------------------------ | CHALLENGE OF THE HEART | ------------------------ *** Ranma's hands traced a complex pattern in the air, his feet performing a series of steps, almost like a dance. Slowly at first, then faster and faster as he picked up the pace. While he practiced the kata, his thoughts were focused on the situation at hand. It wasn't long ago that he had managed to admit to himself that he really *did* like Akane. Now this had come along. He wasn't sure he was ready to admit it to *her* just yet. Oh, true, he already had, but as the fool he was, he had of course denied it instantly afterwards. _It can wait a little while longer, I suppose,_ he thought. His stomach rumbled in agreement as he slowed his actions down again. _It's still a while 'til dinner's ready. Might as well go to Ucchan's._ *** As Ranma entered the otherwise empty restaurant, Ukyou's face lit up. Her customers hadn't started arriving yet, so she'd have time for a quick chat with him. "Hiya, Ranchan! The usual?" He nodded. *** "Akane?" She looked up from the book she was reading and faced her sister. "Yeah?" "There's some groceries I need," Kasumi said, holding up a long list. "Do you think you could go buy them for me? I have to make dinner." Akane thought about it for a while. She didn't really have anything better to do. "Sure, why not." *** "So," Ukyou said, sitting down at Ranma's table, "How're things?" He stuffed the okonomiyaki hungrily into his mouth. "Fine, I guess," he answered absent-mindedly, and without stopping to think, blurted out, "Pops and Tendo finally decided to drop the stupid engagement thing." At that, he stopped, cursing himself mentally. He shouldn't really have told her that - at least not yet. "They did?" Ukyou asked, excited. "Yeah." He nodded. No point in trying to deny it now. Ukyou held her head in disbelief, a happy, almost dreaming, expression on her face. "Now, we can finally..." The thought hit home, and she threw herself at him, hugging tight. "Oh, Ranchan, did you come here right away to tell me that we can get married?" "Er ..." Ranma hesitated. This was not something he had planned for. "I ... er ... just came to eat," he finally managed to say, weakly. Ukyou released her grip. "Oh," she said, this time in a low, dejected voice. _He just came to eat?_ *** On her way to the store, Akane whistled a happy tune, thinking about her fiance - now ex-fiance. Admitting to herself that she really did like the baka hadn't been easy. _Does he like me, too?_ she wondered. _He must. He even said it._ That memory made her smile, as always. _But still ... he seemed so hesitant._ She sighed. She didn't dare ask him, too afraid that the answer might not be the one she wanted. It was when she had come that far in her thoughts that she happened to pass by Ucchan's. She stopped dead in her tracks. Through the window, she could see it clearly. Ranma and Ukyou, in a tight embrace. At first, she just stood there, staring in shock at the couple. Then, she stormed off, all thoughts of shopping gone. _That *BAKA!*_ she thought. _As soon as he finds out we're not engaged anymore, he goes to Ukyou._ A tear appeared in the corner of her eye. _Doesn't he care about me at all?_ *** Akane hadn't spoken to him that morning. _Well, nothing unusual with that, I suppose,_ Ranma thought. _I wonder what she's blaming me for this time?_ He walked across the schoolyard, heading for home, ignoring the people around him. In the distance, he spotted Akane talking to ... Ryouga? _So, P-chan finally managed to find his way back here,_ he mused. *** A few drops of sweat slowly trickled down Ryouga's brow. He'd found out that Akane and Ranma were no longer engaged. This was his chance. He'd even managed to find Furinkan High. He had to ask her now, before it was too late. "Akane..." he said weakly. She turned to smile at him. "Ryouga? It's been a while." That smile. Angelic. "Ano ..." His hesitation made Akane impatient. "Yes?" she asked, a slight edge to her voice. "Would you ... go out ... with ..." He sweated. This was hard. He took a deep breath, and pushed it all out at once. "Wouldyougoonadatewithme?" She looked at him, surprised. _Ryouga wants to take me on a date?_ She wasn't really sure. He was a nice guy, but... Ranma... She snorted inwardly. _Hmph. If that baka can, then so can I._ "Sure, Ryouga," she answered, putting on a smile. "I'd be happy to." "Today ... at ... err ...six o'clock? Meet in the park?" "Fine by me." As Akane walked off, Ryouga felt like jelly. He'd done it! He'd asked her out, and she'd accepted. She even seemed happy. _Maybe she really does like me?_ Now he just had to find his way to the park in time. *** Ranma stared irritatedly at the text-book. _This is so hard,_ he thought. _Maybe I can ask Akane for help. She seems to be good at it._ "AKANE!" he shouted. No answer. _Strange. I wonder where she is?_ He went down the stairs, peeking into the kitchen. "Hey, Kasumi, do you know where Akane is?" The elder sister nodded. "Yes," she smiled, "I think she went out with Ryouga." Ranma froze. She ... went out ... with Ryouga? With *Ryouga*? Acting purely on instinct, he ran towards the door. No way was that bastard going out with his fiancee... *** On his way through the city, Ranma managed to calm down. Akane wasn't really his fiancee any more. He'd thought she was just joking, but if she wanted to go out with Ryouga, that was her problem. He shouldn't try to stop her. No, he'd leave them alone. She'd hate him if he tried to interfere. But why? Why? Did it mean she didn't ... that she ... He never finished the thought. Just as he turned to walk back home again, he stumbled into them. *** Ryouga looked at him. _Ranma!_ he thought. _He's come to ruin my date with Akane. Why can't he just leave me alone?_ His anger rose. _He's got no claim on her anymore!_ "Hiya, Ryouga. Nice to see you back again." "Err ... Hi?" Ryouga looked at him suspiciously, anger dissipating harmlessly. _What? Is he planning something?_ "Well, I guess I'll see you later then. I'm sorry I don't have time to speak to you right now." With that, Ranma walked away. Ryouga just stared at him, a shocked expression on his face. *** Ranma walked off, barely able to keep his anger and jealousy under the surface. He had to. If Akane was having fun, he shouldn't disrupt that. Still, it hurt to see her with Ryouga and not do something about it. He wasn't even able to look into her face, afraid that his eyes would betray his feelings. *** In the dojo, Akane was punching a sandbag furiously. _I thought he might like me ... but he doesn't care at all!_ She threw a few more punches. _He didn't even look at me! Couldn't he at least have tried to act a little jealous?_ "ARRRGH!" She couldn't control herself anymore. She just had to let it all out. "RANMA! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Releasing all her emotions, she threw a final, mighty, blow at the sandbag, pushing it off its hinges and sending it flying into the dojo wall. At once, all her anger was gone. She sank down on the floor, an empty feeling her stomach. "Why, Ranma?" she sobbed quietly, "Why?" *** _Has she liked Ryouga all along?_ Ranma wondered to himself. _She hardly seemed to notice me ... does she really hate me?_ It was a thought he didn't like, a possibility that hurt. There was only one way to find out. A tough decision, but there was no turning back now. "Hello, Ranma." "Hello, Kasumi. Do you know where Akane is?" "I think she's training." "OK, thanks." As he approached the dojo entrance, he heard her beating the sandbag heavily inside. _Man,_ he thought, _she sure is violent._ Suddenly, she began shouting. "RANMA!" Akane's voice cried out furiously, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" A loud crash followed, and then silence. It was all Ranma needed to hear. He walked away, tears slowly running down his cheeks. She'd said such things many times, but never sounded so sincere. _How could I have been so wrong?_ *** Ranma wasn't sure how long he wandered the streets of Tokyo aimlessly, but when he came to his senses, it was already dark, and he wasn't sure were he was. _I guess this is what happens to Ryouga all the time,_ he thought to himself. He looked up, and found himself standing outside a video rental shop. _Hmm,_ he thought, _I've never seen this store before. I must've wandered off pretty far. Well, might as well go in. Perhaps they've got some cool Martial Arts movie. I could use some cheering up right now._ Despite the late hour, the store was open. A white-haired old man smiled at him as he entered. Looking at the shelves, though, Ranma was dissappointed. _All ecchi._ He was about to walk out, but something caught his eye. He walked closer. "I'll cheer you up; Ikegame Yuko," the title proclaimed, and on the cover was pictured the face of a young girl, her hair cut just like Akane's. _Well, I was looking for something to cheer me up, after all,_ he thought, grabbing the tape. "I think I might rent this one. How much?" The manager smiled mysteriously. "That one? Oh, I'll yet you borrow it for free." "Free?" Ranma looked at the old man, not believing his ears. "Sure. Now run along, before I change my mind." *** When Ranma returned, the house was dark, and judging by the loud snoring that could be heard, everybody was already asleep. He took the tape out of its box and held it hesitatingly in his hand, no longer sure it was a good idea. In his mind, he could already hear Akane shouting "Pervert!". _If anybody wakes up,_ he thought, _I'm dead._ _That girl..._ He took a final look at the cover. There was something special about her, something he couldn't really put his finger on. _Well, I borrowed it, so I might as well watch it._ *** Despite the "ecchi" on the label, the movie started out innocent enough. The girl, Yuko, sat on the edge of a bed, dressed in a normal school- uniform, and introduced herself. Her monologue was so life-like ... almost as if she really did hold a dialogue with him. Like she was real. It was late, he was tired, and the talking couldn't hold Ranma's attention for very long. _She's so nice,_ he thought to himself as he yawned, drifting off to sleep. _I wish she could be here for real. Everybody else seems to hate me._ *** When Ranma woke up, he still felt rather tired. He wanted to lie still and fall asleep again, but the rising sun shone directly on his face, and his position was not very comfortable. He opened his eyes slowly. He was still on the couch by the TV, leaning his head to one side. A large puddle of drool had formed by his mouth. The TV itself was still running, static coming out of the speakers as black and white fought for control of the screen, and in front of it lay a girl. ... in front of it lay a girl. Ranma woke up with a start, bouncing to his feet. His eyes had not been decieving him. There, in front of the TV, still dressed in her school uniform, was the Video Girl. Ikegami Yuko. Now that he saw her in person, her resemblance to Akane really was surprising. Their hair was almost identical, both in color and shape, and their faces were very similar. There were subtle differences, though - the kind that's hard to put your finger on, but still easily recognizable. _Yuko's chest is bigger,_ Ranma thought, inwardly embarrassed that he had noticed the difference. Apparently, his movement had disturbed her sleep. She stretched her arms tiredly, slowly opening her eyes, and looked straight at him. He stared at her, into her eyes, for a moment, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before he came to his senses. He realized he didn't have time to ask how she'd appeared. "Yuko?" he asked her uncertainly. "Yes?" she confirmed. "We've gotta go." He looked worriedly towards the stairs. "If anybody sees you here, we're both dead." "OK." With a helping hand from Ranma, Yuko rose to her feet, and straightened out her clothing. He wrinkled his brow. _Where to?_ he thought, and the answer soon came to him. "We'll go to my mother." It wasn't a good solution, but at least it was *a* solution. *** Kasumi looked worriedly at the empty seat at the breakfast table. "I wonder where Ranma is? His food is getting cold, too." "He can take care of himself." Panda-Genma held the sign confidently. "And I can take care of his food." Akane was not convinced. It wasn't like him to be gone for the entire night. What if something had happened? *** A sleepy Nodoka opened her door. "Ranma?" she asked, surprised. "Hi, mom. There's some problems at the dojo," he said hesitatingly, "do you think we could stay here for a while?" "We?" she asked, looking at him confusedly. A few moments passed before she noticed the girl. "Oh, you and your fia..." she began, but it wasn't. The resemblance was stunning, but the girl wasn't Akane. "Who's this?" she said, pointing at Yuko. "Oh, er," Ranma scratched the back of his head worriedly, "this is Ikegami Yuko. She's a friend of mine." His mother looked irritatedly at him. "Ranma, running away from your fiancee with some other girl is not honorable. I'm not going to help you do that." "It's nothing like that! She's just a friend!" he stated hastily. "You do have two guest rooms, don't you?" She cast a suspicious glance at him, but gave in. "Yes. Come on in, I'll soon have breakfast ready." Even if she was unsure about the girl, having her son come for a visit was a pleasant surprise. *** "How I appeared?" Yuko smiled. "Through the TV, from the videotape, of course. That's what keeps me alive and healthy, too." Ranma looked at her confusedly. Sure, he'd seen a lot of strange things, but somehow, magic coming from a piece of technology like a TV-set sounded strange. "Hey, don't look so glum! I'm here to cheer you up - that's my purpose in life!" Ranma sighed. Why did everything that happened always just mean more trouble for him? "So," she asked, as her good mood obviously wasn't contagious, "what's bothering you?" *** "I'm not sure..." Ranma fidgeted as they entered the dining-hall. "You like her, don't you?" Yuko smiled. "After all, that's why you chose me." "Yeah, but ... she said she hated me..." "I didn't think you were the type to get scared, Ranma." "I'm not scared!" he stated firmly. "I'm just not sure it's the right time..." "If you want her to like you, you'll have to take every opportunity to talk to her. Come on." She pointed towards the table where Akane sat, alone. *** It was midday, and he still hadn't showed up. Now Akane was *really* worried. She prodded the soggy vegetables with her fork, sighed, and looked up ... ... and there he was - on his way towards her table. But not alone. _He was away all night,_ she thought, _and shows up at lunchtime ... with some *girl*!_ As Ranma and the girl sat down, she stabbed a tomato angrily. _How could I be so stupid? He's even getting *new* girls..._ *** Yuko sighed. He should be talking to her, but no, they both just sat there, eating silently. How could she help him if he didn't follow her advice? "Excuse me, I have to visit the men's room." Ranma got up and walked away. She had to do something. "Nice guy, ain't he?" Yuko whispered when he had gotten out of earshot. She looked at him, and winked conspiratorially at Akane. "Cute, too." Akane, of course, misunderstood. _She stole my fiance - isn't that enough? No, she has to *gloat* about it, too!_ She reached for her mallet, furiously pulling it out of nowhere. Yuko never knew what hit her. *** Ranma pulled up his zipper, sighing heavily. It was hopeless. He'd seen how mad Akane got as soon as she saw him. What was the point? She hated him anyway. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the hall outside, the sound of wood hitting flesh - a sound he'd heard far too many times, though usually at less distance. Concerned, he rushed out. A crowd of students had already had time to form around Yuko, who lay unconcious on the floor. Akane slowly backed away, anger dissipating. That was not supposed to happen. She shouldn't ... get hurt. Ranma picked up the body and walked off, heading for Dr. Tofu's. *** Dr. Tofu finished applying the bandage to Yuko's head. "She'll be OK now, she just needs some rest. Better be careful, though. She hasn't got your physique, so one more hit like that might hurt her pretty bad." "OK, Doc." Yuko turned her head to smile at him. Ranma smiled back. "So, you're awake now." She nodded. "Ranma, you shouldn't worry about me." "But ... it's my fault you got hurt." "Ranma, it doesn't matter. I'm a video girl. I'm just here to cheer you up - I don't want you to feel bad because something happened to me. Besides, thanks to the video, I would have healed pretty quickly anyway." Inwardly, she sighed. _He's so nice,_ she thought. _So unselfish..._ Many would have disagreed - but they weren't there to tell her so. _There must be something I can do to cheer him up. Maybe..._ She brightened a bit. _Yes, he is a boy, after all. He'll appreciate it._ *** "Well," Nabiki said to the family, as they were assembled at the dinner table, "I've found out where Ranma is." They all looked up at her. "It seems he's staying at his mother's house." Genma shuddered. "His life." "There's some new girl with him, too." Except for Akane, they stared at her in shock. Soun clutched his old friend in his arms. "Saotome!" he cried, "We should never have broken the engagement!" Tears ran down his cheeks. *** "Nabiki?" "Yes, Akane?" she answered, without looking up from her homework. "How many have you told about the breaking of the engagement?" "Oh, so far, just Ryouga." Inwardly, she smiled. After making Ryouga promise he wouldn't tell anyone else, she'd told him the news at a reduced charge. Now he'd probably dare ask Akane out, and when people saw that, they'd pay really well to find out what was going on... "Do you think you could ... like, not tell anyone else? Please?" Akane looked pleadingly at her sister. "Hmm?" Nabiki looked amusedly at her. "Why not? "Er ..." Akane fidgeted. "Maybe, if the boys find out we're not engaged any more, I'll have to fight them every morning again." She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you liked the fights? Besides, I hadn't even thought of that - I could earn some big money on betting there." In her mind, Nabiki was already calculating the profits. "I'm sorry, sis, but I don't think you can pay me enough to outweigh that." "I'll do you a service. Anything!" Akane was starting to look rather desperate. "OK, OK." Nabiki sighed. "But I'm just doing it 'cause you're family." "Thanks." Akane left the room. _I'm not going to give up on him, even if he hates me._ She was not the type to give up - otherwise, she'd have stopped cooking long ago. *** Ranma sat beside the bed, worriedly watching over Yuko's sleeping body. When he noticed Akane entering the room, she already stood next to him. "You?" He looked at her, irritation obvious in his eyes. "What're YOU doing here?" "Ranma ..." she said, uncertainly, "I'm sorry..." "Sorry? SORRY?" His temper was falling quickly. "You stupid tomboy! It's a miracle she even SURVIVED!" "But..." The apologetic look in Akane's eyes was starting to fade away. "Why are you so damned violent? Some nerve, showing up here after what you did!" "RANMA NO BAKA!" With a crash, the mallet sent Ranma to the floor, and she stormed out of the room, furious. *** Akane sighed, staring emptily at the roof. He was right, of course. _But still ... he didn't have to be so blunt about it._ *** Ranma clutched his head in his hands. _So stupid,_ he thought. _Why? Why did I *have* to start insulting her again?_ He sighed. _I could've said that a lot better._ *** Akane looked tiredly at the concrete. Without Ranma on the fence beside her, the road to school somehow seemed so ... empty. From the distance, a blue spot was quickly approaching. "Ni..." Shampoo shouted, but let it die out when she noticed something was amiss. She looked suspiciously at Akane. "Violent girl? Where you hide Ranma?" Akane smiled inwardly. "Oh, he and his father left on a new training trip." "Training trip?" Shampoo eyed her uncertainly. "When they come back?" Akane shrugged. Keeping the smile from her lips was a struggle. "For all I know, they might be gone for another ten years." The chinese girl stormed off hurriedly, muttering something about following... *** Ranma looked at Akane, sitting at the desk in front of his. His eyes were fixed on her short, black hair, and his mind pondered what lay beyond. He wondered what she was thinking of, what was going on in her mind, what she really thought of him. Would he ever be able to understand? Did he want to? *** Feeling observed, Akane turned around, immediately staring straight into Ranma's eyes. At first, she was about to get irritated, shout at him, ask why he was staring at her, but she stopped herself, bending her lips into a soft smile, and turned back to face the front of the class again. *** When she turned around, Ranma's heart flew into his mouth, and he started moving his hands towards his face, already feeling the pain he was about to recieve. It never came, and he just kept staring, his jaw hanging dangerously low. She ... smiled? No, he'd never be able to understand. *** As they exited the classroom, Akane approached him, smiling uncertainly. He returned the smile. "Akane, the other day, I'm sorry I shouted at ya." It was obvious in his eyes and voice that he really meant it. "You were apologizing, and I..." "It ... it's OK. I deserved it." Her softly spoken response startled him. "Look, Ranma," she fidgeted, "Would you like to come over for dinner today? I mean ... the others, they haven't seen you in a while, and ..." _Just as long as you're not cooking._ Luckily, that was just a thought, and he nodded. "Sure." *** Everybody was silent as Kasumi put the food on the table. The air was tense, and no-one was quite sure what to say, if anything. Throughout the meal, the fathers kept looking expectantly at the pair, but not even they dared speak, afraid to ruin everything. Genma's hand crept slowly towards his son's plate. If the boy noticed, he didn't reveal it. Closer... Closer... Then, the hand grabbed some of the food, bringing it to its master's mouth, almost too fast for the eye to follow. Ranma still didn't acknowledge having noticed it. He just kept looking at his food, eating in a normal - for him, snail-like - pace. _Mustn't..._ he thought, hands itching to retaliate. _Mustn't make a mess, or start a brawl._ They stared at him, stunned and surprised, like he was an alien. In fact, something as ordinary as an alien probably wouldn't be considered too big a deal, but Ranma letting someone steal his food? Only Akane kept her mask, a slight smile creeping almost unnoticeably to her lips. A slight smile, but one that, to Ranma, made up for the loss more than well. *** "Akane ..." Ranma's voice trembled as they stood outside the house. "Tomorrow ... would you like to go to the movies? With me?" "I'd love to!" Akane smiled. "But what about ..." "What about what?" He gave her an uncertain look. "That girl..." Her smile faltered. "Yuko? Ano..." Not wanting to reveal the truth, Ranma's brain worked feverishly. "She's just ... a cousin. Yeah! Mom wanted me to keep her company, so she wouldn't get bored!" She could tell he was lying but decided not to push it, at least not yet. "Oh." She threw her arms around him. Just a short, soft hug, but it was more than enough. "Well..." Ranma scratched the back of his head nervously, blushing slightly as he walked off. "See ya tomorrow, then!" Silently, a pair of old men cheered. *** As darkness descended, Ranma lay on his futon, smiling at the ceiling. That was ... unexpected, to say the least. Normally she wouldn't have spoken to him for a week, perhaps more, after he lectured her like that. _Not gonna complain,_ he thought. Someone approached, soft footsteps traversing the dark room. A figure. _Akane,_ was the first thought that came to Ranma's confused mind, but of course, it wasn't. Yuko, dressed only in her nightgown, knelt down beside the futon. As she leaned towards him wordlessly, Ranma backed away, soon touching the wall behind him. When her fingertips touched his chest lightly, he tried to shrink further, tried to avoid her touch. "Please," he whimpered, "please don't." He shivered, his voice sounding somehow very pathetic. "Please stop. Please." Still not speaking, still with an expressionless face, Yuko rose again, leaving the room as silently as she came. Ranma remained sitting with his back against the wall for a long time. _Why?_ he asked. _Why her too?_ *** Reaching to turn the TV on, Nabiki felt something was amiss. The video. Still running. Sighing, she turned it off, muttering something about sloppy family and electricity bills. *** As Yuko returned to her room, suddenly, something felt ... wrong. She felt weak. _Someone must've turned of the video,_ she thought. Her power was draining. She wouldn't last for long without the renewal of power. A day. Perhaps somewhat more. She could go to the Tendos and turn it back on, or, perhaps better, ask Ranma to do it, but ... was it really worth the bother? *** Atop the fence, Ranma outwardly seemed as carefree as ever, but Yuko, looking up at him from below, doubted that such was the case. He had been avoiding her all morning, not speaking of what had happened the evening before. She was supposed to be perfect. Young, beautiful, innocent yet charming. But ... he had seemed almost scared of her. She appeared because he was in desperate need of some cheering up. Had she suceeded? All her attempts had just made things worse, made his life more miserable. Was she a total failure? Yuko sighed. "Ranma?" "Y ... yes?" His voice was still trembling. She quickened her pace and walked a few steps ahead of him, turning around so she could look into his eyes. "Ranma, can we go out together this evening?" He stopped. "I ... I dunno..." She looked at him, eyes large and pleading, watering slightly. "Er ..." "Please?" Her voice was low, almost unhearable. Even Ranma had some weaknesses, among them girls on the verge of crying. "Y-yes, sure, of course." "Thanks." She wiped her eyes and they continued towards school. *** Ukyou forced herself to look at the photo. A handsome mid-teen boy, his black hair tied into a pig-tail, smiled charmingly at her. When he said he just came for the food, she had finally seen the truth, seen through the lie she had been living for too long. In a swift motion, she violently tore the photo apart, to match her broken heart. *** That day, after school, Ranma hesitated again. He'd asked Akane out, and she had accepted. As he walked home that evening, he had already been looking forward to it. He had to go. Akane ... she would hate him - really - and she would have all reason to do so. And yet ... Yuko ... she had seemed so desperate, almost like her life depended on it. He hated no-win-scenarios. *** Yuko stood at the top of the hill, leaning against a tree, looking at the stars, and at the city. She looked so ... pale. Like she really was dying. "So ... you came." It was just a whisper. She sank to her knees, no longer able to support herself. Ranma increased the pace of his steps, catching her before she fell to the ground. "Yuko," he said, concerned, "what's wrong?" "I'm ... so sorry..." Deep regret was in her voice. "So sorry I failed, messed everything up." She slowly faded away, leaving Ranma sitting alone, holding thin air. "No..." he whispered. "NOOOOO!" A helpless cry. Everything so wrong. *** Akane sat outside the house, cold and lonely, sobbing quietly into her arms. Sad and angry. He asked her out ... raising her hopes, making her so happy ... and then, he just didn't come. Why? Why? *** Nabiki looked at the tape cover, and corresponding tape, that she'd found by the video. Only Ranma could be responsible, and forgetting to turn the equipment off was just like him. He was lucky she was the first to find it, not Akane. It was surprising, though. Sure, Ranma was a boy alright, but she'd never thought he was interested in idol videos, and she had no idea how he'd actually managed to find the girl - yet. At any rate, it was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss. *** The reason for his move now gone, Ranma returned to the Tendo house the next morning, surprising Akane as he entered the living room. She turned to look at him, staring intensely. "Ranma," she said accusingly, "yesterday ... you never came." All he could do was to nod. "Why?" "I..." He had no excuse, and telling the truth would only make things worse. "I..." He didn't get any further with the second attempt, just kept stammering insecurely. Not even an apology... "I *hate* you, Ranma!" She ran to her room, trying to hide her tears. He sunk into the nearest armchair, cursing his stupidity. "RANMA!" Shocked, he jumped, as Soun's enourmous head, face twisted with fury, peeked into the room. "YOU BROKE MY DAUGHTER'S HEART! HOW DARE YOU COME BACK HERE?" "Muh ... mister Tendo!" He fought desperately to take control of himself. "I'm sorry..." "Sorry?" Soun deflated slightly, but was still angry. "I'm sorry..." Ranma repeated. "I'll do anything to make it up," he said sincerely. "Anything." "Oh." The Tendo father returned to his normal state, crying over his poor daughter. *** Ranma startled as Nabiki entered his room without knocked, wordlessly holding up the tape cover. He sweated, swallowing heavily. "Ranma..." He nodded, scratching the back of his head worriedly. Nabiki was clever - there was no way she could *not* make the connection. "I hear those idol girls earn pretty well. I won't tell anyway, but you better introduce me to your ... 'cousin'." Ranma responded the only way he could - his face hit the floor with a heavy "thud". *** To his surprise, he somehow managed to find the video store again, despite having no idea how he got there in the first place. "Back already?" The old man seemed surprised to see him, and Ranma nodded as he placed the tape on the counter, turning to walk away. The man took hold of his hand. "Something wrong?" "What? Uh, no..." "Didn't you like it? Would you like to try another one instead?" "No thanks, it's fine." As Ranma left the store, the proprietor eyed him worriedly. Yuko had a playing time of a month, if he remembered correctly, and the boy definitely didn't look like he'd been cheered up - rather the opposite. *** "Master?" Yuko looked surprised at him as she flickered to life again. "Yes, Yuko. I'm worried because you're back so soon. Did something go wrong?" "I ... suppose so." She wasn't sure what. She'd tried her best ... hadn't she? "Well, you're running on my personal video now, so there shouldn't be any interruptions. Do you want another try?" Did she? "Master, am I faulty?" Last time, it seemed like she'd only made things worse. "No, no, Yuko, what makes you think that? I checked before playing you, and I couldn't find anything wrong." "Oh." Maybe it was just bad luck. Maybe it wasn't ... but ... "I suppose it's worth a try." *** "Well," Genma said, "you must be wondering why we wanted to speak to you." Ranma and Akane both nodded. "We changed our minds." "Changed ... your minds?" Ranma gave the fathers a suspicious glance. "Yes," Soun said, "from today, you two are once again engaged." The two old friends shook each other's hands enthusiastically. It took a while for the news to sink in. "What?" Akane was the first to break the silence. "Are you crazy? No way! I refuse! I'm not going to marry that stupid, perverted baka, ever! I hate him!" Ranma still didn't say anything. By the time she'd finished shouting, the fathers had already left the room. She glared at Ranma angrily. "What about you? I suppose you like this? Maybe you want me to chase you and glomp you like everyone else does, huh? Is that it?" He shook his head. A short "no" was his only answer. "So, you're saying I'm not good enough for you? *BAKA*!" Pretty worked up by now, she sent him sailing through the roof with a fierce uppercut. "Say, sis." Nabiki had been watching half-interestedly, eating an apple. "What answer did you want, anyway?" Akane lowered her head in shame as her older sister walked out of the room, leaving her to think about it. *** "I'm sorry! Sorry!" Akane rushed towards Ranma as the red-headed girl entered the house, shaking the water out of her hair and clothes. "Ah, it's nothing really." _Her mood-swings are even worse than usual. Better be careful._ "Peace?" "Oh ... sure, peace!" Akane accepted the outstretched hand. "Well ..." _Dare I remind her?_ After some pondering, he decided that he did. "I'm sorry about yesterday, but ... maybe we could go now instead, if you want?" They did have school again tomorrow, but it wasn't really all that late yet. "OK." She was still mad about that, but at least he was trying to make up for it now. *** Yuko spotted them leaving the cinema, both seemingly happy. Her hand slid slowly into his as they walked off, and his smile widened slightly, a content, lucky look on his face. *** She looked at the running video which was keeping her alive. The master was asleep by now. He'd said nothing was wrong with her, but he must've been mistaken. It was so obvious. Everything was her fault. As soon as she was gone, he was happy again. Didn't that mean she was a total failure? Maybe, in a way, she had succeeded now. Fast and hard, she brought her fist down on the video, breaking both it and the tape it was playing. *** AUTHOR'S NOTES -------------- Find my fics at "http://nabiki.newberry.edu/fanfic/". All forms of C&C, comments, reactions - heck, even flames - are more than welcome, and can be mailed to "thark@hem2.passagen.se". This fic would probably have looked differently were it not for Megane 6.7, A.J. Woo, Thomas "Job" Schmidth (sorry if I misspelled that) and Gary Kleppe, and big thanks go to all who've commented on it, if only to encourage me to continue. As always, my heartfelt respect to Takahashi Rumiko and Mazakazu Katsura, may I burn in hell if I misspelled either name.