Chapter Text
"Woah, curry tonight! Thank you, Akane!" Ranma and his father exclaim, as I'm preparing a meal.
It's our second night out in the wilderness, and my first chance to make a meal for them. Now it's time to see if my cooking actually does suck, or if Nabiki's just mean. "Patience, patience." I say. "It has to stew to bring out the flavor." I remeber that much from Kasumi's lessons.
"That's right!" Ranma's dad agrees, and I internally set out a sigh of relief. "All this training has got me worn away to nothing!"
I finish the curry, and prepare a plate of curry for each of them. "Here you go!"
Ranma's father examines his plate with interest. "Making sure the delicious natural taste is not lost, the chef serves the feast in a unique manner!" He takes a big sniff. "The rich, rare essence hints of a vintage distinction."
"You're such a gourmet!" I say. "I added white wine for flavor." I reveal, hoping this increases his opinion of the meal.
"Smells kinda weird." Ranma notes, and I begin to worry. But he's just a jerk for no reason all the time, I should pay him no mind!
Ranma's father elbows him. "We're so lucky Akane came along! Right, Ranma?"
Okay, wait, he might be getting a bit too hyped up about this. "I'm really no chef." I say, hoping that tempers his expectations.
"Eh, we're so hungry, we'd even eat pig-slop!" Ranma says, and I hope that's true. After all, that is one of the things that Nabiki has likened my cooking to.
Still, Ranma's laughing at me after saying that, and I can't let his rudeness stand, so I stick a knife in his face. "What did you just say?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Ranma says, and I draw the knife away.
"Then, dig in!" I say, closing my eyes and waiting for their reaction.
"Itadakimasu!" The two announce, before taking their first bites. Their faces are... I'm going to assume they look like that just because they're chewing food.
"Do you like it?" I ask.
They both set down their plates in unison, and ignore my question. Ranma's father turns to him. "Let us return to training!"
"Yeah, let's." Ranma says, and the two begin running away.
"Gochisousama!" Ranma's father says, and his son hesitantly joins in.
What was that reaction? They didn't even answer my question! I take a bite of the curry myself, to see...
I immediately spit out the vile slop. I clearly messed something up. Maybe the wine was a bit much? Then, I look over to the cooking ingredients, and I notice the labelling on what I had assumed was a wine bottle.
It was vinegar.
Ugh, whatever! I may have mistaken vinegar for wine, but Ranma was still such a jerk! He was even rude before he took a bite, how would he know I messed that up back then? And I put so much effort into making it, the two of them could have at least pretended to like it! In my anger, I grab a large rock, and chuck it.
However, instead of the clunk of the rock hitting the ground, there's a rough grunt as the rock hits a person. I look in the direction of the rock, and I recognize the guy it hit. "Ryouga!"
---
Akane helps me to my feet, after I got hit by a mysterious rock. And, without even having to ask, she starts preparing a meal of delicious curry for me! "So, you came out here for training too?" She asks.
I nod. "Well, you saw how I was humiliated..." I mutter, not wanting to think about my most recent fight with my rival.
Akane takes some of the curry she made, and puts it onto a plate. "It might be better, now that I've added a few things. Still, I'm no chef..." She hands me the plate.
"I'm sure it's delicious!" I assure her. My eyes begin filling with tears of joy. Why, this could be the happiest day of my life, getting to taste the home cooking of my beloved Akane! "Itadakimasu!" I say, taking a bite, looking at Akane's hopeful smile.
---
Ryouga's face is... Well, it's exactly the same as Ranma and his father's faces were after their first bites. I feel my hope that a true friend like him might be able to enjoy my cooking begin to fade. "It's still bad, isn't it?" I ask.
Ryouga's face continues to contort, before he finally gets a word out. "Delicious!" He spasms a bit more after saying that, trying to get some more words out. "I... I've never tasted such wonderful food in my life!"
"Really?" I ask, my smile returning. "Then the sugar, mayo, and wasabi must have neutralized the vinegar!"
There's a sudden blur of movement, and suddenly Ranma has appeared, spasming on the ground, holding Ryouga's plate of curry in one hand, and a fork in the other. "Ryouga, I knew your sense of direction was gone, but is your sense of taste gone too!?"
I take the plate from him. "You have no right to eat this!" Seriously, if he hated it so much, then why'd he steal it from Ryouga?
"Akane!" Ranma screams. "Have you even tried it!?"
"Not the new version, no." I admit. Still, Ryouga liked it, so it can't be that bad, right?
"Just try it!" Ranma begs. "Test your cooking, please!"
"Are you saying it's bad!?" I demand. He nods, before a spoon suddenly hits his face. But I hadn't thrown anything at him yet...?
"I won't allow you to say another word!" Ryouga shouts, clear from his posture that he had thrown the spoon at Ranma.
"You think you can stop me?" Ranma asks.
"Yeah, talk big while you still can!" Ryouga shouts back. I need to deescalate this!
"Stop, Ryouga." I tell him. "Ranma's a lazy jerk, I don't care what he thinks. Your opinion is all that matters to me."
"What about Ranko?" Ranma immediately asks.
"What about her?" I ask back. "It's not like she's here, is she?"
"Oh, no, she followed us." Ranma says, and Ryouga nods along. What? "I've gotta get back to training with Pops, but I'll tell her to come out of hiding, first."
Before I can say a word, Ranma runs off. I turn to Ryouga. "How'd you notice her but not me?" I ask.
Ryouga stammers a bit, searching for an answer, until Ranko suddenly appears. "You were probably focused on that cooking." She says, and Ryouga glares at her.
"What are you even doing here?" I ask her.
"What? I'm a martial artist too!" Ranko says, offended. "I like training in the mountains just as much as the next guy! So when all the other martial artists in town fuck off to do just that, I've gotta follow them!"
"Shampoo stayed home." I point out, before giving her a smirk. "I'll bet you followed for Ranma, didn't you?"
Ranko looks offended by the suggestion, before composing herself. "I followed 'cuz pretty much everyone I know in Nerima was going!" She exclaims. "Now, Ranma tells me you've made some food for me to try..."
"Well, I didn't make it for you." I note. "But its intended recipients didn't like it, so I guess I'm sharing it with my friends now." I hand her a plate. "I'm no chef, but Ryouga liked it, so it can't be that bad!"
As Ranko takes her plate, it's clear that she's taking her crush's word more seriously than mine or Ryouga's. That's fair, I suppose. She's clearly not trying to show it, and while she's not doing a very good job, she gets a very small bite, and eats it.
She flinches, and with a pained expression on her face, swallows. After a concerningly long pause, she opens her mouth to speak. "Yeah, it's bad. Sorry, not gonna sugarcoat it. Not as bad as Ranma said, but I do think I'd rather eat a pile of dirt than this."
"What are you talking about?" Ryouga asks. "It was incredible!" As soon as he says that, Ranko reaches down, grabs a fistful of dirt, and shoves it in Ryouga's face.
"How about that?" Ranko asks. "How's that taste to you?"
Ryouga, after his initial startled response, doesn't in fact spit out the dirt, but thoughtfully chews and swallows. "Hmm, I've definitely had worse. Could use a bit more spice, though. Nowhere near as good as Akane's cooking, that's for sure."
Ranko gestures dramatically at Ryouga, and I begin to frown and tear up. "I guess it really was that bad..."
Ranko's expression immediately turns from smug to upset, as she rapidly approaches me waving her hands. "Nonono, sorry! I, uh, didn't mean it that way. Don't cry! Like, it was really terrible—"
"Not helping." I grumble.
"But who cares about cooking anyways!" Ranko continues. "I mean, that's girly shit, and we're manly martial artists. No need to waste our time on stuff like that!"
My eye twitches, as Ryouga gives Ranko a dumbfounded stare. I suppose the sentiment is nice, but... "Maybe just shut up!?" I shout at Ranko. "Ryouga's the only one who really appreciates me!" Ranko's face fills with anger, before she spots off in a huff.
...Wait a second, what did I just say!? Does that mean I'm in love with Ryouga? I can't let Sayuri and Yuka be right! But, I mean, come on, he enjoys my cooking! My cooking! If I'm gonna have a husband, isn't he pretty much perfect? He's a boy I can put up with, who shares my love of martial arts, and even enjoys my cooking! Plus, if I got a boyfriend, wouldn't that mean an end to my engagement to Ranma?
Something still feels wrong about that. But is there really any point in trying to ponder what's wrong, if this is my best option anyways? I mean, as wrong as it feels, dating Ryouga certainly feels like it'd be better than marrying Ranma, or worse, Kunou. So, maybe, it's worth a shot.
"Hey Ryouga, since the Saotomes don't appreciate me, how would you feel if I trained with you, instead?" I ask.
His face turns entirely red, before he nods faster than I've ever seen anyone nod before. Well, at the very least, it seems like he might be in love with me, so that's a good sign!
---
Apparently Ryouga is training under Shampoo's great grandmother, which would be concerning but... I don't need to worry about Ranma any more, do I? I mean, having a boyfriend I like is better than a fiancée I hate. Shampoo can have him, for all I care! She can fight it out with Ranko or something.
Anyways, Ryouga can split a giant boulder in half with a single punch, which is far better than Ranma can do, but that's apparently not enough for the old lady! She can shatter the entire boulder, with just one finger, blowing Ryouga away with the force of the explosion.
She explains the history of the Breaking Point technique, and the two of us both know that we have to learn it. Him, to beat Ranma, and me, to prove myself Ranko's equal. But that's for tomorrow. For tonight, the old lady leaves us, so we can be well rested for training.
As Ryouga sets up his sleeping bag outside, I realize now's a chance to make a first move. "Hey, sleeping exposed to the elements isn't good for you, you might catch a cold." I say. "You can set up your sleeping bag in my tent!" I had moved my tent closer to the river already, to be closer to where Ryouga and I are training.
Ryouga's face turns completely red again, and I begin to realize I'm finding his blushiness familiar... Can't place it though, so it's probably not important. He eventually manages to stammer out a simple "T-t-t-thank you..."
As he carefully picks up his sleeping bag, I decide now's as good a time to broach the subject as any. I suppose I could wait till we're heading back from the training trip... No, I've made my decision, it's best not to lead my friend on like this. "So, remember during the ice skating match, when you said you had feelings for me, and I said I didn't feel the same way?" I twiddle my thumbs.
"Bwuh." Ryouga bwuhs, dropping his sleeping bag.
"Well, I can't say for sure that I feel that way about you, at least not yet..." I say. "But, well, I think..." I take a deep breath in. "I think I'd be willing to give a relationship with you a shot!" I finish confidently. Success. Good job, me.
Ryouga faints. I sigh, and drag him and his sleeping bag into the tent, tuck him into his sleeping bag, and then lie down to go to sleep myself.
---
I'm having a wonderful dream that Akane somehow reciprocates my feelings, when suddenly, I am awoken by a slap to the face. I look up to find myself in a tent, which isn't where I remember falling asleep.
...Where did I fall asleep anyways?
Whatever, more important is the Ranko looming over me. Why'd she wake me up anyways? Or he, more likely, I think. What was the current Ranma/Ranko count at? Five? Ugh, I'm too tired for this nonsense.
"You awake?" The red-haired girl whispers loudly at me. "Because I have some questions."
"Which one are you...?" I accidentally verbalize, still waking up. Whatever, she won't notice.
"What?" Ranko jumps back, startled. "No, it doesn't matter." She faces me intently again. "Why'd you claim you'd seen me, back then?"
Ah, right, I did do that, didn't I? "It was out of honor." I explain, sitting up. "I have secrets of my own that I'd expect you or Ranma to help protect, so it is only fair that I help protect your secrets."
Ranko goes pale. "And... What do you know about our secrets?"
I shrug. "Very little." I say honestly. "All I know is that you have them, and it's really not my place to pry, so long as you two don't pry into my secrets."
"Right." She sighs in relief. "That's fair, honestly. Us martial artists should look out for each other."
"My thoughts exactly." I say. "Say, would you happen to know how I ended up in this tent?"
"What?" Ranko exclaims, and I hear someone stir in their sleep. I look to my side, and... Is that Akane!? "How the hell'd you end up here without knowing how?" She asks, more quietly.
"I didn't even realize this was Akane's tent until just now!" I exclaim, also keeping my voice down. "The last thing I remember is... The old hag leaving to let us go to sleep? I was setting up my sleeping bag outside, then..." I shake my head. "No, that was a dream."
Ranko narrows her eyes at me. "Well, I don't wanna have to explain myself to Akane, so I'll wait to figure out what's going on until morning. If I find you did anything to her, you're dead. Understood?"
I gulp. "Understood."
"I gotta go," Ranko says, "I already wasted enough time I should've been sleeping looking for you." She heads to the exit of the tent, and looks back to me one more time before leaving. "Remember my warning."
I nod nervously, as she exits. Then, I lay back down, and try to go back to sleep.
...Was that actually not a dream?
---
I wake up at the crack of dawn to Shampoo's great grandmother entering my tent, letting the sunlight in, and shouting "It is time for you two to begin your training!"
I follow her instructions as she pushes me and Ryouga around, and the next thing I know we're both being hung by rope with only a single finger available, giant boulders repeatedly swinging to hit us. Before I have the chance to ask any follow-up questions, the old lady leaves us with some vague advice about looking for the Breaking Point with our minds' eye, and departs.
Unsurprisingly, each of our boulders hit us head-on. What the hell kind of training is this? Ryouga's apparently used to this kind of thing, because he almost immediately recovers, and kicks his boulder away again, only for it to hit him again. Before I finish recovering from my one hit, I hear a familiar voice. "What the hell are you two doing? Like, I had some other questions, but what even is this?" I look up to see Ranko sitting on my boulder, gesturing around vaguely.
"Training." I say. "Haven't you ever heard of it!?" To be completely honest, I agree that this training is insane, but I'm definitely not gonna admit it, at least to her.
Ranko turns to face Ryouga, getting hit by his boulder for a third time. "Fair enough." Then, she turns to me, a serious expression on her face. "Now for the real reason I'm here. What the hell was Ryouga doing in your tent last night!?" Her serious expression immediately drops in favor of one of bafflement and anger.
"Uh, I let him in?" I say, before I think a second. "I suppose I dragged him in, since he fainted on his way."
"Did he do anything to you?" Ranko asks, still worried.
"What? No!" I say. "If anything, I was a bit too forward with him." I chuckle a bit. "Heh, I'm the girl, shouldn't I be the one with a maiden's heart?"
Ranko's expression begins to slowly take on a tinge of fear. "W-what do you mean by that."
"Oh, I just admitted I'd be willing to try dating him, no more than that." I explain. "He's nice, we have similar interests, he likes my food, he's in love with me, and it might get me out of my engagement with Ranma! It was pretty obvious, once I thought of it. And now, Ranma will be free for you and Shampoo to fight over."
Surprisingly, Ranko isn't happy for me, or relieved, or anything like that. Instead, her fear turns right back into fury, no longer directed at Ryouga, but at me. At first, she stammers incoherently, lost for words. "Why the hell'd you do that, tomboy!?" Is the best she can come up with.
"This is good for you." I say, trying not to be any more hurt by her anger than I was hurt by her rejection of my cooking. "You realize that, right? Ranma will be free for your taking! And I thought you liked Ryouga, why do you even have a problem with this? I'm pretty sure you don't have a crush on him, so what's going on?"
"What's going on is." Ranko says, not finishing her sentence due to anger. "What's going on is." Ranko's anger gives way to a twinge of embarassment. "You're a stupid tomboy and I hate you!" She finally says, before suddenly running off.
That was... weird. Like, really weird. I'll admit, Ranko has acted weird before, but never on this scale! I don't even know what to think.
Well, now's not the time for thinking, is it? It's the time for training! This is the type of hardcore training I've always longed for, isn't it? My years of training and retraining and retraining on the fundamentals are finally over! I clear my mind completely, and when I know I'm ready, I kick the boulder away from myself, prepare my finger, and look with my mind's eye.
There it is.
I jab my finger out at the point I see, shouting "Breaking Point!" Man, I've always wanted to shout cool attack names like that! It isn't until a second later that I realize the boulder hasn't hit me. I open my eyes to see that the boulder has shattered, leaving nothing in the ropes before me.
I also notice Ryouga suddenly turn to look in my direction, as his boulder hits him once again. "Y-you did it!" He shouts.
"I did it..." I mutter. "I did it!"
"Well done, Akane!" I hear a voice to my side, and see Shampoo's great grandmother standing on a branch. "I did not expect you could master the Breaking Point so quickly! Why, you might be a worthy rival to my great granddaughter after all."
"Actually, I'm not interested in that." I say, smiling. "I've decided to give up on Ranma, he's a useless jerk anyways. Ryouga, on the other hand..."
"Bwuh." Ryouga bwuhs, looking away from the boulder and letting it hit him. This time, he doesn't even bother to kick it away again.
"What, don't tell me you don't remember what I told you last night?" I ask, turning toward him. "I really meant it, you know! When we get home, we could..." I pause, realizing it's too late to back out now. "We could go on a date!"
"I-it wasn't a dream!?" Ryouga shouts.
"Ah, young love." Shampoo's great grandmother sighs. "I suppose I'll leave you two to it!" She says, untying my ropes before departing once more. What has she even been doing this whole time when she's been mysteriously leaving!?
"No, it wasn't a dream, silly." I say, walking over to Ryouga. "As soon as we're done training, I promise to go on a date with you."
"Yes, as soon as I defeat Ranma!" Ryouga says excitedly, kicking his boulder away. He's not even going to wait for me to give him advice.
"I don't care if you can beat Ranma." I tell him. "Ranko thinks she couldn't beat him, and I respect her plenty." Maybe less now, with how much of a jerk she's been during this trip. "Not that I don't, uh, hope—" I wince as the boulder slams into him, "—that you can beat him. That guy deserves a dent in his ego." Before he starts another round, I shout "Wait! Don't you want to hear my advice?"
"Oh, r-right." He stammers, quivering a bit. "I got a bit worked up, with, uh, defeating Ranma, and..."
"Yeah, I know, that guy's really made an art out of getting on people's nerves." I agree. "Even when he's not around! Can't believe I'm engaged to the guy..." Which is why I'm swapping him out for Ryouga! "Anyways!" I focus back on the training. "You've really gotta clear your mind. You've done meditation, right?"
"Nah, I've never got it really. I mean, how are you supposed to defeat your opponent by sitting still and thinking really hard? Makes no sense." Ryouga says, shaking his head, and I get the feeling this is gonna be a long day.