Three Days to Say I Love You

By Angela Jewell

 

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

 

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don’t own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. Against their will… *stuffs Ranma and Ryoga back into my closet*

 

For the three days, I’m counting the day of the Failed Wedding as a continuation of the 1st day. That just makes it easier to keep track, since we’re not really sure how much time has passed between Jusendou and the failed wedding… and that way, I don’t have to try and stage the rest of this story on a ship (or whatever method they chose to get back to Nerima by…)

 

Reviewers comments are following the Authors Notes…

 

And remember:

Reviews=motivation to write

 

Chapter 3

The Calm before the Storm…

 

Ranma...

Akane opened her eyes to see her fiancée staring down at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, his cheeks, tear-stained and dirty. Weakly, she lifted a hand, longing to touch his face. Even if she couldn't say the words, she could still try to get them across in some other way...

... And Ranma continued to stare back at her, afraid to close his eyes—afraid to blink. His grip around her tightened as he pulled her closer; afraid she might disappear at any moment. "A... Akane?" He asked brokenly, hopefully. Finally, pulling back, he looked down at her face, and his mouth fell open in surprise. Akane was looking up at him, smiling brightly.

"Hello, Ranma," she said softly.

The relief was clear on his face as he looked down at her, and she saw that his tears had finally stopped falling.

"Akane..."

"I'm sorry," she replied, watching him closely. "I could hear everything... I just couldn't move to respond." She paused, gauging his reaction. Ranma paled, as he stared at her in horror.

"Eh? Everything?" he asked, blushing furiously.

Akane nodded her head. "Yup," she replied. "Every word." She watched as Ranma turned away, his hands on his face. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was deep in thought... although, he didn't need to look that stricken.

Well, at least he didn't deny anything, she thought with relief. Besides, he probably just needed a little more time to come out and say it... she did take him by surprise after all.

Akane sat up as Ryoga rushed towards her, stomping on Ranma in the process.

"Akane!" he shouted, reaching out to her. "Thank god you're okay!" She could see the relief and worry on his face; emotions which had been reflected on Ranma's only moments before.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," she replied guiltily, realizing she had completely forgotten about her friend. She chanced a quick glance over at Ranma, who had managed to push Ryoga off of him. He still hadn't said a word; but then again, she hadn't really expected him too either.

Akane smiled uneasily. He'd say it eventually though, right? She watched as he walked away from her, headed towards the pools that had flooded.

And for an instant, she could have sworn she heard the Hannya laughing.

 

*           *           *

DAY 1

Day of the Failed Wedding

Attempt #1: The Direct Approach

 

The time had finally come, and the moment was perfect. No fiancées or rivals were around to interrupt them; no family members nearby, eavesdropping, ready to embarrass them.

For once, they were completely alone.

And Ranma was there, sitting across from her, fidgeting nervously.

Finally, after minutes of uncomfortable silence, he looked up at her, blushing slightly. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked curiously, completely serious for once. "What made you want to go ahead with the wedding?"

Akane blushed as she held the bouquet of flowers tightly in her lap. "Well..." she began uncomfortably, her eyes focused firmly on the ground. She had decided a while ago that asking him point blank would be the easiest way—and since the Hannya hadn't mentioned it, she was sure she wasn't breaking any rules.

Of course, she was still having trouble gathering the courage she needed in order to form the words.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Akane spoke. "Ranma," she said at last, her voice lower and less confident than she had intended. "You love me. Don't you?" Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze...

And Ranma's eyes widened. "Um... I do?" he asked, genuinely surprised. He tilted his head in confusion. "What made you think that, Akane?"

Akane looked down at the floor, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. "But... when you were crying over me at Jusenkyo... I could've sworn I heard you... y'know, say you loved me."

Ranma looked perplexed as he racked his brain, trying to remember. Then, his face turned red. With shaking fists, he turned on her. "I'm sure I didn't say it out loud!" he shouted angrily. "I know I didn't! NO WAY!"

"What's the difference?" she yelled back, more insulted by his reaction, than by his words. "I'm still sure I heard you in some way!"

Ranma took a couple of steps back as he slipped into a defensive position. "What?" he demanded, throwing his hands up before him—prepared to fend off an imminent attack. "You wanna fight about it?"

Akane turned away from him, silently fuming. That idiot, she thought furiously. He couldn't even answer a simple question without making it sound insulting. She sighed, as she placed a hand to her head in consternation.

One thing was for sure. The direct approach definitely wasn't the way to go...

 

*           *           *

 

The wedding, naturally, had been a failure. And although she was slightly disappointed, she couldn't say she was exactly surprised.

But it was unfortunate.

A part of her realized that marrying Ranma might have given him the extra push he needed in order to say the words... even while a part of her admitted that it might have been the one thing that would push him even further away...

She frowned at the idea. She definitely didn't want to force him into anything—especially something so important. But what else could she have done?

Her eyes came to fall on a book that was sitting on her desk—something Nabiki had gotten her as a "thank you," for making the wedding so profitable. It was entitled, How to seduce your man and keep him seduced. Honestly, she thought, blushing. She couldn't believe Nabiki sometimes.

Turning away from her desk, Akane looked at the small window by her bed—the one Ranma had been known to climb into whenever the occasion called for it. She couldn't help but wonder what he thought about the whole thing. She knew he was still furious at Happosai for drinking the Nanniichuan—that much was obvious—but what did he feel about the wedding being destroyed? And did he still blame her for not telling him about the Nanniichuan sooner?

Unbidden, her eyes drifted back to the book on her desk.

Sighing, Akane threw herself down on her bed. She knew it was pointless to dwell on the failed wedding; especially when there were more important things to worry about.

But how could she get Ranma to say he loves her?

She hadn't even thought past asking him directly... and that definitely hadn't gone according to plan. She didn't want to scare him away—she just wanted to give him a little push...

Once again her eyes drifted to the book.

Well, it was worth a try, she decided, as she got up from her bed and made her way over to her desk. Fighting back a blush, and with several quick glances in both directions to make sure no one was spying on her, she began to leaf through the pages.

Seduction is all about your attitude, she read, her eyes scanning the page. Believe you're sexy, and you will feel sexy. She paused, letting the information sink in. Well, it made perfect sense to her, she decided. Every time Ranma had called her uncute, she had never once argued with him or tried to prove him wrong. Sure, she had gotten mad and hit him once or twice, but that wasn't exactly altering his perception of her...

Encouraged, she continued reading.

Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff she read didn't apply to her, so she found herself skipping through most of it, and only lingering on the interesting, useful parts. Finally, once she decided she'd gathered all of the information she was going to need, she quickly put the book back on her desk.

A small smile came to her face as she looked out the window.

Maybe she had an idea after all...

 

*           *           *

Day 2

Attempt #2: The Subtle Art of Seduction

 

The first part of her plan had gone surprisingly well. A subtle hint here, a complaint there—and before she knew it, Ranma was forced by their parents to take her out on a date. And not just any date: a real date! But what really surprised her was the fact that he never argued or complained once!

She knew it was silly to get her hopes up—especially after what he'd said at the failed wedding—but she still couldn't help feeling the smallest bit hopeful.

And for once, she felt like there was good reason: the date, so far, had been perfect.

She'd kept her anger at bay—he had kept his mouth shut—and they hadn't argued or fought once. Somehow they had even managed to fly beneath the radar of their suitors.

But still a part of her continued to worry...

After all, she only had two days left.

Akane shook her head resolutely, trying to will those thoughts away. She knew she wouldn't accomplish anything if she continued to dwell on her bargain with the Hannya.

And she definitely didn't want to ruin their date with such depressing thoughts: Especially when the information she had gleamed from that book was paying off so well—she had never seen her fiancée so quiet and shy before. And he hadn't even called her uncute once!

Not that he could even if he wanted too.

Tonight, she knew she looked nothing like the uncute, sexless, tomboy he was always saying she was.

She was dressed in one of Nabiki's short, black dresses—something that had cost her a pretty penny to borrow. And although it wasn't her style, she knew it looked good on her. The dress clung in all the right places; and her curves were accentuated perfectly. And the look of disbelief on Ranma's face when she had first appeared before him had only confirmed this belief, strengthening her resolve.

Akane smiled at the memory as she looked over at her fiancée.

Suddenly, he turned towards her, his blue eyes widening in surprise as he noticed she'd been staring at him.

Blushing, she quickly looked away.

Finally, after several moments, Ranma's voice broke the uneasy silence. "So, umm, anyway," he said, taking a deep breath. "I've been wanting to say that I'm, ya know... sorry."

Akane looked at him in confusion. "Sorry?" she asked. "About what?"

"You know... that whole wedding thing," he explained, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I really didn't know they were gonna get so bent out of shape about it. I mean, yeah, okay, sure, I knew Shampoo would—but Ukyo. I really didn't think she'd stoop to their level."

Akane nodded her head sadly, even though, internally, she was smiling. He was apologizing for the wedding, she thought happily.

"It's okay," she replied reluctantly, frowning. "I understand why they did it. I'm just sorry you lost the Nanniichuan..."

Ranma nodded his head, smirking. "Yeah, well, I know it wasn't really your fault," he replied, glancing at her. "Although you could've told me sooner."

"Sorry," she replied softly, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I was just trying to help."

He smiled. "Yeah, I know."

With a sigh, she turned away from him, her eyes focusing on the trees and bushes as she began walking ahead. "You must be relieved that the wedding got ruined, though, right?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "After all, I know you didn't really want to marry me anyway."

"Geez. You're such a dummy," Ranma replied, as he grabbed a hold of her arm, stopping her. "I just apologized about it getting ruined, didn't I?"

Akane shrugged his hand off her arm. "Even if it hadn't been interrupted, you still wouldn't have gone through with it," she snapped.

A look came to Ranma's eyes as he looked at her; his expression, serious and hard. "I couldda gone through with it." he said softly, his voice losing most of its steam. "I just didn't wanna be pushed into it—for us to be pushed into it. I mean, aren't you tired of them always buttin' in, Akane? Cause I know I sure as hell am."

Akane looked at him in surprise, her mind replaying his words.

He would have gone through with it...?

"Ranma..."

Slowly, Akane reached out to touch his arm—only to have it knocked away seconds later by a certain Chinese Amazon. She quickly withdrew her hand, holding it against her chest as she ignored the small sting of pain that spread throughout her arm.

"So is true after all," Shampoo said, her eyes boring into those of her husbands. "Ranma take Akane out on date." The Purple-Haired Amazon didn't even wait for a response. Turning towards her rival, her eyes spitting fire, she raised her bonborrie in challenge. "Akane no touch Shampoo's husband."

Akane never got the chance to reply. A strong hand grasped her arm and she was abruptly pulled back. Then Ranma was in front of her, blocking her from the Chinese girl's view.

"Give it a rest, will ya Shampoo?" he complained. "Wasn't destroying our wedding enough?"

Akane glanced from where his hand still rested on her arm, up to his determined and set face, her heart pounding. He's actually standing up to Shampoo, she thought in amazement.

Shampoo's grip on her bonborrie never loosened. "Husband no interfere," she replied, glaring at Akane over Ranma's shoulder. "This between Akane and Shampoo."

Ranma laughed bitterly. "Oh," he replied, hotly. "So I suppose I have no say in the matter, huh?"

Shampoo lowered her bonborrie and looked at her Husband in confusion. "Ranma is Shampoo's by law—no need have say," she replied.

Akane could feel Ranma's grip on her arm tighten slightly at the Amazon's words. "Oh, is that so?" he replied, his voice cold as ice.

With that said, he didn't launch himself at Shampoo—something she had almost been expecting him to do—but instead, did something Akane knew her rival would like even less.

He turned away from her.

"Come on, Akane," he said, as he took her hand firmly in his. "Let's continue our date."

"This no over," Shampoo yelled, her voice hard. "Ranma is Shampoo's by law: woman who interfere is obstacle."

Ranma quickly turned around, throwing a threatening glare in Shampoo's direction. "Don't come near her," he warned, his eyes angry. "I don't wanna have to fight you. But I will if I have too, Shampoo."

Akane took a step back in surprise. The Amazon was staring daggers at her, her eyes cold and hard. She couldn't remember a time she'd seen the Amazon so angry. And then, just as quickly, she was turning away without a word, heading into the shadows.

"Ranma," she asked suddenly, confused. "Why didn't she just attack me? You could tell she wanted too."

"Dummy—she wouldn't attack you when I'm standing right here."

Akane looked up at him in confusion. "But why not? She always used too."

An unreadable look came to his eyes as he glanced down at her, and then, just as quickly, it was gone. "That was before Jusendou," he said softly. And Akane felt his grip on her hand tighten.

The rest of their date passed mostly in silence.

 

*           *           *

 

Akane smiled as she lay in bed, thinking about the day's events. She knew it hadn't been a complete success—the opportunity to use everything she had learned about seduction never really got off the ground, especially with Shampoo's interruption... but in a way, she was kind of glad things turned out the way they did.

If she was going to get Ranma to admit his feelings for her, she wanted him to tell her—the uncute, tomboy—not someone she was pretending to be.

And although there had been no declarations of love, their date had been... nice. Perfect, even.

She knew she only had one day left, but for once, she felt like everything was moving in the right direction...

...There was no way she could have known that the Hannya was watching her every move, a smile on her face as she bided her time.

 

*           *           *

End of Chapter 3

*           *           *

 

Authors Notes:

 

I’m sorry if you felt like the first two days passed by too quickly, but I’m sure most of you realize that the real action won’t happen until the 3rd day. I thought of the first two days as a sort of warm up—at least, after she realized the direct approach wasn’t going to work.

 

And besides, you know what they say: Most people work best under pressure. ;)

 

Okay, if you couldn’t tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma’s trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely…

 

This story is based completely off the manga, so if I referred to any moments that you haven’t read yet, or that left you completely confused, then feel free to go to my website and read the MANGA MOMENTS section. **shameless plug, shameless plug**

 

Either way, I hope you’re enjoying this story so far... ^_^

 

Reviewers Comments:

 

Lady Mokodane: Wow. It’s that obvious, huh? Hehe. Oh well, guilty as charged. They’re my all-time favorite anime couple! And I’m glad you liked the term of Hannya—I just hope I’m using it correctly... Thanks for all your wonderful reviews!! =)

 

UY: Thanks! I’ve been doing pretty good about updating this story so far: I just hope I can keep it up!


Kuno-Baby: Hey! Akane isn’t dumb! Okay… well, maybe a little… but still! =P

 

Xero-ghost: Yeah, I always wondered that too! Hence, this story! It’s just a fun little ‘what if’ thing I’ve had in mind for awhile. I’m just glad I finally got around to writing it, and that other people are enjoying it too.

 

Pokey: Wow! Thanks!!! It’s always nice to know that people think my stories are original and interesting. =)

 

Marissa: Thank you so much for all your reviews!! I’m really glad you like my other stories as well! I promise: I AM still working on them… Actually, Chapter 8 of The Forgotten Game is almost done, so hopefully, I’ll be able to finish that soon and post it. I’m really glad you like my website too!!!! Thanks for writing in the Guestbook!! =D

 

And thanks to everyone else who reviewed! All of you gave me the motivation I needed to write! ^_^

 

ajewell@alumni.nmu.edu

jewellangela@yahoo.com

 

http://ranma-romance.com

 

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