Together by marymqc Disclaimer: Yep, you've got it. I "borrowed" these characters. Author's Note: Um, well, I didn't mean for this to have so much dialog and so little Ranma+Ryouga. But I'll make it up with my next story. ~*~*~*~*~*~ After weeks and weeks of separation, Ranma and Ryouga were finally together again, and they immediately set out to make up for lost time. Ryouga held Ranma fiercely to his chest, crushing his lips against his other's mouth. Ranma ran his hands all over Ryouga's back, answering his kiss just as urgently. He felt himself trying to wrap a leg up around Ryouga's thighs, but his leg kept slipping. Ranma was forced to put his foot back on the ground in order to concentrate on other things. He left Ryouga's lips, sliding his mouth over Ryouga's jawline as he made a path towards his neck. He stuck the tip of his tongue out, tasting Ryouga's salty skin. Underneath his mouth, he could feel Ryouga draw in three sharp breathes. "-CHOO!" Ranma jerked away in surprise. "Yikes." Ryouga looked at him apologetically. "'Scuse me..." he mumbled sheepishly. With visible disdain, he rubbed his nose harshly. "Stupid cold." Ranma patted his back. "That's what you get for staying out in the cold with barely any clothes on." "I just wanted to look nice..." Ryouga muttered. Ranma heard the irritation and disappointment in the other boy's voice. "Yeah, I know," he replied with a soft smile. "And you looked gorgeous in a tuxedo. But I'd rather have a healthy boy over a nice suit any day." He pecked Ryouga on the cheek. Ryouga's face slowly lit up. "You...you mean that?" "Well, yeah, of course," Ranma replied simply. With a silly, happy grin, Ryouga reached out to grab the other boy. But before his hands could make contact, another sneeze violently disrupted his movement. Ranma shook his head in quiet amusement. - ~a few hours later~ "Hello, Ranma." "Mom! What are you doing here?" Ranma's brow wrinkled as his mother calmly pushed past him. "May we speak somewhere private?" Mrs. Saotome replied brusquely. "Uh, yeah, sure." Ranma led his mother into the Tendo family room which was currently unoccupied. Ryouga was up in Ranma's room where he had been staying ever since he came back. Ranma waited until she seated herself before sitting down himself across from her. "What's up?" "I heard that Ryouga was back in town after disappearing for over a month. Is that correct?" Ranma nodded, wondering what she was getting at. She continued. "And I take it that you've already straightened him out about this whole mess, I hope?" "Yes, of course I did," Ranma said cautiously, suspicious about his mother's behavior. She shouldn't be taking that so well. "Good," Mrs. Saotome nodded once. "And how did Ryouga react?" Ranma shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. "He said he felt the same way." Mrs. Saotome let out a short sigh. "Well, I'm glad this nonsense is over. I heard that your engagement with Akane was terminated. I assume that's back on?" Ranma froze. "No. Why would it be?" he asked slowly. His mother's eyes narrowed slightly. "With this foolishness with Ryouga out of the way..." Ranma jumped to his feet. "What?! 'Foolishness'?! You can't say that!" Mrs. Saotome was taken aback. "What's gotten in to you, Ranma? Don't talk to your mother like that." "You have no right to say that about me and Ryouga," he replied coolly. "You and Ryouga? You just told me you took care of that," she accused. "I did." "So then-" "We're together now, Mom." Mrs. Saotome stood up, meeting Ranma's eyes with a harsh light. She paused, examining him. "You're being senseless, Ranma." "No, Mom, I'm not. For once in my life, I know what I want," he replied defiantly. "I'm with Ryouga, and you can't change that." "But that's-that's dishonorable!" she declared. "I will not stand for my son shaming his whole family for some ludicrous psychological problem!" "Where did you get the idea that it was psychological? It's not, Mother. I love Ryouga!" "I refuse to believe that," Mrs. Saotome said simply. "It's unnatural, unhealthy, dishonorable..." "Whether you believe it or not, it's still true," Ranma defended hotly. "Does your father know about this? I'm going to have to talk to him," she uttered angrily. "I send you with him to make you a man among men, and instead, turns you away from girls!" Ranma was quiet for a moment. He swallowed once, then spoke. "Are you saying I'm not a man?" "Well, your actions certainly would suggest that, wouldn't they?" she retorted. Ranma stiffened, the words sharply piercing his heart. "I don't see how that would prevent me from being a man." "No man kisses boys." Ranma glared at her, feeling his face burn. "Says who? I'm strong, I'm manly, I'm the best martial artist - but I'm not a man? That's stupid!" he shouted. "Don't you call your mother stupid," she reproved angrily. "Okay, you're not stupid," Ranma corrected himself hotly. "Just completely *ignorant*." "Well, I obviously can't get through to you when you're riled up like this," Mrs. Saotome began, gathering her things. "We'll talk as soon as you're able to listen to reason." "You're the one who won't listen!" Mrs. Saotome refused to answer, coldly leaving the house without another sound. - Ranma shoved the door open forcefully, a determined look on his face. Striding powerfully into the room, Ranma immediately locked his gaze on his target. He charged, moving swiftly and quietly. Ryouga didn't even have time to act before Ranma was standing over him. With a startled jerk, Ryouga jumped up from the chair, his nose just inches from Ranma's. "Ranma!" Ranma remained silent. Instead, with a sudden movement, he grabbed the sides of Ryouga's face, pulling him close. Ranma crushed his lips against Ryouga's, holding his head in tight grip. Ryouga stiffened in surprise, his eyes wide. He felt the book he had been reading fall from his grasp, lightly hitting his leg as it tumbled onto the floor. But when Ranma's tongued was thrust into his mouth, Ryouga stopped thinking. His eyes slipped shut as his arms threaded around Ranma. Ranma continued to press his lips against Ryouga's, his tongue wildly exploring the other boy's mouth as he held Ryouga in a possessive grip. The two boys attacked each other's mouths hungrily, kissing fiercely. Neither of them wanted to let go, despite the fact they were getting rather breathless. Ranma finally pulled away, albeit reluctantly. Ryouga looked at him, amusement dancing in his eyes. "What was that for?" he asked. Ranma shrugged. "Just something I had to do." - The next morning, the Tendo's, Ranma and Genma Saotome, and Ryouga all assembled for breakfast. As usual, Ranma and his father wolfed down their food, hardly leaving any room for breathing, as the others ate their breakfast a varied rates of speed. "Well, Ranma," Mr. Saotome began in-between bites. "I don't know where your mother gets those wild ideas in her head." Ranma glanced up uncomfortably. Mr. Tendo also looked at his friend curiously. "What do you mean, Saotome?" Ryouga stopped chewing to listen. " She told me that Ranma - how should I say this?" Ranma stepped in bluntly. "I'm gay." Ryouga coughed, startled. "Yes, I suppose that's one way," Genma replied. He took in another mouthful of food. "Isn't that absurd?" "No, Pop," Ranma answered frankly, shaking his head. "It's true." Genma and Suon froze in mid-action, gaping. As Ranma stared back at his father, daring him to act, Ryouga looked at his love, trying to interpret his feelings. The three Tendo daughters, however, continued to eat normally. "You are?" Genma spat out finally. Tendo suddenly began bawling, tears gushing from his eyes. "Oh, no! How are we going to get out of this mess, Saotome? My poor Akane! What will we do?" he cried in hitching voice. "I'll be fine, dad," Akane replied irritably, unheard. "Ranma, you can't be serious," Genma began. "How could you do this to your own father?" Ranma remained silent, unconsciously clenching his teeth, prepared to defend himself. Right now, however, he only listened. "WAAAH!" Suon Tendo whined. Genma suddenly snapped his fingers, ignoring Tendo's cries. "Of course! It's the curse! It's affected his mind!" Tendo fell quiet. "You - you think so?" "Ah-choo!" Ryouga sneezed. "Yes, of course that's it. The girl half is somehow influencing his mind, even in his normal, boy state. It's contaminating him, sending unnatural desires through his head." "Huh?" gawked Ranma. "Oh, yes, that makes perfect sense," Tendo added enthusiastically. "We should have expected this earlier! Take you for instance, Saotome - ever since your curse, you've become lazy and fat - just like a panda!" A cross look passed over Genma's face but soon disappeared as he eagerly continued their line of reasoning. "Yes, you're right! Just as I've shown habits of a panda, Ranma is beginning to show signs of being a girl." "And Ryouga certainly fits his pig curse," Akane said bitterly under her breath. Ryouga stared down at the table with a pained look, suddenly overcome by a mini-coughing fit. Ranma shook himself out of the semi-trance he had fallen into. "Wait a minute-" His father cut him off. "Don't worry, Ranma. We'll find a way to fix you." Mr. Tendo nodded. "Yes. And Akane will help, won't you Akane?" Akane rolled her eyes. "You know, I don't see what the big deal-" "I knew you'd help," Tendo smiled proudly. "I don't need help," Ranma argued. He was ignored. Suddenly, Genma's gaze, which suddenly lost its joyfulness, fell on Ryouga. The boy squirmed uncomfortable under his scrutiny, dreading whatever was running through the man's head. "Ryouga. I don't know what you've been doing to Ranma, but whatever it is, it's not healthy for the boy. We can no longer have you staying in this house." All color drained from Ryouga's face. Ranma jumped to his feet. "What?!" "He's a bad influence on you, Ranma. Until we straighten you out, we can't have any--ahem--distractions or...temptations." "What a load of-" Genma interrupted his son. "That boy will not stay in this house any longer." "It's not even your house," Ranma cried indignantly. "I have to agree with Saotome," Tendo spoke up, effectively cutting off that argument. Ranma fumed. "If you won't allow Ryouga stay, then I'm not staying either." "Sit down, boy," Genma warned. "No." He reached down and grabbed Ryouga's hand. "Let's go, Ryouga." Ryouga, looking slightly dazed, stood up and followed Ranma out of the room. "Well...we could stay at my place, if you want." Ryouga suggested lamely, not sure what would be appropriate to say. Ranma nodded. "I don't think we have any other choice," he replied as he stormed towards the door. "They're unbelievable." Ryouga nodded absently. "Yeah..." Ranma glanced at him. "What're you thinking?" Suddenly, Ryouga sneezed. Shrugging and wiping his nose at the same time, he answered, "Oh, I was just trying to picture how my parents would act." "Oh." Ranma held the door open for the other boy and together they stepped out into the sunshine. Ryouga gave him a wry half-smile. "Heh, well, I have plenty of time to worry about that." "Well, no matter what happens, we're in this together," reassured Ranma as he closed the door behind him. - The pair walked down the street, hand in hand, ignoring the stares and disgusted looks they received from the few people they passed. Ranma was a step ahead of Ryouga, leading the way towards Ryouga's house. "I'm sorry about all this," Ryouga spoke sorrowfully. Ranma looked at him. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Ryouga," he said firmly. "I want this. It may not have happened as smoothly as I would have liked, but nothing matters as long as I'm with you." "But-" "This will be great," Ranma interrupted, putting on a cheerful front. "At your house, we won't have to worry about sneaking around, finding a minute alone, and all that. We'll have all the private time we want." He finished by squeezing Ryouga's hand. Ranma thought to himself. He felt a smile grow on his face despite the horrible confrontations he went through with his family. Suddenly, the two boys froze as they heard maniacal laughter quickly approaching. "Oh, no." "Ranma darling!" Ranma sighed as the gymnast leaped down in front of him. "What do you want, Kodachi?" he asked. Beside him, Ryouga eyed her warily. She noticed his gaze and smiled alluringly at him. "Hello, Ryouga..." Ryouga gulped and nodded a greeting back. Kodachi turned back to Ranma. "I must say, Ranma dear, I was a bit hurt that you neglected to inform me about your...relationship with Ryouga. After all, I am your fiancee." Ranma narrowed his eyes. "First of all, you are not my fiancee," he all but growled. "And second of all, how did you find out about us?" "I have pictures," she reported brightly, ignoring the first question. She waved a stack of photos in her hand at Ranma. Ryouga's eyes widened considerably, his cheeks turning red. "Ranma," Kodachi continued, "I know that you may have been a little nervous about confessing to me about Ryouga, but I want you to know that I'm fine with this." Ranma blinked. "You are," he repeated, suspicious. "Of course." "About me and Ryouga." "Yes," Kodachi told him. She approached the pair slowly, and with one hand, stroked Ranma's hair while running her other hand along Ryouga's collar. "I'm very open towards a threesome." Ranma blinked once, a sweatdrop running down the side of his face. He could almost feel the sudden heat radiating from Ryouga's cheeks. There was a moment of stillness before both boys abruptly jumped back. "NO!" Kodachi looked crestfallen. "Oh, come on, Ranma darling. It's the logical choice," she pointed out, pouting. "Uh...we, uh...we, ummm, we..." Ryouga stammered. "No. No. I-I don't think I want that." Ranma made a pained face as he nodded. "Yeah, no thanks, Kodachi." Kodachi sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "Look, I don't have time to stand around and wait for you guys. Call me when you finally decide you want it." With that, she burst out giggling as she pranced away. - After their encounter with Kodachi and a nice, slow stroll, Ranma and Ryouga arrived at Ryouga's house. The Lost Boy's face brightened unconsciously at the sight of his hardly-seen home. "Here we are," Ranma announced unnecessarily. "Our new home," Ryouga murmured, letting out a contented sigh which transformed into a worn-out yawn. "It's funny how my dad's unacceptance of us forced us into something else that's 'wrong'," Ranma mused, trying to keep bright as they walked into the empty house. Ryouga stopped once they reached the entrance. He turned to face Ranma before opening the door. "How are you doing?" he asked him seriously. "I mean, about your family and all." Ranma shrugged. "I'm okay," he assured him. Ryouga looked at him skeptically, wondering if he should press the issue. "Well, shall we go in?" Ranma asked him, obviously not wanting to dwell on the subject. Ryouga sighed, deciding he could talk to Ranma later. "Sure." Ranma linked arms with him, and the two walked into their new home together. - A few hours later, after a private house-warming celebration, Ranma became hungry. "Well...hmmm..." he murmured as he searched through the refrigerator and cabinets. He picked up a single, rotten banana overwrought. "You don't really stock up, do you?" "My mom said she went out to the grocery shop-" Ryouga offered, reading from a note. He glanced up at the date. "-last month." Ranma sighed. "No offense, but I'm hungry now." He took one last look at an empty cabinet. "You wanna go out an' get something?" Ryouga nodded, suppressing a cough. "Actually, I'm not very hungry, but s..s...su - Achoo!" He sneezed again, then gasped out, "Sure." Ranma looked over him once. "Noooo, you know what? I think you should just stay here." "You don't want me to come with you?" Ryouga asked, hurt lining his voice. Ranma rolled his eyes. "No, dummy," he replied playfully. "I just don't want you to get sicker. It's not exactly warm outside." "I'll be fine," Ryouga asserted. However, his argument was weakened considerably when he was overcome with a coughing fit. Ranma gave him a firm look. "No, Ryouga, you're staying here." He sighed, relenting. Ranma gave him a quick kiss on the nose before he left. Ryouga sighed and wondered if he would be able to find his own bedroom. - After much deliberation, Ranma settled on bringing home some okonomiyakis. Maybe by the time he got back, Ryouga would be hungry. As he walked, he tried to decide what kind of okonomiyaki he wanted. He was deep in thought over this, for he refused to let his mind wander onto some other less pleasant topic. His family was causing him more hurt than he would like to admit. "Airen!" Ranma hung his head and groaned. "What do you want, Shampoo?" he asked tersely as Shampoo bounced up to him. "Shampoo hear about new curse." Ranma groaned again. "It's not a curse," he replied wearily. Shampoo ignored his comment. "Great-grandmother say we find cure! May take long, but we find!" she told him brightly. "Then Ranma like boys no more. We cure Ranma, then he marry Shampoo, yes?" "No." And he walked on. Shampoo, however, refused to be deterred. "Ranma touchy about curse? No worry, it be gone soon!" "I'm not changing," growled Ranma. "No give up hope!" she encouraged. "No, Shampoo, I don't *want* to change." And he walked away, leaving Shampoo staring after him in shock. - Ryouga laid himself down on a bed. It wasn't his bed, but it'd have to do. He felt too achy to move, and his stomach threatened to reject his breakfast. His loss of appetite had upgraded into full-blown nausea, and his running nose and dry throat weren't helping his health. He rolled onto his back, covering his eyes with a forearm. With no other distractions, his mind naturally drifted to Ranma. Ryouga couldn't help but worry about him. After all, his own father had thrown him out of his house. Although Ryouga didn't know whether Ranma had any contact with his mother lately or not, he was sure their relationship wouldn't be much better. He shuddered as he remember the conversation he had had with Ranma's mother a few months back. Ryouga wished he knew how Ranma felt about the recent events. He couldn't be too happy about it, but he never conveyed any feelings to Ryouga. Ryouga was sure he would. He hoped so anyway. But maybe he wouldn't... The more Ryouga thought about it, the more doubtful he became. he scolded himself. He should talk to Ranma about it anyway, though. But not now; Ranma wasn't even home. Besides, Ryouga was tired. Incredibly so. With a tired moan, he rolled into a ball and closed his eyes. - Ranma walked into U-chan's cautiously. It's been awhile since he was last in there, and as far as he knew, Ukyou was still upset and angry at him. "Oh! Hello, Ranma!" He immediately breathed a sigh of relief at Ukyou's apparent cheerfulness and continued into the restaurant. But he suddenly paused mid-step. Something sounded a bit strange in her voice. "Are you okay, Ukyou?" he asked. "Oh, fine, fine!" she replied, a bit too hurriedly. "What, uh, what can I get for you?" Ranma approached the counter with much caution. "Well, how about three of the usual? To go." "Okay, no problem," she told him. She turned halfway around to begin preparing the okonomiyakis when she suddenly let out a giggle. "What's so funny?" Ranma questioned. "Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing..." Ukyou stalled. "That was just my...cat." She made a big show of looking down. "No, stop that. That tickles." Ranma tensed. "C-c-cat?" Ukyou's flinched. "Uh, I mean...yeah." Ranma relaxed slightly, getting a skeptical gleam in his eye. "Since when did you have a cat?" "I found it in an alley yesterday," she replied a little too defensively. She looked down at her feet. "Isn't that right, kitty?" On cue, a small "meow" came from behind the counter. Ranma's brow knitted suspiciously. "But I didn't think you were allowed to have animals in a restaurant," Ranma pointed out. Without warning, he jumped a onto his stomach to lean over the counter. He wanted to see this so-called "cat". His eyes widened at what he found. "Uh, hello Ranma," Akane greeted him weakly from her crouched position. She hesitantly waved a hand at him. "Akane?! What're you doing here?" Akane jumped up, and Ranma was forced back up to his feet to meet her eye to eye. "Well, you're not the only one with a date," Akane huffed, her hands at her hips. "What do you me..." He trailed off. "You...and Ukyou?" Akane and Ukyou both nodded. Ranma let out a low whistle. "Huh. Really?" "Well, here's your food," Ukyou told him suddenly, slapping three boxes into his hands. "Thanks for coming!" Ranma, stunned at the news, slowly backed out of the restaurant. "Huh." Outside, he was greeted by Nabiki. "Hello, Ranma. Would you like to buy some pictures?" she asked slyly. "You took more pictures of me and Ryouga?" he cried angrily. "Well, uh...I meant, pictures of *Ukyou and Akane*," she answered in a rush. "Come on, I know all men find that a turn on." Ranma sweatdropped. "I, uh...no thank you." Nabiki shrugged. "Oh, well. I'm making enough profit without your business." As if to make her point, three boys suddenly rushed up to her. "We brought money!" they cried as Ranma walked away, shaking his head. - Ranma felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see his dad in panda form, holding a sign. "I thought I told you not to come home until-" he flipped the sigh "-you got over this nonsense." "I'm not home, Dad," Ranma said irritably. "We're at Tofu's. And I'm only walking by, anyway." "Oh." Ranma sighed, feeling a headache building. His father then held up another sign. "Well, don't even think about coming back until you've changed." "Fine." Ranma refused show any emotion to his father, despite the slight sickness he felt in his stomach. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he walked home. - Ranma burst through the door of the Hibiki house, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm back!" he announced as he walked towards the kitchen. Five minutes passed before Ryouga finally answered meekly. "I'm, uh, here. Somewhere." Ranma didn't even try to suppress his smile as he followed Ryouga's voice. He found the lost boy standing in the guest bedroom. "I tried to follow your voice, but I kept ending up here," Ryouga explained sheepishly. Ranma ran his eyes over him. "You look like hell." His skin was pale, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes wore bags underneath. Ryouga shrugged miserably. "I just got up from a nap. I didn't feel too good." Ranma raised his eyebrows in concern, draping a sympathetic arm over Ryouga's shoulders. "Come on, I brought okonomiyakis," he informed him as he led him back to the kitchen. "I'm not hungry," Ryouga told him, blanching at the thought of food. "Want to keep me company then, while I eat?" Ryouga nodded. Before they sat down, he pulled Ranma up to him. "I missed you." Ranma laughed. "I was only gone an hour." Ryouga shrugged. "But still..." He then bent his head down to kiss Ranma on the lips. His mouth hungry, he mashed it up against Ranma's. But the response from Ranma was weak. After a few moments, Ryouga got discouraged and pulled away. He studied the other boy worriedly. "What's the matter, Ranma?" Ranma took a deep breath, about to answer. About to explain how upset about his family he was, how much pain it caused him knowing they refused to accept him. Then suddenly the image of Ryouga in the woods, blood running down his wrist, leapt into his mind. He could still remember the note Ryouga left. Ranma immediately became alarmed, worried about upsetting the over-emotional boy. He might try something drastic again, which Ranma refused to let happen. Ryouga just wasn't ready to hear about his family problems yet. "Oh, nothing. I'm just hungry." He felt his stomach tighten at the lie. "Besides, you're sick." "I've become undesirable all of the sudden?" asked Ryouga. Then he sneezed violently. "Heh. I can see why," he answered his own question with a smile as he rubbed at his nose. Ranma made a small "chh" sound with his tongue. "I think you should go back to bed, mister," he commanded. Ryouga started to protest but then changed his mind when his stomach performed a small flip. "Maybe a nap wouldn't be a bad idea," he agreed, rubbing his temple. Then he added with embarrassment, "If I could find a bed." "Oh, I'll tuck you in," Ranma offered with a grin. He wrapped an arm around Ryouga's waist and began leading him. "But-" Ryouga tried to argue. "But...your food will get cold." Ranma shrugged. "I'll tucking you in, and that's that," he said firmly. "There's no escaping it." Ryouga blushed, allowing the other boy to steer him towards his bedroom. With one hand still wrapped around Ryouga, Ranma reached down to pull the covers of the bed away. Then he guided Ryouga onto the bed, fluffing the pillows behind his head. Ryouga yawned. "Mm, thank you," Ryouga murmured, his eyes slipping shut. Ranma took the blankets and pulled them up around Ryouga, tucking the edges in. Ryouga sighed lazily with contentment. Ranma smiled gently at the prone form of Ryouga. Bending over, he placed a soft kiss on Ryouga's warm cheek. "Get better soon," he commanded in a whisper. - The next morning, Ranma decided to visit his mother. Although he strongly doubted it, he wanted to give her another chance before their strained relationship snapped. Maybe after thinking for a few days, she'd calmed down. Maybe even be a little more open towards his relationship with Ryouga. Stranger things have happened. Haven't they? Ranma slipped out of the house without waking Ryouga, who was sleeping soundly. As soon as he left, however, he immediately become uncertain about what exactly he planned to do. Ranma sighed. His worries about approaching his mother were needless, though. He barely made it to the end of the block when he noticed that she walking towards him. "Mom," he said, greatly surprised. "Ranma. I was coming over to talk to you," she told him brusquely. Ranma flinched slightly and began to prepare himself mentally. She obviously hadn't changed her mind about him and Ryouga. "I was just about to do the same." Mrs. Saotome's eyes flickered towards the direction he came from. "I suppose you still haven't realized how disgraceful you're being, have you." Ranma steadily shook his head no. "And I see you haven't realized how bullheaded you're being." Mrs. Saotome drew herself up. "Ranma, I will not have you talking like that to your own mother," she reprimanded curtly. "You need to show some respect, boy." Ranma felt anger and indignity boil through him. "Respect?" he exclaimed. His voice started to rise. "Respect?! Why should I respect you when you refuse to respect my feelings!" His mother glared at him coldly. "How can I respect you? A boy who refuses to look at how dishonorable he's being. A boy whose vile actions with another *boy* shames his whole family." Something inside of Ranma snapped. "How dare you!" he screamed, his face turning red. "How dare you pass judgment on us! How dare you debase our relationship like that!" He paused to swallow angrily. Mrs. Soatome looked at him silently with an intense, immovable stare. When Ranma began to speak again, his voice was low and venomous. "What right do you have to call our love vile." Mrs. Soatome turned her nose up. "No son of mine would speak to his mother like that." Her voice was void of any emotion. "No son of mine would follow such a obscene lifestyle." "What are you saying?" Ranma asked through narrowed eyes. She spoke slowly and clearly. "You are no longer my son." The world seemed to freeze. Ranma wished he had some remark to retaliate with. He wished he could snap back at her with an equally severe statement. But instead, he found himself unable to open his mouth. His stomach clenched furiously, his heart screamed, but he could not make a move. His mother turned and walked away without looking back. - Ryouga slurped up the milk from his cereal. This morning, he was feeling much better. His head still felt a little woozy, but his stomach was healthy enough to demand some nourishment. He heard the door open and shut softly and breathed a sigh of relief. Ranma must be back from wherever he went. He wanted to greet Ranma, but instead he knew he should just wait until Ranma found him. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the other boy to enter the kitchen. Ryouga immediately jumped to his feet at the sight of his love. "Ranma, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously. Ranma's face was white and bore an expression of pain. Ryouga grasped his forearm and guided him into a seat. He then knelt in front of him, looking worriedly up at his face. Ranma met his gaze only halfway, his face scrunched up. "I don't feel so good, Ryouga," he whispered. Ryouga stroked Ranma's cheek with the back of his hand, then pressed a palm against his forehead. Ranma was burning. Ryouga bit his lip. "Oh, no, I made you sick!" He looked around fretfully, not sure what he should do. "Here, uh, let me help you into bed, Ranma." Ranma didn't object, which worried Ryouga somewhat, and let Ryouga support him as they stumbled through the house. Ryouga bit back a gasp as he felt the shivers wracking Ranma's body. Ranma only moved to point weakly towards one direction or the other, not making a sound as the pair slowly made their way to the nearest bedroom. Ryouga, concern etched throughout his face, gently laid the sick boy onto the bed. Ranma rolled onto his side, curling up. Ryouga immediately pulled up the blankets around Ranma, tucking in the edges in hopes that it would warm Ranma. After he had made Ranma as comfortable as he could, he held his face close to his, studying his features anxiously. "Is there anything I can get for you?" Ranma shook his head slightly, burrowing further down into the blankets. Ryouga swallowed nervously as he quietly pulled a chair up to the bed. His gaze never leaving Ranma, he lowered himself into the seat and began his vigil over Ranma's curled up form. He wished he could talk to Ranma. He was obviously hiding something. Ryouga leaned forward, watching Ranma intently. For now, he'll just wait. - End of TOGETHER - To be continued...eventually. ^_^ Please, oh please, write to me! I need to know what I'm doing right or wrong, and I want to know who's reading. Please please please? email