bottle to the empty seat across from
her. (I'm over him now. I really am,) she thought with conviction.
"Right. If that's true, why am I sitting here by myself in the
dark?" she asked out loud.
A loud knock on the door interrupted her
thoughts. "Can't you read? We're closed!" she snapped, a
bit irritated. The knocking continued and Ukyou got up and stalked to the
front door. "Look you jackass, I -said- that we're closed!"
Ukyou yelled sharply as she opened the door. Her anger fled and her face
softened as she looked at her guest. "Hello Ryoga," she said
quietly.
The lost boy was wearing a pair of black slacks
and a white dress shirt. He had a wrinkled sports coat in one arm, and a
bottle of champagne in the other. "When you left the reception, I, uh,
figured you could use a friend," Ryoga said.
"Isn't there someone -else- you should be
comforting?" Ukyou asked, a small smile twisting on her face.
"I'm saving the hard part for last,"
Ryoga replied with a rueful grin. Ukyou backed away from the door and
turned on the lights.
"Come on in, sugar. I think we had
the same thing in mind," Ukyou replied, pointing the bottle on the
table.
Ryoga nodded in reply and sat down at the
booth. He placed his bottle next to the one on the table, noticing that
they were identical. "Looks like I'm not the only one who 'borrowed'
something from the reception," he observed.
"Like I said, we were thinking alike,"
Ukyou replied, sitting down across from Ryoga.
"Under the circumstances, we don't really
need glasses, do we?" Ryoga asked.
"No, I don't think we do." Ukyou
sighed.
"So, how are you holding up?" Ryoga
asked gently.
"Oh, I'm fine. More than fine,
really. The wedding just. . . brought a lot of feelings up, ya know?
No one truly gets over Ranma Saotome," Ukyou replied.
"Tell me about it," Ryoga said
darkly.
"I'm sorry, Ryoga. I forgot about
that. How is Akane anyway?"
"Moody, confused, depressed, angry, happy.
. . I dunno. She's happy for them and she's forgiven them, I think.
But, she's been really distant these past few weeks, and it got worse as the
wedding got closer. She's says she's over him, but-" Ryoga trailed
off.
"I know. Believe me, I know.
She keeps thinking about what might have been. I've been doing the same thing
lately," Ukyou said.
"I guess. I just don't know what to
do about it!" Ryoga replied in frustration.
"Just give her time, Ryoga. Four
years ago, I don't think -any- us expected things to end up like this,"
Ukyou replied.
"Yeah, you're right about that! I
remember, I was on my to Akari's house and. . ."
*******************************************
"I yearn for thee, fair maiden. Be
mine!"
"Hey Babe, wanna get
hitched?"
"I believe a merger of our long term assets
would be quite beneficial."
"That's it, I've had it!" Ryoga fumed,
slamming the book shut. He glared at the cover angrily. Written in
bright red colors was the title, '101 Simple Marriage Proposals'. He
tossed the book over his shoulder and sighed, kicking up more dust in the road
as he walked. (How am I going to do this?) he thought, looking over the
country horizon.
"Akari, I want you to be my
wife!" Ryoga proclaimed, fingering a small jewelry box in his
hand. "No, that's not right. Akari, I want to be your
husband!" Ryoga said grandly, bowing to an imagined form of his one true
love. "No, no, that's not right, either!" Ryoga
muttered. He took a deep breath and got down on one knee.
"Akari, will you marry me?" he asked out loud.
A large stupid smile grew on his face as he
laughed loudly. "Perfect!" he shouted, dusting his knee off.
"That's exactly the way to do it! Now, all I have to do is find
her," Ryoga sighed, hoping that it would not take him too long to find
Akari's farm.
********************************************
"I can't believe you're doing this,
Sis," Nabiki said.
"I know that it will be. . . difficult for
people to accept, but we love each other," Kasumi pointed out.
Nabiki rubbed her eyes and shook her head in
disbelief. "This is what I get for going away for college. I never
would have seen this coming. I mean, when they broke up last week, I
thought it was just another one of Akane's rages. I never expected
something like this," Nabiki asked.
"Akane and I have already talked about it,
Nabiki. If Ranma still loved her, I wouldn't have said anything, but he
doesn't. They simply grew apart," Kasumi replied.
"Right. And has he 'grown apart' from
the all the other women who are after him?" Nabiki asked
dryly.
"We still need to discuss that,"
Kasumi replied, smiling faintly.
"Of course," Nabiki said
sarcastically. (I think I'll come home more often on the weekends now.
Ranma, if you think I'll let you drag Kasumi through your spineless emotional
tsunamis, guess again!) she thought.
"Nabiki? Are you going to be okay
with this?" Kasumi asked in concern.
"Huh? Oh, sure Sis, I'll be just
fine," Nabiki replied.
"You're not. . . going to 'do' anything to
Ranma, are you?" Kasumi asked, still concerned.
" 'Do anything?' " Nabiki asked
innocently. "Don't worry, -I- won't do anything to Ranma," she
continued. (I think there are a few others who can take care of that,) she
thought quietly.
**********************************************
"Look, I know you all want an explanation
for what's going on, so I'm gonna tell ya. But, not until ya promise me
that you won't say anything until I finish, okay?" Ranma said.
"Very well, Ranma. Explain to us, how
after three years of being engaged, you and my baby girl discovered that 'you
were not right for each other'," Soun growled.
Ranma, Soun, Genma, and Nodoka were seated
around the dining table in the Tendo home. "I- I used to love
Akane. I loved her a lot. I was willing to die for her, hell, I was
willing to -kill- for her! But somewhere along the way, that loved faded
and. . . and finally it disappeared," Ranma explained.
"Disappeared? Disappeared. . . just like
that," Soun said flatly, "Ranma, you- you. . ," he trailed
off, visibly slumping.
"You're so willing to toss away our clans'
honor? I'm. . . disappointed, my son," Nodoka said
coldly.
"Who said anything about 'tossin' away
honor'?" Ranma demanded.
"Ranma," Genma began tiredly,
"Soun and I agreed that our clans would be united, but you know that.
You and Akane must get married, this is not open to
discussion."
"A true man among men would not forsake his
family's honor," Nodoka chimed in.
"Dammit, I don't -love- Akane, I love
Kasumi!" Ranma exclaimed suddenly. His face was flushed and his
breathing slightly ragged. (Damn, I didn't wanna tell them like
that!) The three parents stared blankly at him for a few moments,
comprehension slow in coming.
"You. . ," sputtered
Genma.
"Love. . ." uttered
Nodoka.
"Ka- Kasumi?" stuttered
Soun.
"Ah. . . well, yeah," Ranma replied
lamely.
"When- when did this happen?" Soun
asked.
"A while back, I think, but we just
admitted it a few days ago," Ranma replied.
"You said, 'we'. So, can I assume
that Kasumi feels the same way?" Nodoka asked suddenly, leaning
forward.
"Yeah, she does. Look, neither one of
us wanted to hurt Akane, but this just sorta happened," Ranma
explained
"Well, that's different, then. You
and Kasumi will get married; just as soon as you graduate from high
school," Nodoka said happily.
"B-But that's th-three months away!"
Ranma protested.
"I suppose it is a bit too long to
wait. We can hold the wedding next weekend if you like," Nodoka
suggested.
"No! I meant that three months is too
soon! Please, at least give Kasumi an' me a chance to really get to know
each other," Ranma requested.
"I think not, Ranma. I'm too old to
be going through this emotional roller coaster that is your life. You will
marry Kasumi when you graduate, or you will no longer be welcome in this
house," Soun declared.
"But- I mean, we haven't even-" Ranma
sputtered.
"I have to agree with Tendo-san, my
son. You will uphold your family's honor. You will marry Kasumi when
you graduate; that is final," Nodoka said, ending the discussion, placing
her hand on the table.
**********************************************
Several weeks after deciding on a proper
proposal, Ryoga found himself standing in front of the Tendo Dojo.
"Well, maybe Akane can help me find her," he thought hopefully as he
knocked on the front door. After a few moments, the door opened, and
Nodoka greeted him.
"Ryoga-kun! It's been months since
we've seen you! How have you been?" Nodoka asked
pleasantly.
"I have been well, Saotome-san," Ryoga
replied politely.
"Good. And how about
Akari-chan?" Nodoka asked.
"She was well the last time I saw
her. It's been a few weeks," Ryoga replied sheepishly. Nodoka
nodded understandingly and bade him to enter. Although most of the people
who knew Ryoga accepted the fact that he was geographically challenged, it still
embarrassed him when he got lost. Akari accepted it as well, and had chosen an
interesting method of easing his embarrassment. The longer Ryoga remained
lost, the more passionately she would greet him when he returned. The last
time he had been gone for a week, and Akari had gifted him with a rather lengthy
kiss upon his return. Suffice it to say, Ryoga was rather eager to get
back to her.
Ryoga walked into the living room and
glanced at the dining table. It was apparent that they had just finished
lunch as Kasumi and Ranma gathered up the dishes and took them to the
kitchen. Ryoga shook his head in disbelief. He had still not gotten
used to Ranma actually doing work, and housework at that! He turned
towards Nabiki, who was sitting on the sofa, flipping through what seemed to be
a ledger. "Is Akane home?" he asked.
"She's up in her room, Ryoga," Nabiki
replied, not looking up from the ledger.
"You- you're not going to charge me?"
Ryoga asked in surprise.
"No. She needs a friend right
now," Nabiki replied quietly, looking up at Ryoga.
Ryoga glanced once more towards the kitchen then
turned towards the stairway. "I see," he replied, walking up the
stairs. (They must have gotten into a fight again,) Ryoga thought,
frowning as he continued up the stairs. (Ranma, you idiot! Things
were getting peacefully between you two, what did you do this time?) Ryoga
had long since given up on Akane, ever since her botched wedding attempt with
Ranma two years ago. Yet, she was his first love, and would always hold a
special place in his heart. He hated it when Ranma hurt her. He
paused as he stood outside her door, Nabiki's reaction finally registering fully
in his mind. (Wait a minute! This must be serious if -she's- not
charging me anything. . .) His mind full of concern, Ryoga knocked softly
on the door in front of him.
*********************************************************
"Have you thought of anything yet?"
Ranma asked, waiting for Kasumi to hand him a washed dish.
"No, I haven't. Our parents are set
on our getting married, I'm not sure that there is anything that we can
do. I don't really feel comfortable going against their wishes,
Ranma," Kasumi replied.
"I see," Ranma sighed.
"Ranma, would- would it really be so
bad? I mean, marrying me this soon. You did want to get married
eventually, right?" Kasumi asked in a small voice.
"Of course! But I want it to be
something we both want to do. I want to do it in our own time. I- I
want time to date you, and get to know you, and. . . and get to know
myself. I made too many mistakes with Akane, I don't wanna repeat them
with you," Ranma replied.
"I understand, Ranma. I just. . .
can't help thinking that this is a dream, and when I wake up, you'll be off
somewhere fighting for Akane, protecting her and as you always have, while I sit
here, alone, thinking about what might have been," Kasumi
said.
"This is no dream, Kasumi. I love
you, and I -will- marry you, but not until were both ready. When we feel
that it's right. Even if your father kicks me outta the house, I don't
care. I won't let anyone force anything on us," Ranma stated
fiercely.
"Oh, Ranma. What are we going to
do?" Kasumi asked.
"I- I don't know," Ranma
admitted.
"I guess we just have to take things one
day at a time," Kasumi decided.
"At least one of us can keep from freakin'
out through all this," Ranma said wryly.
"Just try to relax, Ranma. Things
will take care of themselves," Kasumi advised, handing Ranma another wet
dish. The two stood in companionable silence for several minutes as they
continued to clean.
"What's that you're humming? I kinda
recognize the tune," Ranma commented as he finished drying another
dish.
"I hope you recognize it! We sang
this song at our Christmas last year," Kasumi replied, handing Ranma a wet
bowl.
"Oh yeah," Ranma said, taking the bowl
from her hand.
"Honestly, your memory is terrible!"
Kasumi chided with a shake of her head.
"Hey! It was a whole year ago!"
Ranma protested, with a mockingly injured look. Kasumi giggled in response
and handed him a large serving dish.
It had been almost a week since the two had
proclaimed their love to each other, and things had more or less settled back to
normal. They continued to do chores together, talk, and try to figure out
what Ranma would do about college. Yet, there were times, at least once a
day, when their eyes would connect, and a burst of love would fill them
both. The intoxicating emotions would leave them nearly incapacitated, and
they stopped talking, opting for more passionate displays of affection.
Ranma looked forward to such moments eagerly,
but with nervous trepidation as well. It was like being the victim of a
surprise attack; he never knew when the emotional surge would occur.
"Do you remember the day you first
arrived here?" Kasumi asked, enjoying their little game.
"Hey, that was -two- years ago!" Ranma
replied.
"What about your father's
birthday?"
"We never really celebrated Pop's
birthday," Ranma protested.
"Oh? Then how about your mother's
birthday? We -did- have a party for her last year, remember?" Kasumi
challenged.
"Uh. . . it was. . . uh," Ranma
replied lamely.
"What about -my- birthday?" Kasumi
asked, smiling sweetly.
(Uh oh. Man, I'm in for it now!)
Ranma thought, frantically trying to remember the party they had held for Kasumi
the pervious year.
"You don't remember, do you?" she
accused.
"Uh. . ."
"Oh Ranma, do you even remember the day you
told me that you loved me?" Kasumi asked plaintively. Ranma blushed
deeply as he looked down at the dish in his hand.
"Yeah. I remember. It was last
week," he replied softly.
"The day, Ranma, the day!" Kasumi
demanded playfully, rolling her eyes.
"Uh. . . was it Monday?" Ranma asked,
hazarding a guess.
Kasumi laughed as she put her cold, wet hands
around Ranma's neck. Ranma looked down at her face and smiled
sheepishly. "I guess I'll have to remember all the important things
once we get married," Kasumi said softly as she leaned towards Ranma.
(Here we go,) Ranma thought, quivering slightly
as he leaned his head towards Kasumi. His arms snaked around her waist as
their lips met. As always, the kiss was sweet, and all of Ranma's defenses
were lowered. He idly wondered what would happen if someone had attacked
him just then. (I probably wouldn't even notice,) he thought wryly, slowly
pulling away from Kasumi.
"As long as you don't forget how to do
that," Kasumi said, breathing heavily as she put her head on Ranma's
shoulder.
"Are you finished with the dishes
already?" Nodoka asked, standing just outside the kitchen.
Ranma and Kasumi automatically parted, blushing slightly at an amused
Nodoka. "It'll take everyone some time to get used to this, but don't
worry. After a while, such things won't cause you embarrassment,"
Nodoka assured the couple.
"Was there, uh, something you wanted,
Mom?" Ranma asked uncomfortably.
"I just wanted to let you know that Ryoga
is here," Nodoka replied.
"Where is he?" Ranma asked
warily.
"He's up in Akane's room," Nodoka said
levelly.
"Okay, let him know that I'll be waitin'
for him in the Dojo," Ranma sighed.
"Ranma! You really shouldn't spar so
soon after a meal!" Kasumi exclaimed.
"Spar?" Ranma asked
incredulously, "Don't worry. I really doubt that we're gonna
'spar'," Ranma spat as he stalked out of the kitchen.
*********************************************************
"Kasumi?" Ryoga asked in utter
shock. Akane mutely nodded as she stared out her bedroom window.
"But- but, th-that doesn't make any sense! The two of you-"
"He doesn't love me, Ryoga," Akane
replied miserably.
"Of course he loves you! Akane, he
nearly -killed- for you! He must be under some kind of spell or
something!" Ryoga argued vehemently.
"I tried to convince myself of that
too," Akane admitted, "But it's not true. Ra- Ranma and Kasumi
have gotten really close over the past two years, while I drifted apart from
him. The two of them actually talked! Ranma and I, well, we never
really did that. I guess this I took things for granted, a
little."
"Don't you -dare- take the blame for
this! He's treated you like dirt the whole time you've been engaged, never
admitting how he felt, always leading on other women! You- you love him,
and he treats you like this? " Ryoga raged.
"Ryoga, please, calm down. There's
nothing I can do about it. I- I'm hurt, but I still love them; the both of
them, and. . . I want them to be happy. Maybe Ranma can avoid the same
mistakes he made with me, and I -know- oneechan won't be making the same
mistakes I did!" Akane replied.
"Maybe there's nothing -you- can do.
But there -is- something I can do!" Ryoga growled, stalking out of Akane's
bedroom before she could stop him. (That insensitive bastard! I'll
beat some sense into him! Even if it kills him!) Ryoga thought, running
downstairs. He reached the living room to find Nabiki
still on the
sofa. He glanced about the room, then suddenly bolted towards the
kitchen. "Where's Ranma?" He demanded, glaring at Kasumi and
Nodoka, who had finished washing the dishes.
Nodoka and Kasumi glanced at each other
uneasily. "He's in the dojo, Ryoga-kun," Kasumi
replied.
"I know you care for Akane, but please,
don't interfere in this. They need to work things out for
themselves," Nodoka pleaded.
"In the dojo. Right. Thank
you," he replied, quickly exiting the kitchen.
"Oh dear," Nodoka sighed, placing her
hand on her cheek.
"I hope they'll be all right," Kasumi
said, doing the same.
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mild editing by CSY staff:
TJ
Missy
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