[FFML] [FanFic][Ranma 1/2] The Memory of Silver and Saphire.

[DorianVal at aol.com]

The Memory of Silver and Sapphire
 
By
 
Jeremy Harper
 

Note – Ranma ½ is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and is used without  
permission






Ranma Saotome laid alone in his  room, his father having gone out with Soun 
Tendo to visit a local sake bar,  giving Ranma a rare period of solitude. He 
reclined on his futon, his left arm  pillowing his head. In his right hand he 
held a small, foil-wrapped chocolate  heart – the object of his contemplation. A 
happy, somewhat wistful half-smile  crooked his mouth, and his azure eyes 
gleamed with pleasure. Akane had given him  chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Just 
one piece, true, and presented somewhat  grudgingly, but the fact remain she 
had given it. Ranma would not have blamed  her if she had not, considering his 
rudeness the day before, yet despite that  she had bought it for him, and that 
little piece tossed to him casually was more  than enough. 

_She cares,_ he thought happily,  tossing the heart up in the air and deftly 
catching it. Silly that he needed a  piece of candy to confirm the evidence of 
her feelings presented by his memories  – all the times she had tried her 
best to help him when he needed it; the quiet  moments of friendship and 
camaraderie they shared, moments which occurred far  more often then most of the 
residents of Nerima realized; fuzzy impressions,  like the dreams of a dream, of 
her taking care of him while he was in the throes  of the Cat Fist; The way she 
hugged him when he returned from his victory over  the deadly, dragon-blooded 
Herb; how the two of them held hands almost the  entire trip home from 
Ryugunzawa. Yes, no need for a small chocolate to prove  her feelings; yet still, the 
fact that he had it made Ranma giddy.  

_She cares…_ he thought again,  basking in the warmth of his euphoria, his 
half-smile becoming a full-fledged  grin, when a notion struck him. He sat up, 
frowning thoughtfully. _But does she  know that I care, too?_ He asked himself. 
It would not surprise him if she did  not, all things considered. _I gotta 
show her that I do. That means I need to  get her something for White Day._ 
Ranma patted his knee as he considered the  matter. Traditionally, a box of white 
chocolates would be enough, but that felt  inadequate. Akane was… Akane… His 
memories of her replayed through his mind as  he looked at her little 
chocolate heart, and he nodded to himself, knowing that  she deserved something more 
special than mere candy. He lay back down, thankful  he had a month’s time to 
find a good gift – he would need it, for he wanted to  be careful and not mess 
this up. Ranma un-wrapped the chocolate and began to eat  it, not wolfing 
down, instead taking small, slow bites, savoring its sweetness  and smiling as he 
thought of his fiancée.  


*****
 

It was three days before White Day when Ranma finally found the  right 
present. He could not spend as much time searching as he would have liked,  his life 
being what it is. There also was the need to be circumspect – if  someone 
found out he was actively looking, under his own accord, for a White Day  gift 
for Akane, he would have Hell of one sort or the other to pay. 
 
 He was prowling Nerima’s shopping district, hands thrust into his  coat 
pockets and scowling at the lack of success he was experiencing. Nothing he  had 
seen the past few weeks felt _right_. He was considering the dim prospect of  
having to settle for white chocolate when something he saw out of the corner of 
 his eye demanded attention. He looked closely at the little shop’s window  
display, grinned, and quickly ran in. 
 
 The last difficulty he faced was picking an appropriate color. The  ruby 
looked great, but he was reluctant to get it because of what red  represented. He 
cared deeply for Akane, and sometimes in the wolf hours of the  night could 
confess to himself what those feelings actually were, but he was not  ready to 
declare it openly, even in an indirect, symbolic way. The topaz was  equally 
lovely, and it had the additional perk of being Akane’s favorite color,  but he 
thought he heard somewhere yellow meant friendship, and he did not want  to 
give his fiancée the wrong impression – his interest in her was in no way  
platonic. He finally settled on the sapphire, the cut and polished stone  
possessing a deep, hypnotic blue hue. When the store clerk handed it to Ranma to  
examine, it felt _right_ to him. “I’ll take it,” he declared as he passed it  
back.
 
 The gift bagged and tucked safely away in his pocket, Ranma headed  home, 
whistling happily. He detoured briefly at a candy shop for some white  
chocolates. Now that he found the right gift for Akane he remembered the  chocolate 
heart the little girl from the hospital had given him for Valentine’s.  He had 
not appreciated it at the time, having been disappointed it had not been  from 
Akane, but it had been awfully sweet of the child, and he felt that she  
deserved something in return. Also, a little white chocolate for Akane, in  addition 
to his real gift, could not hurt either. 
 
 Some trouble started when Ranma got home, its prelude instigated by  his 
father. Genma glanced up from the shogi board to look at his son, and asked:  “
What have you got there, boy?” Soun, whose eyes were sharper than his friend’s, 
 recognized the package Ranma carried. “I’m proud of you, Ranma, getting 
Akane  White Day chocolate without having to be prodded. I’m sure she’ll love it!
” 
 
 Ranma glared at the two men, feeling nettled and a bit stupid. He  should 
have expected such a reception, and tried to have dodged it by coming in  the 
back entrance. “This ain’t for Akane,” he snapped. “It’s for a sick little  
girl I met down at the hospital. I got back her stuffed rabbit when it fell out  
her window and she gave me a chocolate heart on Valentine’s to thank me. 
Thought  it’d be right to get her this white fudge to thank her back.” 
 
 “Do you mean to tell me, boy, that you got a stranger candy before  you got 
something for your fiancée?” Genma growled dangerously.
 
 “Feh, like I’d want to give that tomboy just something like white  
chocolate,” Ranma snorted back.
 
 “Like I’d _want_ white chocolate from a jerk like you!” Akane shouted  as 
she stormed out of the kitchen, where she had been getting out dishes for  
Kasumi, to confront him. The following exchange of invective Ranma found  amusing, 
and he was impressed by Akane’s verbal inventiveness. He could have  done 
without her chasing him around the yard with her mallet, but at least it  was 
good training for both of them. 
 
 The real trouble happened when Kasumi broke up their game of mallet  tag by 
asking them to get ready for dinner. Akane huffed, pointedly turning her  back 
to him as she stomped off to help Kasumi set the table. Ranma blew a  
raspberry at her and sauntered away to stow his purchases and wash up. He  
encountered Nabiki lying in wait in the hall; she was leaning against the wall,  arms 
folded beneath her breasts. “So Ranma,” she drawled as he walked past.  “Just 
what _are_ you getting Akane for White Day?” 
 
 Ranma stopped and looked warily over his shoulder at her. “Don’t know  what 
you’re talking about. I said – “
 
 “_You_ said, and I quote, ‘like I’d want to give that tomboy _just_  
something like white chocolate’.” She put a slender finger to the side of her  chin 
thoughtfully. “So I can’t help but wonder, if you don’t want to give my  
little sister _just_ white chocolate, what exactly are you planning to get for  
her?” She looked down slyly at the candy shop bag in Ranma’s hand, then up  
directly into his eyes, her smile cunning and superior. 
 
 Ranma stared back at Nabiki with hard eyes, trying desperately not to  sweat 
or fidget, cursing himself hard for not sneaking into the house. “I meant  
what I said, Nabiki, and that’s all.” 
 
 Nabiki nodded, her smile become a bit larger. “I’m sure you did,  Ranma; 
exactly so.” Ranma scowled and turned away, not liking the feel of Nabiki  
watching him speculatively as he headed for his room.
 
 The next two days dragged, even though thankfully Nabiki seemed  content 
with only taking sly digs at him in Akane’s presence. The two old men  behaved 
with surprising restraint as well, making but a token effort to get him  to take 
Akane out on a date for White Day, which resulted in only a minimal  amount 
of shouting and violence. As a precaution against discovery Ranma kept  Akane’s 
gift in his pocket at all times, while the little foil-wrapped white  
chocolate heart he hid rolled up in a pair of clean socks. He mailed the little  girl’
s white fudge the day before White Day, then late that night, with the  
entire house quiet around him, he snuck out of his room with infinite care,  crept 
into Akane’s, silently placed her gift and then returned to his futon, all  
without anyone seeing or hearing him. It was difficult for him to fall asleep –  
he wanted it to be tomorrow, so to know Akane’s reaction to his gift. He 
hoped  his instinct was correct and that his gift would please her, and wondered 
where  his decision to give it to her would lead the two of them. After much 
tossing  and turning, and many pensive, wistful sighs, Ranma finally drifted 
reluctantly  asleep. 
 

*****
 

Akane woke up ten minutes before her alarm went off. She stared  at her 
ceiling with sleepy eyes, debating whether she should nap a little more,  rolling 
over on her side to see how much time she had left before she needed to  get 
up. She blinked, and then quickly sat up with a gasp, completely awake. On  her 
night stand, propped against her clock radio, was an envelope with her name  
written on it in a familiar scrawl. Set before the envelope was a small,  
foil-wrapped white chocolate heart and a little jewelry box. 
 
 She stared at the gifts for a minute, her heart beating with quick  
excitement, not quite believing they were real. She reached out for them, her  hand 
hesitating a moment over the jewelry box before taking the envelope. In it  was 
a plain white card, on which was written: 
 
         Akane,

Happy White Day. 
 
        Ranma.

Akane smiled, her brown eyes bright and shining. _He remembered! He  actually 
remembered!_ She hugged the card to her breast and then turned her  attention 
to the jewelry box. Suddenly she felt unaccountably nervous and very  shy. _I 
can’t believe he got me something like this, though. This card and that  
piece of chocolate would have been enough._ She picked it up cautiously; as if  
afraid it would vanish if handled roughly, and simply looked at it for a while  
as her mind whirled with wonder and conjecture. _Could it be…_ she refused to  
finish the thought. Just the mere hint of it was overwhelming. _Only one way 
to  find out..._ Taking a deep breath, she opened the little box and let out a 
small  gasp. Inside, threaded through a simple chain, was a silver pendant 
wrought in  the shape of a heart, set within it a polished blue sapphire cut in 
the same  shape. Akane swiped at the happy tears brimming in her eyes with the 
back of her  hand and could feel her smile growing larger and more joyful. 
She clasped the  pendant around her neck and bounded up to her mirror to admire 
it. Watching it  gleam and shimmer in the early morning light, she felt an 
almost overwhelming  urge to find Ranma and give him a glomp that would put an 
Amazon’s to shame.  Somehow she managed to wrestle it down, knowing doing that 
in front of the  family would cause Ranma and her problems she did not want to 
deal with – not  today. She walked back to her bed, taking off the pendant and 
returning it to  its box, then hiding it under her pillow, confident it would 
be safe until she  returned from her jog. Ranma’s card she slipped into her 
diary, then she started  changing out of her pajamas and into her jogging 
outfit, occasionally shivering  from the joy flowing through her body.  
 
 She cut her run a little short, wanting to get cleaned up and ready  before 
the rest of the household was up and about. She got back just as Ranma  and 
his father started their morning sparring session, and hustled herself into  the 
house before her fiancé spotted her. She quickly bathed and returned to her  
bedroom to dress for school, taking especial care of her appearance that  
morning. The last thing she donned was Ranma’s pendant, after which she looked  
again in the mirror to admire its simple beauty, amazed that Ranma gave it to  
her. _He cares!_ She thought triumphantly, the happiness of knowing that 
causing  her to wrap her arms around herself and bounce on her toes, trying not to 
squeal  in girlish delight. She forced herself to settle down, then, a little 
sadly,  concealed the pendant beneath her blouse. Part of her wished she did 
not have to  hide it, but another part enjoyed the idea of keeping it a secret, 
absolutely  certain that Shampoo, Ukyo or Kodachi had not received such a gift 
from Ranma. 
 
 Akane found Ranma alone in the living room, looking out the open  engawa 
doors, chin cupped in his left hand, his right hand rapidly tapping the  table. 
He became aware of her presence, his pigtail stiffening in reaction. He  looked 
at her, and she favored him with one of the brightest smiles he had ever  
seen. Still smiling, she tilted her head a little, slightly stretching her neck,  
and Ranma saw a brief flash of silver. His breath caught, his eyes widened, 
and  he smiled back at her, his face growing hot and flushed. His feelings  
threatening to overwhelm him, he ducked his head shyly as Akane joined him at  
the table. By the time the rest of the family gathered for breakfast the two  
teens had managed to bring themselves under control, though everyone noticed  
they seemed a bit restless. But only Nabiki noticed that Akane was sitting much  
closer to Ranma than she usually did. The middle Tendo daughter concealed her 
 smile behind her coffee cup, deciding that today had the potential to be 
both  exciting and profitable – her favorite combination.
 
 After breakfast Ranma and Akane headed out for Furinken High in their  usual 
fashion, Ranma balancing on the nearest fence, Akane down in the street.  
What was unusual was that neither of them spoke a word to the other. Ordinarily  
they chatted with each other as they made their way to and from school, but  
today they were silent, looking anywhere but at each other and wrestling  
pleasurably with the feelings they were experiencing. Halfway to school Akane  
called out to Ranma. He stopped, his eyes automatically drawn to her; she was  
looking up at him, smiling, her own warm, brown eyes bright and shining. She had  
drawn out the silver and sapphire pendant, displaying it openly on her 
breast.  “Ranma… thank you so very much for this.” 
 
 Ranma blushed hard, feeling suddenly light-headed. He dropped lightly  down 
to the street, before Akane. He looked at her for a moment, soaking in the  
radiance of her affection, before his shyness took hold of him and made him look 
 away. “You’re… you’re welcome, Akane,” he stuttered out, feeling a little  
embarrassed that he could not keep his voice steady. “You… you like it, then?
” 
 
 “I love it,” Akane murmured. 
 
 “I’m glad.” Ranma looked up, showing his fiancée a bright smile of  his own 
that made her knees feel weak and her heart skip faster. “I loved  looking 
for it for you,” he whispered, “and I loved giving it to you…” Now it  was 
Akane’s turn to blush deeply, looking down at her shoes as a wonderful  
nervousness flowed through her. The two teens stood there for a few minutes,  staring 
at the street, occasionally daring to look at the other. Finally Akane  said, “
We… we better get going, Ranma, or we’ll be late.” 
 
 Ranma nodded slightly in agreement. “Okay…” Suddenly looking up, he  
flashed a mischievous grin. “Race you there, slowpoke!” he called out, and raced  
off. Akane blinked, and then chased after him, calling out his name with a 
happy  shriek, and they ran to school, laughing together. 
 
 They slowed down two blocks before the school gates, moving at a  trot, when 
they heard behind them the ring of a delivery bell, high pitched  laughter, 
and a cry of “Ranchan!” They turned in time to see Shampoo, Kodachi  and Ukyo 
bearing down on Ranma. 
 
 “Nihao, Ranma! Shampoo come for White Day gift!” 
 
 “I can’t wait to see what you got me, sugar!”
 
 “Oh Ranma-sama, I’m sure the present you have for me is almost as  glorious 
as you are!” 
 
 “Aw Hell,” Ranma had time to grit out before he was tackled by a  
passionate Amazon, a cute and perky okonomiyaki chef, and aristocratically  beautiful 
but rather crazed gymnast. A dust cloud kicked up, obscuring most of  the 
action, and over the sounds of the fray Ranma’s voice cried out in strident  
protest. “Will the three of ya lay off? I didn’t take your chocolate, and I got  
nothing for you!”
 
 “Oh ho ho ho ho! You’re so shy, Ranma-sama. Come, let me indulge in  the 
white sweetness of your love!”
 
 “Okay, that was just _so_ wrong on so many levels,” Akane overheard  
Hiroshi comment to Daisuke as they skirted the conflict. Akane shook her head.  “I’
ll see you inside, Ranma,” she called out, running towards the school. A  
faint blush colored her cheeks and she was smiling, a hand on her breast,  feeling 
the little silver and sapphire heart that rested there. 
 
 Ranma staggered into the school five minutes later, bruised, battered  and 
cursing. “I really, _really_ hate my life, sometimes,” he growled as he got  
his school shoes out and tossed his street shoes into his cubby. Then he 
noticed  Akane waiting by her own cubby, again favoring him with her beautiful 
smile,  tilting her head so he saw a flash of silver at her neck. He could not help 
but  smile back. _Then again_, he thought, _maybe my life ain’t so bad, after 
 all…_


*****
 

The school day progressed and the students of Furinken High  School were so 
involved with their own romances (or lack there of), no one  noticed the odd 
way Akane and Ranma were behaving. Both of them were smiling,  their faces 
slightly flushed, constantly darting affectionate glances at each  other, and when 
they left their desks to fetch or do something, they moved as if  they walked 
on air. Lunch period finally arrived, and it being an unseasonably  warm day 
for March many of the students decided to eat outside. Beneath one tree  Akane 
sat with her friends Yuka and Sayuri, while under another tree Ranma ate  with 
Hiroshi and Daisuke. 
 
 “Panties?” Sayuri asked with a giggle, an amused light dancing in her  
eyes. 
 
 “It’s not funny, Sayuri,” Yuka pouted. “I can’t believe Hiroshi got  me 
those. It was mortifying… if anyone had seen them, I would have died.”
 
 “Well, they _are_ a traditional gift.”
 
 “Traditional, yes, but in no way appropriate!” Yuka protested. “We  haven’
t even _kissed_ yet! What was he thinking?”
 
 “I don’t think it’s so much what he was thinking as what he was  thinking 
_with_,” Sayuri answered slyly. Yuka blushed bright crimson and  suddenly found 
her bento extraordinarily interesting. Laughing good-naturedly,  Sayuri 
glanced over at Akane; she had just started to notice the youngest Tendo  had been 
very quiet today. “So, Akane, did Ranma get you anything? I remember  you told 
us you got him that little piece of chocolate for Valentine’s Day.”  Sayuri 
was so startled by Akane’s reaction she reached over to tap Yuka on the  knee 
to get her attention – instead of loud protests or complaints about her  idiot 
fiancé, Akane smiled serenely, the faint blush that perpetually colored  her 
cheeks today deepening a little as she glanced past her friends to give  Ranma 
a fond look. Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other wide-eyed, then back at  
Akane. 
 
 “He _did_ get you something,” Yuka breathed. “White chocolate?”
 
 Akane nodded. “Just a little heart, along with –“ Akane cut herself  off 
and looked around carefully, as her friends waited with breathless  
anticipation. Akane was not certain that this was a good idea, but she was  almost 
bursting with the need to tell _someone_ about Ranma’s gift, and Yuka and  Sayuri 
were two of her oldest, dearest friends. If she could trust anyone it was  these 
two girls. Still looking around warily, she gestured for her friends to  come 
closer. They complied, and once she was certain no one was close enough to  
see or overhear, Akane continued. “And Ranma also got me this.” She pulled out  
her pendant, letting the little silver and sapphire heart dangle over her 
thumb.  Yuka and Sayuri both gasped, their eyes growing even larger.
 
 “Ranma got you _that_?” Sayuri whispered, not quite able to believe  what 
she was seeing. Ranma getting Akane some white chocolate was improbable  
enough, but him getting his fiancée such a pretty piece of jewelry? 
 
 Akane nodded again as she tucked the pendant back beneath her blouse,  again 
feeling the elation and euphoria Ranma’s gift invoked in her. It had  become 
familiar, but the intensity of it still remained almost intoxicating.  Happy 
tears brimmed in her eyes. “He cares… he really does care!” she whispered  
fiercely. 
 
 Yuka scooted over and hugged Akane. “Oh, Akane, I’m so happy for  you!” 
Sayuri grinned brightly and hugged Akane too. Akane laughed a little and  hugged 
her two friends back, then remembered where they were and gently but  firmly 
broke the embrace. “Thank you. But you have to promise me that you won’t  tell 
anyone about this.” She let out a little sigh of regret. “You know what  
will happen if word gets out…”
 
 Yuka and Sayuri both nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Akane. We won’t  tell a 
soul,” Sayuri promised. 
 
 “Yeah,” Yuka agreed. Suddenly she shook her head. “You’re really  lucky, 
Akane. I feel a little jealous. It’s so sweet of Ranma… I wish Hiroshi  had 
had the brains to get me something like that.” The three friends began to  
giggle. 
 
 “I really thought she’d like them,” Hiroshi moaned inconsolably. The  look 
Daisuke gave him was without sympathy. 
 
 “You’re a moron,” he told Hiroshi bluntly. “You’ve got to be the  thickest 
guy in school. _Kuno_ couldn’t have pulled a bigger blunder with a  month of 
prep time and a mission statement.” 
 
 “But they’re traditional!” Hiroshi whined. “And they’re a really nice  
pair.”
 
 “Yeah, they are, and I’m sure they’re nice, but the fact remains you  don’
t get a girl you’ve been dating for only two months a pair of red silk thong  
panties for White Day!” Hiroshi groaned and buried his face in his hands.  
Daisuke shook his head in exasperation then looked over at Ranma, who was  
sitting with his back against the tree, his cleaned-out bento lying discarded  next 
to him. He was taking small sips from a bottle of juice and kept glancing  off 
towards his left. Daisuke followed the line of his friend’s sight and was  
not particularly surprised to find it led to Akane. Now that he thought about  
it, Daisuke realized that Ranma had been particularly quiet today, radiating a  
feeling of contentment that was unusual for him, and every time he looked at  
Akane a gentle, somewhat smug smile played across his lips. Daisuke arched an 
 eyebrow and a flash of satori made him grin. “So Ranma,” he began 
innocently,  deciding to test the validity of his insight. “Since you’re not in a full 
body  cast, I figure that you got Akane something other than panties for 
White Day?” 
 
 Ranma finished his juice and dropped the bottle into his bento.  “Yeah,” he 
murmured, voice distant and dreaming. Suddenly he blinked rapidly,  realizing 
what he just confessed. Daisuke let out a laugh of triumph, his grin  growing 
wider, feeling happy for Ranma, now that the man finally taken some  
initiative concerning his tumultuous relationship with the hottest girl in  school. 
Hiroshi was startled out of his lamentations and gaped at Ranma. “You’re  
saying you got Akane –“ Ranma slapped a hand over Hiroshi’s mouth, cutting him  
off, and the young martial artist looked around warily. Finding no one  
eavesdropping, he removed his hand and gave Hiroshi and Daisuke a long look as  he 
struggled with his impulses; he knew it was courting trouble to tell anyone  
about the pendant, but the powerful urge to boast was too great to resist,  
especially since his friends now knew he had gotten Akane _something_.
 
 “This goes no further,” he declared. “You two don’t repeat what I’m  gonna 
tell you to _anyone_, got me?” Hiroshi and Daisuke nodded in silent  
agreement. Ranma sighed, relaxing a trifle. He looked around one more time, then  
moved closer to his friends. “Okay. Yeah, I got Akane something,” he confessed  
softly.
 
 “What, a box of white chocolate?” Hiroshi asked.
 
 “No… well, not a box. Just a small heart, but that wasn’t the real  gift. 
Just something extra.” Ranma hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed. He  
looked down at his hands and saw he was twiddling his thumbs. “I got her a  silver 
and sapphire heart pendant. It’s pretty, and looks good on her, and she  
really likes it.” 
 
 “Damn, Ranma…” said Hiroshi, shaking his head. “Never thought I’d see  the 
day when you got Akane something like that. 
 
 “Me too,” added Daisuke. “You’re really serious about her.”
 
 Ranma looked up, opening his mouth to protest out of habit, but  checked 
himself. He snorted, shaking his head and smiling ruefully. “Yeah, guess  I am. 
If you want the truth, I think I’ve always been serious about her.” 
 
 “Gee, Ranma, you figured it out. Congratulations! The entire school’s  only 
known that for the past year or so,” Daisuke commented sardonically,  
laughing at Ranma’s abashed reaction. 
 
 “So,” Hiroshi began eagerly. “Have you and Akane –“ This time Ranma’s  
warning glare alone was enough to cut him off. Hiroshi gulped and started to  
sweat. Daisuke shook his head. “Have you always had this death wish?” The bell  
signaling the end of lunch rang, and the students began gathering up their  
belongings. As they stood Daisuke gave Ranma a soft clap on the shoulder.  “
Whatever it’s worth, Ranma, I’m happy for you. I think you and Akane are good  
together.” 
 
 “Thanks buddy,” Ranma answered, tapping Daisuke’s shoulder gently  with his 
fist. The students trailed into the main school building, Ranma and  Akane 
lingering behind so they could walk in together. No one noticed the small,  
furtive shadow leap out of Akane’s tree and race off the school grounds. Nor did  
anyone spot the white duck wearing coke-bottle glasses flap out of Ranma’s 
tree  and fly away. 
 

*****
 
 
 
 Nabiki waited in the stairwell by the athletic field doors, her arms  
crossed and tapping her foot impatiently, distinctly aware her time before the  late 
bell was running thin. “Finally,” she muttered when her friend Junko  
stepped in through the open door.   “Any luck?” 
 
   “I couldn’t get close enough to overhear what she was saying –  your 
sister is pretty alert. However, I did manage to snap this off. I think  you’ll 
find it worth my cut.” Junko pulled a digital camera from her book bag  and 
handed it to Nabiki. The middle Tendo sister pulled up the latest photo in  memory 
and sucked in her breath when she saw the image. It was of Akane, her  heart 
pendant dangling from her fingers as she showed it off to her friends.  “
Jackpot!” she crowed. 
 
 “Remember, I didn’t hear where Akane got it from,” Junko reminded  Nabiki. “
For all we know she could have got it for herself.” 
 
 Nabiki snorted delicately. “Please. You don’t believe that anymore  than I 
do. If that were so, then my sister wouldn’t be hiding it under her  blouse, 
and she _definitely_ wouldn’t be making goo goo eyes at Saotome like she  has 
been all day… Ah, Saotome, you sentimental idiot. This is the best White Day  
gift I’ve ever gotten, and I didn’t even have to get you chocolate.”
 
 “So, who first: Kuonji or Kuno?” Junko asked.
 
 “I want think on it for a bit.” Nabiki put the camera in her own bag  and 
grinned at her friend. “This is going to be  fun.”       
 
 
 
*****
 

Kodachi Kuno, captain of the St. Hebereke Martial Arts Rhythmic  Gymnastics 
team and undisputed queen of the school campus, strolled down the  school 
hallway to her locker, making plans to visit her beloved Ranma once the  final bell 
rang. She felt a little disappointed that he had not given her a  White Day 
present earlier that morning, but she found his reticence absolutely  darling. 
She was opening her locker when a discrete cough attracted her  attentions. A 
small, rabbit-faced man dressed in a dark blue ninja uniform was  kneeling by 
her side. “Ah Sasuke, you have news for me concerning my beloved  Ranma-sama?”
 
 
 Sasuke sighed inaudibly. This would not be pleasant… “Yes, Mistress,  I 
have.” 
 
 “Excellent! Have you discovered what gift he plans to lavish upon me  this 
White Day?” Kodachi looked up towards the ceiling, hand on her heart, eyes  
shimmering as she imagined Ranma presenting her with boxes of white chocolate,  
bouquets of roses, and – most exciting and naughtily of all – sets of silky,  
slinky lingerie. Sasuke winced, praying silently to his ancestors he would  
survive the telling of his tale. 
 
 “I was watching Master Ranma from the concealment of a tree on the  Furinken 
school grounds,” the ninja began slowly. “I could not get closer  without 
revealing myself, so I observed him at a distance. But soon my attention  was 
attracted to Akane Tendo, who was sitting under my perch with two of her  
friends.” Sasuke faltered at the annoyed glower forming on his mistress’s face,  
but plowed forward with his narrative. “Her friends were talking about White Day 
 gifts, and one of them asked Miss Tendo if Master Ranma had given her one, 
and  she said ‘yes’.” Kodachi blanched white, leaning against her locker for 
support.  Sasuke bowed his head low and frantically clasped his hands above him 
in  supplication. “Mistress, have mercy on your lowly servant! I am but a 
messenger,  bringing to you the news you commanded me to seek!” 
 
 With great effort Kodachi mastered herself. “Very well,” she hissed  out 
through gritted teeth. “Continue. What, in his misplaced sense of pity, did  he 
give that wretched girl? No doubt just a token piece of white  chocolate…”
 
 Sasuke swallowed hard, wiping his soaked brow with the back of a  gloved 
hand. “Nay, Mistress, I fear it was a more substantial gift than that. I  saw it 
when Miss Tendo showed it to her friends; it was a silver pendant, shaped  
like a heart, set with a heart-shaped sapphire.” 
 
 Sasuke cringed away as Kodachi began to shriek in outrage. “NO!  IMPOSSIBLE! 
There’s no way that _my_ Ranma-sama would willing give such a gift  to that 
miserable girl!” A sudden epiphany struck her, her eyes widening from  the 
brilliance of the thought. “Of course! My love did not give that pendant  
willingly. I was mistaken thinking Akane Tendo was but a mere peasant. The truth  is 
far more sinister: she’s is a witch! She has ensorcelled Ranma-sama, forcing  
him to give her the pendant, which was obviously intended for my flawless  
throat!”
 
 “As you say, Mistress, so it is,” muttered Sasuke, encouraging this  line 
of thought in hopes of saving his hide from a brutal beating.
 
 “Yes! Everything makes perfect sense, now that the truth is known!  
Ranma-sama does not tolerate that harridan willingly – his will is bound to her  by 
the black arts! Oh, my darling, take heart. I, the Black Rose, will free you  
from this durance vile! I shall begin by liberating my White Day gift from that  
cruel sorceress!” With a peal of lunatic laughter and a burst of black rose  
petals Kodachi raced away, shedding the encumbrance of her school uniform for  
the freedom of the fighting leotard she wore beneath. 
 
 Sasuke watched his maniacal mistress depart, breathing a sigh of  relief. He 
took from his satchel a flask of fine French brandy he had filched  from the 
Kuno liquor cabinet and took a swig. The Kunos paid him well, and his  job 
presented all sorts of perks a watchful man could take advantage of, if he  was 
careful, but their particular brand of insanity was wearing him down. “I’m  
getting too old for this nonsense,” he mumbled before taking another swig from  
his flask. 
 

*****
 

Mousse returned to the Nekohanten, flying in through the open  window of a 
storeroom, where he kept a thermos of warm water, a change of  clothes, and a 
spare set of weapons. He changed back to his human form then  dressed, all the 
while his expression thoughtful and somewhat sad. Once finished  he went 
looking for Shampoo, finding the object of his desires in the main  dining room, 
setting the restaurant up for the after-school rush. . He watched  her for a few 
minutes, admiring her beauty and grace, enjoying the sweetness of  her voice 
as she hummed a traditional Amazon work song. She finally noticed his  
presence, and Mousse’s heart ached as she looked at him with annoyance and  contempt. 
 
 “Lazy Mousse,” she scolded. “Where you been? You suppose to help with  
lunch deliveries today!” 
 
 “I’m sorry, Shampoo,” Mousse apologized, bowing his head. He looked  back 
up at her with a smile. “Let me make up for it by taking you out tonight,  my 
treat. Consider it my White Day gift to you.”
 
 Shampoo sniffed haughtily. “Mousse have no right to ask Shampoo out.  Give 
you no chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Even if had right, still would not go  
out with you.” 
 
 Mousse’s face twisted in despair. He rushed Shampoo, grabbing her by  the 
shoulders before she could react. “Shampoo, I love you! I love you with my  
entire heart, more than anyone else in the whole world! There’s nothing I  wouldn’
t do for you. Why don’t you love me back?” Shampoo shrugged Mousse’s  hands 
off of her and punched him, slashing a hard right cross into his jaw. The  
blow sent him reeling into the table behind him, knocking it over, scattering  
its chairs, sending its silverware pinging and skittering over the tiled floor. 
 
 “Mousse blind, stupid, silly duck,” snapped Shampoo, rubbing her  bruised 
knuckles. “Shampoo never love weakling like you, even if never met  Ranma.” 
The anger flickered out of her eyes, replaced with dreamy contentment.  “Shampoo’
s heart belongs to Ranma, and Ranma’s heart belongs to Shampoo.” 
 
 Mousse gathered himself into a crouch, wiping away the trickle of  blood 
from the corner of his mouth with a napkin taken from the overturned  table. His 
myopic eyes glittered like sword-blades behind his thick glasses, and  each 
pulse of his aching heart pumped black bitterness through him, the refined  
distilment of his pain.
 
 “You really think Saotome loves you?” he asked with a spiteful laugh.  “And 
you dare call me blind.” 
 
 “Airen does love Shampoo!” the young Amazon shouted, stamping her  foot. 
Mousse laughed again as he stood, making no attempt to hid his contempt.  
Shampoo snarled, drawing out a war mace and hurling it at his head. Blue-gray  steel 
flashed between his hands as a fighting chain flowed out of his sleeves  and 
deflected the mace, burying it into the near wall. Shampoo gasped in  
surprise, feeling a momentary sensation of fear in the pit of her stomach. Never  
before had Mousse defended himself against her attacks. Mousse was surprised by  
his own audacity as well, but took no time to question his actions. For the  
first time in his life he let loose his anger and resentment towards Shampoo’s  
continuous rejections. He still loved her, desired her, but was very tired of  
her treading on his heart as she chased after a man that, Mousse now knew for 
 certain, did not return her affection. He wanted her to have a taste of the 
pain  he had known almost his entire life. He pulled his chain taut as Shampoo 
drew  another war mace. 
 
 “So tell me, Shampoo,” Mousse asked with a sneer. “If Saotome loves  you so 
much, why didn’t he accept chocolate from you this Valentine’s?” 
 
 Shampoo glared. “Simple: Airen no want get pounded by Violent  Tomboy.” 
 
 “And I suppose that’s the same reason he had nothing for you today?” 
 
 Shampoo opened her mouth, but then checked herself. She considered  Mousee 
with a piercing, suspicious look. “Mousse know something.”
 
 He nodded in acknowledgement. “I do. You asked where I was, earlier.  I’ll 
tell you now: I was spying on Saotome. I do so sometimes, in hope of  learning 
a weakness of his I can exploit the next time we fight. I didn’t learn  of 
one today, but I did hear a secret.” His eyes narrowed slightly as Shampoo  let 
her mace drop to her side. In turn he relaxed out of his defensive stance,  
drawing his chain back into his sleeve. “I was hiding in the tree he was having  
lunch under. One of his friends tricked the secret out of him, but truthfully 
I  don’t think Saotome wanted to keep it a secret. He wanted to tell them. I 
think  he wanted to shout it from the roof of the high school.” 
 
 “Stop wasting time, Mousse,” Shampoo commanded. “What Airen’s  secret?”
 
 “Just this: he got Akane Tendo a gift for White Day.” 
 
 Shampoo paled. “Mousse mishear airen.” 
 
 “I did not. I may not be able to see well, but my hearing is  perfectly 
fine. And he didn’t just get her chocolate. He got her jewelry,  Shampoo - a 
pendant of silver and sapphire, in the shape of a heart.
 
 “_Mousse lying!_” screamed Shampoo. She took two steps towards  Mousse, 
raising her mace in threat. Mousse snorted. 
 
 “You know I’m not lying, Shampoo. I never lie to you. He doesn’t want  your 
heart, and today he gave his to Akane Tendo.” He chuckled. “No, I take that  
back – Akane always had his heart. You’ve just been too _blind_ to see.” 
Shampoo  screamed inarticulately, her face flushing with rage, tears pouring from 
her  eyes. She charged Mousse, who tried to evade, but her anger lent her 
speed and  he went flying from a wild blow. Shampoo pivoted on a heel, tore free 
her other  mace from the wall and fled from the Nekohanten. 
 
 Mousse staggered up, grimacing as he gingerly rubbed his chest. For a  
moment he felt a pang of guilt, and felt the need to chase after Shampoo, to  tell 
he had lied, beg for her forgiveness. He crushed the impulse ruthlessly.  _Let 
her twist in the wind today, the way she’s made me twist for the past ten  
years… For once, let her know how it feels…_
 

*****
 
 The school day was almost over at Furinken High, and Ukyo Kuonji felt  a 
flutter of apprehension when she saw Nabiki waiting for her by her locker. The  
middle Tendo sister flashed the okonomiyaki chef a cool grin and waved to her.  
“Kuonji,” she said in greeting. 
 
 “Tendo,” Ukyo answered back. “Something I can do for you?”
 
 “No, but there is something I can offer you. I have news concerning  Ranma 
that I know you’ll find very interesting.”
 
 Ukyo frowned thoughtfully. “How much?” 
 
 “Well, what I know is big – _really_ big. I can’t let it go for any  less 
than ten-thousand yen.” 
 
 Ukyo’s eyes bulged. “Are you nuts? I don’t have that much money on  me! I’
ll give you a thousand.” 
 
 Nabiki chuckled and started to walk away. “Guess you don’t care as  much 
for Ranma as everyone thought. Of course, I’ve always had my suspicions.  What’
s ten-thousand yen when you can learn a very important secret about the  love 
of your life? Oh well, see you around, Kuonji.” 
 
 “Wait!” Nabiki stopped, watching Ukyo with amusement as the chef took  out 
her wallet and rifled through it, removing a fold of bills and a few coins.  “
Two-thousand, four-hundred and fifty yen – that’s all I have right now. Come 
by  my restaurant in an hour and I’ll give you the difference.” 
 
 “You swear on your arts?” Ukyo nodded, and Nabiki accepted the cash  from 
her, counting the bills and coin with obvious satisfaction before slipping  it 
into a blouse pocket. “Okay. Before I give you the news, I first have a  
little advice for you, gratis: give up on Ranma.” 
 
 “What!” Ukyo shrieked, attracting the attention of some passing  students. “
No way! I’ve been chasing him for ten years, Tendo. Why the hell  would I 
give up now?” 
 
 “Because it’s over, Kuonji,” Nabiki replied. _Not that you had a  chance 
with him to begin with._ “Ranma gave Akane a White Day gift.”
 
 Ukyo inhaled sharply, a deep intake of breath, like the one a fighter  takes 
when he sees a knock-out blow coming that he knows he cannot dodge. “So...  
so what?” Ukyo stuttered out gamely. “His father made him do it, I bet, and 
what  does a box of white chocolate count for anyway? And I bet the fat panda 
ate half  of it, before Ranma could give it to Akane.” 
 
 “Ah, but it wasn’t white chocolate,” Nabiki said. “My little sister  is 
wearing a pendant under her blouse. A silver and sapphire heart pendant,  which 
Uncle Saotome and my father know nothing about.” Nabiki canted her head  
thoughtfully. “Well, they don’t know about it yet.”  
 
 “No,” whispered Ukyo, shaking her head in denial. Nabiki produced the  
digital camera and showed Ukyo the picture of Akane with the pendant. Ukyo’s  
hands clenched and she screwed her eyes shut.
 
 “Now, I’ll admit I didn’t see Ranma actually give the pendant to  Akane,” 
Nabiki continued with gentle cruelness. “But the circumstantial evidence  is 
pretty telling. Or haven’t you noticed the way those two have been acting  
today? All giddy and excited, sneaking peeks at each other and blushing like mad  –
 or did you ignore it, because you didn’t like what it implied?” Ukyo did 
not  answer. Nabiki chuckled. “Oh well, it doesn’t matter to me in the 
slightest, as  long as you pay me what you owe. I’ll drop by in a while to pick up the 
rest of  my fee. Ciao, Kuonji.” Nabiki sauntered back towards her classroom. 
 
 Ukyo stood in the hallway, hands clenching and unclenching  spasmodically, 
grief, anger and hate burning through her like storms of fire and  ice. _How 
*dare* he? *I’m* his fiancée! His *cute* fiancée! He should have given  that 
pendant to *me*, not that spoiled little bitch!_ She turned on his heel to  storm 
back to her classroom. Ranma had clean-up duty today. She would wrench an  
explanation for this unacceptable behavior out of him, even if she had to beat  
him. She refused to believe Nabiki’s insinuation that Ranma gave such a gift 
to  Akane without coercion. The two old fools must have forced him to give it. 
_Or  maybe,_ she thought. _Maybe he got the pendant for me, but Akane found 
out about  it, so he gave it to her to avoid getting knocked into orbit. Yeah…_ 
Ukyo  halted, then turn back and started running for the front doors. I’ll get 
the  truth from Ranchan later. Right now, I’ll go get what’s rightfully 
mine._  
 

*****
 

The school day was over and Akane was walking towards the school  gates, 
whistling happily to herself and smiling. Every so often her hand strayed  up and 
touched the pendant hidden under her blouse. Though she would rather be  with 
Ranma right now, part of her was glad he had clean-up duty along with Yuka  
and Sayuri; it gave her time to think over this radical new turn in her life.  
Though she was pragmatic enough to acknowledge that everything would not become 
 magically perfect, she had the happy thought that their personal 
relationship  was going to become a lot less turbulent. _But not completely so,_ she 
thought  to herself, _we’re going to have to work on it. It’ll be worth it. She 
giggled  mischievously. _I hope things don’t get *too* peaceful. Sometimes 
fighting with  Ranma is fun. 
 
 Hiroshi and Daisuke trotted by, and as they passed Hiroshi flashed a  big 
grin while Daisuke gestured a thumbs up sign at her. Akane blinked in  surprise, 
then smiled back at them. It did not surprise her Ranma told those  two. They 
were friends and pretty good guys. Akane trusted them to stay quiet  about 
the pendant, the same way she trusted Yuka and Sayuri. She touched the  pendant 
again, wondering if she could convince Ranma to go out somewhere with  her 
this coming weekend. They would have to be careful about it, if only to keep  
their fathers from doing something foolish. _I’ll try to get Ranma alone in the  
dojo and ask him._ She giggled again. _And while I’m at it, maybe I’ll get 
the  chance to glomp him, the way I’ve wanted to all  day._

_“Tendo.”_ The  voice was harsher than the cold March wind, jolting Akane 
out of her pleasant  planning. She turned, finding Ukyo standing stiff and rigid 
five yards away,  clutching her battle spatula down across her thighs in a 
white-knuckled grasp,  her eyes practically glowing with tightly reined rage. A 
loud gasp raced through  the students between and around the two girls; the 
students quickly cleared the  area, retreating to watch from a safe distance. 
 
 Akane threw her book bag to one side and shifted into a subtle  defensive 
stance, reacting to the hostility of the angry girl but not wanting to  provoke 
her. “Ukyo, what’s wrong?” 
 
 Ukyo growled. “You know perfectly well what’s wrong, you little – “  She 
shook her head as worlds failed her, and forced herself to focus, to keep  her 
anger from completely overwhelming her. “I want it, Tendo.” 
 
 Akane felt the blood drain out of her face. “I – I don’t know what  you’re 
talking about, Kuonji.” 
 
 “Don’t play innocent, Little Miss Tricky! You have Ranma’s pendant,  the 
one he meant for me, and which you bullied him out of. I want it. I’m his  cute 
fiancée, the fiancée he belongs to, and that heart pendant is rightfully  
_mine!_”
 
 “No, pendant belong to _me!_” The students gasped again as Shampoo  stormed 
through them, brandishing her maces. He eyes were red, tear tracks  stained 
her puffy cheeks, and her expression was absolutely murderous. “Ranma  _Shampoo’
s_ Airen! _Shampoo’s_ husband! Pendant mine! Not Spatula Girl’s, and  very 
much not Violent Pervert Girl’s!” 
 
  A peal of laughter and a whirlwind of black rose petals presaged  Kodachi’s 
arrival. She flipped gracefully over the spectators, landing smoothly  with a 
snap of her ribbon. The crowd pushed farther back, some of the students  
fleeing entirely, sensing that the coming violence promised to be apocalyptic.  
Kodachi sneered at Ukyo and Shampoo. “Be gone, you peasants. Only I, Kodachi  
Kuno, have the right to vanquish this wretched sorceress! I will free my darling 
 Ranma-sama from her enchantments and claim the pendant he intended to give 
me!”  The three angry women glared at each other, and Akane moved carefully 
back,  hoping their mutual dislike and jealousy of each other would start them 
fighting  amongst themselves. Unfortunately, there was a girl present they 
disliked and  were jealous of far more. As one their glares snapped onto Akane, and 
she could  not help to gasp under the emotional impact of their combined 
anger and envy. 
 
 Ukyo brought her battle spatula up to guard. “We can thrash out who  gets 
the pendant later. Right now, I think we all agree on who the pendant does  
_not_ belong to.” Shampoo and Kodachi nodded. “Take it off and put it on the  
ground, Tendo.” Ukyo ordered. 
 
 Akane stood motionless, her face a pale, expressionless mask. Cold,  dry 
fear grasped at her, warring with the heat of her growing anger. _How dare  they? 
Ranma gave *me* the pendant. He told me he loved giving it to me. They  have 
no right!_ Akane swallowed hard, bringing her emotions under control, and  
assessed her situation. She did not fear Kodachi – in a fight unconstrained by  
artificial rules, she knew she was more than a match for the Black Rose. 
Against  Ukyo, the odds became chancier, but she thought she had an even chance of  
beating the okonomiyaki chef. Shampoo, however… Akane tamped firmly down on a  
sudden upwelling of despair. She knew her skills had improved over the past  
several months, but she would need lots of luck to defeat the Amazon; and  
against Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi together, she would need a miracle. The smart  
thing to do would be to do as Ukyo said and walk away… the smart thing, 
perhaps,  but not the right thing. Her anger, her pride, her feelings for Ranma, all 
 helped to buttress her will and stave off her fear. Never in her life had 
she  backed down from bullies, and no way would she let these three confronting 
her  bully her now. She would never be able to look at herself in the mirror 
again if  she submitted, let alone look Ranma in the eyes if she had to tell 
him she gave  up his White Day gift without a fight. 
 
 Deliberately, Akane drew out her pendant and let it rest openly on  her 
breast. She set into a full defensive stance, legs spread and fists at the  ready, 
her attitude determined, fierce and in no way frightened. “Listen up you  
three; Ranma gave this pendant to _me._ He wanted me to have it, and the only  
way any of you are going to get it is by taking it off my cold, dead body!” 
 
 Shampoo hissed, taking a step forward. “Shampoo happy to grant Stupid  Girl’
s wish.” 
 
 Ukyo bit her lower lip. “Fine by me if you want to do this hard,  sugar. 
Just don’t go whining that we didn’t give you a chance.” 
 
 “Enough talk,” snapped Kodachi. “Your time of reckoning has come,  Akane 
Tendo!” As one, the three angry young women charged. 
 

*****
 

Ranma whistled as he helped clean the classroom, working quickly  and 
efficiently, wanting to get out as soon as possible so he could spend time  with 
Akane. Also, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable from the  knowing 
looks Yuka and Sayuri kept sending him. _Akane must have told them about  the 
pendant._ He was fine with that – he trusted the two girls not to tell  anyone 
else. Besides, fair is fair, since Hiroshi and Daisuke were in on the  secret 
too. 
 
 Ranma smiled to himself as he finished sweeping the floor. His  elation from 
Akane’s reaction to his White Day gift remained undimmed, and he  felt that 
his relationship with her had reached a turning point – one for the  better, he 
hoped. He knew things would not suddenly become tranquil between  them; they 
both had tempers, and Ranma was honest enough to admit he had one  hell of a 
mouth. The thought of fighting with Akane did not bother him much; it  was part 
of who they were, and at times he enjoyed it. But now that he knew she  
cared, he wanted to explore gentler aspects of their relationship. _Wonder if I  
could convince Akane to out with me this weekend? I think I can scrape up enough 
 money for dinner and a movie._ He emptied a dustpan into the wastebasket by 
the  teacher’s desk. _Maybe I could hold her hand in the theater. Afterwards, 
maybe  we could even… kiss._ To his dismay the thought made him blush hotly. 
Yuka and  Sayuri noticed and giggled. “Watcha thinkin’ about, Ranma?” they 
sing-songed to  him in unison. Ranma tried to scowl, but felt too good to do so. 
Instead he  smiled, feeling smug and a bit shy. “Nothing I’m going to tell 
you two,” he  answered with a fond chuckle. The girls giggled again, and Ranma 
laughed with  them as he went to the supply closet to put away his broom and 
dustpan. 
 
 The classroom door burst open, startling everyone within, and  Tatewaki Kuno 
charged in. “Never!” he roared. “I will never allow it!” His  bokken 
blurred as he attempted to cut Ranma in half. Ranma yelped, bending  backwards under 
the strike, his right leg arcing up in counter, sending Kuno  staggering with 
a blooded nose. Ranma back-flipped to his feet and went into an  active 
guard. “What the Hell is your problem?” he demanded. 
 
 Kuno wiped the blood from his nose with a handkerchief and snarled.  “
Saotome, I know your plan to ensnare Akane Tendo even tighter in your evil  grasp! 
Trying to steal her heart by giving her that charm – it is a low deed,  even 
for black a sorcerer as yourself. Today is the day I smite you down,  finally 
freeing the beauteous Akane to date with me!”
 
 Ranma blanched as he listened to Kuno. _He knows!_ His mind quickly  jumped 
to the obvious deduction. _Nabiki found out! Why that greedy, miserable…_  He 
left the profane thought unfinished, focusing instead on Kuno’s renewed  
assault, the older student lashing forth with a barrage of bokken thrusts. “The  
righteousness of my cause gives me the strength of ten! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!  
STRIKE! STRIKE!”
 
 “GET STUFFED!” Ranma shouted back as he danced around Kuno’s blows,  subtly 
drawing his opponent off balance, watching for the inevitable opening he  was 
forcing. The moment came, a window of opportunity a scant fraction of a  
second wide. Ranma struck like lightning, blurring inside Kuno’s guard and  
launching a flurry of punches. Kuno’s eyes bulged and he wheezed as he felt  sharp 
impacts ran down from his throat to the pit of his stomach and back up.  Ranma 
finished the sequence with a palm thrust to the sternum that sent Kuno’s  
limp, insensate body hurling through the open classroom door, crashing into a  row 
of lockers. Metal crumpled like paper and collapsed, leaving Kuno buried  
beneath a pile of scrap and schoolbooks. Ranma surveyed the results of his  
skills with savage satisfaction, then Yuka’s scream drew his attention. “Ranma,  
come quick!” Ranma hurried to the classroom windows, where Yuka and Sayuri were 
 staring out towards the front lawn fearfully. He felt a cold rush of panic 
crash  over him when he saw the tableau by the school gates: Akane trying to 
fight off  the combined attacks of Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi.
 
 “AKANE!” Ranma slammed open the window and leaped out, hoping he  could 
reach his fiancée before she got hurt. 
 

*****
 

It surprised Akane how well she fared against her three  opponents. The 
semester she spent fighting off a horde of hormonally crazed boys  every school 
morning had honed her ability to fend off multiple opponents, and  it helped that 
Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi fought as individuals, not a team. They  got in 
each other’s way, hindering their efforts. Also, their anger worked  against 
them; they could not focus it, and as a result it made them clumsy and  
inaccurate. Akane started to think it possible to hold them off until an  opportunity to 
make a run for it presented itself. 
 
 Kodachi jumped at Akane, attempting to brain her with a gymnastics  pin. 
Akane dodged easily and kicked Kodachi in the chin, knocking the gymnast  through 
the air, landing hard on her shoulders and the back of her head, lying  
stunned on the school lawn. Akane then pivoted and whirled out of the way of  
getting flatted by the downward stroke of Ukyo’s battle spatula. “Hold still,  you 
little dyke!” Ukyo hissed. 
 
 Akane felt her anger spike. She seized the spatula by its shaft and  heaved, 
lifting Ukyo up then slamming her down hard on her back. “You’ve got  some 
nerve calling me that, you cross-dresser!” She moved to knock Ukyo out with  a 
kick to the head, but was forced away by a swing of Shampoo’s mace. Grimacing, 
 Akane started a fighting withdrawal, backing away and concentrating on total 
 defense, avoiding the Amazon’s weapons with hair’s breadth dodges. A 
constant  flood of Chinese curses streamed from Shampoo’s mouth. So in the grips of 
her  battle rage she did not notice Akane was leading her towards Kodachi, who 
had  rallied from her fall, rolling up to her feet. The youngest Tendo had 
presented  her back to the Black Rose, and seemed to be complete focused on 
surviving  Shampoo’s fury. Taking advantage of this prime opportunity, Kodachi 
threw her  gymnastics pin at the back of Akane’s head. 
 
 Akane had been hoping for such a reaction. Aware of the missile  coming more 
by instinct than awareness, she dropped to the ground. Shampoo  shouted in 
surprise and smashed the pin to splinters with a mace, and discovered  a 
split-second later she had been out-maneuvered when Akane’s foot slammed into  her 
stomach. She folded in half, gagging, and Akane kicked her in the face,  sending 
her tumbling away. Akane kipped to her feet and felt Kodachi’s ribbon  snake 
around her right wrist. The Black Rose laughed in triumph, but her humor  
quickly changed to shock when she tried to throw her enemy and failed – Akane  had 
set herself to resist in time, and using her superior strength yanked  
Kodachi off her feet. Kodachi flew towards, then from Akane, propelled away by a  
hard punch. Akane shook off the ribbon and spotted Ukyo, recovered from her body 
 slam, up on one knee and launching a brace of throwing spatulas at her. 
Akane  jerked aside; a metallic snap cracked out, loud and high-pitched. One 
spatula  had missed wide, but the second came much closer, by some quirk of chance  
cutting through the silver chain of Akane’s pendant. 
 
 Akane gasped, lunging for the silver and sapphire heart lying on the  
ground, seeing only at almost the last instant Shampoo coming down at her from  the 
air, propelled by a mighty jump, a mace wielded double-handed held high  above 
her head. “DIE!” the Amazon screamed. Akane rolled to her right, just  
evading the strike, then screamed herself when she saw where the blow landed.  
Shampoo heaved up the mace, readying to press her attack, but stopped when she  
saw Akane’s pale, distressed face, trembling lips, and wide eyes starting to  
brim with tears. Shampoo looked at the spot on the ground Akane stared at and  
sucked in her breath. In the center of the small crater gouged in the earth by  
her mace blow was a mangled, flattened piece of silver, dusted with a pinch 
of  shimmering dark-blue powder. 
 
 Akane reeled drunkenly to her feet, unable to look away from her  ruined 
pendant, the simple, pretty piece of jewelry she had come to treasure so  quickly 
because Ranma had given it to her of his own free will. Her breath  rushed in 
and out of her fast and hard, and she shook her head, as if trying to  deny 
her gift’s destruction. Shampoo stood stock still, her will to fight gone,  
leaving her feeling empty and ashamed. Kodachi and Ukyo approached warily, then  
noticed the ruined prize they had been fighting for. Kodachi seemed merely  
puzzled, while Ukyo’s expression was sick, her eyes suddenly staining with  
guilt. “Akane, I… I’m…” Flesh struck flesh; Ukyo found herself on the ground  
again, face aching from Akane’s slap. Eyes blazing, Akane slapped Shampoo, then  
Kodachi, knocking both girls down in turn. Then she fled the school grounds,  
crying loudly, the broken silver chain of her pendant – all that remained of  
Ranma’s White Day gift – clutched in her hand.   

The three girls gathered themselves up,  rubbing their faces. Ukyo licked and 
pursed her lips, watching Akane run through  the school gates and turn out of 
sight. “We… we shouldn’t have done this…” she  muttered. 
 
 Shampoo shook her head sharply, forcibly burying her shame with  pride. “NO! 
Shampoo within rights to destroy pendant. It no belong to Akane.” 
 
 Kodachi snorted. “I agree with the spirit of this barbarian’s  statement, 
if not the exact words. At least Ranma-sama is now safe from that  wicked girl’
s charms.” 
 
 “Maybe I’m safe, but you’re sure the Hell not.” All three girls  
stiffened, then slowly, reluctantly, turned to face the owner of that cold,  angry 
voice. They gasped at the sight of Ranma, furious in a way they had never  seen 
him before. His face was bone-white with rage; lighting flashed in his blue  
eyes, a predatory snarl slashed his mouth, baring his teeth.  

“Well, are you all  happy now?” he asked with a harsh false joviality that 
cut at them without  mercy. “The three of you absolutely _fucking_ satisfied 
with yourselves?” 
 
 “Ranchan, I- “ Ranma cut Ukyo off with a sharp gesture. 
 
 “Don’t Ranchan me, Ukyo, and don’t you dare try to make excuses!  There ain’
t any excuse for how you acted today!” 
 
 “Airen have no should have give Kitchen Wrecker White Day gift!”  protested 
Shampoo.
 
 “I was trying to save you, Ranma-sama! That girl charmed you into  giving 
her the gift you intended for me!” Kodachi stated. All three girls  faltered 
under Ranma’s furious gaze. 
 
 “I ain’t _your_ Ranma-sama,” he snapped. “Just as I ain’t _your_  Ranchan 
or _your_ Airen! I’m Ranma Saotome, and I belong to my own damn self. I  don’
t need an excuse or permission to give someone a White Day gift, and I  wasn’t 
charmed into doing so. I _wanted_ Akane to have that pendant, not one of  
you. You had no damn right trying to mug her for it. I know she wouldn’t have  
tried to steal it if I had been fool enough _to_ give it to one of you!” Ranma  
closed his eyes tight, mastering his temper. He felt so angry he could barely  
see straight. A blood-red haze kept bleeding into the edge of his vision. He  
took a deep, hard breath and opened his eyes to glare at the three girls. “
Stay  out of my sight, if you know what’s good for you. Stay out of my sight for 
a  good long while.” He ran passed them to chase after Akane. 
 
 The three young women said nothing, making no effort to chase Ranma,  each 
struggling with the object of their desire’s rejection. Kodachi was the  first 
to break the silence. “My poor Ranma-sama! It is evident he is even deeper  
under Akane Tendo’s sorcerous compulsion than I first suspected. Perhaps that  
wicked pig-tailed girl is aiding her. But the Black Rose will not stop fighting 
 for him. I fight until the day he is free to profess his love to me!” The 
crowd  of Furinken students watching the aftermath of the White Day brawl looked 
at her  with disbelief. Kodachi ignored their stares as she left, vaulting 
the school  wall while laughing maniacally.
 
 Shampoo scrubbed a hand over her face. “This no over,” she declared.  “
Ranma belong to Shampoo.” Her voice was dull, though, lacking both energy and  
conviction. She walked off for the gate, moving slowly, as if in great pain. 
 
 Ukyo watched her two rivals leave, then felt the weight of angry  stares 
focusing on her. Almost every female student of Furinken High, and many  of the 
male ones, was staring contemptuously at her. A quiet buzz of  conversation 
began to reach her ears. “Ranma gave Akane a White Day gift!” “He  must really 
like her, then.” “And Akane must like him back. Did you see how she  fought to 
keep it?” “I can’t believe Ukyo tried to take it from her. I thought  she 
was nicer than that!” 
 
 Ukyo fled, feeling sick and low and empty, wondering as she ran if  she 
would ever feel right again. 
 

*****
 

After making a hurried stop at a local convenience store, Ranma  eventually 
found Akane by the big bridge that spanned the Nerima canal. She sat  down by 
the bank, on the grassy slope, her legs hunched to her chest, arms  wrapped 
around her knees, the silver chain dangling loosely from one hand. Ranma  watched 
her quietly for a while, heart aching in sympathy and affection for her,  
before walking down to her. “Hey… can I join you?” Akane gestured without  
looking at the ground to her right. Ranma plopped down, and his heart ached anew  
when he saw her tear-stained face. He could not bear it, and looked away. 
 
 They sat silently together for a few minutes, looking out at the  opposite 
bank, before Ranma spoke. “Akane, I’m sorry.” 
 
 Akane wiped her eyes with her blouse sleeve. “Its okay, Ranma… It… it  isn’
t your fault.” 
 
 “Maybe it ain’t, maybe it is. All I know is that it isn’t right that  I can’
t give you something without you catching Hell for it.” He sighed sharply  
and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “I chewed them out, Ukyo and the  
others.” He confessed. Akane straightened and looked up at Ranma.
 
 “You did?” 
 
 Ranma nodded. “Yeah. I was so pissed… I don’t remember exactly what I  
said, save that I was angry and wanted them to stay out of my sight. Don’t know  
if they’ll listen – Kodachi is as nuts as her brother, and I’ve never been 
able  to figure out what makes Shampoo tick. Maybe Ukyo will, but what do I know? 
If I  knew anything, maybe they all wouldn’t be chasing after me.” Ranma 
snatched up a  pebble with sudden violence and threw it across the canal. “I’m 
still pissed.  You loved that pendant, and I was happy you liked it so much, 
and then the three  of them took it away from us.”
 
  Akane looked away for a moment to think, then looked back at Ranma.  “They 
didn’t take anything away from us, Ranma. Yeah, I did love your pendant.  I’
ll miss it, and I’m still angry too that they destroyed it, but the memory of  
it, and the memory of how I felt when I found it this morning, of the way you  
smiled at me when you told me you loved looking and giving it to me, we still 
 have those.” 
 
 Ranma looked at Akane with wonder. Slowly, he took a white  heart-shaped box 
out from under his shirt. “I know it’s not the pendant, Akane.  But… happy 
White Day.”
 
 Akane accepted the white chocolate with a shy, pleased smile,  happiness 
clearing the remaining sadness from her face like the way the sun  clears clouds 
from the sky. “Thank you, Ranma. I love it.” Akane put the box on  her lap 
and leaned against Ranma. Ranma froze for a moment, took a breath, took  a 
chance, and carefully put his arm around Akane’s shoulders. Her eyes  half-closed, 
and she let out a little sigh of contentment as her own arm  encircled Ranma’s 
waist. Ranma tilted his head, resting it gently on hers. They  sat holding 
each other for a long while, both still feeling a little melancholy,  but their 
growing happiness making it become dimmer and fainter with each  passing 
moment. 
 
 Akane looked up at Ranma, smiling. “Wanna help me eat this  chocolate?”
 
 Ranma smiled back. “I’d love to.” 
 

End
 

Author’s Note: 
 
        My appreciation to M. Zephyr and  Saotome Kyubi, through whose 
stories I learned of White Day.  















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