Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Rage ❯ Snap ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

“RANMA, YOU PERVERT!” WHAM!! Thus, Ranma was sent into Lower Earth Orbit thanks to Akane's intense anger and abilities with a mallet. The situation wasn't a new one, Akane had made Ranma lunch, only to have Shampoo intercept Ranma and offer him something she had cooked while doing her best at impersonating his clothing, I.E. be all over him.

 

Akane's usual response to this was to call Ranma a pervert and send him off. Today was no different for Ranma.

 

Ranma was developing some bad habits and thoughts about women in general. Most of them could be traced to Akane and the rest of the fiancé brigade, which would lead to Genma, Ranma's father. When Ranma had first arrived in Nerima, he was a chauvinistic male that thought women were not meant for combat and were delicate flowers that he had absolutely no interest in. However, after living in the Tendo household for over two years with Akane, and the rest of the fiancé force visiting often, Ranma's opinions have changed somewhat.

 

Ranma didn't really think about it much, he just thought that it was normal, and if he complained about it, his mother would think it unmanly of him. Not something that Ranma really wanted to happen. All the women in his life, with the notable exception of Kasumi, had gone above and beyond proving everything that Genma had ever taught or said about them wrong. They were never weak, nor meek, nor did they support their men. They were violent, independent, and judging by his airtime, quite strong.

 

Ranma landed a few blocks away, creating a crater. Luckily, it was in an empty lot, so there wasn't any property damage this time. He got up and quickly moved away from the area, before checking himself for injuries. Jaw was sore, no broken bones, sore all over, slight limp, and I'll live. Ranma thought to himself before making his way back to Nerima and the high school.

 

Ranma's ideas of intimate relations were just as skewed as his thoughts on women. Since he was one half the time, the very idea held a certain amount of terror for him. Having missed that particular class due to being in china, Ranma's only source of information on that subject had been his perverted buddies. The one time they had brought a magazine to school to share had been the one time that Akane had caught Ranma with it.

 

This had happened after the Saffron incident, so it made it even worse for Ranma in the end. Akane had taken that incident to heart as proof that Ranma was the worst of perverts and hadn't relented since, citing every little excuse for righteous punishment, going through his stuff, searching for more evidence, and turning every little thing against him.

 

Ranma had only looked at the book once and the entire time he was feeling sick to his stomach. Akane only reinforced the reaction that Ranma had, disgust. He found no joy in the magazine, only horrors for himself. Ryoga had been surprised at the viciousness of Ranma's attacks the last time he showed up and spouting his usual lines of having seen hell. Ranma didn't have long before Akane punted him out of the yard for picking on Ryoga.

 

It was funny, Ranma had started to share the view of Akane about boys, and even men, but couldn't convince the tomboy that without convicting himself.

 

Ranma had ended up accepting his curse, after the failed wedding, it had become apparent to him that a cure to his curse was never going to fall into his hands, and would always slip from his fingers, no matter what. So he had sat down one night and just meditated on the curse and how he felt about it.

 

Since that night, he had been taking pains to make sure that Nabiki could not catch him, or rather her, in any compromising positions that she could photograph. He had even been doing his best to retrieve many of the photos that had been sold of him. It had never really bothered him that people were looking at his body before, but it had never been him, just a curse. When the realization came that both bodies were his and he would probably die with them, he changed his opinion. The water had seemed to stop at that point. He still got wet, but nowhere near the amount as before.

 

The fiancé force had been truly persistent ever since the failed wedding, not even Ranma's cold shoulder seemed get the message through that he didn't want any of their attentions. Ranma had stopped taking any food from either the Cat Café or Ucchan's, but it never stopped them from fixing something and trying to force it down his throat.

 

Ranma was taking his time walking back to school, enjoying the bright day and peace that Nerima never seemed to hold for him. Smelling something good, he decided to stop and get something to eat before heading back. Inside the small restaurant, Ranma spotted the local truancy officer and waved before placing an order.

 

Ranma had met the truancy officer the first time he had been sent out by Akane's mallet. It had taken a few times, after the fifth time flying into the officer's presence and the signed statements of several witnesses, the officer had stopped running Ranma in for being out of school, seeing as how it wasn't his fault. Ranma had been relieved that somebody listened to him for once. They now had an understanding between each other, as long as Ranma was on his way back and didn't waste time, the officer would give him a note saying where he landed, then would leave him alone.

 

Ranma thought as he ate and walked back to the school. His jaw still ached from where Akane had gotten him earlier, and it made eating a slow experience. He thought back to failed wedding and the way that Akane had acted during it. He was convinced that Akane was willing to go through with it, but nowadays, he wasn't so sure. He couldn't help but wonder what life would be like with her as his wife.

 

The images that came to his mind made him shiver, the wedding night would be a nightmare for both of them, life in general would be bad for Ranma. He could easily see her continuing to beat on him whenever she felt like it. What scared him the most was the idea of Akane deciding to beat on him after splashing him with water, she'd done it before and it had hurt worse than when she hit him as a guy.

 

He thought about what life would be like with each of the fiancés. Shampoo wouldn't be much better than Akane after they got back to her village. They would do their best to break him of his defiance and make him a second class house husband. He held no illusions about how he would be treated.

 

Ucchan would just have him run her restaurant with her. Anything else would meet with some firm and probably spatula shaped resistance. He couldn't see himself in a restaurant setting the rest of his life. It wasn't until he got to Nerima that he even began to waitress, and he wasn't keen on it.

 

Kodachi; even though she wasn't an official fiancé, Ranma was waiting for the day that Genma made the promise to her that would seal his fate. Ranma knew that he would more than likely end up like Tatewaki Kuno if he fell into the clutches of Kodachi. Living life in a drug induced fantasy world while acting as a guinea pig for whatever new drugs she came up with until one finally proved to be too much for him.

 

He had never been interested in any of the girls, yet they pursued him like a prize to be won. Except for Akane, who did her best to act disinterested until someone challenged her or she got an edge, then she would fight and compete just to do so, not for him.

 

Ranma knew that he didn't have anybody to turn to, nobody that would just listen to him without trying to abuse his confidence.

 

That was another thing that Ranma had been missing out on lately. Ever since the magazine incident, his confidence had been waning, undercut by his own self loathing and Akane's constant accusations. If you hear a lie long enough, then it starts to become truth. Akane had been calling him pervert ever since they had met, and hadn't stopped yet.

 

Ranma had a strong front, his cocky façade of a young man full of himself not afraid to take on the world, was firmly in place, but he was afraid that the mask was slipping.

 

The only peace he knew nowadays was in the Art. It wasn't enough for him to live on.

 

Ranma arrived back at Furinkin high just in time for the bell signaling gym. One of Ranma's favorite and dreaded classes of the day, because of the locker room. When Ranma had first started to attend and his curse was still unknown, gym was his favorite period, but once the curse was known, then Ranma had to convince the guys in the locker room that it was not a good idea to approach him. Cold water found him more times in that locker room than anywhere else.

 

Nobody questioned where Ranma had been, most of them had seen the launching of Akane's favorite rocket, and it had happened enough times that they knew it was pointless to ask. Ranma had managed to stay dry while in the locker room changing out of his usual red and black Chinese outfit and into the gym shorts and shirt.

 

Some of the guys gave Ranma odd looks, but didn't say anything. It wasn't until Ranma looked into a mirror that he saw the ugly bruise that was forming where Akane had hit him before. A brief flash of anger went through Ranma before depression hit. He should have healed this by now. Given all the training and physical hardening Ranma had gone through, it should have taken a lot more than Akane's malleting to make him bruise like this. Sighing, he went out onto the field to get class over with.

 

Ranma saw Akane with the girls, and when she noticed him, it seemed as if she had managed to get even angrier than before. He cringed at the looks she was giving him, each one promising pain when she got a hold of him.

 

Gym class passed without incident, though everybody noticed a diminished performance from Ranma, compared to his usual activity level, he was rather subdued, which meant that he was doing just as well as everybody else.

 

In the locker room after gym, Ranma was waiting for the rest of the guys to get done with the showers before he took his. It didn't stop them from splashing him with cold water, but at least he wasn't in the showers naked when it happened.

 

Sure enough, one guy came up by Ranma and shook his head wildly, cold water splashing everywhere. Ranma didn't even notice the change anymore, but knew that it had happened. There was nothing that she could do to the guy, she knew he had done it on purpose, but he had done it in a way that looked like an accident. He even apologized when he looked over at her. Ranma was just glad that she hadn't taken anything off yet.

 

The other guys in the locker room gave a few cat calls and wolf whistles until the coach came out and silenced them. He didn't even give Ranma a second glance. She decided that she could do without a shower today and decided to just get dressed and leave, she hadn't even worked up a sweat while she was out there. She just wanted to go home.

 

Gym was the last class of the day, so Ranma wasn't worried having to be a guy for the rest of the day, while it would be nice, it didn't really bug her anymore. It bugged her old man when she stayed a girl for any length of time, so she did it to bother him.

 

Stepping out of the guys locker room, Ranma saw the last person she wanted to see, Akane.

 

If Akane had been upset before, her aggression level went up a few notches when she saw Ranma come out of the guys locker room in girl form. The bruise on Ranma's face stood out more because of the pale skin of his girl form, but where it was gave Akane more fuel to her rage.

 

Before Ranma could even open her mouth, Akane was all over her, screaming and yelling, accusing him of being with his other fiancés when he should be in school, accusing him of doing perverted things in the locker room. Wincing with each word yelled in her face, Ranma didn't even try to mount a defense, choosing to back up into the locker room door with her hands up in a placating gesture.

 

All activity stopped in the locker room at the intrusion of a furious Akane laying into a cowering female Ranma. A lot of the guys were just getting out of the showers, and either had very little or nothing on. That fact that penetrated Akane's tirade against Ranma and served to drive her into a higher state of agitation and aggression. With a feral yell of “PERVERT!” She grabbed Ranma and threw him into the hallway and into the wall.

 

The guys in the locker room heard the sounds of violence continue for a few moments and the sounds of questionable righteous female anger as they did their best to not draw any attention from the demon Akane.

 

When it was done, Ranma was in the air again with several new bruises to go with the one on her face, heading towards the Tendo Dojo. With a splash, she landed in the Koi pond, miraculously missing the rocks that lined the pond.

 

“Good to see you home son.” Nodoka, Ranma's mother called out.

 

“Ranma! Why aren't you walking your fiancé home from school?” Genma shouted.

 

Wringing out her shirt of the excess water, Ranma barely gave either parent a nod.

 

“I'm taking a bath.” She said dejectedly, her façade fully broken after her last encounter with Akane.

 

She stripped down to her boxers and grabbed a convient towel before entering the house, Kasumi never liked it when she dripped all over the house.

 

After getting the hot water running, she made sure that the occupied sign was out, the door was locked, and, for good measure, placed the hamper in front of the door. After gathering up her wash supplies, she sat in the scrubbing area and started to cry.

 

Ranma had been raised to be a man among men, but there were times that he just couldn't hold it in, and at those times he was actually grateful of the curse. He had never felt comfortable crying as a guy, not ever since his father found him one night crying for his mother. He never cried where his father could find him after that. After Jusenkyo, Genma didn't say anything if he was in girl form and crying, but would give him hell if he did it as a guy. Ranma still felt the urge to hide his tears, but was more comfortable with it as a girl.

 

Ranma had been developing a bad habit, one that he knew was bad, but it did help to make her feel better when there were days like this. After crying herself out, she made sure that the furo didn't overflow, last thing she needed was for anybody to come in to investigate a puddle at the bathroom door.

 

She looked down at her thighs and noted the faint scars that were left over from her cat fist training, while none of them were prominent scars, they were large enough for her purposes. Pulling a razor out of her bathing supplies, she found a fresh, healed, scar and lightly ran the razor over it a couple of times before letting the blade bite into her flesh. She only cut herself when the emotional pain got to be too much for her and she needed some form of release. The sharp, physical pain of the razor grounded her from the deep emotional pain of her life.

 

The scars from her youth hid any new scars that she might make now. She didn't bite deep into her leg to cut, only the surface and just enough to draw blood. Usually one cut was enough, but this time, she felt that she needed more. She noticed a scar on her arm just under the wrist that would work perfectly. She carefully planned this next cut, didn't want to make a mistake here.

 

Nabiki was in a good mood. She had made some money earlier in the day with some bets on how long it would take Ranma to get back to school as well as the rest of the usual goings on around the school. She was especially happy because she had managed to set up a hidden camera in the bathroom of the house to catch Ranma bathing. He'd managed to avoid having his picture taken for a couple of months, at least, he had avoided to provide anything that Nabiki could use and sell.

 

Nabiki had gone to great expense to set up a hidden camera in the bathroom to get something to sell to her clients, I.E. Kuno plus others. She had left the school and was hurrying home when she saw Ranma flying overhead.

 

Twice in one day? You must have really done something to upset Akane, Soatome. I'll be sure to add that to your bill.

 

When she got home, she inquired where Ranma was and was told that he was in the bath. Smirking, she rushed to her room to get some footage of Ranma bathing as a girl.

 

Kuno'll pay a fortune for this.

 

Nabiki's eager attitude fell along with her mouth when she got the monitor on and adjusted properly, Ranma was sitting there in all her glory with a razor at her wrist and bruises all over her body. She was only stunned a moment before she started to rush out of her room and towards the bathroom.

 

Nabiki had always liked Ranma, she didn't exploit him out of spite, and had always cut him a break when it came to his debt. Her own way of showing affection to the cursed boy was of a cool distance, she could easily see herself falling for him, but held no illusions of what that would do for her chances of survival. The other fiancés would waste no time in trying to eliminate her from the competition, her brief time as a fiancé taught her that lesson.

 

Right now, though, that was going out the window. Ranma was the strongest person she knew, and if he was commiting suicide, then there were going to be some serious changes around the house if he survived.

 

She yelled for the family as she raced towards the bathroom, slamming into the bathroom door, not bothering to try to open it. The thing about Japanese architecture is that it isn't meant to survive directed force. With a loud crash, the door fell before Nabiki only to fall herself over the hamper. When she finally untangled herself from the mess on the floor and thrust open the furo door, the entire family was at the bathroom door.

 

Ranma had been deep into the sensation of the razor over her wrist, she was feeling much better and was half way across the scar when a loud crash made her jump and push the blade in further than she ever intended it to go. The small trickle of blood became a bit more flowing. Oh no! Reacting quickly, she pulled the blade out just as the bathroom door opened to reveal Nabiki and the rest of the family.

 

For a moment, nobody moved.

 

For the family, the Tendo's and the Soatome's, it was a horrifying site of a battered and bruised Ranma in female form with blood flowing freely out of one wrist and a razor in her hand. For Ranma, it was like a nightmare given life. Her one form of release gone wrong and the family she lived with catching her in yet another compromising situation.

 

She looked and she saw the looks of everybody before they started moving. The last person she looked at was Akane, the look in her eyes said that she knew this was just a pathetic call for attention and she would pay for it. As everybody started to move into the bathroom after getting over their shock, Ranma shot into the corner and huddled there, trying to make herself as small as possible while pleading not to be hit. Tears of shame and pain flowing as freely as her blood from her wrist as she tried to will everybody away, they weren't supposed to see her like this.

 

Nabiki reached the naked cowering girl first and did her best to capture the bleeding wrist and stop the flow. As soon as she touched Ranma, she started to thrash and scream, ignoring all the years of training in a hysterical fit. It took Genma and Soun to restrain her enough for Kasumi to apply a shiatsu pressure point to make Ranma sleep.

 

Akane never moved to help, and loudly proclaimed that it was just a stunt to get attention and in a perverted way. Akane started to pull out her mallet to punish the pervert a third time today because he had obviously not learned his lesson yet. It was Kasumi who saw what Akane was about to do, and she took action in a most unexpected way.

 

Kasumi had not practiced the art ever since before her mother had died several years ago, so everybody was surprised when she snapped a kick that Ranma would have proud of to knock the mallet out of Akane's hands. The cold steel was evident in Kasumi's voice as she brought her voice to bear.

 

“Just what do you think you are doing young lady?”

 

“He's being a pervert! He's just trying to fool you so he can do something perverted!”

 

“Nabiki, call Tofu. Daddy, take Akane out of here while I tend to Ranma.”

 

“But Kasumi, he's nothing but a…”

 

“Not another word! You will do as I say, or so help me…”

 

“Come daughter, let Kasumi do her work.”

 

Soun lead a protesting Akane out of the bathroom with some help from Genma. Nodoka took Nabiki's place at Ranma's side while Kasumi started to tend Ranma's wound.

 

“What happened to him?” Nodoka wondered, she was looking at the various bruises that covered Ranma's slight body. She was especially concerned with Ranma's face and a small bloody cut on her thigh.

 

“I don't think that Ranma was trying to commit suicide, Auntie.”

 

“How can you say that when you're holding his cut wrist? How could we have not seen this coming?” Nodoka brushed some of Ranma's red hair off of her face.

 

“Look at this, Auntie. The bleeding has already stopped, there is a much shallower cut leading up to the deeper wound and it follows a pre-existing scar. If anything, I would say that we interrupted something else. The cut on her, sorry, his leg is the same, a shallow cut that follows a scar from before. If Ranma wanted to die, I doubt it would be in the bathroom as a girl.”

 

“If my son wasn't attempting suicide, then what was he doing?”

 

“Let us get her bundled up and into bed before we continue this.”

 

Nabiki came rushing back into the bathroom, a scared look on her face.

 

“Tofu is on his way, how is she?”

 

“She is fine, if you would help us put her to bed while we wait for Tofu to arrive, I think that we have much to discuss because of this.”

 

Soon, Ranma was tucked into bed, her wounds tended and her bruises salved. She was peacefully sleeping. Kasumi was holding a silently sobbing Nabiki.

 

“Nabiki, how did you know?” Nodoka had been waiting for the young girl to calm down before asking the question. Nabiki's discovery of Ranma's actions brought up some uncomfortable questions surrounding the young woman.

 

Nabiki was saved from answering for a moment as Dr. Tofu came into the room and started to check over Ranma before turning his attention to the women present. Nabiki kept a sharp eye on his behavior as he worked, it wouldn't do if he were to suddenly start acting like he usually did around Kasumi.

 

“From what I can tell, without talking to him, is that this wasn't a serious attempt. How was he found?” Tofu said with exemplary control over himself in the presence of Kasumi.

 

Nabiki decided to speak up at this point. “I've got some hidden camera's set up in the bathroom, when I got home and turned on my monitor, I saw her about to cut her wrist.” She could feel the disapproving stares from the three separate sets of eyes in the room.

 

“Nabiki, I don't care why, or how, but those camera's are coming down after we get done.” Kasumi said in a soft but firm tone. The steel from her voice earlier now had a velvet cover but it would still take no argument. Nabiki quietly agreed.

 

“Again, I want to say that this wasn't an actual attempt at suicide, so I don't think we need to worry about him trying again, but this isn't something that can be ignored either. Where did he get the other bruises on his body? I'm assuming that he had made an effort to conceal his activities?”

 

“He had locked himself in the bathroom and blocked the doorway, the only reason we knew anything was because of Nabiki's yelling. We don't know how he got so many bruises.” Kasumi said.

 

“How did he react when you came in?”

 

The story came out about Ranma's bleeding wrist and his reaction when he saw Akane and when Nabiki tried to stop his bleeding.

 

“I see. Do you mind if I were to talk to him when he wakes up?”

 

“Please do.”

 

“In the meantime,” Nodoka spoke up, “I would like to discuss with the both of you the status of Akane's engagement to my son. Her actions in the bathroom did not escape my notice and I am not happy about her intent to harm my son.”

 

“Yes, Auntie.” Both sisters said at the same time.

 

Ranma wasn't far from waking as the sisters and her mother left the room for more private surroundings. Tofu had only just kneeled back beside the red head when she started to stir.

 

“Good afternoon, Ranma.”

 

“Doc? What are ya doing here?” She blinked her eyes and raised her head before noticing the bandage around her wrist. “Nuts, I was hoping I it was a nightmare.”

 

“Ranma, can we talk about it?”

 

“I don't know what to say, I know what it looked like down there, but I know that nobody'll believe me.”

 

“I don't think that is true Ranma. After having looked at the cut, I know that you weren't planning on committing suicide. How long have you been cutting yourself?”

 

“Ever since the failed wedding. After we got back from China and I killed Saffron.”

 

“Please tell me why.”

 

“It started when I cut myself while cleaning up the dojo, Akane had just gotten done yelling at me over the destruction of the dojo and the wedding fiasco and why I had to have so many fiancés and everything else that I had done to make her life miserable ever since we met. I was angry, frustrated, upset, and everything else that you feel when something like that happens. I guess I wasn't paying attention, but I caught myself against some broken glass, didn't cut deep, but it did give me a shock. The pain of the cut made everything else go away to a point where I could deal with it better. Ever since then, when ever things start to get to where I can't deal with them, a little cut and everything isn't as bad as I thought.”

 

“Ranma, that's not a healthy way of dealing with your emotions”

 

“I know that doc, but losing myself in martial arts doesn't work anymore. Hell, even the pain is getting to not be enough, I've had to do it more often just to feel like I could get up in the mornings. I know I shouldn't do it but I can't help it anymore.”

 

“Tell me what has been going on ever since you cleaned the dojo, specifically what happened to lead to each time you cut yourself.”

 

As Ranma laid there and started to go over the past few months with Tofu, Genma was nursing a massive headache while him and his buddy, Soun, did their best to keep an irate Akane away from his son.

 

“Why are you protecting him? He deserves this!” Genma plucked another mallet out of the girl's hands as it formed. For the first time since coming to the Tendo household he was having doubts about the perfect match between their children.

 

“I don't know what has gotten into you, young lady, this is no way to treat a guest.” Soun was doing his best to cow his daughter into submission, unfortunately she wasn't impressed by his demon head technique any more and had learned how to disable it, leaving Genma by himself while Soun recovered.

 

Genma had been worried about his child for the past few months, Akane had been becoming more violent towards his boy while the boy himself was becoming more withdrawn. While his skill in the Art had not gone down, his enthusiasm for it had all but disappeared, and with it, his zest for life. Genma had been hoping that it was merely a phase that would pass on both their parts. Now he was thinking that there was something seriously wrong.

 

“There's nothing wrong with that pervert, he just wants attention! He's always had to be the center of attention! He can't stand not to be! Let me go and I'll show you how much is wrong with him! AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!”

 

“Tendo! Get up! I can't hold your daughter by myself forev*erk*!” With a final thump, Genma slid down the wall while Akane stepped over his unconscious body and headed upstairs to hand out some righteous justice.

 

“Did you hear something?” Nabiki cocked an ear to catch something on the wind.

 

“I do not appreciate your trying to change the subject, Nabiki. This situation with my son and your sister requires our full attention and I will not have you distracting us.” Nodoka was in rare form tonight, ever since seeing her son cowering in the bathroom at the sight of his fiancé, she had been having an internal battle. On one hand, Ranma's behavior was decidedly unmanly and demanded to be addressed, but on the other hand Akane's behavior towards Ranma would have driven the manliest of men to such a state if treated as such for even a brief period.

 

From what Kasumi and Nabiki were telling her, Akane had been treating Ranma like this since the day they met over two years ago. It was becoming increasingly apparent that not only was Akane not suitable as a wife to Ranma, but was even dangerous to his health.

 

Nodoka was about to say something further when the sounds of enraged feminine footsteps stalked past the room's door, headed for the room Ranma was in. Nodoka would have to apologize to Nabiki later if that was who she thought it was. A long talk with Soun and Genma as well, seeing as they had failed to subdue one girl.

 

Kasumi and Nabiki also heard the footsteps but took no motion to intercept until Nodoka got up herself in a haste to divert disaster.

 

Ranma had not been able to hold back the tears as she continued to tell Tofu about the past few months. Tofu was displaying an undiscovered talent of knowing what questions to ask to draw out how Ranma actually felt about certain things.

 

Ranma was so lost in her tears and bearing herself that she and Tofu were very surprised when the door exploded into the room over their heads, Akane stood in the doorway, her aura was glowing a deep red and a furious expression was on her face.

 

Ranma was in no shape to deal with another attack, she was still too raw from before, too vulnerable from bearing herself to Tofu. The sight of Akane ready to kill sent Ranma gibbering in terror, reaching out for one who could bring some security to her.

 

Akane was seeing red. She had come up stairs to set Ranma straight and to get him to admit that he was in the wrong and that everything was his fault. He had been especially perverted today, turning down her cooking, brazenly flirting with the Chinese hussy, doing things in the boys locker room as a girl, tricking her into going into a locker room full of naked and half naked boys, and then faking a suicide attempt just to draw attention away from her.

 

Akane's skewed view of the world when it regarded Ranma went into overdrive when she saw Ranma still a female and still practically naked latch onto Dr. Tofu. She missed the look of utter fear and terror on her fiancé's face, only seeing imagined lust and perversity.

 

“I KNEW IT!!!” Akane threw herself forward to punish Ranma, not seeing Tofu move between them. Akane's mallet struck Tofu, knocking both him and Ranma into the wall, but not through it. Akane wasn't aiming to remove the pervert from the area this time, this time she was going to take her time.

 

“YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PERVERT!!! A WORTHLESS EXCUSS OF A MARTIAL ARTIST!!! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN HAPPOSAI!!! HAPPOSAI'S A BETTER MAN THAN YOU!!! YOU AREN'T EVEN A MAN!!!” Tofu had been knocked away from Ranma at the beginning, leaving a cowering, crying, and naked Ranma to the tenderizing mercies of Akane. “NOBODY LOVES YOU!!! YOU'RE NOT WANTED HERE!!!”

 

Nodoka, Kasumi, and Nabiki had been momentarily stunned by the ferocity of Akane's attacks on Ranma, both physically and verbally, but were soon in motion to try to stop their enraged sister.

 

Thank Kami for Ranma's unnatural martial arts training was Nabiki's thoughts as she carried the battered form of Ranma out of the room and away from Akane. She had left with Akane held at sword point by Ranma's mother while Kasumi was seeing how Tofu was. Akane's accusations against Ranma and her determination that he be punished for them were both ludicrous and eerily familiar.

 

Though Nabiki didn't have any medical training, you didn't live in a martial artist's home without picking up some basics of first aid. She knew that Ranma would be okay physically, having taken much worse in some of his fights against Ryoga. Nabiki was more worried about the emotional damage that her sister had done to the pigtailed martial artist.

 

Akane, however, had just had some cold water poured over her anger in the form of the Soatome family blade at her throat. She had shrugged off both Nabiki's and Kasumi's attempts to restrain her. The feel of a naked blade at one's own throat had the remarkable effect of subduing the raging beast. Akane still had her arms raised up to bring the mallet down again.

 

Nodoka's voice was cold, as cold as the blade she held at Akane's neck.

 

“We were just discussing my son's future, I think it would be best if you were to join us. Sit!” Akane held no illusion that she was in trouble, for what, she didn't know. Somehow it was Ranma's fault, and that made her all the more angry at the cursed boy. The feel of the blade at her throat convinced her that discretion was the better part of valor for the moment though.

 

Tofu was getting up, holding onto his arm as he allowed Kasumi to help him. He didn't know what had gotten into Akane to have her act like this, but he was going to be making some recommendations to Soun soon. His first priority was to make sure that Ranma was okay.

 

Akane noted the cold look Tofu gave her before limping out of the room. She was prevented from saying anything as Nodoka kept the blade steady as he left the room. A moment later Nabiki came back into the room.

 

“How is my son?” Nodoka never wavered, never broke her attention from Akane.

 

“He's unconscious. He should be fine, I sent Tofu to look in on him.”

 

“Akane, after witnessing your behavior and actions towards my son tonight, I am dissolving the engagement between the two of you. I shall be taking my child away from this place where it is obviously not safe or healthy for him to remain.” Nodoka noted the change in Akane's expression from suppressed rage to relief and it disgusted her.

 

“I see this failure of the promise between families to be both dishonorable and your fault, child. I shall be speaking with your father about this shortly. I do not expect to be interrupted nor do I expect to have to tolerate any more of your foolishness tonight. You have already embarrassed this family by assaulting a family friend and doctor, do not compound the situation further with any further actions. You will remain here until you are called, is that understood?”

 

Akane was in disbelief at Nodoka's words, and numbly nodded that she did understand, not trusting her mouth to give the right words while being mindful of the blade still resting on her neck.

 

End Part One.

 

Writer's block story so don't expect a timely update. Please review and let me know what you think.