I'm a little reluctant to put this part out. Originally it was moody
and had a disgustingly WAFFy ending. Kinda understandable, given the
subject matter, but I was trying for humor. :/ So it's been written
and rewritten. I hope it's still internally consistent, and at least
a little beliveable. I've looked at it too much to be able to tell
anymore.
Man, I shouldn't have finished this watching the X-Files...
In other news, I've only written one scene from part 12, so I've got
very little idea how long it'll be before it comes out. Probably two
weeks to a month (the average rate I've put stuff out when I haven't
been attending conventions).
In the meantime, here's our feature presentation.
Read carefully. It's kind of... busy, and you might get lost. ;)
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Ranma 1/2 "The Nature of the Curse"
Hard Battle Story by Douglas MacDougall
------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted 18 Apr 1999.
The latest parts and revisions of this story are available at:
http://www.thecia.net/~dougmacd/fanworks/
Ranma 1/2 (c) Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan * Kitty Film * Fuji TV.
Exclusively licensed throughout the United States and Canada by Viz
Communications, Inc. This fan fiction is for private home use only;
it may be freely redistributed, but not altered or used for profit.
Not Rated. Parental Guidance Suggested.
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Part 11 Don't You Know? It's Love!
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The first sign of danger was the blissful smile on Akane's face. A blank
smile like that had no business on his fiancee. The second sign was the
bucket of water she was carrying. Or rather, it WOULD have been the second
sign, if his brain hadn't decided to ignore it. Stupid brain.
And so, Ranma didn't attempt to dodge, duck, or block the bucket of water
that Akane had thrown at him.
And Ryoga.
Uh oh.
Where once there had been two boys, there was now a dripping wet girl and
a completely dry boy huddled behind her. Ranma shot Ryoga a displeased look.
She wasn't particularly happy about being used as a shield, or that Ryoga had
managed to find cover while she hadn't.
Akane's smile was now replaced with a look of determination. "Is it true?
Are you really...?" She started to circle the pair, still carrying the
bucket.
Sloshing sounds made Ryoga realize that there was still some water left
inside. Placing his hands on Ranma's shoulders, he maneuvered her so that she
was between himself and Akane. Meanwhile, he tried to diffuse the situation.
"Wh- What do you mean, Akane?" He had to stay away from that water. If
he got splashed, Akane would find out his secret!
"It... It IS true, isn't it?" She dropped the bucket, spilling the
remaining contents, and covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock,
and she alternated between looking at Ryoga and Ranma.
Ryoga didn't know what to do. Akane must have found out about the pig!
She knew that he had been masquerading as her pet! Why did she have to find
out NOW? If she hadn't figured it out yet, even after all the obvious hints
that jerk Ranma had dropped, he'd hoped she was never going to figure it out.
And he'd finally given up on her! After the wedding, he had given his
heart to Akari, the sweet sumo-pig trainer. Akane never needed to learn the
truth. Her P-Chan would just disappear. Why did this have to happen? Why?!?
"...she knows..." he wailed.
Ranma quickly recognized the signs that Ryoga had become a useless idiot.
At least he wasn't leaking heavy ki yet. Best to deal with the situation as
quickly as possible. She wouldn't mind if Ryoga got what he was due from
Akane, but she knew she'd be found guilty by association.
"Akane, it's not as bad as it looks. We never meant to hide it. I mean,"
she laughed uneasily, "I gave you so many hints..."
He expected anger, but instead, Akane looked even more startled. "I- Is
this the real reason why you didn't marry me?"
Huh? He didn't marry her because the dojo was bombed out. And Kuno,
Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyo would never have let it happen. Not to mention that
she was still in shock from losing the Nannichuan.
She scratched her head. What on earth was Akane talking about, then? So
Ryoga was P-Chan. Why wouldn't Ranma want to marry her because of THAT?
Wait, it wasn't... Akane didn't think she wouldn't marry her because
she'd slept with the pig, did she? Sure, she wasn't too happy it, but it
wasn't like Ryoga DID anything while they were in bed, right? Of course.
Akane wasn't like that.
Even if mom sleeps with a panda...
Ranma tried to smile. "Akane, just because he's been sleeping with--"
"WHAT?!?" shrieked Akane.
Ryoga started blubbering. "I'msorry I'msorry Inevermeantto Ohplease!"
Akane dropped to her knees, holding her head. She was even shaking!
Ranma instantly knelt beside her. "What's wrong? Akane, it's not that bad!"
She shot Ryoga a dirty look. He didn't notice, as he was currently wallowing
in his personal pit of despair.
Akane starting rocking back and forth, mumbling, "You hid it all this
time. I can't believe it. I wanted to be your... And now I find out you and
Ryoga have been sleeping together..." Tears started to fill her eyes.
Ranma blinked. "What?"
Akane grabbed her suddenly, and looked into her eyes desperately,
longingly. "I don't care if your girl-side's in love with Ryoga! I still
want you!"
Ranma blinked again. For some reason this hallucination wasn't going
away. "What?"
Ryoga snapped his jaw shut. Sh- She didn't know! She hadn't discovered
his horrible secret. She just thought he and Ranma were hiding an affair
from... He didn't finish the thought as a wave of nausea overcame him. Sleep
with Ranma?!?
"What are you talking about, Akane?" said Ranma. "He's not MY pet."
Fear gripped Ryoga once again. He was almost safe, and Ranma was about to
spill the beans! He swallowed his pride and lunged forward. Desperation can
make a man perform amazing feats.
"Oh, Ranma-chan!" He prided himself in not choking on the words. "We
can't hide it from her any longer." He closed his eyes and hugged Ranma
tightly.
After a moment frozen with shock, she responded predictably, trying to hit
him or throw him off. "Wh- What the HELL are you TALKING about, MORON?!?"
Ryoga clung fast to the writhing girl, accidentally grabbing things he didn't
mean to touch. Blushing, he swallowed his distaste and continued. Feeling
Ranma's... parts... would only add to the realism, right?
"Um, please excuse us, Akane." Using his superior size and strength, he
bundled up the flailing girl and dashed just out of the dojo and into the
house proper.
"What the HELL are you trying to PULL?!?" screeched Ranma.
Ryoga slapped his hand over her mouth and pushed her back into the wall
below the stairs. "Shut up! Don't you see? She doesn't know about P-Chan!"
She ripped his hand away from her mouth. "And this gives you an excuse
to say we're lovers?!?"
"She doesn't think that," he denied. "She just thinks that we're..." He
experienced another wave of nausea. "In love."
"And sleep together!" added Ranma.
Ryoga twitched at that. "Well, that doesn't necessarily mean... in the
same sleeping bag..."
"Jeez, who cares? She still thinks my girl-side's in LOVE with you! I'm
a guy, dammit!" She made a fist with her thumb sticking out and gestured at
herself. As usual, pointing directly at her chest didn't do much to prove
Ranma's point.
Ryoga pulled his eyes away from the sight. Of course, he couldn't help
but notice how heavily she was breathing. Almost hyperventilating, in fact.
Ranma was getting extremely agitated, and it probably wouldn't be a Good Thing
for Ryoga.
Ranma continued to rant. "I can't believe I said that. 'We never meant
to hide it.' God, what was I thinking? Of course YOU wanted to hide it!
That's the whole frigging point! Jeez, this is what I get for trying to make
it sound like less than it is."
She glared at him with her ice-blue eyes, causing Ryoga to let go of her
and take a step back. He never realized it before, but they, combined with
her bright red hair, made her look rather imposing when she was angry. Like
some sort of ogre girl.
He swallowed nervously. "W- Well, it's too late now! I never told you to
say those things!."
"Yeah?" She pointed towards the room where they had left Akane. "If
I pull you back out there and pour cold water on you, I bet we can clear the
situation up REAL quick." She grinned maniacally, cracking her knuckles.
There was absolutely no way Ryoga would ever let Akane find out about his
curse. Not now! "You really think that will make anything better? How do
you think she'll feel about you when she finds out you've known all along that
I was her pet? She'll think you've betrayed her trust all this time. Do you
seriously think she'd forgive you?"
"You stinking little swine! You pretend to be her PET, SLEEP with her,
and then say I'VE betrayed her?"
It was all too true. Of course, that didn't mean he had to hear it from
Ranma; it hounded his conscience every night. "I just told you not five
minutes ago in the dojo that I want to... That I'm going to Akari. I'm going
to leave you and Akane alone, so you don't have to worry about P-Chan anymore!
I'm trying to fix the problem without anyone getting hurt."
"Well what about me, huh? I tell her the truth, and she thinks I've
betrayed her, or I agree to your stupid lie, and she STILL thinks I betrayed
her by seeing a MAN behind her back! At least one way I still get to keep my
manhood!"
"Only you KNOW she's willing to forgive you for..." He flinched. "Being
with me. She already said she still wants you." He could hardly believe she
had admitted to EVER wanting him. "You've got no idea how she'd react if she
found out you've been hiding my curse."
Ranma scowled, but didn't say anything. She and Akane were starting to
finally get close. If Akane thought she had betrayed her now, it would hurt
even more...
Ryoga continued to think up excuses. "We'll just say..." He waved his
arms about, casting about for an explanation. "That's it! We'll say it was
the koi fishing rod! That it didn't wear all the way off, or something."
Ranma's scowl was relaxing into a mere frown and unhappy look.
"So she won't think you've betrayed her. She'll just think it was the
magic."
"I still don't like it." Ranma pouted and kicked the floor with her toe.
"Hey, at least you can claim the rod MADE you fall in love. Akane thought
I was so lonely and couldn't a girl, so I settled for the next best thing!
I've had months to prove her wrong, but now I come off looking like a pervert
all over again!"
"After the way you grabbed me in the other room, you deserve to look like
a pervert." She sneered at him.
"I only did it to shut you up. You were about to tell her about my
curse!"
She sulked. "I wasn't really gonna tell her."
"Yeah, right. Like all those OTHER times you 'weren't gonna tell her'!"
"Hey, it's not like she found out. Besides, you know I promised not to
reveal your curse."
What was she talking about? "You never promised me anything!"
Ranma balled her fists. "What'dya mean? I swore on Bushido, the
warrior's code, not to reveal your secret!"
"You did no such thing!" What kind of stupid stunt was Ranma trying to
pull this time?
"Don't you remember the first time you broke into the house and tried to
fight me? You dropped your umbrella. And even though it was raining, cold,
and the middle of the night, I followed you outside and brought you back in.
I made the promise right before I changed you back!"
"Moron, you didn't bring me back inside; I had to crawl in through a
window! Akane found me!"
"...!" Ranma's response died in her throat. She paused, pointed at him,
and was about to say something else, when she started to scratch her head.
"Oh yeah, that was the neighbor's dog."
Ryoga facefaulted.
As he started to pull himself up, when she added, "Come to think of it,
Akane was in the room, so I didn't say it out loud."
Ryoga fell again.
"So you never knew I promised?"
Somehow Ryoga had seriously injured himself with those two falls. He
struggled back to his feet, using the wall for support "You jerk! Why do you
think I hate you so much! You've been holding that over me ever since you
found out!"
"H- Hey, I made the promise, even if you never heard me say it..."
"You take every single opportunity you get to call me 'pig' or 'porker'
or 'P-Chan'! You call that not revealing my secret?!? What kind of promise
is THAT?"
"Well, she still doesn't know, does she?"
"Like I said, no thanks to you!"
"Ryoga?" Akane poked her head into the hallway.
"AUGH!" Ryoga instantly found himself cowering behind Ranma again.
"Akane! I... Uh... How much did you hear?"
Akane was looking tired, clasping her hands together. She swallowed and
said, "Not much. A few words. You were yelling kind of loud."
Ranma frowned.
"Please," continued Akane. "I have to know. Are you and Ranma...? Are
you having...?" She swallowed. "Are you in love?"
Akane's eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. It tore at Ryoga's heart
to lie to her like this. But better this then to see her hate him. He
wouldn't be able to survive that. It was the lesser of two evils.
"Y- Yes." He closed his eyes and turned his head. He was too ashamed to
look at her and say it.
"And... Ran- ma?" She faced her fiancee, choking out the words. Ranma
stared at her.
After thirty seconds of silence, Ryoga began to panic. "Ranma!" He
nudged her.
"I'm thinking!"
"Ranma?" Akane's voice was just a squeak. "Is it true?"
Her hands, already in fists, clenched even tighter. The tension in the
her arms caused them to tremble. Steeling herself, she looked at the floor as
she spoke. "More or less."
There was a long pause. "Wh- What about me? Do you... love me?"
She looked up and took a step towards Akane before pausing. She stared
deeply into her eyes. "Akane, you have to believe me! I... I..." She
swallowed. Why couldn't she just say the words? She had to! She couldn't
let her think that she didn't love her, not after what she had said about
Ryoga.
"I do," she finished lamely.
"O happy day!"
"We'll schedule the wedding this very minute!"
Three stunned teenagers watched the two aging fathers bounce and prance
merrily about the hallway. Genma was blowing a party horn, and Soun throwing
streamers about. The front door slid open, and they were soon joined by
Nodoka and Kasumi.
"Oh my, did Akane propose to Ranma?"
"We heard as we walked up, son. You should really wait for your wedding
days to give your vows, but, oh, I'm so proud of you! You're so manly!"
Ranma blinked as her mother hugged her, and Soun slapped her on the back.
What the...?
* * * * * *
Mu-Tsu let the door close behind him as he walked into the Cat Cafe. It
was busier than normal for this time of day, so he had been sent out to make
some deliveries. He did it occasionally, when Xian-Pu was too busy waiting on
customers to make a delivery herself, or when there were so many deliveries
that the two of them would go out and the ghoul would mind the restaurant. It
was better than scrubbing floors, or the other menial tasks Ku-Lon assigned
him, but it kept him away from his darling.
As he walked into the dining area, he looked around to try to find her,
but she was nowhere in sight. "Xian-Pu?"
"Mu-Tsu!"
He didn't have the best vision. However, he did have it on reasonably
good authority that he had beautiful eyes. That's why he wore his incredibly
thick glasses as little as possible.
Instead, he had spent years honing his hearing to compensate for his
severe myopia. It hadn't worked as well as he thought. His hearing was
sensitive, but completely directionless. And somewhat tone-deaf. He still
had a tendency to attack furniture in combat, and, as much as it dismayed him
to think it, declare his love to others, thinking they were Xian-Pu.
Using a little logic, though, he guessed that the voice had come from the
kitchen. Looking through the order window, he saw a figure working over the
stove. Ku-Lon. Only she was about 190cm tall, instead of her usual hundred.
Reluctantly dropping his circular glasses over his eyes, he took another look.
Still 1.9m. And wearing a boy's school uniform, of all things.
She waved.
Mu-Tsu tore off the glasses and threw them at the ground, crushing them
flat. "Useless piece of junk!"
"Mu-Tsu! How's it been going? Can you help me out, here?"
Mu-Tsu blinked. Come to think of it, the voice hadn't been rasping and
gravelly. Maybe it wasn't the monkey-mummy at all. But who else could be in
the kitchen? He thought he placed the voice, but there was no way it could be
the person he thought it was. "Akira?"
"Long time no see!"
Mu-Tsu put his hand into his robe and pulled out another pair of glasses.
It was a good thing he kept at least a dozen on him at all times. Putting
them on, he leaned forward and squinted, taking another look at the cook.
He was taller than Mu-Tsu, and a little skinny, except at the shoulders.
He had fair hair, that looked like a Japanese style which needed a trim,
rather than the flowing lengths of his own hair. He was also wearing a pair
of glasses (although not the centimeter-thick ones that Mu-Tsu enjoyed).
"Akira! What on earth are you doing in Japan?" He placed the glasses
back on top of his head. "How long have you been here?" He glanced around,
suddenly wary. "Where's the mummy and Xian-Pu?"
"Your favorite Amazons stepped out for a few minutes. I'm supposed to
watch the store until they get back. As for what I'm doing here, I live here
now! I just arrived last weekend."
"What? You're joking." He'd moved to Nerima, of all places?
"Nope. It turns out my folks are Japanese."
"You mean...?"
"They're cured! After a day or two, they decided to move back to their
old home."
"And they just happened to live in Tokyo?"
Akira grinned. "Pretty weird, huh? Probably something to do with the
magic of Jusenkyo, or something." He awkwardly flipped a wok over, dropping
food onto a plate, and slipped the dish onto the shelf of the window. "Say,
can you give this to that guy over at table four?"
Mu-Tsu picked up the plate, "Sure." He turned around and started walking
towards a table. The older man at table eight looked puzzled as the Chinese
boy headed straight for him.
"Left." Mu-Tsu adjusted his course, guided by Akira. "Left." "Right."
"You're there."
He slipped the plate onto the proper table and bowed slightly to the
customer. Inhaling the scent from the dish, he added, "Your sesame beef
special, miss."
"Thank you," answered the somewhat disgruntled young man.
New hissing sounds came from the kitchen, as Akira started cooking another
dish. Mu-Tsu homed in on the noise as well as he could. After a few
attempts, he managed to find the door, and walked into the kitchen.
"So Mu-Tsu, I already heard why Xian-Pu is in Japan. What about you?"
"You need to ask? Wherever Xian-Pu goes, I follow!"
"Geez, aren't you over her, yet?"
"Xian-Pu is the perfect woman! My true love!" He put one hand over his
chest and held the other to the sky. "Since we were but children I have known
that--"
Akira interrupted, "I know, I know, already. It's just... You can do
better."
"Than Xian-Pu? No one is better than she!"
"I'll admit, she's very pretty, and strong, but don't you find her
personality a little... rough?"
"If you only knew what she's really like! She's so loving and kind..."
"...And violent," added Akira sarcastically.
"It's just a front. She's really insecure about her femininity."
"This is the same Xian-Pu we're talking about? This tall, likes smashing
things? Turns into a little cat?"
"It's true. She plays the part of the unstoppable warrior, but inside she
wants only to be loved. She's scared that no one will accept her as a woman
rather than a warrior, so she tries to push them -- push me -- away. But I'll
show her! I'll love her no matter what. Sooner or later she'll see that she
needn't fear me running away, and she can accept me as she's always wanted
to."
"Mu-Tsu, it's been ten years. I think she already knows you'll never
leave her..."
"Not so. As time passes, she tries harder and harder to push me away.
She's testing my limits. After I show her that absolutely nothing with keep
me away from her, she'll be mine!"
"Or maybe she's really just trying to get rid of you," he muttered.
"C'mon, you've got to start looking for someone else. She'll never love you."
Mouse gave him a dirty look. "I mean, she'll just keep 'testing' you forever.
You'll never be good enough for her. However you want to look at it, she'll
never accept you."
Mousse responded with the simple truth. "She will be mine." Oh, yes.
"Look, I've already been here a few days, and I've found the perfect girl
for you!"
Mu-Tsu groaned, holding his head. He'd forgotten about this. How could
he have forgotten? Whenever Akira came into town he would try to set him up
with one of the girls. Not really wanting to know, he asked, "Who is it?"
"Well..." As Akira started to speak, Mu-Tsu heard the increased energy
in his voice and cooking. The spatula moved briskly but not methodically.
"She's eighteen, about one meter seventy. She's got short, brown hair, brown
eyes, and a ready gri-- smile. She's pretty, and comfortable with who she is
and how she looks, but doesn't feel the need to show off.
"She's got a strong personality, very self-confident, and goes after what
she wants. She's fierce, and won't let anything stand in her way..." He let
his friend drone on, but Mu-Tsu filtered out most of what he said. He had to
admit, though, that Akira had gotten pretty good at this.
Back in the village, while Mu-Tsu was devoted to his Xian-Pu, Akira seemed
to go out with any and all of the avilable girls. The older boy 'worried'
about Mu-Tsu, and tried to send girls he met or had heard about his way.
When Akira described the prospective girls, he focussed on exactly the
things Mu-Tsu loved most about Xian-Pu, without comparing the two directly.
And he focussed on personality as much as looks. Of course. No one could
match Xian-Pu's beauty.
Snippets of Akira's description filtered through he daydreaming, and he
gave the other boy a funny look. "Wait. You're not talking about Nabiki
Tendo, are you?"
"You know her?" More food on another plate. "Table five."
Mu-Tsu continued to talk as he delivered the food. It was not yet dinner,
and the current crowd were either students getting snacks, or else rushed
salarymen grabbing a meal that fit into their schedule. In either case,
neither stood much on formality.
"Who doesn't know her?" Actually, he didn't know her all that well, but
even he knew she was manipulative and loved money. 'Goes after what she
wants,' indeed!
Instead of helping her sister Akane get Ranma, Nabiki had sold her
services to highest bidder. Which more often than not included Xian-Pu. She
had also apparently done things to mess up her younger sister's struggling
relationship. She'd taken Ranma as her own fiance, once, and might have been
instrumental in causing the marriage earlier in the week to fail.
"So you like her, right? Right. Right! Ninety degrees clockwise! Stop!
You're there."
Mu-Tsu slid the plate onto another table. His nose identified the meal
again. "Your shrimp fried rice and egg rolls." He addressed Akira, "No, I
don't like her. And she certainly doesn't like me." He'd never seen her
express love for anything besides yen.
"But your personalities are perfect for each other. You're so submissive,
and she's domineering..." Mu-Tsu didn't think he was supposed to hear that
last sentence. Even directionally-challenged hearing was good for something.
"Akira, it sounds like you're the one who wants to date her."
A clatter of pans and metal from kitchen quickened Mu-Tsu's pace back to
the kitchen. He walked back in to see silverware and cooking utensils on the
floor. He started to pick them up and put them in the sink.
"That's disgusting, Mu-Tsu!"
He suppressed a grin. It was rare that he got the upper hand in a
conversation with Akira, but the remark seemed to have done the job. "But I
thought you said she was pretty?"
"She's just like Mother!"
"Aren't boys supposed to marry girls just like the girls their fathers
married?" It was an old Amazon saying, with the genders reversed. He tried
his best not to start laughing.
"LIKE their fathers married, not clones! She's JUST like Mother. It
gives me the creeps!"
"What are you talking about? Nabiki doesn't look like your mother at
all.
Her hair is long. And red!"
"It's not the looks, it's the personality. And the voice. She talks just
like her. Like she expects everything she says to get done."
"Well it works. Everything she says DOES get done."
"Yeah, well Mother's got a strong personality..."
"I was referring to Nabiki."
"Great. And she's after a packet of Spring of Drowned Man. You'd better
hope she ISN'T like Mother..."
* * * * * *
As Ranma sat up, a wet towel fell off his head. A quick visual check
confirmed that he was male. Glancing around, he saw that he was in the
dining room, lying on a futon. Akane was kneeling at his side.
"Akane?"
"It's alright, Ranma. You fainted." Her tone was unusually somber.
She picked up the fallen towel, and placed it on a tray, next to a steaming
kettle.
"Fainted?" He blinked. "What really happened? Did someone hit me?"
Rubbing his head, it did feel sore...
Dad and Mr. Saotome heard you say "I do," and apparently thought you were
answering a... proposal. They said we should get married right away. I guess
that, combined with the rest of the stress you've had today just put you out."
"Hey, guys don't faint!"
Akane appeared to ignore him. "Nodoka... encouraged them to go out and
celebrate. I think they're getting drunk. Right now she's talking to Ryoga."
"Okay."
"She doesn't know yet. About you and Ryoga."
Uneasiness washed over Ranma. "About me and...?
"She doesn't know that you... Or rather, your girl-side is in love with
him." She blushed and looked down.
So much for that just being a nightmare. He drew off the covers from his
legs and kneeled next to Akane. "I- It's not what you think!"
She looked back up at him with a hopeful expression. Ranma swallowed.
"It was that magic fishing rod. I guess it hadn't completely worn off yet."
He hurriedly added, "But it is, now!"
"So... You're not in love with him, anymore?"
"No!" Anymore. Man that sounded gross! As if he were EVER in love with
that idiot.
She lowered her head, so it was angled towards the ground, but her eyes
were locked on him. "And... What about me? When you said you... You
weren't kidding, were you?"
She thought he had been kidding when he said he lo- liked her? "No way!"
Akane eyes started to bubble, making Ranma wave his arms in desperation.
"N- No! Not like that! I mean I wasn't kidding! I meant what I said. I
wouldn't joke about something... like that."
Akane's unshed tears made her eyes glisten and sparkle as she smiled.
"I'm glad."
Whoa. She looked... wow.
"So you're not upset? About... you know, Ryoga?"
"No. Not as long as I know that..." She trailed off into a secretive
smile. "It's okay."
Ranma blinked with some confusion and a great deal of relief. Akane
seemed to be taking this even better than he thought she would. Maybe
Ryoga was right, and this lie would be better in the long run than telling
Akane the truth.
* * * * * *
"Isn't he just so manly?"
Obviously not. "Whatever you say, Mrs. Saotome."
"Although Akane should really be the one saying 'I do' to him. Still, it
must take quite a man to drive the woman to propose first."
"Um," he grunted non-committally.
"And what about you, young man. Is there someone you like?"
"Uh..." He felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "There's this girl..."
"Oh, I'm sure she adores you. You're so strapping." She touched his
shoulder and squeezed his well-developed muscles. "A woman needs a strong
man, you know."
Slightly embarrassed, he replied, "Uh, yes ma'am."
She returned her hand to her lap. "And so polite, too." She gave a
heartfelt smile at him, which drained away his unease. He would have thought
that he'd hate the mother of his rival, but she seemed pleasant enough, if a
little weird. She thought too much of her son, though. Obviously she had
been away from him too long. Maybe if she had raised him instead of Genma, he
wouldn't be so much of a jerk.
"I'm sure your girlfriend is lucky to have a catch like you!" She laughed
pleasantly.
Ryoga added his own laugh, if a bit uneasily.
She leaned forward. "Tell me, are you engaged?"
"Uh... Sort of." He felt a vague sense of dread. "I defeated her sumo
pig, Katsunishiki, in battle, so she's supposed to marry me." He didn't
really think of it as an engagement, but Akari seemed to.
"How romantic! Fighting for the woman you love." The older woman clasped
her hands together. "And so old-fashioned. She must be a wonderful girl."
Almost as an afterthought she added, "It's too bad I don't have a daughter.
I'd engage her to a wonderful young man like you in an instant!"
Ryoga felt a cracking sensation in his bones as a chill passed through his
body. Mrs. Saotome thought of Ranma as a SON, right? He frantically thought
back to the Ranma's engagements. Had they all been arranged by Genma? What
did he really know about Mrs. Saotome?
He slowly backed away, eyes wide with fear.
* * * * * *
"Nihao! Xian-Pu come back with bandages!" The purple-haired girl held
her hand up as she walked through the back door. Perched on top of her head
was Ku-Lon, holding a small brown bag of groceries.
"And I've got the spices. I trust it wasn't too difficult for you to
handle the business while we were out?"
Akira answered from the stove, "It wasn't too bad. About a dozen orders,
but Mu-Tsu was here to help me out."
"Well, it was nice of you to volunteer. It's good to have a properly
trained male around who can cook and actually make himself useful."
Mu-Tsu muttered under his breath about the labeling of spices.
Ku-Lon hopped down onto a table. "Good. This should be enough to tide us
over until our next delivery. Xian-Pu, can you put these away? "
"Yes, Great-Grandmother."
"And I'll take those bandages, dear." She took the strips of cloth and
pogoed over to Akira. Xian-Pu finished with the groceries and put on her
frilly apron. She then walked into the dining area and tended the tables.
"Let me see your hands again." Akira showed the backs of his hands to
Ku-Lon, who inspected them carefully, and turned them over. "They're still
feeling well?"
"Yes, the pressure points dulled the pain."
Mu-Tsu raised an eyebrow and looked at Akira.
"Well, it was helpful as a stop-gap measure, but these bandages should
prevent you from straining your hands again and making it even worse. She
started to expertly wind the fabric around and between his knuckles.
Without looking up, she added, "And what are you standing around for,
Mu-Tsu? I see silverware that needs cleaning in the sink."
The boy stiffened, but went to the sink, starting to run hot water.
A constant stream of insults filtered out from his mumbles. "..stupid old
withered..."
Ku-Lon bapped him with her walking stick. "No backtalk!"
"Ku-Lon, please! That was my fault. I knocked the pans over; I should
be the one to clean it up."
"After Xian-Pu was polite enough to pick up the bandages from the doctor
on her way back from the delivery? And after I so carefully wrapped them for
you? I don't think so, child. No, you mustn't get your hands wet.
"Besides, you've already done more than enough, giving me time to pick up
some missing spices while Xian-Pu was on delivery."
"But Mu-Tsu..."
"He's used to it; it's his job. Please, don't worry yourself. I'll get
your special dinner started. You're sure your parents won't mind?"
"Are you kidding? Mother will be ecstatic that I got a free meal."
"Excellent. Just sit down and relax yourself. It's not every day we have
Mu-Tsu's big brother by to visit!" She grinned widely, showing off her
preternaturally white teeth.
* * * * * *
Maybe he could hide here for a few minutes. At least until that woman
stopped talking about daughters and engagements. Making sure she wasn't
following him, he backed into the room. Turning around, he saw the two other
people he wasn't anxious to talk to at the moment. "Akane! Ranma..."
"Ryoga." Akane seemed a little sad, but neither did she sound angry.
That had to be good, right? It probably meant that Ranma had stuck to the
story.
Nervousness overtook him. The story. When Ranma had passed out, Akane
had taken him to this room, and Ryoga had been swept away by Mrs. Saotome. It
looked like Ranma had been awake for a while now, and there was no way he'd
wait to tell Akane that his 'love' was because of the rod. She had to think
he was some sort of pervert, again.
Kneeling, he placed his hands upon his knees, and bowed deeply, his
forehead almost touching the floor. "I'm sorry for... hiding this for so
long. It was never my intention to hurt you." In his mind, he imagined he
was apologizing about P-Chan instead of the falsified 'affair'. "Or to use
that magic rod on Ranma. It was all just a horrible accident."
"But you didn't stop Ranma from making advances at you?"
After Akane asked the question, Ryoga's head came up in shock. Ranma had
a queasy look on his face, which Ryoga was sure matched to one on his own.
Quickly, he lowered his head again. Akane must think so little of him! "I'm
sorry!" He bowed again. "I was weak. I just wanted... companionship."
Akane, will you ever be able to forgive me for being your P-Chan?
"But it's over now, right?"
"Damned straight!" said Ranma.
"Yes," added Ryoga.
"You've chosen Akari?"
He slowly sat up from his prostrate position. "Y- Yes," he responded
nervously. Changed from her previously sad expression, Akane seemed almost
angry at him, now. He could understand her being mad, but why be mad that
he wanted to be with Akari? Surely she didn't think he should stay with
Ranma!
A stray thought sent him into a panic, "Omigod, you won't tell Akari about
this, will you?! I mean, I always knew that Ranma was really a boy so I never
took advantage of her-- I mean him. If Akari found out--"
She silenced his fears. "I won't tell her, Ryoga. But I'm not the one
you should be asking." She looked at Ranma.
Ryoga swallowed. He had asked the other boy to lie in order hide one
secret, and was now asking him to hide the lie. "Uh..."
"Maybe you should ask his girl-side," added Akane.
"Hey!" barked Ranma, "It's not like we're two different people. I mean,
like I'm two different..." He grunted in frustration. "It's not like I'm a
split personality, or nothin'."
Akane touched her chin. "But... You mean BOTH sides of you were in love
with Ryoga all this time?"
Ranma's face turned blue, and Ryoga shuddered violently. Not at the
thought, but rather at the knowledge how close it had come to just that. The
koi fishing rod had made Ranma fall in love with him, but didn't discriminate
between sexes. If it hadn't been for a lucky bandana strike, Ranma would
still be all over him today.
Assuming, of course, he had let Ranma live that long.
Ranma quickly denied it, "No! Of course not. Uh, after the koi -- the
mark -- got pulled off, most of the magic was gone. There was only enough to
affect my girl-side. I mean," he coughed, "I takes a HELL of a lot of magic
to make my boy-side do anything weird." He puffed out his chest.
Ryoga gave Ranma a half-lidded stare. He had bought that 'powerful' magic
for all of 1000 yen.
"Then how can you be sure that the next time you turn into a girl--?
Akane seemed honestly concerned.
"It wore off! It was getting weaker, anyway." He turned to Ryoga. "I
won't tell Akari, but you owe me a big one!"
"Thank you, Ranma." He thought he might actually mean it, too.
Akane was looking worriedly between the boys. "But--"
Ryoga assured her, "It's alright Akane. I don't want to drag this out any
more than necessary. Let's put this all behind us."
"Yeah," added Ranma. "Just forget it ever happened, okay?"
A melodic voice chimed from the door "Oh, Ryoga!" Kasumi tilted her head
and beamed at the younger teenagers. "How wonderful! Since Father and Uncle
Saotome have gone out, we've got extra food for dinner. Would you like to
stay and eat with us?"
"I, uh..." Truthfully, he didn't, but it would be rude to refuse Kasumi's
hospitality, and she did make the most delicious food. Besides, he still
didn't have Akari's number; where else would he go? He overcame his unease
and guilt towards Ranma and said, "Thank you Kasumi, I'd like that very much."
"Perfect! Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. I'll go get Auntie
Saotome and Nabiki." With that, she shuffled off to other parts of the house.
Ryoga got up walked to one end of the table. He was familiar with the
normal eating arrangements, having been fed at the table by Akane. When he
was P-Chan, anyway. He decided to take the spot normally used by Mr.
Saotome.
It wouldn't be appropriate to take Mr. Tendo's seat.
Ranma and Akane quietly followed him over. Akane quickly took her spot,
ignoring Ryoga. Ranma looked at Ryoga with an unreadbale expression before
sitting down, himself. Soon Nabiki arrived, and Nodoka and Kasumi brought in
the meal from the kitchen. The two mother figures started to serve the meal.
The food was excellent, and as promised, there were plenty of extra
servings. Nodoka and Kasumi talked with Ryoga, who was all too happy to be
distracted from Ranma and Akane. Those two ate together in silence. Nabiki
was caught up in her own thoughts, ignoring the conversation and mechanically
eating her food. Ryoga noted that, despite her distraction, she still managed
to unerringly grab the best cuts of meat.
"So when are you going to get married?"
The question took Ryoga off-guard. "Um?"
Nodoka clarified her question. "To your lady friend. With the pigs?"
Ranma and Akane both gave him a startled look. Even Nabiki appeared to
come out of her trance.
"I- It's not like that. We're just... I mean..."
Nodoka smiled to herself. "My. You're so shy. I guess it won't be very
soon, then?"
"N- No!"
"That's too bad. I might have been nice for Ranma and Akane to have a
double wedding with their friend." She took a tip of tea.
Ranma managed to choke on some rice, and Akane held her throat as she
swallowed an oversize piece of radish.
"Mom!"
"A- Auntie Saotome." Akane took a moment to catch her breath. That
food had gone down rather slowly and painfully. "I'm afraid what you heard
earlier wasn't what you thought."
"Oh?"
"I wasn't... proposing to Ranma."
"No? But it sounded so important. Even coming up the walk, Kasumi and
I could positively FEEL the emotion in your voices." Kasumi nodded as she
drank her tea.
"It was just a big misunderstanding," put in Ranma.
Nodoka raised her eyebrows, but didn't ask Ranma to clarify what he meant.
Instead she sighed. "And I was so looking forward to someone having a
wedding."
For some reason, their young guest went deathly pale. "M- Maybe I should
be going now."
"Don't you need Akari's phone number?" asked Akane.
"Oh!" Kasumi said, "I can get a copy of it for you. I have it written
down in the kitchen."
"That would be great."
Akane stood up and straightened out her dress. Well, Ranma and I should
be getting to our homework now. Isn't that right, Ranma?"
"Uh, I guess." He grabbed one last scrap of food with his chopsticks and
got up with Akane.
"I'll meet you in my room, okay?"
"Sure, Akane."
"Great. I'll be up in a few minutes, okay?" He blinked as she walked
over to the kitchen. Popping her head out, he made sure that he had started
to walk upstairs. Ryoga also seemed to be occupied in the dining room,
talking with Mrs. Saotome and holding his hand behind his head. Perfect.
She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it from the sink. She
needed the water, but didn't want a bucketfull on her floor. "This time for
sure, Ranma," she said to herself. "Now I'll get the truth out of you."
"What was that, Akane?"
She froze and looked at Kasumi. She was holding a small slip of paper
with a phone number on it, and tilting her head curiously at her. "Uh,
nothing, big sister." Akane sweatdropped.
* * * * * *
"What'dya do that for?" Ranma shook her head, whipping the cord of her
braid about, so it thumped against her neck.
"Ranma, we need to talk."
"Is there something wrong with me talking as a guy?" she complained,
brushing her hair out of her eyes.
"I need to talk to you as a girl. About Ryoga."
"What about Ryoga?" she asked, suspiciously. "I'm not in love with him.
Uh, anymore. Satisfied? My girl-side said it, too."
"I know the truth, Ranma."
"Huh?" Mild panic started to surface. Had Akane not been fooled by
Ryoga's charade? If he went through all that for nothing...
"I know that you're not in love with him because of the koi fishing rod."
"Um?" Ranma put on her best innocent expression. She thought it was
pretty good, but it never seemed to fool Akane.
"Nodoka told me to heat the kettle and make sure you woke up as a man
after the... proposal. But I wanted to talk to you like this. I need to talk
to your girl-side. It's why I splashed you in the first place.
"I know you said that you were in love because of the magic, but at the
time you were saying it, you were a guy. Of course, when you're a guy you
wouldn't want to admit you loved him.
Akane wasn't saying what she thought she was saying, was she? Ranma's
face was a careful, emotionless mask.
"I guess I didn't realize it until Ryoga showed up. I tried to figure out
why you pulled away from me like that. I thought you might have been
embarrassed to be seen holding me."
"No, that's not it, Akane--"
She gently shushed him. "I know, Ranma. I finally figured it out. Y-
You didn't want Ryoga to think that you were... unfaithful."
What the hell was Akane thinking? She already said she didn't believe the
koi story, but it almost sounded like...
"Once I realized it, it was so obvious. The way you wiggled your butt at
him like that on the fence. And when I splashed you, he was almost instantly
behind you. You seemed so comfortable with him holding you, his hands on
your shoulders."
"But that's--"
"There's more. You're always acting like a girl in front of him.
Flirting. You've pretended to be his sister and his fiancee to get closer to
him. There was that time you dressed like a schoolgirl and jumped all over
him in the locker room.
"It's kind of weird, but it only makes sense that your boy-side would hate
Ryoga. You're a guy, and he's made your other half fall in love with him.
Of course, your manhood feels threatened. And he must hate to see his love is
the same as his rival."
Ranma's mouth dropped open, and her pigtail went straight up, as her mind
went into shock. Akane didn't think she was in love with Ryoga because of the
rod. She thought she was just in love with him!
"Even so, I'm sorry he dumped you, Ranma. He must have finally chosen
Akari over you, huh? No wonder you keep calling him a 'pig'. He's a two-
timer, just like Kuno." Akane looked angry.
"H- Hey, what're you talkin' about? He didn't dump me. And I'm telling
you, it was just that magic rod. There's no other way I'd fall in love with a
pathetic guy like him. No way!
"See, if I really lo- liked him, I wouldn't say that -- that he's a
pathetic loser -- but it WAS the magic, and its gone now, so I CAN say it."
Akane patiently listened to Ranma's increasingly desperate babblings.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Ranma licked her lips and swallowed to
remove the dryness from her mouth. "Akane... How can you think that? Why do
you think that I -- that my girl-side -- was in love Ryoga? I mean, without
the rod?"
"I didn't say that, Ranma..."
"Oh." She was mollified.
"...I said that you ARE in love with Ryoga."
Ranma returned to her state of shock. It was becoming a familiar place.
"You can't instantly stop loving someone just because they leave you,
Ranma. It's obvious your love has nothing to do with the koi rod. You
flirted with him long before Ryoga ever bought it.
"And since there was no magic to wear off, well, I can't believe your
statement that you just don't love him anymore. I saw how you acted towards
him not four hours ago. I'm sure you'll eventually fall out of love, now that
he's going to Akari, but it might take time."
She put her hand on Ranma's shoulder, supportively. "It's for the better,
Ranma. After all, you are a man half the time. It could never work out."
"Wh- What do you mean, half the time! I'm 100% guy, even if I've got this
dumb body. Why do you always have to assume the worst of me?" She
practically whimpered in protest.
"I know you're a man, Ranma... But when you're a girl..."
"You believe Akira, don't you? You think I really do turn all the way
into a girl." He couldn't believe it. Not Akane. Why did it hurt so much to
hear her say that?
She shook her head, "I really did think you stayed a guy, but..." She
held her hands. "It's the only explanation that makes sense! What else could
it be? Are you really so mean that you would flirt with Ryoga with your
girl-half just taunt him? You know how shy he is! I just can't believe you'd
be that cruel."
Ranma was slowly shaking her head in denial. "But... You know I'm a jerk,
Akane. I'm always insulting people, and using this body to get stuff. You
know, free eats and junk. And it's just so easy to make fun of Ryoga if I
pretend to be a girl..."
Akane took a moment before responding. She looked thoughtful. "You
really don't think you're in love with Ryoga?"
"Right! I don't love Ryoga. My girl-side doesn't love Ryoga. I do NOT
love Ryoga!"
Akane looked at her for a few moments. Ranma stared into her eyes,
concentrating, as if she could make Akane understand with just her gaze.
"I... believe you."
"Really?" Ranma started to smile.
"I believe that you think you're not in love with Ryoga."
"That I don't think...?"
"But I do think that girl-side is -- or maybe was -- in love with him."
"What? I'm telling you that I never loved him!" Why wouldn't Akane
believe anything she told her?
"Maybe you didn't know. Maybe Akira was right about the curse, and it's
hiding the behavior from you.
"You're in love with Ryoga, but you don't consciously realize it. You
think you're just teasing him, but... I mean, holding his hand, whispering
come-on lines to him, dressing like a girl? Can't you see how much that looks
like flirting? Maybe you WERE flirting, and you didn't realize it."
"So I was 'blind' to my love?" she asked bitterly.
"They say that true love is blind, but I don't think this is what they
meant..."
Ranma cried out in dismay, "Akane!" Now she was saying it was TRUE love?
"It's alright." She smiled. "I was just kidding. I'm sorry. But, even
though -- even if -- your girl-side is in love with Ryoga, I still..." She
bit her lower lip. "It's okay."
For some reason, the words calmed Ranma down significantly. "You mean
that?"
"As long as you..." She looked away. Was she blushing? "I don't mind."
Ranma swallowed, not really knowing what to say. She didn't know which
surprised her more: that Akane thought her girl-side was.... attracted to
Ryoga, or that she was willing to willing to overlook it. She couldn't get
her mind around it.
It was possibly the most perverted thing she could thing of, and here
Akane wasn't yelling, insulting, or hitting her. In fact, she was...
forgiving her? Just becuase Ranma said that she... That she... Akane was
willing to forgive her because she love--
Ranma's neurons started to fire irregularly.
As Ranma's eyes started to glaze over, Akane managed to find her voice
again. She'd said more than she intended. "Um... Maybe we should start
studying."
Ranma jumped at her words. "Yeah! Yeah, that's it. I'll go get some
hot water."
"Y- Yeah, that's a good idea." Akane studied the ground again.
"OK, I'll be right back." Ranma practically ran out of the room, leaving
Akane behind. Her footsteps thundered down the stairs.
"Ranma..."
* * * * * *
Akira was doing a very poor job of maintaining his dignity. It wasn't
surprising. Even Cologne was having some difficulties, and she was... Well,
she had some years on him.
"I assure you this doesn't happen every day."
Akira just turned and stared at her. "I don't think I like Nerima."
In the dining hall, several eyes turned towards the watery scene in the
back. The pet cat was hissing at a broken water pipe, and a duck was flapping
its wings wildly, sending feathers about.
"Wow," said one diner. "They aren't kidding when they say their food is
fresh!"
------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
End Part 11 Next Time: "Ranma's Declaration"
------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, Tsu is not Mousse's family name.
"Say Ranma?"
"Yeah, Akane?"
"When you say that Ryoga's 'magic rod' made you fall in love with him,
you mean the koi fishing rod, right?"
Ranma scratched his head. "Yeah. What else would I mean?"
"N- Nothing! Nevermind. Just forget I asked..."
Doug
----
Douglas MacDougall Art and fiction available at my homepage:
dougmacd@thecia.net http://www.thecia.net/~dougmacd/fanworks/