Many Roads, One Path

Part I

By Lord Overon

 

 

Maybe it was due to the aroma of perfume that hung in the air but from the moment that Ranma set foot on the floor housing the penthouse suite offices, Ranma knew that trouble was lurking around the corner somewhere. He paused for a small moment of inflexion, something his grandfather had ingrained into him during his wily teenage years.

Had he done something wrong in the last couple of months? He racked his mind for a few seconds but came up with a black. Sure, he had been gone for a couple of days earlier in the week, but everyone was accustomed to seeing him do that from time to time so it really wasn't anything new. So why would his grandmother be here? That was her perfume. It was distinct to him as the smell of a cherry blossom. Only she wore that scent. Maybe it was because that was the only one of its kind. One she had helped develop and cost a fortune since a lot of expense had gone into its perfection. He sighed heavily. Maybe he was just making things up in his head. He had done the same thing the last time he sensed something like this and it was only his mother surprising him with a visit from one of his old time teachers. Maybe he was just over reacting.

He arrived at the thick wooden door that was beautifully polished. His grandfather had an eye for these things. He didn't care too much about it though. He would've cared less if it had been made out of plastic or metal for that matter. He had never really cared about the material things. When he opened the door, it was as he had suspected...

 

****************

 

 

Nabiki being the person who she was, was carefully going over the little coupon she had received in the mail. After graduating from college she had been successfully employed at one of the leading banks in Tokyo. Her job demanded a lot of time as she thought it would, and with her business oriented mind, she moved into one of the suburbs that was close to her job. That way she could spend more hours at work without the commute all the way from Nerima. She had risen quickly up the ladder and was almost in the position of breaking into the higher echelons of the bank when due to some idiot vice president -she would have liked to wring the neck of that man at the time- the bank went into bankruptcy caused by poor loans and investment. Her career that had just been beginning went right back down to scratch.

From all the other companies she had been interviewed at after the bank dissolved, only one had accepted her. She could vaguely remember the interview. The interviewer was a well-matured woman with auburn hair tied traditionally and wearing a traditional kimono. That enough told her that she was not speaking to any Jane Doe. Unfortunately, the woman had a knack beyond anything else to ask direct questions. Nabiki had almost perfected the art of answering questions without answering them. The woman was nothing if but impossible to fool. She would ask things that were direct and to the point. She had spent over an hour in the room with the woman only to be told secretly afterwards by a receptionist that the real interviewer had actually been in a room next door, and had judged her through a two-way mirror she had been admiring when she had entered the room.

She had been so nervous about the interview that she had actually made sure her teeth were clean using that mirror before the supposed interviewer had entered the room. She had really thought she had blown it that day. After all, the company was well renowned and respected although the owners were barely known by the public. They were known, but unlike others, they were hardly seen.

She had all but given up and had been ready to accept another job that would not even be a challenge to her when a letter arrived in the mail from the company. She had been so excited that she practically ripped it out of her little sister's hands and shredded the envelope in her haste.

She was actually being given a position and when she read the position she almost fainted. It was almost the ideal job for her abilities, the exact same job she had described to the interviewer. She was so excited after reading the announcement that she didn’t even hear her little sister asking her if she got the job she wanted. Her little sister was a pain at times but this was one of those times that Nabiki could not find fault.

Determined to succeed with this opportunity, she immediately rented an apartment within running distance to the office and moved in the day after. She was to begin practical training one day from the day she received the letter.

 

To say her first day had been surprising would have been a huge understatement. As soon as she moved in, her supervisor gave her a pile of work to do. He was an elderly gentleman who had that ripened aura of having been at the office for many years. Studiously, she tackled the job. It was a minor accounting problem dealing with the current liabilities of the company. Something that would take a neophyte ages, but she had been running her own scams in school and this was almost like old times. She always entered all her transactions on a ledger using the business texts she had bought as an example. All that practice gave her proficiency in most accounting problems

Nabiki was almost annoyed when she was interrupted from her work, only to quickly change the growing scowl on her face to a smile when she realized it was her supervisor. She would have to remember that this was not the same office she was used to at her former position. He asked her to join him on a lunch break with the rest of the office. How could she refuse on her first day?

She was amazed when they entered one of the more popular restaurants and were ushered into the elevators to the higher level. There, people were already eating. It seemed that all the people there were people she had seen earlier that day when she had been given a short tour of the company facilities.

"The boss owns shares in the place, so the food here is free," mentioned her super. "Just one of the perks of the job."

Nabiki only smiled and happily partook of the exquisite cuisine while being amicable with other employees. The room had an almost cafeteria-like feeling about it with all the active conversations.

That was one of the few things she remembered from her first day.

Another was the surprise she got when it was the usual quitting time. They had instructed her to bring exercise clothes for the first day, and she had. Now the super popped into the room with a gym bag and summoned her to follow him with her exercise clothes. She did. They took the elevator to sub-level two and when she got out, she was surprised to discover a troupe of boisterous toddlers in what seemed to be a small daycare gym setting. They left that smaller room and walked into a much larger gym area. The place was now starting to fill with employees.

A rather cute guy wearing form-fitting clothes greeted her at the door as her super suddenly disappeared into the sea of employees.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready for what?" she replied.

"Why your physical, of course," he answered matter-of-factly. "Can't have our employees dying early can we? Besides it would be a pleasure to whip a cute girl like you into shape."

Although Nabiki did blush a little from his comment, she cornered enough of her wits to answer with a quick retort.

"I happen to come from a family of martial artists," she replied with a measure of pride.

"Really, I guess we will just have to up the exercises a bit then," he replied, a smirk forming on his face.

At that moment Nabiki wondered if she had just dug herself into a hole. It turned out her instincts had been right. What followed was the most exhausting physical she had ever done in her life. What made it worse was that her instructor -who she had to call sensei for some unknown reason- happened to look none the worse after 30 minutes of training while she was struggling to keep her breath.

After another fifteen minutes, he finally ended her torture. But that was not the end of it. His parting remark remained true.

"Don't forget to come back tomorrow Nabiki-san. I think I know just what class to put you in." She had almost fainted when she heard that. This new company was extremely different from her last one.

 

That was why she was staring at her coupon. It was for her and a guest to attend a company retreat at a resort somewhere in the north. Ironically, her super had turned out the next day to really be her secretary. The company just had a policy of pulling that kind of stunt to warn people not to blow their personal egos out of proportion. Now whom was she going to take? Kasumi was out of the question. She and Tofu were harder to separate these days than paper stuck together with extra strength glue, especially since this was a four day holiday. Apparently her hard work had attracted some attention from her seniors.

Daddy was out of the question. If she carried him, he would most certainly try to get her married off to someone there. Kami knows how enthusiastic he was to get her and Akane married and with kids. Sometimes she thought he only wanted to get them married off so he could have grandkids. That and the elusive heir. Kasumi's two baby girls were gems in their grandfather's eyes, but martial artist material they were not. He had some strange idea about finding a male heir though he had no qualms about letting Akane teach in the Dojo.

Well it looked like little sister was the obvious choice here. All she had to do was sucker her into coming. Something that was all too easy. With her father's little ultimatum, she was sure that Akane would jump at the idea, given a little incentive. Having daddy off her back for a few days might just be incentive enough. If it wasn't, well then, she wasn't called the Nerima Shark or Ice Queen for nothing. Different name for different services.

 

 

*****************

"Ranma-kun dear, please some in," invited his grandmother.

Ranma knew he was in trouble when he saw his mother, grandmother and grandfather with a glint in their eyes. It was the same glint they had when they shipped him off to school after making him promise that he would try his best and not intentionally give his teachers trouble. Thankfully, those monks did do some martial arts so he wasn't totally bored.

Ranma sat down on a plush chair facing the three elders and suddenly felt as if he was under the scrutiny of a microscope.

"Ranma, we were hoping that you would come to the annual spring retreat. There are some people there that we would like you to meet," addressed his grandfather. "Most importantly, the grand-daughter of a fairly wealthy friend of mine from the states is going to be there. As you know, you aren't getting younger and you are already 21..."

"Father, let's get to the point shall we," interrupted Nodoka.

"Yes Tsi-chan. Speeches are nice and all, but I don't think Ranma-kun really needs one."

"Ah...what's going on?" asked Ranma meekly. Somehow he had the idea that this meeting had been planned for a long while now.

"Well son. You haven't had a girlfriend in two years and your grandfather is becoming concerned so he's engaged you to his friend's granddaughter."

Ranma started to protest but his grandfather cut him off.

"Now. It's not permanent. But I expect grandchildren by the time you are 23."

Ranma would have retorted but the announcement was still settling in. When he finally gathered his wits, he was all alone in the room that was his office.

 

 

 *****************

Ranma Saotome had made up his mind to at least meet the girl he was supposedly getting engaged to. After all she could actually be someone who might understand him. None of the other girls could ever understand what drove him. They all expected him to be some rich person who would shower them with gifts and money; who went to the best social events and who prided himself on showing off his wealth. Ranma was wealthy, but you would never know it if you met him out of work.

When he was younger, he loved Chinese silk shirts and kung-fu pants but his tastes had changed slightly from those days. He preferred to wear now what his mother called 'rags'. She had been after him for ages to buy some descent clothes to wear when he was out and about in case someone saw him. Saw him! Why would he care what they thought? So it had been a miniature battle between himself and his mother. In the end his grandfather put an end to it by allowing him to wear whatever he wanted. That was probably why he was dressed as he was now with a beaten polo shirt and well-worn pair of khaki's. For some reason they felt comfortable to him. He hated wearing new clothes.

Ranma was a stubborn person, but he was also a lonely person. He tended to travel a lot to improve his martial arts. They were one of the most important things in his life. Most of the girls he knew just could not understand that.

"Hey mom? Why are my belongings out here?" asked Ranma. "I thought you were going to put them in the suite."

"Oh no dear," replied his mother. "I took the liberty of giving you a room with your fiancee."

Ranma groaned. He should have expected this from his mother. Oh well, there was nothing else he could do but go along with this. Who knows, he might like the girl...

The suite was the same as all the other suites. There were no beds in the suites but that was because of the actual design rather than something overlooked. The entire place was designed as a retreat center from the city and his grandfather had always mentioned it to his associates and customers as a weekend challenge to see if they could live without technology. Of course, the way his grandfather addressed the question was how he got them to agree to come. The condescending manner he used really made it seen that he did not think that they would be able to survive a weekend. That goading was all they needed to sign up. The food was always excellent. He wondered if a certain friend he knew would be here but he guessed that she probably did not have the time. Business was excellent this time of year.

The suite was circular which was different, and the futons were strategically placed on the floor. The suite was intended for sleeping and nothing else so they were sparsely furnished. It was also a trick used by his grandfather to get people to socialize more. It seemed to be a very successful not to mention profitable tactic. Many of the best partnerships had been fostered here, and which bank did you think they went for a loan to finance their long-term projects.

Ranma observed that the futons were also paired and placed on opposite sides. More of his mother's doing he guessed. Ranma dropped his bags and went out to check the cave he usually stayed at during these excursions. It was a little place he had found to escape from everyone when he needed to. It was convenient and his relatives knew where it was but did not bother him when he was there. It was a place for him to relax and practice.

After breathing in the sea air, he felt ready to take on whatever surprises his mother had prepared for him on this trip. He leaped down from his perch and headed down to the suite. He slid the door open but before he could close it, his hand instinctively reached out and caught a can being thrown at him.

"Kuno, I'm not," the person started shouting then she cooled down, "wait, you're not Kuno."

"Nope," he replied simply. "Ranma, Ranma Saotome. Pleased to meet you."

He stretched out his hand and Akane walked over to shake it. "Akane Tendo."

"I think this can of deodorant is yours," smirked Ranma as he showed her the can.

Akane blushed slightly. "Thanks...and sorry about that."

"No problem. I'm used to women throwing things at me."

Akane raised an eyebrow but Ranma took no heed.

"Tendo, Tendo, I've heard that name before..." murmured Ranma.

"My sister, Nabiki. She works for..."

"Nabiki Tendo!" exclaimed Ranma. "The martial artist's daughter. I remember her."

"You know my sister!"

"Yep. It's my job to oversee her physical training. I think she's been eating a bit too many snacks," he told Akane in confidence as he pointed to his stomach. "So where's Nabiki. I could use some entertainment."

"She's in another suite."

Akane would have continued but the door slid open.

"Ah my fierce tigress..." began Kuno but he was drowned out by his sister.

"Ranma-sama! It is you!" Kodachi squealed quite uncharacteristically, then her ribbon snaked out and grabbed him. She wrapped him tightly in her ribbon but after the initial shock wore off, Ranma flexed and burst the ribbon then he exchanged glances at Akane as they backed away from the siblings.

"I think a strategic retreat is in order," advised Ranma.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," added Akane as they retreated from the pair.

"The back door," whispered Ranma to her. "Run to it when I tell you too."

They were still creeping back from the siblings when Ranma cried out; "Now!"

They both bolted for the back door surprising the siblings momentarily then shut the door behind them.

"After them brother dearest!" shouted Kodachi and they ran through the door. They did not spot Ranma and Akane immediately so they picked the most likely direction Ranma and Akane would run and ran after them.

 

On top of the roof Ranma and Akane sighed heavily in relief as the pair disappeared on their futile chase. It was only then that Akane realized where she was and what was happening. A faint line of blush lined her cheeks.

"You can let me down now," she told him softly.

"What?" he replied then realized that he was still cradling her in his hands as he had when he had jumped to the roof. Ranma let her down. "Sorry about that," he told her and then jumped off the roof. His feet made no sound when he touched the ground. Akane jumped down with a thud. She had quickly gained her composure and began to follow Ranma.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Ranma debated telling her for a moment but after a second he decided it would do no harm. She seemed to have the same problem, namely the Kunos.

"There's a little place I go when I don't want to be found. No one knows about it, especially the Kunos." He emphasized the last part and Akane caught on quickly.

"Well what are we waiting for then?" she asked him. "Lead the way. Hopefully I'll get some peace from Kuno."

Ranma smirked then started to sprint. Akane followed but Ranma did not let up for her. She followed him to one of the mountains and he began to jump from spike to spike until he finally disappeared. Akane clambered up the mountain noting where Ranma had disappeared. She got a few scrapes from some of the small prickly cacti growing on the rocks, but nothing serious. Soon she found herself on a lip over looking the beachhead. Above her was a buttress of rock. She was sure Ranma disappeared somewhere around here. She was considering calling out his name when from the buttress above, Ranma's torso swung down.

"Care for a hand?" he asked cockily while holding his hand out. She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned. He grasped her outstretched hand tightly and swung. Akane screamed a little as she lost her orientation but seconds later, she found herself slightly off the ground with Ranma's hands on her waist. When Ranma set her down, he spread his hands across the room.

"So what do you think of my little cave?" he asked

Akane spun around and finally saw the cave in its entirety. It extended deep into the cavity and lined on the sides of the cave were boxes containing what looked to be like cans of food. There was a small light at the end giving the place a solemn almost peaceful aura.

"It's so..."

Ranma but a finger to her lips. "Don't say it. It is what it is."

Akane nodded knowingly and sat down with him near the lip of the cave.

"So," he asked as he broke the ice. "Why were you running from Tatewaki anyway?"

"It's a long story..."

"Hey, we've got time," Ranma reminded her. She shrugged and began.

 

 flashback...

"Hey Akane, you ready?" asked Nabiki.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute!" shouted Akane from somewhere inside the house.

Just then a limo passed by and stopped at the entrance to the home. This was interesting. She had been planning on getting some train tickets to the north when another letter had arrived. It had not been from the company but from another company that was a partner in a financial backing. Apparently transport had been prearranged. She was getting to like this 'living in style' life.

The door of the limo opened and Nabiki was slightly surprised at who came out.

"Kuno-baby how are you?" asked Nabiki in the slightly condescending but gauging voice that chilled most people she knew.

"Hello Nabiki," Kuno replied with small smile. Nabiki though knew that this smile was not for her. It was almost an immediate perception of hers to know when something else was going on besides what was out in the open.

"Well then Kuno, why are you here?"

"My chariot awaits the presence of my fierce tigress!"

"And why do you think Akane will let you come within five feet of her?" asked Nabiki.

"The master had arranged with your father to be betrothed to your sister," informed Sasuke as he suddenly appeared at his master's side.

Nabiki stood there slightly shocked in disbelief.

Akane came out and saw the two.

"Kuno," she growled, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh my daughter and her fiancee are going out for the weekend!" wailed Soun.

"Nabiki, you're marrying Kuno!" exclaimed Akane.

"No Akane, I think dad has arranged something for you."

It took about a minute for that to seep through.

"DAD no BAKA!" shouted Akane.

"Now Akane I'm sure he just has your best interest at heart," soothed Nabiki although she kept a stern face towards her father.

"I think this would help Mistress Akane," offered Sasuke as he pulled out a document from his ninja grab.

Akane read it and seethed in anger. How could her father do this to her? She had one year, one year to come up with a serious boyfriend or he was going to engage her to Kuno. Evidently the stuck up kendoist thought he had it in the bag. She would show him. That's exactly why she'd only been on a few dates in school. Kuno and his friends at Furiken were all idiots and perverts.

Grudgingly she entered the limo with her sister after glaring for a long time at her father. He seemed more or less unaffected as the tears rolled down his eyes. She did emphasize her point though as she roughly pushed Kuno off her so that Nabiki could sit between them. If there was anything she could rely on, it was her sister's often unyielding bitter nature.

 

 

 

As they stepped off the train onto the platform, they were greeted by a very plush coach. Evidently, the company knew how to treat its employees and clients well. She had seen some of the files and although the company did tend to charge quite a lot for its services, the perks that customers got often offset that initial cost. There was also the fact that many of the customers tended to like talking to the boss, whoever he was. In their business, personal relationships were often more important than financial ones.

The ride had been an uncannily silent one. Kuno made many attempts to try and woo her sister and admittedly he seemed to have matured a bit more since last time Nabiki saw him. He had also toned down the Shakespeare which was always a plus. Apparently someone had been tutoring him in the pleasantries of wooing a woman. He commented on how fit she appeared and how beautiful she was in his own Kuno-esque way. Of course, Akane wasn't ready to pay him any attention. The coach traveled along a narrow road and the trip was pleasantly smooth. Evidently the company had put a foundation down before laying the road. There were no humps or bumps for the whole ride.

Even Kodachi had not complained about the ride and she was prone to complaining about the 'peasants work'. For some reason Kodachi seemed a little less insane today than they had previously seen her. Akane though kept an eye on the girl. She knew Kodachi would be up to some sort of mischief sooner or later. Akane still nursed a grudge from the time the girl had successfully attacked her in her room before the martial arts gymnastics competition. She still went to the match but Furiken bowed out when she was defeated by Kodachi. St. Hebereke's had not won though since another team had somehow beaten them in the final. There were a lot of conflicting rumors about the winning fight but Akane did not know what to make of them.

Finally they passed the outer ringing of fence. The land was marked with hard granite and impervious formations: land that would be less than worthless to the government. Evidently that wasn't the case. It was only when they passed to the side of a low hill did Nabiki actually see what the company had invested in. Below the hill stretched a disc of sand buffeted by two granite mountains. Akane and Nabiki could only gasp at the beauty.

The coach stopped under the canopy of a huge spreading tree that had to be really ancient to have burrowed so deep into the surrounding rock. That's when Akane's worries began.

Kuno had apparently made room for her in his special little suite and was pestering her to join him. In fact, Kuno had made arrangements so that Nabiki was placed in a room that was full. Akane had nowhere else to go than in the Kuno suite. A situation that annoyed her to no end.

 

End flashback...

 

"So your dad has only given you one year?" asked Ranma incredulously.

"Yeah," she replied slightly depressed. "He wants to have heirs to the Dojo."

"Didn't he like your past boyfriends or something?" asked Ranma

"What makes you ask that?" asked Akane inquiringly. What exactly was Ranma thinking or asking for that matter, Akane wondered.

"Well, I mean a beautiful woman like you shouldn't have any problems snatching up a boyfriend right," summed up Ranma as he stared out into the ocean, his legs dangling off the lip of the cave. He did not see the bright red blush that covered her face completely when he made that comment.

"It’s because I'veneverhadaboyfriend," Akane mumbled.

"Huh?" queried Ranma while scratching the back of his head. Akane briefly thought that was a bit cute but then he finished his question. "What's that you said?"

"I've...I've never had a boyfriend," she replied rapidly and softly. Ranma almost didn't catch all of it.

"You're lying, I'm sure you had all the boys after you!"

Akane scowled. "Don't you know it!"

"So you did have a lot of boyfriends then?"

"No."

Ranma looked confused. Akane saw his confused state and debated whether to tell him. Then she told herself, the heck with it. He'd been okay so far and they needed to pass time.

Several minutes later...

"You mean he had them try to beat you for a whole year and then he wanted to date you too!"

"Yep," Akane replied. Then shied away from the aura that was building around Ranma.

"The nerve of that guy," growled Ranma. "I'll punch some sense into him."

That's when Akane hit him, hard.

"Ow! What did you do that for!" he demanded.

"Hey I'll have you know I can take care of myself," she told him, getting up to really shout in his face. That was when the pebbles under her feet started to shift under her weight and she felt herself falling out of the cave. She almost let out a scream when she felt an arm around her waist and her body being held closely to another's body.

"Hey put me down!" she shouted.

"You might want to look down before you ask me that again," Ranma told her.

She looked down and saw that they were practically hanging from the ceiling of the cave that jutted out past the opening of the cave, allowing her to see the jagged rocks down below.

"Just look up," he told her. "Now hold on to me and I'll climb back across."

She grabbed onto his shoulder and clung to his body. He grunted at the extra pressure being exerted on his solitary grip on the ceiling. As soon as his other hand was free though, he reached for the ceiling and found another purchase for his hand. After a little monkey swinging and grabbing for handholds, they were soon back within the cave.

"You okay?" Ranma asked as he looked down at her face.

Akane was still breathing heavily and wondered for a second why she smelled the scent of aftershave when she realized that she was still clinging tightly to Ranma. She almost jumped off him. It was the first time she had been that close to a man who was not family. At least not willingly.

"Yeah, I...I'm okay," she stuttered. She wondered why she was stuttering like a little girl and why the room felt a bit warm all of a sudden. She was beginning to perspire too and the cave was cold. Maybe she was just jittery from after that near death experience. Her mind told her secretly that the boy in front of her had something to do with it though. Akane tried to think of something, anything to get the situation back to where it had been before. Then an idea popped in her mind.

"Hey why were you running away from Kodachi!"

"That's um...ah...personal," he told her.

"Hey, if I can tell you about Tatewaki, It's only fair you tell me about Kodachi," she scolded as she crossed her hands in front of her chest, trying to act vexed. Ranma wasn't convinced but she did tell him about Tatewaki so she was entitled to an explanation

"Uh..." Ranma looked around out of habit to see if anyone was watching. "Okay, but you can't tell anyone."

Akane's ears perked up, ready for a hot piece of gossip.

A few minutes later...

"So you caught her after your friend knocked her out of the ring and she's been after you ever since!" exclaimed Akane.

"Yeah, apparently she thinks I'm some adonis or something. I had to change residences twice to lose her."

As he rambled, Akane began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Hey, it's not funny!" exclaimed Ranma but somehow he could not feel angry with her. It had been awhile since he'd heard a girl...no, a woman giggle so carefree. Ranma would have continued with the discussion but his watch alarm started buzzing. Ranma looked at the time and a huge smile adorned his face.

"It's lunch time!' exclaimed and without warning scooped up a still giggling Akane and bounded out the cave. Akane found herself in his arms again and airborne. She shrieked and clung onto him as in one fluid motion he grabbed onto a well worn hand hold in the wall and pivoted his body, allowing him to fly through the air and land on the cliff edge.

"Don't you dare do that again!" she screamed at him, but had no intention of hitting him since the ledge they were on was very narrow.

"Sorry," replied an embarrassed Ranma. "It's just that I haven't eaten all day," he told her truthfully. Ranma motioned to let her down but she clung to him tightly.

"Carry me to the end," she instructed him sternly. She had nightmares of how she would die as normal people did. She didn't want falling off a cliff to be the real thing. Funny how she, a martial artist, was putting her trust in someone she hardly knew.

"Alright then, just hold on tight," he told her, and jumped. Akane clung onto him tenaciously like a second skin as he bounced like a hyperactive bunny from rock to rock. In all her years as a marital artist in Nerima, the closest talent that had shown any likeness to this amazing feat was Kodachi Kuno; the embodiment of gymnastic suppleness and dexterity in the arena. When Ranma finally let her down, she was so much in awe of her flight that she didn't release him immediately. That had him blushing a little.

"Food's this way," he told her. She nodded and followed.

The buffet table was laid and Ranma easily negotiated the bustling crowded room to make a beeline towards the queue. Akane followed in his wake. Ranma impatiently waited for food. He had seen many masters and priests to try and control his impatience and they had succeeded in all aspects of his life except one: food. One master had seen it a necessary evil and was always present when Ranma ate. The man was evidently amused by the sheer volume of the Saotome appetite. Another master loved when he visited. She was a cook and she usually did not have that many visitors to feed. She was always glad for his compliments. From the time she had made the best vegetable casserole he had ever tasted, he promised his stomach to visit there often.

With those thoughts in mind, he mouth began to water and he attacked the buffet with glee. Akane followed, mesmerized by the pile of food on his plate. Ranma waved to his mom and began to walk over when he saw a familiar face. He grinned and walked over to her. It would be nice to tease her some more.

"Hello Nabiki-chan! Fancy meeting you here," greeted Ranma.

"Ranma," growled Nabiki. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Just relaxing," he responded. "Hope you get enough exercise this weekend. Maybe we should add some more to your regimen," he teased.

Nabiki glared at him and he laughed.

"Onee-chan, Ranma, what's so funny?" asked Akane.

"Ranma," Nabiki stressed, "happens to be that psychotic trainer I was telling you about."

"So you're that trainer!" exclaimed Akane.

"That's me!"

Akane stuck out her hand. "Congratulations! Dad and I have been trying to get her back into the art for years. How did you do it!"

"It's a requirement for her job," Ranma informed Akane. "If you don't keep fit, you don't work as well and that affects the company. Seems to work."

"Oh that's fun."

"You've met?" asked Nabiki incredulously.

"Yeah, we've both got the same problem," Akane answered. Nabiki blinked her eyes and motioned them for an explanation.

"Kunos!" they shouted.

"All you had to do was say it," growled Nabiki as she tried to clear her ears.

"No they're over there," added Akane as she and Ranma ducked to hopefully reduce the chances of the insane siblings seeing them.

Nabiki smirked.

"Now I know why little sister is hiding but why are you?" Nabiki asked Ranma.

"Kodachi was arranged to be my date," Ranma replied morosely. "I never knew it was her until I saw her today."

"Then you're both going to have a problem tonight," noted Nabiki.

"Hey we don't have to sleep in the same suite with them," mentioned Ranma. "There are other places to sleep."

Nabiki frowned. That had been her reason. Then something else popped up in her mind.

"That's true, but what about the dances tonight and tomorrow night. I’m sure you can’t go alone."

"Damn!" replied Ranma. "I forgot about that."

Nabiki smirked.

Nabiki was about to add something when Ranma tugged Akane.

"They're not looking, now's our chance."

Together, they crept out of the room, with the food of course. There was no way that Ranma was leaving the food.

 

 

Later, Ranma and Akane were found on the roof of a building overlooking the sea. Ranma had made various discrete trips to the buffet and they had a mini-buffet lined up on the roof. They were both eating at their leisure.

After the sumptuous feast, Ranma lay back on the wooden roof and stretched himself. The summer weather was warm but the cool shore breeze was quickly lulling him to sleep.

"Hey Ranma," called Akane. Then she noted he had drifted off. "Ranma!"

"Wha!" he cried jumping awake and falling into a fighting position. His eyes fell on Akane.

"Why'd you wake me?" he asked.

"It's almost time for the dance."

"Oh," he replied and stared out into the ocean.

"I've been thinking," Akane spoke softly. "I have a temporary answer to our Kuno problem."

"What's that?" asked Ranma.

"Well you want to get away from Kodachi and I need to get out of this engagement thing with Kuno right?"

Ranma nodded.

"Well, why don't you just pretend to be my boyfriend for these few days?"

Ranma fingered a little charm he wore around his neck.

"I'm not so sure about that," replied Ranma nervously, still fingering the charm.

"Why? Don't you like me?" she asked, the hurt evident in her voice. Now why had she asked that she wondered? It was just something that she blurted out after he responded.

"NO, no, no," placated Ranma. "Nothing's wrong with you. In fact I don't know why a beautiful woman like you hasn't found a husband yet." Ranma failed to note the deep red Akane's face had turned due to the compliment. "Let's just say that I've had trouble with girls in the past."

Akane saw the pain the etched his face when he talked of the 'other girls' and she turned to face him.

"Well I'm not these 'other girls'," she stated.

"No, I guess you're not," Ranma replied sheepishly.

"Well let's come up with a definite plan," commented Akane. Then after a few seconds she continued. "I think I know what we could do." Ranma prompted her to continue. "Well, first we get you out of this Kodachi affair and then you could visit my dad at the Dojo for a weekend. I'm sure after he meets you he will drop the engagement. After all, he said all I needed to get was a boyfriend."

"That sounds fair enough," Ranma replied. "It's a deal."

They shook hands and Akane got up then stuck out her hand to him.

"Are you ready to go to the dance Ranma-chan?" Akane asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Sure Akane-chan," replied Ranma with a smirk. "But first let me give you a real ride on Ranma air."

Akane would have asked him what he meant but he scooped her up in his arms and began to run. As the wind and the miles rushed by her, and the feeling of weightlessness surrounded her, she clutched Ranma tightly. So this was Ranma air! Maybe she would enjoy this boyfriend thing for these two days. It was nice to have a pair of arms around her that did not belong to her family. It made her feel wanted and loved by someone other than her family. Strangely enough, she felt comforted by having Ranma's arms around her and though it was comforting, she was a bit agitated by how easily she was accepting help from Ranma. Before she would have never accepted of even approached a boy her age for help without being suspicious of the person, but here she was in the arms of a boy she had recently met and feeling as comfortable in his arms as she had went her father used to carry her about when she was younger. It was disconcerting and thrilling at the same time

When Akane and Ranma reached the auditorium, the dancing had already begun. Ranma asked a few people about the Kunos and to his delight he heard that they were last seen wandering around the grounds looking for their respective loves. Ranma could not hide his happiness. He was especially happy since they had run off to the western side. Once they passed the hill they would be hard pressed to find their way back since the hills blocked them from seeing the light of the resort. Hopefully he would have a few Kodachi free hours.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Akane when she saw him.

"The Kunos are out searching for us. That means that we'll have some time for ourselves."

Ranma and Akane took a seat near the dance floor and were sitting there for a few minutes until Ranma began to fidget. He hated doing nothing and was most irritable when he was bored.

"Hey Akane you want to dance?" he asked.

"I...I don't know. I don't think I can dance to this kind of music."

"You've never had ballroom dancing?"

"Because of Kuno, the first time I tried it, all the boys were leering at me in my dress," she confidentially told him while blushing slightly from embarrassment. Why was she telling him these things?

Ranma smiled. "I think I can teach you. You're a martial artist right. Well dancing is just like a kata..."

While explaining how he would teach her, he carried her onto the dance floor to a relatively free corner and they started to dance a lively waltz. Akane profusely apologized the first few times she stepped on his foot but Ranma had been ready for that and due to his training, it really hadn't even hurt him. Seeing Ranma's indifference to her lack of skill, Akane relaxed and Ranma's teaching began to take effect. Even though they were not decked out for the occasion, and were not really ballroom dancing, for the first time in a long time, Akane began to have fun. With some of the lively music, she was twirled and whirled around. After awhile, as Ranma explained the different dancing forms as katas, Akane found herself adapting to them very quickly. She was thoroughly enjoying herself when she tried something risky and lost her footing as her shoe slid on something on the floor. Luckily two arms grabbed her and kept her balance.

"Hey Akane, you okay?" asked Ranma.

Akane was not okay; not by a long shot. Ranma had held her before but on those times, she had been scared spitless. Plus, he was just someone she met who she could talk to. Now, he was her boyfriend and with his arms around her chest keeping her from falling, emotions that she had ignored for most of her young life began to assault her mind. There were two things she could do, become mad or become embarrassed. Before she could make up her mind though, someone interrupted them.

"Ranma dear, won't you introduce me to you friend?"

Ranma righted her then scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Oh uh hi, this is Akane Tendo."

Nodoka stared quizzically at her son. That was a rather rough introduction. She thought years of tutoring had removed that naive verbal stumbling he seemed to fall back on when he was in an uncomfortable situation. Now why would he be uncomfortable? Her eyes lit up suddenly and she smiled broadly at Akane.

"Hello Akane, were you enjoying dancing with Ranma? I haven't met anyone yet who could keep up with him for two hours on the dance floor. Due to his training in the Art he seems to have an ungodly amount of stamina."

Akane spared a brief glance at her watch. They had been dancing for two hours?

"Ranma was teaching me," she replied truthfully. Then she thought of something else. Maybe she could get some more business out of this. Her sister was always imploring her to look for knew students. "I'm the owner of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Dojo in Nerima."

"Anything goes!" exclaimed Ranma. "That's the same school I practice."

"Yes," added in Nodoka. "Akane's father and you father trained under the same master."

"Wait till dad hears that!" Akane replied excitedly. "He'll drop the engagement to Kuno for sure." Then Akane blushed in embarrassment as she realized she said that out loud.

"Oh? Why would he do that?" asked Nodoka. Akane missed the predatory gleam in her eye.

"Once dad meets Ranma, I won't have to marry Kuno," Akane replied in glee. “He’s this boy I know who’s been obsessing over me since high school. I keep telling him don’t like him but he won’t give up,” Akane explained

"I see," Nodoka replied slowly. She had dealings with the Kunos before and while she was maybe a tad eccentric, they took matters way beyond the scope of eccentricity. "Ranma, I'd like to talk to you later, oh, and bring Akane with you. It wouldn't be proper for her not to meet your grandparents."

Akane watched the retreating form of Nodoka then turned back to look at Ranma who had his face in his hands. Akane knew something was wrong by his aura.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"My mother," replied Ranma through his hands.

"Uh... is there a problem?" she asked.

Ranma just nodded his head.

"Akane you may never quite meet a person like my mother."

Akane though that was a rather rude thing to say about your mother and glared at him.

"Don't worry, you'll see," he told her. Then he shrugged. "I guess there's nothing that can be done about it now," he told her. "Care to dance?"

Akane smiled though this time is was more gauged. Why did she think she just stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire?

The pair continued dancing well into the night as people watched them amazed. The elder Kuno was not interested in the trivialities of the peasants when his love was lost. He was somewhere out searching for her with his competent ninja at his side. Kodachi usually did not fare well with the commoners. Instead she was collecting various plants to bring back to her lab. They might make for an interesting hallucinogen.

It was way past midnight when the music finally stopped. Ranma and Akane were laughing at some of the jokes that the DJ was making when a courier came up and touched him on the shoulder giving him a message on a piece of paper.

"Come on Akane, mom's waiting on us."

Akane accompanied him as they walked down a corridor in the main building and up the stairs to a small room. The room was not as large as the suites outside but it was partially decorated and sported futons like the rest of the suites.

There was a table near the window and there were already three people sitting there. Nodoka motioned for them to come and sit. Ranma and Akane sat down facing an old man

"So Ranma. Care to introduce your new friend?" The old man used the word friend loosely. Akane answered for herself though.

"I'm Akane Tendo, the instructor of the Tendo School of Martial Arts Dojo."

"You own a do...ooomf"

"You must excuse my husband," replied the old woman next to him. "He's very excitable. See Ramna here hasn't had a girlfriend in what..."

"A three years..." replied Nodoka.

"A three years," affirmed Ranma's grandmother, "and we're very protective of our grandchild."

"Grandma!" complained Ranma, embarrassed at this discussion.

"So is this some kind of interview?" asked Akane suspiciously.

"Well," replied the old woman, "my husband would like you to think so." She got up and rounded the table prompting Akane and Ranma to get up also. "Me?" she added. "I just wanted to see my grandson's girlfriend. I have to say Tsi-chan, she certainly meets my expectations and she’s quite the looker. I mean she is a practitioner of martial arts like Ranma, and has good childbearing hips. Exactly what I think Ranma looks for in a woman. She even owns a dojo and they are from the same school."

"I still like the Kodachi girl," grumbled Tsi.

"That's because all you think about is politics," the woman lightly scolded him.

By this time, Akane was blushing heavily as the woman had mentioned children and Ranma in the same sentence. That brought ideas to the fore of her mind as to how children were made. She had taken a brief glance at Ranma and knew that he was fit. That meant he would have a lot of stamina among other things and those ideas had her blushing even more furiously.

"Now dear give this old woman a hug."

Akane complied and the woman smiled at her, then she whispered into her ear. "Don't worry about Tsi-chan, he's just an old prude. No-chan and I will take care of him." Akane's gave casual glance to Nodoka and the woman replied with a wink of her eye.

"Tsi, why don't you and Ranma go for your weekly sparring session and leave us girls alone." It was asked as a request but both men knew the woman enough to know that it was more of a demand.

"Uh...okay, that sounds like a good idea, Ranma?"

"Come on grandpa, let's see how lazy you've got."

Neither wanted to test that old woman especially not Tsi. Her cold glare was enough to cause him to beg for mercy.

After the men left, Nodoka and Ranma's grandmother Sakura cornered Akane.

"Ma, you should have seen them together," Nodoka told her excitedly. "I've never seen Ranma have so much fun doing something other than martial arts."

"Really? Akane-chan, Ranma must really like you?"

Akane was lost and it was evident on her face.

"Well you see Akane, Ranma has martial arts on the brain," informed Sakura. Nodoka frowned at her mother but all Sakura did was shrug her shoulders. "It's true."

"Ma you can be so blunt at times," replied an exasperated Nodoka. "What she means to say is that Ranma's very dedicated to the art so that most of the girls he meets just can't understand him. I don't even know how many different disciplines he's learned."

"Hey, maybe Ranma could teach you Akane-chan?" added Sakura.

"Ranma teach me?" Akane replied dubiously.

"I'm sure he would love to. I mean, that's the first time I've ever seen him teach someone to dance."

"Oh?" Akane replied while thinking about that proposition. She was already the best in Nerima but if Ranma was better maybe he would be able to give her a few pointers. A few pointers was all she needed, she didn't think he would be able to teach her much. A few years ago she would have scoffed at the idea of someone else beating her, then she had faced reality when she entered her first martial arts competition. She had not won; that privilege went to another fighter. She had not even made it to the last four. That was when she realized that she was not the best.

A courier appeared by the door and walked in, bringing a few deserts. Nodoka took them and handed one of the sweets to Akane. She ate it and was impressed by the explosion of flavor in mouth.

"So Akane, I heard Nabiki works for the company?" asked Nodoka

"Yeah, she started working a couple of weeks ago."

"Really, she has a hard job. Tell me, what did she do when she was in high school?"

The remainder of the time Akane spent with Ranma's family was mostly devoted to discussing Akane's family. The relaxed atmosphere soon had Akane telling things to the two women that she normally would not tell to anyone, like her sister's small school business and her high school crush on her other sister's husband. She found Ranma's family to be fun to be with. Certainly nothing like what she'd expected when she'd come to meet them.

The time came to an end though when Tsi struggled into the room and lay on his futon, breathing deeply. Ranma followed behind.

"Grandpa's getting lazy," Ranma told his grandmother. "He only lasted an hour," Ranma complained.

"Your grandfather's getting old," Sakura told him. "But don't worry I'll make sure he does those exercises like you told him."

Tsi groaned in pain.

"None of that from you mister," she scolded him. "I told you to do them."

Tsi grimaced as Sakura started quarrelling with him. Ranma took Akane's hand and they began to inch out of the room with his mother. His grandmother was a lovely person, but she tended to go overboard sometimes.

"Okay you two, I've taken the liberty of putting you in a different room," informed Nodoka

They followed her down the corridor to a narrow room where the futons were so close together that they were barely apart. "This was the only thing we could find," she told them. Their packs were resting behind their futons. Ranma examined how their belongings were placed and smelt a rat. He was about to day something when Akane butted in.

"We'll take it!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Okay, I'll see you two in the morning."

When the slide closed Ranma sat on his futon.

"We're being set up you know?" he informed her.

"Huh?"

"My family is setting us up, I mean look at the room. There's barely enough space in here to fit the both of us."

"Hey, I don't see what the problem is," countered Akane. "At least I don't have to sleep in the same room as Kuno." Akane shivered at the thought.

"We'll that true, but I don't like this."

"Hey, it's only for a few nights and I don't think you are a pervert, are you?" The last part was said with a bit of venom.

"Well no..."

"Then we don't have anything to worry about. You're out of your engagement to Kodachi, now all we have to do is get my dad to release me from mine. Then we'll be home free!'" she exclaimed.

Ranma nodded absentmindedly. This was his life and he knew nothing ever went that well, even if it was a good plan. Again he fingered the charm around his neck.

"Okay I'm going to change for bed," Akane told him. She pushed him outside. "I'll tell you when you can come back in."

Ranma paced outside the door until Akane let him in.

"Yellow pajamas," he noted.

"What is there something wrong with them?" defended Akane.

"No," replied Ranma. "Didn't figure you for the pajama type. You look cute in it though," he remarked absentmindedly. Akane blushed as she lay down. Luckily the room was dark so Ranma couldn't see anything. Akane turned around and stared at the door.

When Ranma laid down, she turned back to stare at him then her eyes opened widely as she stared at the bare back of one Ranma Saotome. It was hot, and Ranma and lived most of his life on the road. Modestly was not something Ranma concerned himself with on most days. That was why Akane was staring at Ranma's bare back. She had seen other boys' backs before in the school games and at the pool but here Ranma was wearing only a pair of boxers. She could make out the design of hundreds of old scars across his body, testimony of his life on the road. What she was really looking at though, were the muscles that lined his back and shoulders. They were all well defined and she was now seeing what Ranma held hidden underneath those slightly larger shirts that he wore. Perfectly toned muscles that told her he would keep any woman lucky enough to marry him up all night. The heat rushed up to her face as she realized she was in a room with a boy and staring at his body. Kasumi would really chide her for this. But what Kasumi didn't know wouldn't hurt her. It wasn’t as if she and Ranma were really going out.

While Ranma lay on the other futon, Akane kept staring at his back. Now that his family thought they were in a relationship, what exactly was their relationship? It had been a while since she had had a male friend. Dr. Tofu and some of the others she knew were good friends, but she couldn't really talk with them or tell them anything. Maybe meeting Ranma was a good thing. He wasn't a pervert like most of the other young adults she knew. She had caught Daisuke with hentai magazines regularly in class. Many of the boys in her school had them. She had seen them reading the magazines in their little coves away from the prying eyes of teachers.

She had also seen the stares she had received from them at school. She had to admit that Daisuke and Hiroshi outwardly tried to show their perverseness but she was very surprised that when Yuka , Sayuri, Sakura, Mina, herself and the two boys spent a day shopping in Tokyo, they hadn't said a perverted word. In fact, they hardly bothered them at all. They carried the shopping bags for their respective dates, but for the whole day all the two bickered about was which pitcher in the Japanese Baseball League was better, which team had the better hitters, etc. She had been shocked when they hardly spoke of girls for the entire day. That had been one of the turning points in her thoughts about boys. Of course that revelation did not last as boys would be boys, but Akane had made a huge conceptual social leap that day.

Then there was Ranma, her friend. He was not what she would have expected in a boy. She had spent practically the whole day with him and she could not remember him doing one perverted thing. It was uncanny. She was tempted to say that when he held her was perverted but when she had looked up to accuse him, his attention was focused solely on getting to his destination and he hardly glanced in her direction except to put her down. Yes, Ranma was her friend. That brought up another problem though. What about their relationship?

She admitted that she had probably dropped the boyfriend / girlfriend thing a bit too suddenly. It seemed that Ranma was right about his parents. They did appear to be a little too anxious to see him married off. At least that was what she had gained from the talk. Although she had thoroughly enjoyed her discussion with his mother and his grandmother, she had picked up a little this and that from her sister. When Nabiki was graduating she had given her some tips on how to read people. Akane knew that Kasumi had something to do with Nabiki offering her tutoring for free, but she was not brave enough to ask her eldest sister.

She knew she was being interviewed by the two women. Their body language was well hidden but Akane had been taught by the best in her opinion and Nabiki's lessons had yet to fail her. They had saved Akane on more than one occasion from being caught in some tricky situations. The women were good. They had grilled her on her family past, on her beliefs and on her values without actually grilling her. A little comment there, a little clarification asked here. That was all they did. They didn't ask her about Ranma though, which Akane thought peculiar.

Well Ranma and her had won a battle. Kodachi was certainly out of the running and Akane was somewhat excited that she had actually been able to win over Ranma's family so easily. It gave her a sense of power. Now she had some idea why her sister liked to play tricks on people. It was exciting to hide things from people. Akane knew that they would not really be hurting anyone in the long run. It might actually be fun. Now all she had to do was convince Ranma to keep the act up until her dad released her from the engagement. She could, no she would do that. There was no way she was going to marry Kuno, Ranma was a much better choice.

She froze suddenly when she realized what she had just thought. It was probably those novels she had taken a liking to. Ranma and her were just friends after all.

 

 

In the morning, the sun struggled to light the room. Akane grumbled a bit. She was definitely not a morning person. She had started to get up early though for the very early classes she taught. They were specifically for a few security company employees. They came three times a week early in the morning for classes before they went to work. Apparently, the firm was trying to follow the lead of another larger Security Company that had paid martial arts instructors for their employees. Akane batted away the drowsiness and wondered why there was a blue hue around the room.

"Oh, hey Akane, you awake?" noted Ranma. The blue hue suddenly disappeared and Akane wondered if it had been just her imagination. She tended to see things this early in the morning. Like the rattlesnake/belt at the foot of her bed the night after watching a horror movie marathon.

"Hm...hey Ranma," Akane greeted. She stretched as she normally did when getting out of bed and Ranma forced himself not to stare too much. He did appreciate the female body though and Akane did have a very well proportioned female body.

"Well breakfast's in five minutes," he told her. "I'll wait for you outside."

 

 

They were having a rather quiet breakfast when the insane duo from Nerima arrived on the scene with their servant ninja.

"Ranma-sama! Where have you been!" exclaimed Kodachi.

"My fierce tigress, how my heart bleeds for joy that no demon has spirited you away! Verily I say, I feared your safety."

"Oh, I've been with my parents," Ranma replied as he evaded Kodachi's probing. He did not like the idea or running on an empty stomach, or in his case a half filled one, so he pulled up a chair for Kodachi.

"Oho! See brother dear, this is how a real gentleman acts."

Ranma rolled his eyes. Akane though had to give her two cents worth to Kuno.

"I think I can take care of myself thank you very much," she told him in the most snobbish voice she could muster. Apparently, that had no effect on Kuno. Kuno pulled his chair close to hers. Kodachi copied her brother's move. Ranma and Akane countered by moving theirs together.

As Kuno continued, Akane's mind was whirling. What could she do to get out of this situation?

"Oh Ranma, weren't you going to show me that kata of yours?" she asked him.

"Wha?" he replied confused. She nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Oh yeah yeah...let's go," he told her shooting a glare at her. She stifled a giggle.

"Wouldn't thou prefer to see my magnificence at Kendo?" questioned Kuno, getting up to help her.

"That's okay Kuno. You know how it is running a Dojo and all..."

"Yes Ranma-sama. I could show you a bit of gymnastics and we could do something more entertaining afterwards," Kodachi added sultrily. Unfortunately for her cause, she finished the sentence with a laugh that chilled Ranma to the bone. He somehow lost his appetite. A very hard thing for a Saotome to do.

"I know just the place Akane," he told her and the two shuffled out of the serving area.

Kodachi watched the fleeting pair.

"I do believe something is amiss brother dear."

"I do not comprehend your musing my sinister sibling," replied Kuno.

"Sasuke follow them and report!" commanded Kodachi.

"Yes mistress," replied Sasuke as he bowed and followed the other pair.

"Sister, did you not know that Sasuke was to aid me in my practice!" thundered Kuno.

"That is nice brother dear, but I believe that witch of yours is trying to steal my Ranma-sama away from me."

Kuno stood there alone trying to comprehend what was said. Only after a very long time did his mind come to a conclusion. "That sorcerer! How dare he!" shouted Kuno, disturbing the arriving guests. Kuno ignored them; he would have to make preparations.

 

 

 

Akane met Ranma at the designated spot. She noted that the charm was around his neck again and he was once again playing with it. Other guests were already out and about visiting the spas and taking part in some recreational activities. Only the mothers taking care of their children were on the beach.

"So Miss Tendo, care to spar?" he asked her.

Akane smiled predatorily. "Think you can handle me?" she taunted. "I'm the best in Nerima."

"So I've heard. Your sister tries to scare me by talking about you."

"So where are we going to spar?" Akane asked.

"On the beach," he told her. "Let's make it a little interesting."

"You're on," she told him, punching him on the shoulder.

They raced down to the almost secluded beach and Ranma readied himself. He was clad only in a pair of swim trunks and a fairly loose shirt made of very light material. Akane wore her bathing suit under the shorts and shirt she was wearing. Ranma stood straight and then did a few katas to stretch out his muscles. Akane followed suit. When Akane was finished, she was surprised to see Ranma waiting nonchalantly. She fell into her usual position.

"Ready?" she asked him.

Ranma winked at her then bowed. "Just say the word," he replied.

"Here I come!" she shouted. She attacked with one of her opening combos. With hands flying, she stabbed with one hand then the other, then an elbow, following up with a crescent kick, then dropping to the floor with a potential sweep.

Ranma reacted by moving into her strikes where they barely missed him. Her elbow went between his chest and arms and he leaned back to avoid the crescent kick. A simple jump avoided the sweep while moving to the side allowed the follow up kicks to pass harmlessly by. Ranma then moved away to allow Akane some room.

"Hey why aren't you fighting me?" she demanded.

"Oh sorry," Ranma replied as he scratched the back of his head. "Force of habit when I take on a new student."

Akane glared at him and thought his relaxed position was an opening. She was quite surprised when her first two strikes hit nothing but air, but her third was solidly blocked. So solidly that she almost thought he had pushed her but he couldn't have. No one could be that fast!

She continued with her barrage with a flurry of kicks and punches. She was beginning to note how tough it was to maneuver in the sand. Ranma though did not seem to have a problem. He had probably been training in it all the time she surmised. Clever of him to use home ground as an advantage. Akane found herself flipping back to give herself some space. The slight coldness behind her foot told her that she was near the sea.

Ranma loosened his shoulders in front of her. As the sand clung to her sweaty skin, she could not believe that Ranma was still as fresh as he had been that morning. They had been sparring for over ten minutes, he should be at least perspiring slightly. At least!

"You have a decent attack Akane, let's see how your defense is."

"I bet you couldn't touch me," she taunted him.

"That's not really a challenge," he told her. "Plus, those clothes are holding you back," he advised. "You should try to wear looser clothing. It's easier to fight in."

A wave of water then washed up form the beach, soaking the lower legs of the shorts Akane had been wearing. She growled as the denim material became heavy and damp and stripped them off, throwing them to the side. She took off her shirt too, leaving her in her one-piece suit that was a lot less restrictive than the clothes she had been wearing.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well then, my challenge is to remove that ring from your finger."

On her finger, Akane wore a silver ring that Nabiki had bought her as a graduation present.

Then Ranma attacked.

Akane immediately found herself on the defensive as Ranma poked and prodded in every which way with his hands. She was trying to predict his moves and combinations, but so far, even the style he was using eluded her. It was part Anything Goes from some of the attacks but then there was a lot of other stuff added in there as well. Akane did as best she could under the onslaught. She was doing pretty well too until she flipped away from Ranma and looked at her hands. She saw red spots all over them, and the incriminating marker in Ranma's hands. When she checked her finger, the ring was no longer there.

"Looking for this?" he asked her and showed her the ring in his hand.

"Why you...how'd you do that?"

"Hey we're not done yet," Ranm told her. "You still haven't gotten this from me."

Akane looked incredulously as Ranma juggled something in his hands. She felt her ears and indeed, her earrings were gone.

"Why you..." she growled and attacked, intending to prove her point.

Ranma blocked her attacks and forced her back a bit then as Akane leaned back to launch a powerful blow, she found that her feet had been swept away. She fell back and landed with a splat in the shallow water.

"Hey!" she complained.

Ranma grinned. "Is the water cold Akane-chan?" he teased. Then held out a hand to help her up. Akane accepted it and Ranma was pulling her up when a thought of revenge crossed her mind. Before she had fully regained her balance, she yanked down hard on Ranma's hand. The unexpected pull caused Ranma to fall forward. Though he braced himself when he fell, his hand hitting the wet sand slid away due to the moving water.

An uncomfortable silence ensued as they locked eyes with each other, aware of their intimate contact.

"Ranma!" someone shouted. Ranma's mind broke free of its frozen state and Ranma rolled off Akane only to be assaulted again as someone jumped on him.

"Uncle Ranma, I wanna go for a ride!" shouted a little girl who had somehow managed to appear serious while giggling.

"Okay Kyonno. Where are your mom and dad?" he asked

"Over there," replied the girl as she pointed into the distance. Ranma saw the parasol opening and waved to his cousins. Kyonno then turned her attention to Akane. "Is uncle Ranma teaching you too? I see you fighting."

Ranma got up and somehow the girl wormed her way around his neck for a piggyback.

"I swim now," the girl told her. "Bye auntie!" she shouted and waved to Akane. Akane waved back then lay back down in the water. Her heart was still racing, pounding in her chest from her accident with Ranma. She didn't mean for that to happen, honestly, she didn't. But when he fell on her, she had hardly felt a thing, until his arms slipped and his weight was on her. For some reason that excited her greatly. This was the first time any boy had been this close to her with so little between them. All she could do was stare into his eyes. For some reason she didn't want to move and felt she had lost something when he had rolled away.

What could possibly make Ranma have this kind of effect on her? Maybe it was just her hormones acting up again. She would have to go looking for a real boyfriend soon. After all, they could only put on an act for so long. For some reason she knew she did not want to mess up her newfound friendship with Ranma. He was her friend.

She lay there, dazed in the water until her senses returned and her body was able to extinguish those little fires that had seemed to pop up on her skin where Ranma had touched her. Akane took a brief dip in the water and retrieved her clothes before heading in the direction the little girl had pointed. The woman shading under the parasol handed her a towel. Akane sat down next to her and took a deep breath.

"Kyonno's not going to let Ranma go for awhile," informed the older woman. Akane turned to her and the woman stretched out her hand. Akane noticed the woman had Korean features.

"Hi I'm Kim, Kyonno's mother."

"Akane, Akane Tendo," Akane replied, shaking the woman's hand.

"Oh so you're Akane," Kim exclaimed. "Auntie Nodoka was talking about you whole morning." Akane blushed in embarrassment. "She couldn't stop talking about you and Ranma. Do you know she saw you dancing with him last night?"

 

 

While the women talked, Ranma and Kyonno frolicked in the water. Ranma had taught Kyonno to swim when she was very young and the little girl was fearless when it came to the sea. This was evident from the way she splashed around and swam in and out of Ranma's reach as they played a game on tag. Ranma though kept a very close eye on the girl as she swam; his caution disguised by his playfulness. One hour later, Ranma waded out of the surf carrying Kyonno around his neck. When he reached where Akane and Kim were, he handed Kyonno over to her mother. By the yawns he had heard while he carried her, the girl would be sleeping soundly tonight. Her parents would probably thank him later. She was a sweet girl but she was hyperactive. At least the art had her making use of all that energy.

"Hey Akane, you wanna go for a swim?" asked Ranma.

"Um...well, think is kinda embarrassing..."

"Lemme guess, you can't swim."

Akane nodded.

"No sweat, I can teach you," he told her.

"If its all the same to you, I'd rather not," she declined while shaking her head.

Ranma frowned. "So you're just going to sit there and let your fear of water win. I thought you had guts," he egged her.

"Hey, I'm not afraid of water!" defended Akane.

"Oh yeah, well come and learn...or are you just chicken?"

"Hey, I'll show you!" she fumed as she jumped out of the chair. Kim just shook her head as she started carrying Kyonno back to the suites. The girl was just a tad too prideful; she'd definitely fit in with the rest of the family. She had already been introduced to the Saotome technique of making people do things.

 

Five minutes later, Akane was wondering what she had got herself into. Here she was neck deep in water and a wave was approaching. Where the hell was Ranma! She would kill him the next time she saw him. Then she felt two arms around her waist. Ranma blushed as he thought of where his hands were, but this had to be done to free Akane of this fear of water.

"The wave is coming. Now I want you to jump with me when I jump...okay."

"Hai!"

"Jump!" Ranma shouted. Akane jumped with him and she was surprised when she just rose with the rest of the water. She wasn't going under. She was half shocked at that. She had expected the water to rise and pull her under but apparently it had not. Akane pulled Ranma's hands around her tighter just in case. She wasn't too certain of her skill in the water but she knew Ranma could swim. His arms around her made her feel just that much more safer.

Ranma gasped in surprise when Akane pulled his hands closer wrapping them around her. She was facing the incoming waves so she couldn't see his face but he was intensely blushing. Doing something like carrying her wasn't a worry since he had a task to complete, but with his hands around her and the incident from this morning, he was finding it hard to ignore that she had a very trim and beautiful body. She was only a friend, he repeated over and over in his mind.

They continued to jump waves and Akane was beginning to enjoy herself. This was the first time in a long time she was able to enjoy herself at the beach. A couple of times, she'd felt the safety line of Ranma's hands around her slip. She had rectified that by holding them in place every time they reached the trough of the wave. Ranma might be teaching her to swim but she wasn't taking any chances with the water around her. Right now, he was her lifeline and there was no way she was going to lose those hands around her body. She idly noted the passive strength that seemed to radiate from his arms.

Ranma finally grew tired of the game they were playing with the waves. He was determined, if not to teach Akane how to swim, then to make her less afraid of the water.

"Okay Akane, are you ready for you first lesson?" he asked her.

"What first lesson?" she replied confused still staring at her enemy, the wave approaching them.

"Don't worry, just hold on tight."

As Ranma moved, Akane shrieked as she found herself being carried out into the sea. She held onto Ranma for dear life as he waded out since she could no longer feel the sand under her toes. Ranma stared at her uncomfortably as she clutched him tightly, pressing herself into his skin.

"Akane, try to relax, you're squeezing me to death," Ranma complained. Akane realized she was not in any real danger so she released him, a little. She realized how tightly she was clinging to Ranma's body. It was a good thing he was her friend and not a pervert. Kasumi would have a heart attack is she ever heard of her in this kind of situation. Her mind only sparingly thought about their situation though. She would probably reflect on in later that night. Right now, her main objective was staying alive and if that meant clinging to Ranma like a second skin, then she would do it.

"Okay," Ranma reassured her, "the first thing you have to do is float."

"Float?"

"Yes, now let go of me."

Akane shook her head. There was no way she was going to let go of him. If she did she would sink.

"Look Akane," Ranma turned to her and stared her in the eye, one arm behind her back and the other around her neck. "I can teach you to swim, it's not all that difficult and it will be easier for you that most other people because you are a martial artist, but I need you to trust me. Do you trust me Akane?"

Akane was scared. Every since that time she had almost drowned years ago in a pool, she had hated open bodies of water. But here she was, clinging onto Ranma, the only other person out in the ocean with her. Absently, she did not feel that much afraid since he was holding her and she knew that he was a good swimmer. But did she trust him enough to let go? Would he leave her there alone on the ocean? Akane chided herself for that thought. Ranma was her friend; he wouldn't let her down.

"Okay, I'll let you go, but you have to promise to hold me," she compromised.

"Don't worry," Ranma replied cockily. "If I can teach Kyonno, I can teach you."

Akane slowly unwrapped her arms from around him. She continued to glare at him though, reminding him of their compromise. Ranma just smiled and when Akane had unhooked her foot from around his waist, he placed a palm on her back, pushing her body up to the surface. Akane found herself lying parallel to the surface of the water.

"Just relax," soothed Ranma. "Just lay back, I'm right here, nothing is going to happen to you. Take deep breaths," he instructed her. “Take long calm deep breaths…that’s it!” Akane did as she was instructed as she felt Ranma's hands on her bare back where the material of the suit dipped.

Ranma himself was having little difficulty concentrating on the task at hand. Before this morning he had only known Akane as a friend, then she had pulled that stunt on the shore. Ranma didn't know what scared him more, the fact that he had been lying on top of a girl he hardly knew, or the fact that the same girl was fast becoming a close friend. He liked the friend part, his traveling had prevented him from making any friends his age group and the constant jumping around in schools after he had returned to Tokyo had not helped either. Right now, he was being tortured. After that stunt he pulled, he began to see her in a different light. Before, where he had seen her as a platonic friend, now he found himself being attracted to her. He was being forced to watch the rhythmic rise and fall of Akane's chest, and consequently the mammary bodies above. He couldn't even look away since he needed to observe her in case she panicked or there were waves from a passing boat. She shouldn't be able to cause these feeling in him so easily though.

His mother was very sure of her training methods and Ranma had to endure some of his mother follies. He had gone to public baths with her to peek at girls and walked into locker rooms and other things that his mother thought were manly but that he thought were a bit perverted and put him in uncomfortable situations. It had given him an appreciation for a woman's body. That was one of the reasons his mother had done it. She was always on about grandchildren for some reason and Ranma knew that part of it stemmed from the fact that he had not been around when he was younger.

He had somehow been able to control his primal instincts when around naked girls but this new situation he had placed himself in was becoming unbearable. First, he had felt Akane underneath him earlier, then she had practically rubbed her whole body along his while she was scared, and now he was being forced to watch her form and she lay there floating in front of him. All the time though, the same question was popping up into his head. Why was he feeling this way toward her?

He knew many other, more beautiful women but for some reason they could not compare to her. Maybe it was because she was his friend that he wanted to protect her and give her a hug. Maybe that was just the reason why. He kept his eyes on her though as she closed hers. He knew she was starting to get more accustomed to being in the water. When he thought she was ready, he slowly moved his hand away from under her so as not to distract her. He smirked as he watched her there for about fifteen minutes as she floated on the surface without his help.

"Hey Akane," he interrupted her. He was still next to her side. Though his arms were not holding her up, she did not need to know that.

"What is it Ranma?" Akane asked between breaths.

"You're doing really well. I'm sure you didn't expect to be floating without my help on your first day."

"What do you..."

Then she realized that nothing was around her body. She panicked but before she could start flailing, Ranma's hands were already steadying her.

"Whoa...just be calm Akane," he soothed.

"Why did you remove your hands you jerk!" she scolded.

"If you liked my hands so much maybe I should keep them around you all the time."

Akane glared at him and stuck out her tongue. Ranma just grinned back.

"I think it’s time for us to go in, so we're going to do something different. You're going to hold onto my neck and kick us back to shore."

"Now that I can do," Akane replied confidently. "Just come a little closer."

He did and Akane grabbed onto his neck and shoulders. While holding on he helped her bring her body level to the surface of the water.

"Kick!" he instructed her. "Good," he confirmed as they began to move. Ranma began to kick his legs too in order to stay in front of her and not drag them. "Try not to bend your knees too much. That's right, just like that!" he encouraged. As she kept on kicking, Ranma grasped her hands in his. She did not object and soon he was removing her hands from their tight grasp on his shoulder. She held her and slowly he began to push her out into the water until she was kicking by herself. He still held her aloft though so that she did not have to put her head in the water. Ranma knew that that would be the hardest part.

"Okay Akane, last part. All you have to do is put you head in the water and breathe from side to side by moving your head like this." He demonstrated for her to see.

"Ranma...Ranma I can't," she pleaded.

"Yes you can," he affirmed. "I know you can. I'm right here remember. Nothing will happen I promise."

"You promise."

"Yes. It wouldn't do for you to act cowardly in front of your first boyfriend would it?" he remarked haphazardly.

Akane offered him a small smile.

"Anytime you're ready."

Akane took some deep breaths to steady herself then she put her head in the water. Ranma gave her a bit more room but still held her hands, squeezing them to let her know he was there. For five minutes, Akane was almost swimming in the water, she was breathing and kicking, all she needed to do was learn how to use her hands. She saw a fish in the water under her as it passed swiftly and that was all it took for her to lose her concentration. She gulped in some water by mistake and began coughing.

Her arms flailed around but soon she was above the water's surface coughing and hacking out the water she had swallowed. She held onto Ranma tightly as he cradled her in the water.

"You okay?" he asked. Akane nodded as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I just took in some water."

"I guess we could go back in now," Ranma replied. "We've been out here for awhile and the water is cold."

"No!" Akane replied sharply. "I'm going to get this right. I think I need to do this."

Ranma nodded. "Don't worry about me getting tired. Just tell me when you are ready to start again."

Akane nodded and rest her head against his shoulder trying to gather her strength. As she sat in his arms being pampered, she felt so comfortable there that she began to feel uncomfortable. She should not be feeling comfortable in the arms of a friend she had just met. There was nothing she could do about it now she supposed.

"I'm ready," she told him and once again he reeled her out. Again she began to kick and then she began her breathing exercises. She had been doing pretty well, when with a tug on her hand, Ranma had her facing him. They blushed a little at the closeness but Ranma had something to say.

"There's only one more thing for you to do. That's use your hands. I take it you've seen it done before?"

Akane nodded.

"Good. I'll hold you from underneath okay. Now try to swim."

Akane found herself laid out on Ranma's hands as she tried to ignore the fact that his hands her in fact very close to very sensitive areas on her body. Being out of her element had heightened her senses and she could feel every one of Ranma's fingers through the fabric of her suit.

"Anytime you're ready," he told her.

She took a deep breath and began her exercises.

First she started kicking then her head went in the water. She could feel Ranma's grip on her tighten as she began to move. Then she began to stroke with her hands mimicking what she saw other people in the pool. Ranma held her back so she would not go anywhere but Akane found herself swimming. She was swimming, albeit jerkily and with no grace at all, but she was swimming. It was almost as if she had won a prize or something. She continued practicing with Ranma holding her until her legs began to feel like lead weights.

Then she grabbed hold of him again. Ranma mentally noted that he would have to teach her how to tread water too.

"I think we should go in now," she told him, the tiredness evident in her voice.

"Okay, just climb onto my back and I'll take us in."

Akane felt like a child when he told her to do that. She couldn't remember the last time her father had given her a piggy-back. Akane wove her hands under Ranma's armpit to grab onto his shoulder in an under arm lock. Then she locked her feet around his waist, giving him enough room to kick. For the rest of the trip, she savored the feeling of muscles rippling beneath her skin.

They were quite a ways from shore since they had drifted very far from their initial position. Ranma just cruised as he swam using the breaststroke. It allowed him to remain balanced more easily especially with a non-swimmer like Akane on his back. Slowly they made their way to the shoreline and as they reached the surf area, Ranma body-boarded in much to Akane's astonishment. She had never seen anybody do that before.

Ranma had used the wave's momentum to carry them almost up the shore. Akane got off him and helped him up then she wrapped her hands around him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"It's been a wonderful day Ranma. Thank you. I'm going to change. See you later."

"Uh...okay Akane, later," Ranma replied as she walked off. He tried to hide the blush that was creeping to his cheeks. Akne also found herself in the same predicament. Why had she kissed him and for that matter why was she feeling this warmth all over her body from that kiss. She filed it away to be thought about later.

 

Ranma would have stayed frozen there for a lot longer had his stomach not interceded. A loud grumbling broke the silence of his mind.

‘Damn, I missed lunch,’ he thought then sprinted over to where he could get a snack.

 

 

Another person who had been sitting enjoying the sun put down her binoculars. There were things she had to do. She never went down without a fight. If that girl wanted a fight, then a fight she would get. The Black Rose was the Black Rose. She knew her opponent, indeed her brother had given her a list of the attacks Akane Tendo specialized in. She listened to them but really paid no attention.

She had beaten Akane Tendo before and she could do it again. It was just to set the proper challenge.

 

 

 

Ranma was busily gorging down a huge meal when out of the corner of his eyes he spotted Kuno is his blue top and black hakama. ‘What was the boy up to now,’ Ranma wondered. Apparently Kuno had yet to notice him. Ranma did not mind. He wasn't interested in having any discussion with Kuno. He had heard the elder man's flowery speeches and wondered if Kuno knew what he was saying. Ranma shrugged and remained impassive to Kuno's presence until his danger sense alerted him.

"Saotome!" Kuno thundered. "How dare you!"

Ranma scratched his head. "How dare I what?"

"Knave! Do you mean to hide behind your sorcery! Nay I say; you shall not take the beauteous one away from me!"

Ranma casually dodged Kuno's bokken.

"What is a beauteous one?"

"Are you not holding Akane Tendo captive under your sorcery?" accused Kuno.

"Sorcery? Akane? I think she just went to our room to change," Ranma replied confused. What was he on about?

"Your room? What travesty is this?" bellowed Kuno.

"Oh well, my mom arranged for us to have the same room," explained Ranma.

"In the same room with Akane. I forbid it!"

"Hey! Who cares what you think," retorted Ranma. He was getting tired of this pompous ass. Who was he to say if Akane and him should be in the same room!

"I see my deranged sister is correct. Defend yourself Saotome. I will free my white lily from your clutches and we will wed on the morrow."

"Hey, Akane wants nothing to do with you," Ranma stated.

"Methinks this contract ought say different," replied a confident Kuno as he took out a piece of paper. One second he had it in his hand, the next second it had disappeared. Kuno was still contemplating what had happened to it when Ranma stuffed it in his face.

"Well I think you can put off the wedding plans for now Kuno," Ranma scoffed as he shoved the contract in Kuno's face. "That contract states that Akane will marry you if she doesn't find a boyfriend in one year."

"So!" shrugged Kuno. "I know of no such man..."

"Except me," interrupted Ranma. Girlfriend or not, he was not going to let anyone he knew marry the pompous jerk. Especially not Akane, she was his friend after all.

"Saotome speak your mind!" commanded Kuno.

"Akane is my girlfriend," Ranma replied sternly.

"Never! Never!" Kuno shouted. "I will never allow this. Have at thee!"

Caught surprised, Ranma gasped as he moved away a bit too late from Kuno's first strike. He felt the penetration but ignored it. He was pissed though. How dare Kuno attack him without warning! Ranma fluttered in and out of Kuno's attacks then his hands blurred as Kuno's adrenaline waned. Kuno's nervous system lit up like a Christmas tree with pain. After only a minute, the Kendoist could take no more and his brain overloaded. He fell unconscious with pain. Ranma checked his wound and cursed. He would get a thorough chewing out from his mother if she saw this. He growled at the prone from of Kuno then dispensed some more justice as he pressed a few points on Kuno's body. He made sure that Kuno would be in pain for the rest of the trip.

 

 

Ranma was quietly dabbing away at his wound with a cloth and some alcohol when Akane slipped in the room with her towel on while drying her hair. She immediately rushed over to his side and started to mother him.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. "Who did this?"

"Kuno," Ranma replied. "Apparently he did not take it too well when I said that you were my girlfriend."

"Oh Ranma, I'm sorry. I never thought Kuno would do something like this," Akane apologized.

"Feh. It's nothing. It's my own fault really. I should have reacted quicker. Anyway, it's nothing big. I just need to bandage it."

Akane saw the strips of cloths he was going to use. It would have been a very tricky job for him to bandage his own side. She knocked away his hands and sat down next to him, forcefully taking the alcohol from his hand. Ranma made a move to complain but he backed down when he saw the fierceness in her eyes. He somehow knew that Kuno would be facing the wrath of Akane tomorrow.

Akane roughly dabbed the alcohol in the cut making Ranma tense up. She looked a bit embarrassed and then started to bandage his wound. Akane was almost finished when the door slid open. Nodoka peeked in.

"Oh, I can see you're busy, pass by my room later," she said quickly then closed the door.

Akane wondered what the woman was talking about until she realized that she was sprawled across Ranma's lap with a towel on. She did have her underwear on too, but the towel did hide...oh, was that what Nodoka was thinking. Ranma's mind was going along similar lines though he was not privy to the fact that Akane had on underwear.

"I think I'd better go see what mom wants."

"Right," replied Akane as she shuffled off his lap.

Ranma hastily put on his shirt and then exited the room. Akane followed him out with her eyes and then leaned against the wall. Ranma had taken care of Kuno, but for how long. She definitely did not think that Kuno would have acted so rashly. Maybe they should confess that they weren't really seeing each other. She guessed she could deal with Kuno for a little while until she really found a boyfriend. It wouldn't do to let Ranma get hurt. No, no, Ranma shouldn't be getting hurt and definitely not on her account.

 

While Akane was pondering another courier knocked on the door pulling her out of her thinking.

"Just a minute," Akane cried, pulling on a shirt and a skirt. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, Nodoka-san was wondering when you were coming. They've already left for the Rec. room."

"What's the Rec. room?" asked Akane.

The courier reminded himself that she had never been here before. "I'll show you."

Akane followed him until he brought her to a fairly well sized theatre. She easily spied Ramna's family though the light was still dim. Unlike the conventional theatres, the seats here were not separated. Instead there were long cushioned benches. She walked over and sat between Ranma and Nodoka.

"I was wondering where you were," Nodoka mothered her. "I thought you had fallen asleep. I heard about all the exercise you two were having today." Akane blushed lightly as those memories resurfaced. Before Nodoka could continue though, they were interrupted.

"Ranma! Auntie! Grantie!" shouted Kyonno as she bounded out of her mother's reach running and clinging onto Ranma and Akane's legs. Kim came and took a seat in front of them and moments later Ranma's cousin, Ikaru, joined her then gave Ranma a brotherly hug.

"Good to see you Ranma," greeted Ikaru as he pumped Ranma's hand. Then his eyes fell off to Akane. "So you must be Akane, I've heard so much about you from auntie. Just a word of advice, don't let Ranma carry you off on any training trips," Ikaru told her smilingly then scratched his chin. "That is, unless it's the honeymoon." He grinned at them. "I know that my cousin knows some very secluded places."

When Ranma and Akane blushed beet red at the implication, Ikaru knew he had done a good job. He would have continued if not for the arm that snaked around his waist.

"Now Ru-chan, leave Akane and Ranma alone, the movie is about to start."

Ikaru unwillingly relented from his verbal attack. He wanted to see Ranma squirm some more. Ah well such was life. He turned around and sat down, placing an arm around his wife. Kyonno for the most part ignored her parents as children had a tendency of doing when other people were in the room. Ranma was for all intents and purposes, Kyonno's favorite uncle.

"What you name?" she asked as she tugged lightly on Akane's skirt.

"Akane, Akane Tendo."

"Hi Auntie Akane. My name is Kyonno."

Akane shook Kyonno's hand while Kyonno giggled and pulled Ranma and Akane down to sit. The lights began to dim and Ranma noticed that Kyonno yawned. She must have woken up just to come see him he thought. The movie started and to Ranma and Kyonno's annoyance, it was a drama. Neither of them liked those. Kyonno because she did not have enough experience to know what was going on, and Ranma because it had no action. Akane though liked dramas. Kyonno fidgeted between Ranma and Akane finally lying across the laps of the two while Ranma stroked her back. Ten minutes later, Kyonno was sleeping peacefully on their laps. Ranma noted this, and not finding an eye for the movie nudged Akane.

"I'm going to put Kyonno to sleep," he told her. Kim overheard him and gave Ranma a grateful smile. Ranma winked back. In a split second, Akane answered him. "I'll come with you." It was a good movie but she had seen it one too many times already.

With Kyonno in his arms, Ranma walked quickly down the deserted halls. Everyone else was either watching the movie or somewhere else enjoying their time he guessed. Akane followed him until they came to a small room. For Kyonno, there was a mattress on the floor. Ranma lay her down on it and lay next to her, watching the younger girl as she slept.

Akane sat next to him and commented on something.

"You know, she looks nothing like you. I guess she takes her looks from her mother's side of the family."

"I wouldn't know," Ranma replied in earnest. "Kim found her when she went to Korea. Kyonno was sitting there all by herself crying in the street. Apparently her mother had left her there being unable to take care of her. Kim couldn't bare to leave her like that so she took her and brought her here as her daughter."

"I...I had no idea," whispered Akane as she stared at the little girl.

"She had a very rough childhood and she has nightmares very often, but she's healing."

Akane sat there watching Kyonno when the girl started crying in her sleep. When nothing happened, she realized that Ranma had fallen asleep on the mattress. Akane slipped into the area between them since the mattress was propped up against the wall, and placed her hand on the girl's back, rubbing it and soothing her with cooing sounds. The nightmare relented and Kyonno turned her head. Akane stayed there just in case the little girl had a recurrence.

 

 

 

Kodachi Kuno sat fuming in Ranma's room clad scantily in lingerie. Where was that Ranma! How could she seduce him when he wasn't around to be seduced?

 

 

 

Akane tried to bat away the arm that was prodding her on her shoulder, but the person kept on prodding. She could vaguely hear giggling in the background and when she opened her eyes to give the person a good talking to, she was rewarded with the shining, glittering eyes of Kyonno who Akane knew now was a morning person.

"Auntie up!" cried the little girl. "Now time to wake up Uncle Ranma."

Akane was still bleary when the girl when the girl jumped over her and landed on something hard. It was only then that her senses were finally awaken and she felt a source of warmth behind her body. Then she heard a cry of alarm as someone else had awoken.

"Ya, Ranma awake, now eat yes?" the girl asked as she pivoted on the bodies of both adults. Akane felt Ranma's arm that had been around her move to the little girl and a feeling of loss and jealousy overcame her for some unknown reason. Ranma scooped up Kyonno and jumped up off the mattress, holding a hand out to help Akane up. She accepted his offer. Ranma scratched the back of his head when he released her.

"Sorry about the hand thing," he apologized. "I tend to roll at night."

Akane waved it off. "It was probably my fault anyway. I should have gone to sleep in our room. Breakfast?"

"Yeah, let's get Kyonno freshened up first."

Akane thought it strange that Ranma changed the little girl's clothes but shrugged it off as a family thing.

After a splash of water and vigorous brushing of her teeth, Kyonno began bouncing off of the walls with energy once again, and Ranma played a game of tag with her as they walked down the corridors. Apparently Kyonno had woken them up pretty early since the dining room was deserted except for the usher.

Ranma remembered that he hadn't had that much to eat yesterday and had more than usual his servings. Akane was astounded to see how much he could eat while Kyonno tried to imitate. After her second waffle though she was stuffed and her stomach showed it.

Soon others members of the family joined them though Kyonno's parents were yet to be seen. Nodoka had the answer when Akane asked the question.

"They need some quality time," Nodoka told her. "And don't worry about you and Ranma. I'll be glad to take the kids when you need some quality time." She winked at Akane and Ranma, both of whom went into full blushes. They both exchanged glances of worry and something else.

Nodoka finished her light breakfast. "I'll see you two at the beach then," she told them as she walked off to her room carrying Kyonno with her. Nodoka was another one of Kyonno's favorite people, especially since Nodoka did tend to spoil her a little. Of course, Nodoka's credo was, 'if I don't spoil her, who will?'

Ranma lay back on the chair and relaxed as the food settled. Akane was a bit nervous as she tried to think of how she could broach the topic she had been thinking about last night. Finally she just said to hell with it.

"Ranma. I think we should confess that we are not dating," she told him quickly and hushed.

Ranma almost fell off while rocking the chair.

"What!" he looked around to make sure no one had heard. “Why?" he asked softly.

"After what Kuno did, I think we should stop. I can handle Kuno. I don't want you getting hurt because of me," she replied quietly.

"Look Akane," Ranma told her truthfully. "The only reason Kuno hit me was that he was close to me and caught me off guard with his attack. I don't like him and there's no way I'm going to let you..."

Akane tried to interrupt him but the look he gave her made her stumble.

"Akane I promised that I would get you out of the engagement and that's what I'm going to do. Kuno can't scare me and there's no way I'm going to let him get his hands on you. You deserve better than that."

"Okay," Akane replied. Why couldn't she find someone like Ranma? Honorable, brave and fun to be with. She needed to find someone like that.

"Let's go for a swim," Ranme encouraged as he helped her get out of her chair. That was when they saw Kodachi. The girl walked up to them but her gaze was focused on Akane. She stopped almost a foot away from Akane.

"Do not think you can take my Ranma-sama so easily from me," she warned. "The Black Rose has never lost a fight and she will not lose her Ranma-sama to the likes of you." She handed Akane a slip of paper and sniffed as she stalked off.

"What is it?" asked Ranma expectantly while peeking over her shoulder.

"A challenge."

"To what?"

"Martial arts gymnastics," Akane replied worriedly.

"Why are you worried?" he asked.

"Well I used to be stubborn and confident and I thought I could beat her without much practice. She wiped the floor with me, " Akane told him truthfully. It was still hard for her to say that she had been defeated. She had been a very proud girl when she was younger but after a few years, she had calmed down a bit. She could definitely admit that maybe she wasn't the best, and that she could be defeated. Kodachi was one of those persons and after yesterday Ranma was too.

"You know Ranma, if you had attended school in Furiken, you would be able to date me," she stated.

Ranma raised an eyebrow and scratched his head. "Why's that?"

"Remember that rule at Furiken Kuno put up that only someone who was able to defeat me could take me on a date."

"Oh I see, he was an idiot in school too I guess."

"Kuno has always been an idiot," Akane remarked.

"I'll take you on a date sometime," Ranma told her offhandedly, "It's the only way to convince people that we are actually going out. Right now though you need a little bit of training."

Akane followed him, though her mind lingered on the thought of him carrying her on a date.

Ranma ran to the cliff where he had his hideout and held Akane in his arms as he jumped up to the ledge and swung himself into the cave. Then he began digging around.

"Where is this stuff," he growled as he began digging through piles of discarded equipment. "Ahh, here it is!" he exclaimed pulling out a box. Then he showed her the equipment. "Everything we need for a Martial arts gymnastics match."

Minutes later, Akane was in her one piece from the day before with a ball in her hands. Armed with a whip, Ranma had her doing some rigorous exercises with the ball while he attempted to knock it out of her hands.

"This is not good enough," he remarked. "We have to find a better training area." Then he snapped his fingers. "I know where we can go."

Grabbing her, Ranma jumped out of the cave with the box of equipment in his hands. Akane was one again subjected to weightlessness as Ranma ran along the surface of the mountains, nimbly bouncing off the rock formations. She was blushing furiously as the thought crossed her mind of how little clothing was separating the both of them, and that his hand was wrapped around her waist, forcing her to wrap her legs around his side for stability and anchoring. It also unnerved her that all of Ranma's movements were causing unfamiliar sensations from the lower part of her body. In a short time- too soon cried Akane's body - Ranma had reached where he thought they could train.

"Okay Akane, we're back to the sand training again. It will help with your control and will give you an advantage in the match."

Again Ranma drilled her on the ball. Then when the hoop came, first he showed her how it was done to which Akane laughed since it was funny to see him use it, no matter how badly she blushed when his pelvis rhythmically protruded in her direction. After getting over her laughter though, she began to copy his example and when he thought she had it down well enough, he turned towards the ribbon. That it seemed was Akane's weakest link. He knew from the beginning that she put a lot of emphasis in strength but strength was not what was called for in this situation. What was needed was finesse and slight of hand.

Ranma grabbed the spare ribbon he had and showed her how to twirl it. Akane tried and wound up tying herself up. Ranma chuckled as Akane blushed in embarrassment when he had to untie her. Ranma tried a different technique. He stood behind her and draped one arm around her abdomen. Akane gasped at the close contact and his warm breath against the back of her ear but concentrated on the task in front of her as Ranma began to explain. Akane copied Ranma's movements then they grabbed the ribbons again. Side by side, Ranma went through the exercises with her. For an hour they practiced the basics of the style until he thought she was competent enough.

Then with a ribbon in his hand, he began to spar with her. She was doing well enough with her ribbon then her ball and hoop. Ranma decided to up the ante and in a few seconds, he had wrapped Akane's feet together leaving her dazed on the floor. Ranma looked up at the sun and realized they had been training for three hours straight. After he unwrapped her feet, he told her it was time for a break. The relief on Akane's face told him that she was grateful.

After their brief splashing session in the water, they returned to practice, but this time, Ranma was giving her pointers on how to defeat Kodachi.

 

 

Night on the last day dropped quickly for the pair as they waited for the appointed time after eating their fill. The ring had already been set up on the beach and most of the guests had come out to watch the event. It promised some measure of entertainment. Kodachi the Black Rose was the challenger, and she strode out of her suite wearing a long flowing robe which covered the majority of her body. Attending her was Tatewaki who had been convinced by her that if she defeated Akane Tendo again, the girl would be released of Ranma's sorcery and would be free to marry him. Kodachi herself scoffed at the idea. Indeed, this Tendo girl thought she could steal what was rightfully the property of the Black Rose. The outcome of this fight was inconsequential. Though the Black Rose prided her talent in this art, it would matter not in the long run. She would persist and from what Kodachi had seen at the beach, Akane did not seem to know how to seduce Ranma-sama. As long as the girl left an opening, she, the Black Rose, would take advantage of it. Of course, she would have to lose a fight and she never did that. Winning the fight would gain her the privilege of separating the two, but then it would be easier for her to seduce him. That aphrodisiac she was researching should be enough she thought with a wicked grin. Ranma-sama would be hers, by hook or by crook.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first ever Martial Arts Gymnastics Match here at Sakura Inn. This match will determine who will win the right to be Ranma Saotome's girlfriend."

The crowd cheered the name though it was not apparent if they knew whom the announcer was speaking of.

"In the black corner wearing a black leotard with a rose pattern, the challenger! Kodachi Kuno the Black Rose!"

Kodachi entered the ring and grinned as the audience applauded her. Peasants could be so endearing sometimes.

"And, in the yellow corner, in the yellow leotard. The current girlfriend of Ranma Saotome! Akane Tendo!"

There was a louder applause from the audience as Ranma helped a blushing Akane up onto the stage. The rest of Ranma's family cheered her on with Kyonno hopping from parent to parent in excitement.

Another person in the crowd almost fainted when she heard the announcement. It was true that she had not been looking out for her sister but then she was trying to network with some of the company's clients. She would have never thought that her little sister would get herself a boyfriend so quickly when threatened with marriage to Kuno. She knew Ranma and she knew Akane. She smelled a rat. There was no way she was going to let Akane keep this farce up especially with Ranma. She could not see any mobility for him in the company and that was very bad for future a prospect if -and that was a big if- if he married her sister. He would just become a burden on the family.

In the dwindling light, she held out a copy of the contract. She had easily manipulated Kuno into giving her one. She read it again and frowned at the wording. The contract did not state that Akane needed to marry Kuno, just the daughter of Soun Tendo. She did not like that one bit. She was definitely not in the mood for her father's silly antics and it seemed her sister was passing the burden onto her. She would see about that. It was obvious that Akane was probably using Ranma as a ploy against her father. She did not know why Ranma had agreed but that was why she was the best in her business. She would uncover the truth behind this girlfriend business, but first the match. If Akane lost, Nabiki knew she would have nothing to worry about.

Akane entered the ring and then bowed to Kodachi. Kodachi just sniffed arrogantly. Akane glared at her but Ranma scolded her for it.

"Akane, stop thinking about her. The fight isn't about her it's about you. She's just trying to make you lose focus."

"Okay Ranma."

The judge had once been involved with a rhythmic gymnastics match and knew what was to be expected.

"Begin!"

Kodachi called for her clubs, an uncharacteristic opening for anyone who knew her style, and rushed Akane before she could call for anything.

Kodachi began twirling using her weapon which suddenly spouted spikes, and lashed out at Akane who surprisingly dodged. All that training in the sand had helped her speed a little. Between jumps, Akane called for her ribbon. She caught it deftly and when Kodachi attacked again with her Fist of One Thousand Clubs, Akane sent her ribbon into the fray and yanked, disrupting the technique and causing all the spiked clubs to fall to the ground.

Annoyed that her first attack had been foiled, Kodachi called for her hoop. Akane similarly called for another weapon but it was under the guise of weapon A.

When Kodachi threw the hoop, Akane uncovered weapon A from the paper bag it was in and sent the rock hurtling to meet the hoop. The resulting grinding drove everyone around the arena crazy except the combatants who glared at one another.

Kodachi was wondering where this girl was coming up with all these counters. The only one to every counter her moves was the girl who beat her when she had met her Ranma-sama. Could it be that this Tendo girl had been preparing for this match all along?

Kodachi called for her favorite weapon, the ribbon. Surprisingly, Akane did not call for her ribbon, instead, she called for a ball. Ranma tossed it up then she called for a box. Ranma tossed that up too, and it landed in her hand.

Akane narrowly dodged the first few lashes of Kodachi's weapon then she sent the box hurtling towards Kodachi. Kodachi used her weapon like a saw and split the sealed box in two what she didn't know was that Akane and Ranma were expecting her to do that. Now according to the laws of physics, if you are driving in a car and the car stops suddenly, you continue with the same momentum unless some event -your seatbelt pulling you or ramming you head against the dashboard- stopped your forward momentum. The same principle could be said about the contents of the box.

Even though, Kodachi had successfully stopped the box, the metal spheres inside continued on their course, surprising Kodachi. She was hit with the entire barrage, as she was unable to deflect most of the balls with her ribbon. She was still in the ring though and had not yet lost, until she saw that Akane was charging. She smiled to herself, if the foolish girl hit her without a weapon then she would forfeit the match, Ranma would be hers.

Suddenly, Akane dropped a ball in front of her and instead of kicking Kodachi, she kicked the ball hard, aiming for the stars. The ball's trajectory was true as Akane kicked it. It flew away from her foot and connected soundly with Kodachi's chin. There was a sickening crunch as the ball forced Kodachi's mouth shut, and the rest of the momentum combined to send her flying out of the ring. Luckily Sasuke, the Kunos every faithful servant caught her.

In the center of the ring, Akane beamed with pride and relief washed over her. Then she gave everyone a beaming smile and flashed a victory sign. Ranma jumped in the ring to congratulate her. Akane saw him and was so excited at her victory that she jumped into his hands to give him a small kiss on the cheek. As she tried to kiss him, Kyonno shouted to him at the top of her lungs. Distracted, Ranma turned slightly to see what the girl was talking about, but that distraction was all that was needed.

Akane pressed forward as he turned and somehow she made a brief contact with his lips. It was so brief in fact that it only lasted a second, but the effect on both of them was so great that they stared uncomprehendingly at one another until Kyonno climbed up onto the stage and began to tug at Ranma's pants.

Knocked out of their shock, Ranma released Akane and lift Kyonno into his hands. The said girl giggled and stretched to Ranma pulled her up. Kyonno then reached for Akane and Akane submitted to the little girl's desire. Kyonno placed her hands around their necks and smiled as the cameras flicked on and off in the crowd at such a cute sight.

When Akane and Ranma climbed out of the ring, they were met by family including Nabiki. Nabiki smiled at Ranma's family, not having placed their faces to anyone important and grabbed hold of Akane's hand.

"Come on Akane, I think its time for you to change. I'm sure that Ranma will be waiting for you when you come back."

Akane her good-byes to Ranma family and walked off to the changing room with Nabiki. Ranma stared after them suspiciously. Something was going to happen. He had a sixth sense when it came to these things and right now that sixth sense was sounding an alarm. Ranma evaded his family with a small excuse and disappeared into the night.

 

As soon as Akane made it to the dressing room, her sister closed the door quickly and almost lost her characteristic coolness.

"Akane, just what are you doing?" chided Nabiki.

"What are you talking about nee-chan?" countered Akane, feigning and trying to buy some time.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Nabiki answered coolly. "What was that spectacle out there about? And what's this about you and Ranma? I know for a fact that you've never had a boyfriend and have never even kissed a boy before!"

"A girl can change her mind can't she?" defended Akane.

"Yes, but this is you," accused Nabiki. "Akane," Nabiki pleaded, "I know that dad put this on you suddenly but think about it. Kuno isn't that bad. I mean you'll be set for life. There's nothing that you would ever want."

"Then why don't you marry him!" bristled Akane.

"Because he likes you," retorted Nabiki. "And he has nothing that I want."

"Sure," replied Akane. Nabiki frowned when she realized that her sister had changed the focus of the argument in her favor. Maybe she had been giving Akane too many lessons.

"That still does not explain you and Ranma," edged Nabiki. Akane knew she needed a good story and fast. "Girls don't pick up boyfriends overnight," confronted Nabiki.

"Sure they can. Many girls from my class got their boyfriends overnight," Akane defended again.

"But none of them were the self professed boy hater that you are," attacked Nabiki with a smirk.

"Uh...well Ranma and I have been dating for awhile." Yes that's it, Akane told herself. That sounds better. "We just kept it a secret because it was a long distance relationship."

"Oh, then why were you so skittish when you kissed him on the stage?" Akane was shocked that Nabiki had seen that but she held it in well. She knew her sister had the upper hand and that defeat was nearby. She needed to so something, anything to win. Her future depended on it. That, and she was becoming angry with her sister. Since they were young, Nabiki was always able to back her into a corner and Akane was getting sick and tired of not being able to do anything about it. With her calculated interests, favors, payments and schemes, Nabiki had always used her for her own purposes. Akane had never recognized it when she was younger but with maturity came knowledge. She was tired of being told what to do; of her will being subtly bent in one way or the other. She had to win this one. It was more than a verbal battle now, she wanted to win, she had to win. She had to prove it to herself that she could beat her sister at her own game. She had been little miss predictable Akane for too long.

Nabiki could smell the holes in that argument and was about to put the finishing touches that would crumble her sister's case when someone knocked on the door.

 

 

Ranma had surreptitiously followed the pair as they stalked towards the dressing room and he placed his ear to the wooden walls. Then he applied a technique he already knew too well when he wanted to figure out what his parents were planning. He cupped his ear to the wall and listened in. He was both pleased and amused at how Akane was handling her sister and there came a time when he thought she would win the discussion. Then she backed herself into a wall with a single statement. How could she say that they had been having a relationship secretly? Everyone knew that secret relationships were hard to keep a secret and ultimately someone knew. He had to save her, but how could he save her. Reigning in his courage, he knocked on the door.

 

 

 

Akane heard the knock and moved past her sister to answer the door. When she opened it and saw Ranma, she saw her ideal opportunity. There was one thing they could do right then and there that would blow her sister's argument out of the water.

"Kiss me," she told him impulsively.

"What? Are you sure?" he whispered. She walked closer to him.

"I have to convince her," she whispered back.

She was unprepared when Ranma's arms slid around her back and when he slowly pressed his lips against hers.

 

 

 

To say Nabiki was in shock would be an understatement. Nabiki pressed herself against the wall to prevent herself from falling. She even had to prevent herself from sliding down the wall. She had taken her eyes away from Akane for a few moments when Akane went to answer the door then when Nabiki turned back to the door she was in total disbelief when she found her sister kissing Ranma.

Nabiki would have written it off as a prank if not for the fact that Akane was now leaning against the doorframe and her arms were unconsciously winding their way around Ranma's neck. For the most part she did not think either of them were capable of rational thought at the moment. Both their eyes were closed and their faces were indescribable. Akane's back arched back as Ranma held her tightly to his body. Nabiki noted that Akane's feet barely scraped the floor. She did not think she had ever seen that level of bliss on her sister's face in all her life. If Akane died now, she knew Akane would possibly be the happiest woman alive. She quietly slipped out of the room leaving them undisturbed.

It would be a few minutes before either of the two was brought back to the land of the living. Ranma's eyes slowly opened and he had to force himself to break the kiss. Some parts of his body refused his mind's commands and his lips lingered, touching Akane's for a few minutes. When he finally was able to control himself and pull back, Akane almost slid down the doorframe when he moved his hands, he quickly put them back around her waist to support her.

"You okay?" he asked while trying to catch his breath. Akane nodded, her breath still evading her. Both their hearts were racing rapidly and they could not look each other in the face. Akane could hear Ranma's deep breathing and knew she was doing the same. After a few more minutes she moved from under his embrace into the room.

"I'll...I'll see you later okay?"

She nodded and closed the door as he left. She turned and slid down the side of the door. Her body shuddered as if when she lost eyesight of him, her body drained of all energy. When she brought up an image of him or the sensation of his lips touching hers, she felt tingly all over her body. She could barely move her fingers from her lips which burned for some unknown reason. Akane knew the reason though, but she had refused to accept it the first time. With the pounding of her heart and the lightheadedness she felt when they had been kissing she knew what the cause was. There was no escaping it now. Why had she fallen in love with Ranma?

 

 

 

Ranma too was in a daze when he reached his mother's room. He hardly even realized that he had walked there until his mother tapped him on the arm bringing him back to reality.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"Huh? Oh no mom, there's nothing wrong," he lied.

"Okay dear. I hope you're packed already."

"You know me mom. I'm always ready."

Nodoka smiled, "Yes I know. One of the few good thing your father taught you."

"I'll be by the beach if you need me," he told her, his mind till in a daze.

"Okay then, you go and have a good time."

 

 

 

Moments later, Akane also entered the room.

"Nodoka-san, is Ranma around?"

"No, he went out to the beach. You'll find him at the cove to the southernmost end. He likes to go there to think when he's not in the cave. Oh and Akane...call me mom."

Akane just nodded her head without listening, her mind a flurry of activity.

 

 

 

In the darkness she surprisingly found him easily. He was stretched out on a rock staring out into the ocean. She climbed up to where he sat and stared out into the ocean with him. Still staring forward she began to speak.

"Ranma, I'm sorry for asking you to kiss me," she told him. "I was trying to beat Nabiki and I...I should not have done that."

"I...I understand," he replied. Then he flashed her a strained smile. "At least Nabiki will be off your back right?" Then he got up and walked away, heading for the cave that only he alone could enter. He understood now at least partially what had happened. Akane just wanted to kiss him to be free of Kuno. There was nothing else to it but that. He pressed his fingers to his lips in thought. After this was through, he needed to go on another training trip. To get away from Akane. To forget Akane.

 

 

 

The next time Akane saw him was when she entered their room. Ranma was there but he was huddled away in a corner on his futon, fully clothed. Akane spared him a glance and her heart felt heavy. She just lay on the futon and stared at the ceiling trying to will herself to sleep. Something was nagging at her though, something that told her she had done something terribly wrong. She turned and her eyes lingered on Ranma's back for a second too long before she mentally chided herself. He was a friend, just a friend. He needed to be only a friend. She only needed friends, she couldn't handle boyfriends yet, only friends. She fell asleep trying to convince herself that they could only be friends.

 

When Akane awoke the next morning, she cracked her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Turning she found herself alone in the room as the place where Ranma had slept was barren except for an envelope. She sauntered across and picked it up.

 

Akane,

I will call you at home.

Ranma.

 

 

Packing her things, she met her sister at the coach, her heart filled with both dread and longing at the thought of seeing Ranma again.