Second Chances

By: Lord Archive

Legal Babble: Characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Video,
etc..., and are used without permission. I'm only borrowing them. I'll
return them. I can't afford the overdue charge Nabiki insists on.

-----------------------------
Chapter 5 - Anger, Sorrow, and Regrets
-----------------------------

Everyone sat quietly at the Tendo household, eating breakfast. The reason 
no one was talking was that Akane was angry. Actually she was more than 
angry, she looked ready to kill. No one knew why she was angry. Sometime 
last night she screamed, "I'll kill him!" but has said nothing since 
then.

Akane sat there fuming. She wanted to tell the others why she was mad, 
but she couldn't. To tell them would mean she'd also have to tell them 
she's from two years in the future. She'd have to deal with her anger by 
herself. She could not believe what she read in Ranma's journal  she had 
brought from the future. She didn't want to believe it, but thinking back 
to her previous life, she saw it was probably true. 

Akane shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was getting late and she 
needed to get to school. "Come on, Ranma. Let's go." Her voice carried 
the chill of an arctic wind.

"Ah... okay." Ranma got up nervously. He was a little afraid he was the 
'him' she was going to kill.

Genma leaned over and whispered to Ranma, "What did you do to her?"

"I don't know. I asked her for a date, that's it," Ranma whispered back, 
before grabbing his book bag and chasing after Akane.

Genma shook his head. <Why would she be angry about being asked for a 
date?> He then grinned. <Ranma asked her out?!>

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

Ranma walked on the fence, a little further away from Akane than he had 
walked the day before. "Um... Akane?"

"Yes?" Akane's tone still held the anger she felt.

"Why are you angry, and who's the guy you gonna kill?" 

Akane turned and glared at Ranma. Seeing his concerned look, her anger 
lessened. She realized she needed to say something to him.

Akane sighed. "He was a friend. Someone I trusted implicitly. I found out 
he'd been lying to me. Worst than that he made me think... someone who 
was a very close friend of mine was really a bad person a lot of the 
time. I accused... that friend of being wrong about so many things that 
were the fault of others. For that, I'm really sorry... to that friend."

"Well, you can apologize to that friend, and when you see that guy, you 
can tell `em what you think of him."

A tear rolled down Akane's face. "I wish I could. That friend is gone 
now, and that guy... well, is gone too. I will never get to say what I 
want to say to them."

Ranma jumped down in front of Akane. "If you can never talk to them, then 
forget `em. There's no point to thinkin' about things ya can't change."

Akane gave him a weak smile. "I guess you're right. I can at least make 
sure not to repeat that mistake. Um... Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Kuno's mine to deal with today." Akane brought back her anger. It was so 
much easier to deal with than her sorrow and regret.

"I thought we got him to stop chasing after you."

Akane laughed. "I hope he has, but I doubt it. He can be pretty 
stubborn."

"He doesn't care about honor?"

"He does, but he'll try to warp it to fit his view of reality."

"Are you sure you want to fight him?"

"I'm sure. If he challenges either of us, I'll make him eat grass." A 
predatory gleam was held in Akane's eyes as they approached the school.

Nabiki stepped out of hiding, trying to understand what Akane just said. 
<Akane never had any male friends, let alone one she trusted implicitly. 
Unless she means Dr. Tofu, but I doubt that, he's still here. And who was 
'that friend' she was talking about? Something is definitely not adding 
up.> 

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

Akane shook her head at the sight of her assembled 'suitors.' They all 
looked ready to fight, which meant no one had yet to inform them of 
Kuno's defeat at Ranma's hands. They all shouted their 'love' for her in 
their battle cries and were quickly mowed down.

Ranma leaned against the front gate. "When do they learn?" he mused.

Kuno strode onto towards Akane. "Ah fair goddess, it pains me to see your 
fiancee does not seek to protect you from your attackers. For this I must 
take it upon myself to URK!"

Akane held Kuno by the collar. "Kuno-sempai! I'm already in a bad mood. I 
thought the challenge made it clear. Ranma defeated you, and you leave us 
alone. He did and you apparently aren't. Where is your honor?"

"My honor is to protect fair maidens."

"The person I need to be protected from is you! You will call off these 
morning fights and you will leave us alone!"

"Let me save you from your unwanted engagement!"

"Who said it was unwanted? It may be forced, but we haven't made up our 
minds if we want it or not."

"How can you want to be engaged to the foul cur?" Kuno demanded.

"You don't know him and you insult him?! Kuno die!" The next thirty 
seconds was filled with completely mindless violence Akane enacted on 
Kuno's personage.

Akane stomped off to class followed by Ranma. 

Nabiki walked over to Kuno and tsked. "You are really pathetic." She 
grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the nurse's station.

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

Akane sat at her desk, ignoring her teacher. She had too much on her 
mind. <'You don't know him and you insult him?!' Why can't I get that out 
of my mind?> She sighed. <Because I remember how the insults had started 
between Ranma and me. I called him a pervert because *I* walked in on 
him. It might of eventually ended if I ever stopped calling him a 
pervert, but I never did.>

Akane glanced at Ranma, who had fallen asleep. <Ryoga's appearance had 
not helped. He appeared to be so innocent, so if he fought Ranma it had 
to be Ranma's fault, ne? Wrong, Ryoga usually started it for little or no 
reason. Ranma was a perverted sex-fiend by sneaking into my room, ne? 
Wrong, he came in with a teakettle to protect me from Ryoga. Why didn't I 
see it before? Why would Ranma come into my room with a teakettle if he 
was a guy already? Why didn't I see the stupid bandanna?>

Akane noticed her text book started to get a couple drops of water on it. 
<No! Not here! I can't break down and cry here. Pay attention to class, 
anything, but don't cry!>

Akane looked at the board. <Great, history of Feudal Japan. I got an A in 
this class last time around, it's not likely I'll learn anything more. 
Plan! That's it plan with how to deal with Shampoo and Ryoga. I'll have 
to put up with Ryoga, just to make sure Ranma has an adequate sparring 
partner. He definitely won't sleep in my bed.>

Akane tapped her pencil on her lips. <Shampoo will be a tough one. I 
don't want her as Ranma's fiancee, but if Ranma is to ever fight anyone 
like Pantyhose or even Saffron, he needs to be trained by Cologne. While 
I know some of the moves, it's the challenge of learning them that 
improved his skills. I have to lure Cologne here, but how do I do that?>
Akane scribbled down some ideas. <I wish I could get Nabiki's help on 
this.>

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

"It's your fault we had detention," Akane said coldly.

"You didn't have to skip school with me," Ranma retorted.

"I know, but it's kind of fun to blame you," Akane giggled.

Surprised at this response Ranma turned around and saw her smiling. 
"Well, ah, whatever." 

Suddenly, water mysteriously fell from the sky onto Ranma. A voice from 
above shouted, "Sorry, didn't think anyone was down there."

"How did that just happen?" onna-Ranma asked.

Akane laughed, "You have a water curse. You're going to have to expect to 
find water inexplicable drawn to you. If someone tosses water out a 
window, you'll be under it."

Ranma sighed. "Oh, joy."

"Ah, Tendo Akane, I see your cowardly fiancee is once again not by your 
side," Kuno said.

"Just who are you calling cowardly?" Ranma snarled.

"If it isn't the fair maiden who mightily tossed me from the pool. Let me 
introduce myself, I am the rising star in the Kendo world of martial 
arts, known to my peers as the..."

"I know who you are, Kuno the true blunder."

"That's Blue Thunder, my Dear."

"We don't care Kuno, leave us alone," Akane said coldly.

"But how can I stay away and deprive you of your true love? I must stay 
by your side and protect you from your unworthy fiancee."

"Unworthy?! Who are you to say who's worthy? A cat would be more 
acceptable than you!" Ranma retorted.

"You challenge my word?" Kuno drew out his bokken, holding it at the 
ready.

"I challenge your word and your sanity!"

"If you win..."

Kuno said no since before Ranma punched him in the jaw. They both 
attacked, parried, and dodged. Ranma's inexperience in fighting in her 
female body allowed Kuno to land a blow to her shoulder. Ranma returned 
that blow two dozen fold, knocking Kuno to the ground.

<What a fiery spirit, and a strength superior to Akane's! I must have 
her!> Kuno thought before fading into unconsciousness.

Akane looked at Ranma's shoulder. "You should get Dr. Tofu to see that."

"Who?"

"He's our family doctor and friend. He patches me up whenever I get 
hurt."

"It's not that bad."

"Isn't it?" Akane taped the wound.

Ranma crumpled onto the ground.

"Come on, he fix it up like you've never hurt it before. He is very 
good."

"All right," Ranma grumbled.

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

"Hello," Akane called, entering the clinic.

"Why hello, Akane. What brings you here today?" Dr. Tofu greeted.

"Ranma, here, decided to play pound the Kuno, and Kuno got a lucky hit 
in," Akane answered.

Dr. Tofu raised an eyebrow. "She most be very good if Kuno could only get 
a lucky hit in. And did you say her name was Ranma?"

Akane nodded. "Ranma's better than I am."

Dr. Tofu looked at them quizzically. "I thought I heard Ranma was your 
fiancee."

Akane blushed slightly. "Um... he is. Ever hear about Jusenkyo?"

"Akane?!" Ranma uttered.

"You can trust him, Ranma. He might even be able to help you," Akane said 
reassuringly.

Ranma didn't answer, she just stared at the floor.

"I'm afraid I haven't heard about Jusenkyo," Dr. Tofu said.

"They're a group of magical spring in China. Fall into a spring and take 
the curse form of whatever drowned there when splashed with cold water. 
Hot water returns the person to normal. In Ranma's case it was spring of 
drowned girl," Akane informed him.

If it was anyone else besides Akane had said it, he would've thought it a 
joke. "It most be difficult for you to adjust to the curse," Dr. Tofu 
said concerned.

"That's an understatement. Getting engaged didn't help any," Ranma 
grumbled.

"Well, let's take a look at your shoulder, and then I see what I can find 
out about your curse."

------------------------
The next day-

"Hey Ranma, here," Nabiki said handing Ranma a letter.

"This is to me?" Ranma asked.

"'To the girl side,' Kuno said. I don't think he believes you're the same 
person."

Ranma opened the letter marked, "To the Water Sprite Girl." He read 
aloud, "On Sunday, in the tenth hour meet me in the second field of 
Furinkan High School."

Akane twitched as she heard this. "Sound like either a duel or a date."

"A date? Come on this is Kuno were talking about," Nabiki said flatly. 
"The same guy who's obsessed with you."

"Yes we are. He only showed interest in me until after I beat the crap 
out of him. Seeing as Ranma has done the same in his girl form, he may 
have 'fallen in love' with 'her.'"

"I can't just ignore this," Ranma said flatly. "If this is a challenge, I 
have to fight. If it's a date he'll be sorry."

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

Author�s Notes:

Thanks to all of you how've been bugging me to write more of this series.

Sorry for the length of time since the last chapter, but I did warn 
this was a series to be written when I�m in the mood.

C&C and MST welcomed on all my fics. The earlier chapters and my other
series can be found at http://www.mich.com/~archive or you can email me
for them at archive@mich.com

Coming soon? Chapter 6 - Date With Me!




			 / LORD ARCHIVE \
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* The JAFO otaku.    *        A Knight of The True Fiancee, Akane.     *
* Slave of GRAAC     *     Addiction, The Footman of the Appocalypse.  *
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*      Web Page: http://www.mich.com/~archive - Ranma fan-fiction      * 
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