Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Nekoken is Out of the Bag ❯ Finals ( Chapter 14 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lord Archive 
The end of the school year and marriage awaits the nervous groom and bride.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Martial Arts / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.21.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 888 | Status: Completed
The end of the school year and marriage awaits the nervous groom and bride.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Martial Arts / Hentai / Drama / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.21.2012 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 888 | Status: Completed
Nekoken Is Out Of The Bag!
By Lord Archive
Characters are own Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan and are used without permission. All rights reserved.
This story takes place after manga volume 38. While at times darker than canon, this series has its share of Takahashi styled humor.
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Chapter 14 - Finals
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"Shampoo, Ranma will be here shortly for some training. It's best that you stay away from him," Cologne informed.
The girl in question huffed. "Why? So, pervert girl won't get jealous?"
Cologne frowned. "The training will involve water and between his upcoming marriage, finals at school, and other situations he has much to fear. If you were to turn into a cat, he may fall into Nekoken quickly."
Shampoo glared. "Ranma no coward."
Cologne smirked. "Of course he's not. He is facing those fears head on, yet Nekoken is something he cannot control."
Shampoo frowned. "Then why escape to Nekoken?"
Cologne shook her head. "If only it was so simple to not retreat into being a cat."
"Why has it been so easy for Ranma to fall into Nekoken?" Shampoo wondered.
"Dear, opening one's heart fully to someone is the scariest thing a person can do in life. You open yourself to rejection and betrayal that can hurt far worse than a blade that pierces straight through your body. Ranma would rather fight Saffron a hundred times over than open his heart. Yet in approaching Akane, to ask her to be with him always, he has revealed his true feelings to her. And that is the true source of his fears," Cologne explained.
"But she didn't reject him," Shampoo pointed out.
"She does not bare his name yet. She could still fail to commit to marriage. He knows she wouldn't back away now, but the worry remains. She could decide that she really loved Ryoga instead." Cologne gazed at the girl intently. "And if Ranma had accepted your love, touched you as he has touched Akane, would you not feel the pain of his rejection and betrayal far worse than you already do?"
Shampoo pouted. "I would."
Cologne nodded. "Now tend to the restaurant."
"Yes, Great-grandmother." Shampoo stomped her feet as she walked away.
Cologne let out a sigh. "You know it's not polite to eavesdrop."
"You were talking about me," Ranma pointed out as he stepped out of a shadow.
Shampoo jumped having not realized he was there. She then ran away, not wanting to look at him.
Ranma folded his arms. "So, what is this training?"
"It is a challenge. You must touch me as a male. Succeed in this challenge and you shall gain a priceless Amazon treasure as a wedding present," Cologne intoned.
"Didn't you promise that stuff to Shampoo?" Ranma wondered.
"Shampoo is indeed the heir to my property, but I am not dead yet. I can still give you some things, but you will have to earn them. Failure will mean Shampoo will get to have them." Cologne opened her hand to reveal a pair golden rings. "Trust me, the Rings of Unity would serve well as wedding rings. Able to shift size to fit the user and linking the two who wear the rings."
Ranma punched his hand. "Well, that will help make things cheaper."
"The challenge begins NOW!" Cologne seemingly exploded in a shower of water.
Ranma wiped the now damp hair out of her eyes. "Old ghoul really isn't making this easy." She immediately gave chase.
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"Hey, Akane, where's Ranma?" Ukyou wondered as she approached Furinkan High. "I haven't seen him since yesterday when he ran through my restaurant and dumped a pot of boiling water over his head."
"Chasing Cologne as part of some training where he has to touch her while being a guy. He's been at it since Saturday." Akane shifted uneasily. "At least today is a review day. But if he doesn't finish this soon, he'll start missing finals."
"Not to mention waste time he needs to study," Ukyou added.
Akane nodded. "It's good to see you back at school. I was getting worried that you were going to drop out or move away."
Ukyou looked away. "Can't say I didn't think about that. I'm not going to let this mess with Ranma ruin my life any more than it already has."
Akane smiled a little. "That's good to hear."
"Doesn't mean I forgive you and Ranma," Ukyou remarked bitterly.
Akane frowned. "I can certainly understand that."
"I am willing to try to be friends though. I don't want to be alone anymore," Ukyou offered.
"Of course," Akane quickly agreed.
A loud eruption roared causing the two girls to look toward the school and saw water from the swimming pool flying into the sky above the school. Another loud roar of air and water in violent motion echoed and the water changed direction. They immediately ran around the school.
"Got you!" Ranma cheered, holding onto the elderly Amazon's arm.
Cologne poked her captor's ample chest. "You're a girl."
Ukyou, seeing the situation, glanced over and saw a teakettle in the teacher's lounge. She tossed a throwing spatula with a wire attached. Her aim was true as it passed through the open window and wrapped around the handle. With a sharp tug it came flying towards her.
Akane intercepted the teakettle, turned and pitched it at her fiance.
The teakettle bounced off the back of Ranma's head, splashing him with it's contents. The now male martial artist turned and smirked at Akane and Ukyou. "Thanks."
Cologne chuckled. "I never did say anything about interference or time limits. I will concede this round."
Ranma snatched the offered rings. "The training was amazing."
Cologne smirked. "You're welcome. But you still haven't completely mastered how to deflect water."
"Oh, I'll get that down. No sweat," Ranma promised.
Akane walked up to him. "Deflecting water does sound very useful for you, but it's time for school now."
Ranma blinked. "It's Monday already?"
Akane nodded. "At least it's a review day."
Ranma relaxed a little. "Oh, good. Cause I need a nap."
Akane slapped the back of his head. "You're going to need to do well."
"Yeah, whatever. It's Furinkan. The standards are shit here," Ranma pointed out.
"Ranma..." Ukyou looked at him uncertainly.
The boy frowned at how she addressed him. "Yeah?"
"I haven't forgiven you yet, but don't be a stranger. You're still my friend," Ukyou offered.
Ranma smiled. "Of course."
Ukyou then wagged her finger at him. "Don't expect any free food anymore though. That was a fiance discount."
Ranma let out a weak laugh. "I understand."
The school bell rang and the students ran for their classroom.
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"Hi Mom. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I've been busy.
"Yeah, I know. 'Too busy to talk to your own mother.' Well, the past year has been rather difficult for me."
Akane looked up at her mother's shrine, tears in her eyes. "You know Daddy arranged for one of us to get married to his old friend's son, right? Well, I'm the one that duty fell to. For a long time I fought against it. I didn't want to be forced to marry anyone. Let alone someone like Ranma. He turns into a girl with cold water! And he can be such a jerk. I nearly died before I realized I don't have to be forced to marry him, I could willingly accept it. I could marry him out of love and not for obligation.
"I still can't believe how hard this last school year was. It all really started before he showed up. Every morning I had to fight dozens of guys who wanted to date me before school. But when Ranma arrived nothing in my life was normal anymore. I lost my place in the world and I didn't know what to do. My life was ripped to shreds because of him. Ranma fought demons, princes, and wandering martial artists on almost a daily basis, and if they decided they needed a prize, I was it. When someone used magic, if Ranma wasn't the victim, I was. If someone wanted to marry Ranma, they attacked me because I'm the closest to him. It's all Ranma's fault this stuff happened to me.
"Am I being hard on him because of it? I don't think so. My life would be so much easier without him. Also, I was the best martial artist in Nerima and he took that away from me. Because he was here my choices of what I could do with my life were taken away from me. I was engaged to marry him and I didn't have any say in the matter!
"True, Ranma didn't have a say either, but if he hadn't shown up, I would still have control of my life, still be the best."
Akane sighed. "The strangest thing is that I wouldn't have my life any other way than it is now. Well, maybe not as chaotic, but I like how my life is. Despite everything that's happened to me because of Ranma, I love him. I'm not really sure why, I just do.
"When did I fall in love with him? I don't know. As odd as it sounds, it might have been when he first arrived here. When I first saw him he looked so hurt and scared I probably would've hugged him if I wasn't so angry at Daddy for engaging one of us to him. I guess I was also afraid if I had done that, I'd end up his fiancee.
"Since it was raining at the time, he showed up as a girl. This made Nabiki upset and caused Daddy to faint. Their response only hurt Ranma more, so I offered him my friendship and a sparring match. When he smiled back and accepted, I felt... well, I didn't know what I was feeling."
Akane looked away from the shrine. "I sparred with Ranma, and he was beyond good. He defeated me easily and I never even hit him once. I was upset that I had been defeated, but also relieved it was a girl who defeated me. I had so much trouble with guys I didn't like the idea of a guy who could easily beat me in a fight."
Akane blushed a little. "I was to first to find out Ranma was really a boy. I walked into the bath expecting this girl, and what I found was a guy. Things went badly from there. When I saw him, I was really scared. I didn't know who he was, we were both naked, and he was in my house."
Akane cast her eyes on the floor. "When they explained their curse, I was furious. I felt like he had lied to me. I found out I had been defeated by a guy. And this guy had scared me. What a way to met the love of your life, huh?
"Then they decided that Ranma was engaged to me. I tried to refuse, but someone had to be engaged to him and I was the logical choice. We are both martial artists, the same age, and some other things."
Akane looked at her mother's picture. "From there things started to get better. I tried to push him away, but it didn't work. He never left me. But more problems started when his past followed him here.
"Ryoga was an old rival and he had fallen in love with me. He caused a fair amount of trouble for Ranma. He tried to kill Ranma so many times, but I don't think he would ever do it." Akane closed her eyes tightly. "Part of the problem with Ryoga was that he was accidentally cursed to turn into a pig by Ranma, who made an oath to never tell anyone. Ryoga then became my pet, P-Chan. I didn't find out until recently that P-Chan and Ryoga were the same person. Of course I was furious and hit him REALLY hard. If he was a normal person, he would've been dead."
Akane sighed and played with her engagement ring. "Then there was Shampoo, an Amazon whose intelligence hides behind a so cute you want to gag demeanor. She tried everything possible to win Ranma. She came closer than anyone to ruin my relationship with Ranma. Finding her in his bed, naked in the bath with him, and various other incidents had made me want to kill Ranma. If Kasumi hadn't calmed me down and helped point out that Ranma wasn't really at fault, I wouldn't be getting married to him.
"Ukyou was a problem too, even though I'm sort of friends with her. She wanted to marry Ranma, so she tried to set me up with Ryoga. If Ranma had ever stopped thinking her as a sister, she might've won.
"The Kuno siblings were a problem that wasn't from his past. They were more annoyance than anything else. The closest Kodachi came to separating Ranma and me was when she doctored a photograph so it looked like Ranma was kissing her. Her attempt backfired as we ended up closer together, since I helped Ranma get free from her and he ate some cookies I made that could kill a horse. Looking back now, I really hate it that while we could show how much we cared through our actions, we couldn't say it."
Akane sighed. "There were many other people and events that messed with our lives, few did more than annoy us. My trip to Ryugenzawa was one of the closest times we came to breaking up for good. Between Shinnosuke falling in love with me and the Yamata no Orochi nearly killing Ranma and me, we came too damn close to losing everything. When we left though, Ranma and I were closer than ever. We walked for hours hand in hand.
"There were other close calls in the death department. Herb, Tarou, and Saffron nearly killed either me or Ranma. Saffron was by far the worst, and Ranma had to sort of kill him in order for us to live."
Akane looked at her hands. "I'm scared of death and dying. I don't want to die, but Ranma is cursed with an interesting life that's full of adventure. There may be a day Ranma and I go on an adventure and one of us doesn't come back. I can't stand the idea of dying, but I'm even more afraid of living without him. He's part of my life now, and I'd sooner die with him than live without him.
"I'm also really scared that I can easily kill people. There aren't many people who could live through my final attack. I don't know if Ranma could."
Akane giggled a little. "I remember Daddy telling me a bed time story about great martial artists capable of throwing fireballs with chi, and you joked about filling my head with such non-sense."
Akane started to cry. "I wish it was just make believe now. I can throw fireballs with my chi, I can turn boulders into powder, and I can kill dozens of people without breaking a sweat. I have so much power and little control. I get angry far too easily, fortunately my reasons for getting angry have largely gone away. I'm no longer jealous of the other girls since Ranma is mine and they aren't better martial artist than me anymore. Ranma isn't as insulting and he isn't getting into so many perverted situations anymore either."
Akane looked at her mother's picture again. "I'm babbling, aren't I? I can't help it, I'm REALLY nervous. In less than sixteen hours I'm going to marry Ranma. I haven't really said much about him, have I? Just his problems."
Akane sighed. "Ranma is, well, Ranma. He's hard to describe. He is unique, that's for certain. He's both a guy and a girl, though he's mostly a guy and quite adamant about that. He used to be a pig-headed jerk, well he still is but not as bad. I think he finally accepted who he is, curse and all. He doesn't feel he has to prove he's a man anymore because his mother and I understand that he is a man, even though his female body could make a girl want to be a lesbian."
Akane frowned. "I hope you're not disappointed that not only have I had sex with him already, but when he's in a girl's body too. I know it's a bit perverted for me to do that, but I was interested in what it was like. I'm not entirely comfortable that I like it as much as I do, but I guess I've always been a bit of a pervert.
"I wondered off topic again, huh? Well, Ranma can be kind and sweet when he isn't being defensive. Unfortunately he's defensive a lot of the time when he's in public. Ranma has an odd sense of right and wrong. He'll do anything to win a challenge but won't risk harming a girl or his friends unless they are the one that challenged him. I know Ranma wants to be considered a good guy, but he kind of fails at that. If a fight is going badly, he'll cheat to win. Also, Uncle Saotome betrothed Ranma to Ukyou, and since he's marrying me he-- he fails his obligation to her." Akane looked down at her lap. "That and he, sort of, raped me. He couldn't control himself at the time because of a martial arts technique."
Akane sighed. "Love is blind, isn't it, Mom? I have so many reasons why I shouldn't marry him, and yet I don't care. I love him. In the past year I've been drugged, beaten, and nearly died several times and raped once. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for Ranma, but I'd go through it all again for him.
"I am being too hard on him about that. Some of the things happened regardless if he was here or not, and I might have died without him. I guess I would owe him my life, if I hadn't come close to dying because of him so many times. But that doesn't matter, I would die for him since I gave him my heart.
"I was hoping talking about this could help my fears, but it's not. I'm afraid of what the future holds, afraid of the chaos that surrounds Ranma, afraid that the past year was only the beginning."
Akane just stared at her mother's picture now. She wanted some reassuring words.
"Akane?" Ranma called from the hall.
"I'm in here," Akane replied.
Ranma entered the room. "What are you doing in your dad's room?"
"Talking to mom," Akane answered, raising her hand towards the shrine.
Ranma shrugged. "Oh, so what were you talking about?"
"How stupid I am for falling in love with you," Akane smirked.
Ranma blinked. "Huh?"
Akane stood up and walked over to him. "My life would be so much easier without you, but I wouldn't have my life any other way than being at your side." She gave him a quick kiss. "Come on, let's go to sleep."
"Sleep?! I'm too nervous to get any sleep." Ranma fidgeted.
Akane grinned devilishly. "I'm sure you'll fall asleep if you exhaust yourself first."
"Oh!" Ranma smiled back at his soon-to-be wife. Akane started to lead him out of the room when he whispered towards the shrine, "Thanks."
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Akane tugged nervously at the dress she was wearing. The dress was made of white silk with gold inlay. It was Chinese and form fitting in design and looked like something Shampoo would wear.
Akane decided the dress was very uncomfortable, but it was no fault to the actual design. The dress was uncomfortable because it was her wedding dress, and in a matter of minutes she was going to be Mrs. Saotome.
In many ways Akane could already claim that title, but in a few moments there would be no turning back. She would be married to Ranma until death do they part, which for all she knew could be today. She held no illusions about the strangeness of his life. Ranma stood in the center of a chaotic storm, and she was going to stand next to him, even if it killed her.
Akane knew the past year had been preparing her for this moment. The moment she finally walked down the isle and married Ranma, to stand with him against the chaos. She may not have been the most skilled of the fiancees Ranma had, but she was the most stubborn. The fact that she was the one standing here, despite all the events that would cause any normal couple to break up, proved that.
Akane was glad she hadn't had anything to eat yet today. She was scared shitless and her stomach was extremely queasy. She was sure she would have made some kind of mess if she had eaten.
Akane really just wanted to get this done and over with. She actually emitted a sigh of relief when the wedding march began to play.
Akane smiled nervously as she exited the enclosed area of the dojo where she had waited for the ceremony to begin. She took her father's arm as he lead her to the other side of the dojo. Akane was thankful she didn't have a Jusenkyo curse, her father was crying so much she was starting to get wet.
Akane looked at Ranma and Cologne at the end of the isle. This was really just ceremony for the sake of ceremony. They were pretty much married anyway. There was no reason to be nervous. The paperwork had already been filed and her name legally changed to Saotome. He shared her bed and she didn't see how they could get any closer. Despite all that reasoning it didn't help her much.
Some of the guests took note that the 'blushing bride' didn't look happy. Those that knew her best understood her look. It was one of grim determination, and woe be to anyone who got in her way.
Ranma watched as Akane was led towards him. Her sheer look of determination didn't help him. If anything, it made him even more nervous, if that was possible. He loved her, but was he ready for this? He wished he hadn't eaten breakfast. His stomach was doing somersaults.
Cologne smiled at the two. She didn't like that she had to combine the Amazon marriage ceremony with the western customs, but she did agree to perform the wedding for them. "We are gathered here to witness the union of these two warriors. They are to be joined together for betterment not just for themselves but to the community as well. They embark on a partnership to last throughout their lives. If there is anyone who feels that they would make a better mate to one of these two warriors, offer up your challenge to them for no challenges may be made after the union is complete."
Ranma and Akane nervously scanned the guests to see if someone would interrupt it.
The minister, who had just presided over the Saotomes' renewing their wedding vows, raised an eyebrow to Cologne's changes.
Soun, of course, was crying streams of water.
Ryoga was crying almost as much as Soun.
Ukyou just sat there, stone faced.
Nabiki smiled at her sister. She was upset that Ukyou showed less emotion than she did.
Shampoo turned her head away from Ranma's and Akane's eyes, snubbing them.
Nodoka, Kasumi, Sayuri, and Yuka cried softly.
Hiroshi and Daisuke looked around, seeming to expect someone to interrupt and offer them a chance to see yet another fight.
Genma sat there with an air of pride and arrogance, giving the impression that he felt he was the sole reason for this wedding.
Mousse just watched.
"Ranma, you are an Amazon male and have been defeated by this outsider female, correct?" Cologne questioned.
"Y-yes," Ranma stammered.
Cologne turned toward the bride. "Akane, you have defeated this Amazon male and you have also learned one of the Amazon's special techniques, correct?"
"Yes," Akane said firmly.
Cologne continued, still looking at Akane, "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, through war and peace, through times good and bad, until the day you draw your final breath."
"I do," Akane's voice cracked a little.
Cologne turned to Ranma. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife. To love, honor and obey, through war and peace, through times good and bad, until the day you draw your final breath."
"I do." Ranma responded as directed. He hadn't be able to pay attention to what Cologne actually said.
Cologne smirked. "Do you have the symbols of your love?"
Ranma and Akane pulled out identical looking gold rings with a Yin and Yang gem design.
Cologne continued. "These rings are symbols of your love. May you wear them for all eternity, loving no other above each other."
Ranma placed the ring onto Akane's finger. The ring shrank to fit snugly. Akane then placed the ring she held onto Ranma's finger, and it became smaller to fit him as well.
"It is my pleasure to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Saotome. You may kiss the bride."
Ranma leaned towards Akane and kissed his wife. A cheer was raised by most of the guests.
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The reception seemed a bit somber, as if it was more a funeral wake than a wedding. It wasn't much of a surprise considering some of the guests would've liked to have been the bride, while another wished to have been the groom.
Akane wasn't happy with the air of what was supposed to be a celebration of her love. It did not improve with the ceremonial breaking of the sake barrel. Alcohol now flowed freely amongst the guests. While Sayuri, Yuka, Hiroshi and Daisuke used the opportunity to get drunk while being under-aged, for the failed suitors-- they were drowning their sorrows.
"Let's go," Ranma whispered to his new wife.
Akane nodded.
They did not announce their departure, rather sneaking out while their guests focused more on their drinks.
Kasumi stood near the front door, their travel backpacks resting on the ground near them.
"How did you know when we going to leave?" Ranma wondered.
"I didn't. I've been here the past half hour," Kasumi replied.
Akane pouted. "You didn't have to wait on us."
"I wanted to be sure to see you off," Kasumi returned. "Besides... I didn't feel comfortable in the dojo."
Ranma let out a slight chuckle. "So, we weren't the only ones."
Kasumi nodded. "Now be good to my little sister."
"I will," Ranma promised.
Kasumi then grabbed her little sister's hands. "Have a wonderful time. See you in two weeks."
Akane hugged her. "I will."
Ranma snatched both backpacks and grabbed his wife by the hand. "Let's go while we still can. Bye, big sis."
"Bye," Akane added.
Kasumi let out a giggle. He really was her little brother now.
The newlyweds ran down the straight toward the subway station. From there they would go to the train station and leave Tokyo to spend their first two weeks as husband and wife together.
A delivery truck roared past them. As Ranma's luck would have it, a pot hole caused the truck to bounce and a case of fish cakes came flying out. The contents exploded as it hit the ground and a string of the seafood ended up wrapped around Ranma.
"Some times I think the gods hate me," Ranma muttered.
Akane's eyes went wide as she heard the cries of several cats. Out of nowhere came a dozen of the furry little pets, attracted by the promise of free food. She froze, uncertain what she should do?
Ranma shivered in fear. The meowing cats raking across his soul like finger nails on a chalk board. Stiffly he pulled the string of fish cakes off himself. He then began to take uneasy steps forward. The furry evil beasts were around him. He could hear them, but he would not look at them. Staring straight ahead, he move in jerking motions, fighting the urge to forget himself and join the in the feast. He was a man, not an animal. They will not win.
"Ranma," Akane gasped. She then tackled him with a hug. "You did it! You didn't go into Nekoken!"
Ranma blinked. He hadn't fallen. He tried to glance back but as soon as he saw a fluffy tail he immediately looked away. The fear remained, but he was still a man. "I guess I'm finally getting some control back."
Akane nodded. "The worst is behind us."
"With Nekoken at least," Ranma muttered.
"We'll face any challenge head on," Akane vowed.
Ranma smirked at her. "Yes, we will."
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Author's note:
My original outline called for this chapter to be three different parts. Going over what I had planned, there really wasn't any reason to stretch out the final week. Sure I could've done another meeting with the psychologist, had Akane show Ranma a picture of a cat, or done a number of things to expand on the story. None of that was really necessary to tell what was needed. As such, after many years, Nekoken is Out of the Bag is finally done.
I will begin posting what was supposed to be the sequel, 'Of Mothers, Of Fathers,' as a separate story. I will be limiting Nekoken references so that it will not be required to read, but Ranma's cat side forcibly mating with Akane is something that likely can't be removed entirely.
By Lord Archive
Characters are own Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan and are used without permission. All rights reserved.
This story takes place after manga volume 38. While at times darker than canon, this series has its share of Takahashi styled humor.
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Chapter 14 - Finals
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"Shampoo, Ranma will be here shortly for some training. It's best that you stay away from him," Cologne informed.
The girl in question huffed. "Why? So, pervert girl won't get jealous?"
Cologne frowned. "The training will involve water and between his upcoming marriage, finals at school, and other situations he has much to fear. If you were to turn into a cat, he may fall into Nekoken quickly."
Shampoo glared. "Ranma no coward."
Cologne smirked. "Of course he's not. He is facing those fears head on, yet Nekoken is something he cannot control."
Shampoo frowned. "Then why escape to Nekoken?"
Cologne shook her head. "If only it was so simple to not retreat into being a cat."
"Why has it been so easy for Ranma to fall into Nekoken?" Shampoo wondered.
"Dear, opening one's heart fully to someone is the scariest thing a person can do in life. You open yourself to rejection and betrayal that can hurt far worse than a blade that pierces straight through your body. Ranma would rather fight Saffron a hundred times over than open his heart. Yet in approaching Akane, to ask her to be with him always, he has revealed his true feelings to her. And that is the true source of his fears," Cologne explained.
"But she didn't reject him," Shampoo pointed out.
"She does not bare his name yet. She could still fail to commit to marriage. He knows she wouldn't back away now, but the worry remains. She could decide that she really loved Ryoga instead." Cologne gazed at the girl intently. "And if Ranma had accepted your love, touched you as he has touched Akane, would you not feel the pain of his rejection and betrayal far worse than you already do?"
Shampoo pouted. "I would."
Cologne nodded. "Now tend to the restaurant."
"Yes, Great-grandmother." Shampoo stomped her feet as she walked away.
Cologne let out a sigh. "You know it's not polite to eavesdrop."
"You were talking about me," Ranma pointed out as he stepped out of a shadow.
Shampoo jumped having not realized he was there. She then ran away, not wanting to look at him.
Ranma folded his arms. "So, what is this training?"
"It is a challenge. You must touch me as a male. Succeed in this challenge and you shall gain a priceless Amazon treasure as a wedding present," Cologne intoned.
"Didn't you promise that stuff to Shampoo?" Ranma wondered.
"Shampoo is indeed the heir to my property, but I am not dead yet. I can still give you some things, but you will have to earn them. Failure will mean Shampoo will get to have them." Cologne opened her hand to reveal a pair golden rings. "Trust me, the Rings of Unity would serve well as wedding rings. Able to shift size to fit the user and linking the two who wear the rings."
Ranma punched his hand. "Well, that will help make things cheaper."
"The challenge begins NOW!" Cologne seemingly exploded in a shower of water.
Ranma wiped the now damp hair out of her eyes. "Old ghoul really isn't making this easy." She immediately gave chase.
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"Hey, Akane, where's Ranma?" Ukyou wondered as she approached Furinkan High. "I haven't seen him since yesterday when he ran through my restaurant and dumped a pot of boiling water over his head."
"Chasing Cologne as part of some training where he has to touch her while being a guy. He's been at it since Saturday." Akane shifted uneasily. "At least today is a review day. But if he doesn't finish this soon, he'll start missing finals."
"Not to mention waste time he needs to study," Ukyou added.
Akane nodded. "It's good to see you back at school. I was getting worried that you were going to drop out or move away."
Ukyou looked away. "Can't say I didn't think about that. I'm not going to let this mess with Ranma ruin my life any more than it already has."
Akane smiled a little. "That's good to hear."
"Doesn't mean I forgive you and Ranma," Ukyou remarked bitterly.
Akane frowned. "I can certainly understand that."
"I am willing to try to be friends though. I don't want to be alone anymore," Ukyou offered.
"Of course," Akane quickly agreed.
A loud eruption roared causing the two girls to look toward the school and saw water from the swimming pool flying into the sky above the school. Another loud roar of air and water in violent motion echoed and the water changed direction. They immediately ran around the school.
"Got you!" Ranma cheered, holding onto the elderly Amazon's arm.
Cologne poked her captor's ample chest. "You're a girl."
Ukyou, seeing the situation, glanced over and saw a teakettle in the teacher's lounge. She tossed a throwing spatula with a wire attached. Her aim was true as it passed through the open window and wrapped around the handle. With a sharp tug it came flying towards her.
Akane intercepted the teakettle, turned and pitched it at her fiance.
The teakettle bounced off the back of Ranma's head, splashing him with it's contents. The now male martial artist turned and smirked at Akane and Ukyou. "Thanks."
Cologne chuckled. "I never did say anything about interference or time limits. I will concede this round."
Ranma snatched the offered rings. "The training was amazing."
Cologne smirked. "You're welcome. But you still haven't completely mastered how to deflect water."
"Oh, I'll get that down. No sweat," Ranma promised.
Akane walked up to him. "Deflecting water does sound very useful for you, but it's time for school now."
Ranma blinked. "It's Monday already?"
Akane nodded. "At least it's a review day."
Ranma relaxed a little. "Oh, good. Cause I need a nap."
Akane slapped the back of his head. "You're going to need to do well."
"Yeah, whatever. It's Furinkan. The standards are shit here," Ranma pointed out.
"Ranma..." Ukyou looked at him uncertainly.
The boy frowned at how she addressed him. "Yeah?"
"I haven't forgiven you yet, but don't be a stranger. You're still my friend," Ukyou offered.
Ranma smiled. "Of course."
Ukyou then wagged her finger at him. "Don't expect any free food anymore though. That was a fiance discount."
Ranma let out a weak laugh. "I understand."
The school bell rang and the students ran for their classroom.
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"Hi Mom. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I've been busy.
"Yeah, I know. 'Too busy to talk to your own mother.' Well, the past year has been rather difficult for me."
Akane looked up at her mother's shrine, tears in her eyes. "You know Daddy arranged for one of us to get married to his old friend's son, right? Well, I'm the one that duty fell to. For a long time I fought against it. I didn't want to be forced to marry anyone. Let alone someone like Ranma. He turns into a girl with cold water! And he can be such a jerk. I nearly died before I realized I don't have to be forced to marry him, I could willingly accept it. I could marry him out of love and not for obligation.
"I still can't believe how hard this last school year was. It all really started before he showed up. Every morning I had to fight dozens of guys who wanted to date me before school. But when Ranma arrived nothing in my life was normal anymore. I lost my place in the world and I didn't know what to do. My life was ripped to shreds because of him. Ranma fought demons, princes, and wandering martial artists on almost a daily basis, and if they decided they needed a prize, I was it. When someone used magic, if Ranma wasn't the victim, I was. If someone wanted to marry Ranma, they attacked me because I'm the closest to him. It's all Ranma's fault this stuff happened to me.
"Am I being hard on him because of it? I don't think so. My life would be so much easier without him. Also, I was the best martial artist in Nerima and he took that away from me. Because he was here my choices of what I could do with my life were taken away from me. I was engaged to marry him and I didn't have any say in the matter!
"True, Ranma didn't have a say either, but if he hadn't shown up, I would still have control of my life, still be the best."
Akane sighed. "The strangest thing is that I wouldn't have my life any other way than it is now. Well, maybe not as chaotic, but I like how my life is. Despite everything that's happened to me because of Ranma, I love him. I'm not really sure why, I just do.
"When did I fall in love with him? I don't know. As odd as it sounds, it might have been when he first arrived here. When I first saw him he looked so hurt and scared I probably would've hugged him if I wasn't so angry at Daddy for engaging one of us to him. I guess I was also afraid if I had done that, I'd end up his fiancee.
"Since it was raining at the time, he showed up as a girl. This made Nabiki upset and caused Daddy to faint. Their response only hurt Ranma more, so I offered him my friendship and a sparring match. When he smiled back and accepted, I felt... well, I didn't know what I was feeling."
Akane looked away from the shrine. "I sparred with Ranma, and he was beyond good. He defeated me easily and I never even hit him once. I was upset that I had been defeated, but also relieved it was a girl who defeated me. I had so much trouble with guys I didn't like the idea of a guy who could easily beat me in a fight."
Akane blushed a little. "I was to first to find out Ranma was really a boy. I walked into the bath expecting this girl, and what I found was a guy. Things went badly from there. When I saw him, I was really scared. I didn't know who he was, we were both naked, and he was in my house."
Akane cast her eyes on the floor. "When they explained their curse, I was furious. I felt like he had lied to me. I found out I had been defeated by a guy. And this guy had scared me. What a way to met the love of your life, huh?
"Then they decided that Ranma was engaged to me. I tried to refuse, but someone had to be engaged to him and I was the logical choice. We are both martial artists, the same age, and some other things."
Akane looked at her mother's picture. "From there things started to get better. I tried to push him away, but it didn't work. He never left me. But more problems started when his past followed him here.
"Ryoga was an old rival and he had fallen in love with me. He caused a fair amount of trouble for Ranma. He tried to kill Ranma so many times, but I don't think he would ever do it." Akane closed her eyes tightly. "Part of the problem with Ryoga was that he was accidentally cursed to turn into a pig by Ranma, who made an oath to never tell anyone. Ryoga then became my pet, P-Chan. I didn't find out until recently that P-Chan and Ryoga were the same person. Of course I was furious and hit him REALLY hard. If he was a normal person, he would've been dead."
Akane sighed and played with her engagement ring. "Then there was Shampoo, an Amazon whose intelligence hides behind a so cute you want to gag demeanor. She tried everything possible to win Ranma. She came closer than anyone to ruin my relationship with Ranma. Finding her in his bed, naked in the bath with him, and various other incidents had made me want to kill Ranma. If Kasumi hadn't calmed me down and helped point out that Ranma wasn't really at fault, I wouldn't be getting married to him.
"Ukyou was a problem too, even though I'm sort of friends with her. She wanted to marry Ranma, so she tried to set me up with Ryoga. If Ranma had ever stopped thinking her as a sister, she might've won.
"The Kuno siblings were a problem that wasn't from his past. They were more annoyance than anything else. The closest Kodachi came to separating Ranma and me was when she doctored a photograph so it looked like Ranma was kissing her. Her attempt backfired as we ended up closer together, since I helped Ranma get free from her and he ate some cookies I made that could kill a horse. Looking back now, I really hate it that while we could show how much we cared through our actions, we couldn't say it."
Akane sighed. "There were many other people and events that messed with our lives, few did more than annoy us. My trip to Ryugenzawa was one of the closest times we came to breaking up for good. Between Shinnosuke falling in love with me and the Yamata no Orochi nearly killing Ranma and me, we came too damn close to losing everything. When we left though, Ranma and I were closer than ever. We walked for hours hand in hand.
"There were other close calls in the death department. Herb, Tarou, and Saffron nearly killed either me or Ranma. Saffron was by far the worst, and Ranma had to sort of kill him in order for us to live."
Akane looked at her hands. "I'm scared of death and dying. I don't want to die, but Ranma is cursed with an interesting life that's full of adventure. There may be a day Ranma and I go on an adventure and one of us doesn't come back. I can't stand the idea of dying, but I'm even more afraid of living without him. He's part of my life now, and I'd sooner die with him than live without him.
"I'm also really scared that I can easily kill people. There aren't many people who could live through my final attack. I don't know if Ranma could."
Akane giggled a little. "I remember Daddy telling me a bed time story about great martial artists capable of throwing fireballs with chi, and you joked about filling my head with such non-sense."
Akane started to cry. "I wish it was just make believe now. I can throw fireballs with my chi, I can turn boulders into powder, and I can kill dozens of people without breaking a sweat. I have so much power and little control. I get angry far too easily, fortunately my reasons for getting angry have largely gone away. I'm no longer jealous of the other girls since Ranma is mine and they aren't better martial artist than me anymore. Ranma isn't as insulting and he isn't getting into so many perverted situations anymore either."
Akane looked at her mother's picture again. "I'm babbling, aren't I? I can't help it, I'm REALLY nervous. In less than sixteen hours I'm going to marry Ranma. I haven't really said much about him, have I? Just his problems."
Akane sighed. "Ranma is, well, Ranma. He's hard to describe. He is unique, that's for certain. He's both a guy and a girl, though he's mostly a guy and quite adamant about that. He used to be a pig-headed jerk, well he still is but not as bad. I think he finally accepted who he is, curse and all. He doesn't feel he has to prove he's a man anymore because his mother and I understand that he is a man, even though his female body could make a girl want to be a lesbian."
Akane frowned. "I hope you're not disappointed that not only have I had sex with him already, but when he's in a girl's body too. I know it's a bit perverted for me to do that, but I was interested in what it was like. I'm not entirely comfortable that I like it as much as I do, but I guess I've always been a bit of a pervert.
"I wondered off topic again, huh? Well, Ranma can be kind and sweet when he isn't being defensive. Unfortunately he's defensive a lot of the time when he's in public. Ranma has an odd sense of right and wrong. He'll do anything to win a challenge but won't risk harming a girl or his friends unless they are the one that challenged him. I know Ranma wants to be considered a good guy, but he kind of fails at that. If a fight is going badly, he'll cheat to win. Also, Uncle Saotome betrothed Ranma to Ukyou, and since he's marrying me he-- he fails his obligation to her." Akane looked down at her lap. "That and he, sort of, raped me. He couldn't control himself at the time because of a martial arts technique."
Akane sighed. "Love is blind, isn't it, Mom? I have so many reasons why I shouldn't marry him, and yet I don't care. I love him. In the past year I've been drugged, beaten, and nearly died several times and raped once. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for Ranma, but I'd go through it all again for him.
"I am being too hard on him about that. Some of the things happened regardless if he was here or not, and I might have died without him. I guess I would owe him my life, if I hadn't come close to dying because of him so many times. But that doesn't matter, I would die for him since I gave him my heart.
"I was hoping talking about this could help my fears, but it's not. I'm afraid of what the future holds, afraid of the chaos that surrounds Ranma, afraid that the past year was only the beginning."
Akane just stared at her mother's picture now. She wanted some reassuring words.
"Akane?" Ranma called from the hall.
"I'm in here," Akane replied.
Ranma entered the room. "What are you doing in your dad's room?"
"Talking to mom," Akane answered, raising her hand towards the shrine.
Ranma shrugged. "Oh, so what were you talking about?"
"How stupid I am for falling in love with you," Akane smirked.
Ranma blinked. "Huh?"
Akane stood up and walked over to him. "My life would be so much easier without you, but I wouldn't have my life any other way than being at your side." She gave him a quick kiss. "Come on, let's go to sleep."
"Sleep?! I'm too nervous to get any sleep." Ranma fidgeted.
Akane grinned devilishly. "I'm sure you'll fall asleep if you exhaust yourself first."
"Oh!" Ranma smiled back at his soon-to-be wife. Akane started to lead him out of the room when he whispered towards the shrine, "Thanks."
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Akane tugged nervously at the dress she was wearing. The dress was made of white silk with gold inlay. It was Chinese and form fitting in design and looked like something Shampoo would wear.
Akane decided the dress was very uncomfortable, but it was no fault to the actual design. The dress was uncomfortable because it was her wedding dress, and in a matter of minutes she was going to be Mrs. Saotome.
In many ways Akane could already claim that title, but in a few moments there would be no turning back. She would be married to Ranma until death do they part, which for all she knew could be today. She held no illusions about the strangeness of his life. Ranma stood in the center of a chaotic storm, and she was going to stand next to him, even if it killed her.
Akane knew the past year had been preparing her for this moment. The moment she finally walked down the isle and married Ranma, to stand with him against the chaos. She may not have been the most skilled of the fiancees Ranma had, but she was the most stubborn. The fact that she was the one standing here, despite all the events that would cause any normal couple to break up, proved that.
Akane was glad she hadn't had anything to eat yet today. She was scared shitless and her stomach was extremely queasy. She was sure she would have made some kind of mess if she had eaten.
Akane really just wanted to get this done and over with. She actually emitted a sigh of relief when the wedding march began to play.
Akane smiled nervously as she exited the enclosed area of the dojo where she had waited for the ceremony to begin. She took her father's arm as he lead her to the other side of the dojo. Akane was thankful she didn't have a Jusenkyo curse, her father was crying so much she was starting to get wet.
Akane looked at Ranma and Cologne at the end of the isle. This was really just ceremony for the sake of ceremony. They were pretty much married anyway. There was no reason to be nervous. The paperwork had already been filed and her name legally changed to Saotome. He shared her bed and she didn't see how they could get any closer. Despite all that reasoning it didn't help her much.
Some of the guests took note that the 'blushing bride' didn't look happy. Those that knew her best understood her look. It was one of grim determination, and woe be to anyone who got in her way.
Ranma watched as Akane was led towards him. Her sheer look of determination didn't help him. If anything, it made him even more nervous, if that was possible. He loved her, but was he ready for this? He wished he hadn't eaten breakfast. His stomach was doing somersaults.
Cologne smiled at the two. She didn't like that she had to combine the Amazon marriage ceremony with the western customs, but she did agree to perform the wedding for them. "We are gathered here to witness the union of these two warriors. They are to be joined together for betterment not just for themselves but to the community as well. They embark on a partnership to last throughout their lives. If there is anyone who feels that they would make a better mate to one of these two warriors, offer up your challenge to them for no challenges may be made after the union is complete."
Ranma and Akane nervously scanned the guests to see if someone would interrupt it.
The minister, who had just presided over the Saotomes' renewing their wedding vows, raised an eyebrow to Cologne's changes.
Soun, of course, was crying streams of water.
Ryoga was crying almost as much as Soun.
Ukyou just sat there, stone faced.
Nabiki smiled at her sister. She was upset that Ukyou showed less emotion than she did.
Shampoo turned her head away from Ranma's and Akane's eyes, snubbing them.
Nodoka, Kasumi, Sayuri, and Yuka cried softly.
Hiroshi and Daisuke looked around, seeming to expect someone to interrupt and offer them a chance to see yet another fight.
Genma sat there with an air of pride and arrogance, giving the impression that he felt he was the sole reason for this wedding.
Mousse just watched.
"Ranma, you are an Amazon male and have been defeated by this outsider female, correct?" Cologne questioned.
"Y-yes," Ranma stammered.
Cologne turned toward the bride. "Akane, you have defeated this Amazon male and you have also learned one of the Amazon's special techniques, correct?"
"Yes," Akane said firmly.
Cologne continued, still looking at Akane, "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, through war and peace, through times good and bad, until the day you draw your final breath."
"I do," Akane's voice cracked a little.
Cologne turned to Ranma. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife. To love, honor and obey, through war and peace, through times good and bad, until the day you draw your final breath."
"I do." Ranma responded as directed. He hadn't be able to pay attention to what Cologne actually said.
Cologne smirked. "Do you have the symbols of your love?"
Ranma and Akane pulled out identical looking gold rings with a Yin and Yang gem design.
Cologne continued. "These rings are symbols of your love. May you wear them for all eternity, loving no other above each other."
Ranma placed the ring onto Akane's finger. The ring shrank to fit snugly. Akane then placed the ring she held onto Ranma's finger, and it became smaller to fit him as well.
"It is my pleasure to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Saotome. You may kiss the bride."
Ranma leaned towards Akane and kissed his wife. A cheer was raised by most of the guests.
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The reception seemed a bit somber, as if it was more a funeral wake than a wedding. It wasn't much of a surprise considering some of the guests would've liked to have been the bride, while another wished to have been the groom.
Akane wasn't happy with the air of what was supposed to be a celebration of her love. It did not improve with the ceremonial breaking of the sake barrel. Alcohol now flowed freely amongst the guests. While Sayuri, Yuka, Hiroshi and Daisuke used the opportunity to get drunk while being under-aged, for the failed suitors-- they were drowning their sorrows.
"Let's go," Ranma whispered to his new wife.
Akane nodded.
They did not announce their departure, rather sneaking out while their guests focused more on their drinks.
Kasumi stood near the front door, their travel backpacks resting on the ground near them.
"How did you know when we going to leave?" Ranma wondered.
"I didn't. I've been here the past half hour," Kasumi replied.
Akane pouted. "You didn't have to wait on us."
"I wanted to be sure to see you off," Kasumi returned. "Besides... I didn't feel comfortable in the dojo."
Ranma let out a slight chuckle. "So, we weren't the only ones."
Kasumi nodded. "Now be good to my little sister."
"I will," Ranma promised.
Kasumi then grabbed her little sister's hands. "Have a wonderful time. See you in two weeks."
Akane hugged her. "I will."
Ranma snatched both backpacks and grabbed his wife by the hand. "Let's go while we still can. Bye, big sis."
"Bye," Akane added.
Kasumi let out a giggle. He really was her little brother now.
The newlyweds ran down the straight toward the subway station. From there they would go to the train station and leave Tokyo to spend their first two weeks as husband and wife together.
A delivery truck roared past them. As Ranma's luck would have it, a pot hole caused the truck to bounce and a case of fish cakes came flying out. The contents exploded as it hit the ground and a string of the seafood ended up wrapped around Ranma.
"Some times I think the gods hate me," Ranma muttered.
Akane's eyes went wide as she heard the cries of several cats. Out of nowhere came a dozen of the furry little pets, attracted by the promise of free food. She froze, uncertain what she should do?
Ranma shivered in fear. The meowing cats raking across his soul like finger nails on a chalk board. Stiffly he pulled the string of fish cakes off himself. He then began to take uneasy steps forward. The furry evil beasts were around him. He could hear them, but he would not look at them. Staring straight ahead, he move in jerking motions, fighting the urge to forget himself and join the in the feast. He was a man, not an animal. They will not win.
"Ranma," Akane gasped. She then tackled him with a hug. "You did it! You didn't go into Nekoken!"
Ranma blinked. He hadn't fallen. He tried to glance back but as soon as he saw a fluffy tail he immediately looked away. The fear remained, but he was still a man. "I guess I'm finally getting some control back."
Akane nodded. "The worst is behind us."
"With Nekoken at least," Ranma muttered.
"We'll face any challenge head on," Akane vowed.
Ranma smirked at her. "Yes, we will."
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Author's note:
My original outline called for this chapter to be three different parts. Going over what I had planned, there really wasn't any reason to stretch out the final week. Sure I could've done another meeting with the psychologist, had Akane show Ranma a picture of a cat, or done a number of things to expand on the story. None of that was really necessary to tell what was needed. As such, after many years, Nekoken is Out of the Bag is finally done.
I will begin posting what was supposed to be the sequel, 'Of Mothers, Of Fathers,' as a separate story. I will be limiting Nekoken references so that it will not be required to read, but Ranma's cat side forcibly mating with Akane is something that likely can't be removed entirely.