Desperate Measures

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Chapter 10- Who Says I'm No Good? Part 2

...

"Ranma," Akane whispered. "Why are you staring?" The pressure of her fiance's gaze made her skin flush. At first she hadn't minded. She figured that him staring at her had to be a positive sign. But now they were a block away from the dessert parlor and she could still feel his steel blue pupils glued to her. It reminded her of the way he gawked at her the other day. When she had put on make-up.

She hadn't messed up again, had she?

"I'm not," was Ranma's reply. A faint blush tinting his cheeks, he snapped his attention straight ahead.

"Then what were you looking at?"

He frowned at her. After many months of being engaged to him, she had come to expect his smart aleck retorts. If she even slightly suggested that he took any sort of romantic or sexual interest in her, he always retaliated with an insult. So she braced herself for the response that usually followed his frown.

"Man, Akane. Can't I just look at you without being a pervert?"

She blinked. "But...I didn't call you a pervert."

After a second had passed, he realized she was right. She hadn't. He confined his curious eyes to the road ahead so they wouldn't make the same mistake again. Also, remaining quiet for the rest of walk seemed like a wise option. He wasn't sure what his eyes found so inviting about her, that they continued to sneak glances. He wasn't doing it on purpose.

Stupid tomboy. What's she getting so paranoid for? Its not like she had much to look at. She was uncute, she had no figure, she wasn't sexy at all and she had nice legs.

Ranma cringed. Wait. That wasn't what he meant.

Sighing inwardly, Akane stared down at the ground. Men were so hard to read. They never just came out and said what they really meant. How was she supposed to know what he thought if he wouldn't express his opinion aloud?

...

"What a great game."

The highschool gym class had already been dismissed to the lockerrooms after a period of basketball drills. Gathering and putting away all the balls had been assigned to a few students who hadn't already had their turn. Akane had been one of them. Along with her friend Yuka, Akane departed the gym after the majority of their classmates had left.

"You were really good out there, Akane. I still don't see why you won't join the team."

Sheepishly, Akane giggled. After they had arrived at the girls' lockerroom, they came to find that the room was unusually quiet. Additionally, the several rows of lockers that should have been occupied at the moment weren't being used. Concerned, the two girls examined their surroundings.

"Where's everyone else?"

A single voice could be heard from further within the lockerroom. Akane exchanged glances with her friend. Following the voice, Akane and Yuka passed the showers and a few more rows of lockers until they reached the last two rows. The entire female portion of their class was crowded in the small area.

Sayuri was among the girls in the crowd and Yuka brushed her arm. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Miyo's doing cards again."

Straddling the bench, the fortunetelling girl aligned her tarot cards. Thick chestnut waves fell from her eyes as she looked up to address her client. Her glossy forest green pupils held an eerie mystique. "What is it that you seek?" Silence contained the viewers as they waited eagerly for the girl to pose her question.

"How does my future with Chiharu look?"

Miyo's features settled into a mild concentration. She scattered her deck of cards into constant circles before randomly selecting eight from the pile. After arranging the eight cards into four rows and two columns, she flipped a premeditated card over.

The facial expression that followed could have only meant disappointment. She held up the face card that was broadly known as The Lovers card. "The cards have spoken. I see a great descent in your relationship that will occur within the next month."

The viewers began to murmur amongst themselves. The eyes of her current client filled with apprehension. "I-Is that a good thing?..."

Miyo gathered her cards back into a deck and shuffled them. "The Lovers card in the reverse position symbolizes frustration and separation. You and Chiharu's relationship will began to weaken over the next few weeks which will eventually lead to a break-up and-"

"A breakup?"

The hushed murmurs of the girls grew into full-blown gossip. "They're going to break up?"

"But they're the cutest couple. How could that be?"

Panic overtook the features of the client. "But me and Chiharu love each other! H-He said he wanted to marry me. Why would we break up?"

"The alignment of the stars that you were born under are contrary to the alignment of the stars he was born under. Its a perilous combination. It wouldn't work out."

Expressing their pity, the viewers went into a chatty state again. Yuka turned to face her friends. "Wow. I would have never guessed. Kira and Chiharu breaking up?" Not entirely sure what to make of the prediction, Akane just watched. She also realized that now wasn't necessarily the most appropriate time for this. "I think we should get going. The bell rings in a few minutes."

"But don't you want to have your cards read?"

"Yeah, remember," Sayuri coaxed. "Miyo hasn't been wrong yet. Not a single time. I'm pretty sure you'd like to see what's in your own future when it comes to love."

"Not really," Akane said.

Miyo requested for a new client to come up. Seconds later a new girl sat before the fortuneteller and paid her fee. "What would you like to know?"

"What chance do I have of becoming famous?" the girl asked.

Akane parted from the engrossed crowd. "I'll see you guys in class." She made her way to her locker. Seriously. They were blowing it way out of proportion. Sure Miyo had a reputation for being quite accurate with her predictions. She hadn't been wrong yet. And following the event where Akane had gotten her cards read, everyone else had become awfully dependent upon the girl for information. In fact, Miyo's request quantity had increased so rapidly, she had begun making a decent profit from it.

Still, Akane would never understand everyone's fascination with it. Why spoil your future?

It wasn't like she didn't sometimes wonder herself what lay five, even ten, years ahead in her life. Knowing what was coming did often have its advantages. But on a lesser note, it also had its minuses.

What if you found out something you didn't want to know?

After stripping from her gym attire, she put on her uniform. A few of the other girls returned to their lockers as well, though they still went on about the current events.

Akane snuck a peak at the classmates that were still posing as an audience for Miyo's little card game. Realizing that there was about a minute or two to spare before the bell rang, Akane joined the captivated girls once more. Miyo had just finished up a prediction and judging from the client's smile and the calm attitudes of the viewers, everything was looking sunny for this girl.

Miyo gathered her cards. "Okay, that's it for today. Maybe tomorrow at lunch I'll be open for more clientele." A few disappointed moans rose from the audience and all the girls had turned to prepare for their next period class.

"Wait, just one more," a student pleaded. This student advanced past the others, revealing herself as a brown-haired girl. She donned a white-collared shirt and crisp gray slacks, which was typically the boys' uniform. Ukyo Kuonji, as she was known, took her seat before the fortuneteller, her money already prepared.

Akane suddenly took a curious interest, along with a few other students.

Miyo eyed the girl before setting down her deck. "Fine. You'll be my final reading of the day. What is it that want, Ukyo?" Eyes gleaming with purpose, she smirked. Obviously, she had thought long and hard about her request. "Its simple, Hon. I just need to know one thing."

"And what's that?"

"If me and my Ran-chan will end up together?"

Why was Akane not surprised? The few remaining viewers turned to see her reaction but Akane continued to watch, stoically.

Miyo let out a chuckle that was difficult to determine the emotion behind. She scattered her deck. "Well, actually that question is invalid. But I'm assuming you would like to know if you two will be romantically involved."

"Yeah yeah. Just tell me what you see." Anxiously, Ukyo scooted in.

The by-standers couldn't help but gather tightly around as well. Akane on the other hand, kept her distance. This is bound to turn out interesting.

Miyo aligned her cards in a four by two arrangement again. Shoving the excess cards out of the way, she eyed her final client once more. "So, the information you request, Ukyo Kuonji, is whether you and Ranma Saotome have a future together in love?"

Ukyo nodded.

The lockerroom had grown dreadfully quiet and Akane wondered if the results of this actually required so much anticipation.

Miyo chose a card and flipped it over. The face of the card revealed an illustration of the sun. At the moment, the fortuneteller's emotion as she stared at the card was unreadable.

"The Sun card," she declared. "In the upright position it symbolises love, joy, and engagement or marriage."

Ukyo's face lit up. "So that's good, right?"

"Wait. Let me finish." Miyo's hand hovered over the seven remaining faced down cards. Pausing briefly, she chose a second card. As she flipped the card face up, revelation flashed across her face. "What!"

Ukyo glanced up from the card to her. "What? What is it?"

"The Justice card."

Uneasy, Akane suddenly scooted in a bit closer. A portion of her wondered why she had even hung around this long.

"What's the Justice card mean," one girl asked.

"The Justice card in the upright position means harmony, balance, and equality. Both cards synchronized predict a definite future of unrelenting love." Miyo looked up to face everyone. "Ukyo and Saotome's fates are sealed."

Everyone gasped.

Akane felt her stomach tighten. And the fact that Ukyo cheered ecstatically didn't help. "I always knew it! Me and Ranma Honey are destined to be together!" Any remaining silence in the lockerroom was disturbed by the school bell going off. The nosey viewers who had remained, through Akane pitiful and sorry glances before gathering their belongings and leaving .

"You don't think it's true, do you Akane?" Yuka asked.

It took the blue-haired girl a moment to grasp what had just been said. "I...I don't know." Was it possible? Was there any chance of truth behind Miyo's prediction? Akane followed her classmates out of the lockerroom and down the halls. After pondering the statement a few times, she came to a decision.

There was no way. "No. I don't believe it."

"Why not? Miyo always knows what she's talking about."

"I don't care, the whole thing is stupid! They're just cards." Suddenly, the entire notion of using a deck of cards to determine your fate sounded ridiculous.

"Akane, even you know that those cards are precise. They never lie. Remember the last time you had your cards read? Remember?"

"Y-Yeah...but..." Maybe it had been a total coincedence that Happosai had fallen ill after Miyo predicted it. Maybe it and the events that followed hadn't been completely related. The more Akane tried to convince herself, the more confused she became.

"Face it," Yuka said. "There's really only one way to find out."

"How?"

"You've gotta have Miyo read your cards. If she predicts the exact same thing about you that she predicted about Ukyo, then you know it can't be true. Both of you can't be destined to be with Ranma."

Although her friend made a valid point, Akane still held her ground against the idea. "I'll pass. I don't need some dumb cards to determine my future, okay?"

Yuka shrugged. "Well, if you say so, Akane."

...

Frustrated, Akane tapped her pencil against her desk. Her thoughts hadn't stopped racing for even a second. She had an assignment to do. How could she concentrate when her thoughts were constantly pogoing back and forth against the inside of her skull?

What was she so worried for anyway? She had told herself a million times that they were cards. Even though they had made many accurate predictions in the past, all couldn't be accurate. Akane sighed. She cursed herself for not have leaving the lockerroom sooner.

Her fiance sat a few desks away, doodling in a notebook. She assumed that the news hadn't reached him yet. What would he do once it did?

Suddenly she imagined Ranma, dressed in a traditional hakama. Ukyo stood at his side, clinging to his arm in wedding robes. They both wore merry smiles. Falling to her knees in defeat, she peered up at the newlywed couple. Cockily, Ranma laughed, one hand enwrapped around his wife, the other propped again his hip. "Heh. See ya, Tomboy! You were still uncute. Even all the way to the very end." The couple began to recoil into the distance. Ukyo waved at her. "Come and visit us sometime, Akane." "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure P-chan will keep you company." Akane ran after them. "Wait! Come back!" They still appeared further and further away, so Akane drove her legs to their full ability. I'm sorry, Ranma! Give me another chance. I'll change I promise! Ranma! Ranma!" The couple waved one last time before vanishing. She collapsed to the ground and sobbed.

Akane glanced over in Ukyo's direction. Cheerfully, the girl smiled while writing in her notebook. The dreamy expression that claimed her features every few minutes when she stared off into space could only be the result of one thing... She was really taking it seriously. Akane didn't recall ever seeing the girl this happy. Did it mean that much to her?

Akane sighed. So maybe there was a chance. Maybe they would end up together. The two had a twelve-year old bond that Akane and Ranma's relationship just couldn't compare to. Not to mention, Ranma already considered her his cute fiancee. Wouldn't it make sense for him to go for the cutest of his options? Akane turned her attention back toward her assignment as her heart throbbed painfully.

'Ukyo and Saotome's fates are sealed,' Miyo's voice recited.

'Miyo hasn't been wrong yet. Not a single time.'

'The cards never lie.'

The more she attempted to ignore it, the more it bothered her. Now that she had witnessed that card reading, it had introduced a whole new field among her thoughts. Had the last past year of her life been a waste? The engagement, the chaos, the challenges, the adventures... Akane blushed. When Ranma had told her she looked cute after her haircut. Those little rare moments where it would be just her and him alone, where she would somehow become drawn - almost ensnared - in the warm, striking blueness of his orbs. And then she would smell his scent and feel the faint warmth of his breath on her lips.

What about all the times he had sacrificed for her and gone out of his way to save her? She knew Ranma's kind nature allowed him to go out of his way to save anyone who was in need of rescue. But what about all the other things? Were they all for nothing? Was all the effort she had put it the last week to show him that she wasn't just uncute or violent or a useless cook all in vain?

Now she wanted to know the truth.

The school day concluded with the ringing of the bell. Gathering her notebooks and pens, she stood from her desk. She didn't waste time to pack her satchel with the books that she would need that evening. Today she was one the first students to exit the classroom, when normally she hung around a few extra minutes to speak to her friends or wait for Ranma. But today was a different story. There was something else she had to do.

...

"You wanted to see me?"

Akane stood before Miyo on the school roof. The normally indifferent girl, bared a feeble know-it-all smirk as she stared back at the Tendo girl. Solemnly, Akane swallowed.

"Um...Miyo, I called you up here because I..."

"You want me to read your cards," the fortuneteller finished for her.

Akane nodded.

Chuckling, Miyo stated "Yeah, I thought I'd hear from you after what happened in the lockerroom."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just...want to know if its real or not. Its not because I'm worried or anything. I mean, Ranma can be with whomever he wants."

"Akane, when have I ever been wrong? Either way, I can empathize with how you're feeling. So yes, I'll read your cards." The girl reached into her satchel. "Besides, you're not the only one who is interested in how this turns out."

...

Exiting the building, Ranma scanned the mass of students on the school yard. Akane had left the classroom abruptly without waiting for him. He was pretty sure that she didn't have volleyball practice today. They always walked home together on Tuesdays.

He spotted a group of familiar faces that were often found whereever Akane was. Though, when approaching he came to find that the specific face he was looking for wasn't among them. Still, he greeted the girls. "Hey. Have you guys seen, Akane?"

"No. We were looking for her too. I think she went straight home."

"Hmm... Maybe she's upset," Sayuri suggested.

"...Upset about what?"

The girls eyed him. "What? You haven't heard? Ukyo got her cards read by Miyo today. It turns out, you two are fated to be together."

Ranma stared at them. Fated to what? "Who? Me and Ukyo?" He couldn't help but chuckle. "That's stupid. We're just friends."

"Well that's not what the cards determined. Anyway, if you see Akane tell her to give me a call." The girls left him standing there, contemplating. Don't tell me they actually believe that nonsense. He knew Akane did tend to get sucked into to all that rubbish about fate and destiny.

Just then, Ranma turned at the sound of a familiar voice. "Ran-chan!" Ukyo made her way over to him. The young chef greeted him with a heartfelt smile and Ranma couldn't help but stare at her. "Hey."

"If you'd like to stop by my place I'll fix you something good."

...

Akane fidgeted anxiously while she watched Miyo scatter her cards into circles. The fortuneteller sat crossed legged across from her client and aligned her cards in a similar pattern along the ground. She gathered the remaining cards into a deck. "So the information you request, Akane, is how your future with Ranma Saotome looks."

She nodded.

"Well, let's find out." Miyo's features molded with deep focus. She gazed along each individual card carefully as if making the wrong selection would bring fatal results. Eyes glued to Miyo's undecisive hand, Akane drummed her fingers together lightly. Finally, the fortuneteller made her decision. After flipping a card over, Akane saw that the chosen card looked oddly familiar. It had an illustration of a sun on it. A sigh escaped her lips and her muscles relaxed. There. She had been nervous for no reason. It was the same card Ukyo had gotten. The predictions weren't real. "The Sun card, right? Thats a good thing."

"No," Miyo said. For some reason, the girl's face had altered, disappointedly. "No."

"No what?"

"It's not the same. The card is in the reversed position."

Akane stared down at the card to see what she meant. The card was facing in Miyo's direction rather than in her own. It was reversed.

"So what does that mean," she asked nervously.

"The Sun card when it's reversed symbolizes the opposite of the Sun card when it's upright. It predicts unhappiness, loneliness and broken engagements or marriages."

Akane gaped. "But...I don't understand." She stared down at the card along with the seven remaining face down cards. "What about the other cards? Pull another one."

Tensely, Miyo shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? You pulled another card when you did Ukyo's reading."

"Well...that's because Ukyo's request had gotten a positive calculation."

Wordlessly, Akane kept eye-contact with the girl, honestly clueless of what she meant. Miyo sighed and looked down. "If you really want further insight, I guess we could attempt it." The girl briefly studied the cards before flipping a second one. The face of the card revealed an image of a jester or joker.

Akane instantly awaited an explaination. The fortuneteller's emotions returned to a stoic state as she examined the card. "The Fool card in the reversed position."

She hadn't even been told the meaning and yet the blue-haired girl already grew nervous. These "reversed" cards didn't seem to provide her much hope.

"It symbolizes a bad decision," Miyo explained. "The two cards sychronized suggest almost no future for you and Ranma."

Akane couldn't tear her eyes away from the cards. Her heart sunk from it's location in her chest. "So...R-Ranma and Ukyo will..." The words couldn't leave her mouth so Miyo nodded in reply. Akane couldn't restrain the sorrow that took over her. "Thank you, Miyo." She reached for her satchel and climbed to her feet.

"Wait Akane," the fortuneteller continued. "It's not too late." Akane's mood had just plummeted and she wanted nothing more than to just go home and put all of this behind her. "For what?"

"The future can always be changed. Its never definite. You just have to take a different path."

"What do you mean...different path?"

Miyo gathered her cards for the final time and held them in her hands. "Every path we take has it's own destination. Or outcome. Whichever path you are currently taking is the wrong one. Change it. And your destination will change as well."

Akane's features furrowed. "I don't understand that."

Miyo smiled. "Just take my advice Akane. If you're not happy with the fate that was chosen for you, then you have to change it yourself."

That was ridiculous. You couldn't change your fate. Akane was sure of it. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miyo." She started toward the entrance to the building. Miyo grabbed her own satchel from the ground. Standing to her feet, she opened it to place her tarot deck inside. The chaotic arrangement of the deck left one single card hanging stray by its corner. When she moved to place the deck in the pocket, the card slid free from the others and hit the ground. Miyo finished tucking her deck away in the pocket before reaching for the fallen card. Noticing that it had fallen face up, she studied the illustration on the front.

...

Akane walked down the hall, scanning the faces of the remaining students. She wondered if Ranma was still around or if he had gone home without her. She approached one of the male students. "Do you know where Ranma is?"

"Uh yeah. You just missed him. He left with Ukyo about two minutes ago."

"...Oh." Her head hung low as she continued on her way. "Thanks." Slowly, Akane shuffled all the way home.

So he was with Ukyo. It shouldn't have really bothered her. But on this particular day it did.

When she arrived home she dropped off her school bag. As expected, Ranma hadn't made it home yet. She greeted her sister and father before climbing the stairs and starting toward her bedroom. The separate articles of her uniform came off one at a time as she stripped from them. She chose a different outfit to wear.

Over the last year, she had realized that the safe haven of her bedroom had also become a sanctuary for releasing her emotions. She had cried in this room, knocked the door nearly off it's hinges, busted the window, and even nestled under the comforting safeguard of her blankets. And now, with all these emotions returning to her at once, the last thing she wanted was to be in this room. She had to get out for some fresh air.

Akane changed her clothes before leaving the house again.

...

Scanning the store windows at the shopping plaza was one of her favorite past times. She always found things on display that could distract her and give her at least a little happiness. She smiled at the cute music box in the gift shop window. The way the little figurine twirled and twinkled made her wish she could hold it for a second. Moving along to the next store, Akane stared at the magazine and book racks that were on display. Usually, she would automatically look for her favorite cooking magazine every month. But seeing as though she had already bought this month's issue, she settled for flipping through a J-Pop magazine instead. After a few minutes she put the magazine back on the rack and moved on.

The next store she passed she knew rather well by now. The windows were lined with clothed mannequins and rays of colorful lights flared inside. Not certain of what she was looking for, she stared through the window. She had caught the attention of several shoppers as well as the employees at the check-out counter. One of them waved at her. Akane waved back and reached for the door handle. Jingles sounded as she entered the small boutique. For the third time she took in the unique scent of the shop, which seemed to have died down a bit since she last visited.

"Hi, Akane."

Akane smiled politely, before approaching Akita at the counter. "How's it going?"

"Nothing much. I just clocked in about two hours ago so I don't get off of work until later on tonight. But I do have a break in about fifteen minutes. You should hang around. There's something I wanna tell you anyway."

"Okay," Akane agreed. She relaxed outside until Akita's break arrived. Then the two girls went to a nearby parlor to buy dessert. "How was your day," Akita asked. "You look kinda sad."

"I'm not sad. I was just thinking about something."

Akita scooped at her ice cream and laughed. "Well, you remember when we went to the mall and I had convinced that old guy to sneak me some free lingerie?"

Akane nodded.

"So later on that night, I went back to pick them up. And like we agreed he met me in the parking lot. We just talked for few minutes about nothing in particular. I noticed that he was kinda stalling for some reason so I reminded him of the real reason why I was there..." Akita paused to take a bite of her ice cream. "Turns out he wanted something in return."

"Uh-oh," Akane drawled.

"I know. I tried to bargain with him. I told him that I'd go on a date with him. Or even give him a few pictures, but he was being extremely greedy. He wanted something upfront. We argued about it for a minute and that's when I realized...I probably wasn't going to get that lingerie. So when i tried to leave, the bastard thought he could overpower me."

Concerned, Akane gawked at her. "What happened?"

"Oh, I got away easily. Pricks like that should think wisely about how they treat a girl."

A brief silence rose before Akane responded. "You know, you really shouldn't put yourself in situations like that... What if you don't get away next time?"

Akita rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, Akane. Why would I leave the house unarmed to go meet a guy late at night in a parking lot? Thats just ignorant."

Akane could tell she was missing the point.

"Besides, I've done it before and none of the guys turned out to be as big a pervert as he was. But anyway, how did you like your new clothes?"

"I'm not sure."

Sipping her soda, she hiked her eyebrow. "What do you mean 'you're not sure'?"

"Nothing. Nevermind...Look, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Akita said.

"Do you believe in divination?"

"You mean like horoscopes and all that?...Yeah, I guess. I read my horoscope all the time."

Akane shook her head. "I mean like tarot cards."

Akita thought about it. "Eh...Not really into all that. Why?" Just seeing the worried expression on Akane's face was a good enough response. "Did you find something out?"

"Sort of. But I'm not really sure what to make of it."

"If it said something like 'Your future will be filled with tragedy and misfortune', I wouldn't worry about it. Those cards can be a load of bull sometimes. They do that just to scare people."

Akane stared at her dessert. "But I don't know about this one..."

"Well, what did it say?"

She explained about how she had been curious as to whether her fiance and herself would end up together. That was as far as she got before Akita cut her off. "Fiance? You never told me you were engaged."

"Well, actually...It was our parents who set up the engagement."

Smirking suggestively, Akita propped her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her palm. "What's his name? Is he cute?"

She frowned. "His name's Ranma...And he's a jerk."

"Do you guys even want to get married to each other."

"Well..." Gradually, her skin flushed. "If we did have to get married, I don't think I would mind. Him on the other hand..."

Akita encouraged her to continue from where she left off. Akane explained how the cards had revealed that her and Ranma didn't have a future together. "Okay. So what?" Akita said. "So you two wont end up married. Why's that so bad?"Akane explained how that meant that he'd end up married to his other fiancee.

Akita nearly wasted a spoonful of ice cream on herself. "Other fiancee? So he's one of those whatchamacallits...polygamists?"

Akane laughed, weakly. "Not exactly. Its a long story, but the point is I just wanted to know about our future. And now I know. I'm not sure what to do about it. The girl who read my cards said something about if I change my path, my destination will change as well...Whatever that means."

"Oh, I think I heard that in a movie once. Basically it means to change the way you're going about things. There's a reason why he'll end up marrying her instead of you. Maybe you'll end up driving him away."

"But how?"

Shrugging, Akita licked her fingers. "I can't tell you 'cause I don't know enough about your relationship. Do you two get along okay?"

"Barely. We fight a lot."

As if it was obvious, Akita replied, "Well there's your answer. Stop fighting with him."

Akane frowned. "But it isn't my fault... Not all the time, anyway."

She shrugged again. "Maybe its just not meant to be then. Face it, if you two can't get along even half the time, there's no way you'd make it in a marriage. Just let him go."

"I...I'm not going to do that."

Akita's eyebrow hiked. "So...you love him?"

"N-No!" She tried to suppress her blush but it was too bold to conceal.

"Then I don't get it. Why bother if you don't care about him?... Anyway, just change your path like the girl said. If you usually fight with him, try being nice to him for a change. Say nice things, flirt with him. Do something different!"

Akane stared at her friend as she considered it. But what could she do?

...

Ranma rested his hands behind his head as he made his way home. He had just finished dinner at Ukyo's place. Man, he thought. This whole tarot card thing has gotten Ukyo completely whacked out. The entire time she hadn't stopped going on about how fate had proven they were supposed to be together. And how she had always known it and yada yada yada. Ranma had tried his best to convince her that they were just dumb cards. No one should trust their whole future in them. But it seemed like the chef hadn't heard a word he said. She was too brainwashed. Once she suggested that he sleep over for the next few nights, he knew it was time for him to leave.

This whole talk about predictions was a bunch of garbage. Why couldn't that weird chick just leave that stuff at home?

Ranma suddenly remembered what Akane's friends had told him. He was pretty sure Akane wasn't stupid enough to take this rumor about him and Ukyo seriously. She wouldn't believe it like everyone else did, would she?

And even if she did believe it, would she care?

He arrived at the house. "I'm home!" Abandoning his shoes, he started down the hallway. The delicious aroma of dinner met his nose. When he slid the shoji door aside, he found just about the entire family sitting in the living room. They simply turned to look at him, but said nothing. The members of the Tendo family wore peculiar expressions on their faces that Ranma couldn't comprehend.

But it was enough to inform him that something was wrong. "What's going on?" He also noticed that one member was missing. "Where's Akane?"

Kasumi smiled, warmly. "She's in the kitchen." Hesitantly, Ranma glanced toward the kitchen doorway. From the looks they were giving him, they were obviously expecting him to go in there. Backpack still on, he shuffled toward the kitchen preparing for whatever surprise awaited him. Why his heart had begun pounding, he wasn't sure.

He ducked under the hung drapes. "Hey, Akane. Why'd you leave school so so-" He came to an abrupt halt just before the counter. From edge to edge it was lined with plates and platters of pork, noodles, soup, steamed vegetables, rice, and pickles. The same aroma from earlier re-introduced itself. He looked to see an apron-clad Akane standing on the opposite side of the counter holding a pot of freshly cooked stu. Her smile genuinely extended when she saw him. "Welcome home, Ranma-kun. I made you dinner."

Ranma froze. "...H-Huh?"

Akane made room for the pot on the counter. "I'm sorry I didn't get to walk home with you after school. There was something else I had to do." Ranma couldn't bring himself to form a verbal response. Dumbfounded, he just continued to stare.

"Here. Let me get that," Akane suggested. She reached for the straps of his backpack and slid it from his arm slowly. He didn't stop her. Humming angelically, she carried it with her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He just watched her.

Nabiki and Kasumi peeked their heads in the doorway. They studied the pig-tailed boy as he stood motionless in the kitchen, glancing around at the wide variety of foods in front of him.

"My...You don't think she's getting back at him for something, do you?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki shook her head. "He must have really done it this time."

...

There's chapter 10. Thanks for being so patient with me.

I really appreciate all the support and reviews so far. Also thank you to The Ultimate Otaku for the excellent suggestions. Let me know what you think. I can't accurately predict when the next update will be so we'll just have to pray on it.

Thanks again for reading.