This is our first fanfic, so please be gentle. Comments, criticisms
and MSTs are welcome. You can reach us at chiaty@singnet.com.sg
You can view this at http://www.singnet.com.sg/~chiaty
This story is set one year after the start of the series and
it takes on from there.
< > represents a character's thoughts.

DISCLAIMER : We have written this story out of fun. In no
way do we own the characters of this story, they belong to Takahashi
Rumiko, Shogakukan Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. 

The Fabulous World of Anime
Proudly Presents
A Joint Production by Cass and GSL


    The Pursuit Of Akane
    ---------------------

Part 3 : Ranma is in deep shit.


        <That kawaikune tomboy. It is not as if it was my fault.
How would I know that Ukyou and Shampoo would turn up? And you
just have to mallet me for that.> Ranma winced as he rubbed
the bump on his head.  Akane was not talking to him. She was giving
him the cold stares. He wasn't bothered, or so he thought. This
morning during breakfast, Akane had refused to sit next to him,
giving him the cold shoulder. Ryouga was worse. He looked as if
he was going to strike Ranma any moment. 

        A ball hit Ranma forcing him to return to the present. 

        "Um, I'm sorry." A student, whom Ranma didn't recognize,
said.

        "It's all right." Ranma absently handed the football
to the student. 

        He was at a football field, alone, eating the lunch that
Kasumi has prepared. He scanned across the field to find Akane.
<There she is.> Akane was sitting under the tree in the
opposite direction. She seemed to be having an interesting conversation
with her friends. She laughed. He froze. Then, he saw her
stealing a look at him. Their gaze was locked. And she began to
fume. He was confused but felt a light tap on his shoulder. He
turned around and found Ukyou smiling at him. He gave a nervous
smile and glanced in the direction where Akane was. The place
where she sat was empty now.

        "Hello, Ran-chan. How are you?" Ukyou started as
she sat down next to Ranma.

        "Fine. Weren't you supposed to be at Ucchans? It's lunch
time now." Ranma asked half-heartedly. 

        "You looked disturbed so I came to accompany you."
Ukyou answered.

        "Thanks. But I'm really fine." Ranma put on his
brave front and continued. "Ucchan, how did you know that
I was at La Mason yesterday night?"

        "Oh, Nabiki told me." Ukyou smiled.

        <I knew it. It just had to be her.> Ranma got up and
he was angry. 

         "Ran-chan, where are you going?" Ukyou asked with
a concerned look on her face. 

        "I've some business to attend to." Ranma replied.
<Wait till I get my hands on that woman.>

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        Nabiki was on her rounds collecting her debts. Suddenly,
she felt a sinking sensation in her heart. <Uh oh...Something
is going to happen.>

        "Nabiki! What were you thinking when you told Ucchan
about my dat....my outing with Akane." Ranma scowled.

        "Money." Nabiki responded as if it was obvious.

        "Haven't you made enough money out of me? You take pictures
of me to sell, you extort money from me, you...you... caused me
so much trouble." Ranma howled.

        "Hush, Ranma. You live in my house. You caused so much
damage to the dojo since you got here. It's only right that you
foot part of the bill. And I'm only here to collect the money
you owe us." Nabiki replied innocently.

        Ranma was baffled. In a way, Nabiki was right. He stood there
motionless and tried to speak. But he was interrupted. 

        "Ranma, I know Akane is angry at you and I know I ruin
your little date. I have a proposition to make. I can help to
you set up another date with Akane but you will need to ....."
Nabiki abruptly broke into a whisper.

        "WHAT! After what you have did, you are still trying
to reap off me!" Ranma protested.

        "Well, take it or leave it." Seeing no verbal or
physical response from Ranma, Nabiki continued. "See you
at Bimbo's Studio after school. Don't be late, we have a lot of
pictures to take." Nabiki walked away smirking, registering
the money that she would earn, she always ended up as a victor.

        <What have I got myself into?> Ranma moaned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        The air smelled of delicious food. Ranma had just returned
from the photo session and he was famished. As usual, he gobbled
up his food before his father could steal it. It was only then
that he realized that Akane was sitting rather closely to Ryouga.
They were talking and laughing at the same time. It reminded him
of the time when they came back from France. It disturbed him.
He imagined that Akane was getting further and further away from
him and into Ryouga's arms. He shivered slightly. A sweatdrop
began to form on his forehead when Ryouga and Akane excused themselves
and headed towards her room. He gave a desperate glance towards
Nabiki and she seemed to understand what he was thinking.

        Without a word, Nabiki stood up, excused herself and motioned
Ranma to her room. 

        "My little sister seems to be on very GOOD terms with
Ryouga. But, I must admit Ryouga is a fine young man. I would
say that she has good taste." Nabiki said. She was sitting
on her futon while Ranma stood by the door.

        "Hey! What are you talking about?" Ranma uttered.
He disliked hearing the words 'Akane' and 'Ryouga' together in
one sentence.

        "You know what I mean. If you don't buck up, you are
going to lose her." Nabiki reasoned.

        "It's not as if I had her in the first place."
He argued. 

        "It's your this kind of attitude that will drive her
away. Saotome, I have a very serious question to ask you."
Nabiki paused to make sure that she had his fullest attention.
"Do you love Akane?"

        "NANI! Why would I fall in love with a sexless, uncute
tomboy like her?" He defended.

        "Then, why are you jealous of Ryouga or why are you
so concerned about your little date with Akane?" She asked
disdainfully.

        He was speechless.

        "Ranma, stop letting your pride get in the way. Do you
really love her? Or are you just plain selfish to want to keep
her for yourself and own her like a trophy?" She asked angrily.

        "No. Of course not." He answered forcefully, his
mind whirling.

        "If you want to get her back, you will need to make
some sacrifices. For example, you have to denounce all your other
engagements. Most importantly, you need to commit yourself to
Akane. Can you do that? No. Even before that, can you convince
yourself of your love for her? Do you REALLY love her? 'Cos if
you don't, I will not help you destroy this little thing that
is happening between Akane and Ryouga. I will not let you destroy
her chance of happiness with Ryouga." Nabiki stated.

        He was lost. He stared at Nabiki hoping that she could give
him the answer. But he knew the answer lie within him. He had
came so close to the truth on that night while he was on the roof.
<Do I really love Akane?> He thought of the special moments
he had with her. There weren't many but the most recent one was
when he held her hand at the entrance of her room before their
first date. He remembered the sweet sensation as he held her hand
and felt a strange sense of utmost happiness. 

        "Ranma, I don't have time to wait for your answer. You
don't too. You have to make the decision before Akane falls for
Ryouga. So, start being a man." Nabiki lamented impatiently.

        Ranma nodded. He never felt so right about his decision before.
"Yes. I love Akane. I couldn't imagine a life without her.
I'm willing to take the plunge." 

        "Good. But you should keep those words for Akane. Now,
on with the plan. First, you have to patch up with Akane. I recommend
flowers and apologies. Next, ask her out. If you need, I can help
you make reservations. I will send Ryouga out to buy something
and most probably, he will be lost before he notices the date.
As for Ukyou, Shampoo and Kodachi, I will lead them to a merry-goose
chase." Nabiki explained as Ranma listened attentively.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Akane, I'm sorry. I didn't know that Ukyou and Shampoo
would turn up.  Will you forgive me? I'll make it up to you. If
you're free tomorrow, maybe we could go out on another date. I
promise I would try to keep the other girls away. Just you and
me." Ranma practiced in front of the mirror. Nabiki had forced
him to memorize the speech and repeat it to Akane. He had refused
when he read the speech. He didn't like to apologize especially
since he had done no wrong and the speech sounded a bit mushy
to him. Then, he remembered her words. "If you don't do this,
you will lose her. So, it's either your pride or Akane. Which
is more important?" 

        Ranma braced himself for the inevitable. He walked towards
her room, stopped at the door, breathed deeply, knocked and waited.
A shuffle of footsteps was heard. The door opened and Akane was
at the doorway. She was surprised to see him but her anger resurfaced.

        "Akane, I'm sorry. I didn't know ......." Ranma
repeated his speech but stopped when he saw Ryouga sitting on
Akane's bed. His blood began to boil. "Why is he sitting
on your bed! What were you all doing!" He questioned furiously.

        Akane softened a bit when she heard his apologies but was
irate at his accusations. "How dare you think such a way
of me! We were only studying and what Ryouga and I do is none
of your business!"

        "FINE! I won't disturb you anymore." Ranma rebutted.

        "FINE!" With that, Akane slammed the door.

        Ranma turned and saw Nabiki looking disapprovingly at him
before she too closed the door. He sighed. <I'm a jerk. I couldn't
do anything right. I'm a jerk.>

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Yawn. Hmm, I wonder what time is it?" Ranma exclaimed
and stared lazily at the clock. "Damn! I'm late!"
He quickly got up and changed into his clothes in a frenzy. <Why
didn't Akane wake me up?> Then, he realized. <She's still
angry.> Without further delay, he rushed to school.

        <Argh! Where is Akane?> He had been punished to stand
outside the classroom for being late. So, Ranma wasn't at his
best of moods. He was dampened when he couldn't find Akane during
lunch. His mood was further aggravated when he realized that he
forgot to bring his lunch box. Then, came the 'rescue'. Shampoo
had arrived and delivered her delicious ramen to him. Ukyou not
to be beaten, also stuffed some of her okonomiyaki into his mouth.
Then, they fussed over him. Akane, of course, captured this delicate
moment. She left in a huff and Ranma was flattened again. When
he regained consciousness, the school had just ended and he proceeded
to find Akane.

        Maybe the kami began to pity him, for he finally found her.
She was alone, very quiet, possibly deep in thought. He approached
her silently. 

        "I'm sorry. I really am." He whispered in a voice
that only she could hear.

        Akane was startled. She turned to face him as his words began
to embed in her mind.

        He continued. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I was
wrong. Please forgive me." 

        Akane was bewildered. When she looked into his eyes, they
were filled with sincerity and maybe something more. <Is it
love?> She couldn't believe it. 

        "I know you are still angry with me for that date. But
I really didn't expect Ukyou and Shampoo to crash in. I was actually
starting to enjoy the date. Why would I want anybody to disrupt
it? I'm sorry that it ended up this way." He pleaded. 

        Akane looked at the man that she loved. She couldn't bring
herself to remain angry with him. She especially liked the part
when he said he enjoyed the date. <Does it mean something?>
While she was pondering over the question, Ranma presented a bunch
of red roses to her.

        "For you. Hope you like it." Ranma blushed.

        She smiled.

        He knew he was forgiven. <On to plan B: Ask her out.>
"Akane, I want to make it up to you. I wonder if you want
to go out tonight? We could have a nice dinner and go to the beach
or disco like we had originally planned." Then, he waited
expectantly for her answer.

        "Well, the flowers are beautiful. And you sound sincere
enough, I forgive you. But you must never jump to conclusions
like that again. Since I'm free tonight, I'll give you another
chance." Akane answered deviously. All her anger and sadness
had vanished to be replaced by joy and anxiousness. She was going
out with her fiancé, on a real date. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        <I'm bored.> Ryouga hadn't step out of the Tendo dojo
for days. In fact, he had seldom left his room, for fear that
he would not find his way back. He had resolved not to leave Akane
again. With his sense of direction, he couldn't trust himself
to leave and be back in one day. But all this was rewarded when
Akane came home from school.  They had been very close lately.
He would go to her room and study under her supervision. He didn't
mind as long as he was near her. 

        His day was resolved to practicing his martial arts. But
in between waiting for Akane to come back, he had plenty of time
to think. He thought about the future, his future. Now that he
has confessed to Akane, he wondered if she felt the same way about
him. During these few days, their relationship had risen to a
new level. The way she looked at him, the way she smiled had proved
this. They also had spent most of their time with each other.
<Does it mean that she is beginning to love me? She hadn't
been talking to Ranma. She is with me all the time. Maybe she
has fallen for me.> Ryouga brightened up. 

        He began to fantasize about the future. His marriage to Akane;
they having kids; all in all, a happy family.  Life was great.
He was eager for it to happen. Then, Ryouga realized that it could
be a reality if he asked.

        "Ryouga, I need your help. I need someone to carry things."
Nabiki said as she entered the room.

        "Huh, er, okay." Ryouga's thoughts were disrupted
with Nabiki's intrusion. He got up and followed Nabiki.

        They got out of the house and went in the direction of the
shopping mall. After a couple of twists and turns, Ryouga had
lost sight of Nabiki. He had gone in search for her but was starting
to get worried. 

        "Nabiki...Nabiki....Where are you!" Ryouga shouted
and he managed to raise a couple of stares from the crowd. He
looked around and saw a signboard in Chinese. <Oh No! I'm in
China!> "NABIKI!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "That's easy. One down, three to go." Nabiki flipped
through her address book and began dialing. "Hello. Ukyou,
how much would you pay for first-hand information regarding Ranma?"
She remained on the handset, and continued. "For five thousand
yen, I will tell you where Ranma and Akane are having a date tonight.
Is it a deal?" She got her response and grinned. "They
are going to Hong Kong so that they can stay away from problems."
She resumed. "Of course, I'm sure. Have I ever given you
inaccurate information before? Come on, Ryouga and Akane went
to France on their first date. This is nothing compared to that.
But, you better hurry as the plane is leaving in 30 minutes."
She smirked as she put down the phone. <This is fun.>

        "Hello. Shampoo, for five thousand yen, I tell you the
whereabouts of Ranma and Akane. They are going on a date."
Nabiki grinned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

         Ranma looked at himself in the mirror. <Boy, I'm handsome.>
He had worn the tux that his father had borrowed and was fidgeting
with his bow tie. It was strangling him. He would have preferred
his usual shirt and pants but Nabiki objected vehemently.   

        A knock was heard and Nabiki popped into the room. "I've
sent the girls to Hong Kong and Ryouga is lost somewhere. So,
remember to take care of my little sister." She gave a devious
grin and disappeared as fast as she had appeared.

        Ranma smiled. With all obstacles away, he could truly enjoy
himself tonight. He readjusted his bow tie for the last time and
went to fetch Akane. As usual, she looked stunning. He froze.
He knew Akane was very beautiful if she dressed up but that knowledge
had not been helpful.

        Akane couldn't help but smile at the look of Ranma's face.
She knew he was admiring her, not that she minded, she just doesn't
want to give him the pleasure of doing so. "Would you stop
leering at me?" 

        Ranma blushed. He quickly regained his wits and offered his
hand to her. "Come, let's go." She took his hand and
he gave her a slight squeeze. Then, they jointly left the dojo.

        The sun had just set. The evening breeze swept along. Leaves
were falling, making a rustling sound. The birds were chirping
as if they were singing a song just for them. The image of two
figures began to come into focus. They were walking very closely
to each other, joined by their hands.

        "We could have taken the cab." Ranma argued.

        "What? And miss this lovely sight." Akane answered.

        "Yeah, I must agree. It's really beautiful." Ranma
smiled. He was reciprocated with one of her trademark smiles that
dazzled him. He breathed in deeply the clean crisp air, clearly enjoying
himself.

        "How far are we from the restaurant?" Akane asked
sweetly.

        "Oh. I think we'll be there in another fifteen minutes.
It is a small cozy restaurant. I hoped you don't mind." Ranma
replied. He had wanted to bring her to a more well-known restaurant
but it seemed that most restaurants had blacklisted him. It turned
out that they were afraid of Ranma who brought property damage
to wherever he went.

        "As long as it is not the Ucchan or the Nekohanten,
it is all right." She laughed.

        They continued walking hand in hand into the sunset. Once
they reached the restaurant, they seated and they made their orders.
For a while, they didn't know what to say. Luckily, their dinner
came quickly. 

        "I've been out almost everyday. I could hardly complete
my homework." Akane complained.

        "Does this mean that we have to go back after dinner?"
Ranma asked uneasily. 

        "No. Why did you look so uneasy? Did you plan something?"
Akane smiled deviously. She was enjoying the night. She had never
been so close to Ranma before and he seemed to be opening up to
her.

        "Well, I was thinking of going to the disco. I've never
been to one, so I thought we should try it. Besides, Nabiki said
it would be fun." Ranma replied absently. <Oops, shouldn't
mention Nabiki.>

        "Nabiki? Hmm, you seem to be on good terms with her.
What else did she tell you?"   Akane uttered sarcastically.
<I wonder if Nabiki has a role in this date.>

        "Uh, she said that it will release our stress."
He refrained from saying the exact words. <And you can get
close to her without talking. So, less chances of saying the wrong
things.> 

        "That sounds nice. Okay." Akane smiled playfully
at Ranma, relieving all the tension between them. 

        It was a peaceful evening. Nothing cropped up. Akane was enjoying
herself. So, was Ranma. They finished dinner and adjourned
to the disco next to the restaurant. The disco was playing loud
music, deafening Akane and Ranma momentary. He tightly held her
hand and led her through the crowd to sit on the chairs. They ordered
some alcoholic beverages and proceeded to the dance floor. 

        "I didn't know you can dance." Akane shouted in
Ranma's ears.

        Ranma stepped back suddenly. He was nearly deaf but refrained
from saying anything that would be life threatening. "I didn't.
I just observe the others and I imitate them."

        "Ranma, did you notice that bunch of girls is staring
at you?" Akane pointed to the group of girls.

        Ranma turned to look at them. A couple of the girls gave
a cry and fainted. He turned towards Akane and shrugged. "Well,
I see a lot of other guys ogling at you."

        They turned around to observe the crowd. They had apparently
become the center of attention or rather the object of desire.
Many had stopped dancing to stare at them. Some were even drooling.
A few tight slaps were heard in the background. 

        The music changed to a slow sentimental song. They began
to slow dance. Akane put one of her hands on Ranma's shoulder
and leaned closer to him. They fumbled a bit but being great martial
artists, they quickly learned the steps by observing others. They
had stopped talking. They just concentrated on the close proximity
between the two bodies. Akane could even feel the heat radiating
from Ranma's body. For a moment, she thought she heard his heartbeat.
<What could possibly go wrong?> She thought.

        Ranma's heart had overworked itself. As they began to lean
closer to each other, he started to blush. His mind was overwhelmed.
He could smell the sweet scent of her hair and this was driving
him crazy. He never thought that they would be so close. He reminded
himself to thank Nabiki for her brilliant recommendation once
he got home. For now, he just wanted to enjoy himself. <What
could possibly go wrong?>

        "Ouch!" Ranma uttered as Akane accidentally stepped
onto him. 

        "I'm sorry." Akane apologized. 

        They resumed dancing as Ranma forced a smile. Not long later,
they lost their coordination and started stepping onto each other's
feet.

        "Ouch!" Ranma declared for the fifth time. "I
think we should take a rest." 

        Akane nodded. Her feet were hurting and Ranma had become
less patient with her. She heard him grumble under his breath and
she could see that others are laughing at them. Her mood had changed
for the worse. 

        Ranma's mood was even worse. His feet hurt like hell and
he was desperately bottling his angry insults at Akane. They returned
to their table and slowly sipped their drinks. Akane had later
excused herself to the washroom and when she came back, she was
furious to find a couple of girls flirting with Ranma.

        <That is it!> Akane flared and reached into hammerspace
for her mallet and gracefully swung it at Ranma. With a thud,
he fell. The rest of the girls fled, praying for their lives.
With as much dignity as she could muster, she paid and calmly
walked out of the disco. <Baka! Jerk!> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        <I must get back to Akane.> Ryouga thought. He had
walked for hours, stopping only to ask for directions. In a distance,
he saw a familiar figure. 

        "Akane!" Ryouga cried out. 

        "Ryouga?" Akane turned. <Why do I always see
him after a fight with Ranma?>  "What are you doing here?"

        "Well, I got lost." was his embarrassed reply. "Wow you look great.  
What's the occasion?"  

        Akane blushed at his compliment.  Seeing Akane was hesitant to talk,
Ryouga pestered, "Come on, tell me."  Slowly Akane retold
the details of the date, though it was biased.  (Instead of the
girls in the disco flirting with Ranma and Ranma was trying desperately
to get rid of them, it became Ranma was flirting with the girls
and asking for their phone numbers.)  When she finished, she was
angrier than before.  She wanted to vent her frustration and anger
out on anything or anybody.  Seeing Akane's bad mood, Ryouga suggested
going to the beach.  "It'll make you feel better," he
promised.

        When they reached the beach, he gestured to the many stones
and rocks scattered throughout and told Akane to throw one into
the sea.  Akane raised an eyebrow.  It was not exactly an activity
that was suitable while wearing an evening gown.  Further cajoling
from Ryouga persuaded her to throw a stone into the ocean.  "No,
use your strength.  Imagine that the sea is Ranma and hit him
with all you got."  

        Akane nodded.  She picked up a fist-sized rock but dropped
it back down.  She walked a bit before stopping at a large boulder.
 Ryouga's eyes bulged at the sight of Akane lifting up a boulder
that was the size of a ten-year-old child and heaving it into
the sea.  Splash.  Water sprayed onto Akane's clothes but she didn't
seem to care.  (Luckily, Ryouga was too far inland for the seawater
to spray him.)  Grinning at Ryouga, she shouted, "I feel
so much better!  Thanks!"  Then she picked up a smaller boulder
and sent it splashing in to meet the fishes.  Minutes later, the
beach had many holes of various sizes.  All of it was Akane's
handiwork.  Exhausted, she sat down on a sole surviving rock and
motioned for Ryouga to join her.

        "Argh!  He really pisses me off sometimes," said
Akane while throwing a tiny stone into the sea.  All she could
find are pebbles now.

        Ryouga patted her hand and replied, "He pisses me off
too.  But you shouldn't stay mad at him, he ain't worth it."

        "Well, what about you?  You chased him to the ends of
the world for what?  To seek revenge for grabbing the last piece
of bread?" countered Akane.

        "Hey, that's different.  It was FOOD!  The most delicious
curry bread in Japan." exaggerated Ryouga with a smile. 

        Akane laughed.  "Arigato, Ryouga.  You could always
make me smile.  If it wasn't for you, I would probably still be
fuming away."

        "I'll always be there for you, Akane, you know that."
 After a minute of silence, Ryouga continued, "Do you know
why I always come to Nerima and challenge Ranma?"

        "To seek revenge," replied Akane immediately.

        "Well, that's part of it.  But challenging Ranma also
gives me an excuse to see you."  Akane blushed.  "These
few days with you are like a dream come true. I've never been
happier. For all my life, I've wandered around never able to fit
in. But I find that I belong here with you. I'm no longer the
Hibiki Ryouga who lives for revenge.  Instead I live for your
love. Your smile sends my heart soaring to the heavens, and your
frown banishes me to hell. Do you know how much power you have
over me? I would brave through anything for your love.  I love
you so much that I can't imagine a future without you.  Will you...
will you spend the rest of your life with me?"  Ryouga grasped
her hands and held his breath.

        "I... I don't know what to say." was Akane's shocked
reply.

        "You probably think I'm rushing things.  I know we've
only dated twice but haven't those times been truly wonderful?
 I'm not asking you to make a decision now, just think about it."

        Akane nodded.

        "Now, lets go home," said Ryouga.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dictionary:

kawaikune = uncute

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