From: Jan Story LAST GAMBLE A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Jan Story Standard disclaimer: all characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, etc. This story intended solely for noncommercial use of fans. "Ranma no baka!" Akane chased her fiance through the house, mallet raised high. Genma Saotome not only saw her aura, he smelled it, an electrical odor like overheated wires. Would those two young idiots never admit their feelings for one another? Or would their stupidity drive them apart forever? Across the table, his friend Soun Tendou burst into tears again. The strain was really telling on Tendou. Some of the things he said sometimes, late at night over the shogi board, when the sake bottle was nearly empty... the kids didn't know about that. The only thing that kept him going was his dream of passing the dojo on to Akane and her husband, a dream that faded a little every time Akane and Ranma got into another fight. Genma had dreams too. Dreams of a contented old age, with his friend by his side and grandchildren around him. Panda dreams, maybe. Never mind, they'd never come true now. He was down to one last desperate idea. It would mean giving up everything: his dreams, his friend, his son, maybe even his humanity. He had no illusions about what kind of man he was. There had been a time when ideas like honor and nobility brought to mind nothing but his father's brutality; he had fled from everything that was remotely like the man, straight into the tutelage of a sensei whose mastery of ki techniques had never made up for his peeping and petty thievery. Happousai had encouraged his opportunism and scheming, and a lifetime on the road, living hand to mouth, had only furthered his disintegration. Nodoka had been his last chance for redemption, but by then the habits had been too ingrained; her honor had come to seem like a prison he was only too glad to escape from. He had never really intended to see her again to redeem his promise. Still, he had tried. Every scrap of decency and honor he could dredge up within himself he had tried to put into his son, and beyond all expectation, he had succeeded. In spite of the disasters that had lost him the boy's respect, the multiple engagements, the Nekoken, the journey to China that had complicated both their lives so much, he had managed to create something noble and shining out of the wreckage of himself. But the boy was so damn stubborn! Not that Akane was any better. Both of them too obstinate and full of pride to admit to themselves how much they obviously loved one another. /*Forgive me, old friend,*/ he thought. /*Forgive me, my son. Maybe some day you'll understand why this has to be.*/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Akane stared unseeing at her algebra textbook, listening to the angry murmurs from downstairs, wondering what was going on and what, if anything, she should do about it. The morning had been normal enough. Ranma and his father sparring, knocking each other into the pond. Breakfast, the Saotomes warring over food. Racing to school, nearly late as usual. Shampoo. Kunou. A pretty uneventful day at school, with no weird pronouncements from the principal's office, and even Ranma managing to escape the disciplinary wrath of Hinako-sensei. After school she had gone shopping with Sayuri and Yuka, and Ranma had disappeared, probably to Ucchan's. He had smelled like okonomiyaki sauce at dinner. Dinner. What had happened during the day? What had gone on with their fathers? She didn't know. Even Kasumi didn't know. But the anger and tension between the two men had all but poisoned the meal. One snarling barb after another from Ojisama, and Otousan not even crying, but retreating into confused, hurt silence like a beaten child. And Ranma... Oh gods. The hurt and confusion in his eyes... What was going on? It almost looked like Ojisama was... was getting ready to take Ranma away. To break their engagement. She would be free again. Free... Free to fight her way through every overbearing ego-driven creep in school every single morning. Free to be the girl everybody wanted but nobody wanted to get too close to. Free to cook anything she wanted without fear of getting insulted... and with no reason to try. Free to walk to school alone every morning, with no Ranma on the fence beside her. Her eyes went to the picture she kept on her desk. There was no reason it should be special, they weren't even together, Shampoo and Ukyou were hanging on him as usual, and Ryouga and Kunou were next to her. But he had said... he had nearly said... The voices from downstairs were growing louder and meaner. Without even realizing what she was doing, Akane began to change into her gi. "...my son can do better than your worthless slut of a daughter! Get your things, Ranma! We're leaving!" "No, Oyaji!" That was Ranma's voice, firm and decisive. Akane froze. "What did you say, boy?" "I said I ain't leavin'! Akane ain't a slut, and I ain't leavin' her!" /*Not leaving... me?*/ There were sounds of fighting. Between blows, she could clearly hear Ranma. "I said... I... ain't... leavin'... Akane!" Then there was a thud, and silence. Heavy footfalls, too heavy to be Ranma's. /*He lost. Ojisama beat him.*/ /*What do I want? Do I really want him gone? Or do I want... him?*/ She stared out the window, memories playing back. ((I'm Akane. Do you want to be friends?)) ((And I'm better built, to boot.)) ((Your hair looks cute like that.)) ((Akane's my fiancee! Lay a lip on her and I'll kill ya!)) ((If I didn't care, this wouldn't be so hard.)) ((The woman you are is the person I...)) The door slammed. She could see Genma, in human form, with his pack on his back, and a second pack in his free hand. Ranma was slung over his shoulder. They were leaving. Probably forever. She could hear her father bawling, and Kasumi's comforting murmur. ((Who'd want to marry an uncute tomboy like her?)) ((The woman you are...)) She was out the window and moving before her mind caught up with her actions. She almost lost them a couple of times, but managed to catch them as they entered the park. /*Now or never. Just like the orochi.*/ She leaped from the rooftop to the park wall, rebounded to strike Genma in the side of the head with a flying kick, and came down in a combat stance. /*Ow. I hope he doesn't notice I bobbled that landing, and I think I twisted my ankle. If he does I'm in trouble.*/ Genma stumbled at the impact and dropped Ranma and the pack. His own pack slid from his back to the ground as he turned to face her, a slow, nasty grin spreading over his face. Her heart froze. /*What am I doing? I'm not good enough to take him on!*/ Then she noticed movement beyond him. Ranma rising to his knees, groggy, dazed, shaking his head. And her heart sang. /*I don't have to take him! All I have to do is hold on until Ranma can fight! This is just the same as the dojo-yaburi – I can do it!*/ Blue aura flared around her, illuminating the new leaves and flashing across Genma's glasses. She met his nasty grin with her own confidence, and let him come. Ranma felt like he was upside down, bobbing and pitching in every direction. His stomach lurched and he fought to control it. A little more awareness returned, and he realized he was slung over Oyaji's back. /*Damn, the old bastard beat me. Gotta get away. Gotta get back to Akane.*/ Then there was a sudden shock; Oyaji stumbled and dropped him. The impact almost knocked him out again. He tried to get up, to focus. Oyaji was squaring off against somebody, somebody small, wearing a gi. There was a flare of aura, and he saw it was... /*Akane? That slow clumsy chick, tryin't'take on Oyaji?*/ Genma rushed her. At the last minute she leaped, bouncing off his head and making him sprawl face-down in the dirt. Her face twisted in pain as her weight came down on her bad ankle, but she recovered and by the time he picked himself up again she was ready for him. Ranma tried to get his legs under him. The least movement of his head brought the dizziness back, but he had to... Akane had come off pretty well in the first passage, but Oyaji was a master of dirty tricks and he was gettin' real mad, and her stance was a little bit off and no way Oyaji hadn't spotted it… Genma charged her again. She feinted high, making it look like she was trying for the same move, but at the last second went in low, whipping her leg around to strike Genma in the back of the knee. He measured his length in the dirt again and she came down on his back, striking hard with both feet and coming down once more in that slightly off stance. Ranma saw her grimace and heard a slight hiss as she landed. She was hurt, and Oyaji had to know it. She'd been lucky twice. Oyaji had underestimated her speed. /*He's never sparred her and doesn't get to see her fight like I do. I call her slow 'cuz she's not as fast as me, but she's really pretty good. Trouble is Oyaji's fast too. People see the size and think he's slow, but he ain't.*/ He could tell the old man had her measure now, though. She wouldn't win a third passage. Hell, she'd be lucky if he let her live. "He doesn't want to go, Ojisama," she was saying. "And I won't let you take him." Ranma blinked. /*Akane's rescuin' me?*/ Oyaji hadn't noticed him yet. He wasn't up to a sustained fight, but he could probably manage one decisive blow. That might be all she needed. Then Oyaji struck. Moving with a speed all at odds with his massive bulk, Genma Saotome threw himself at Akane. She leaped out of the way, landing off balance with her whole weight on her bad ankle. The joint gave way under her and she went sprawling. She rolled and tried to recover, but his follow-through caught her and sent her flying through the air. She struck the wall and slid slowly down it to lie in a limp huddle at its base. And Genma, totally unconcerned, lumbered back to pick up his discarded gear. Something in Ranma snapped. "Not this time, Oyaji," he grated. Genma looked up. There stood his son, tall and strong, a ball of flaming ki in his hands and hate blazing from his eyes. Not just disgust, disappointment, disrespect, not any more. Now there was bitter, implacable hatred. Once this line was crossed, they could never return. /*Choose, son. Choose your fiancee. Strike me down if you must, but choose her.*/ "That was *Akane* you just hurt, you old bastard," Ranma snarled. "I could live with your stupid promise to Mom. I could live with the Nekoken. I could live with gettin' cursed. I could even live with your engagin' me to every other girl we ever met. But I ain't gonna live with you hurtin' Akane! MOUKO TAKABISHA!" Ki blasted the older man backwards. There was a splash, and he went into the fountain. Another time, Ranma might have checked to see if his opponent was all right, might have extended a hand and pulled him out. He had done it often enough – to Ryouga, to Kunou, to Mousse, to any number of others. But that man /*(not my father, never again)*/ had hurt *Akane*. If he drowned, it only meant he would never hurt her again. He didn't dare lift or shake her, could only take her hand, call to her. Tears dripped from his face to splash onto hers. "Akane. Come on, Akane, please wake up. Please, oh kami, please let her wake up..." The long lashes fluttered, her dark eyes opened, dazed and unfocused "Ranma?" "Yokatta," he whispered, more to himself than to her. His own vision blurred for a moment. "You... gonna be OK?" "It hurts... really bad." Tears sparkled on her eyelashes as she closed her eyes; ice clawed at Ranma's gut to think how bad she must be hurting to show it like this. Akane was fiercely proud and stubborn as a rock; even though she wasn't nearly as tough as he was, she always tried to act like it. For her to show pain or admit to weakness... He shouldered his pack – after all, it contained everything he owned that he wasn't wearing – and picked her up. "I'm takin' you to Toufuu- sensei," he growled. "Whaddya mean takin' on Oyaji anyway, stupid clumsy tomboy?" He set off at a ground-eating pace. Akane felt a brief surge of anger at his harsh words, but a wave of dizziness made the emotion slip out of her grasp. Focusing on the way his muscles rippled against her was easier than talking, and helped her bear the pounding in her head, the agony that stabbed up her leg from her injured ankle. And then the rhythmic movements stopped, there were voices, more movements, and she missed the warmth of him against her as she was set down on something firm. Cool, deft fingers probed her ankle. She fought her way out of the fog that surrounded her, and blinked in the light of Toufuu-sensei's examining room. "That's a pretty nasty sprain, Akane-chan," the doctor observed. "It looks almost like three or four injuries. Did you twist it and then keep fighting on it?" Akane nodded. "I didn't have any choice. I had to save Ranma." "Dummy," Ranma growled. "I had the whole thing under control." "Baka. Your dad was hauling you off like a sack of rice." Pain stabbed through her head; she winced and hissed. "Did you hurt your head too?" Toufuu asked. His fingers probed at the back of her head, then pressed something and the pain abruptly lessened. He shone a little penlight into her eyes. "I don't think there's any serious head injury, but I want to keep you here tonight just in case." He picked her up and carried her into a little room that held a bed, a table, and a big Western-style armchair. "I'll call your father and let him know you're both safe." "Thanks, sensei." Ranma pulled the armchair up to the side of the bed. "I still coulda got away on my own," he told her, "but it woulda took longer. Thanks, Akane." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I got to protect you for once. You usually want to have all the fun yourself." His control snapped and he caught her up in a fierce hug. "Fun?! You coulda got killed, you ditz!" Her arms strained around him as she hugged him back. /*Ow, she hugs harder'n Shampoo.*/ "So? I couldn't let him take you... besides, I didn't have to beat him, just last till you could fight. Just like the dojo-yaburi, and I did okay against him." "Yeah, right. All that yarou had was bein' hard to hurt. Oyaji... you didn't get this wrecked against the dojo-yaburi. Gods, Akane, if I lost you..." A sudden thought struck him. "And I still might. Your dad'll probably throw me out for what Oyaji did, or he'll blame me for your gettin' hurt." "No, he can't." she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I won't let him. Or if he does, I'll... I'll go with you." "I thought... the way you always get so mad at me, I thought you'd be glad I was gone," he said, confused. She shook her head violently. "No!" Then she buried her face against his chest and he felt his shirt growing wet. "No," she repeated quietly, her shoulders shaking. Without even thinking, he brought his hand up to stroke her hair. "Ssh, it's okay, it's okay," he soothed. "Let's not think about that tonight, okay? Tell you what. Soon's sensei says you can, how 'bout I start trainin' you for real?" "Really? You'd really do that?" /*And I thought she was cute just for smilin'? She's lit up like Ginza!*/ "Hey, if you're gonna go around rescuin' me ya gotta learn to do it right and not get wrecked." She snuggled against him with a happy sigh, and closed her eyes. He held her long after she had fallen asleep, until his own eyelids began to droop uncontrollably. Then he eased her back down onto the bed and curled up in the armchair, his head on the bed, holding her hand. In the shadows outside, a panda watched his sleeping son for a while longer, then turned and lumbered into the night. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES: I have no idea where this one came from. I just got this picture in my head, of Akane rescuing Ranma from Genma's attempt to take him away. Wondering why he'd do such a thing, I ended up with the idea that it was a put-up job. It's probably too sympathetic to Genma; I think he's a prize lout and Soun is little better, but they never come off that way in my stories. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.