Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Couch Trips ❯ “Decision made, promises kept” ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

"Decision made, promises kept"

The characters of Ranma

What's happened before: Kasumi is asked on a date by Ono, Nabiki suspects that Ranma and Akane are getting closer and Ranma and Akane got closer, a lot closer.

Ranma waited by the koi pond waiting for his father's inevitable attack. He could hear his father attempting to sneak up behind him. Being in such a good mood, he waited until the last moment before dodging the attack. "Getting sloppy, Pop," laughed Ranma. "I heard ya coming a mile away."

"Sloppy?" growled Genma. "I'll show you who's sloppy." And immediately launched into a furious attack. Ranma easily blocked all the blows and then launched his own counter-attack. Genma soon found himself flying though the air, landing, inevitably in the koi pond. An angry panda dragged itself out of the pond and rained blow after blow at Ranma trying to penetrate the young man's defenses. A couple minutes later, Panda-Genma hauled himself out of the pond once again. He was about to launch another attack when Kasumi's voice called out announcing breakfast.

"Sorry, Pop!" smirked Ranma. "Gotta eat. I'll try to save ya something." And Ranma bounced away from his father. Akane was already seated and Ranma took his usual place at her side. "Good morning, Akane," said Ranma smiling.

Akane smiled back. "Good morning, Ranma."

"Look, Saotome!" wailed Soun. "Our children are getting along. We must prepare for the wedding immediately!"

"Growf!" agreed the Panda a sign was pulled from somewhere; it read "Indeed."

"Stop it!" shouted an angry Ranma getting to his feet. "I'm not gonna..." and then Ranma stopped. He turned to Akane and say tears beginning to form in her eyes.... "Sorry Akane," Ranma softly. "It's a bad habit." Ranma looked down at his feet. All those weeks of progress thanks to Dr. Epstein and these two clowns were about to ruin everything.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma came to a decision. He picked up his and Akane `s breakfast from the table and said, "Akane and I need to talk. We'll let you know if and when a wedding is going to take place. Got it?" He turned to Akane and offered his hand. "Coming?"

Akane nodded, took his hand and left the dining room. Not letting go of her hand he led her to the dojo. Where they continued their breakfast in silence.

Akane couldn't eat and just sat there with her head bowed. She didn't know what to feel or how to react. Last night had shattered any of the normal assumptions she had had about her and Ranma. Part of her was hurt and part of her relieved, but mostly she was scared and uncertain.

"They get me so mad," Ranma stated, finally breaking the silence.

"Ranma?" whispered Akane. "You... you don't have to marry me if you don't want to. I'll understand." Akane `s heart was pounding in her chest and she wondered if it was going to break.

"Ah jeez, Akane," said Ranma testily. "That's not it at all."

"Then what?" cried Akane tears falling freely "After last night I thought…" She couldn't continue as her body became wracked with sobs.

Ranma immediately moved over next to Akane and wrapped his arms around her. "You thought right," he whispered in her ear. Grabbing her shoulders he pushed her away until she was at arms length and stared into her eyes. "Akane, look at me. Tell me what you want, not what you father wants, not even what I want. What do you want to do?"

Akane stared into Ranma `s impossible blue eyes and all her doubts all her fears suddenly vanished. "They get me mad too." She smiled. "Oh, make no mistake about it Mr. Saotome, you are going to marry me, but not yet. We're going to finish high-school first and, and then we'll decide. Right?"

"Right," agreed Ranma, hugging her. "So, what're we gonna tell 'em."

A few minutes later the two of them returned to the dining room. Soun and Genma looked up from the shogi game they were playing. Genma was now in human form.

"So, boy!" growled Genma "What have you decided?"

Before Ranma could say anything a voice came from the front of the house. "Hello?" said the voice.

"Mom?" said Ranma.

"Oh my, I forgot to tell you. I invited Auntie to come with us when we go shopping today," Kasumi said, informing them too late.

Nodoka Saotome walked into the dining room. She was dressed in an elegant green floral kimono, her omnipresent katana strapped to her back. "I hope I'm not too early. Hello son, hello Akane. How are you both today?" Nodoka scanned the room and noticed the grim expressions on Ranma and Akane `s faces and the equally expectant looks on her husband and Soun's faces.

"We're both fine, Mom." Ranma stated. "I'm glad you're here. Akane and I have an announcement."

"Mother Saotome," said Akane, startling Nodoka.

'Mother?' several thoughts chorused.

"Mother Saotome," continued Akane. "Father, Father Saotome, Ranma and I have decided we want to get married," she held up her hand to halt any comment, "but with some conditions."

"Conditions?" thundered Genma and Soun together "You are honor bound to marry, there are no conditions."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," explained Akane. "But there are and if you don't agree then Ranma and I will NOT get married."

"Oh my!" said Kasumi as Nabiki just smirked.

"Condition number one," said Ranma. "We re not going to get married before we finish high-school."

"Condition number two," said Akane. "We are going to open the dojo to new students and Ranma is going to teach the advanced classes. Daddy you and Mr. Saotome will be teaching the beginner and intermediate classes. We will not get married until this house can support itself."

Nabiki's jaw fell open on hearing this.

"Condition number three," continued Ranma. "My other fiancées. Pops you really messed things up with Ukyo. She's my best friend ("Mine too" added Akane) and I can't stand seeing her hurt. You are going to have to make resti... resti... ("Restitution" whispered Akane) right, restitution for the Okinomiyaki cart you `borrowed'. She's gonna be real hurt when she finds out about Akane and me. I only hope our friendship can survive this. As for Shampoo…I don't know what to do about her, but as long as she's a threat to Akane..." Ranma's voice trailed off.

"Is that it?" growled Genma.

"No, one last condition. We decide the wedding date, not you, not Daddy, Ranma and I."

"That's it, take it or leave it," said Ranma.

Akane nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

"Imposs..." began Soun.

"We'll take it!" interrupted Nodoka.

"Wife!" shouted Genma, outraged.

"No, husband! You and Tendo have been trying to get these two to marry for over a year and with what success? No, you made a mess off it each time," she stated primly. "So did I," she whispered to herself. "No, now it's their turn to decide." Nodoka turned to Ranma. "Ranma, you don't know how proud I am of you right now. Truly you are a `man-among-men'. It's about time a Saotome male showed some backbone!"

"Thanks, mom." Ranma's eyes were glistening.

"Now that that's out of the way. Didn't someone say something about shopping?" said Nodoka. "And it will be an excellent way to really get to know my daughter-in-law. Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane shall we go?"

End Chapter 6

Authors notes: Whew! Now that was a truly difficult chapter.