_How does Akane stay so angry all the time?_ Ranma wondered idly as he sat beneath the dock trying to decide what to do about this new addition to his collection of fiancees. His own anger had left him hours ago, leaving only a weary blank feeling. _How could Pop do this?_ He asked himself for the hundredth time. _Doesn't he care about what it's doing to me?_
He hugged his knees a little tighter trying to stay warm as the last rays of the sun began to fade. One thing was for sure, he couldn't let this go on any longer. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life running from potential brides (or potential fathers-in-law). He didn't want to hurt the fiancees he already had, but didn't know how to deal with them.
Why did Akane have to make things so difficult all the time. Couldn't she see that he was trying. There was a lot about her that still confused him. Sometimes he didn't think she liked him very much, but other times she seemed to be encouraging him in an adorably clumsy tomboy way. He smiled. He wasn't any better at that sort of thing than she was. She was also very cute. When she smiled, it made him believe that a life with her might be possible. He admitted to himself that he really liked Nabiki, but he wasn't sure how she felt about him. _Whoa!_ he thought. _Did I say Nabiki? I meant Akane._
He thought about her face. It was beautiful and he wouldn't mind looking at it for the rest of his life. He thought about the times he'd watched her work out in the dojo, the way she focused so intently on anything that she did. He thought about the afternoons that he'd spent talking to her in her room, and learning diplomacy. _No wait. That was Nabiki._ He thought about Akane's cute nose, about her kindness, about the way she'd get irritated when his other fiance's were around. He thought about the way she stayed so calm and focused when she closed a business deal and how... _This is getting out of hand._
He sat in the dark and thought, only moving after hours of introspection.
"Well, I gotta do somethin'" He said to the darkness. "C'mon Saotome, time to be a man."
***
Near the Tendo Dojo the mysterious cliche' man watched from the concealing cliche' shadows. He was waiting for something. He was waiting for someone. Someone who had made him a laughing stock. Someone who had made his life miserable. He would soon have his revenge. He chuckled maniacally to himself as his cloak blew in the wind.
***
Nabiki lay on her bed and fiddled lazily with her abacus. Numbers had a calming effect on her. No matter how confusing and muddled life got, numbers always behaved the same. You could line them up and add and subtract them. You could shift them into formulas, or put them in columns, and they always obeyed you. If only people were like that.
*CRASH* _She's *still* at it? Doesn't she know that books and walls and furniture are expensive to replace?_
A new sound caught her attention. Someone was coming up the stairs. At that speed it could only be one person. _Stay away from Akane tonight Ranma-kun._ She thought to him.
She heard him knock on her door. "Akane?" he asked. Nabiki frowned. Apparently he'd forgotten to turn on his powers of telepathy this morning. _Please don't kill him Akane._ Maybe hers were working better. She doubted it.
Cringing in sympathy, she listened to the ensuing destruction. It lasted for nearly three minutes. _Wow._ she thought. _It must be important if he hasn't bailed out by now._ She couldn't hear Ranma at all. Akane seemed to be doing a lot of yelling, though Nabiki couldn't make out what she was saying.
Suddenly Akane's door opened and closed very quickly. A few steps in the hall, and then Nabiki's own door opened and closed as Ranma came in and put his back against it. He put a finger to his lips silencing her greeting. Akane came out of her room. "Come back here!" she screamed. "I'm not finished!" They listened as she ran past Nabiki's door and down the stairs. "RANMA!"
Nabiki barely held in a giggle. He really was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. When she thought that her sister was a safe distance away, she let out the laugh she was still stifling. Ranma slumped forward relieved, but there was pain in his eyes.
"What did you do this time?"
He looked up at her. "Nuthin'."
"What's she so mad about?"
He sighed. "What's she ever mad about? I get so sick of it sometimes. Everything that goes wrong around here is my fault. Ever notice that?"
"Yeah, she doesn't give you a lot of credit, does she?"
His eyes turned to the floor. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore."
_Huh?_ "What do you mean Ranma?"
"I mean, it's over. Akane and I have officially broken up."
"WHAT?" For the first time ever, Ranma Saotome had actually managed to *stun* her. He and Akane fought, but she'd always believed that it was just in fun, and that they'd eventually end up together. From the look on his face, however, on this point, he was not going to be moved. It wasn't just his usual juvenile denial of feelings for an "uncute tomboy". This was a matter of pride. "Okay Ranma. Start from the beginning."
Ranma explained the conversation with his father. He looked really hurt. The anger rose in Nabiki as she listened. She surprised herself when her fist slammed into the mattress. "How could he *do* such a thing?" she demanded.
This surprised Ranma as well. He looked at her strangely. There was something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. Then he was thinking, but Nabiki wanted to hear the rest of the story. "Well? What happened next?"
His eyes seemed to pierce hers. "Then," he said quietly, "I realized that it was time I made a decision." He took two steps forward, then kneeled next to her bed. "I need to face my responsibilities. I need to choose a wife before I get any more chosen for me." He looked at the wall for a few seconds with the same gaze that he'd used on her a moment ago. For some reason it didn't have the same effect on the wall, however. "I decided to talk to Akane. We fight, but I do care about her. I can admit it now. Now that I know how she really feels."
He trembled, his eyes closing.
"What exactly did you ask her?" Nabiki prompted.
He looked at her again. There was some sadness there, but it was second to something else, something she couldn't put her finger on, something that made her heart beat a little faster. "I didn't get a chance to ask her anything. As soon as I got in the door she started yelling and throwing things at me."
"And what did she say?"
"Le's'see." and he counted off on his fingers. "I hate you. I wish you'd just leave me alone. You're such a jerk." His hands dropped onto the bed.
"Ranma-kun, Akane does *not* hate you."
He gave her half a smile. "I know that, but I *do* make her unhappy. She may not *hate* me, but now I realize that any marriage between us would just make us both miserable. I don't want to spend the rest of my life married to someone who'll never listen to my side when something weird happens. It's hard enough just being *engaged* to her. And I don't think that Akane wants to marry a man that she'll always be suspicious about. She's real jealous, and whether I deserve it or not, I'll never have Akane's trust. What makes a marriage work if not trust?" He sighed again; a long sigh filled with regret and pain. Hearing it Nabiki's heart was pierced with empathy. She knew how much it hurt when no one saw the real you.
Leaning forward, Ranma took Nabiki's hands in his. Shocked, Nabiki jumped. The now familiar electric charge ran up her arms. "Ranma, what...?"
He interrupted her. "No more talkin' about Akane." He fixed that stare on her again, and she found that she couldn't breath. "I'm not real good at this stuff, so I need you to listen carefully and don't interrupt. Okay?"
Her stunned silence seemed as good as an answer to him. "Nabiki, I know that we're young, and I know that I'm not rich or brilliant, but I think that you and me could be pretty happy together." Uncertain of his words, he bravely charged on. "You understand me. No one has ever even tried to understand me before, but you know me better than my dad even. I know what people say about you too, but none of it's true. You're kind, and intelligent, and for the past little while, you're the only thing that's made my life bearable. Nabiki, I want us to get married. Please say yes. I need you Nabiki."
For the first time that she could remember, Nabiki was at a loss for words. She did manage to make a small sound somewhere between a hiccup and a whine. Ranma smiled and kissed her hand, then waited for her to collect herself.
Her mind was going in a million direction. This was absolutely, positively the last thing that she'd have expected. The thought had never so much as crossed her mind. She looked at him, sitting there being sincere. He *was* very handsome. On that thought, he really had a lot going for him. Sure he was dirt poor and he needed some house training before she could take him out in public, but he was bright, and he was sincere, and *he* now knew *her* better than anyone else in the world. She smiled as she let her heart open up to the possibilities.
Then she sobered. "What about Ukyou?" she asked, needing to know a few things before she let that train of thought go any further.
Ranma looked down at their hands again and shook his head. "Ucchan is a good friend. I'll always care about her, but", his eyes met hers again. "I don't feel the same... attraction... towards her... that I feel... towards... you." He began to blush at the beginning of that sentence, and by the end he was beet red. His voice, though, remained steady. "I know you've noticed it too. You couldn't help but notice it. At first I didn't realize what it was, but now I know. I..." His tongue got stuck in his mouth. He breathed in and out, then tried again. "I think I love you, Nabiki. No, I know it. I love you. Marry me."
She fought the tears. She had to be rational about this. It was possible that the two of them could form a strong romantic bond given time. "Ranma, you're my best friend. My only friend. If you want to be my fiancé instead of Akane's, then that's alright with me. I'd really like that."
Ranma shook his head. "You don't understand." he said. " I need to get married. Now. Before next Tuesday."
Nabiki's mouth opened and closed several times. It was impossible. She wasn't even out of high school yet. College was still a year away. She had so many plans. Could Ranma fit into them?
"What if I say no?" she asked in a small frightened voice.
His gaze didn't waver. "Then I guess I'd have to ask Ukyou." His brow wrinkled in concentration. "It's the only way Nabiki. I gotta get married. I'd like it to be to you."
She was about to do the only logical thing. She was about to say that it was out of the question, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She began to think again. This was Ranma in front of her. This was the man that she cared about more and more every day. This was the one person who had helped her to fight against the darkness in her soul. If she were to open her heart to him in the way that he was asking, what might happen?
There were a million things that could go wrong, but she admitted to herself that when she thought about being with him it made her happy. She weighed that against the possibility of losing him to Ukyou. She frowned. That idea filled her with a sadness and jealousy that she'd never thought herself capable of. Her eyes widened as she realized that she'd felt the exact same jealousy towards Akane for months now. _But that means that I..._ She swallowed hard. _That I'm in love with Ranma. That I have been for a while now._ Her eyes closed as she realized that it was true, and she let the emotion fill her heart. It felt very good.
When she opened her eyes and looked at his face again she had no way of knowing that the expression of love that she saw there was echoed in her own eyes. Her voice cracked as she said "Alright Ranma."
The relief in his grin warmed her heart. Her legs slid over the side of the bed as she sat up. She pulled him up to sit next to her.
Shyly, he reached across the distance between them. As Nabiki leaned into the circle of his arms her face angled up towards his. They kissed gently for a moment, enjoying the afterglow of the revelation between them.
They were still kissing when Akane walked in.
"Nabiki, has Ranma been back since..." Akane's jaw dropped. She stood there unable to move or speak.
As Nabiki pulled away from Ranma's kiss, an annoyed expression crossed her face for a heart beat, but she quickly schooled her features and gave her sister a neutral stare. "I'm kind of busy right now, Akane. Could you come back later?"
Somewhere between shocked and hurt, the usual anger slipped through Akane's mental grasp. The silence stretched out for a moment more, then she numbly stepped back into the hall closing the door behind her.
Ranma stared at the space she had occupied. "She's gonna kill me." he said calmly.
Nabiki stood. "I'll go talk to her. You can break the news to dad and uncle."
***
It had been hours since she'd brought him here, and worry was beginning to creep into Ukyou's mind. She looked down at the handsome Chinese boy she was watching over. He should be awake by now. If he wasn't conscious soon, she would have to find a way to get him to a doctor.
"C'mon Mousse." she whispered. "Wake up." and she touched his cheek softly.
His hand came up to cover hers, and he groaned, the pain filling his senses. "What happened?" he asked, his voice shaky.
"You tell me."
Mousse looked up at the shapeless blob before him. He couldn't tell who she was, but she had a beautiful voice... and a gentle touch. He tried to smile, wishing he could see a face. "Please," he said "my glasses?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't see them when I found you." He looked disappointed, so she added, "If you have a spare set somewhere, I could go and get them."
"That would be nice if it's not too much trouble." he said. "They're at the Nekohanten. Do you know where that is?"
Ukyou frowned. Was he delirious? "Of course I know where it is."
"I don't suppose you could get them without anyone seeing you?"
"Why?"
Ukyou watched as he lay there deep in thought. He realized that he wasn't sure himself why he didn't want the others to know where he was. There was a strange cold feeling in his chest as he thought about seeing Shampoo again. He wasn't ready for that. In fact, at the moment, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to see her again. This surprised him a little. Could his feelings for her have changed so much in such a short time?
"I don't want them to worry about me." he finally answered, guessing that she wouldn't be fooled so easily.
"If you say so." She tossed her hair behind her. It was a stunning sight, and it was unfortunate that there was no one there who could appreciate it properly. "Anyway, I'm not sure if I can do it. If it were just Shampoo, maybe. I can handle her most of the time, but Cologne? Even *I* can't sneak past *that* harridan."
Mousse frowned. Not only was this a valid point, but it was also obvious from the way she spoke that she believed that he knew who she was. He'd probably remember given time, but for now, he was still confused and a bit light headed. Well, he couldn't ask her to endanger herself just so that he could see a little better until he could bring himself to face Shampoo again. "We'll worry about it later." he said. "No hurry."
***
"Listen up!" Ranma said by way of introduction. He set the bucket of water he'd brought (just in case) down next to him and looked squarely at the two men sitting at the shogi board. "I got something important to say, and I don't wanna be interrupted."
"What is it son?" his father asked, relieved that he'd come home. When he had left the house earlier, he'd looked angry enough to do something drastic. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure that he liked the determined expression that he wore now any better.
After folding his arms across his chest and glaring at his father for a moment, he spoke. The direct approach seemed best. "Akane and I had another fight." He grimaced as a violent Akane flashback hit him. No one should have to put up with that sort of treatment. "I been thinkin' about a lot of stuff. If things go on like this, sooner or later, the two of us are gonna kill each other, and probably wreck half the city in the process. I've decided to end our engagement."
Before he could continue, his father stood and began shouting about family honor and his responsibilities. Calmly, and with one fluid motion, his foot connected with the bucket and sent it flying. He felt a guilty twinge of pleasure as it had its desired effect. That had felt good. His father "Growlf"ed as he changed. "I SAID DON'T INTERRUPT!" The panda glared at him, but sat back down. Uncle Tendo looked like he was going to cry.
He almost said something about the effect of multiple marriage arrangements on the family honor, but decided that his father had suffered enough ... for now. He cleared his throat, then continued. "Just because Akane and I ain't gettin' along don't mean that family honor can't be satisfied." Both of them looked up, confused.
Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I've spoken to Nabiki, and she's agreed to marry me. I know it ain't exactly what you wanted, but it'll satisfy 'family honor' and you won't have to worry 'bout Akane murdering me before we can give you that heir you seem to want so badly. That's condition number one." He gulped, still a little nervous about following through on the next part. "This is condition number two. We get married right away. Before fiancee' number eighty-seven shows up next Tuesday." He stood proudly, his arms still folded, and the two fathers thought for a moment that he might be glowing a soft blue. "That's my offer. Take it, or leave it."
They looked at him in shock for a moment, then Uncle Tendo stood and slowly walked over to him. Ranma braced for an attack.
Then Mister Tendo lunged at him.
***
Nabiki pushed the door to her sister's room open silently. When it was open just a crack she peeked in. She couldn't see Akane, and since no projectile weapons came flying at her head, she widened the opening, then stepped inside.
Akane was sitting upright on her bed, her body rolled into a tight ball. She rocked back and forth silently staring straight ahead. She didn't seem to notice when Nabiki came in and sat in the chair at the desk. Nabiki waited.
Ten minutes later, she decided to take the initiative. "Akane?"
No response.
"Akane, talk to me."
Akane's only answer was in the increased tempo of her rocking. She was fighting bravely against the shock that threatened to take up permanent residence in her mind, but it seemed to be winning. She shuddered slightly.
Nabiki bit her bottom lip for a moment. She'd suspected that Akane would take this hard, and had hoped to break it to her a little more gently. She loved her, and didn't want to hurt her, but what had she expected would happen if she kept up that sort of behavior towards Ranma anyway? A hint of anger bit through Nabiki's concern. Akane could be such a baby sometimes. "You're going to have to talk to me sooner or later, you know."
Irritation at her older sister worked its way through the fog in Akane's mind. It sent a homing signal to the anger that had gotten lost earlier.
Nabiki's observational powers watched fascinated as her sister's face came back to life. It took about 30 seconds for it to go from pale and blank to red and enraged. She braced herself for impact.
"HOW COULD YOU?" Akane screamed. "I knew you were cold and unfeeling, but I didn't realize you were so... so... MEAN!" Nabiki cringed, but didn't respond. "I thought you had SOME decency!" Akane's face darkened a few shades. "And Ranma..." Her fists clenched. "THAT PERVERT!"
Nabiki knew that she had to calm her sister down enough to tell her what had happened, but she hadn't figured out how yet. Akane was certain to be hurt and angry, and probably violent. She'd never attacked a non-combatant before, but in the state she was in now, who knew what could happen? She reflected for a moment. Her training in business was all about staying detached and calm. She'd never gotten into a situation that those skills couldn't get her out of. Until now. She froze for a moment as she realized that she had no idea what to do.
Akane just stood there fuming. She looked around for something to take out her anger on, but her room was still a disaster from that earlier incident. Surrounded by the reminders of that fight, she gulped. _I did all of this?_ An image of Ranma came into her mind. He was waving his arms and telling her _Just listen for a sec. Okay Akane?_ That was what he'd been saying when he'd come. Over and over he'd asked. He hadn't insulted her or yelled back at her, just asked her to listen.
And she hadn't.
Was that what had caused all of this? She ran through a hypothetical sequence of events in her mind. An upset Ranma leaving her room, Nabiki hiding him... for a price, Nabiki using the situation to get to Ranma. If he were as upset as he'd seemed, he would have been an easy mark for Nabiki to manipulate. She'd somehow tricked him into kissing her. Why though? Blackmail obviously. She must have been planning to threaten to tell everyone about the kiss if he didn't pay her, or help her with something. And poor stupid Ranma had fallen into her trap. He hadn't had a chance against this devious unfeeling woman. She was going to pay for what she'd done.
While Akane was jumping to conclusions, Nabiki was struggling with uncertainties. _This is certainly a day of firsts._ part of her mind observed ironically. Something that felt suspiciously like a sob was trying to get out. _Control it girl. This is important._ She had to be honest and direct with Akane. That was the only way. "I'm sorry Akane." she said, trying to sound firm. "Neither of us planned this, it just happened. We didn't want to hurt you."
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO RANMA?" Akane demanded, not hearing what her sister was saying.
"What...?"
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" She yelled, then ran out the door. She ran down the stairs yelling the name of her supposed fiancé. She'd find him and they'd straighten this whole thing out. He was probably scared that she'd be mad. Poor Ranma. They really needed to sit down and have a talk about their relationship. She didn't want anything like today to ever happen again.
As she rounded the corner and walked into the living room, she was greeted by the sight of a dancing panda and Ranma struggling to escape the tight hold of her weeping father. Something was going on.
"Oh isn't it wonderful Akane?!" Mr. Tendo asked, noticing his youngest daughter's presence if not the expression on her face.
She scowled. "Isn't what wonderful?"
"That Ranma-kun and Nabiki are getting married next week."
Most of the people in the Tendo home (including Akane) had done something out of character in the last few hours. This trend continued as Akane's eyes closed, and she fell limply to the ground.
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