From: Neal Richardson RANMA 1/2: HE WAS ALWAYS FIGHTING FOR YOU By Neal Richardson See Author's Notes for Acknowledgements (words in caps are thoughts) "Really Ranma," said Akane. "I thought we did just fine outthere tonight." Ranma and Akane were walking home from the school after the fiascoof their production of "Romeo and Juliet." He was in his usualy place atop the chainlink fence, Akane slightly behind him on the ground. His mind quickly rewound to the activities of a few hours ago, marveling at the direction his thoughts were taking. Akane took the role of Juliet very seriously and that was the start of the fiasco. Ranma had originally taken the role (over the objections of Kuno) of Romeo so he could win a trip to China and another chance to find a cure for the curse. Well, the trip turned out to be bogus which only blackened his mood even further. But that's not what bothered him the most. During this production (which took some great liberties with the original text he later found out, not that he cared) he was required to kiss Akane in front of everybody. Seeing her lying there he'd nearly screwed up the courage to commit the act when Ak ane pulled a piece of duct tape out of nowhere (much like that damn hammer of hers) and placed it over his mouth before planting her lips there. Of course, from a distance it looked like the real thing. It was the kiss that bothered him the most. Akane clearly enjoyed the deception, even gave him a sly wink. But the whole experience left him bitter. Ranma continued to walk atop the fence rather sullenly. Akane suddenly said something. "Still..." she mused. "I wish we could've done that without the tape." Ranma had resolutely been putting one foot foward in front of the other when he lost all coor dination with that statement. He toppled over, so disoriented that he couldn't right himself and landed hard. Akane looked at this in surprise and slight annoyance. "Oh Ranma. For God's sake, that was a joke!" Sitting on the ground, Ranma said, not facing her "You're so uncute." Then he didn't move. Akane stepped closer and in the dim light of approaching dusk saw his face in shadowed profile. His eyes were wet. "What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly concerned. "Did you twist something?" YEAH thought Ranma, MY HEART. But he said "No. I just realized something obvious." Ranma got up off the ground and refused to look at her. "Go on home Akane, I've suddenly lost my appetite." Akane stepped around him and looked him dead in the eye. "Ranma, what's wrong? What'd I do?" "What makes you think you did anything?" asked Ranma, half sarcastically. He took off at a sprint and leaped onto the fence again. "Ranma?" called Akane. Ranma didn't answer and disappeared into the shadows. Akane continued walking home, half hoping that he'd beaten her home. All the way back, she'd thought about what she'd said and done that night. IT WAS ALL AN ACT she thought. WHY'D HE HAVE TO GET SO STEAMED? IT'S NOT LIKE HE... Akane didn't complete the thought not liking the direction they'd veered. But deep inside she knew that the kiss was what bothered him the most. There had been a moment before the finale. He'd been leaning over as Akane told him "Can't you just...pretend?" Before she'd slapped the tape on his lips, something in his eyes had changed. For a moment, Ranma's gaze turned from confused hesitancy to a resolute tenderness that Akane had never seen in him before. She'd dismissed what had happened but Ranma's actions by the fence brought it all back. And suddenly Akane felt horrible about it. She turned a corner and arrived at the house. She could see the others sitting at the dinner table. Ranma wasn't among them. Akane went inside quickly and asked if any of them had seen Ranma. None had. Just to be sure, she checked the dojo but couldn 't find him practicing. WHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE? she thought. She went back to the dinner table and ate. "You guys didn't have another fight, did you?" asked Nabiki. Akane normally would've just glared at her older sister, but she was curiously non reactive. "Maybe." she replied, and for once Nabiki was speechless. No one else broached the topic and Akane finished her meal in pensive silence. ------------------------------- The sun was going down bathing the lake in liquid gold. Ranma always liked it here in the park. It brought back a sense of peace that could hardly be found at the Tendo dojo. Outside of the the Tendo's roof, he did his best thinking here. Ranma took in the sight of the lake as his gaze wandered over to a couple on a bench about five hundred feet away. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the guy down on his knee and slipping a scintillating object on the woman's finger left no room for doubt. Some movement near the trees that lined the lake caught his attention and he could see the figure of another guy standing there watching the scene. He saw the figure suddenly reach out and grab the tree next to him for support before sinking to his knees. Ranma frowned. POOR GUY he thought. Ranma suddenly wished for an ideal world in which he could've gone through a normal proposal instead of being thrust into it. OF COURSE, IF THAT HAD HAPPENED THEN I WOULDN'T HAVE MET THAT TOM BOY he thought. Ranma stretched out his legs and leaned back on his arms. Ranma chided himself suddenly for the surge that his heart took when Akane's face came into his memory. GUYS DON 'T DO THIS KIND OF THING he thought, realizing that he had tears in his eyes again. He thought again about what Akane had done and said out loud, "Well at least I know exactly how she feels about me." Ranma rubbed his face and smiled bitterly. Ranma sensed movement behind him and knew without turning around that it was Akane. "I thought I'd find you here." she said. Ranma looked back at her and followed her with his eyes as she took a seat next to him, drawing her knees to her chest. Akane said "I think I've hurt you in some way and I'd like to know what it is. What was it that you realized was obvious?" Ranma looked at her full in the face and said "Do you really want to know?" Akane said "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." "Fine then" he said. He took a breath before starting. "I just realized today that, in your eyes, I'm still the pervert you claimed I was when I first appeared on your doorstep." Akane was flabbergasted. She looked like she wanted that hammer of hers again. "What the hell makes you think that?" she asked, a part of her knowing the answer already. Ranma, looking unnaturally serious, said "Well I must still repulse you in some fashion considering you used tape to prevent our lips from touching." Akane turned away and stared straight at the lake taking in what he'd just said. "You wanted to kiss me?" "Yes." The cicadas suddenly stopped chirping and it seemed as if the very air had ceased moving. Both of them knew that a barrier had been crossed. Their comfortable spheres of living were crumbling and suddenly they knew that nothing would ever be the same ag ain. Akane sighed resignedly. "I had no idea. If I had, I would've never said and done those things. God, I'm so sorry. You're not repulsive to me." She rested her head on her arms and looked at him, her eyes as wet as his. "I never wanted to hurt you... never." For a few moments, Ranma relived a few of the fights they'd had since he'd arrived. Yes, there had been a few instances where he deserved her thrashings and verbal abuse but that street went both ways. Both of them had raked each other over the coals, a s it were. But what other reaction could there be when your parents place you in a predicament like an arranged marriage that would only benefit the adults. But this had already changed, Ranma realized. He had actually starting to enjoy the idea of becoming Akane's husband one day. But she obviously didn't reciprocate this idea because she kept pushing him away. "If you never wanted to hurt me Akane, then why does this keep happening to us?" Her voice was a whipser. "Because I'm beginning to fall in love with you." She slid closer to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "And I know you feel the same way." Ranma had always hated admitting when he was wrong. His stubborn pride was one of his most hated attributes. But for once in his life, Ranma was glad that all his assumptions were wrong. "It's okay, Akane. I'm just scared." "Why?" she asked, her eyes growing soft. "Because I've always had to fight for something to hold onto and make special to me. I was afraid that after hanging on this long, that I...would still lose you." Ranma paused a moment. "I'm still afraid." Akane snuggled close, her head on his shoulder. Ranma nearly melted in relief and sighed against her. "You needn't be afraid anymore Ranma." The sun had fully gone down turning the lake into a dark mirror. It looked like their future. Unknown, but still full of possibility. --------------------------------- Author's Notes. 1. Of course, all characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. My thanks to her. No profit is intended from this so please leave me alone :) 2. This story has it's origin from an actual scene in Volume 7 of Viz's translated volumes of the manga and a subsequent songfic entitled "Beauty and the Beast." That latter story was actually inspired by a fanfic entitled "Memories." written by Emily Siazon. THanks for reading. C and C quite welcome!