Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Truth ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Revision Note: this happens in the anime continuity, around the end of the third season.

Love's Truth
Chapter 1

By Exar

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First off, I want to thank my wonderful pre-readers; Bert Miller, Ian Werkheiser and
Gunknight! Thanks guys! This fic would be in sad shape without your help!

Secondly, if anyone else out ther is interested in pre-reading for me, drop me a line. I'm
always looking for more people to subject to my writing. If you're interested, the addy
is exarkun@olypen.com

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Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz. In no
way is this a claim to these characters. I make no money from this.
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"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!?!?"

Ryoga Hibiki was lost. As is his habit, he cried out to the heavens from
time to time, in the hopes of getting an answer. This time he did.

"You in back alley behind Cat Cafe, stupid pig boy."

"Shampoo? Then that means... I'm back in Tokyo!! Shampoo!
Which way to the Tendo Dojo?"

"Later. First, important talking."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up, come in. Shampoo explain."

________________


Elsewhere, a familiar couple made their way home from school.

"I can't believe you wouldn't even try the cake I made for you. I
worked hard on that!"

"Sorry, Akane, I just couldn't bear to destroy that perfect a
frizbee."

"So that's why you gave it to Daisuke! To use as a discus?!"

"Yeah, he's on the track team, and that heavy of a discus will
really help him practice."

"Rannnmmmaaa..."

"YOU JERK!!!"

*PUNT*

_________________


"You want me to do what?"

"Ask violent girl out on date. Today."

"B-b-b-ut I don't know, d-d-dating? That's a big step, I mean,
you know..." Ryoga trailed off lamely as he twisted his hands
in angst.

"Shampoo help you with special technique."

"What technique?"

Shampoo takes out a scroll that is dusty, and apparently quite old.

"Get scroll from Great-Grandmother. It talk about shiatsu Casanova
Point. After press, Ryoga can ask any girl out."

"Thank you, Shampoo! How can I repay you?"

"Just ask out Akane. While you date her, Shampoo have Ranma
to own self."

"Done!"

Shampoo opened the scroll, frowned at it for a moment, the reached out
and poked Ryoga's throat.

He immediatly began to choke and thrash about on the floor.

"Aiyah! That wrong spot!"

She quickly pressed the point again, relieving Ryoga's sudden problem.

"Maybe- *GASP* -you should study it some more, first."

"No, Shampoo see where she go wrong. This right spot."

Shampoo again poked Ryoga's neck, a little to the right of her last target.

"Did it work?"

Shampoo stared at Ryoga. His voice had dropped half an octave, and his
nervous smile had somehow shifted into Ranma's trademark smirk.

"Shampoo think so."

"Great! Akane, here I come!"

Ryoga leapt to his feet and ran out the door, laughing in what was supposed
to be a maniacal fashion, but somehow, still managed to be sexy.

A moment later, he walked out of the bathroom with a sheepish, but cute
look on his face.

"Could you point me to the way out?"

"Shampoo do better than that. She go visit Ranma now. You follow, yes?"

_________________


*WHAM*

"Geez, she didn't have to hit me so hard. Oh, well, I got home
faster. I wonder if Kasumi has anything to eat."

Ranma peeled himself out of the new Ranma-shaped depression in the
roof, and jumped down into the Tendo's yard. Unfortunately, he landed
on a large beach ball, bouncing directly into the koi pond.

Heaving a sigh and muttering something about fate and pandas, he
pulled himself out.

"I swear that fish has better reflexes than me. Hey, Kasumi?
Are you home?"

"Yes, Ranma. I'm in the kitchen. Where's Akane?"

"She's still on her way home."

"Oh. Well, I guess that explains the splash. What happened?"

Kasumi went to the stove and got the kettle that she always
heated up at this time of day, and poured some of it over
Ranma.

"She baked a cake for me in Home Ec. today. It was inedible
as usual, but it was perfectly balanced and made a great
frizbee. I ended up giving it to Daisuke for him to practice
with."

"Oh. Is he on the track team?"

"Yeah. I figured that a discus as heavy as that would be great
for him train on."

"That was very kind of you, Ranma. But you did it in front of
Akane, right?"

"Right."

"If you ever want to get along with her, you really need to
learn to think before you act."

"I know, but it's so hard. I've never had to think before I did anything
before. It's really tough to have to start now."

"That's not true. You have to think before you act in a fight."

"No I don't. If I did, I wouldn't win."

"What do you mean?"

"In a fight, if I took the time t'think about what I was doin', I'd
have already lost the fight. If I need to think, I use the Saotome secret
technique."

"Oh. But this isn't martial arts, it's life."

"Martial arts IS my life, Kasumi, I'm not smart like you or
nothin'. All I got goin' for me is my Art."

"Don't say that Ranma, you're very smart. And if you wanted
to, you could do lots of things besides martial arts."

"If you say so, Kasumi."

"I do say so. So why don't you use the secret technique with Akane?"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Why don't you get away from her and think before you react to her?"

"Get serious. I can't run from a girl. Besides, she'd just chase me."

"Then why can't you just talk to her?"

"You mean besides the times she hits me before I can say anything?
I dunno. I just can't talk to girls."

"You're talking to me just fine."

"But you're you!"

Ranma seemed to realize that this was not the most intelligible answer, so
he tried again.

"I mean, you don't wanna marry me, or kill me, or somethin'. I can trust you."

"And you don't trust Akane?"

"Well, sorta, I guess. She sure doesn't trust me, tho!"

"Ranma, she just doesn't know how to express her feelings,
she really does like you a lot."

"I'd like to think so, but she almost never acts like it. I don't mind her,
much, but she really doesn't make it easy for me."

"Oh."

A thoughtful silence decends upon the Tendo kitchen for a time.
Finally, Ranma speaks up.

"Kasumi, um, thanks."

"Whatever for?"

"Listenin' to me an' being my friend. I think you're the only real
friend I've got."

"Don't say that. You have friends, what about Ryoga, and Ukyo?"

"Ryoga? I'd like to be his friend, but he blames everythin' that
ever went wrong in his life on me, even when I had nothin' to do
with it. Ukyo, hell, I still can't deal with her bein' a girl! 'Sides, she's
after me as much as Shampoo."

"I'm sorry, Ranma, I didn't know. I didn't realize that someone
with four fiancès could be lonely."

"Funny, ain't it?"

"No."

"Thanks, Kasumi."

"You're welcome, Ranma. Well, I've got to get dinner started. Why
don't you see if Akane is home yet?"

"Sure."

_____________________

*Knock, Knock*

"Akane?"

"Go away, Ranma, I don't want to see you now."

"Akane, it's Ryoga."

"Oh, sorry I yelled at you. Come in."

Ryoga sauntered in the doorway, seeming to strut standing still. Akane
stared as he flashed a million-dollar smile and sat down on the bed
next to her.

"Akane, I need to ask you something."

"What's that?"

He grasped her hand gently, while looking directly into her eyes.

"Will you go to dinner with me tonight?"

"What?"

_______________________


R anma walked up the stairs with a thoughtful expression on his
face. Akane's shoes had been at the door, and she wasn't in the
dojo, so she must be up in her room. As he walked to her door,
he heard voices inside.

"What?"

"I said, 'Will you go to dinner with me tonight?'"

"S-sure, Ryoga. That sounds fun."

"Great! I've got reservations at a nice place downtown."

"That sounds good to me. What should I wear?"

"Oh, dress casual."

Ranma's danger sense went off as someone leaped at him from behind. He
twisted quickly throwing up his hands to guard himself- and found himself with
two handfuls of Shampoo's bosom. She giggled and threw her arms around him.

"Airen, you so forward!"

Unfortunately, her glomp hit him off-balance, and carried them both into the
door, pushing it open and spilling them onto Akane's floor.

_______________________


Akane's mind was in a whirl. Ryoga liked her? He was asking her out?
Was THAT why Ranma picked on him all the time? Or was poor Ryoga
being used by one of the fiancees again? Only one way to find out.

"S-sure, Ryoga. That sounds fun."

At the least, she could have a good time with someone who could admit to liking her.

"Great! I've got reservations at a nice place downtown."

"That sounds good to me. What should I wear?"

Besides, maybe Ranma will get jealous! This is a win-win situation, she thought.

Then the door to her room swung open, and Ranma and Shampoo rolled in
through the passage. She was hugging him tightly, and his hands...

"RANMA!! How dare you do that with Shampoo! And in my room,
no less. You pervert!!"

Akane reached behind her and pulled out a bucket of cold water,
which she promptly threw at Ranma and Shampoo. Suddenly, a female
Ranma was on the floor, attempting to get the cat off of her
shoulder.

"Shampoo, get off of him! Ranma, HOW COULD YOU!?! Get out
of my room!! I can't belive you would do this! Our engagment is
off, you JERK!"

With a mighty yell, she kicked Ranma out the door, causing him to
ricochet down the hall with Shampoo hanging on for dear life.

"Ryoga, I'm sorry. I can't believe that jerk would do that to me. Let's
go now, before he can bother us again, okay?"

"As you wish," he said. He then opened the door and held it for her,
sending a sauve smile her way.

"After you, Akane."

As they walked into the hall, moving towards the stairs, they heard a
haunting sound behind them.

"MMMRRROOWWWWrrrr..."

"Ranma, NO!," Akane shouted as Ranma leapt past her, tearing into
Ryoga. The lost boy's clothes were shredded instantly, and the only thing
that saved him from a similar fate was his incredible toughness from the
Breaking Point training. As it was, he was beaten into a pulp. Mercifully,
he wasn't awake for most of it.

Ranma, having finished with Ryoga, happily bounded over to Akane
and began to rub against her leg and purr loudly.

"Ranma! How could you?!?"

She screamed in frustration and kicked him savagely. The blow hit the
unsuspecting Ranma dead on, and launched him across the hall and down
the staircase.

Ranma slunk back up the stairs and bumped up against her leg, with his head lowered.

"RANMA, you pervert! Get away from me NOW!!"

She then slammed him through the railing next to the stairwell, raining splinters
everywhere and sending Ranma sprawling on the floor below.

"And leave me alone, you jerk! I never want to see you again!"

Something deep inside cat-Ranma understood her words, and he felt a pain like
none before.

Ranma stood up, brushed himself off, and said, "Fine, Akane. I see how it is."

Then he walked out the door and leapt upwards, disappearing into the night.

"How did he?.." Akane stammered as she stared at the empty doorway.

______________________


Soun Tendo peeked around a corner. Seeing nothing threatening, he walked
slowly into the hallway and up the stairs

Before him lay a strange sight.

The Hibiki boy, laying on the floor, naked and bleeding.

Akane, sitting on the floor, crying softly.

A small camp stove, with a kettle on it, in the middle of the floor.

And finally, Shampoo, struggling into her too-tight pants.

He went to Akane and asked her what was wrong. Her only response was
to sniffle and say "He's gone.". He quickly picked her up, carried her into her
room, and gently laid her on the bed. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over
Ryoga's form, then turned and looked at Shampoo, preparing to unleash the
dreaded Demon Head attack.

But she was already long gone.

______________________


Ranma sat on the roof.

Normally, this was something he enjoyed doing. He often came up here to look
at the stars, to daydream, or just to get a little peace.

Tonight, he was doing none of the above.

What he was doing was crying. He'd just had his heart broken, after all.
He was alone, and glad of it, because, in his current mood, he would probably
have killed any witnesses to this show of emotion.

______________________


Nabiki was relaxing in her room, reading a manga. It was a romantic comedy,
one of her favorites. Out of habit, she glanced at her stereo/surveillance
system. Currently, two of the meters were jiggling, showing that there was
noise in the dining room, and on the roof.

<The roof?..>

Realizing who the most likely person to be making noise on the roof was,
she put on her headphones and turned that channel up. Maybe she would hear
something that would let her figure out what Akane and Ranma's fight was
about today. It had seemed a little more vicous than normal.

To say that she was surprised by what she heard would be an understatement.

"He's... crying? I've never heard him cry. EVER. This is big. I gotta
talk to Akane."

If Akane had done something that would chase Ranma away, it could
cost Nabiki a lot of money.

At least that's what she told herself.

______________________


"Akane? Are you in there?"

"Go'way."

"Akane, what happened? Ranma is really upset. He's crying on the roof."

Akane sat up in bed, where she had been laying and feeling sorry
for herself. He was crying? He never cried.

"So? It's not my fault."

"Akane, don't you think you ought to talk to him? I think you hurt him bad."

"I don't care! That pervert had it coming!"

<Hmph. I'll let him stew overnight, then talk to him tomorrow. He'll
be so glad to see me by then, I won't have to apologize. Not that I
really need to.>

"I think you're making a mistake here, Akane, but he's your fiance.
Good night."

______________________


"Airen?"

"Sh ampoo, *snif* please. Not now."

Denying her attempt at a hug, Ranma turned his back to Shampoo. Her inability to
see his tears was only a convenient side effect.

"No! Shampoo take Airen on date. Make him feel better."

"Shampoo, that would make you feel better, not me."

Shampoo's eyes widened, hearing a touch of bitterness in Ranma's voice.

"All right. But Shampoo stay here. Be with Airen in hard time."

"Shampoo, please. I just wanna be alone. I'll take you to a movie or
somethin' later, but not right now."

"Shampoo hold you to promise. Wo ai ni."

With that, she bounded off into the sunset.

______________________


Nabiki had a hard time getting back into her manga after talking to Akane.
She kept glancing over at her stereo. She began to wonder how many tears
the boy had in him.

After half an hour of this, she got up and walked downstairs. She found
her sister dusting something that, to Nabiki at least, appeared to be perfectly
clean.

"Kasumi, something's wrong."

"Oh? What?"

"Ranma. He's up on the roof, and he's been bawling his eyes out for a
half-hour now. Akane won't go talk to him, and I'm- well I'm a little
worried about him, but I'm no good at sympathizing and stuff. So.. could
you?", she trailed off, gesturing upward.

"Of course. Just help me get the ladder out."

______________________


Kasumi climbed the ladder quickly, and levered herself the final
distance up onto the roof. She envied Ranma's ability to simply jump
up here.

She slowly walked towards Ranma, taking care not to slip. She stopped
about five feet from him.

"Ranma?"

"Lemmme alone, Ka- *snif* Kasumi. I don't wanna see anyone right now."

"Don't you mean you don't want anyone seeing you cry?"

Ranma's head whipped up in indignation, "I ain't crying! Guys don't
cry, dammit!"

"You're right, Ranma, guys don't cry. Men do. Men aren't afraid of
their own emotions, or what people think of them."

"I- I ain't afraid of nothin'!"

"So are you sure you aren't crying?"

Ranma's shoulders slumped, and when he spoke again, it was in a very
small voice.

"You're right, I'm crying. Happy now?"

"No. Of course not. You're hurting. What happened?"

"Ryoga asked Akane out. I was outside her door when he did. I didn't
mean to eavesdrop, but I was just going to her room to try to make
peace after she got home."

"Did you try to stop him?"

"No. I didn't get a chance. She said yes, then Shampoo came outta
nowhere and tackled me. We ended up on the floor in Akane's room."

"Oh, my. I can see how that would make her mad."

"Yeah, well. She didn't give me a chance to explain, like always,
but instead threw water on us. Then she kicked me out of her room
and down the hall. I couldn't get Shampoo off in time. I guess she
was scared or somethin', and she set her claws and held on."

"And you went into the cat-fist."

"Yeah. Just as Akane and Ryoga walked out of her room. The thing
is- I remember what happened while I was a cat. That's never happened
before!"

"Why did it this time?"

"I can remember tearing into Ryoga, then trying to be nice to Akane.
I was rubbing against her leg, ya know, like a cat, then she kicked
me. I went back up and tryed to make nice and she punched me
and threw through the railing. Then she screamed that she never
wanted to see me again."

"Oh, dear."

"Then I woke up. I just stood up and walked out. I've never come
out of the cat fist like that before, either. I hurt so bad, though.
She hates me. She hates me and I'm tired of it."

"She didn't mean it, she was just upset."

"I can't believe that. She means it. Why else would she say it time
and time again? I -sorta- cared for her. That's why it hurt. But
I've had enough. I can't- won't take that crap anymore. It's not
worth it."

He grew visibly more angry with each statement. The last came out as
a snarl.

"I'm sorry, Ranma. I think Akane would be, too, if her pride would
let her be."

"Her pride is no longer my problem. She broke the engagement again,
but for once I agree. I'm breaking it from my end, too."

"I see. Our fathers aren't going to be happy about that."

"I know. I gotta find a way to satisfy honor."

Silence reigned for a moment as the two chewed over their thoughts.

"If the family honor means I'm gonna be miserable for the rest of my
life, then it can go jump off a pier. I've suffered enough for honor."

"What will you do?"

"I dunno. Probably just leave. Renounce my name, so I don't have to
worry about fiances, or debts, or my mom. I don't wanna marry anyone
who's chasing me now, anyway. Shampoo would have me be her "househusband"
when we got back to the amazon village, Ucchan, hell- I still think of
her as a guy! I'd just as soon marry Ryoga. Kodachi's nuts. Akane- well,
she hates me."

"I see. Those are problems."

"Yeah. Thing is, I wanna see my mom again. I miss her- a lot. But if
I reject my name, I'll never get to be her son."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Hey... Kasumi- I got an idea, but I
need your help."

"What is it?"

"Well, it like this; I'll give honor one last chance. The agreement said a
Tendo daughter. It don't have to be Akane."

"Oh, my. You mean, me?"

"Yeah. We get along, right? Way better than me and Akane, at least. We
just try it out, and if we don't, well- hit it off, I leave, and never come
back."

"What about Nabiki?"

"How'd ya know I was up here tonight? S'okay, you don't gotta answer.
I couldn't live with that. I gotta have some privacy."

"Well, I really don't want to see you abandon your name, Ranma, and of
course I want to keep my family's honor intact. I guess my answer is yes."

"I suppose it would be too much to ask that one of your reasons be
fondness for me, too."

"Don't be silly, Ranma. I wouldn't agree if I didn't at least like you."

"Good. I've had enough of forcing myself on women who hate me."

"So.. financees?", Ranma said, holding out his hand to Kasumi.

"Fiancees," she replied, and took his hand. She softly sat down beside him.

Ranma leaned back carefully and relaxed. After talking things through, he
felt much better, and was able to look at the stars and again appriciate
their beauty. He felt Kasumi lay back beside him, stil holding his hand.

"Do you know where any constellations are, Kasumi?"

"Yes."

She pointed up and showed him fanciful animals and mythic men. They
stayed there and watched the stars until late at night. Kasumi worried
only briefly about her interrupted dusting.

_____________________


Inside, Nabiki had a worried look on her face.

"Akane's not gonna like this..."

_____________________

End Chapter 1


Love's Truth
By Exar

exarkun@olypen.com
Exar's Fanfics & More!
http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/exarkun/