Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Couch Trips ❯ Ya Say You Want A Revelation ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

Ya Say You Want A Revelation"

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"Empath?" asked Ranma. "What's that?"

Dr. Epstein smiled. "An empath, Ranma, is someone who can sense and sometimes influence the emotions of others." He could feel their nervousness, but very little fear. That was good. Normally he never let his patients learn of his abilities, but he sensed that the experiences and capabilities of the two people in front of him would be able to accept it, if anyone could.

"Hmmm, sounds sorta like what the old ghoul does when she reads chi or what I do when I sense someone watching me or about to attack," mused Ranma.

"Exactly," agreed the doctor, pleased that Ranma, at least, had a similar enough ability to relate. "Except in my case, I don't sense chi, I sense emotions, but it is similar."

"And you're one of those 'empaths'," Akane paused on the unfamiliar word. "That is able to influence the emotions of others." It was not a question.

"Yes," acknowledged Dr Epstein. "And I hope you'll forgive my actions, but I couldn't allow you to hurt Ranma."

"Oh. Ranma's tough, he's taken worse," protested Akane, though with a tinge of guilt that she couldn't quite suppress.

"Maybe," agreed the doctor dubiously. "But not from someone he cares about. I was watching. He made no move to evade the blow; he seemed perfectly willing to let you beat him. He may have been, I wasn't," he stated, some of his anger showing a little. Akane flushed in shame. "And if I might add, your reaction was way out of line in relation to anything Ranma said."

"But-but-but-" stuttered Akane. "But all boys are perverts. They all want to do perverted things."

The doctor just frowned. He was about to say more when he was interrupted.

By Ranma!

"Hey doc, lay off on Akane ok? She didn't mean nothin by it. 'sides I'm used to it," snarled Ranma to his psychiatrist.

For some reason this made Akane feel guilty and as she thought about it she realized the doctor was right. "No, Ranma," she said quietly. "Dr. Epstein is right. I'm-I'm sorry."

"Akane?" said Ranma incredulously.

"No, Ranma" repeated Akane, her whisper filed with shame. "He's right. I-I shouldn't have…shouldn't hit you."

"I want to say something, Akane," said the doctor finally as they all settled down to talk. "Ranma having an erection is a perfectly normal reaction for a healthy young man like Ranma. It doesn't mean he is a pervert."

"All boys are perverts." She responded automatically.

"Even Ranma?"

"Well maybe not as much." Admitted Akane slowly. "But he is still a pervert."

"Ranma does have sexual problems." Stated the doctor calmly. Ranma winced. Dr. Epstein looked at the triumphant smile on Akane `s face. "Being a pervert isn't one of them." Akane smile faltered. "In fact, Miss Tendo, the very nature of Ranma's sexual problems makes it very unlikely that he'd be any kind of sexual predator. In fact the reverse would be more likely."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me Akane. Is Ranma straight or gay?"

Akane whipped her head around to stare at Ranma. He was looking at the floor. His only reaction was a slight tensing of his shoulders.

"Don't be ridiculous doctor." laughed Akane. "Ranma is as macho as you get. I'm sure he told you about the agreement his parents made." The doctor nodded. "Well they succeeded." Akane frowned at Ranma's snort but said nothing.

Ranma stood up and walked over to the table, picked up the thermos of cold water that was always there for him and poured it over his head. Ranma stood in front of Akane and spread his arms wide. "Look at me Akane, am I straight or gay now?"

"Huh?" asked Akane. "What do you mean?"

"Well," replied Ranma, "I turn into a girl, remember? When I look at you when I'm a girl, I feel the same way as when I look at you when I'm a guy and it's so confusing."

"And how do you feel, when you look at Akane?' Asked the doctor. Ranma gulped, this was difficult ground and he and the doctor had been working on this very subject for most of the sessions they had had.

Akane found herself holding her breath waiting for the answer.

Ranma sighed. "I'm attracted to you Akane. You can be so cute when you want to." Akane gasped.

"But when I'm like this," Ranma continued talking while she gesturing to herself, "I feel-I feel like the pervert that you say I am." Tears began to leak from the corners of Ranma's eyes. "Why would a nice girl like you want to have anything to do with a pervert like me?"

"Oh Kami-sama." Breathed Akane. Suddenly much of Ranma's behavior began to make sense. It wasn't that Ranma didn't lo-like her, it was Ranma was afraid of being rejected by her. Anger was forgotten replaced by an overwhelming need to comfort her fiancée, her... friend! Akane pulled the smaller girl into an embrace. Soon the two girls where crying into each other's arms.

"Ranma, you're not a pervert!" she sobbed, "It's me! I'm the pervert."

"Why's that, Akane?" asked Dr. Epstein. "Do you find yourself attracted to Ranma when he is a girl?"

Akane nodded not letting go of Ranma.

Ranma, at this revelation, just hugged her tighter. "I didn't know that." Whispered Ranma "I thought you hated my curse."

Akane shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Ranma," Akane whispered. "The girls at school started making all these comments and. and even though I denied it, I realized they were right. And I couldn't accept it, so I blamed you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Miss Tendo?" said Dr. Epstein Akane looked up from the small redheaded girl in her arms to look at him. "I'm still concerned about your reaction earlier." He looked at Ranma who was contentedly being held in Akane's arms. "It seems to me that its' more than just being attracted to Ranma in his girl form." Dr. Epstein tapped his pencil against his chin for a moment. "Earlier you said all boys are perverts and that they all wanted to do perverted things. Why did you say that?"

Akane bit down on the well-worn retort and forced herself to remain calm. Having Ranma in her arms seemed to help. "When I started going to Furinken, the older students wanted to date me. It was flattering so I accepted one offer. He took me to a movie. I can't remember what it was." Akane took a deep breath. "In the middle of the movie he started to try to touch me. I told him to stop but he wouldn't." Akane smirked. "I broke his hand."

"Good." Murmured Ranma. Akane gave Ranma a squeeze. "It was the very next day that Kuno made his declaration."

"Declaration?" prompted the doctor.

"He said the only person who would be allowed to date me, would be the one who defeated me in combat." Akane shuddered "From that day forward I had to fight my way through a mob of boys every morning."

"You should have seen her." Chortled Ranma. "She tore through those idiots like they were tissue paper. Too bad it stopped it was a great workout."

Both Akane and the doctor stared at Ranma. "What?" he said.

"Ranma do you have any idea what would have happened if one of those `idiots' had beaten me?" Asked Akane angrily.

"You would have had to date him?" Said Ranma. "Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Jerk." Growled Akane. She grabbed Ranma by her shirt and pulled her close until they were nose to nose. "Anybody good enough to beat me would probably be too strong for me to stop from doing whatever he wanted to me." Akane pushed Ranma away. "I wasn't fighting for the workout. I was fighting because I was scared." Akane bit her lip. "And then you came along."

Ranma's face was a study in dawning comprehension. "You thought that I'd…that I would." Ranma blushed bright red. "But Akane. You know I'm not like that."

"Now." Admitted Akane. "I didn't know you then. And then the rumors started."

"Oh man!" Muttered Ranma. She looked at the ground and then looked up into Akane's face. "Akane?"

"Yes Ranma?"

"Are you still afraid of me? The male me, I mean."

Akane sighed unhappily. "Sometimes." She whispered. "You're just so good as a martial artist. If you wanted to, you know, I wouldn't be able to stop you." Akane looked at Ranma with a stricken look on her face as she realized exactly what Ranma had said. "You knew! You knew I was afraid of your male side. How?"

"You're nicer to me when I'm a girl." Stated Ranma simply.

Akane started to sniffle as tears began to flow. "I'll try to be nicer to you when you're a boy."

"I'd like that, Akane." Replied Ranma quietly as her own tears began to flow as well. "I'd really like that."

Dr. Epstein looked at the couple in front of him, a sad, yet satisfied smile on his face.

Later, after the two girls had collected themselves, Dr. Epstein declared the evening session over and walked them to the door. "You both made a lot of progress tonight. I'm proud of both of you, especially you Akane."

Akane looked at him questioningly.

"You were very brave. Ranma is lucky to have a fiancée like you." He paused for a moment. "Even though today wasn't planned, I'd like it if both of you could come back together. I think it would do you both a lot of good. Don't decide now; talk it over with each other first. All right?"

Nodding, the two girls walked home hand in hand.

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Authors Notes: whew finally got through this chapter. I always felt that part of the problem in Ranma and Akane `s relationship was gender confusion on both of their parts. For the overly macho Ranma, it is becoming a girl and Akane for having romantic/sexual feelings toward Ranma in both his forms.