Breaking another cinder-block, Akane breathed heavilly and looked down at her work. It was a tough workout, but it did not bring her any joy. She felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. "Dull..." Akane growled to herself. Sure, she had worked hard, was sweating heavilly and breathing hard... But, the entire regime just didn't feel right. "I don't have Ranma to compare to anymore..."
Akane sighed. Only now tha Ranma had left the Tendo grounds, did Akane realize just how much she cared for the big lug... And realized just how important he was. Ranma was an inspiration to Akane. She could compare herself to him, to see how much she got better with every workout, and with his bone-headed antics, he made Akane want to improve so much, that she would get to the point where she could kick his ass!
"But I can't do that now." Akane thought. "I can't go see Ranma, or even contact him, without Auntie Saotome breaking the engagement." Akane sighed. Why was it that she only seemed to want to talk to the pig-tailed macho idiot, only when she really couldn't, when there were barriers between them?
Knowing that there was no use crying over spilled milk, Akane decided to call it a day in her training early. She really wasn't in a mood to train anyway. "Just not a challenge with no one around to really spar with..."
And so, Akane went inside the house. She made her way upstairs, and undressed in the changing room. She set a bath going, and took time to wash herself off with cold water. "Brr... Cold..." Akane muttered as she shivered.
After a few more moments, the furo was filled, and Akane turned the faucet off. She relaxed herself into the furo. It felt like heaven to her rather sore muscles. "Oh... Man, I'm feeling that..."
And so, Akane sat there in the furo, letting the warm waters relax her. And she thought of how he day went.
Akane felt odd when she had awoken that morning... Mostly because she had slept in. Ranma and his father were not out for their early-morning sparring sessions, and so their noise did not wake her up early as usual. Akane had half a mind to yell at Ranma, for causing her to be late to school... But then she remembered... Ranma wasn't there. He hadn't come back.
Akane was rushing herself, and when she had finally settled down for breakfast... Everything fell apart. Nodoka had come in, and literally laid down the law. And if Akane broke it, Ranma would no longer be her fiance. "And I can't leave him to those hyenas!" Akane thought, growling at the concept that those hussies dared to consider themselves fiancees of Ranma.
Snorting in disgust, Akane truly hoped those dumb jerk TRIED to see Ranma, or that someone would fight for their honor. That way, Nodoka would dump their engagements so fast, they wouldn't know whta the heck hit them. "Which reminds me... I better talk to Ryoga and Kuno about this." Akane thought bitterly. She knew those two liked her, and their fighting could break up her engagement.
Akane sighed. She'd have told Kuno today, but when she got to school, she and the other students found out that Principal Kuno had declared it a 'holiday'. Of course, no one was fooled. The sounds of construction coming from the back put everyone on edge. "I wonder what that Hawaiian nut-case is up too..." Akane mentally asked. "Knowing that weirdo, it could be anything."
With no school, Akane saw how many people had started heading home, or left to go shopping, have fun, or do whatever. And Akane had opted to go home to do some training. Hopefully, it would help her clear her mind of today's earlier events. "But then dad and uncle Saotome just had to pester me..."
Akane wondered what it was going to take to get her father and Mr. Saotome to understand that they couldn't just force Ranma to come to her. And they kept pestering Akane to go see Ranma, until it Akane had explained the situation to them fifteen times! "Idiots didn't want to face the truth. Didn't want to believe that Auntie Saotome just wanted Ranma to learn how not to be a baka."
And so, after ditching dumb and dumber Soun and Genma, Akane had begun training again... "But as I trained, I didn't feel the same passion burning through me. It was like something in me died..." Akane sighed wistfully. Why couldn't she bring herself to fight on as before? Training usually made Akane feel strong... Powerful... Special... But instead, she felt like a bump on a log today.
Sighing, Akane continued to soak in the furo. She decided she would have a talk with the Saotome Matriarch outside her home. "Hopefully I can talk her into letting me speak to Ranma."
Yes. Akane decided that is what she needed to do. But not today. Seeing as how tomorrow would be Saturday, Akane decided she would place a phone-call to the Saotome residence in the afternoon, and see if she could arrange a time to meet with the Saotome Matriarch. "And then, I'll make her understand, and Ranma and I will be fiancees again!"
Akane smiled as she relaxed in the furo, completely oblivious to some of the harsh truths about her relationship with Ranma. Yes, she did care for him, but she also seemed to not think about the constant mistrust, the beatings, and the overall cold-attitude and silent-treatments she'd been giving him the past couple of months. And that is why Akane would have trouble being a couple with Ranma. She did care fpr him, but they both constantly screwed things up. Ranma with his foot-in-mouth, and Akane with her volatile temper...
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(Posted Fri, 20 Jun 2003 05:44)
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