A ladder thudded against the side of the roof, and a few seconds later Akane, the black-haired girl still in her western-style wedding dress, climbed up and sat down next to Ranma. Following his gaze to the dojo, she shook her head wryly. “Quite a day,” she said quietly.
“Yeah,” Ranma agreed. “And quite a few extra guests. Nabiki?”
“Yes.”
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, then Ranma asked nonchalantly, “So, do we owe her a thumping or a thank you?”
Glancing at her fiancé out of the corner of her eye, Akane shrugged. “You never did answer my question.”
“Question?” Ranma asked, feeling the stirrings of panic.
“Yes, my question. Ranma, do you love me?”
Ramna turned his eyes from the dojo to look at the stunningly beautiful girl beside him. “Akane, I … I … I …” His throat closed up, and he simply stared at her. Here it comes, he thought, Mallet-sama and Air Akane.
But to his surprise, Akane didn’t turn red, start yelling, or even tense up. Instead, she simply chuckled, and if the chuckle was somewhat forced there was still real humor in it. “You just can’t say it, can you?” she said, gently shaking her head. “So, let’s try it this way. Ranma, what you did for me in China, going up against Saffron — was it just a matter of honor? Am I just a matter of honor to you? Or something more?”
Ranma turned his eyes back to the dojo, and after a few moments whispered, “No, you aren’t just a matter of honor to me. You’re — something more.”
Akane nodded, eyes glistening. “Good enough,” she murmured.
Time passed in oddly comfortable silence, until Akane took a deep breath. “Ranma,” she said, “I’m glad to know that, because I have something important to tell you. While our fathers’ marriage plans were almost as much a surprise to me as they were to you, I was willing to go through with it, marry you, see you get your cure for the curse, do my best to be a good wife to you — and it would have been an enormous mistake, and probably a short marriage.”
The pigtailed boy sat and stared at her, gaping in shock. Finally, he simply stuttered, “Wh-why?”
Now it was Akane’s turn to stare down at the dojo below them for a few moments. Finally, she said, “Because … because, while I love you, I’m in love with only half of you. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong half.” Looking up to find Ranma staring at her in confusion, she sighed. “Ranma, I’m a lesbian.”
Ranma simply sat frozen in place, staring at the girl he’d thought he’d known. Minutes passed, and finally Akane shrugged. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, and got up and started for the ladder.
That jolted Ranma out of his shock. “Wait!” he half-shouted, and Akane paused, looking back at him warily. He patted the roof next to him where she had been sitting. “Sit down, we … we need ta talk about this.” When she hesitated, he added, “… please.” Finally, she nodded and resumed her seat.
The two sat in tense silence for a few minutes, again staring at the dojo. Finally, Ranma asked, “How long have ya known?”
“Since before you arrived,” she said quietly.
“But … but what about Dr. Tofu? You had a crush on him!” Ranma protested.
Akane shook her head. “No, I didn’t. But I tried to convince myself I did — that I was actually bisexual, that I could have it all and still be me. Unfortunately …” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.
A few more minutes passed, then Ranma said, “And have ya … done it? With a girl?”
Akane nodded jerkily. “Yes, a few times, with a couple, but not since you got here. After that, well, you were my fiancé. Besides,” she added in a whisper, “I fell in love with a certain redheaded cutie that day, and hoped that maybe … eventually …”
Silence again fell between the two fiancés, stretched out, becoming more and more oppressive, until Akane was squirming in place, stealing occasional glances at Ranma’s unusually thoughtful face still staring at the dojo.
Finally, Ranma sighed, and turn to look at her again. “Okay, now what?” he asked.
“That’s up to you,” she replied instantly, and the pigtailed boy stiffened.
“Me?” he asked, and Akane nodded, taking a deep breath and straightening up.
‘It’s simple. You can stay as you are, switch the engagement to Kasumi or Nabiki, and be my best friend, always — but that’s all you’ll be, and eventually we’ll go our separate ways. But if you want more than that it’s going to have to be as a girl, and publicly, not just privately — whatever else, I'm tired of lying to almost everyone around me. Or you can decide you can’t handle either, and pack up and leave. It’ll hurt, a lot, but I’ll survive and you’ll be free — maybe …” — she choked up, fought her throat clear and gave a tremulous smile — “maybe go with Ukyo or Shampoo, if one of them doesn’t mind being second best.”
For a long moment Ranma stared at the lovely girl he had so often labeled a tomboy, at the hope and fear warring in her eyes. Finally, he shook his head. “I can’t give ya an answer, not yet. But I will, I’m not gonna just run out during the night. Just, I need ta think. So,” he added, standing up and holding out a hand, “why don’t I give ya a lift ta the ground?”
Forcing a smile, Akane grabbed his hand and let him pull her to her feet, then sweep her up in his arms. A quick hop to the ground and he placed her back on her feet, then turned toward the property wall. “Ranma!” Akane said, then when he stopped and looked at her, added, “Whatever you decide, thanks for at least thinking about it.” Ranma just smiled back, then ran to the wall and with a leap he was gone into the newly-fallen night.
* * * * *
A redheaded girl sat down under a bridge, grumbling to herself — this time, it had been a car and a puddle. Getting the curse locked might just be worth it, just ta stop the constant soakings, she thought with a wry smile. But the smile quickly fled, and she stared out into the night.
So, Ranma, what do you do now? she thought, pulling her knees up to her chest. She thought of all the times she’d scammed food vendors, sharing her ill-gotten gains with Akane and her friends, laughing and relaxed, how good it had felt to just let things go for awhile….
But that was when ya knew it wasn’t permanent, it was just a … a break. Ya always knew ya’d be goin’ back ta being yer usual macho self. And face it, ya like being that guy — facin’ the next challenger ta come down the pike, chasin’ after the latest Romeo goin’ fer Akane, running inta Ryoga with a new technique an’ learning how ta beat it … if ya go girl and you and Akane become a public item, how much chance that continues? Not much. And ya’ve always wanted to teach, bein’ known as a lesbian will hurt yer chances a’ running a dojo, badly. And if ya do teach, it’ll probably be a different dojo—not much chance Mr. Tendo’ll let ya take over without marrying one a’ his daughters. So, that’s what ya probably lose if ya do it. But if ya don’t ya lose Akane.
Thoughts of the girl he’d met that first day at the dojo rose, all strength and lack of real training, by his standards at least, her beautiful smile, the way her face would cloud up when he said something stupid yet again, the cute pout when she was concentrating on school work, the tears the last time they’d visited her mother’s grave, the way she was (almost) always eager to help, to throw herself into a fight without worrying whether she actually had the skill needed to help, or even survive — Ranma slowly got up and walked to the park. Sitting on the edge of the fountain, she looked down at her reflection in the moonlight. Isn’t it worth it, waking up ta this face every morning if hers is there next ta ya?
For Ranma, it was a very long night.
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(Posted Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:25)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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