Ranma 1/2: The Insanity Continues Volume 2 - Reflections and Changes Chapter 1 - Honey Moon Blues By: Lord Archive. Authors note: This series deals with a married Ranma and Akane, so there are some sexual references and innuendoes in the story. Legal babble: Ranma 1/2 and all characters (except the delivery-men) are copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Video, ect... and is used without consent. I am only borrowing them. I will return them... eventually. < > represents a character's thoughts. ----------------- Intro: Hello! Saotome Akane here. Yes, you heard right, Saotome- I finally married that baka, one month after the bombed wedding. It happened after I had a long private talk with Ranma, found out about Ryoga's curse, and got pregnant. You would think that this would end at least some part of the insanity of the past year and a half, but it didn't. --------------------------------------------------- She had lost him. Without him, she was nothing, cared for nothing, had nothing. Eleven years of her life, her childhood, her womanhood, all wasted chasing a man she could never have. And he had just married someone else. What was worse, she couldn't exact her vengeance upon him because she still loved him. Kuonji Ukyou sat on the floor of the restaurant she had built for her love, cursing him and the memories her restaurant brought up. After ten o'clock, she got off the floor and grabbed some pens and paper. Motioning to Konatsu, who had been watching her from the shadows the entire time, she handed the writing equipment to him. She stated with a sob, "Write down any ideas you have to remodel this place." "Huh?" She did not reply as she walked over to the counter, pulled out her whoop-ass spatula and decimated the counter. Konatsu shouted, "Ukyou-sama, Stop! What are you doing?!" "My old life is over," she said, not looking up from the debris for a moment. Then she turned to him, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "So I'm preparing to make a new one." "What are you planning to do?" Konatsu said in a worried voice. "I'm going to gut Ucchan's and open Ukyou's in it's place. And when I see Ranma and Akane again I'll... I'll... I don't know what I'll do." "They didn't mean to hurt you. They are your friends. Please don't push them away." He did not get a reply as Ukyou resumed her destructive outpouring against her restaurant. --------------------------------------------------- Kuno slowly marched into his room, crestfallen. The loves of his life just married each other. Well, one of his loves, the other was a lie. He glared at a poster of the girl he once called his pig-tailed goddess. He raised his bokken to the poster and shouted, "You vile cur. You have deceived me, the Blue Thunder, with your heinous magic. For that alone I have the right to seek vengeance, but you have also captured the heart of the beauteous Tendo Akane. For your crimes the swift punishment of heaven is not enough. You deserve the slow agonizing revenge of hell!" He shredded all the pictures of onna-Ranma off his walls, and then his eyes befell the pictures of Akane. "You are now lost to me for all time. You the fairest of woman, lost to the evil Saotome. I shall honor your wish and not interfere, but I shall have my revenge on Ranma, somehow. Now I must commit the ultimate sacrifice and lay low my love for you." He took down all the pictures of Akane. As he removed the final poster, he noticed a picture that had been placed over two years ago, before his obsession with Akane. "Maybe it is you who is truly the love of my life. A girl of cunning and intellect that reviles no other, but your spirit does not match what a noble warrior such as I should have as a wife and love. After all this time, there is still something that beckons me to you though. I shall sleep on this thought." He walked over to his bed and fell dead asleep. The only picture remaining on his wall was tattered and faded with age. It was almost indistinguishable, however, the image of a fifteen year old girl with short brown hair could still be seen. --------------------------------------------------- Overnight the unusually warm weather passed and gave way to the cold chilling rains of winter. Ranma and Akane didn't care, they weren't going anywhere while on their honeymoon. Most of their friends and rivals, however, felt the weather suited their mood perfectly. --------------------------------------------------- Ryoga stood at the door of the Unryu farmhouse, watching Akari feed her pigs. He was lost in thought. He lamented the lost of Akane, and hoped he was not losing Akari. He made a mistake at the wedding. A mistake he doubted she would truly forgive him for. Akari returned from her morning chores and looked at Ryoga with concern. Akari asked, "Ryoga, are you okay?" Ryoga looked at her with sorrow filled eyes. "I'm fine." Akari shook her head. "I realize it's hard to let go of someone you love. But you should know first loves never work out." "Who was your first love?" Akari sighed, "I guess if I tell you, it'll help you get over Akane. Well, he was this guy at school and when he laughed he sounded like a pig...." --------------------------------------------------- "Here you go Mu Mu-chan," said Kasumi as she placed some food and water near Mousse. Mousse quacked his thanks. He was thankful Kasumi allowed him to be her temporary pet, so as not to inconvenience the Saotomes and the Tendos. He sat in the kitchen and watched Nodoka and Kasumi get into a pleasant argument over who should cook. He really didn't mind being Kasumi's pet, as it was better than being Cologne's pet. Even if he had to be Cologne's pet, he would be happy. Shampoo was free of Saotome and he now has the chance to win Shampoo through combat. He wanted to go to Shampoo and declare his love to her, but he knew that would cause him no end of pain from either Shampoo or Cologne, possibly both. He just sat there and took comfort knowing that soon he will be able to prove his love. He was distracted from his thoughts by Nabiki asking, "So, what are you doing here, Mousse?" "Quack, quack." "Oh, he's been thrown out of his home until he can defeat Shampoo," answered Kasumi. "Decided to play the P-Chan act, huh?" Nabiki asked. Mousse nodded. "Quack." Nodoka, realizing this was the same guy Shampoo threw into the koi pond at the wedding reception, asked, "Why is he staying a duck?" "He insisted because he doesn't want to inconvenience us," answered Kasumi. Nodoka shook her head. "My son certainly has some interesting friends." --------------------------------------------------- She did not understand how she had lost him. She was cuter than Akane, she was a better fighter than Akane, she was a better cook than Akane... in fact, she was better than Akane at everything else she could think of, as well. She lay on the bed, bemoaning her loss. Shampoo had loved Ranma with all of her heart, but after he got Akane pre... pre... pregnant, he had to marry her. Shampoo had never managed to get anything more than a hug or a kiss from Ranma. Who was she kidding? All of the times he hugged her were drug induced, and she forced all of the other hugs and kisses upon him. She had never gotten anything from him. Shampoo rolled over, revealing the tears in her eyes. All she wanted to do was to be able to wake up and find this was all just a nightmare, but she knew in her heart that it wasn't. Ranma was lost to her... --------------------------------------------------- Cologne worked the Neko-Hanten alone as Shampoo was still in bed. Cologne would have to get her downstairs soon to help with the lunch rush. Cologne wanted to help Shampoo get over the loss quickly, but she had long since raised a child or dealt with these matters. She had spent the last year guiding Shampoo as a warrior and had rarely given what could be considered motherly advice. What she told Akane after being freed from the imprisonment gem was something she had said to many young mothers before and probably will say it again in the future, and were not exactly her own words. Cologne used her last chance to get Ranma as a protector and possible addition to the amazon tribe by making Akane an Amazon, and it worked. The only man who has a chance to defeat her had pledged to help the Amazons in times of trouble and there by gained a powerful protector. Ranma still remained an enigma to her as he was only seventeen yet he was among the strongest warriors on the planet. she mused. She pushed the thought aside to be pursued again in the future. She decided to see if she had a potion that could dull the love Shampoo felt for Ranma, and wished she had realized the need to use it on Akane before it was too late. --------------------------------------------------- Ranma slowly woke with a smile on his face. He frowned a little when he realized that Akane wasn't there. he thought. He heard a noise approach the door and was suddenly filled with dread, thinking, The door opened to reveal Akane holding a tray with two bowls, two glasses, two spoons, container of milk, container of orange juice, and a box of cereal. Akane saw the frightened look on Ranma's face and was a little angry. Ranma relaxed at the sight of cereal and smiled, "Good morning." There was a short battle in Akane's head to either be angry at Ranma or to forget about it. She forgot about it. "Actually it's afternoon now." She blushed. "You can thank your Mom for suggesting cereal for breakfast. She thought it best for me to keep things simple, at least during the honeymoon." He nodded in agreement, thinking, --------------------------------------------------- Under the trees, in the cracks and crevices, and along the rooftops of Furinkan High School were hundreds of male figures. Some were wearing all black in mourning, some were plotting and planning, and some were designing highly explosive land mines. All, however, shared one common feature, they were all crying over the loss of Akane. Hiroshi and Daisuke were among the few who were happy. Sure Akane was no longer available, if she ever was. The wedding freed Ukyou and Shampoo to enter the dating circuit. "So which one do you want to go after the Amazon or the chef?" asked Daisuke. "I prefer the chef. The Amazon seems too...well...she's easily swayed by mood swings and is extremely violent," replied Hiroshi. "But that would also describe Akane, and you know what kind of following she had. Besides Shampoo is a much better looker." "Looks are good, but not everything." "True, but it is a large part of the consideration." Hiroshi leaned toward Daisuke and asked, "Are you foolish enough to challenge her to a fight?" Daisuke grinned. "Challenge her to fight, no. Set a trap to defeat her, yes." Hiroshi shook his head. "Are you stupid? If you defeat her like that she might decide to kill you. If she doesn't you'll have to marry her and move to China. Leaving everything behind." Daisuke leaned back. "It might just be worth it." "You are stupid." --------------------------------------------------- Nabiki picked at her lunch. She was trying to figure out what money making schemes to start considering her main source wasn't going to generate as much money as it used to. Her last scheme was to open a betting pool on how long it would be before Akane got pregnant. This didn't fool many of the students as several bets were placed that she already got pregnant. Three people won so far out of the forty-two who placed bets. Most of them thought she's been pregnant for more than a week. She looked over her mental list of people who made her money, She absent- mindedly wrote down some of her ideas. Nabiki looked up and said to one of her cohorts, "I want to set up a betting pool based on Mousse's attempts to win Shampoo. Bets should be taken on date of first battle, winner of said battle, if Shampoo is defeated and/or married before Mousse can defeat her, and if Shampoo accepts Mousse if he wins." --------------------------------------------------- Two of Akane's friends sat eating lunch, thinking about yesterday. "That was an interesting wedding," Sayuri said. "Certainly was," agreed Yuka. "It seems that nothing is normal for them." "They lead an interesting life. Just be thankful we get to watch from the sidelines." "Wouldn't want to get involved in some of that craziness." Yuka nodded, "It would prove rather bad for our health." They giggled a little. Sayuri started to pick at her food and said, "It seems odd that Akane got married." "How so? She was engaged to him for a year and a half and they love each other." "Yes, but before then she screamed daily, 'I despise men!' And she's the first to get married and to someone who's, 'a man amongst men.'" Yuka giggled, "Maybe she wanted to marry his girl half." Sayuri laughed, "I doubt it." --------------------------------------------------- Nodoka thought as she walked to the restaurant section of the market. She stopped as she noticed Ukyou and Konatsu taking a broken table to the trash. "Hello," Nodoka greeted cheerfully. Ukyou and Konatsu replied, "Hello." "Ukyou, I thought you would be at school now." "I don't feel up to going to school right now." "What seems to be the matter?" Nodoka asked. "Everything is wrong," Ukyou replied angrily. "Why don't we talk about it? It would make you feel better." "It couldn't hurt anymore than I feel now." Ukyou led Nodoka into what used to be Ucchan's. Konatsu continued to clean up what was left of the place. Nodoka was shocked at the damage. "What happened here?" "I ripped the place apart," Ukyou said, unemotionally. "Whatever for?" "I built this place out of my love for Ranma. I built it here so I could be near him. And if he had chosen me, I could have supported him. This place was a symbol of my love for him, and he rejected that love. This is what's left of that love." Ukyou finished as she waved her hand across the decimated room. "Ukyou dear, Ranma didn't reject your love. He still cares for you. It's just that there is someone more important to him. He wants to stay friends with you..." Ukyou angrily interrupted, "That's all I ever was! Just a friend! He never gave me chance to be more than friends. I wanted us to be married. Why didn't he choose me? I love him more than Akane ever could." "Are you sure about that?" "Even Ranma admitted I love him more than she does! He means everything to me and he left me behind. Again!" "Why does he mean everything to you?" Ukyou looked a Nodoka for a moment. "Because he's the first person to see the real me." "Did he really see the real you, or the you you wanted to be for him?" "What he saw was the real me." "From what Ranma told me about you, the Ukyou he knew would never have attacked him at the wedding attempt nor destroyed her own restaurant. Yet you've done both. You've been hiding behind masks your entire life, first as a guy and then as Ranma's cute, friendly fiancee. I suspect neither of them are the real you." "Who am I then?" Ukyou asked sarcastically. "I don't know. But, you've been given the opportunity to find out. You might even realize that you never really loved Ranma in the first place, but was in love with the idea of being in love with him." Ukyou replied angrily, "But I love him, not some idea of love." "When you thought of your future with Ranma, was it always perfect." "Of course." "You realize if I asked Ranma or Akane that, they would say otherwise." "Huh?" "They realize their life will have problems, especially with the insanity my son seems to bring with him. They'll fight to make things better, because of their love for each other. They know a perfect ideal life is impossible for them." "I could've made his life perfect." "Are you willing to put up with the life my son leads? Not knowing if the animal that entered your home is really an animal or not. Having demons crash into your living room. Going a week without something magical or supernatural happening would be a rare event. Knowing that one of his adventures will be the death of him, you, or someone you care about. Have you ever thought of these things would be part of your perfect life?" Ukyou stared at Nodoka. She had never thought about his future in that context. It was always of him being a loving husband with him helping her or her helping him in their chosen professions. For some reason she felt the insanity would end with his marriage. Ukyou, uncertain how to answer, asked, "Did you ask Akane this?" "Yes, after the wedding attempt, when I realized just how much craziness my son's life has. Akane told me that her time in China proved to her how much she loves Ranma, and his love for her. Did you know they both almost died trying to save each other?" "But I'd die for him too!" "Would you also put up with being kidnapped and used for bait?" "I'd never get kidnapped." "Really. Do you think you could fight off dozens of attackers that are all dan level martial artists? What if they fly? Use magic?" "I don't know." Ukyou looked at floor. Nodoka put her hand on Ukyou's shoulder. "Ukyou, Dear. I think you've been living in a dream. A dream that ended with an outcome you didn't want. It's time you looked at things for what they really are, and not what you want them to be." Nodoka's words struck at Ukyou. Everything she thought she knew about her life had just been shredded apart. What did she know? She knew how to make the best okonomiyaki, but right now it seemed she didn't really know anything else. Ukyou gave Nodoka a confused look, saying, "I'll think about what you said. I need to get back to fixing this place." "If you need to talk, call me," Nodoka said as she pulled a piece of paper and pen out of her purse and wrote down the number to the Saotome home. "If I'm not there, I'll be at the dojo." Ukyou nodded and said, "Thanks." --------------------------------------------------- Ryoga and Akari sat quietly in her kitchen eating lunch. "Akari?" Ryoga began, "You're not completely over your old boy friend, are you?" Akari shook her head. "I guess not. I thought I was, but talking about him brought back some memories. I guess there will always be a place in my heart for him, as Akane has in yours." Ryoga nodded. "It gets easier, right?" "You mean easier to not think about them." "I guess." "It does get easier, and the pain of missing them also decreases over time." "I'm lucky, I found someone before I lost Akane," he smiled weakly. "It's too bad about Ukyou and Shampoo, though, from what I understand they don't have anyone else." Ryoga nodded in agreement. "Especially Ukyou, besides Ranma, her only friends are Akane and Konatsu. And, well, you can guess what she thinks of Ranma and Akane now." "Maybe we should visit Nerima soon, and help." "That would be great," he smiled. While he was beginning to like staying at the Unryu farmhouse, he still disliked being near a pig farm. ---------------------------------------------------- After that little incident with Ukyou, Nodoka began to worry about another person hurt by this marriage. Because of that she decided to drop by the Neko-Hanten and check up on Shampoo. Besides, she was hungry- she hadn't had lunch yet. "Nihao," Shampoo greeted sadly. "Hello," Nodoka returned. Shampoo lead Nodoka to a seat. "What does mother-in... Ranma's mother want?" After a second of looking at the menu, Nodoka answered, "I guess I'll have Pork Ramen. Oh, Shampoo, when you have some time I'd like to talk to you." "Shampoo no want to talk now." Cologne appeared next to Shampoo and interrupted, "Shampoo would be happy to talk with you after the lunch rush is over." "But..." Shampoo said before Cologne gave her a stern look. "Okay, Shampoo talk with Ranma's mother later." Cologne went back to the kitchen, thinking, Shampoo walked over to her various customers. She talked to them in a somber voice. And, much to the dismay of the male clientele, she didn't bounce around like she normally did. Shampoo had devoted her attention to the customers, until Nodoka was the only one left. She sighed and walked over to her. "Shampoo free to talk now." "How are you feeling?" Shampoo began to study the floor, saying, "Not good. Shampoo trying to understand why ai... Ranma chose violent girl over Shampoo." Nodoka replied with a smile, "The simplest of reasons, love." "But why Ranma love violent girl?" "I couldn't begin to even try to know all the reasons." Shampoo shook her head, "Shampoo is better than Akane in everything, Ranma should love Shampoo." "Dear, if being better meant anything, I would never had fallen in love with Genma. Even after all his failings and mistakes, I still love him." Shampoo blinked. "How love man who isn't even good panda?" "I'll let you know when I figure it out." "Don't know?" Nodoka shook her head. "No, I don't." "One should love someone who's perfect, like Ranma," Shampoo protested. Nodoka laughed, "No one is perfect. To truly love someone you need to recognize their failings, and accept or even prefer them." "Ranma not perfect?" "If Ranma was perfect, would he have kept his relationships unresolved as long as did, lied to me about his curse, or insult someone he loves?" After a moment, Shampoo answered, "Shampoo don't think so." "Akane recognizes these faults, and even sees some that aren't even there, and yet she loves him. Ranma also sees her faults and accepts them too." Shampoo shook her head. "Thought Shampoo knew what love was. Now not so sure." "Love is something that is unexplainable. If you can explain it, it's not love." "Maybe should talk with Mousse, about this. Mousse can list why love Shampoo." "Then maybe he doesn't really love you, he just thinks he does." "Like Shampoo thought love Ranma," Shampoo said somberly. "While you may not have really loved him, it doesn't mean you don't have strong feelings for him that resemble love. You'll still miss him and yearn for him, but it's not true love." "Not true love," Shampoo repeated as she turned away and walked off, lost in thought. "Thank you. You've helped a lot," Cologne said as she arrived at the table. "It's the least I could do, considering my son is the cause of her pain. If she needs someone to talk to, I'll being willing to do it." Nodoka handed Cologne a piece of paper. "She just might take you up on that offer." --------------------------------------------------- Ranma was awake in bed with Akane sleeping on him. He gently stroked her hair. "You may be uncute, but now you're my uncute wife," he whispered. Akane was not as asleep as she appeared. She opened her eyes, letting a hidden tear fall. "Ranma," she sniffed. "Why do you still call me that? Do I really look that bad to you?" He sighed. "Akane... I'm not insulting you by calling you uncute. And I'm not talking about how you look, either. You're a very beautiful woman, but you aren't cute." Akane didn't quite look so sad, but now she looked very confused. Ranma sighed. "You aren't some giggling school girl, you aren't some bubbly flirt, you don't act very... how do I put this... you aren't TOO feminine. You're cute enough, especially when you smile... but you're not what people generally consider cute. You don't fit the 'ideal' model, you're don't have Kasumi's innocence. You aren't a ditz like... say... someone like Azusa or Shampoo. You aren't subservient or child-like... you're too mature for me to consider you cute all of the time. I don't think I could have fallen in love with you like I did if you weren't..." She snuggled closer to him. "Well, I guess I might not have fallen in love with someone who wasn't a bit of a pervert." "Who is calling who a pervert? You're the one that seduced me." --------------------------------------------------- Ukyou lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling and thinking She rolled to her side, still thinking. She rolled over. Ukyou sighed. Ukyou rolled onto her back. She rolled to her side, still thinking, --------------------------------------------------- Nabiki thought as she sloshed into class. She really didn't like the longer amount of time it took to get to school from Nodoka's home. Seeing Kuno's bright cheery face this morning didn't help matters. She sat down at her desk and opened her school bag. When she went to place a couple books into the desk, she felt something was in there. Something she did not remember putting there. She bent over to take a peek inside. Her eyes widen at what she saw. It took her a couple seconds to regain composure. She didn't remove it. Rather, she proceeded to empty her book-bag into her desk to keep anyone from seeing it. Once done, she noticed that Kuno's smile was much bigger and that he was failing rather badly at looking inconspicuous. --------------------------------------------------- After school, in the auditorium of Furinkan High School, a large number of guys were in a meeting. "Now that Akane has married Ranma, we must disband the Tendo Akane Fan Club. But, we can form a new club and set our goals on another girl," the guy at the podium announced. He pressed a button on the podium and a picture was displayed on the screen behind him. "This girl, Shampoo, is an Amazon. Unlike Akane, defeating her in battle will not get you a date with her, but married to her!" "Why Shampoo? I think we should go after Ukyou," one of the guys retorted. "Look at Shampoo! She is beyond cute. How could you prefer that cross-dresser?" another guy shouted. "She doesn't have a homicidal maniac chasing away her suitors," answered yet another guy. "Hey, what about Kodachi? She's gorgeous," one guy said before being thrown out. "Let's put it to a vote. All in favor of Shampoo raise your hand," stated the guy at the podium. He quickly counted the hands. "Now, those in favor of Ukyou." After he finished counting, he announced, "23 votes for Shampoo and 23 votes for Ukyou. Hey, how can we have 46 votes from 41 people?" "Simple, some of us just want to get a girl." The guy at the podium smacked himself in the head, and then his eyes got wide as an idea hit him, "I got it! We'll make two clubs. One club goes after Shampoo, and the other Ukyou." Most of the guys nodded in agreement. After hours of bickering and nit-picking the two clubs were formalized, the Get Married to Shampoo Club or GMSC and the Ucchan Fan Club. --------------------------------------------------- Nabiki stayed late at school. She always found one thing or another to help her make money while there. This afternoon it was the formation of the two clubs designed to snare Ranma's ex-fiancees. The GMSC promised to be the more profitable of the two. While making money was her normal reason to stay late at school, however, it was far from the only reason today. She didn't want anyone to see what someone had put in her desk. It was a couple hours after school and most of the sport teams were already on their way home. She decided now would be the time to get the item. She removed the books from her desk and placed them into her school bag. She then reached in and pulled out the item, a bouquet of red roses. She inhaled the aroma of the sweet pollen, bringing a smile to her lips. She noticed the card attached and read it. To one whose beauty outshines the morning star, and whose cunning and intellect exceeds others by far. with love, Your Secret Admirer. Nabiki couldn't stop laughing, "Secret admirer! Who's he kidding! Ranma could figure this one out." She breathed in the fragrance of the roses again. "Well, it is kind of sweet." She smiled and carefully placed the roses into a large paper bag that she had brought with her. She left, thinking, --------------------------------------------------- A truck with Nerima Furniture written on its side sat in front of the Saotome-Tendo home. Two men stood at the front door and knocked. A disheveled looking girl with red hair answered the door. "What do you want?" a tired yet angry Ranma asked. The taller of the two men said, "We're hear to deliver a futon couch to Saotome Ranma." Ranma replied, "I'm him." The delivery men blinked simultaneously. "If you would sign here, we can bring it in," the shorter man said. He handed Ranma a clipboard and pen. Ranma looked it over for a second before signing it. An equally disheveled girl with short black hair entered the hallway and asked, "Ranma, who's at the door?" "It's the delivery men with our wedding present from my Mom." "Oh. Better clean up our room while they get it." Ranma handed back the clipboard, "You can bring it upstairs." The two men looked stupefied. They turned around and went to get the bed from the truck. "Wedding present?" the taller man muttered. "Aren't they both girls?" The shorter man mused, "Changing times I guess." When they returned, they saw the same short-haired black girl helping a guy with wet jet black hair, dressed exactly the same as the redhead, moving a mattress. "You can put our futon in that room," Ranma said as he pointed. They shook their heads in disbelief. the two thought simultaneously --------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes: For those who can't figure out who is Nabiki's secret admire. Tough! I won't tell you. I gave you more than enough hints.