Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Leave Me ❯ For Fear of Mallet ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi, Viz and Kitty own Ranma.


A/N: Isn't there always time for a good fic? Well, here's a Ranma fic, that I do hope you find good, set right after the wedding fiasco. If you want to email me you can whenever you like! Please, be patient if the spacing is messed; I am completely confused by it. Thanks for reading!

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"We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together."

-La Bruyere

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Akane had run inside after it happened. She couldn't say she wasn't expecting this, it was Ranma. What could she expect to be normal about him? Not even a wedding with him could stay sane.

Akane stared out her window and lazily watched all the people helping clean up. It had started to drizzle rain an hour before, but diminished to just a few sputters now and then; like a big hose had just been shut off, and that little bit of water still begged to come out.

Ranma wasn't out there; he must have been eating at Ucchan's. He had forgiven Ukyo in a matter of minutes. Akane lay on her back, head on her pillow and looked at the blank ceiling. It had no color.

Akane shot up, and thought to herself, as she scanned her abode, 'You know, not a room in this house has a paint job.'

Kasumi would have a pink room, Nabiki's blue. Akane tried to decide what her room would be. She chose the others' rooms because they suited their character traits. Kasumi had a pretty, soft color while Nabiki had a business like blue with no real compassion, not to mention the trait of ice being known as blue. Akane wondered about the others and easily assigned each a color. What color could she be? Yellow? No, too pretty. Black? Way too dark! Nothing fit her she needed a blend. Akane laughed to herself; she had just daydreamed about paint. She was such a dummy.

Akane got up and walked to the door. As she did someone's voice caught her ear. Slowly she knelt down on all fours and slightly opened her door, just enough to clearly decipher the heated discussion. The carpet rubbed against her bare legs and she had to grab a blanket from her bed, and wrap it around herself. She didn't mind the floor, but it had been getting colder in her room, for some unknown reason. Akane set herself back to the eavesdropping task at hand. It could be Ranma. Of course, it could also be one of his fiancées. She listened intently at the conversation that had started all the more wondering of whom the mysterious voice belonged.

"Ranma, you know you're going to tell her sometime."

"No Nabiki."

"She's hurting you know, she wants you in there with her."

"It doesn't matter. It's my fault and I'm gonna fix it."

"So what, you're going to leave her, and never come back? You know you couldn't do that if you tried! You try to act like you don't care but really, both of you need a real dose of reality, and I'm the lucky person that gets to fill you in. There's only so far a rubber band can go before it snaps. If this is how you guys show you like each other, then how do you think marriage is going to be? Both of you need to grow up; you have to find yourself before finding somebody to share that self with."

"You're right."

Akane could feel the somber tone take over. She grew immensely angry, clutching her fists in tight balls whilst wrapping the blanket around her, at Ranma's insolence. He didn't even stand up for himself! That was not normal Ranma logic; he would usually say something dumb or slam some object. Nabiki was calling her a bad match for marriage! Nabiki didn't know what she was talking about, the one time Ranma was engaged to Nabiki she almost sold him to the others. Akane clenched harder and could feel the color drain out of the tips of her knuckles and was about to whip her door open when Ranma spoke again.

"Bye Nabiki. Listen, don't tell the others but I need to get away. I'll give you all the money I've got on me just please, c'mon."

Akane heard Ranma rustling through his pockets and a few bills fell to the floor next to Akane's door. He bent down to pick them up and Akane's heart skipped a beat. He stopped and looked down at the bottom of the door. Akane leapt onto her bed in one quiet movement and slowly hid herself under the blanket that had surrounded her before just in time to miss Ranma's glare. He got up and said something to Nabiki. She whispered something harshly about joking, but she was silenced almost, Akane wagered, half way through what she had planned to say. She heard the two depart and Nabiki's door shut quietly with the quick click of the lock; like the sound of a briefcase closing after a finished case.

She also heard something in the kitchen. If Ranma thought he was going to just leave her and let her clean up this mess he was in for a big surprise!

Akane slowly opened her door and crept downstairs. The floor was like ice on her sock deprived feet. Halfway there she stopped to take a few moments checking her self in the mirror. She had been crying all night and there was a long streak of mascara running down each side of her face. She took a towel and rubbed her face until it went red. She tried to cool down her face, by placing a cold hand on each side, until she decided her face had gone down to a gleeful rose. She put down the towel and walked slowly downstairs deciding to give Ranma a piece of her mind and mallet. She smiled as she stepped down on the equally cool floor of the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty and the fridge half bare. Akane's stomach turned, crazy thoughts raced through her head. She went through the conversation she had heard earlier that night and stopped dead in her tracks. He was gone. Akane ran to the front door and felt the locked knob run beneath her fingers. She again ran to the back and as she pushed the sliding door open easily she fell to her knees. It had been left slightly open and there was a note left wedged between the door and its frame.

Dear Mr. Tendo, Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane,and Pop,

Sorry to leave the door open like this but I couldn't lock it. I had to leave. It was the only way. Everybody that I come by is hurt and I don't want that any more.

It was my choice, so don't try to blame anybody else. I'm going to find my cure. That'll last me a couple of years I hope. After that I'll just play it by ear. Mr. Tendo, don't get mad at Pop, he had nothing to do with this. Akane, could you take this and read this part by yourself.

Listen, it never could have worked. We'd have fought everyday. I just want you to know that whatever hate or pain you've got for me leaving you like this, it'll go away. Besides, if I did come back I'd get malleted to death anyway and then there'd be no point, right?

Yours,

Ranma Saotome

Akane let the piece of paper flutter out of her hands and float into the house. She sat in the door frame and felt the chill of the ceasing night seep into her veins and wondered what was going on. This morning she was going to marry Ranma, see him every morning but now she'd never see him again.

"What's going on here?" Soun inquired as the rest of the inhabitants of the dojo ran down the stairs in unison to see what was happening.

Soun picked up the note and read it stopping at the point requested and ripping that part off in a single motion, handing it to Akane; she nodded, and took it slowly. Genma grabbed the note in Soun's hand, read it quickly, paused for a second, and turned to look at Soun. As they both walked into the next room and started to argue, Nabiki sauntered over to Akane and put her hand on Akane's shoulder for a moment, quickly withdrawing as Kasumi came into the room. Nabiki swiped the note, without Genma noticing as his argument became more aggressive.

"Oh," was all that escaped Nabiki's parched lips; she stepped back and stared questionably at the note. She shook her head and looked up with a stern business face on, "luckily, I invested in stocks. One profit gone; another gained." She stepped away from Akane who lay broken in Kasumi's arms being comforted.

Kasumi stared mindlessly at the floor, whispering, "Oh my," and, "this can't be."

Akane was still in the same stunned state when she woke up the next day, aware that the night before was nothing more than a dream. She walked to the guestroom, and peered into see it bare. She screamed and fell to the floor as realization hit her that he was gone.

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Four Years Later

"Akane, have you seen that fool of a Go player lately? He hasn't stopped by to have our rematch. I caught him cheating last game as he caught me uh . . . making the game fair so we decided upon a rematch but he wasn't here yesterday," Soun asked whilst clapping his hands together and grinning, "He's probably afraid of a good match."

"I haven't seen Mr. Saotome in a couple of day's dad; maybe he went on a training trip. By the way, I just want to let you know I aced my last test," Akane told him as she smiled and turned to look at her father. She had grown to be five foot six and a half. Her hair, now layered and shoulder length with a few streaks of deep blue in the sea of black, was bouncing joyously off her shoulders. She walked over to the kitchen table and turned on the T.V. to channel 15.

Soun rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest, "Akane, you are almost 22 and you still insist on watching cartoons! Look at Kasumi; she has a husband now and three children, and what do you have?"

Akane laughed, explaining quite nicely, "Saturday morning cartoons. Besides Dad, the husband she's got would ring the neck of a patient if Kasumi came within ten feet of him at work. You'd think Dr. Tofu would calm down after Kasumi and he married."

She knew she was just using his slight habit, which had gone done immensely since they married, but she had to use something against her father's offenses.

Akane dug into the bowl of ice cream in front of her. She had the day off work, and she would enjoy it. Her homework was done, and all she had to do was write a stupid paper that had to be two thousand words or more. All simple, and easy; end of the year stuff.

"Have you done your homework Akane?" Soun looked sternly at his daughter and asked. She didn't live with him but sometimes he wondered. She was at the dojo almost every day she had off, training and watching T.V. She had to learn to fend for herself but she just wasn't ready for it yet.

She had had a few boyfriends, but none that really meant anything. Akane was quite nice and made a lot of new friends, but when it came to setting Akane up on a date, her friends had learned to . . . not.

Every time they tried, the guy would seem totally interested, but Akane would point out something like the wrong color hair, or the wrong smile. Everyone knew she was just trying to make excuses for herself. Then one day she met a guy named Suru; he listened, laughed, and loved her. She was in a steady relationship with him now, and her life was starting to click.

"Yep, except for this one quick assignment on my view on fate. Easy, fate isn't true. It only happens to people who think it happened, when actually, they just met. Don't worry Dad, I'll finish it later. Right now, I've gotta get dressed, Suru's picking me up real soon; we're going to the movies," Akane got up and started to walk to her room, when Soun took her arm and looked at her in the eyes.

"Do you love this man?" Soun asked, penetrating her defenses, and shields with his eyes.

"Dad, we're going slowly! Don't try to get me married today, okay?" Akane smiled and laughed.

Soun bowed slightly and walked down the stairs. Akane walked into her room and changed, smirking all the while.

"...and not tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that!" She yelled, making sure he heard over the muffle of the door.

She heard a low sigh and smiled; parents!

"AKANE! COME QUICK!"

Akane's head perked up and she ran downstairs. She had quickly changed and was wearing a red tank top with a short jean skirt that reached an inch, or two, above her knees, paired with black leather boots that made her look two inches taller.

"What's wrong now, dad?" She asked, as she noticed his awestruck face.

"Nodoka just phoned."

"And?" Akane looked at herself as she dolled out her response.

Her dad was always jumping to conclusions about everything. Akane grabbed her leather jacket, swung it around her left shoulder, and then her right, pulling on the ends to straighten it out.

"Genma's missing."

"Shit."

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A/N: Please review or I'll forget to write the next chapter! Next chapter up soon!