Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Rage ❯ building up ( Chapter 3 )

Rage part three

 

Akane Tendo was slowly boiling in her own anger while she sat in the room where Nodoka had told her to stay. She was staying not because a woman with a sword at her throat had told her too, but because she had decided to do so and it was only a coincidence that was what the bitch wanted. Tell yourself a lie enough times and it will eventually become your truth.

 

Akane's rage wasn't directed solely at Ranma, it was just that for the past few years, Ranma had proven himself to be safe target for her to unleash on. He would take anything that she would dish out and bounce right back for more within minutes, if not immediately. After Saffron and some of the other incidents involving Ranma, Akane was pretty much convinced that he was invulnerable, thus a safe target.

 

It wasn't until the wedding that she had started to notice a change in the way that she treated Ranma. She had warned him that he would regret it if he called off the wedding, which was precisely what he did.

 

It was true that the other fiancés, Kuno, Ryoga, Mousse, and Happosai all had their parts in ruining her wedding, but it wasn't any of them that had left her for some water. Instead of being happy that they were going to be wed, the moment that the spring of drowned man water popped up, Ranma was off and away after it. Leaving Akane behind in her western wedding dress to deal with all the people that were invited to a cancelled wedding.

 

If Ranma had only stayed with her, had not left her for a bottle of water, then she would be happily married right now. They could have dealt with all the others together, but no! He had decided that being a man was more important than being a husband. The seed of hate had been planted that day.

 

Soun had said that Ranma would have to settle his affairs with the other fiancés before they could be wed, but Akane knew that he had yet to do anything towards that goal. She knew that he was just stringing everybody along just so he could have the attention. She knew that he was lying when he had told her that he didn't know how to settle the affairs.

 

Akane saw it as simply Ranma telling everybody that he was going to marry her.

 

Ranma had argued that he couldn't just do that because of honor. His and the other fiancé's honor would be smeared by any action that Ranma took, except for the Amazons. Ranma had figured that only their honor was at stake because it was their laws that got him into their trouble. He had never actually agreed to anything they were trying to push on him. Yet he was still reluctant to be part of damaging Shampoo's honor.

 

Right before the wedding, before the Saffron incident, Akane had tried to be nicer to Ranma, and for a while, things were good between the two of them. If good means less violent. Akane had tried to take steps to improve her relationship with Ranma, if for no other reason than to get her father to shut up about it. She had come to care for the boy, enough to risk her life for him a few times.

 

But the wedding had been a turning point for Akane, when her father approached her with his plans for the shotgun wedding, more like had the dress waiting with a stern order that it would happen that day and he expected no arguments, she had shoved all the protests down into her. Despite the feeling in her stomach, like butterflies only heavier and felt curiously of dread, she had forced herself into the wedding dress for her wedding that she wasn't sure of.

 

During the Saffron event, Ranma had saved her life, but he spurned her during the wedding for a casket of water.

 

It used to be so easy for Akane to just take out her frustrations on Ranma and be done with it, but lately she hadn't found the same satisfaction that hitting Ranma had brought before. The desire to punish him for his slights and problems was still present, born on the first night they met, but the feeling that she had gone far enough wasn't coming.

 

Where before she would have been happy with just knocking Ranma through the roof and let him fly, now she wanted to follow him and send him back the way she sent him.

It had been an unconscious thing, not something that she had been aware of until she thought about it. The sting of where the blade had rested on her neck was prompting such thought.

 

How did she feel about Ranma? She had found that she had come full circle regarding her feelings for the cursed boy. When he arrived at her home and labeled himself a pervert by looking at her naked body and then later having a better body than her, she only had annoyance and hostility for him. Eventually, she came to care for him, his presence in her life something she took comfort in, if not a little secret joy. Now though, she was tired, not physically, but she was tired of Ranma's attitude, his fiancés, and his unwillingness to settle things, his need to be better than everybody. The time she had caught him with the porno magazine at school had convinced her that he was a pervert just as she was starting to think otherwise.

 

She was tired of the feelings that came unbidden within her every time she saw him with another woman, and thanks to his curse, or man. She was tired of his casual disregard for those feelings as if they never mattered. She didn't want to feel that way, of being disregarded without a second thought, and Ranma did it all the time. She hated it. She was starting to hate Ranma for it.

 

Akane's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and a pale looking Nabiki standing in the doorway.

 

“We have to talk.”

 

##

 

Ranma was feeling wretched, like her body had been tenderized and her feelings had been laid onto hot coals. Ever since the bathroom she had been feeling out of sorts. Ranma had been rendered unconscious twice tonight so far, once by Kasumi's shiatsu points and once by Akane's fists, and now Ranma was feeling like she would loss consciousness again because of what her mother was saying.

 

“Death before dishonor, Soun. It is a shame I have to spell it out for you. I will only do it once. Akane regains her honor the only way she can, Seppuku, as befitting her Samurai lineage. You cast her out, remove her from your clan and never speak of her again. Or you take her place with the blade, your honor for hers.”

 

No. Not this. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. She was dreaming. She had to be. This would never happen in real life. It felt like a dream, her body was slow and sluggish, unresponsive. The only thing she could see was her mother's face, everything else lost detail while her mother's face gained more. Her mother's face was stern and resolute. She had never seen it so serious.

 

It was a new experience for Ranma to look upon her mother's face and see an emotion other than sadness or happiness. For the longest time, sadness was the only thing that could be seen on her face, replaced by happiness after she had declared Ranma to be manly in spite of whatever form he was in.

 

The unfamiliar expressions almost made the older woman unrecognizable. Unidentifiable noises could be heard around her, but she paid them no heed.

 

Ranma was suddenly wet, male, and a little confused as to why he was on his knees. His mother was looking at him with another emotion that he only ever saw on Akane's face, disgust.

 

She placed her teacup back upon the table with an easy grace.

 

“I will not have my son acting as a hysterical girl, do you understand me?” Ranma could only nod before looking to Tofu in confusion.

 

“Do you see the damage your daughter has done to my son? The effect she has on him? The dishonor that she brings to both our families? “ Nodoka going at full steam.

 

“Doc.” Ranma whispered. “What happened? What'd I do?”

 

“You went into shock, Ranma. You fell to your knees and started babbling about how it was your fault, how sorry you were and how worthless you were. I have to admit that you have a hard face; I slapped you twice to try to knock you out of it. You weren't responsive until Nodoka threw her hot tea at you.”

 

“This isn't a dream is it doc?” Ranma asked hopefully.

 

“No, Ranma, I'm afraid it isn't.” Tofu had an unusually serious expression on his face.

 

“We can't let this happen, we have to stop this. We can't let my mother do this. It was bad enough holding seppuku over my head but now Akane's?”

 

“I don't think we can stop this from happening, Ranma.” Tofu had a sad look in his eyes.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I know that you're used to having something that you can face Ranma, but this is something else entirely. These walls are not as thick as you may believe and many in the neighborhood have made this house the hot topic of gossip. I know because that is what they talk about when they are in my waiting room or when I am examining them.

 

By now, there are several of your neighbors who have a good idea at some of the events that have happened tonight, particularly of how Akane has acted. My presence here is no secret and neither is Akane's violent nature. When I leave here to go home, people are going to notice that I am hurt and will put two and two together. Unless something happens to address that, then the neighborhood is going to talk and things will start to go badly for the Tendo family.”

 

“How can you do that to the family, you know it wasn't Akane's fault.”

 

“You misunderstand, I have no control over that, I'm just making an observation and a prediction. Nerima is an old district with a few Samurai families within it, the Tendo's being one of them. When the rumor that the youngest daughter of the Tendo's struck a doctor and nothing was done of it, then everybody will lose respect for the Tendo's. They'll be ostracized. While Bushido is no longer a way of life for many, as you can see, the older generations still respect it to a high degree and many still expect the Samurai families to uphold its tenets.

 

As much as I hate it, your mother is right in what she is doing. I've been there since Akane was a child, and I never expected for her to attack me. The Tendo family is not the only one caught up in this, I too have to make a hard decision about what happened earlier. You see, if nothing happens to Akane and I continue to see and treat the Tendo's, then I shall lose respect here as well. I'll lose my patients and eventually my business.”

 

“But what if there's something making her like this, what if she's not at fault?” Ranma was starting to get desperate.

 

“Even if there was something that was making Akane act like this, it wouldn't change the events earlier nor would it change how people feel about it. It would just make it look that much worse for her and the family. Let's say for example that she was drugged, the way things are going right now it would be much too late for us to find out what she was drugged with, let alone how, what, or who. Then again, there isn't anything to support the idea that she's been drugged.”

 

“I have to go, I have to find the thing that is making Akane like this.”

 

“No you will not.” Nodoka's voice was stern. Ranma realized that instead of whispering, both him and Tofu were now the center of attention.

 

“Dr. Tofu's assessment of the situation is accurate, my child. Akane's actions this day are merely the last straw of a very large load. Regardless of whether or not her actions were the results of outside influence or not, it is ultimately her shoulders that must bear the consequences. To ignore what she has done today would be a grave mistake for all three of our families, and would shame us all.

 

Tell me, Ranma, do you love that girl?” The question was unexpected as was the answer, as if by rote driven into him by two years of constant denials.

 

“That tomboy? No Way! Uhm…I mean.”

 

“It is as I thought. Ranma, if there is an outside influence responsible for Akane's actions, then we will find them and settle with them in the fullness of time, but I will not have you chasing a fool's errand in order to delay what must be done. I do not wish for this but we cannot ignore this.

 

If you have made your decision, Soun, I would see this done before the Doctor leaves so that there is a witness.”

 

“I've decided…that Akane must chose her own path in this.”

 

“Both wise and cowardly. Very well, bring her here and have her make her choice.”

 

Nobody had noticed that Nabiki had not been present for some time.

 

##

 

“Great grandmother, how liquid Shampoo put into Violent Girl's shampoo work? Shampoo thought it not work at first but then notice Violent Girl more violent.”

 

“It's an old Amazon secret for breaking those away from an Amazon's rightful husband. A closely guarded secret, the liquid is an extract of a plant found only near Jusenkyo. In large doses, is causes an enhancement of certain emotions to a ridiculous degree. For example, if Ryoga were to be exposed to a drop of the concentrated stuff, then his hatred for Son in law would become quite a bit more homicidal in nature.

 

It remains in the system with each exposure for a time, and builds with each exposure. This is why it was to go into the girl's shampoo, something that she'll use on a regular basis that no one else would use. I've noticed how the girl is more annoyed at Ranma than anything else. This will enhance her annoyance to epic proportions and cause her to give in to her violent urges.

 

All you have to do is wait for Ranma to tire of it and be there to catch him.”

 

“Is too, too good plan.”

 

##

 

“Something isn't right here.”

 

“You're damn right something isn't right. How can they not see that I didn't do anything wrong? This is all Ranma's fault.”

 

“Just shut up about that for a minute, don't you realize what you've done? What's going on?”

 

“Ranma's turned everybody against me, that perverted freak. Just wait till I get my” ^SLAP^

 

“I can't believe you! She's down stairs right now talking to our father about having you kill yourself to retain our family's honor, and with the way you've been acting lately I can't think of one damn reason to stop her! Now you either calm down and help me, or so help me, I'll leave you to whatever fate she has in store for you.”

 

“You hit me.”

 

“Yes I did, now talk to me. What's got you so worked up that you assault Dr. Tofu?

 

“It was Ranma! You saw him! He was being perverted and trying to seduce Dr. Tofu.”

 

“…”

 

“You saw it, right?”

 

“Akane, you know I love you, right?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“If you're lucky, we can talk some sense into Nodoka and put this behind us with little fuss, but if you keep this attitude up then the best you're looking at becoming Ronin, the worst is either you spilling your guts or father in your place. If you have a choice, go Ronin; I'll set you up with a place and a new identity. Other than that I won't be able to help you.”

 

“It won't come to that, all I have to do is explain”

 

“You aren't listening! She isn't playing around. She's not interested in hearing you out. You say anything about anything being Ranma's fault and Kasumi will be replacing tatami mats in the morning.”

 

“What can I do?”

 

“Apologize, ask for mercy, and above all, control yourself.”