[Ranma][Fanfic][WAFF] Heart Nibun no Naisho

[Larry W. Fontenot]

"Heart Nibun no Naisho"

A Ranma 1/2 fan fiction by Pia Ulloa.

Disclaimer:

All the legal stuff that everybody knows goes here. None of the
characters are mine; they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and to Viz
Communications. The characters are being used without permission, and if
anybody has a problem with that, so what. I don't, and anyway I'm not
making a profit out of this and neither can you, so there! Ok, enough is
enough. Here's the story.

**********

Ranma-chan was walking on top of the fence with his hands in his
pockets, the gloomy drizzle of rain matching his mood perfectly. That he
had changed into his cursed girl form because of the rain only added to
his foul mood. He was confused and depressed, and his soul twisted with
the intensity of his feelings. He was trying to figure out what was
going on in his heart… not that he didn't already know deep down inside.
His red pigtail was lying flat behind his head, another sign that he was
gripped by melancholy.

What was it that had happened this time?

`Oh, yeah. Shampoo hugged me in front of Akane again.'

`Why can't Akane ever understand that it's not my fault? I don't go
around trying to make her jealous! If she would only listen to what I
have to say maybe she'd understand better, but she has to jump into
conclusions all the time!'

`Still, this time there is absolutely no doubt that I blew it, too. Oh,
man! Why do I always have to run off at the mouth without thinking
first?'

Ranma-chan had been wondering around Tokyo for hours now. As was usual
after a tiff with Akane, his only real injuries were to his spirit. He'd
spent hours on a mental merry-go-round, and finally he reached the
conclusion that:

A: Akane was really mad at him this time, and

B: today, it really was partly HIS fault, for once. That would only make
Akane angrier than ever.

While it was true that Akane was quite strong, he was much stronger than
she was. There was no way she could seriously harm him, physically.

So why was he feeling so beat up this time?

He felt as he had been punched in the chest with his own Amaguriken
technique. His chest hurt so much that he couldn't take a deep breath
when he needed one.

Maybe he was just tired of everything, tired of all the
misunderstanding.

Yep. No doubt about it, Akane was really mad this time… but she was also
sad and disappointed. He had been so close to telling her this time, but
of course something purple-haired and insistent had to happen and ruin
it for them.

**********

They were walking home together after school. It had been a nice day,
and they hadn't once been tempted to bicker. The two of them were both
feeling extremely relieved about it. Akane had suddenly suggested that
they go to the park instead of straight home. Ranma hadn't fallen into
any of Nabiki's traps for a while, so he had some money to spend and he
offered to buy her some ice cream. They then continued on their way to
the park, and sat under a big cherry tree.

It was unusually clear for the time of year, and there were no clouds in
the sky. They silently finished their ice cream, then talked about
simple things like how nice the day had been.

Ranma thought to himself,

'Why do I like being alone with Akane so much?'

He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart.

'Yeah... that's why...'

He felt very, very nervous whenever he and Akane were this close to each
other.

On her part, Akane had been slowly relaxing, her mind working better now
that she didn't feel she had to find an excuse to launch Ranma into
orbit. She was feeling really good. They were sitting so close to each
other that they were constantly brushing against one another, and she
was enjoying the contact. It was getting a little bit cold, but all she
felt the need for right then was to be with him.

Ranma eventually noticed Akane shivering a little. It wasn't that cold
yet to him, but it was enough to make him start thinking that maybe they
should head for home, or some other place that was warm.

"Are you cold, Akane? 'Cause if you're cold we can start walking
home..."

She smiled that cute smile that made Ranma's heart ache.

"Really, Ranma, I'm okay..."

Ranma couldn't think of anything else to say. He was very aware of how
close they were.

Akane looked at him, her smile lighting her eyes.

"It's nice out here. Besides, I like talking to you like this"

Ranma felt trapped by her big hazel eyes.

"What do you mean 'like this'?"

Akane looked at the ground, the smile fading from her lips.

"Nobody pushing us to do anything, nobody standing over us, trying to
decide how we should live our lives. I'm sick and tired of all that."

Ranma let a sigh out. He understood what she was saying all too well.

"Yeah, I have been thinking about that for a long time now. I think
that's one reason why we don't get along so well sometimes..."

Akane finished for him, "Because everybody wants us to do something we
don't..."

Ranma and Akane let a sigh out at the same time.

Both of them smiled slightly at what had just happened and gazed into
each other's eyes, before turning away again. Ranma broke the silence.

"Pop, your dad, everybody... I mean, I don't mind being engaged, as long
as I don't have to get married this young. Sometimes, when we're getting
along..."

Akane felt her heart go racing again. Ranma felt her tense up all of a
sudden.

"... Uh... What is it, Akane?"

She looked up at him, almost begging for that one statement to be true,
not just something she'd thought she heard, or that Ranma's
non-brain-connected mouth had just babbled.

"... You really don't mind being engaged to me?"

Ranma froze for a moment.

'C'mon, don't chicken out now' he thought.

"Well... I guess it's OK... but I wouldn't like to get married while I'm
still a teenager, you know...?"

Akane smiled.

"I think the same goes for me..."

She looked at the ground again.

"I always thought that I'd marry somebody I chose for myself, but it's
OK that we're engaged. As long as we get the chance to know each
other... I guess it would work out eventually."

The question had been wandering around their minds for quite some time
now... Did they really want to get married? They had never talked about
it openly. Neither of them knew anything about being married, and some
stupid arrangement their parents had decided on wasn't how either of
them had anticipated learning.

Were they going along with the deal because they had to, or because of
love? They had never used the "L" word for it, but both of them knew
that there was an attraction between them that was more serious than
just liking each other. If that wasn't true, why risk their lives for
each other when danger threatened, as they had so many times now?

When he was fighting Saffron and Ranma thought Akane had died, and that
he'd lost her forever, he had almost gone crazy just at the thought of
never seeing her face again. He was almost begging in that moment for
her mallet to hit his head.

At Prince Toma's island Togenkyo, Akane had been ready to become a man
forever just for the sake of Ranma's cure... and he had blown it up for
her sake.

The wind started to pick up, and Akane shivered harder. Ranma asked his
question again...

"Are you cold?"

He smiled the shyly at Akane, that smile with only one corner of his
mouth that drove Akane crazy.

"A little bit..." she answered, blushing.

She was hoping for Ranma to do what he did next. He put his arm around
her, resting his hand on her hip. Akane leaned slowly against his
shoulder, with her hand on his chest. Ranma could feel Akane's heart
beating, and wondered if she could hear his. Somehow, he thought so.

They sat in their embrace for some minutes, before Akane spoke again.

"Do you really think I'm uncute? You know, and all those names you call
me all the time..."

Ranma stared straight ahead for a moment.

"...No."

He turned his head to look at her.

" I don't really think you're a kawaiikune tomboy or anything like
that... It's just that... that's the only way I can fight back against
it all... You know, our parents and all that..."

Akane lowered her head so that Ranma wouldn't see the silly grin on her
face.

"I'm glad to hear that."

He thought about it for a moment.

"Akane, I really don't mean to make you mad at me all the time. It just
kinda happens. I promise, I'll try and think about what I'm saying first
from here on out, okay?"

Ranma could sense Akane's grin. The image of her beautiful smiling face
was enough to make his face burn. Ranma felt Akane slowly cross her legs
over his. Her arms went around his neck. He wasn't expecting this sudden
intimacy, and his mind started to race.

'Do I hug her back? `Cause if I don't she'll get mad at me and say I
don't like her and if I do she might punt me clear across town and say
that I'm a pervert... But she hugged me first...'

Ranma slowly slid his arms around Akane's waist. He was half-expecting
to be slapped, but nothing happened.

He relaxed against the tree, and asked,

"Do you really think I'm a pervert?"

Akane hugged him a little bit tighter.

"No, I don't" she answered without hesitating.

"Even with my curse and all?"

Ranma's curse was a definite impediment to their relationship. He just
couldn't bring himself to think that Akane could really love him because
he wasn't a `whole man'. After all, hadn't she been saying that ever
since he first met her and she learned the truth about him?

Akane sensed the hidden anguish behind his question, and chose the words
of her answer carefully.

"It's always you, Ranma. Cursed or not, you are still the same person.
In the end, it's always you inside, so it doesn't make a difference to
me anymore. Your soul never changes. You are still the Ranma that I know
when you are a boy or a girl, the same Ranma that I like..."

'Not that I don't think your real body is absolutely gorgeous, but the
soul IS the most important part...' Akane smiled inwardly.

As his answer, Ranma tightened his hug a little more. Ranma could feel
her warm breath on his neck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

`Akane...'

They pulled away a little, just enough to see their reflections in each
other's eyes. Akane was lost in their embrace. She felt so secure in his
strong arms. It made her wish to be like that forever. She tugged gently
on his pigtail with one of her hands, then started combing the back of
his head with her fingers. She touched Ranma's cheek with her other
hand. His scent was making her feel dizzy. She sighed a little as Ranma
tightened his embrace again, thinking that he just might...

Ranma was totally lost in Akane's beautiful eyes. He noticed for the
first time the perfume she was wearing… Why hadn't he ever noticed it
before? It was such a feminine thing to do… He began breathing harder,
and his entire world narrowed into the beautiful girl in his arms. This
beautiful girl that drove him crazy, that he would rather die than live
without, that meant everything to him.

She had the power to make him feel vulnerable and indestructible at the
same time. She made him feel that maybe his life was worth something,
this beautiful girl that was his fiancée, that he was in love with...

He had admitted it to himself. He was in love with her. Ranma loved
Akane and he knew he shouldn't wait another second to tell her. This was
the perfect moment.

'After all, didn't she just say she likes me...?'

Their mouths were so close that they were almost touching already. Akane
had closed her eyes. He leaned forward a little bit, and started to
whisper something in her ear.

"... Akane... I have something to tell you..."

It seemed incredible how much air it took him just to pronounce those
words. Akane was also having a hard time breathing.

"What is it, Ranma...?"

Seconds seemed like an eternity to both of them ticked by...

They pulled away again just a little bit, enough to see each other's
face again.

"...Akane.... I... I just...."

Their lips were so close… Ranma just couldn't force the words to come
out. He could clearly feel them inside his heart and mind, but his mouth
felt paralyzed. Akane was feeling completely breathless.

'Ohmygodhe'sgoingtotellme...'

Akane could hardly bear to wait any longer for him to say it.

'Just a few moments more before he says it...'

It was just too much... They were so close...

He tried once more.

".... Akane... I... I...."

He leaned forward, closing the less than half an inch distance between
them.

Akane closed her half-opened eyes. Ranma closed his. They were just
millimeters apart. Just a little bit more… Their hearts were pounding
furiously inside their chests, their cheeks flushed. Their lips brushed
the tiniest bit...

**********

(By this time, you, the astute reader, would have expected Nabiki to
show up, camera in hand. If not her, then Kuno spouting his creepy
poetry, or Shampoo on her delivery bike. If not that, then perhaps
someone would accidentally splash Ranma with cold water, or maybe Ryouga
would come running up to them, swearing that Ranma would be a dead man
shortly...

And you wouldn't be wrong.)

**********

*Ring* *ring* *ring*...

"Aiyaaa!"

Ranma was suddenly very wet and cold. He abruptly jumped to his (her)
feet, allowing Akane to fall on her backside on the now muddy ground.
Shampoo on was sitting on her bicycle in front of them, an empty bucket
in her hand.

"Whatcha do that for?" Ranma yelled.

Shampoo produced a kettle from her bicycle basket, and poured steaming
hot water over the furious Ranma.

"Ni-hao, Ranma! Husband happy to see Shampoo? Wife come just in time to
save Ranma from kiss tomboy! Ranma happy?"

Shampoo hopped off the bike and gave Ranma one of her mega-hugs, while
Ranma struggled for air.

"Lemme go! I'm not happy and I wasn't gonna kiss her! Let go!"

Ranma was too busy trying to get away from Shampoo to notice Akane's
face turning white. She picked up her book bag, stood up, and walked a
couple of feet away from the tree. She turned to look at Ranma and
Shampoo again.

"Now Akane out of way, Ranma kiss Shampoo, yes?"

Ranma was still fighting for air.

"I ain't kissing nobody!"

Shampoo gave Ranma a little frown.

"Why? Ranma no want Shampoo?"

Ranma called up all his strength and in a desperate bid for freedom
actually managed to loosen Shampoo's grip slightly. It was just enough
to so that Ranma could draw a breath again.

"No! I don't wanna kiss you, much less marry you!"

Shampoo stood straight, her hands on her hips.

"If Ranma no want marry Shampoo…"

She reached into her basket, and pulled out her Bonbori.

"...Then he must want marry Akane..."

"No way!"

"Shampoo no can allow that... Shampoo kill!"

She charged him, and Ranma began to desperately backpedal, automatically
falling into the litany that had saved him so many times before.

"...Who would wanna marry that kawaiikune tomboy anyway! She's uncute,
unsexy, she has no figure, she has the grace of a gorilla, her cooking
is toxic waste, she's stubborn as a mule, she..."

Shampoo stopped attacking to listen to him, and Ranma started using his
fingers to count off Akane's bad points. All of a sudden Ranma heard a
strangled sob coming from where Akane was standing at the same time that
the thought of a beautiful, smiling Akane flashed through his mind.

'Oh, shit. I did it again...' he thought a fraction of a second later.

After a second, he looked at Akane. She had tears in her eyes, and
looked miserable. She just stared at Ranma for a second, long enough to
see Shampoo hug him again.

"I'll see you around, Ranma..." she said in a small, sad voice.

Then she turned around and started running with no particular direction.

"Akane! Please, wait for me! I didn't mean that! Please, Akane! Wait!"

In less than half a minute, Akane was nowhere to be seen.

The next couple of minutes saw Ranma struggling to get out of Shampoo's
death grip. (She was locked in `Shampoo-love-Ranma' mode, and we all
know what that means...)

Once again, it took all his strength to squirm free of Shampoo's loving
clutches. Before she could charge him again, he held up his right hand
in a sign for Shampoo to stop.

"Listen, Shampoo..."

Her eyes were sparkling.

"Ranma dump Akane and marry Shampoo, yes?"

Ranma started to get mad.

"Shampoo, I'm NOT going to marry you, you got that? There's no way I'll
ever marry you!"

Shampoo's eyes weren't sparkling as much any more.

"Why? Ranma no love Shampoo?"

Ranma took a deep breath. This was going to be the last time he was
going to explain it to her, and he wanted to make it perfectly clear.

"That's right Shampoo. I don't love you. I never will. I'm really sorry
about it, but I JUST DON'T LOVE YOU."

Shampoo gazed at the ground and bit her lower lip.

"But Shampoo love Ranma and..."

Ranma interrupted her.

"But I don't love you back, Shampoo"

Shampoo's eyes started filling with tears. If there was something Ranma
just couldn't stand, it was the sight of a girl crying, but he wanted to
fix his problem with Shampoo once and for all. It was now or never.

Shampoo looked up.

"But Ranma must marry Shampoo! Amazon law say so!"

"But it's not MY law, Shampoo!"

She collapsed to the ground and started crying. Ranma kneeled next to
her.

"I'm really sorry, Shampoo… but I'm never going back to your village
again. My life is here, now. But why don't you ever go back? I'd bet
there are lots of guys who would like to marry you there..."

Shampoo looked up again.

"But Shampoo love Ranma... Why Ranma no love Shampoo? Ranma love Akane,
right?"

Ranma gazed at the ground and took a deep breath.

"Yes, I love Akane."

There was a long silence before Ranma spoke again.

"Look, Shampoo. I know that you've tried to make me love you with a
whole bunch of different amazon tricks, but... wouldn't you be unhappy
knowing that your husband wasn't really in love with you? That it's all
a fake? Why not find somebody who loves you for what you are, and not
because he's drugged. You are a very pretty girl, so I don't think you
would have to look very far. God knows Mousse would give his right arm
if you would just smile at him."

Shampoo stared at Ranma.

"But Shampoo no love Mousse..."

Ranma smiled at her.

"That's just the point I'VE been trying to make."

Shampoo sighed in resignation and stood up.

"Shampoo understands. Maybe someday Shampoo try to find man like Ranma
say... but not give up on Ranma yet. Maybe you get tired of violent girl
after all. Shampoo wait and see… We still be friends, right?"

Ranma reached out a hand for her to shake.

"Right."

Shampoo looked at Ranma's hand, and instead decided to hug him. This
time, Ranma returned the hug.

Shampoo pulled back and looked at him.

"What Ranma do about spatula girl and crazy girl? Want Shampoo to
help...?"

Ranma smiled at Shampoo.

"No. They are both something I have to manage on my own. I'm not ready
for an argument or a fight right now, so I'll probably try and talk to
Ukyo tomorrow. Maybe I'll ask Akane for help. Thanks anyway, Shampoo."

"Shampoo should go now," she said, getting back on her bike.

"Bye, Shampoo... and take care".

Shampoo started to pedal away.

"Ranma go home fast... look like rain coming. He no want get wet..."

Ranma smiled at her.

"Yeah... Thanks, Shampoo..."

She was far away now.

"Bie Liao, Shampoo..."

**********

'Who would have thought it would be that easy with Shampoo? I just can't
believe she let it go without making a big deal about it. Oh man, when I
think of all the trouble I could have avoided if I had only had the
nerve to do that a long time ago, I could just scream!'

Thinking about it made him remember the reason why he was walking around
Tokyo this late at night.

'Damn rain,' he thought bitterly, looking down at his curvaceous figure.

**********

Akane had just started running. The direction wasn't important, as long
as she got as far away from Ranma as she could, as soon as possible. He
was so stupid! He had come so damn close to saying it this time, but
then what did he do? He started insulting her the same way he always
did!

She had never been sure if it was just an act when he was being nice to
her, but maybe that was it. He was only nice to her for his own sick
reasons.

She felt like she should have hit him, but she'd done that so many times
it didn't mean anything. Another thing she could do would be to call off
the engagement again, but that would mean living without Ranma. She
couldn't do it. It would just be a lie, and she was determined that she
wouldn't lie to herself ever again.

But if he really was such a jerk, why didn't she just leave him behind
and forget him?

`That's what you have to do girl, forget him.'

But she couldn't.

There was something she had finally understood about his yelling all
those names at her.

He had done it so often that it had become an automatic response. That
knowledge had eventually come to Akane, but knowing it didn't make his
mouth any easier to tolerate.

It was beginning to rain. She decided to head towards home, hoping to
beat the worst of it. She didn't really want to get wet.

Why was it raining now, when the sky had been so clear before?

`Probably Kami-sama's revenge on Ranma for being such a thoughtless
ass,' she figured.

She didn't really have a problem with the other girls anymore. Akane
knew that Ranma would never consider Ukyo more than a friend, and that
Shampoo was a crazy bimbo just like Kodachi. She also knew that Ranma
wouldn't deliberately hurt a girl's feelings if he just took the time to
think about what he was going to say.

It was because of that damn engagement that Ranma treated her like he
did. He had told her so just a half-hour ago.

What was it really that made her so angry? The more she thought about
it, the more it was obvious to her that it was his basic attitude that
drove her completely mad. He always talked first and thought about it
later, and said things he didn't mean.

Still, she wasn't being very smart. If a guy treated a girl like crap,
why should she put up with it?

As she ran towards the dojo, she knew why. She knew deep inside her
heart. It was because...

"Ranma... you jackass... I love you so much!" she shouted.

Her tears started running down her face again, mixing with the rain. She
had run for so long that it was hard to breathe, and her side was
hurting. Although her mind seemed to be working things out so neatly,
her spirit just wasn't willing to cooperate. She ran through the rain,
crying all the way home.

The rain always brought the same thought to her mind. She could just see
Ranma cursing the rain. Cold water seemed to find him everywhere he
went. She smiled a little at the thought.

`Ranma no baka...'

She thought of Ranma yelling that she was HIS fiancée, that one time
when Kirin wanted to marry her and Ranma had been in girl form. He could
be so nice sometimes, she thought.

Like the time soon after they had been engaged, and he'd told that ice
skater, Sanzenin, that she was his fiancée, and threatened to kill him
if Sanzenin tried to kiss her again.

She remembered when both of them had been in the Ryokenzawa forest.
Ranma had done everything he could to convince her to leave Shinnosuke,
the forgetful boy Ranma thought she was in love with. He had acted like
he really cared about her. He had even held her hand when they were
walking back home, all on his own. That had made her feel so good.

'But those times never last...'

Yeah. She was sure that he was right, that it was all the fault of the
forced engagement. Whenever they had been alone, they had been able to
get really close to each other... like this afternoon in the park,
although never quite as close as this time.

'But then he had to act like the same old insensitive jerk...'

She felt like she was caught up in total confusion, because Ranma could
be so callous one moment, then be so sweet a minute later, and because
the mood always seemed to get ruined.

Suddenly, she was in front of the dojo gate, and only then noticed that
she was soaked to the skin.

**********

Nabiki was watching TV and her father and Ranma's were playing their
inevitable game of Shogi. Kasumi came out of the kitchen, just in time
to greet Akane cheerfully.

"Oh, welcome home, Akane! Ranma-kun didn't come home with you?"

Akane looked puzzled for a second.

"You mean he's not here?"

Kasumi sighed.

"I haven't seen him since this morning."

Akane looked at Nabiki. She could almost hear the wheels turning inside
her sister's head.

`God, Nabiki can be so cold sometimes…'

At the thought of cold, Akane suddenly noticed just how chilled she was,
and her teeth started to chatter.

"Oh, my! I totally forgot that I have a warm bath ready for you, Akane!
Get out of those wet clothes."

Akane sneezed.

"Thanks, Kasumi. You're wonderful."

While her words were polite enough, she said them in a dispirited tone.
Kasumi noticed right away. Something had happened to Akane.

'Ranma must have upset her again.'

Akane started walking toward the bathroom, but Kasumi stopped her.

"By the way, Akane. Ryouga-kun came by today and left these for you. He
says they are to eat and they're called 'empanadas'. He said he brought
them from a place called 'Chilly' or something. It must be very cold to
have a name like that."

Akane sighed. Ryouga was always so nice to her. She wished Ranma would
treat her like that sometime.

"Is Ryouga here Kasumi?" Akane asked her sister.

Kasumi shook her head.

"He was here this morning and said he was going to the bathroom, but he
never showed up again..."

Akane smiled a little at the comment.

"Akane, take your time in the tub. You're really cold and I don't want
you getting sick or anything, OK? I'll have dinner and some of these
things Ryouga brought heated up for you."

Akane looked at the 'empanadas' again.

"Sure, Oneesan. Thank you"

A few minutes later, Akane sank into the tub. The hot water was doing
good things to her body, but her mind was far away. She was thinking of
Ranma again. It was the usual train of thought, and arrived at the usual
destination.

He was an insensitive, hentai jerk. If only he could be a little bit
nicer every now and then. He certainly doesn't need to call her all
those names all the time, or hang out with other girls...

'He'd better come apologize soon...'

After a while, she fell asleep in the tub.

**********

Nabiki was not blind. Something had happened to Akane, something big.
Why wasn't Ranma with her? Akane had also taken a very long time to get
home… and she'd been crying.

'It's a sucker bet that it's Ranma's fault.'

She wondered what could it had been this time.

'Well, he will surely try to sneak in and apologize to her later. All
sorts of interesting things could happen, all alone with Akane in her
bedroom... and I'll be ready if anything does!'

Yen signs flashed through her mind as the corners of her mouth turned up
in a wicked smile.

**********

It had gotten really late. The rain had stopped, and Ranma had wandered
far away from home.

'I better go back, or I may get into even more trouble. There's no point
in looking like I'm lost, especially in this girl body.'

While he was perfectly capable of dealing with any would-be rapist, he
really didn't want the hassle. The night sky was clear, and it was very
cold. Ranma could see steam coming from his nose every time he breathed.
If he got into a fight, the exertion might make him sick.

'I better find a way to change back into a guy now.'

Ranma kept walking, looking for a source of hot water. Then he started
jogging, and finally jumped across the rooftops to warm up a little bit.
The temperature was getting way too low for a girl who didn't even have
a jacket.

He found a coffee shop on a main street. With all of his martial arts
skills, it wasn't a problem to sneak into the kitchen and find a kettle
of hot water. Then he saw the clock on the kitchen wall. It was already
12:07 in the morning.

Racing once again through the clear night air of Tokyo, bouncing from
roof to roof, Ranma headed home. He couldn't stop thinking of Akane, and
trying to figure out how the heck he was gonna make up with her this
time. He had fought with her many times before, and Akane had always
been mad at him, but this time it seemed different. Maybe it was because
he had just told her he didn't mind being engaged.

'Or was it because I called her those names again when I had just told
her I wouldn't? Talk about puttin' my foot in my mouth! I wish it were a
little bit easier for me to apologize to her. I never know what to
do...'

Ranma decided to change that train of thought. He liked thinking about
Akane, but it was more comfortable to think about the sweet side of her
personality.

She could be so nice if she wanted to. She had a generous nature, and
she could make him feel loved, even if she never said anything right out
in the open. He wished he hadn't been such a jerk to her all those
times. They would have probably gotten along better if it weren't for
his smart mouth. And when she smiled... Ranma thought longingly of a
smiling Akane.

'Oh, Akane... you're so cute when you smile... No. You look cute all the
time... but you look beautiful when you smile...'

He kept jumping, thinking of Akane and how to approach her.

'The window is the best choice. It's always easier from the window. Less
questions from the rest of the people.'

**********

Akane woke up to silence. She realized that she had been sleeping in the
tub, and wondered what time it was. She got up and quickly dried off.
Luckily for her, her hair hadn't gotten wet. She could go to bed right
away...

*Grrrowlll*

Then again, maybe not. Her stomach was growling so loudly, she wondered
why it didn't wake up everyone in the house. She put on her yellow
pajamas, and tiptoed out of the bathroom.

She made her way to the kitchen in answer to her stomach's clear
request, and found Kasumi making tea. She looked at the time. It was
11:15.

Kasumi turned around.

"Akane-chan. I'm so glad you woke up. I kept dinner warm for you."

Akane looked at the western-style table set up in the corner of the
kitchen. There was a nice meal waiting for her.

"Thank you, Oneesan."

Akane sat down in front of the food, and Kasumi poured a cup of tea for
her. Akane started eating, but after a couple of bites she just sat
staring at the food.

Kasumi had been watching with a concerned look in her face. She pulled
up a chair and sat by Akane's side.

"Akane-chan. what's upsetting you so much?"

Akane felt the tears start building up again.

"Akane, I know you're really upset about something... I think it must be
about Ranma again. If you don't let it out of your system it's going to
make you miserable..."

A single tear escaped from the corner of Akane's eye.

"I just... I can't. I'm sorry, Oneesan..."

"Akane, listen to me. I have been waiting for you to get out of the
bathroom so we could talk. You really need to; whatever is wrong, it's
tearing you up inside. I could be sleeping now, but I'm really concerned
about you... will you listen to some advice?"

Akane just sat there as another tear ran down her cheek. Kasumi scooted
her chair closer to Akane and wrapped an arm around her little sister's
shoulders.

Abruptly, Akane threw herself into Kasumi's arms, crying like a little
girl. Kasumi's arms went around Akane's back, rocking the both of them
as Akane cried.

"It's okay, Imoutochan... let it out... everything is going to be
okay..."

After quite some time, Akane cried herself out.

Kasumi offered Akane her cup of tea again, although it had grown cold.
Akane drank it down in one gulp.

"Okay, Akane... tell me what happened"

Akane took a breath and started her tale, leaving out her feelings about
the situation. She told the bare story first, and then gave her
impressions about it, so that Kasumi could understand what had actually
happened.

"Oh, Kasumi... I just can't understand why every time things are going
so perfect, something terrible has to happen! After everything Ranma
said he still acted like the same insensitive jerk he always does. I
wonder if he thinks I'm some kind of toy... I mean, is he ever going to
take me seriously? Or is he going to wait until we die of old age?"

Kasumi seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Akane, you're always telling everyone that you don't want to marry
Ranma, and that you don't like him... right?"

Akane nodded.

"So why does it seem so bad to you when Ranma does the same?"

"It might not seem as bad if he didn't act so jealous whenever I talk to
other guys. He always tries to get the guy away from me. I really don't
mind that, but he doesn't try to get any closer to me himself. I need
somebody that loves me in a different way that you or Daddy do, you
know. That's why it makes me so mad when he's with other girls. If he
goes through all the trouble of keeping me away from somebody he thinks
I might fall in love with, and then goes around with other girls, what's
fair about that? I honestly don't know what to do..."

"And have you realized why he treats you the way he does?"

Akane thought about the question for a little before she answered.

"It's because we're engaged."

Kasumi nodded.

"It's a terrible thing to live all your life and then one day suddenly
find out that you have to marry a perfect stranger. I know how much it
upset you; but you've never stopped to think about how much it upset
Ranma. He was as much a victim of our father's plans as you were."

Kasumi paused, then said:

"Have you realized that even though it's an arranged marriage, Father
won't make you get married if you really don't want to? He loves us too
much to make any of us unhappy, even if it broke his heart. In the end,
it's up to you and Ranma. I know Father hopes you will get married, and
he would be really disappointed if you don't, but he wouldn't force
you."

Akane thought about that for a moment. She knew that Kasumi was right,
and that she could call off the engagement if she wanted to. So why go
on with it? She knew all too well, and so did Kasumi.

"Akane, do you really want to break the engagement?"

Akane stared at her older sister, who was now serious again.

"If you want me to, I will talk to father... I know he will understand."

Kasumi was expecting Akane's reaction.

"No, Oneesan! Don't talk to Daddy... I..."

"See, Akane? You still want to be engaged to Ranma... and you know why,
don't you?"

Akane nodded. Even if the words hadn't been spoken, Kasumi knew what
Akane felt for Ranma.

'She probably knew a long time before I did...' Akane thought.

"But I just can't stand it when he's so mean to me... Do I really mean
anything to him, Kasumi? I just can't understand him... I'm so
confused..."

Kasumi held Akane's hands.

"Next time you talk to Ranma, make your position clear to him. Don't
beat around the bush, and don't let your anger take over the situation.
We both know how easily that happens to you, and that it could ruin
everything."

Akane blushed.

"If you can work things out between you, I will take care of Daddy and
Mr. Saotome. I know Ranma will listen to you. Ranma cares for you as
much as you care for him, and if you two talk it out, I'm certain you
will sort out your problems."

Akane smiled inwardly at the memory of Ranma almost telling her
something in the park... It had to be the "L" word, she was sure.

But what if she was wrong? She would be so heart-broken... but she had
to try talking to him. Maybe Ranma really did love her.

Kasumi wasn't done yet.

"You're still too young to get married, even if you want to… which I
think you do."

Akane blushed again, to Kasumi's amusement.

"So I won't let father push you around anymore, but the rest is up to
you. Just tell Ranma how you feel, Akane, and everything will work out."

Akane dried her tears, and hugged Kasumi.

"Thanks, Oneesan..."

Kasumi hugged her back.

"Now go to bed... It's late. Luckily for you, there's no school
tomorrow. Now go and get some sleep. You'll see Ranma tomorrow."

Akane nodded, thanked Kasumi again, and headed for the stairs.

She brushed her teeth again, washed her face, and went to her room. She
looked at the clock in the wall, 12:02.

'Ranma should have been home by now...'

She turned the lights off and tried to sleep, but had no luck.

'Oh, Ranma... where are you...?'

Tears came back to her eyes once again.

**********

Ranma was tired and hungry. The last thing he had to eat had been that
ice cream with Akane... and he had spent all the money he was carrying
on it.

His body was cold, but in his heart a flame was growing. Something
inside was encouraging him to keep going, and to talk to Akane, no
matter how mad she was. It kept telling him that something good could
come out of this.

He had been more or less lost for an hour, before he finally started
recognizing the places around him. Tokyo was a damn big city, but Akane
was capable of kicking him all the way across it, so he'd thought he
knew the city a lot better than this...

'I just hope I can make this up to her...'

Half an hour later, Ranma was sitting on the fence around the Dojo,
staring at Akane's window.

'What do I say to her? Damn, I've got cold feet in more ways than one,
don't I? You'd think I was gonna ask her to marry me or somethin'."

Ranma decided to use the back door. It was very late, so there was
little chance anyone would be awake. He could change into some dry
clothes, eat something, and THEN go back out to Akane's window. It was
going to be hard enough to get through an apology without being cold and
hungry too.

As he entered the kitchen, he had to chuckle at the sight that lay
before him.

'How about that. Kasumi to the rescue again!'

On the kitchen table was a meal waiting for him, and a change of
clothing she'd gotten from his room. He changed clothes, and then ate
the food and drank a glass of water. Feeling much better, he glanced at
the clock.

'Almost 2am... I don't know why, but I have the strangest feeling that
Akane's still awake.'

He made his way out to the garden, closing the door behind him, and
jumped to the roof. Then he leaned over the eaves to peek into Akane's
room upside down, as he had so many times before. He saw Akane lying on
her stomach on the bed. He dared to take the first step and opened the
window, as silently as a mouse. He dropped into the room.

Akane was crying.

'Oh man... I really messed up this time...'

He closed the window as silently as he had opened it, and took a step
towards Akane.

**********

Nabiki had been waiting for what had seemed a lifetime. But it was going
to be worth it, she was absolutely sure of that. It was almost the time
to move in, now. She had heard Ranma's footsteps on the roof.

'Since Ranma always uses her window when he's trying to be sneaky, I can
wait outside her door. Everything's working in my favor tonight.'

Sings of yen flashed through her mind again. She picked up her camera
and left her room as quietly as a burglar.

**********

Akane just wasn't ready to go to sleep. Not until that jerk Ranma had
come to apologize. Besides, she wanted to get everything out into the
open finally.

'Oh, Ranma... why don't you come? I hope nothing happened to you...'

She was worried about him, but he was the one that had to come to her.
It was his fault after all that she'd had such a bad day...

Well, that wasn't totally true. She had been even more miserable after
she ran away from him. Still, he probably wouldn't even care about her
worrying about him so much...

Akane started crying yet again, and collapsed to her bed, sobbing
against the pillow. She cried for a long time, she wasn't sure how long.
She tried to calm herself down, but the tears kept coming.

Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She slowly looked up and
found herself staring into Ranma's eyes.

"Ranma..."

Ranma was kneeling beside her. It was obvious to her that he was trying
to work up the nerve to say something. Akane remembered all the grief
she had suffered that day, and jumped out of bed, out of Ranma's reach.

It was clear that he had no idea what to say. As Akane had stood up, his
arm had been extended, and his mouth had opened, but no sounds came out.

"And where the heck have you been?"

Akane wasn't yelling. She was whispering, but with a tone of voice that
struck Ranma harder than any scream could have.

"Do you have any idea how worried I have been about you? Do you even
realize what time it is? You could have come a little bit sooner, you
know."

Ranma hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Akane."

"What do you mean `you're sorry', Ranma?"

He finally dared to look her straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry for being such an ass all the time. I know it hurts you, but
I just don't think of what I'm saying. I never mean it... but this time
I'd already promised not to do that again. All I can say for myself is
that I panicked."

"Ranma... that's not the problem; or rather, it's one of them and I
accept the apologies, but it's not the most important problem."

Silence stretched between them. Akane was looking for the right words.
She wanted Ranma to understand how she felt, and why she was so mad.

Ranma was feeling very uncomfortable, and he wished he had something
ready to say to her. He couldn't think of anything to do except wait
until Akane had finished the speech she was about to deliver.

"The day we met we were engaged against our will, and I suppose that
really is why we keep treating each other the way we do. I guess there's
nothing much we can do about it, except for one thing."

Ranma sat heavily on the bed, a sad expression on his face.

"I talked to Kasumi, and she thinks that is our decision whether we want
to keep the engagement or not."

Ranma's eyes widened.

"Since it's our choice, we can break it any moment. So I guess that's a
solution."

Ranma felt his heart become leaden. Akane wanted to break the
engagement... and he felt it like a kick in the crotch; he was in
desperate need of air.

"The part that really hurts me Ranma, is how hard you try to keep me
from dating other guys. I just don't understand why you try so hard if
you don't even like me."

Ranma blushed as Akane continued.

"But you won't do a thing to try to get close to me, or you reject me
whenever I try to get closer to you."

Ranma was just staring at the floor. He couldn't look at Akane, knowing
the truth of her words.

Akane sat next to Ranma on the bed, close enough for their shoulders to
touch.

"The point of all this is that I'm tired of being alone. Even though
you're supposed to be my fiancé, I feel as alone as if I hadn't anyone
at all. Ranma, you're not giving me any choices. This is it; either we
break the engagement, or we start trying to take this relationship
somewhere."

A long silence followed. Akane turned her head to look at Ranma.

"I'll do whatever you choose, Ranma... Whatever you choose."

There was a pause.

"Ranma... What do you want to do?"

**********

'He's taking his time' Akane thought.

She had tried to make it easy for him. He just had to say no.

But maybe he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

'And how the heck would he know if he's hurting me anyway? Please,
Ranma... give me an answer...'

Ranma was having problems. He wouldn't have been surprised if Akane
could hear the dilemma that was going on in his head.

He'd sworn to himself that he was going to try to be nice to Akane
whether or not there was an engagement, but he wanted to be with her so
much that it made his chest hurt. He needed to give an answer. What if
he made the wrong decision? Would Akane be better off without him?

Suddenly, his hands felt the touch of Akane's. He almost jumped out of
his skin. He jerked away from Akane's hands faster than thought, almost
like a little boy afraid of `cooties'. Akane looked hurt.

"There, Ranma... you did it again..."

A single tear ran down her cheek. Ranma looked at her.

"I'm sorry! Akane, I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to. I'm just
nervous... Sorry..."

Ranma tried to say something else, but he couldn't.

Akane straightened up as something snapped through her depressed mind.

("Tell him how you feel, Akane...")

A picture of Kasumi's smiling face appeared in her thoughts.

Akane crossed her legs over Ranma's, as she had done that afternoon in
the park. He looked at her, as her arms went around his neck. Akane was
smiling, her eyes shinning in the moonlight.

"And does this make you nervous, too?"

Ranma's eyes widened. He could only stare at her now. Slowly, his tense
body started to relax, and his arms started sliding around Akane's
waist.

"Akane..."

Now the only world for them was each other. Akane thought her heart was
going to burst from her chest, it was beating so fast. Ranma leaned
forward a little bit. Akane felt dizzy. She started to close her eyes,
expecting...

Their lips were almost touching. Ranma breathed in Akane's scent, and
started to close his eyes. It was taking such a long time, it seemed to
both of them. So close... so close... their lips brushed the tiniest
bit...

*Flash*

The room flashed bright as a lightning strike for an instant. Ranma saw
Nabiki with her camera, but he held Akane even tighter. He heard her
whisper in his ear.

"You're not going to...?"

Ranma pulled back, just enough to see Akane's eyes. Nabiki knew there
was something wrong. Ranma wasn't reacting the way she expected him to.

Ranma whispered to Akane, the one-corner-of-the-mouth smile on his face:

"I don't care what people say anymore... because I love you, Akane."

Smiling, she whispered back:

"I love you, too."

They closed their eyes, and their lips brushed, shyly, once again. They
started kissing, softly at first, barely parting their lips. It was new
and strange, a time of experimentation for both of them. Akane opened
her mouth a little bit more, to let Ranma's tongue in. He was surprised
at first, but slowly started to enjoy it. Akane's hands started combing
the back of his head.

Ranma, for his part, held Akane even tighter, caressing her back. When
Ranma was more confident, he reached out one arm, and made signs for
Nabiki to go. She left after a moment, slamming the door behind her.
Ranma brought his arm back to Akane.

After quite some time, they reluctantly stopped.

Ranma's mind was whirling again. Maybe this was the moment. If living
with Akane would make him feel the way he was feeling right now he'd
gladly stand still for all the kicking she might ever want to do. What
was there to lose? His hands reached out and framed Akane's face. He
started caressing her face, brushing the hair in front of her eyes.

"Akane... will you marry me?"

Akane almost melted inside. She looked at Ranma, and his heart was in
his eyes. Akane started sobbing again. She wanted to answer but all that
came out were more sobs. Ranma smiled a little when he saw her
confusion. All of a sudden, she gave him a fierce hug, and started
crying on his chest.

Ranma hugged her tight, and started rocking the both of them.

"Is that a yes?"

Akane, still crying, answered the best she could.

"... Y... Yes!"

Ranma held her until she calmed down. The feeling of her in his arms was
so good. He was enjoying being her pillow. Akane's breathing became
deeper and more regular.

'I don't blame her for being so tired. Look what time it is. Besides, I
must have given her one hell of a day...'

He started to caress her head.

"You sleepy, Akane...?"

"Mm hmm. "

Ranma reached one arm underneath her knees and stood up. Ranma turned
and laid her on her bed. He covered her carefully with the blankets. Now
he could leave. He was quite worn out himself.

But he just couldn't take his eyes off Akane. His hand went
unconsciously to touch her face, and one of Akane's hands appeared from
under the blankets to hold Ranma's. She slowly opened her eyes.

"One more thing, Ranma..."

He nodded.

"What are you going to do about the others girls...?"

Ranma laughed ruefully to himself.

'I knew there was something missing in this conversation...'

"Well... I talked Shampoo into laying off trying to get me to marry her,
after you ran off this afternoon. I was going to ask for your help to go
talk to Ukyo..."

Akane just nodded. With her free hand, she reached out and grabbed
Ranma's pigtail. He pulled him down for a kiss. Ranma didn't resist.

After some time, they pulled back. Ranma kissed Akane on her forehead.

"Good night, Akane..."

She didn't say anything. Ranma started to stand up, but felt Akane's
hand pulling him back down.

"Stay..."

Ranma's eyes got VERY wide.

"Stay, Ranma... I want to be with you tonight..."

Ranma was aghast. What was she thinking? Ranma never thought Akane was
THAT kind of girl!

"Akane... I don't think that's a good idea..."

Lucky him, it was too dark for Akane to see the way he was blushing.

"Why not Ranma... we're going to get married, aren't we? Besides,
cuddling never hurt anyone..."

It dawned on Ranma that she hadn't meant what he thought she had...

'Of course not, you jackass...' he thought.

Akane frowned up at him, her arms crossed over her bosom.

"Mind telling me what the heck you're talking about?"

"Well... I... you know... um... I thought you meant we should..."

Akane started laughing softly at Ranma's embarrassment. Ranma looked at
her and sighed. Just how stupid could he be?

"That's just fine, Ranma... I always knew you were a pervert!"

"Hey... It's not fair. What were you expecting me to think?"

Akane smiled at him.

"Of course. You're a boy after all."

Ranma looked offended.

"And what is THAT suppose to mean?"

Akane started laughing again.

"It's okay, Ranma. I just want you to stay near me tonight..."

Ranma looked at her.

"What if your father found us like that? He'd be making wedding
arrangements before the day was out!"

"Would it really be so bad if they wanted us to get married tomorrow?"

Ranma knelt by the bed.

"It wouldn't if it was okay with you..."

"Fine. Then stay."

Akane watched Ranma strip to his boxers and tank top.

'Yep... the soul is most important, but you DO have a gorgeous body...'
she thought.

Ranma looked at her. She moved over to make room for him. Ranma lay down
on the bed next to her. After covering themselves with the blankets,
they hugged each other.

Ranma whispered in her ear.

"Akane..."

"Yes, darling?"

Ranma's heart jumped.

`Darling,' he thought. She had never called him that. It felt so good...

"You know that I would never force you to do something you didn't want
to, don't you?"

Akane looked lovingly at him.

"I know, Ranma."

She took a long pause.

"Besides... I'd break every bone in your body if you tried."

Ranma let out a loud sigh.

"So much for romanticism..."

Akane laughed softly, and after a couple of seconds resumed their hug.
Ranma lifted her chin with one hand. They stared into each other's eyes,
and their lips met in a passionate kiss until they ran out of breath.

"I love you, Ranma..."

Akane said, hiding her face on his muscled chest.

"I love you, too, Akane..."

He kissed the top of her head, and sighed again.

'Yeah... life is good...'

**********

After a while, the entire Tendo household was peacefully sleeping.

Well, almost all of it...

"I can't believe I let him kick me out! I could have made a fortune from
this! I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY LISTENED TO RANMA!

Then Nabiki passed out from the shock.

Now, the ENTIRE Tendo household was peacefully sleeping...

**********EL FIN**********

Author's Notes:

* This is my second fanfic attempt. I think it's a lot better that the
one I wrote before. Still, I'd like comments, even to say, "What a bunch
of crap that was" or anything like that. I like it okay, and since it
was written for my personal enjoyment, it's no big deal if it's not a
brilliant fanfic. I know I should have made that final scene a lot
shorter but I just couldn't help it. It's just that I love Ranma and
Akane being together.

* The title is taken from a song in the first volume of the Original TV
Soundtrack, also edited by Viz. Can anybody tell me where the heck they
got that song from?

* Empanada is a Chilean food (which is where I'm from), and is also
popular in Colombia.

* People told that joke about Chile/Chilly to me lots of times while I
was an exchange student in Alaska, so I got more than my fill of it. And
by the way, Chile is NOT a cold place. You'd think people in Alaska
would have more sense…

* I don't know a darn thing about Japanese weather, or how it behaves,
but it's okay. My descriptions served my purpose.

* There's so much stuff out there that I just can't come up with any new
ideas. If you think there are any parts that are very similar to other
fanfics... they probably were influenced. Bits and pieces of other fan
stories keep wandering around my mind, so that I keep thinking of them
when I'm trying to write. I can't seem to come out with any original
stuff; I just keep typing the trite old formulas unconsciously. It's a
vicious circle, but that's life, I guess. If anybody thinks this is too
much like other stories, that's too bad, 'cause it's the most original
thing I'VE come out with so far.

--- Until we meet again! Please, e-mail me!
pia.sha...@unforgettable.com

Editor's Notes:

* Hi, Larry F here. Once again, I did a little co-writing on this story
to pad it out a little, smooth the rough edges, and make the grammar and
spelling recognizably English. Pia is a native Spanish speaker. While
her English is very good, some of the things she wrote were direct
mental translations and either didn't make sense in English, or sounded
stilted. However, even in the original version (before I started adding
my two cents worth), her stories deserved to be read. That's why I'm
glad she's letting me edit them and post them on RAAC. This story and
her first one can be found on my home page,
http://home.earthlink.net/~lwf58