Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Trial By Fire ❯ Chapter 15 - Real Emotion ( Chapter 15 )

Trial By Fire

Section I: Melodies of Life

Chapter 15: Real Emotion

Author: Jial Silverthorn (jial_silverthorn@hotmail.com)

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<....> denotes a thought, not verbally spoken. When it involves Ranma/Ranko/Akane, the other(s) can possibly ‘hear’ it.

[....] denotes a feeling or a short action, usually before speech takes place.

*....* denotes a sound effect

(....) denotes writing

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Letting her mind slowly wake up, Ranko’s thoughts are a blur.

Ranko:          <Did...did that really happen?>

Peeling back the covers, she walks over to her closet and begins looking through her outfits, trying to focus on the events of the previous day.

Ranko:          <Akane, I never knew ya had it in you...>

Akane:          <Of course not, you never asked.>

Ranko’s eyes widen as the familiar voice fills her head. Shaking her head, she draws out a light blue blouse and a black pair of pants.

Akane:          <By the way, you may want ta consider sleeping in a little more than your skin now...although you do look very good like that.>

Blushing, Ranko begins sifting through her underwear, picking out a set of ivory undergarments.

Ranko:          <How I sleep is my concern. Besides, I am much more comfortable that way.>

Akane:          <I noticed...although you seemed pretty content last night.>

Ranko’s blush deepens as she slips on a robe and gathers up her bath supplies. Walking out of her room, she nearly runs into Akane, who is smiling.

Ranko:          <How the hell does she make that smile of hers so cute? ...Hey, where’d that thought come from?>

Akane:          Come on, I know we both need a bath; and to talk.

Nodding weakly, Ranko follows Akane, trying to sort out her feelings. Almost forgetting, Ranko sets out the ‘Occupied’ sign before walking into the changing room. Setting her clothes off to the side, she slides her robe off. Looking up through the door, she turns away as she notices Akane already nude, sitting on a stool, waiting for her.

Akane:          Oh, come on now. That MIGHT have worked a few years ago. We both know that you are not innocent though, Ranko. Besides, you’ve seen me like this before, as I have you, so there is nothing to hide, ok?

Ranko:          <Why the hell am I so shy around her all of a sudden?>

Akane:          You...you don’t remember? Ranma was just like this at first too. You never gave it any thought in the past, so just deal with it the same way he did; do not think about it. The less you think about it, the less it bothers ya.

Sighing, Ranko nods and gathers up her nerves, opening her eyes. Walking over to where Akane is seated, she welcomes the icy water that is poured on her head.

Ranko:          [chattering] Th...thanks.

Akane:          [cheerfully] Any time, are you feeling a little better now?

Slowly nodding her head, Ranko jumps as she feels a gentle hand rest on her shoulder.

Akane:          Relax, I am not going to bite; I just figured that you may want a bit of...help this morning.

Forcing her nerves to calm down, Ranko sits back down on the stool, turning her back to Akane.

Ranko:          [softly] Sorry, I don’t know why I’m...

Akane:          Shush now. What did I say about thinking? Just relax.

Bringing her hands up to Ranko’s shoulders again, Akane lets them rest there for a moment before one reaches over and grabs the soapy washcloth, slowly working it over the redhead’s back. Gently working her soft hands over the soft flesh, Akane finishes her task and slowly rinses off Ranko’s back with some warm water.

Akane:          <Now, unless you want a repeat of last night, I’ll let you handle the rest...after you wash my back.>

Ranko gulps and turns around to face Akane. Looking into her eyes, she chuckles nervously as she notices a familiar fire in Akane’s eyes. Taking the washcloth from Akane, Ranko stands up and walks around to her back, resting on her knees.

Ranko:          Why? Why are you doing this?

Akane:          Many reasons...the least of which is, seeing you happy.

Slowly working her way across Akane’s back, a tear forms in the corner of Ranko’s eye. Blinking, she continues her work, her voice a tiny whisper.

Ranko:          How...how can ya stand ta put up with me? I mean, you know how I feel, and yet...

Akane:          It would not do well for you to question your feelings, aijin.

Dropping the washcloth, Ranko’s face turns red at the statement.

Akane:          <No need to act surprised...after last night, I thought you’d be ok with being called that.>

Picking up another bowl filled with hot water, Ranko rinses off the soap and stands up. Walking back to her stool, she closes her eyes, her mind a blur of emotions and words, as she begins soaping up her body out of habit.

Ranko:          <Ta be honest, I wasn’t sure what ta expect out of you two today...that was one heck of a night.>

Akane:          [giggling] At least you are bein’ more honest now. Keep it that way, and such...drastic measures may not need to be used next time.

Ranko:          Ne...Next...time?

Akane:           [shaking her head] So help me, I am going to get you ta understand this. You are far from alone, and you have many people who care about and love you. Now, quit tryin’ to imitate Ryoga and cheer up, ok?

Ranko:          I’ve known that...I just...

Akane:          And I thought you were supposed ta be the articulate one. Look, you have been letting it eat you up for so long, you are afraid of letting things go. As painful as the past is, that is what you are used to. The problem is, ya need to let it drop. Sure, this is somethin’ that you were not expecting ta happen, but the fact is, you can’t change what has already been done. And if you try ta say that you didn’t enjoy what went on last night, I think I can talk to Nabiki about a certain recording...

Ranko:          [Opening her eyes in a flash of anger] You didn’t!

Akane laughs as she pours some cold water over Ranko, rinsing off the soap. Leaning down, she kisses the stunned redhead on her lips lightly.

Akane:          Now, you should know me better than that. Now, do I have to drag you along, or are you going to come peacefully?

Ranko shakes her head and stands up, walking over to the furo, sliding into the warm water. Looking over, she watches Akane slip in next her and sigh contentedly.

Akane:          Now, ta answer your ealier...question. I do not know what Ranma’s opinion about all this is, but I will have a talk with him. But I imagine he will come to terms with it in time. As it is though, if you ever get that lonely again, I will be there to comfort you in any way that I can, or need to, ok? You do not have ta put up with bein’ alone, you always have been a part of our lives. I am merely extending how much further that goes.

Ranko:          [nodding her head numbly] How...how did you get ta be so calm and accepting about this?

Akane:          Remember, this took a while for me to work out. I’ll admit, I was running out of ideas on how to approach the two of ya with it though. You can both be so oblivious to something staring you in the face. Well, at least your brother was oblivious, you were worse. The few times your feelings slipped, it was perfectly clear what was wrong, but you squelched them so fast, I could never force an answer out of you.

Ranko:          That...that’s the thing though. Shouldn’t I feel that way towards someone else? I mean...

Akane:          I will not try to understand how your feelings came to be; I just know that they did. Now that you have at least admitted them, I leave it to your judgment. But you have to remember, it’s gonna take a lot for anyone to even come close to how ya feel about Ranma. Somewhere along the line, those feelings of love and caring matured, and you thought hiding them was the answer. Instead, that route nearly destroyed a precious bond.

Ranko:          I still...I still dunno what ta say though.

Akane:          How about this; I love Ranma. It took me over a year ta say it, maybe you can work on it too.

Ranko:          [meekly] I...I love Ranma...and I love you Akane.

Akane chuckles and moves around behind Ranko, wrapping her arms around her waist, resting her head on the smaller girl’s shoulder.

Akane:          Now that one, I was not expecting for a while...if ever. And I love you too Ranko. Last night was just the catalyst to change what kinda love it was, nothing more. Now, can you answer a simple question?

Ranko:          Sure, there isn’t much more you can say or do ta catch me off guard any more.

Akane:          We’ll test that another time...Now be honest, what do ya feel about Shinai?

Ranko:          Shinai? I dunno, he’s an ok guy from what little I know of him. I guess he is a friend, if he’ll have me as one. I haven’t been that nice ta him so far.

Akane:          I see. And how many friends do you watch over for three days while they recover from injuries?

Ranko’s voice freezes in her throat as she tries to answer. Eventually, only a few people come to mind and she blushes.

Akane:          Exactly. Most of the time, you’d just stop in and see how they were doing. But with him, you made it more personal...why?

Ranko:          Because I’m partially ta blame for what happened to him.

Akane:          Maybe...but why do you say that? Would you rather he kissed you instead of Ranma?

Ranko:          [blushing] ...I guess. I don’t think I woulda pounded him as hard as bro did. I mean, he is mostly harmless after all. He could have done worse to me on that day, but he left me be instead.

Akane:          I guess that is true. When I saw him, he was out of it, but he was peaceful; although your sleep was restless, little one.

Ranko:          [squeaking] You, you saw me there?

Akane:          Of course; I did talk to the Elder about this several times, the last of which was two days ago. And she assured me any actions I took would not have any bad reflections, at least to her point of view. After all, it just meant that Ranma now has a wife and a mistress to keep him occupied, as long as all parties involved don’t have any problems. And I think you know MY answer.

Ranko:          [softly] Thank you...I don’t know if I will take that offer, but it is...nice that it is there.

Akane releases her hold on the petite girl. Stepping out of the furo, she grabs her towel and dries off, a smile on her face. Slipping on her robe, she chuckles as she looks at the figure still sitting in the water.

Akane:          It would not do well for you ta sit in there all day. Now come on, and get dressed. I have to go wake up your brother.

Ranma:         <I’d haveta be dead for me to be asleep still right now. You two are not at all subtle about the emotions ya put out, you know that? Things like this make it impossible for a guy ta sleep.>

Akane:          <I’d ask how long you were up, but judging by your tone, I’d say for quite a while. Good, that means I don’t have to make this speech again. I’ll be in shortly to talk to you about this.>

Ranma:         <Heh, why was I expectin’ this? Hurry up and let ‘Ko-chan get start her day then. I know she’s got a certain fool ta visit, seeing as you cut that short last time.>

Akane:          <No problem.> [Akane looks down to the water and notices Ranko missing. Turning around in the room, she laughs as she can’t find her.] <Looks like she made her escape already, I just hope she actually listens.>

Heading out towards the changing room, Akane feels a slight movement in the room and turns around again, staring at air. Shrugging her shoulders, she tries to walk forward, only to have a pair of arms wrap around her waist as she is kissed. Blinking, Akane mentally kicks herself for forgetting about that particular technique.

Ranko:          <That’s what YOU get for thinking. And thanks again, because now I do have some thinking’ ta do.>

Breaking the kiss, Ranko leaves a slightly stunned Akane in the changing room. Picking up the pace, she heads out of the Dojo towards the Nekohanten, trying to come to terms with what just happened.

Akane:          <Interesting girl, isn’t she?>

Walking back into to her room, Akane chuckles as she looks at the red-head glaring at her from the bed. Dropping her robe off, she walks over the figure seated on the bed.

Akane:          Ranma, please, tell me if I did or said anything wrong regarding her.

Ranma:         [weakly] I...I can’t. Last night was needed, I only saw it now. I could actually feel her aura strengthen, not ta mention the bond clarified even more. It isn’t as hard ta tell how she’s feelin’ now.

Akane:          Then why do you seem agitated?

Ranma:         Because I said I only wanted you Akane. And now, I can’t say that with as much conviction. She...she filled a void that I wasn’t sure existed, much like you have.

Akane:          The way I see it, you are just tryin’ ta rationalize away what happened. Too bad for you, because we know better; it took ya a while, but you eventually got the hint. And you were just as noisy as she was, incase you forgot.

Ranma:         [blushing] But it isn’t right...Hell, she should be with Kuno before me.

Akane:          Now, I know you do not believe that. You want her to be happy, but at the same time, you are tryin’ ta be a good husband, right?

Ranma nods as she looks at the nude figure perched next to her.

Akane:          Well, you just have to accept that I want her to be happy too. And if it means that I occasionally have to give her some personal attention, please understand. The main question is, will you help her again if she needs it, or am I gonna to have to trick you again?

Ranma:         [sighing] No, ya won’t. If she...if she really wants it again, I will help her.

Akane:          I will hold you that. But if I know her at all, she’ll need to be prodded into it again, because she would rather ignore the problem than fix it. And I will not let her make that mistake again.

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Author’s Note:

1)       I know this seems like I am ripping off Chapter 10 from Resolution, but that is not my intent here. I only hope that you; the reader see this. Please comment.

2)       And yes, I know this has been done to death before...just let me write and all will be made clear, eventually.

Next Chapter: Chapter 16 – Did My Time (Artist: KoRn, Album: Take A Look In The Mirror)