|
|
Ranma 1/2: Loving Relationship
The door flew open suddenly, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Kasumi jumped, nearly spilling her cup of tea. Her youngest sister march through the door, her eyes narrowed, lips turned into a furious scowl. She went wordlessly past her big sister and headed upstairs. Behind her came an equally put off Ranma, with such an infuriated look on her face, Kasumi was startled. The second girl, like the first headed up the stairs without a word, leaving a trail of water droplets from her soaking red hair. Kasumi gulped.
"Oh, my."
Nabiki, on her way out of the house, ran into Ranma in the hall. The younger girl barely even noticed her, so busy was she muttering indignantly to herself. Nabiki turned to watch her pass.
"Huh..I wonder how it went this time."
*Ooh, that stupid Ranma,* Akane fumed mentally. *He can really be such a jerk sometimes!!*
"Why do you always have to walk on fences like that?" Akane asked, irritated. Ranma had glanced over at her, surprised, then grinned lopsidedly.
"Cause I can, I guess. Good practice too."
"Showoff."
"Jealous," Ranma taunted back, sticking out his tongue at her.
"Baka!"
"Kawaiikune."
*Shove* Akane pushed Ranma off the fence into an aptly placed puddle.
"Aww, Akane!" Ranma yelled, pushing herself up from the muddy water, dripping like a leaky faucet. "Why'd ya have to do that?!"
"Cause you're being such a jerk." Akane stuck her tongue out at the agitated girl crawling back over the fence to the right side.
"Kawaiikune iinazuke!"
"Oooh.." Akane pulled her mallet of its dimensional pocket and began chasing Ranma with it, leaving large dents in a zig zag pattern behind them.
*That does it. That really does it. I'll never forgive him this time,* Akane fumed.
Ranma walked out of the bathroom wringing out his damp pigtail. *This is really the last straw. If she thinks I'M the one who needs to apologize, then she's got a big surprise coming.*
"Ooh, he makes me so FURIOUS!" Akane screamed. Suddenly overcome by a wave of anger, Akane threw open her door and bore down on Ranma in the hall. "SAOTOME RANMA, YOU ARE THE BIGGEST CREEP IN THE WORLD!! YOU ARE INSENSITIVE AND MEAN AND I HATE YOUR STUPID GUTS!" Akane gave an enraged shriek at this point in her tirade and -struck! He hand lashed out and she struck Ranma's cheek with her open hand as hard as she could.
Ranma, who was already shocked, gasped as a stinging sensation spread over the side of his face. Akane suddenly was as surprised as he was. She removed her hand, which was burning from the impact to reveal an ugly red mark spreading across Ranma's cheek. The imprint of her spread fingers could be seen on his shocked face. Ranma reached up one hand and speechlessly touched his face where she had struck him. Horrified, Akane fled.
When she reached her room, Akane flung herself down on her bed. 'What was I thinking? Now he's really gonna be angry at me! Oh, why can't I ever control my temper?!' She sat up again. "This is so stupid!"
Dinner was a silent meal. Ranma and Akane weren't speaking to each other, and no one else dared to break the silence. Several times during the meal, Ranma thought he saw Akane glancing over at him, but he couldn't be sure.
'She's still angry at me,' he thought. Ranma wasn't upset with her now; why
should he be? It wasn't like they'd never fought before. And Ranma really wasn't
the type to stay angry very long anyway. But Akane was probably furious. He
looked over at her.
Akane felt eyes on her and unconsciously turned her head in Ranma's direction.
He looked away at once. 'So, he's still mad,' Akane thought sadly. 'Maybe I
should...no!' she shook her head. 'I can't apologize to Ranma, he'd never forgive
me! And even if he would, he'd never stop ribbing me about it. Forget it, just
let him stew!'
By two AM, Akane was beginning to wonder why she couldn't get to sleep. She would be a zombie all day at school tomorrow. Throwing back the covers, Akane decided to go downstairs for a while. She padded out of her room, down the stairs, out to the family ro-
"Oof!" Akane collided with something warm and hard, hitting her chin against his shoulderblade. "Ouch!"
"Akane?" Ranma looked back at her, forgetting to whisper. She put a finger to her lips to shush him. "What are you doing down here?" Ranma asked in a loud stage whisper.
"Couldn't sleep. You?"
"Me neither." He turned and they stood side by side for a moment, before Ranma sighed. Akane felt it more than she heard it.
"Akane..."
'Here it comes.'
"...I'm sorry."
"......Na..ni?"
Ranma's shoulders slumped slightly. "About before. I didn't mean to make you mad. Aw, I call you names a lot, but you know I don't mean it..."
"..Ranma...I...."
"I mean, you ARE a tomboy, Akane, but there's nothing wrong with that! I like you the way you are; you're not like all the other girls."
Silence.
"..I'm not?"
"Nah. Of all my fiancees, you're the only one who's not always latching on to me, and you're not all girly an' weird."
Silence.
"Ranma...that was...something only a guy would say," Akane finished. Ranma turned to her then, a pained look on his face.
"Aw, man, I screwed it up again, didn't I."
Akane laughed. "That's not what I meant."
"Then...you forgive me?"
"Well...ok. I forgive you. And I'm sorry too-for....for slapping you like I did."
"S'all right."
Akane's face became troubled. "But Ranma...if you never mean what you say...do you always have to call me...kawaiikune?"
"Why? It suits you."
"Oohh.."
"No mallet!" Ranma hissed. "You'll wake everyone up!"
"Fine," Akane fumed. "But I take it back. I don't forgive you. You'll just never change, Ranma! You just don't get it! Did it ever occur to you that it might hurt to be called uncute all the time? Especially by you!" Akane suddenly realized what she had just let slip. Ranma's eyes went wide, then they looked sad.
"Does it really bother you...that much?" he asked softly.
Against her will, Akane's eyes filled with tears. "Yes."
Ranma rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "I'm sorry, Akane. I really am. I didn't know it hurt you that much. It was all just a joke, like you calling me baka all the time. I'm sorry..."
"Oh, Ranma..." Akane smiled at him slowly as she realized he meant every word. She nodded her head. "I forgive you." Smiling with relief, Ranma pulled Akane into a brief hug. She was startled, but wrapped her arms around his waist with a soft laugh and gave him a kind squeeze in return.
"We'd better get back to bed now. I'll see you in the morning, Ranma."
"K. G'night, Akane." They parted ways to go back to bed, but Ranma called back. "Oh, and Akane?"
"Yes?"
She couldn't make Ranma out in the dark, but after a moment of silence, heard his voice. "You really are pretty cute, y'know." Then he was gone. Akane stood there for a moment in the dark. Then she walked rather light-headedly off to bed.
She certainly wasn't going to be getting much sleep, now.
The End