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	Commitment part Two:
	Confrontation

	A fanfic by Suika Roberts, based on the Takahashi Rumiko Manga
	_Ranma 1/2_.
	Of course, this is unauthorized and not-for-profit.  Anyone
	who sells this for more than the cost of media should be
	flogged.

	Note: 
	All gendered pronouns in the dialog are just to make this easier
	to write, as English has a paucity of genderless ones.
	One should not assume that anyone is thinking of Ranma as being
	any particular gender because of the pronoun used; I just use
	the first one to pop up.

	``Akane!'' the short haired girl turns to look at her iinazuke.

	``What?''

	``We can't go on like this.  You can not cook.'' She blocks her
iinazuke's blow,  holding Akane's wrists,  ``And if you go on like this you
never will!''  She releases Akane's wrists to block the taller girl's kick.

	``Your control over your temper sucks, which leaves you at a
disadvantage.''

	``I can too control my temper!'' blocked punch.

	``Then why are you angry?'' dodge.

	``Because you piss me off!'' strike

	``So I do something, and you become angry.'' duck

	``Yes!'' punch

	``Like a TV with a remote?''

	``Arghh!!!''  Ranma grabs both of Akane's wrists, crossing them over
Akane's belly, pressing against her back before pulling up her feet.  Ranma
drops onto her back, pulling Akane with her.

	``You control your own temper!  You need to realize that!''

	``Why?''

	``Kodachi tells you the truth, that your cooking is bad, and makes a
joke about a poisoning contest.  You make it a matter of honor, so she tries to
limit it, anyone's death disqualifies the person responcible.  How many people
did Kodachi get?''  Ranma's voice is tight, angry.

	``354,'' Akane's voice shows growing comprehension, shadowed by lurking
fear.

	``You?''  Ranma's voice is softer.

	``Two million.''

	``Who won?''  Ranma's voice trembles slightly.

	``Kodachi.''  Suddenly Akane is struggling again, and breaks away,
slamming her elbow into Ranma's ribs, ``That's different!''

	``Really?''  Suddenly one can tell Ranma is fighting her tears.

	``Yes!''

	``So you are going to keep hitting me whenever I `piss you off'?''
Ranma is yelling, tears glittering in her eyes.

	``Of course!''  Akane yells back.

	``Think about that.''  Ranma spins in place, the sun glittering on
something in the air for an instant, then runs off.

	``Ranma's crying?''  Akane speaks, voice soft, contemplative, brittle,
``She never lets anything get to her, so why?''

*-*

	``Kasumi?  I'm leaving, tell Akane that I'm sorry, and I tried to keep
from blowing up like that,'' the black-haired girl wipes at her face with her
hand.

	``What happened, Ranma?''  Kasumi's voice is concerned.

	``I just couldn't deal with it anymore, it just came out.  I hope she
won't hate me when I get back.''

	``She won't.  Have fun looking at schools.''

	``I'll try.''

	``Ranma-kun?''  Nabiki's voice is shocked, ``What happened?''

	``I . . . blew up at Akane today, told her off about her cooking and
her temper,'' Nabiki suddenly wraps Ranma in her arms, who doesn't struggle as
she continues, ``Why did it have to come to this point today?  If I was a
little stronger I coulda coped, coulda held it in until after I got back.''

	``Maybe this is for the best.  She'll have time to cool off this way,
and decide what to do when she's calm.''

	``Maybe,'' Ranma pulls out of Nabiki's arms and gather's her pack,
``Thanks for those addresses, Nabiki.''

	``You're welcome.  Have fun.''

	``I'll try.  Tell Akane I'm sorry, I could have held my temper
better.''

	``I will.''

	``Ja!'' ``Ja ne!'' ``Dewa Mata ne!''

*-*

	``Brought you a sandwich for the train.''

	``Thanks, Ko-chan.''

	``Ran-chan, what happened?  You don't look too good.''

	``I blew up at Akane.''

	``Good.  She's needed something like that to happen for quite a
while.''

	``I'd thought that since I'd held it this long, I could hold it a
little longer, just until I got back from college-hunting in Kansai.''

	``Akane doesn't hold her anger whenever what she's angry at is out of
sight, so this is probably for the best.''  Kodachi touches Ranma's shoulder as
she finishes speaking.

	``I guess so, but . . .'' Ranma breaks off, blinking rapidly.  Kodachi
squeezes Ranma's shoulder, and Ukyou hugs the smaller girl.  Ranma composes
herself and continues, ``If she asks, tell her that I love her, OK?''

	``Of course.''  Ukyou promises.

	``Have fun in Oosaka.''

	``I will.''  The three friends sit quietly for a little bit, waiting
for Ranma's train.  Ranma boards, waving to the two on the platform through the
window as the train pulls out.

	As the train leaves the city Ranma pulls out a spiral-bound notebook
and begins to write.

	<-I don't know if this'll actually help, but it might, so I'll try it.
This whole mess today, at least in part, is due to running into Honda
Megumi-sensei again, about the middle of last term.  She looked, to me, the
same as she had when I was a third-year elementary school student, all-knowing
and attractive.  Somehow she recognized me despite the curse, and after we
chatted for a little while in the street she offered to buy me a cup of tea.
After a bit more catching up, and having the waitress refill the teapot, she
asked me the question:
	``What do you plan to do with your life, Ranma-chan?''  I'd been
avoiding thinking 'bout that with all of my strength, and when she asked I
realized why.
	``I want to be a teacher; a good one, like you; one of the ones who
instills that love of learning that is so important.''  Even as a third grader
I'd known what my father, wait, this _is_ _my_ nikki, what Kusooyaji wanted of
my life and I couldn't reconcile the two.  I buried my desire to teach as
deeply as I could, hoping it would disappear.  I try to explain this and end up
telling her of the last year: the fights, the iinazuke, the general weirdness.
I came away from there with four very useful lumps of information: that I no
longer much care what Kusooyaji wants, Honda-sensei's telephone number, her
address, and her opinion that Kansai GaiDai is a good school.
	I'm on this train because that conversation prompted me to get my least
obnoxious teachers to give me names of other good schools and now I need to see
which ones I like; my scores will probly be good enough to get me into
whichever one I choose.
	Akane.  I really wish I knew what to do.  She's cute, nice when she
isn't completely angry.
	That psych class helped me get my head straight, helped me get Obaba
off my case, too.
	Situations perceived as real are treated as such.  Obaba had decided
the only way I would join her village was by force, and almost pushed things to
that point.  Psych class helped me realize that just how much energy Obaba had
invested in me, so I went and read that rulebook Shanpoo left the first time
she came to visit.  Then I had the Chinese language teacher look at the passage
that interested me, and she said it matched my interpretation.
	The fight for the fushichogan was harder than my adoption challenge.
Nyuchezuu incest taboos are quite binding, so Shanpoo beat me bloody several
times before Obaba sent her home.  My dodging and endurance benefited, though->

	Ranma stares at the page for a moment, then continues in angry
movements of her hand,

	<-Well, _that_ really helped->

	She closes the notebook and stuffs it into her pack before closing her
eyes.

	The next week passes in several quick flashes; Ranma at the Oosaka
Shinkansen siding; Ranma sightseeing in Oosaka; Ranma talking to teachers;
Ranma tossing and turning in her sleep, calling out `Akane,' in a disstressed
voice; Ranma back on the Shinkansen; Ranma at the gate of Tendouke.

	``Well, I guess it is time to see what can be seen.''  Ranma pulls open
the gate and enters the yard, the gate closing behind her.

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