Akane just... stares at Connie. For the longest time. Her mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. Closes just as silently.
"Why would I love that stupid, perverted jerk?" she says, finally, looking away from Connie. "All he ever does is make fun of me and refuse to take me seriously... and spends his time with me, more than he does anyone else. And tries to cheer me up when I'm sad and helps me when I'm hurt and saves my life. All the time. Just-- just before I came here. He saved my life. And-- and they were finally going to have the wedding. Right before second year started. We got back from China and I'd agreed to go through with it... and then Shampoo and Ukyo showed up and started throwing-- I think they were bombs they'd made out of food-- and everything went to hell. And after, they said we weren't going to be married until all the other engagements were sorted out. So we went to school together... and I woke up here. Without him. At the fake mother's house."
Connie appraises Akane for a few moments, expression unreadable.
Then she smiles.
How genuine it is is up for debate. Even Connie doesn't know.
"I'm happy for you, then. Your relationship sounds... really weird, even by my standards," Connie laughs airily, "but it sounds like you two are good for one another." Beat. "I- I don't mean to rub salt in the wound! I just... well, that makes it all the more urgent to find a way to get us all back home, right?"
Why is she disappointed? She shouldn't be disappointed. What on Earth is wrong with her?
"I miss him a lot," Akane admits, "but-- sometimes I don't? I miss having him around, but I don't miss... all the chaos that follows in his wake. And how he always has to be the best at everything, even when it's stupid. And I don't miss... I don't miss how I was just 'Ranma's fiance' after a while? I mean, it felt like it didn't matter what I could do as a martial artist. I mattered more as-- someone attached to him. I couldn't even really be friends with Ukyo because Mr Saotome arranged a marriage for Ranma with her too as a way to steal her father's okonomiyaki cart--and I wanted to be friends with her! She was a fighter too and she was cute and nice--but she was Ranma's 'cute fiancee' and childhood friend and I was just-- The uncute tomboy." She makes a little 'heh' sound. "Never mind that Ukyo spent half her life pretending to be a guy because of how the Saotomes dishonored her. I'm still the tomboy."
Part of Connie's brain wonders who in their right mind would call Akane a tomboy, but comforting her very good, dear, amazing, pretty, best friend takes precedence over that.
(Another, slightly larger part of her still can't get over how comically awful Ranma's life is, but again. Akane first.)
"That's... that's horrible, Akane. I'm so sorry." Connie sighs, looking down at the table. "You know, when I met Universe, I was really excited at first. The world he brought me into was amazing, full of magic and monsters and aliens... I lived an unbearably boring life before then, which," Connie snorts, "I imagine almost sounds appealing to you, but I was just a kid back then."
You're almost sixteen right now, Connie. You're still a kid.
"And then I almost died the first time, and I realized that it wasn't all fun and games. I wasn't some invincible- god, I'm rambling about myself again, I'm sorry. It's just... I wouldn't trade my days with Universe for everything, but I understand what it's like. Cherishing someone but not everything they bring with them."
"Was Steven Universe your boyfriend?" Akane asks softly. Connie doesn't exactly talk about Steven Universe the way she talks about Ranma, a mix of exasperation, ruefulness, and fondness... but she doesn't not talk about him that way either? And she said she cherished him. Which was the kind of thing you wouldn't say about a boy unless you were dating.
(You could say that about a girl more easily, Akane thinks. After all, she cherishes her time with Connie. But things were different with girls. You could be close with girls and not have to worry they were going to take advantage of it to pull something funny.)
"Yeah," Akane says softly. "I understand that." She glances down at her hands and back up to Connie. "I guess if he never finds this world and I don't go home, he'll end up with Ukyo. He liked her best of the other two and they were childhood friends. Not that he and I weren't friends by the end? We were, really important friends for each other, even if... we never really said it. Just like he never said anything about how he felt about me until I almost died. But I don't know. Childhood friends are probably different. And-- it would be good if one of Mr Saotome's broken promises got made right. But-- I don't know."
She bites her lip.
"Is it awful that I don't want to go home anytime soon? It's just-- easier here. Less trouble."
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FINAL MANGA VOLUME SPOILERS
"Why would I love that stupid, perverted jerk?" she says, finally, looking away from Connie. "All he ever does is make fun of me and refuse to take me seriously... and spends his time with me, more than he does anyone else. And tries to cheer me up when I'm sad and helps me when I'm hurt and saves my life. All the time. Just-- just before I came here. He saved my life. And-- and they were finally going to have the wedding. Right before second year started. We got back from China and I'd agreed to go through with it... and then Shampoo and Ukyo showed up and started throwing-- I think they were bombs they'd made out of food-- and everything went to hell. And after, they said we weren't going to be married until all the other engagements were sorted out. So we went to school together... and I woke up here. Without him. At the fake mother's house."
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Then she smiles.
How genuine it is is up for debate. Even Connie doesn't know."I'm happy for you, then. Your relationship sounds... really weird, even by my standards," Connie laughs airily, "but it sounds like you two are good for one another." Beat. "I- I don't mean to rub salt in the wound! I just... well, that makes it all the more urgent to find a way to get us all back home, right?"
Why is she disappointed? She shouldn't be disappointed. What on Earth is wrong with her?
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(Another, slightly larger part of her still can't get over how comically awful Ranma's life is, but again. Akane first.)
"That's... that's horrible, Akane. I'm so sorry." Connie sighs, looking down at the table. "You know, when I met Universe, I was really excited at first. The world he brought me into was amazing, full of magic and monsters and aliens... I lived an unbearably boring life before then, which," Connie snorts, "I imagine almost sounds appealing to you, but I was just a kid back then."
You're almost sixteen right now, Connie. You're still a kid.
"And then I almost died the first time, and I realized that it wasn't all fun and games. I wasn't some invincible- god, I'm rambling about myself again, I'm sorry. It's just... I wouldn't trade my days with Universe for everything, but I understand what it's like. Cherishing someone but not everything they bring with them."
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(You could say that about a girl more easily, Akane thinks. After all, she cherishes her time with Connie. But things were different with girls. You could be close with girls and not have to worry they were going to take advantage of it to pull something funny.)
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"We... were. It's complicated. He went back home before I got the chance to talk things out and- I don't know. Like I said, it's complicated."
sound familiar, akane,
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She bites her lip.
"Is it awful that I don't want to go home anytime soon? It's just-- easier here. Less trouble."
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"No, it isn't. Awful, I mean. I kinda feel the same way too, to be honest."
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"It's a good thing we're here, then. And we've got each other.
wrap?
"Yeah. Yeah we do."
...
"We should probably order ice cream soon, huh?"
wrap~
And if she might imagine from time to time that there's a pigtailed girl sitting at the table with them... well. Nobody has to know.