Chapter Text
A steady breeze blew through the forest as the sun inched towards the horizon, bringing with it a soft formation of clouds that gathered as the daylight faded. A peaceful air had formed throughout the landscape as nature began to settle for the evening.
Breaking the peace, the sound of two sets of quickly marching footsteps, trekking over branches and loose stones, could be heard moving through the forest.
Two figures could be seen marching through the forest, moving at an uncomfortable hiking speed through the rugged terrain. The man in front, seeming older and stouter in build, and bearing a plain white martial artist's gi, along with a sizable traveling pack, seemed to be setting the quickened pace for the duo. Behind him, following a few yards behind, was a young, well built teenage boy, wearing a fine red silk chinese shirt, and fitted black pants to match. His black hair swayed behind him in a tightly bound pigtail, bouncing off the top of his own sizable pack.
“How much longer is it gonna be, pops?” Ranma finally said with a groan, his pace quickening to match that of the aged man ahead of him.
“We’ll get there, when we get there,” His father Genma snapped, turning to give a scowl.
“But you haven’t even told me where we’re going yet! We’ve been walking for days!”
“And you’ll find out, when we get there!”
Ranma clenched his teeth together, preparing a retort, before letting out a sigh of frustration. That was what he had said the last time he had asked, too.
They had been on the road since they had returned to Japan, and he hadn’t heard more than a peep about why they were back here. Shouldn’t they be back in China, trying to find a cure for their newfound "water troubles"?
He supposed it was of no use. His father didn’t offer much in the form of transparency when it came to his plans, nor did he allow much input from Ranma about them either. It had been like this his entire life, something he had become painfully aware of in recent months. What with the incident a few weeks back in that hidden valley in China, and the near constant dangers they had faced in the following weeks involving a tribe of hostile amazons, as well as one of their more…persistent, blue haired members, it had seemed like it was just one bad idea from his father after the other.
Now he wasn’t sure exactly where they were.
He could see nothing past the dense foliage that surrounded them, besides the faint presence of the dirt trail they had been following for the last day or so. And besides the beachgoers that they had asked for some hot water, they hadn’t seen another soul since they arrived in Japan. If his father didn’t seem so confident with where he was going, he would almost say they were lost.
It seemed like a peaceful afternoon in the forests they found themselves in. why they had chosen to cut through the woods as opposed to following the road, he would never understand. He didn't hate the quiet that came with it though, as it gave him plenty of room to think.
He furrowed his brow as he tried to guess at their destination. They usually moved quite frequently in their travels, only ever staying in one place if there was some new skill for Ranma to learn, or, more likely, some new kindness of another for Genma to exploit. But now, they only stopped for sleep, favoring hiking through the long hours of the evening to cover as much ground as possible.
It had been like this since just after jusenkyo, when She had pulled herself out of that cursed spring. After trying, and nearly succeeding, to turn his then panda of a father into a rug, they had been moving constantly with a distant destination in mind.
He wondered what his now part-time feminine side had to do with their current hasty journey. He imagined whatever waited for him, it wasn't good. It never was. It most likely involved some poor fool Genma planned to scam in order to freeload both his training and their next month's food.
He was suddenly shaken from his train of thought as his father came to a stop beside a small opening in the undergrowth next to the trail. He could see a small circle of stones with the faint char of a long since extinguished campfire within.
"This will have to do for the night," his father said, dropping his pack at his feet.
"Fine enough for me," Ranma replied, releasing the strap of his pack and deciding to take a moment off his feet upon a nearby stump
Genma turned with a scowl towards his successor.
"What are you doing boy?" He began, angrily, "this is no time to rest! We need firewood for tonight!"
"Well, why don't you start looking? my feet are still sore from china and-"
"Your feet are sore?" Genma interrupted. "I didn't realize I was raising such a weakling! You sound like a girl when you complain like that!"
"Hey!" He jumped up to retort, "I ain't no girl!"
"Oh yeah?" Genma smirked, "then be a good pupil, quit your complaining, and go get some firewood!" proceeding to place himself upon the stump ranma had claimed as he finished his lecture.
Ranma paused, before gritting his teeth and turning, walking into the foliage to reluctantly search for some fire material.
—-------
It was much later in the evening now, the sun having set a few minutes ago. The two martial artists sat before a small, cindering fire, roasting the few preserved meats they had before the flame, the soft crackle of the dwindling flame being the only noise to cut through the silence of the night.
Ranma could see his father eyeing up his portions of the meal, intent to steal some extra food when his guard was lowered. Unfortunately, his mind was elsewhere, so he couldn’t care less if he did.
Unexpectedly, his father chose to break the silence.
“So, I suppose it may be wise to finally tell you where we're headed, since we should arrive by tomorrow morning.”
This caused Ranma’s head to perk up to attention. His father had never been so telling before, so he wondered what seemed so important to change that pattern. It still frustrated him to no end that, despite his constant insisting, it was only now that he wanted to tell him about their destination.
“We are on our way to see an old friend of mine, by the name of Soun Tendo,” He continued, “He currently lives in Nerima, on the outskirts of tokyo. He and I used to go way back, training in the art together.”
This was the first Ranma had heard of any “Tendo”. His father never spoke much more about himself than was absolutely necessary, so it was a surprise to hear him saying as much as he had.
“He runs a nice dojo, along with his 3 daughters.” He paused, and took a stern look at ranma. “Tomorrow, you will meet them, and, in order to unite our martial arts schools, and secure our future, choose one of them to become your fiance.”
Ranma could feel his eyes bug out of his face as his brows raised high.
“FIANCE!?” He shouted, cutting through the quiet atmosphere of the forest and leaping up from the log he had been seated upon, “That’s what this was about!? No way, I ain’t marrying someone I ain’t never even met! And I sure ain’t marrying no one you’ve picked out for me!”
“Boy!” Genma replied, setting his food aside and placing one hand on his knee, “You will do what is expected of you! It is your duty as a disciple of the Anything Goes school of martial arts to ensure our legacy!”
“You didn’t even ask me about it!”
“I don’t need to! I’ve provided everything for you your entire life Ranma! So it is your duty to do the same and provide for our legacy! I didn’t realize I was raising such an ungrateful successor! Do you have no sense of honor in your entire body?”
Ranma now found himself tensing his muscles, preparing to wail on his father for this latest disregard of his opinion, and insult to his pride.
“Honor has nothing to do with it! This isn’t something you can just decide for me!” Ranma snapped, his hands clenched tightly in front of himself.
“ENOUGH!” Genma shouted. Ranma suddenly found himself taken aback, his father now standing before him with a fierce expression upon his face, the strength in his limbs fading. “You will marry into the tendo household, and that is final! I didn’t raise you all these years for you to turn your back on your duty like a coward! They are already expecting us tomorrow morning, so you’d better shut your mouth and deal with it.”
Ranma clenched his jaw tightly, wanting everything in the world to chew his father’s head off, maybe a bit literally, but he held his tongue. Despite his desire to punt his old man into the nearest lake, he felt it would be to no avail. He could tell his father was dead serious about this, and he was far too annoyed with him and tired to waste his energy on something like that, despite how cathartic it sounded. He wondered how long he had had this plan in motion with his “old friend”.
Maybe he’d make a bigger deal about it in the morning, after he had some time to rest his legs from the near constant traveling they had been doing since they left China.
Ranma hung his head mournfully, before quietly returning to his seat before the fire.
“That’s better,” Genma said, “Now finish your meal and get some sleep, we’re leaving early tomorrow.”
With that, Genma proceeded to scarf down the rest of his food, before stepping away and laying down upon his sleeping roll, pulling his blanket over himself as he turned away from Ranma.
—-------
Ranma lay upon his sleeping mat, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to push his frustrated thoughts from his mind. He had been laying here for over an hour trying hopelessly to fall asleep, but his anger kept returning to the front of his mind, demanding that he stay awake.
Finally giving up, he opened his eyes and gazed upon the night sky above him, the distantly twinkling specks in the sky beginning to fade as a thin layer of clouds was beginning to move overhead. Seemed like tomorrow morning would be greeted by rain. Just his luck.
“I can’t believe this,” his angry thoughts drifted through his mind, “who does pops think he is, shacking me up with some stranger! He’s probably never even met any of them!” his brow furrowed, “No, he Definitely has never met any of them! What a mess. When did this all get so frustrating?”
Ranma closed his eyes and thought long and hard, something he didn’t often have the chance to do, given his active lifestyle training on the road.
“It’s just been one frustration after another lately! First, with that damn cursed spring, now I can't even be caught in the rain without losing a head in height and turning into a woman! Damn that idiot, not even bothering to find information about that “legendary training ground” in japanese! Then, with that stupid act he pulled in the amazon village, now we have a killer warrior constantly on our tail!” he grimaced a bit, “Sure, I had enjoyed some of that banquet too, but it wasn’t like pops was quick to jump in our defense either! It was left to me to deal with it for both of us, again!”
He clenched his teeth, hard, and continued this string of thoughts.
“It’s always been like that, always me being left to pick up the trash and deal with his bad choices, again, and again, and again!” He thought back to the many times Genma had pawned him off in a heartbeat to every roadside inn they passed in exchange for a place to stay and a meal, only for them to disappear the next morning at full speed. Many of those times resulted in ranma having to fight their way out of town nearly by himself.
He thought back further, “and I was never allowed any friends either! I’ve only been in school for a handful of months over the last 10 years, and the one friend I had at my last school, I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to! Damn that kid, ugh what was his name… Ryouga, I think. Couldn’t have found his way to that damn empty lot a day sooner, couldn’t he!” He sighed. He supposed he shouldn’t blame him for that, it was his father’s fault he wasn’t allowed to stay longer. He was certain he would arrive eventually, if only his father had been more patient, then maybe…
He suddenly found himself thinking back farther. He remembered another kid he had been friends with as a child, a little boy named Ukyo. He had really enjoyed Ukyo, but before they could even become friends properly, his father had packed up and dragged him off on his Important training journey once again. He could still remember waving goodbye to ukyo as he chased after their cart, wanting ever so badly to stay, but knowing his father would never hear it.
“…wait, cart?” he thought, suddenly confused, “Pops never owned a cart. That bastard! He probably conned ukyo and his father out of it on his way out of town! That thieving old man! No wonder he was in such a rush to skip out of town! I swear I’ll really let him feel it next time I get a chance!”
All that heartache, and for what! He had been through hell and back time and time again, and what did he have to show for it? Sure, he could fight better than any teenager he knew, but it’s not like he knew many other teenagers to begin with. He had been put through misery and pain more times than he could count, all for the sake of this ridiculous ideal of what it meant to be a martial artist. Hell! To add on, because of his father’s foolishness with a stupid training guide when he was just a kid, now he couldn’t even look at a c-c-cat anymore without it sending a chill up his spine and causing his legs to quake. Him! Ranma Saotome, man amongst men, was scared of cats, all because of his idiotic father’s reckless abuse.
Another grievance he could add to the list, which he realized was beginning to grow quite large.
He didn’t care, continuing with his internalized rant.
He had no friends to speak of, no one he could really rely on in his life, he had been beaten, bruised, and injured time and time again, and even once he got strong enough to fight for himself, he still was on the receiving end of all his fathers debts and ridiculous ideas. He had lost his only friends growing up, he had never been allowed a chance at a stationary life even once, he had been scarred both physically and mentally, and now he had been permanantly changed by some stupid curse that he couldn’t even control! If only his father would just let him live a normal life, maybe he wouldn’t be so twisted up inside!
Ranma released a tension in his gut he didn’t even realize he was holding as he let out a long and exhausted sigh. The cool air of the forest entered his lungs as he began to calm down his now racing heart, his face now hot with how hard he had been clenching his teeth and furrowing his brow.
It’s not like he had any choice in the matter. His father truly was all he had, and his teachings were all he had to live his life by. He truly had nothing else, so he saw no other path before him to take. Was this really all his life was meant to be? To be just a pawn to his father, following his every wish, and answering to his every beck and call until he died? It sure seemed like it.
He thought back, long and hard, to his youth. It had truly been like this his whole life. Wandering the world, simply going through the motions as he followed his father’s every whim, never allowed to connect with others, or rest for even a moment. He couldn’t remember a moment in his life that hadn't been like this, as he thought back to before jusenkyo, before china. He thought of all the places he had traveled, all the masters he had studied under over the years to perfect his martial arts. He thought of Ryoga, and that old middle school that seemed so far away. He thought of Ukyo, and the domestic life he lived that he had always wanted, even if he didn’t realize it. He thought of his life before then, thinking of the hard, cold nights on the road, just trying to survive. He thought about where it all began…
…Tears…
…He could remember tears…
…He remembered his tears, streaming down his face, as he felt his fathers large arm wrapped around his waist, holding tightly onto his body.
He remembered struggling, desperately against him, reaching out to-
Ranma nearly gasped
-to a woman, who he could see only a few yards away. It took him only a moment before he realized who she was.
“Mom…” he whispered, barely daring more than a breath as he choked out his words, his voice quivering as the memory began flooding back.
There she lay on the ground, her hand outstretched, with tears streaming down her face as she desperately reached towards her son.
Ranma could feel a sickening sensation in his stomach beginning to inch its way up his throat as he felt a sudden swelling feeling behind his eyes
A large red mark could be seen growing upon her face, and he could see what looked like a large blade, maybe a katana, strewn helplessly on the ground a few feet behind her
He could remember her calling out, begging for Genma to stop, for him to come back with her son, sobbing as she shouted out in vain.
Her voice grew distant as the large man carrying him quickly vanished into the woods, his vision beginning to turn dark as the fast movements and pressure to his head from his crying became too much for him.
Ranma couldn’t believe it. As tears began to stream down his face, he sat up, desperately wiping at his cheeks trying to hold them back, his mind racing at what he had just remembered.
He had never remembered his mother before, not even once, his entire life. He had asked his father about his mom only once in his life. He had been harshly punished for his curiosity, being shouted down by his father. He never asked about her again.
He had tried desperately to remember his mother in the years that followed, hoping to find some sliver of hope to cling on to, to no avail.
And now, he knew the truth.
He had been kidnapped.
By his own flesh and blood.
Before he was even old enough to remember.
His now reddened eyes quickly darted to the sleeping form across the camp, eyeing up the gently breathing form of his father.
Why?
How could he do this to her? To his wife? And to his own son?
He paused, his breath catching in his throat.
Was he even his son? How did he know for sure? He suddenly felt his heart rate begin to pick up as he stared longer at his “father”, fearing at any moment he may spring to life and punish him for his sudden realization of the truth.
It all began to make sense. Why his father treated him so hard his whole life. Why he was always disregarded, always torn away from what made him actually happy. His “father” didn’t care about him, or his happiness, or anything! He had taken him away from a loving home to subject him to twelve years of hell. And for what! So he could be his successor? To carry on his name? To marry some girl he’d never met? To, what, unite with his friend’s school?
Well he wouldn’t have it anymore!
Ranma picked himself up to a sitting position, squeezing his knee with one hand as he clenched his other fist tightly. He glared at his so-called “father” with a deep scowl, his eyes burning with rage and fury. Every ounce of his body wanted to kill him. To kick him awake and exact his revenge, but he knew what that would result in. He didn’t think, no, he knew he couldn’t beat him. Despite his appearance, he had taught him everything he knew. He was always one step ahead of him, no matter how hard he fought. It would all be for nothing.
No, he knew exactly what he should do. Something he should have done years ago. Something he wished he had been strong enough to do from the day he was taken from his mother.
It was time for Ranma to leave.
Slowly, he began to pick himself up from his mat, focusing every ounce of his strength to be as quiet as possible, his eyes never leaving Genma’s slowly breathing form. Carefully, he began to roll his mat, and gather his supplies. Never daring to move faster than absolutely necessary, he checked his bag for supplies.
“Only a few days worth of food left.” He dared a glance at his father’s pack, rolling the idea of taking some of his “father’s” supplies too, before he shook his head, believing the risk of getting caught far outweighed the desire to have a few extra meals for the road.
Cautiously, he loaded his pack onto his back and slowly began to step away, watching his feet carefully, sure not to place a step wrong. When he reached the edge of the clearing, he stopped for a moment, his heart skipping a beat.
He turned back, facing towards the imobile form of his mentor, his “father”, and the only person he had had to rely on his entire life. Doubt began to creep into his mind, knowing this would be the last chance for him to change his mind.
Thoughts of his mother’s tears streaking down her face entered his mind, and his resolve was strengthened. Turning away, he began to walk down the trail they had been following, straining his eyes to follow the shallow dirt path before him. A sudden, but gentle breeze began to move through the forest, heralding a change in the weather.
“Thanks for everything pops,” he thought, “I hope I never see you again, you inhuman bastard.”
He smiled at the thought, before beginning to disappear down the trail, his pigtail swaying gently in the wind.
—-------
It was early morning in Nerima ward. Gentle daylight covered the district as the sun began to rise over the distant horizon, only interrupted by the slowly forming clouds that were drifting over the town, bringing a promise of rain.
On an unassuming street corner sat the Tendo dojo, home to the Tendo school of Anything Goes martial arts, a once proud dojo in years past that now sat in relative disuse, save for one remaining pupil.
The current master of this once proud school could now be found sitting in silence beside his dining room table. Having been swiftly reading the mail, he was now motionless as his eyes fixated upon a small card in his hand.
The card appeared to be a simple postcard, bearing a small stamp of a panda upon it. Upon it laid a simple message.
“Hi, bringing Ranma from China. -Saotome”
Tears were seen streaming down Soun Tendo’s face as his hands trembled with excitement. Oh how he had eagerly waited for this day to come! It seemed like so many years ago when he and his good friend had sworn their futures to one another with the hopes of creating a strong and reliable lineage to pass down their teachings.
He realized that he had no idea when they might arrive, so it was imperative that he inform his daughters immediately. After another moment, he dried his tears and collected himself, before standing and moving to gather his heirs, calling out their names as he passed.
"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"
First, was his eldest daughter, Kasumi. He found her in the kitchen, slicing open a delicious watermelon with a large knife. She wore a long blue dress, tied tight with an off-white apron that hugged her upper form snugly. Her warm brown hair was tied into a ponytail with a loose white ribbon that guided it over her shoulder.
“Kasumi!” He called, causing her to turn with a cock to her head as she looked towards her father with a curious gaze, listening as she was told to gather in the living room for something important involving what he described as an imminent visitor.
Next, came his second oldest, Nabiki. Her he found shut inside her room, sprawled across her bed nursing a popsicle while casually skimming through manga, wearing a simple Tank Top with athletic shorts to relax on this saturday morning.
“Nabiki!” Her short bob of brown hair shifted as she turned to meet her fathers gaze as he entered her room. She listened with a bored stare as he explained in brief detail that she was to gather shortly with her sisters, and that it had something to do with a friend of his and his son. Although her head perked up when she heard the word “Suitor”.
Finally came his youngest, Akane. He assumed he would find her in her room, preparing to start the day.
“Akane!” he began as he entered her bedroom. However, he stopped with a puzzled gaze as his eyes swept the room, his daughter nowhere to be seen. “Akane? Where is that girl?”
----------
The cool, early morning air blew through her long, blue-brown locks as she jogged through the streets of Nerima, her body moving swiftly and powerfully as she ran. She wore a simple tank top and joggers shorts, as she needed little else despite the cool wind that blew through the town.
Akane took this run every morning, her preferred form of wake-up being the adrenaline of a morning jog.
It was May now, and soon the cool mornings would be replaced by the heat of summer.
She wiped a bead of sweat off her brow as she ran, turning a corner. As she came around the corner, she was surprised to see another person out on the streets this early.
A small girl, looking not much older than herself, with blazing red hair and a silken chinese shirt, was walking down the street she was jogging down. She carried what seemed like a large traveling pack, seemingly two sizes too large for the petite girl.
As Akane grew closer, she could see that it almost seemed like everything the girl wore was a size too large for her, with the arms on the chinese shirt coming down an inch past her wrist. She also saw a noticeable wetness soaked through the tops of her clothes and hair. It seemed like the girl may have gotten caught in a morning shower not too long ago.
As she passed the short girl, she couldn't help but notice that she seemed not to notice where she was walking, her eyes downcast towards the ground in a distant stare that did not see the road before her. She also couldn't help but notice the heavy bags that were present underneath the girl's eyes, as though she had been walking for a long time without rest.
Akane wondered who this mysterious traveler may be, contemplating turning around and calling after her. But, noting the girl's clearly troubled demeanor, she decided not to bother her and leave her to her thoughts, as she jogged past the redhead, keeping a steady pace.
However, she couldn't keep herself from chancing a glance over her shoulder as she jogged, keeping an eye on the strange traveler as she rounded the corner Akane had just traveled from.
Shaking the stranger from her thoughts, she focused on the remainder of her jog as she came towards its conclusion, arriving through the front door of her home.
Calling out a greeting to the house, she quickly turned left, not breaking stride as she proceeded towards the dojo off the left of the house. Swiftly exchanging her jogging clothes for a more practical martial arts gi, and setting up a stack of concrete blocks in the dojo, she finally came to a brief rest before them, eyeing them up carefully as she prepared herself.
“HYAAH!”
With a swift motion and a yell, she brought her fist down upon the stack, shattering through them as though they were no more than paper and glue.
“That was nice,” She said as she let out a relieved sigh, her heart beating excitedly in her chest, finally taking a moment to catch her breath as she leaned back into a relaxed stance.
“There you go again, Akane,” The voice of her older sister, Nabiki, spoke behind her suddenly, “No wonder boys think you're so weird.”
She turned to meet her sister’s relaxed gaze with a glare.
“So?” she began, with an annoyed sass in her voice, “Why should I care? Not Everybody thinks the world revolves around Boys , Nabiki.” she rolled her eyes as she finished, turning her head away from her frustrating sister.
“No?” she heard her sister say, “Then I guess this wouldn’t interest you. ”
Akane turned her head with a quirked eyebrow, as she watched her sister retreat from the dojo with her hands behind her head, wondering what exactly she meant by that. Deciding it was best to find out, she turned to follow her sister.
—-------
“Fiance?” the youngest tendo questioned, her brow rising to match her surprise.
The Tendo family was now gathered around the living room table, kneeling around it with glasses of iced tea, prepared by kasumi, sitting before them. The sound of a gentle rain pattered outside the open door, having started suddenly moments ago
The aging patriarch cleared his throat, and continued.
“Yes, the son of a very good friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome,” He paused a moment before continuing, “If one of you three girls were to marry him and take over the dojo, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure.”
“Wait a minute!” Akane said, her voice quickly rising to fill the room, “Don’t we have some say in who we marry?”
“Akane’s right,” Kasumi followed, calmly, “We’ve never even met ranma.”
“Well, that’s easily fixed,” Their father assured, “They should be here soon, so you can meet him then! Ranma and his father have been on a training journey for the last few years. Recently, it seems they made the journey to China as well.”
“Wow, china!” Nabiki replied, enthusiastically.
“Whatever, anyone can go to China,” Akane said, with a pout, turning and resting her head in her hand.
“Is he cute?” Nabiki happily demanded.
“How old is he? Younger men are so boring…” Kasumi followed, petering off.
“Yeah, what kind of guy is ranma?” Nabiki finished.
Their father couldn’t help but release a light hearted laugh at his daughter's eagerness to learn more about their impending guest. He straightened his gaze and looked at his daughters to tell them all he knew.
“...No idea,” he said, planely.
“No idea?” said nabiki, unimpressed.
“I’ve never met him,” their father admitted.
Before nabiki could give her disapproval of her father never even bothering to meet the guy first, she was interrupted by a sharp knocking at their front door.
“Ah, we have visitors!” Kasumi stated, everyone rising from their seats to investigate.
“Oooh, it must be Ranma!” Nabiki exclaimed, running down the hall.
“Saotome my friend, we’ve been expecting you!” Soun continued, following close behind.
“Oh I do hope he is older,” said Kasumi, the third to follow around the corner.
“Ugh, how depressing, boys ,” finished Akane, following last, at a reluctant pace.
Nabiki eagerly opened the door, before her excitement faded quickly, as instead of a traveling hottie stood… A fat, middle aged man in a gi, holding a folded, wet, umbrella, the rain having subsided only a moment before.
Soun pushed his way past his daughter as he stepped out to greet him, extending a hand to his long time friend.
“Saotome! It’s been far too long!” He took a quick glance around, before giving a frown, “And where is Ranma? Shouldn’t he be here too?”
Genma returned the handshake, gripping his hand tightly. “It has been far too long, it’s great to see you again Tendo. And yes, he should be here,” he grimaced, “but unfortunately something happened to him this morning.”
The Tendo family looked at him in surprise, their excitement, or lack thereof, quickly disappearing. Something had happened? Akane’s scowl she had been preparing quickly faded from her face as a look of concern inched its way across her brow.
Soun blinked in surprise, before collecting himself. “Well, come inside, and you can tell us all about it. I imagine that pack is quite heavy.”
Soun guided Genma and his children back to the living room, where Genma heaved his backpack to the ground with a loud *Thud*, as he sat beside the table.
After everyone got comfortable, and a new glass was poured for Genma, Soun broke the silence.
“Now do tell us, what has happened to Ranma?”
“Well, I think the brat’s gone and run off!” Genma said straightly, with a scowl
“Run off? How so?” soun replied with surprise.
“Well, it started last night,” Genma began, “We had just arrived in Japan, and we were making good time to get here. The boy had been complaining the whole trip about why we were back in Japan, so before we got here, I figured I should let him in on the engagement a bit early. But then the brat had the nerve to go and be upset about it! We went to bed that night, and when I awoke, that unappreciative boy was gone! Pack and everything! Where’s his sense of duty? He's only 16, and already disappointing his old man!” Genma finished with a scowl.
"Oh dear," Kasumi said with concern, her hand resting on her cheek, "I do hope that boy is going to be alright."
"Yeah, yeah, but what about me?" Nabiki interrupted with a frustrated tone. "I was actually looking forward to meeting this 'Ranma' guy." she pouted as she looked away, annoyed.
Akane couldn’t help but notice with a frown how frequently this “concerned parent” seemed to be insulting and belittling his son, and how little actual concern he seemed to be expressing for his disappearance. Shouldn’t he be worried for his safety first, not this stupid engagement? From the sound of it, it seems like Ranma may be less interested in it than she is, which comes as a relief to her, although she was beginning to wonder if the engagement was the only reason he had run away. She began to ponder this distantly.
Genma clenched his fist. “I’ve been looking for him since this morning, without any luck. I wanted to keep looking, but I figured I should come here first and let you know the situation."
Akane continued to listen in silence, her thoughts drifting between relief at not having to meet this boy, and a concern she wasn't expecting for this stranger. He was her age, after all. She imagined it must be quite daunting running away like that with nowhere to go. She wondered where he would try to go now. He had been on the road all this time, so he should be fine. Right?
"Well," Soun interrupted, "That certainly puts a damper on things. What do you plan to do now?"
Genma thought for a moment about where Ranma may try to go, as well as the other reason he may have tried to run away. "I'm not certain, but I have reason to believe he may try to return to China, so I suppose I’ll start my search there."
"Why China?" Kasumi Pondered.
Genma held his tongue before he replied, realizing they still didn't know about his and Ranma's curses. If his hunch was right, and Ranma was trying to cure himself, then he would prefer not bringing it up unless he had too. After all, if they found out the boy wasn't always a "boy", then they may call off the whole arrangement, and that just wouldn't do!
"Ah, well… If he has nowhere to go, I think he may try to retrace some of our stops on our journey to try and find a place to stay." Genma replied, only half making that up.
"I see… well, if you need any food for the road, feel free to take what you need." Soun assured.
A grin spread across Genma's face, "always dependable, Tendo."
---------
After sharing a quick meal with the Tendo's, and taking as much food as he reasonably could, Genma was led out of the Tendo Dojo by soun, leaving his daughters alone in the living room.
“Ugh, what a waste of time this was,” Sighed Nabiki, in annoyance, resting her head sideways on her arm. "All that talk and we didn't even get a description of him!"
"Well that hardly matters now, Nabiki," Kasumi said pointedly, "It's not like we'll be seeing him any time soon. I just hope that he'll be alright, someone your age shouldn't be out on their own like that," she finished, concern in her voice.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so worried? I thought you weren't interested in 'younger guys'," Nabiki taunted playfully, picking up her head. "And besides, he's not my age, he's Akanes age."
"Well I'd be worried for anyone so young to be out on their own like that," Kasumi replied, sternly, "Imagine if it were one of you missing so suddenly! I'd be worried sick! Whether you had enough to eat? Or a place to sleep? I imagine Mr. Saotome must be very distressed for his son as well."
"I don't know," Nabiki continued, "Did you see that look on his face? He seemed more frustrated than concerned. I almost wonder if Ranma may have made a good call."
"Nabiki!" Kasumi chided, "You shouldn't talk ill of father's friend like that. You only just met the man."
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders. "Meh, he just gave off a real bad feeling, that guy. Not someone I'd really want to be my father in-law."
Nabiki's eyes moved to Akane, whose head was still in her hand, her eyes staring out the open door towards the koi pond.
"What about you Akane? what do you think about all this?"
If Akane heard, she didn't respond, still holding a distant gaze outside.
Nabiki leaned over and waved her hand in front of her sister's face.
"Hellooo. You in there Akane?"
"Huh?" Akane snapped out of her stupor and turned to her sister. "What did you say?"
"You're spacing pretty hard over there, what are you thinking about?" Nabiki smirked, "Don't tell me you're worried about this Ranma guy too, are you? I thought you weren't interested in marrying some stranger." she let out a snicker.
"I'm not!" Akane shouted, jumping to her feet. "This has nothing to do with that! I'm happy he didn't show up!" She glared at her middle sister.
"Well then what ARE you thinking about?"
"Well…” she wavered, “I'm just concerned for him is all," Akane admitted. Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Not because I'm interested in some stranger! It's like Kasumi said, I can't help but be worried for someone my age like him being out on their own like that. It must be pretty terrifying for Ranma to have run away from his father so suddenly. I can’t help but imagine myself in his situation. I don't even know what I would do."
Nabiki stood up from the floor and stretched. “Wow Akane, I never thought I’d hear you care so much about what happened to some guy you’ve never even met, you really are into him.” she finished with a smirk, as she left the room.
“I told you that’s not it at all!” she shouted after her. She moved to follow her down the hall, but was stopped by a gentle hand on the shoulder.
She turned to face kasumi, who looked at her with an understanding smile
“Don’t let her get to you Akane, you know she’s only kidding.” Akane huffed, crossing her arms.
“It’s admirable for you to care so much about a stranger, it’s what makes you such a kind girl.”
Akane let out a sigh as Kasumi released her hand from her shoulder. “Thanks Kasumi.” She watched as Kasumi smiled, before disappearing down the hall to resume her chores that had been interrupted.
Akane stared after her sister only a moment longer, her mind still a jumble, before shifting her feet and setting off to return to her room.
----------
"Well girls, sorry to have gotten your hopes up…" Soun began as he re-entered his home, stopping short as he saw nobody remained in the living room, as well as hearing the distant click of one of his daughter's bedroom door.
"Oh… well then… I guess we'll talk later." He finished, slumping his shoulders and setting himself back down before the morning newspaper.
----------
Her feet ached as she walked, a numb pain working its way up her legs. Ranma mentally cursed the sky as she wrung water out of her shirt, having been caught un-prepared by another sudden pouring of rain only moments ago.
“I really should start carrying an umbrella,” she thought morosely as she glanced up at the now brightening sky, reminiscing the few dozen times she’d been forced to transform in the last month alone.
She had been walking since last night, not feeling satisfied with the distance traveled until the sun began to rise. Deep bags now formed under her eyes, and her steady march from hours ago had now turned into a sluggish walk, as her form sagged under the heavy weight of her now over-sized backpack.
“Maybe I should find somewhere to sleep, I don’t know how much longer I can keep walking” She thought dimly, her eyes trained on the ground.
After she left her father in the woods, she wasn’t certain at first where she was going, but she quickly realized that at the very least she didn’t want to sleep in the woods again. With no other place to start, she decided to head to the only point of reference she had, this “Nerima” place that they had been heading to. As a bonus, she figured it would be the last place her father would think to look for her while she took some time to figure out her next move.
She walked quietly as she kept an eye out for somewhere to lay her head down, when she heard distant footsteps round the corner ahead of her. She glanced up only to check if her idiot "father" had somehow caught up to her, but was relieved to see a girl about her age.
She had dark blue-black hair tied back into a very loose bundle that bounced behind her as she moved. She seemed to be on an early morning run, judging by her steady, quickened pace, and sporty clothes despite the slight chill in the air.
Ranma quickly shot her eyes back down towards the ground, having confirmed she wasn't in any danger, before her thoughts quickly returned to her situation.
She heard the girl quickly pass and her footsteps fade away behind her as she rounded the corner the girl had arrived from.
After resuming like this for a few more minutes, she came to a stop beside a small, empty lot of grass at the corner of a section of homes. She looked back and forth for any indication that the land was private, but saw nothing but dirt and grass.
breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped forward and heaved her pack onto the ground before her, quickly rolling out her sleeping mat and laying down without a second thought.
"I wonder what I'll do now?" She started to think, as she grabbed her blanket, "Maybe I… Should…" Her head had barely hit the foam of the mat before she felt the weight of sleep melt over her, unable to finish her thought.
—-------
Akane’s pen tapped her desk, slowly and idly. Her head rested upon her left hand as she stared blankly out the window at the quickly reddening sky.
It had been several hours now since the discussion about Ranma from that morning, but she still felt distant in thought. She wondered where he might be now. Hopefully somewhere warm.
She scrunched her nose. Why was she so distracted by this Ranma guy anyway? She definitely didn't want to marry him, so why couldn't she get him out of her head!
She sighed as she leaned back and stretched, her arms crossed behind her head. She had been prepared to express her distaste in full force before they were supposed to meet him, but having had some time to think, she somehow became unbearably curious, as well as concerned for him.
Maybe it was just because he seemed like such an intriguing person. Training his whole life on the road? He must be such an impressive martial artist! She couldn't even remember the last time she even met another martial artist besides her upperclassmen, Kuno. But he didn't count.
She finished her stretch and stood, turning to move for the door and grabbing a light coat.
Maybe getting out of her room could help her clear her mind. A walk through town sounded quite needed right now.
—-------
Ranma woke with a start and leapt to her feet, expecting to wake up fighting. her arms relaxed as she found the street corner eerily quiet. She looked up and showed disapproval at the fading red sky above her.
"Great," She thought, "I slept longer than i wanted"
She released a sigh.
"It's probably better for me to travel at night anyways, to stay out of sight for a while."
As she began to pack up and leave, she glanced down at herself.
"Maybe i'll put some water on first," sitting back down, she promptly pulled out a travel-sized stove and teapot, dumped in her flask of water, and began waiting for it to heat .
"Guess I have a little time to blow for some exercise…"
—--------
Akane walked calmly down the street, her eyes fixed down at her feet as she passed. A looping series of thoughts came and went from her mind as she traveled, feeling frustration, concern, and relief.
“Hah!”
As thoughts of unwanted marriage and mysterious strangers flitted through her mind, she suddenly found her train of thought interrupted by the sound of a distant shout. She stopped for a moment, and turned back and forth, searching for its source.
A moment later, another quick shout echoed from down the street, and she began to follow, calmly, but full of intrigue. She more clearly recognized the tone of yell as similar to ones she might make during practice within the dojo, focused on a routine.
Moving closer, she also recognized the shouts as feminine, and as she moved past a building, she discovered their source.
In an open clearing at the corner of the block, no more than 20 feet on a side, lay what seemed to be a small campsite. Well, to call it a campsite was quite generous. On the ground lay a rather large, overstuffed backpack, beside which was an unrolled sleeping mat, with a blanket loosely lain atop it. A small stove was lit beside the bed with a tin teapot being heated.
Her eyes lit up as she saw the source of the noise. Moving swiftly among the clearing was a familiar redhead who she had seen earlier that morning. She was performing one of the most intricate katas she had ever seen, moving fluidly from motion to motion without hesitation, her forms precise and powerful, acting out what seemed like a fight against an unseen enemy.
Akane stood in silent awe as she watched her graceful movements, sweat beading on the small girl's brow as her motions increased in intensity. Before Akane knew it, the girl suddenly crouched, before beginning to leap from the ground, performing intense forms with each bound. With how fast she was moving, Akane felt as though she was watching the girl float through the air as she practiced, only touching the ground for mere moments before returning to the air, dancing through the sky with the intensity of a dragon.
If the girl had seen her, she didn’t show it. Her intense stare seemed focused on her own movements, barely even acknowledging the area around her. As Akane watched, she couldn’t help but notice a deep scowl that slowly developed on the girl’s face as she moved, growing deeper as the intensity of the kata increased.
This performance continued for several minutes, leaving Akane in stunned silence, until, without warning, her motions came to a halt, as the fiery girl landed before her teakettle as precisely as she had been moving, her back facing Akane. As she landed, she held her final pose for only a moment, before letting out a slow exhale and allowing her muscles to relax.
Akane stood in awe for a few moments longer in silence, almost not believing what she had seen. That had been some of the most incredible martial arts she had ever witnessed, and the girl only looked as though she had gone on a light run!
The girl reached an arm up to wipe "sweat" out of her eyes, before quickly scanning her surroundings. As she took a step to look behind her, her eyes locked with Akane's.
It was only now that Akane realized how long she had been creepily watching the girl without announcing herself. As they locked eyes, they both sat motionless for a heavy second, staring in surprise at one another.
The redhead suddenly let out a loud yelp in alarm, a visible chill shooting up her spine as she jumped a step backwards.
"Wh-Who are you?” The redhead questioned, a startled look on her face. “How long have you been standing there?"
Akane raised her hands in front of her in a disarming gesture, an embarrassed blush developing as she spoke. "A few minutes, I think. I-I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I was staring! I've just… I've never seen such impressive martial arts before! It was on a whole other level to anything I have ever learned!"
The redhead lowered her guard a bit.
"You’re a martial artist?"
“Well, sorta,” Akane said, wondering if her daily brick smash could even compare to what she had seen. “I’ve been training at my family’s dojo since I was a kid, although I haven’t really had any real instruction in years.” her eyes rolled as she finished, thinking of her father who was “too scared of hurting his daughter” to practice with her any more.
Akane looked down at the traveler’s bag. “What about you? You don’t look like you're from around here.”
The girl followed her gaze before turning to respond. “Well, uh, yeah, I’ve been all over the place. I’ve been on the road training in the art since I was really young, maybe 6…ish? I’ve been all across Japan and China, learning from masters of every form around.”
Akane’s eyes lit up as she spoke. A female traveling martial artist? And an impressive one at that? What were the odds! She had always wanted to befriend another real martial artist, but she rarely saw them at all these days, and she had never met another girl who trained in martial arts.
“Wow, for so long?” Akane gaped, “You must be a master at your craft!”
The short redhead grinned from ear to ear at the praise. “Yeah, I’m pretty great at what I do.” taking the opportunity to gloat while letting out a light chuckle.
Their talking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a sharp whistling coming from the small kettle over the stove.
Akane saw the girl’s eyes light up as she turned towards the kettle. She watched as the redhead moved to grab the kettle and began to raise it into the air. Akane raised an eyebrow as she watched the girl hold the kettle in the air for a moment, before her eyes did a sudden double take towards akane. An embarrassed blush quickly developed on the girl’s face, before she hastily looked around her camp, as if searching for something. When her eyes locked onto her bag, she quickly opened her pouch and retrieved a small cup of instant noodles from a stache within.
“Almost forgot why I boiled the water, haha.” her mouth curled into an awkward smile as she poured the water into the cup, before returning the kettle to its resting place on the stove, trying hard to avoid eye contact. She placed the noodles on the ground as she waited for them to cook, and joined them on the ground in a seated position.
A few moments of silence passed between them, before Akane decided to break the quiet.
“Say, are you traveling on your own? You said you’ve been on the road since you were a kid, right? You must’ve been with someone else all that time.” As she spoke she decided to welcome herself to a seat across from the girl, legs crossed on the ground.
“Oh, well, I was…” the girl paused for a moment, “But I…um… decided I wanted to set out on my own for once. Figured I wouldn’t want to be traveling with my old man for my whole life.” she grinned, trying to hide a nervous expression, and the slight falter in her statement.
“Oh wow, it must be pretty scary for you to be on your own for the first time like this.” showing concern for the independent girl.
“As if!” she puffed her chest out cockily, and cracked a large grin as she crossed her arms, “I ain’t scared of nothin, and this ain’t no different from any challenge I’ve ever faced before!”
Akane was almost thrown off by the alarming level of sudden self confidence this girl seemed to exude. Despite the bravado, she could tell that the girl had no idea where she was going next.
Akane cracked a small smirk, “Well miss cocky, I don’t know if you were planning to live off cup noodles and sleep on the ground, but it sounds like you could use a place to stay for the night. Why not come to my father’s dojo? Trust me, you’d love some of my sister’s home cooking.”
Akane felt as though she could see the girl’s mouth water as spoke.
“R-really? I wouldn’t want to be a burden.” the girl looked away from Akane, as if thinking of an unknown shame.
“For sure! My older sister loves when we have guests, and I would love to get to learn anything at all from someone as well traveled as you. It’s been so long since we’ve had another real martial artist at home. You must have so much experience to share!”
The girl blushed at the flattery as she nervously tried avoiding eye contact. “Y-yeah, I could show you a thing or two.”
Akane Stood and brushed off her legs, before turning with a warm smile towards the other girl, extending a hand down to her.
“Well, do you want to be friends?”
“...”
Ranma felt like a fire had been started inside her mind, filling her with excitement as her face showed a look of stunned silence. Friends? She hadn’t had a real friend her age since… well since Ryouga! And he was more of a rival anyways. But a real friend. Someone she could laugh with again. She had never wanted anything more in her life, and she hadn’t even known it until just this moment. Was this what she had been missing traveling with pops all these years? She never thought a simple question could knock her over like this.
A large smile formed on her face as she snapped back to attention, placing her hand in the hand of the slightly larger girl. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
“Say, I forgot to ask your name,” Akane mentioned, as she started to help the redhead to her feet.”
The girl faltered as she began to rise. "Oh, uh, It's Ranma. Ranma Saotome."
Akane froze. Had she heard that right?
"Saotome?"
She nodded, nervously.
"My name is Akane Tendo. You were supposed to be at our dojo this morning, right?"
"I-uh..."
“Your father said you disappeared, he’s out looking for you.”
“I…”
“And weren’t you supposed to be a boy?”
“...”
Ranma was motionless, the color draining from her face. A thousand thoughts flew through her mind as she processed what she had just learned. What were the odds she would run into one of the few people she was hoping to avoid on her first day in town? Did her father already meet with the Tendos? Were they looking for her? Does that mean her father was nearby? Does he know where she is? Did this Akane girl lead her father here? She wasn't ready for this. Not yet. She couldn't face her father. She wouldn't. not after what she had realized. Not after how smoothly she had escaped. What would he do to her? Would she be able to escape again? Would he let her?
Her head was pounding as her mind raced, her vision began to blur as the tightness in her chest gripped her like iron chains.
Akane watched worriedly as Ranma quickly became silent at the mention of her name. She saw Ranma's pupils shrink to fearful dots, staring back at her but not seeing her at all. She froze completely stiff, the color quickly drained from her face to a sickly pale, and as the moments drew by, she could tell the redhead's mind was racing.
"H-hey, are you alright?" Akane finally stirred the nerve to question her.
Nothing. Not even a glance. It was as if she hadn't heard her.
Akane moved forward. "Was it what I said?"
She reached out a hand and placed it on Ranma's shoulder.
Ranma's eyes snapped to attention, and locked with Akane's. Akane stared into her sapphire blue eyes, and was startled by the fearful expression that accompanied them. After a moment, she blinked and looked away, beginning to shake as she moved.
"I-I-I'm sorry, I should get out of here." Ranma began, looking around quickly. "Thank you for the offer, but I can't risk running into him." She moved out of Akane's grip and began swiftly disassembling her camp, rolling her mat and stowing her equipment.
"W-wai-" Akane began quietly, only to be cut off
"I'm sorry, y-you seem nice and all, but if my father is here, I can't stay." she tied her roll to her bag, worry creeping into her voice.
"Hold on a s-"
Ranma stood, her bag thrown over her shoulder, and turned towards akane.
"Thank you for the chat, it was nice to meet you Akane, g-goodbye," before quickly turning to leave.
"Wait!" A hand grabbed swiftly onto Ranma's wrist, begging her to stop.
Ranma turned towards Akane with fear in her eyes, a look she had been hoping to hide. Her heart was pounding in her ears, only barely able to hear the raven haired girl.
Akane's heart tightened at the sight of her. She was worried that if she didn't say something to help this girl, she would never see her again.
"Your father isn't here anymore!” she cried out desperately, “He was at our dojo this morning and told us you had run away, so he said he was going to go back to China to look for you. He should be miles away by now."
Ranma stared in silence at this girl for many long moments, the look of unexpected desperation on her face confused her to no end. Why did she care so much if she stayed or not? She barely even knew her at all, so what did it matter to her? It’s not like anyone else had bothered with her before, so why did she? Ranma’s heart fluttered a moment as these thoughts passed her mind, but she was quickly brought back to reality as the girl before her released the grip on her hand.
“What he said is true, right? You’re a runaway?”
Ranma gathered her thoughts for a moment, then spoke.
“I… Yeah. I did… run away from my father.” She looked down in shame as she carefully pieced her words together. She wasn’t comfortable talking about why she ran away, and she hated admitting that she ran away at all. It seemed so shameful.
“I figured everything would work out once I got away from him, but I don’t know what to do,” Ranma began to tear up, against her desire,” It’s been less than a day and I have nowhere to go, I'm still sleeping on the side of the road, I have no way to get more food, and I have no idea what my plan is. Maybe it would have been better to stay with pops, at least he had a plan…” ranma choked as she finished her thought, staring bullets into the dirt in front of her.
A few long moments passed as Ranma stared at the ground. She refused to look up at the girl in front of her, fearing the pitiful look she would receive at seeing someone so pathetic before them. Before she could do or say anything, she felt a soft hand come to rest on her shoulder.
“Well, my offer still stands.”
She looked up and locked onto two beautiful brown pupils, only a foot from her own. Only now did she realize that the girl was almost half a head taller than her, looking down at her with a soft, caring smile. She felt a warm feeling develop in her cheeks, and a hot fluttering filled her lungs.
“O-offer?” she stuttered
“For a place to stay. Like I said, my sister loves when I have guests, we have a guest room you could stay in and everything. I don’t know exactly what you're going through, Ranma, but I can tell you don’t have anywhere to go. What do you say?”
Ranma nearly choked on the tears she was fighting back. She refused to cry in front of this kind girl, she was far too manly to cry right now. She struggled the tears back, and swallowed her distressed expression. Then, she looked back at Akane.
“Yeah, I would like that a lot.” She finally managed, a shaky smile forming.
“Come on, my house isn’t too far away.”
With that, Akane turned away from Ranma, beckoning her to follow. Ranma’s feet stuck to their place for only a moment, before she quickly picked up a happy gait to follow her, a large, nervous smile beginning to develop on her face, not that she would show it.
As Ranma began to follow, a sudden thought struck her that nearly killed her on the spot.
“W-Wait!” she nearly shouted. “I can’t go to your house, my father is still looking for me! What if he finds me there? I don’t want to risk that!” she faltered a step back.
Akane turned, with a huff, “Ranma, your father was just at my house this morning, and said he was going back to china to look for you. Where is the last place he would ever think to look for you?”
“Your…house…”
“That’s right, and how long might he be gone in china trying to find you? A few weeks? A few months? More than enough time for you to come and set your head down for the night.”
Ranma felt embarrassed, but looked for other flaws in the idea.
“But, w-what about your father? When I show up at your house and tell him who I am, he might try to get a hold of my old man! What happens then?”
Akane stood in silence for a moment, pondering the question.
“Then, what if… you didn’t tell him?” she proposed, coyly.
“Akane, I’m a guest, I’ll have to give him my name”
“That’s exactly what I mean! What if you didn’t tell him your name? Who says we have to say your real name? After all you could just as easily go by something else like…Ran..ko? Yeah, how about Ranko?”
“Ranko? I don’t know about this…”
“And it’s a good thing you turned out to be a girl. My father was expecting Ranma to be a boy we could be married off to, not you, so he’d never suspect a thing. There must have been a mix up when they were writing.”
Ranma’s throat tightened as she spoke. She hoped she wouldn’t have to expose her secret. It always just made things more complicated. Maybe she could wait a while before she told Akane the truth. Get comfortable with her before revealing that she was actually a cursed… freak.
“Yeah, I was expecting a b-boy as well.” Ranma nearly shuttered as she twisted out that lie.
“Not that I have any problem with it. I mean, an arranged marriage? What a stupid idea!” she said as she stuck out her tongue.
Ranma smiled. Maybe this Akane girl would understand her more than she realized?
“Yeah!” Ranma smiled and gave a light chuckle as she agreed with her. “Maybe you're right, I think it’ll work out. Okay, I’ll do it.”
Akane smiled as her idea was approved
“I guess I’ll be going by Ranko for a little while.”
“Sounds good, Ranko. ”
Akane looked down at the ground, then looked back at Ranma.
“You know, I’m really glad you turned out to be a girl Ranma. I think we’re going to become good friends. I don’t think I could ever be friends with some random boy, especially one I was supposed to marry.” She sneered as she finished her sentence, turning with a light chuckle as she began to lead the way for Ranma again.
Ranma’s heart nearly shattered as she heard what she said. Her first friend in years, and it was already doomed from the start. She knew it was only a matter of time before she learned the truth, and then what? She said she could never be friends with some boy . She knew she couldn’t hide it forever. No matter how hard she tried, it always seemed to make her life harder.
She looked ahead at the girl as she walked, moving her feet to follow, slowly, and felt herself filled with a deep rooted longing for something she had never known.
Maybe, maybe this time it could be different. Akane didn’t have to know the truth. She could keep this in. And besides, it’s a lot easier to avoid hot water than cold water. Yeah! Maybe this could work. At least for a little while. She certainly felt like she deserved it.
A hopeful, if nervous, smile forced its way onto her face as she trailed behind Akane down the quiet roads of Nerima. As the sun reached its final moments on the horizon, the crimson reds of the sky began their final fade before the night began.
She gazed down the road as they turned the corner, the wall on their right opened to a doorway a few yards down. As they approached the opening, she noticed a small sign next to the door, with a simple name plastered upon it.
Tendo Dojo - Anything Goes Martial Arts