"WASURERARENAI" (Unforgettable)
An alternative reality fanfic by MmeFleiss .
All characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
< > are thoughts
# # pa system
**********************************************************************

Chapter 6
*********

     "So, who are you going to partner up with?" Ranma asked as he
looked up at the quickly darkening sky nervously.

     "Eh?"

     "She challenged you to pairs skating," Shinnosuke informed Akane
as he glanced at her.

      She looked up and noticed that
they were looking at her expectantly. 

     Before she could make a decision, Shinnosuke suddenly stopped,
almost running into a frustrated looking black piglet standing next to
a puddle of water. "Hey, It looks like someone left their pet."

     Akane smiled as she saw the small animal. She walked up to it and
picked it up, cradling it in her arms. "It's so cute. How can anyone
forget it?"

     Ranma blinked and took a closer look at the piglet. "Is that
thing blushing?"

     Curious, Shinnosuke leaned over and confirmed his suspicions. He
took it from Akane and did a brief inspection. "No wonder, it's a
male."

     Ranma jumped off the fence and tried to keep it from biting his
fingers off as he commented, "I never knew animals had such dirty
minds."

     "Will you guys stop it?" Akane asked as she hugged it closer to
her. "I'd say it wasn't the pig who has a dirty mind."

     "What's that supposed to mean?" the two boys asked in unison.

     The only reply they got was her laughter as she ran the rest of
the way home.

                     *        *        *

     "Shinnosuke, can you give P-chan a bath while I go shopping for
dinner?"

     "P-chan?"

     "Mm-hm. That's what I decided to name it. P for pig and chan for
little."

     "Well, okay," Shinnosuke agreed as Akane handed him the
struggling pig.

     "I'll be back in an hour."

                     *        *        *

     "Quit it," Shinnosuke yelled as he led it to the bathroom,
careful not to put his hand anywhere near its mouth. He walked up to
a stool and poured cold water over the animal before dunking it into
the steaming bath.

     It would be an understatement to say that he was a bit surprised
when a boy emerged in its place a couple of seconds later.

     "W-who are you and what happened to the pig?!" he asked when he
found his voice.

     The boy nervously scratched his head. "Er, I'm Ryoga Hibiki. The
piglet happens to be another form of mine."

     "What?!"

     "Well, it's a curse I got when I went to..."

     "Wait a minute," Shinnosuke interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he
remembered the piglet's behavior earlier. "Why didn't you resist when
Akane was hugging you earlier?"

     "I-I couldn't."

     "What are you talking about? You had a lot of opportunities!"

     "Wait, I can explain!" Ryoga said as he carefully backed away
from the other boy.

     "Oh you're going to explain, all right. As soon as Akane gets
here."

     "Please, no. I can't get her madder at me. The reason I came here
in the first place was to apologize to her."

     "And that's what you're going to do when she gets back... Right
after you explain to her how you happen to be her new pet," Shinnosuke
insisted stubbornly as he left the room.

                     *        *        *

     "I'm home."

     Ryoga started to sweat as he heard Akane's voice echo throughout
the house. He and Shinnosuke were in the living room drinking tea as
they waited for her arrival. The other boy had ignored him the whole
time, obviously still disgusted at his less than honorable behavior.

     A slightly damp Akane entered the room and was clearly surprised
at his presence.

     "What are you doing here?"

     Shinnosuke looked just as surprised as he glanced at the other
boy. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

     Ryoga looked bewildered as he answered, "You told me to sit here
with you."

     "I see... Why?"

     "B-because you said I had to..." He stopped as his brain caught
up with the situation. If the guy couldn't remember his curse, then he
didn't have to explain it to Akane and there was no reason for her to
get angrier at him. "Er... I came here to apologize for cutting her
hair."

     "It's okay. It was just an accident, right?" Akane said, taking a
seat across from him.

     "Yeah... Well, now that I've said that, I better go."

     "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

     "Oh, I couldn't. I've taken too much of your time already. I'll
see my way out."

     He walked away and smiled before closing the door behind him.

     "Uh, Ryoga? That's the closet," Akane helpfully informed him.

     "Oh. I thought it was a bit too dark," he answered as he got out
and tried another door.

     "That's the door to the bathroom."

     It was after a couple more tries that Ryoga was able to find the
front door. He waved at the two before closing the door behind him for
what he was sure was the final time.

     His relief didn't last long as he instantly turned into his
cursed form. In his eagerness to leave, he had failed to notice the
rain.

                     *        *        *

     Ranma impatiently looked at wall clock as he waited for Akane to
come downstairs. He was sitting in her living room with Shinnosuke who
was asking him his name as he played a beautiful tune on the piano
that Ranma didn't recognize.

     "I'm Ranma. We met yesterday. Don't you remember?"

     "No. Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else?"

     Ranma looked like he was ready to throw his hands up in
exasperation. What was wrong with this guy? Yesterday he was acting
like Ranma was his mortal enemy and now he was asking for his name
while trying to keep him entertained.

     "Sorry I'm late," Akane yelled as she made her way downstairs.
Her eyes were slightly red due to her lack of sleep the night before,
and she was busy stuffing her school bag with hastily done homework.

     "Hey, Akane, you look like hell," he commented as he stood up and
headed towards the door.

     "You don't look so dashing yourself."

     He was about to protest, but stopped at the sight of her smile.
It was obvious that she was just joking.

     "So, have you decided who you want to skate with?" he asked as
he followed her out the front gate.

     Akane took a deep breath before answering, knowing that the
decision that had kept her awake for the night was going to hurt him.
"Yes. I decided that Shinnosuke should be the one to skate with me."

     "I see," he answered, turning around so that she would be unable
to see his disappointment. Deep down he knew that she wasn't going to
choose him. After all, unlike him, Shinnosuke could stand on the ice
for more than two seconds. It didn't make her rejection any less
painful, though.

                     *        *        *

"What am I doing here?" Ranma muttered as he watched Akane and
Shinnosuke skate around the rink for the umpteenth time.

     She had asked him during lunch if he could come along. He had
agreed, and they picked Shinnosuke up right after school ended.

     And now, Ranma was at the rink bored out of his mind. "Might as
well practice," he muttered as he grabbed a nearby pair of skates.

                     *        *        *

Ranma felt his legs start to buckle as he tentatively took a step
in the ice. He was sweating bullets as he looked around, a slightly
panicked look on his face.

     He had made it to the center of the rink after falling more
times than he'd care to remember. Unfortunately for him, his body was
unwilling to face more abuse to reach the other half.

     He was about to try yet another step when he felt a foot bounce
off his back, making him lose his balance. His face met the ice,
making it sting as he slowly got up. A couple of feet away, Azusa
Shiratori stood with an apologetic look that was less than sincere.

     Akane, who had been standing nearby saw what had happened and
quickly rushed to his side. "Are you hurt?"

     He shook his head, each movement aggravating his sore cheeks even
more.

     "That was low, Azusa!" Akane said as she glared at the younger
girl.

     "Oh, I'm so sorry, but he was in my way."

     Before Akane could retort, she felt two pair of hand gently
envelope her waist and take her away from the irritating girl.

     She glanced up and found herself face to face with the other half
of the Golden Pair.

     "Mikado Sanzenin?"

     "You remembered my name? I'm flattered."
     "I'm sure you are," she answered dryly. "Now let me go."

     "I can't. At least, not until I have properly apologized for my
partner's behavior."

     "I'm not really the one you should be apo..."

     "But I insist," Mikado interrupted as he brought his face closer
for a kiss, only to smash against Akane's fist.

     "Let go of her, jerk!" Shinnosuke exclaimed as he made his way
towards them.

     Mikado sighed as he let Akane down, smiling and posing at the
same time for the sake of his fans. "What a shame that we have been
interrupted yet again. But after me and my partner win the match, I
promise that you will be able to kiss these lips of mine."

     He then promptly skated off, delighting his fan club as he
approached them to sign more autographs and earning him a disgusted look
from three others.

                      *        *        *

     "Are you sure you're ok?" Akane asked as she glanced at the pale
Shinnosuke. They had just stepped out into the rink and was waving at
the crowd while their names were announced.

     #TODAY'S MATCH WILL BE OVER THE CUTE SPORTS BOTTLE AZUSA HAS
NAMED MARGUERITE!#

     "I'll be fine," Shinnosuke answered faintly as he held on to her
to stop himself from falling to the ground. The three days without the
'Water of Life' had been very rough on him. He was too thin since he
hadn't been able to eat too much as of late and his skin was a sickly
shade of gray.

     She was about to protest when he collapsed onto the ground in
pain.

     "SHINNOSUKE!" she yelled worriedly, gently shaking him to see if
he was conscious.

     "I'm okay," he muttered, trying to stand up.

     "No, you're not." She grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly.
"Don't strain yourself, please."

     "Akane..."

                       *        *        *

     Ryoga looked around in confusion. Where on earth was he now. He
remembered going through a forest about an hour before, and now he was
in total darkness.

     "Don't tell me I got lost in a closet again," he groaned as he
walked around aimlessly.

     A group of girls made shushing noises at him, surprising him and
making him look up.

     He was shocked to find Akane in the room with him, apparently the
center of attention.

     He made his way towards her wondering what caused the stadium full
of people to be so silent that you could hear a pin drop. When he got
closer, he noticed a tear trickle down her cheeks while she held the
hand of the boy he met earlier.

     Ryoga felt his chest tighten at the sight of Akane in so much
pain. He was filled with this desire to go up to her and help as much
as he could. She didn't deserved to suffer like this.

     His head jerked up after he realized that he could. There was no
one there to stop him, and she obviously needed to be comforted.

     "Akane!" he waved, stepping towards her, breaking the silence.
The crowd gasped as he easily leapt above the ten foot wall
surrounding the rink.

     With their attention on Ryoga, the crowd failed to notice Ranma
who was about to do the same on the other side of the rink. It was a
good thing, too, since a cup of soda was accidentally dropped on him
right before he made the jump.

     The two martial artist seemed to defy gravity as they stayed in
the air a few moments longer than normal. They had the confident look
of someone who had done this countless times before as they fell.

     The arrogant smirk was quickly wiped off their faces as they put
one foot on the ice and slipped, landing hard on their butts and
sliding towards the middle of the rink.

     #A SUBSTITUTE PAIR FOR FURINKAN HAS JUST STEPPED ONTO THE ICE#
the announcer yelled excitedly while the six people on the rink
blinked in confusion.

     "Substitute?" Akane asked as she looked at the two teenagers on
the ice. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. "What do you
think you're doing?!"

     Ranma-chan and Ryoga didn't hear her since they were too busy
yelling at each other.

     "Who are you?" Ryoga growled.

     "I'm Akane's alternate partner. What's your excuse for being
here?"

     Ryoga's eyes lit up as he finally understood what was going on.
 "Idiot. A girl
can't pair up with another girl."

     "Who are you calling a girl?! I'm a guy!"

     "Could have fooled me."

     The enraged Ranma-chan suddenly grabbed Ryoga's head and put it
in a headlock. "I'm Ranma, you dope. I fell in a cursed spring at
Jusenkyo."

     "What?!" Ryoga thought back to the time he had spent there. Come
to think of it, she did look awfully familiar. He never thought his
rival would be also be cursed. Damn. That meant he could have taken
care of this whole business sooner.

     "I was there with my old man. Now I turn into a girl with cold
water and pop turns into a panda."

     A panda? Now why did that sound familiar? Ryoga's mind replayed
the moments he had spent there and his face suddenly contorted in rage
as he remembered where he had seen Ranma's girl form before.

                       *        *        *

     Ryoga Hibiki looked around his surroundings, too tired and lost
to notice how beautiful it was. His stomach grumbled loudly as it
reminded him that he hadn't eaten all day. He had run out of food the
day before and he prayed that he would soon come across a dining
establishment.

     He heard some noise behind him. It sounded like a very angry girl
chasing something heavy, judging by the sound it made as it headed his
way.

     He saw a huge panda bear pass him by and was about to turn around
to take a glimpse of its pursuer when he felt something jump on his
head.

     It took him by surprise so he was unable to keep his balance and
he soon found himself falling head first off the steep cliff.

     For a moment, he looked absolutely terrified but sighed in relief
as he noticed the many pools below him that would break his fall.
Maybe his luck was finally turning around.

                       *        *        *

     "So... that was you!" he screamed as he easily broke out of the
headlock.

     "Huh?" Ranma-chan asked, confused. "What are you..."

     "Hey!" Akane interrupted angrily. "What are you two doing
there?!"

     "I'm your new partner." Ryoga stated as he carefully made his way
towards her, ignoring his 'partner' as best as he could.

     Ranma-chan immediately latched into one of his hands. "Oh no you
don't."

     "Wow, this is even better than TV," a girl in the audience said
loudly as she watched the events on the rink.

     "*sigh* This is so romantic. A girl jealous because her skating
partner is in love with someone else," her friend agreed, just as
loudly.

     Ranma-chan's face turned an interesting shade of red when she
realized that they were talking about her.

     "Hey! That's not..."

     #LET THE MATCH BEGIN!# the impatient announcer exclaimed while
Akane and Shinnosuke were led off the ice.

     Ranma-chan knew yelling was futile at this point and so decided
to just get this over with. "I don't remember ever seeing you skate.
I hope you know what you're doing."

     "I'm a martial artist. How hard can it be?" Ryoga answered as
they were surrounded by bright light.

     "We're doomed."

     Ranma-chan narrowed her eyes as she watched Mikado Sanzenin make
his way towards them while his partner's attention was diverted to a
cute panda she saw near the front row. Seeing the sly smile on his
face, she just knew the jerk was up to no good.

     Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw him change course and
head towards Akane. She couldn't stop fuming as she watched him
casually make his way towards the taller girl, brushing his hair back,
and putting a couple of breath mints on his mouth.

     "C'mon Ryoga," Ranma-chan hissed as she grabbed his arm and
slowly started to skate towards the older boy. There was no way she
was going to let the pervert touch Akane.

     Unfortunately, neither one of them learned how to skate in the
past couple of seconds and they ended up moving towards Mikado at a
snail's pace.

     Seeing his opponents momentarily occupied, Mikado turned towards
Akane and quickly kissed her on the lips, much to her and everyone
else's surprise.

     #I DON'T BELIEVE IT. MIKADO SANZENIN HAD JUST TRIED HIS KISS
ATTACK ON A GIRL WHO'S NO LONGER COMPETING AGAINST HIM. TALK
ABOUT AN UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS.#

     Both Ranma-chan and Ryoga turned a deep shade of red as they
helplessly watched the whole thing. The nerve of him, kissing Akane.

     "The jerk's dead," Ryoga snarled, causing his partner to look up
in surprise.

     

     Her thoughts were rudely cut off when Ryoga decided it was time
to go faster. He stomped towards the older boy, Ranma-chan not too far
behind.

     Her thought were no longer on Ryoga's feelings towards Akane. All
she could think of now was how much pain Mikado was going to be in
after she was done.

     They were only a couple of feet away when they suddenly lost
their balance and started to careen wildly towards the wide-eyed
Mikado. The older boy tried to skate away, but not before the
two slid through him, throwing him towards a wall and knocking him
unconscious.

     The two martial artist didn't look any better as they also
slammed against a wall. Despite the pain, the two were grinning wildly
as they listened to the announcer declare them the winner.

     #WITH ONE MOVE, THE SUBSTITUTE PAIR FROM FURINKAN MANAGED TO
KNOCK OUT MIKADO SANZENIN, MAKING THIS THE FIRST LOST OF THE
GOLDEN PAIR.#

     Shinnosuke, seated next to the still shocked Akane, shook his
head in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

Chapter 7
*********

     He was lost. To Ryoga Hibiki, this has become a common occurrence
and he wasn't too bothered with it. However, that didn't mean that he
was giddy with joy. He had spent the whole day frowning and would
often scare off little children by suddenly snarling out of the blue.

     He was mad at himself for not doing anything when Akane had
needed him the most. He should have run up to her, learned how to
skate, anything to help her.

     Ryoga punched a nearby wall in frustration, not noticing the
glares from the other pedestrians. His mind was too busy torturing
him with images of Mikado kissing Akane.

      He wanted so badly to hit that arrogant
face of his. Mikado had forced himself on the only person Ryoga could
call his friend.

     Akane had taken care of him after she had found him in pig form
on her front porch. She shared her food with him and even hugged him
occasionally. She told him things he knew she would never share with
anyone else.

     He ignored the little voice in his head that informed him that
she only cared for him as a pig and not as a person. Surely, with
time she'd realize that he was the man for her.

     Ryoga's head jerked up with a start as the thought made its way
to his conscious mind. Where in the world had it come from? She was
only a friend, right? He thought back to the events at the rink and
admitted that his reaction went beyond the concern of one. If he
didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he liked her.

     But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? He had only met her... and
yet as the day she took care of him replayed in his mind, he had to
admit that it was the first time in his life that he felt that someone
cared.

     Ryoga cherished the warm feeling that enveloped him as his mind
became filled with thoughts of happier moments with her. He then
slowed down considerably when it was replaced by a dull ache after he
realized that she wasn't there with him.

     He looked up questioningly at the setting sun as if he expected
it to give him an answer. 

                        *        *        *

     "Hey, look. There's a talent contest in two weeks," Shinnosuke
said, pointing out a flyer stuck against a lamp post.

     Akane looked up and carefully read the writing on the colorful
piece of paper. "Do you think that..."

     Her voice was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps and
a sharp intake of air as the person behind them tried to catch her
breath.

     The two teenagers whirled around and was a bit surprised to find
themselves face to face with the oldest Tendo girl.

     "Hi!" Kasumi exclaimed cheerfully as she placed the shopping bags
she was holding on the ground. "I've been calling your names for a
while now."

     "Sorry, Kasumi. I guess we didn't hear you. By the way, have you
met Shinnosuke?"

     "Oh yes. We saw him at the skating match. Ranma insisted that we
watch."

     Akane's happy smile wavered a bit as she remembered the unwanted
incident at the rink a week ago. She still couldn't believe that her
first kiss was with a major jerk.

     If she could have had it her way, it would have been with someone
she loved, like...."

     "Akane?" Kasumi asked, sounding a bit worried.

     She couldn't help but blush a bit when she saw her two companions
looking at her, their faces filled with concern. How long had she been
out of it? "Yes?"

     "I said I love your necklace."

     "Really?" She could still remember the day it had been given to
her. It was one of the precious few memories she had of her family.

                         *        *        *

     "What's that, mommy?" a six year old Akane asked as she held the
heart shaped locket with her chubby little fingers.

     She was in a dark room with the older woman, watching the star
filled sky as they both tried their best to ignore the feeling of
despair in the once happy home.

     Her mother had been in bed for months, pale as a ghost. Her
father, once a tall, proud man was no longer an imposing figure as
he slept on a nearby cot. He had rings under his eyes and he looked
malnourished from the lack of food. He refused to leave his wife's
side as if he knew that this were his last moments with her.

     "It's a present from your father when we were very young," her
mother answered as she glanced down at the beautiful necklace
sparkling in the moonlight. "He gave it to me to show me that he
cared."

     "Can I have it?"

     "Only if you promise to take very good care of it."

     "I will."

                         *        *        *

     "Yes. I think it's very pretty," Kasumi commented as she picked
up her bags and started to walk home.

     "It was a gift from someone," Akane answered while walking
beside her.

     "Whose picture did you put in it?"

     "Huh?"

     "In the locket. Don't you know that it's for keeping a picture
of yourself and the person you love?"

     "No."

     "Really?" Shinnosuke asked eagerly. He was the only one who
found the topic interesting. "Why would a person do that?"

     "I think it's suppose to show devotion or something," Kasumi
answered with a shrug before changing the subject. "Hey, you're
coming to our house for lunch, right?"

     "Yeah."

     "We'd better hurry then. It's getting late and I haven't started
making any of the food yet."

                         *        *        *

     Akane looked up from the vegetables she was busy cutting when
Ranma-chan ran into the house yelling for hot water.

     She was about to follow her when the wall beside her exploded to
let in a very pretty girl with long purple hair.

     "Ranma, I kill!" she yelled angrily as she followed the wet trail
of water Ranma-chan had left behind.

     Akane blinked in surprise when the obviously foreign girl
disappeared from her sight as well.

     "What...?" Akane started to say before she almost got run over by
a now male Ranma.

     "Please don't tell her I'm here."

     "Who?"

     "Where Ranma?" the girl demanded as she stomped into the room.
Judging from her attire, Akane guessed she was Chinese.

     Akane looked over at Ranma who was busy making gestures at her
not to tell. She frowned, curious of why he was so scared of the girl.
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to comply to his request.
"I think I saw her run outside."

     "Bad!" the Chinese girl exclaimed while crushing various
appliances in the room with her bonbori. She created another hole in
the wall and rushed after her prey.

     "Oh dear, what's with all the noise?" Kasumi inquired, carrying a
sack of flour out of the pantry. She took one look at her kitchen and
quickly started to clean up. "You two really shouldn't practice in
here."

     The two teenagers blinked in surprise and opened their mouths to
explain. Then they realized how ridiculous their story sounded, so all
they said was, "We'll keep that in mind."

                         *        *        *

     The whole Tendo household was busy eating lunch and
complimenting Kasumi on another fabulous meal. That is, of course,
with the exception of Ranma and Akane.

     Ranma had managed so far not to explain what was going on and
Akane was dying of curiosity.

     She watched him from the corner of her eye', noticing that he
was avoiding her gaze. She wanted to ask who the girl was, and most
importantly, why she was after him.

     The frown on Shinnosuke's face deepened as he watched them from
the opposite side of the table. Something was up between the two, and
he didn't like it one bit.

                         *        *        *

     Akane smiled at Kasumi while she helped the older girl bring the
desserts to the table. Everyone was drooling as the two put their
respective bowls of purple yam ice cream before them.

     "Why are you guys serving ice cream when it's freezing outside?"
Ranma complained, although he was watching the bowls just as hungrily
as the rest.

     "Just think about it this way, you don't have to worry about it
melting on you," Akane answered.

     [I'll have it you don't want it,] Genma wrote on his wooden sign
as he finished his bowl in a matter of seconds and was now busy trying
to take his son's.

     "Don't even think about it, old..."

     Whatever he was saying after that was drowned by a very loud
sound. The bowls rattled slightly as the sound was repeated again and
again until the wall behind Ranma and Akane exploded violently.

     Ranma eyed the purple haired girl warily as she made her way in.
She was watching their faces closely, apparently looking for someone.
He guessed that it was most likely his female form so she could use
that sword she had chased her with earlier.

     Her disappointed frown turn to an annoyed scowl when she spotted
Akane. "You hide Ranma. Shampoo kill!" she yelled, unsheathing her
long, sharp knife.

     Akane just looked at her, unable to move out of fear. Shinnosuke
saw this and started to get up to stop her. No one would hurt Akane
while he was around, especially for such an obvious lie. After all,
Akane had no reason to hide someone they've never met, right?

     Ranma also noticed Akane's lack of movement and was quicker than
Shinnosuke at stopping the inevitable fight. He got in between the two
girls and plucked the sword out of the Chinese girl's hands. He then
threw it back at her, with the intent of pinning her against the wall.

     The girl's martial arts instincts enabled her to avoid it by
jumping away from it. Unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was
going and landed on the edge of the table, making it flip up and
accidentally hitting her over the head, knocking her unconscious. As
an addition to the indignity, one of the bowls landed on her head, the
ice cream matching her hair perfectly as it turned it to a sticky
mess.

     "Ah, so that's how she got it that color," Nabiki murmured from
a corner of the room, calmly eating the contents of her bowl.

                         *        *        *

     "What is going on?" Soun Tendo demanded as he watched his elder
daughter wipe a damp cloth over the head of the unconscious young
woman.

     The rest of the household swiveled their heads to stare at the
very nervous looking Ranma.

     "Um... well..." he tried to explain lamely. "She's a girl we met
when we went to China..."

     [A tragic story,] his father cut in. [After we...]

     He stopped a moment as an impatient Soun poured a kettle of hot
water over his head. "After we left Jusenkyo, we visited this small
Amazon village..."

                         *        *        *

     A giant panda and two humans slowly made their way into the small
village. All three looked exhausted from walking around all day under
the fierce afternoon sun.

     While they were looking for refreshments, the guide explained
to the exhausted panda that the village was having its Annual
competition for warriors as they watched a fight come to an end when
a purple haired girl threw the old woman she was fighting off the log
with a small flick of the wrist.

     "She's very powerful," Ranma-chan commented in between bites.

     The guide's eyes opened widely when he saw what she was eating.
"Why young sir eat first prize?!"

     "Huh?"

     By this time, the warrior had noticed what had happened and was
busy yelling at him in Chinese.

     The guide nodded his head after a couple of minutes and
translated. "'You eat prize, outsider. I, Shampoo, challenge you to
fight,' she said. 'I let go if win.'"

     [Don't hurt him. Fight me instead,] the panda suggested bravely
while trying to move the dangerous girl away from his new daughter.

     Ranma-chan smirked, knowing that she could end the fight quickly.
"Sure."

     The two bowed before jumping onto the log, their stances
defensive as they eyed each other.

     [Violence will get us nowhere,] the panda declared, hoping
to prematurely end the fight to no avail.

     When he realized that no one was listening, he decided that his
only choice was to sacrifice the stalk of bamboo he was going to eat
for lunch to save his 'daughter'.

                         *        *        *

     "Saotome, you're so noble," Soun cried out while Kasumi patted
him on the back reassuringly.

     Meanwhile, the enraged Ranma was growling as he repeatedly hit
his father on the head with the now empty kettle. "Stop lying old
man. That's not how I remember it."

     He explained that it was his father who had eaten the prize then
made him fight in his place which resulted in the warrior giving his
female form the 'kiss of death'. Obviously, this whole mess was _all_
Genma's fault.

     If his listeners didn't quite believe his entire story, they were
smart enough not to say anything.

                         *        *        *

     The entire household watched Shampoo warily as she slowly stirred
awake. Some(Ranma) went even as far as hiding behind Akane.

     "What are you doing," she asked, puzzled. "You're not in your
girl form, so as far as she's concerned, I'm the only one here worth
killing."

     "Don't you remember how she became unconscious in the first
place?"

     "Of course I do. You threw that sword at her and... oh."

     "You got it. Now she's going to be after my guy form too."

     No sooner had he said this that the Amazon girl smiled after
she spotted him.

     "Husband!"

     "What?!" Ranma gasped in shock while backing away from the
purple haired beauty. Then, when he neared the gate, he jumped over
it and broke into a full sprint, Shampoo close behind.

     Everyone inside the Tendo home quickly followed, not wanting to
miss what promised to be an interesting event.

                         *        *        *

"I don't see them anywhere," Nabiki complained after she walked
around the block for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Her
whole body was numb from the cold and all she wanted to do now was go
back home.

     "We might as..." Akane started to say until she noticed a purple
blur heading towards them. "Hey, isn't that Shampoo?"

     "Yeah, but where's Ranma?"

     Akane, hearing the sound of water splashing on a nearby block
answered, "I have a pretty good idea where he is."

     Apparently, so did Shampoo. She ran towards the canal, a huge
smile on her face as she got ready to glomp onto her husband. The
expression quickly changed when she noticed that the person in the
water wasn't her strong husband but a very wet and annoyed redhead.

     "Kill!"

Chapter 8
*********

     A horde of boys stood impatiently near the gate, their eyes
trained towards the road before them as they waited for their prey
to appear.

     They had been doing this for weeks, and so far, all they'd
received were broken bones and bruised egos. Most had started to
seriously doubt that trying to beat Akane up would win them her love,
but they were smart enough not to say so out loud, lest they wanted to
feel Kuno's wrath.

     The sounds of quickly approaching footsteps reaches their ears.
It indicated that the two students running towards the mob were aware
that they were going to be late.

     The boys quickly got into defensive stances, some wincing at the
thought of acquiring more bruises from a certain frustrated red and
black clad martial artist.

     "Go on, Akane. I'll take care of these guys so at least one of
us won't be late," Ranma yelled, handing over his backpack to her.

     "No way!"

     "What?!"

     He never got an answer as Akane ran straight towards the group
of boys and smacked them all on the head with Ranma's bag as she
ran by.

     The book bag, filled with many heavy books, managed to knock
the boys unconscious while Ranma watched from the street in disbelief.

     "C'mon, Ranma."

     "Uh, r-right."

                       *        *        *

     "They never had a chance," one of the girls looking from a
nearby window stated as she watched the pair make their way into
the building at a more leisurely pace.

     "Why don't they just give up? The idiots. It's obvious she's not
interested so why won't they take the hint?"

     "Speaking of people who can't take a hint..." Nabiki raised an
eyebrow, looking straight at the group of girls.

     Everyone's faces turned red, making them look like a patch of
tomatoes as they vainly tried to cover their Ranma Saotome Fan Club
membership buttons.

     "Well, anyway," another girl covered in bandages cut in, trying
to switch to a less embarrassing topic. "I didn't realize Akane was
that good. We could use more members for the Rhythmic Gymnastics
Club."

     "Is that psycho from St. Bacchus attacking again?"

     "Yeah. She calls it fighting in all fairness. Thanks to her, we
don't have any members left for the match on Friday!"

     Nabiki looked back at the group of semi-unconscious boys on the
front lawn with a thoughtful expression on her face as she answered,
"Perhaps Akane _could_ help."

     "Let's ask her during lunch."

                       *        *        *

     "You did what?!" Ranma demanded as he stared at Akane like she
had just grown another head.

     "I told them I'd be happy to join."

     "Are you crazy?! If what they told you was true, then that girl
they're so afraid of will be after you!"

     "But..."

     "I bet you don't even know what Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics
is, do you?"

     Akane bit her lip. "No."

     Ranma gave an exasperated sigh as he leapt off the fence and
started to walk next to her. "Neither do I. So, how do you expect to
train?"

     Akane never got the chance to answer since someone chose that
moment to speak. "Perhaps I can help."

     The two teenagers looked up and found Ryoga standing a block away
facing the opposite direction.

     Wiping the sweatdrops  off their heads, Ranma and Akane walked
towards the eternally lost boy to tap him on the shoulder.

     "Do you really think you can help, Ryoga?" Akane asked, her voice
filled with hope.

     Ranma, standing behind her, mimicked what she said. His tone and
expression indicated that he wasn't too happy at seeing his rival.

     Ryoga, meanwhile, was too busy blushing to hear him. "Y-yeah. I
know quite a bit about it."

     "Great!" Akane exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and led him
towards the dojo. Ryoga, busy drowning in bliss, never noticed Ranma's
angry glare behind them.

                     *        *        *
     "Arghh!" Akane yelled in annoyance as she got tangled by the
ribbons for the hundredth time in the hour. "This is so hard."

     Ryoga just smiled while he unwound the strand of silk from her
waist, his patient smile strained as he prepared to show her how the
ribbon worked. Again.

                     *        *        *

     "So, how's the training going?" Kasumi inquired the next day when
she passed by to hang the laundry dry.

     "She's improved a lot," Ryoga answered proudly before being
beaned on the head by a stray club.

     "Oops!"

                      *        *        *

     "All right!" Ryoga exclaimed enthusiastically on the third day as
Akane snagged a couple of the airborne projectiles effortlessly.
"You're practically a pro at this."

     Akane smiled smugly, her posture tense while she waited for
another assault. The bored Ranma threw another set of clubs, not
paying a whole lot of attention to what he was doing. Because of this,
he wasn't able to react quickly enough when Akane's ribbon wrapped
around his hand and yanked him straight toward Ryoga.

     The bandanna clad martial artist could only stare wide-eyed
before his adversary crashed into him. The two lumps formerly known as
Ranma and Ryoga groaned in unison while they tried their best to stand
up.

     "...Of course, I don't think a bit more practice would hurt,"
Ryoga continued meekly before he passed out.

                         *        *        *

     "I wonder where Ryoga is," Akane thought aloud while looking out
the window.

     "Aww. Don't worry about that jerk. I'm sure he's just lost like
usual," Ranma grumbled from a corner of the room as he halfheartedly
went through a kata.

     "But he hasn't been around for two days. It's the day before the
match so I really need his help."

     The two teenagers heard a noise coming from the entrance to the
dojo and were surprised when no one appeared.

     "What..." Akane started to say before she was interrupted by a
squeal. "P-chan!"

     Hearing her call, her pet piglet ran into the room. An annoyed
figure in a leotard muttered curses that would make a sailor blush as
she got dragged in along with it.

     It was then that Akane noticed what had dragged the girl inside.
In her hand was a leash. On the other end of it was P-chan bweeing
angrily.

     "W-who are you?"

     The girl started to twirl her ribbon as she announced, "I'm
Kodachi, The Black Rose. I am the rising young star of the rhythmic
gymnastic world and I shall be your opponent for the match next week."

     Akane was surprised to find out that while she was listening to
the introductory speech, the pony-tailed girl had somehow managed to
wrap her right hand with the chain.

     "Now, let's fight for real," Kodachi screeched, recklessly
charging at her opponent.

     Since the leotard-clad girl made no secret of her intentions,
Akane quickly moved her hand in order to protect her face from the
brunt of the attack.

     Unfortunately for P-chan, the movement caused the chain to jerk
around wildly. He only had time to let out a terrified bwee before he
smacked into Kodachi's head, effectively knocking her unconscious.

                         *        *        *

     Ranma woke up bright and early the next day. A quick glance at
the clock informed him that it was already 7:30. He quickly turned
around and found his father's futon rolled up beside him, obviously
unused.

     Genma hadn't woken him up for their early morning sparring
session either. Usually, by this hour, he would have gotten an earful
from his old man about what a lazy and ungrateful son he was.

     Ranma, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, shrugged and
went back to sleep.

                      *        *        *

     When he woke up, he was pleasantly surprised to smell Katsudon
being cooked for lunch.

     Wait a minute. Lunch?  Ranma
wondered as he groggily headed downstairs.

     He wasn't a bit surprised to find his father and Mr. Tendo passed
out in front of their shogi board. He wondered what obscure holiday
they decided to celebrate this time.

     When he sat down on the table, his eyes sparkled as he eagerly
grabbed his chopsticks. His stomach grumbled impatiently while he
watched Kasumi enter the dining room, bowls in hand.

     Before she set down the food, however, she whipped out a piece
of paper from her apron and handed it to Ranma.

     He looked longingly at the bowl for a minute before he accepted
the letter.

     He quickly unfolded it and started to read, knowing that Kasumi
wouldn't give him his lunch until he was done.
_____________________________________________________________________
     Ranma,

          Meet me today under the bridge at twelve sharp.
_____________________________________________________________________

     The rest of the letter was just a big black blur.

     Seeing his questioning glance, Kasumi apologized. "Sorry, Ranma.
I accidentally spilled a cup of water on myself this morning."

     He let out a long suffering sigh before he took a final look at
the Katsudon. Unfortunately, it didn't look any less delicious than
it did earlier. The rice was firm enough to hold up the broth and the
eggs and onions were sliced evenly. The meat looked so tender that he
felt like it was a crime to leave it now.

     But the note said twelve, which meant he only had five minutes
to reach his destination. He wondered who had challenged him this
time. Well, whoever it was, they'll certainly be in for a fight.
They'll learn the hard way that separating Ranma Saotome from his
lunch just wasn't a bright idea.

Chapter 9
*********

     Ryoga Hibiki frowned as he saw the huge forest before him. Now,
how did he get here? He could have sworn that when he went to sleep
last night that he was just at the edges of Tokyo.

     An hour of walking couldn't have taken him here, could it?

     Damn it. Of all the times he had to get hopelessly lost. He had
been looking forward to finally beating his old junior high
classmate, but it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime
soon.

     He punched a nearby tree and started to walk away. This was
somehow Ranma's fault. He was sure of it.

     Ryoga wouldn't be surprised if the jerk had planted the whole
forest while he slept to keep from getting pounded.

     He unknowingly started to walk back towards the forest, too
intent on getting his revenge to notice.

     "RANMA, YOU COWARD!"

                     *        *       *

     Ranma skipped a stone impatiently as he waited for his new
opponent to show up. He had been waiting for fifteen minutes and he
was starting to think that the guy wasn't going to show.

      Whatever further thoughts he had of the missed meal was
rudely interrupted by the sound of branches rustling as someone made
their way towards him.

     Ranma narrowed his eyes and stood up, waiting for his adversary
to come out and fight.

     He was about to attack when Akane emerged from the clearing.

     "W-what are you doing here?"

     "Didn't you get my letter?" she asked, running a hand through
her windblown hair while placing the heavy basket she was carrying
onto the ground.

     "You sent that?"

     "Mm-hm," Akane answered with a smile as she laid out the food she
had brought with her, careful not get the red sundress she had bought
for the occasion dirty.

     Ranma didn't notice the extra care she put into looking
presentable; he was too busy trying to figure out why he felt like
something was amiss.

     "Oh, by the way, where's Ryoga?"

     "Huh?"

     "Did you even glance at the letter I sent you?" she asked,
exasperated. "I invited the two of you here because I wanted to thank
you for all your help this week. It's too bad Kodachi got a concussion
when I accidentally hit her with P-chan, though. It would have been
an interesting fight."

     "Yeah."

     "Anyway, I hope she's okay," Akane continued as she placed some
of the sukiyaki she had brought with her on his plate.

     A look of horror appeared on Ranma's face when he finally
realized why he felt like he was in danger. She was feeding him, which
meant that she had probably cooked what was on his plate.

     Fortunately for him, Akane didn't notice his expression, since
she was busy piling food on her plate. She did, however, notice that
he wasn't eating. "Aren't you hungry?"

     He was about to say no when his stomach chose that moment to
announce just how empty it was with a loud growl. "Traitor," he
muttered while he looked down on his abdomen.

     "Did you say something?"

     He quickly snapped his head back up and blushed slightly. "Uh,
no. O-of course not! Say, how did you find out about this place,
anyway?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

     "I found it on my second day in Nerima. I go here whenever I feel
like being alone."

     "Why did you want to meet here, then?"

     "I wanted someone to share it with."

     They sat in companionable silence for the next couple of minutes.
Akane finished the rest of her late lunch, while Ranma watched her
from the corner of his eyes.

     Finally convinced that the meal wasn't going to kill him, he
also started to eat the contents of his bowl.

     "You know what this reminds me of?" he asked in between bites.

     "What?"

     "It reminds me of the first time I saw the ocean. It was early
on in my training trip with pop. He said we were going there so he
could teach me some kind of technique." He laughed as more memories
of that day flooded his mind. "It was real early in the morning when
we got there. The sun hadn't risen yet so the water was this
beautiful shade of dark blue."

     He looked over at Akane, who seemed mesmerized at his colorful
description. "The color is almost as pretty as your hair."

     "Stop lying," she yelled, blushing furiously while playfully
punching his arm.

     "It's true. Pop never did teach me anything that day. I spent
it wading in the water and burying him while he pretended to have
fallen asleep."

     "It's sounds wonderful," Akane stated wistfully. " I wish I
could go there."

     "You mean you've never seen it?"

     "No. This is the first time I can remember being out of
Ryugenzawa."

     "Then I guess I'll have to take you."

     "What?!"

     "Two weeks from now. I'll show you the ocean."

                         *       *       *

     //Don't forget about it. do you hear me?//

     "Yes, I hear you," Shinnosuke answered, rolling his eyes as he
listened to his grandfather repeat the same thing for the hundredth
time that hour. "I really have to go to the bathroom..."

     //Just make sure you don't...//

     "Forget. I know. Stop worrying, will you?"

    //All right, then. I guess I've repeated myself enough,//
Grandpa said a bit reluctantly. With the boy's memory, he honestly
didn't think anything short of tattooing it on his grandson's
forehead will make him remember.

     "Honestly, what kind of idiot does he take me for?" Shinnosuke
grumbled after he sat down the phone and started to walk down the
hall.

     He glanced up at the midday sun as he passed by the window
and started a conversation with it that worried more than a few of
the pedestrians. "Can you believe it? He doesn't think I can
remember something as simple as... as... What did he want me to
remember again?"

                        *       *        *

     When Akane had managed to stop gaping at him, Ranma noticed that
the sun's glare, which he normally encountered when talking to her
during the day, wasn't there.

     He looked for the culprit, the delicate necklace she always wore,
and was surprised to find that it was gone.

     "Hey, since when did you leave home without it?"

     "Huh?"

     "Your necklace. I thought it was superglued to your neck."

     Akane let out a horrified gasp when she reached for it and
noticed that it was indeed gone.

     "No," she said, her voice so low that Ranma had to lean forward
to hear it. "It can't be!" This time, her voice was much louder and
Ranma was forced to move away a couple of feet to regain his hearing.

     "Jeez, Akane," he complained while gingerly rubbing his ears.
"There's no need to freak..."

     "I'm sorry. It's... It's just that, it's very important to me."

     Before she could run off in a state of panic, he grabbed her by
the arm and tried his best to look confident. "Don't worry. We'll
find it."

                         *        *        *

     Ranma had lost his positive attitude as he made his way back
to the river side a couple of hours later. They had spent the whole
afternoon looking for Akane's necklace and they were no closer to
finding it.

     Irritably brushing away a nearby branch, he almost ran into her
motionless form.

     Akane was sitting on the riverbank, her arms wrapped around her
legs as she stared at the water, unseeing. Not once did she appear
to notice the fiery red of the setting sun, or the kaleidoscope of
colors in the tears that gently rolled off her cheeks.

     Ranma could only stare, mesmerized as the fading light
accentuated the deep blue of her hair, the same color as the ocean
at dawn. The cool breeze tousling it only enhanced the image,
ruffling her hair in such a way that it looked like waves.

     Tentatively, he placed a hand on her shoulder and sat down
beside her.

     "W-why is it so important to you?"

     "It was a present from my mother. I-I promised to take care of
it for her." She laughed, but it was so filled with self-loathing
that for a moment, Ranma wasn't sure it came from her. "I couldn't
even do that, could I?"

     He wiped away her tears while trying to hold back the moisture
from his eyes that threatened to overflow. "That's not true," he
whispered. "It wasn't your fault."

     "It was. That necklace was one of my last remaining links to
my real family, and now..." Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the
day's events, she grabbed his outstretched arm and held on to it,
never wanting to let go. "Now I feel like I've lost them forever."

                   *        *        *

     Kasumi Tendo hummed a catchy tune as she prepared dinner. If
someone had looked closely, they would have noticed that she was a
bit distracted, her thought on what had happened at the clinic
earlier.

      she smiled, remembering some of Dr. Tofu's
antics, like dancing around his office with the plastic skeleton he
had named Betty.

     Her thoughts of the handsome young doctor were disappointingly
cut short when Ranma entered the kitchen.

     He looked a bit preoccupied and only waved at her half-heartedly
on his way to the living room.

     "Ranma, dinner is almost ready. Can you please call father in?
He's at the family altar."

     "Hmm? Uh, sure."

                        *        *        *

     Ranma, seeing the shoji screen partly open, entered the room
without knocking. He found Soun kneeling on the floor, unusually calm
as he talked to his deceased wife.

     Ranma blushed at having intruded on something so personal. "I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, but Kasumi wanted you to know that
dinner's almost ready."

     "No, it's all right. I was just leaving."

     Ranma was about to follow when a familiar shade of blue caught 
his eye. He walked towards the corner, past the row of pictures and 
reached for a piece of paper barely visible in the dim light.

     He pushed away the book partly covering it, his breath catching 
in his throat as he saw the face that had always made him happy and 
terribly insecure at the same time. It was a picture of Akane.

     She still had long hair in the worn photograph. The contented smile
on her face was a painful contrast to her expression earlier.

     She looked like she didn't have a care in the world. A look he knew 
he would do anything to see again.

     Ranma didn't know how long he stood in the room, his index finger
tracing her face, never wanting to forget that image of her.

     The sound of someone clearing their throat informed him that he was 
no longer alone. He placed the photograph back down and but didn't
turn around to face Kasumi.

     "What is Akane's picture doing here?"

     "What?" she asked, sounding perplexed.

     "Her picture."

     Kasumi walked in and looked at the photograph he was pointing 
at. "That's not Akane."

     Seeing his bewildered expression, she decided to elaborate. "It was a 
picture of my mother when she was very young. She became even more 
beautiful as she matured, but this had always been my favorite 
because she looked so happy. It was taken before she found out that 
she was going to die."

     Not wanting to see Kasumi get depressed, Ranma decided to change
the subject by pointing at the other smiling face in the picture.

     "Who is she? She's a very cute girl."

     "That was my other sister. She died shortly after mother did."

     "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

     "No, it's okay. It was about time I told someone this, anyway."
Kasumi took a deep breath and started her story.

     "It was a couple of weeks after mother died. Father was a wreck,
so all the responsibilities of taking care of the household went to
me. A relative of ours suggested that it might be a good idea to go on
vacation, so we could find time to cope.

     "Shortly after we got there, my sisters started to ask where
mother was." She looked pleadingly at Ranma, as if begging him to
understand. "Father was starting to get hysterical again, so I
explained to them that mother was dead. She was never going to come
back to us. I--I should have known that they were too young.

     "My youngest sister ran off, crying. I tried to catch up, but she was
too fast." She picked up the picture he found in the corner and began 
to slowly run her hand on its ragged edges. "We spent the rest of the
vacation looking for her, but all we could find was this crumpled 
photograph--She must have dropped it right before she died."

                       *        *        *

     A couple of hours after dinner had ended, a much calmer Kasumi
was getting ready for bed. After years of keeping those fears and
anxieties bottled up, it felt good to finally let it go, secure in the
knowledge that what had happened was an unfortunately unavoidable
confrontation, and that the whole thing wasn't her fault.

     Kasumi was about to walk towards the dresser when she noticed a
very tired looking piglet she recognized as Akane's pet wander into
her room.

     "P-chan, what are you doing here?"

      She quickly scooped it up before it could run off and was
about to head next door when she noticed that all the lights were out.

      "I guess you're staying with me tonight," she informed the
piglet before she sat back down and continued to brush her hair,
carefully putting P-chan right next to her.

      Her mind automatically wandered from the mundane task, and she
couldn't help but think of the tender look Ranma had given the
photograph. She had never seen him so happy and was a bit ashamed that
part of her was envious that he had found someone.

      Her brushing slowed to a stop as she wondered aloud, "Do you
think anyone could ever love me like that, P-chan?"

     Whatever answer she was waiting for never came forth. The piglet
was already fast asleep.
Chapter 10
**********

     A loud scream pierced the night air, waking Shinnosuke from his
pleasant dream. It sounded like it was Akane, having one of her
nightmares again.

     He ran across the hall, ignoring the pain in his chest. Her
well being was his only concern.

     She had been having bad dreams for the past few days. Every 
time he asked her about it, though, she'd just shake her head and 
say it was nothing.

     Well, this time, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He
would force her to tell him if he had to. Keeping something like
this bottled up just wasn't healthy.

     One look at her tear-stained face broke his resolve, however.
He saw her eyes pleading for him to understand, and he reluctantly
closed her door once again.

     Once she was sure Shinnosuke had left, Akane shivered, but not
from the cold. The dream she just had was so realistic.

     It always started in an empty hallway. She would be alone, 
when she'd hear a sound coming from the living room. She would go
towards it and find her family there, talking happily.

     She would run towards them, but some barrier would keep her
from the room. She would then scream, pound on the invisible wall, 
do everything she could to get their attention. But always, they 
would ignore her and happily continue talking, not at all worried 
that she wasn't there.

     Akane shook her head and got out of bed, knowing she wasn't
going to get any more sleep that night.

                     *        *        *

     "I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Akane apologized, while
trying to open her front door.

     "Oh, that's all right," Kasumi answered.

     The two girls had just come back from the mall, having bought a
lot of important things Akane never even knew she needed. Living in
the city was so different. There were so many new things to worry
about that she was glad she had someone like Kasumi to help her.

     When Akane finally managed to open the door, she was almost
knocked off her feet by an enthusiastic Shinnosuke.

     o/~ Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you... o/~

     "Um, Shinnosuke?" Akane tried to interject.

     o/~ Happy birthday dear Akane... o/~

     "I really don't..."

     o/~ Happy birthday to you! o/~ he sang, ending the song with a
flourish that reminded Akane and Kasumi of lounge singers they'd seen
on TV. His eyes even sparkled, although his reasons were different.
His only thoughts were on her impending reaction to his present.

     It had been exactly ten years since he met a terrified Akane in
Ryugenzawa. During that time, they had disagreed and made up
countless times, made each other laugh and cry. But through it all, 
one thing never changed. No matter what happened, he loved her, and 
if she agrees to his plans, he would do so for the rest of his life.

     "Ahem. Like I was trying to say, my birthday isn't until over a
week from now," Akane informed him.

     Her listeners' reactions to this statement varied greatly.
Shinnosuke was clearly disappointed, while Kasumi was ecstatic.

     "That's great," she exclaimed. "This means we have time to have 
a party at my house!"

     "That's not..." Akane tried to butt in, but Kasumi was on a
roll.

     "...I can serve yakitori, and we could have paper lanterns all
over the backyard! I have a lot of things to organize, so I'll see
you later."

     "Right... later," Akane answered, all the while wondering if
this wasn't just some bizarre dream brought on by a plate of bad 
sushi.

                    *        *         *

     Ranma was on his way next door to see Akane when he almost got
run over by Kasumi.

     "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked, a bit confused at
seeing such unusual behavior from someone who was usually so calm.

     "I'm sorry, Ranma. Its just that Akane's birthday is coming
up, and I have to hurry so that we can have a party at the dojo."

     "When is it?" he asked, a bit panicked. Akane had never
mentioned this to him. He had no idea what he was going to get 
her.

     "All I know is that it's going to be a little bit over a week
from now."

     "Thanks, Kasumi," he yelled as he ran down the street, already
thinking of what he was going to give Akane on her birthday.

     While she watched his form slowly get smaller, a new thought
entered her mind. "Oh my, I wonder if Dr. Tofu would like to come?"

                     *        *        *

     It was only 7:30, and the party was already going strong.
Akane had to admit that she was having fun despite her earlier
reservations.

     She waved at Ryoga, who had just arrived from who knew where,
as she headed towards the buffet to talk with the guests. Before she
could get there, her arm was grabbed by Kasumi, who wanted her to
meet Dr. Tofu. Unfortunately, he was unavailable, having gotten into 
a deep conversation with a nearby tree.

     "He's so silly, isn't he?" Kasumi giggled before she tried to
pry him away from the engaging discussion.

                    *        *        *

     "Well, they seem to be having fun," Nabiki observed darkly
from a corner of the yard.

     Akane had a gone to talk to her a couple of minutes earlier,
since she seemed to be the only one at the party not having any fun.
She had been so busy trying to figure out the source of the older
girl's unhappiness that the comment caught her off guard. "Who?"

     "Who else?" Nabiki asked, gesturing towards Kasumi and Dr.Tofu
laughing gaily at the back porch.

     "You don't seem to happy that they're getting along," she
answered slowly, a bit puzzled at the other girl's reaction.

     "They're so in love it makes me sick," Nabiki continued, not
seeming to have heard Akane's remark. Her eyes, however, betrayed
her real feelings. It was obvious that she had feelings for 
Dr. Tofu.

     "You love him, don't you?" Akane wasn't really asking.

     Nabiki gave a bitter smile as she answered, "My feelings 
doesn't matter. It's obvious that he's in love with Kasumi." 

     Ever since she could remember, she had been going to 
Dr. Tofu after some fights that got too rough. And whenever 
Kasumi came to pick her up, he would suddenly become nervous and 
would start to babble incoherently.

     Nabiki knew that she could never affect him like Kasumi did.
She had accepted a long time ago that he was never going to be 
hers. It didn't make seeing them together any less painful, though.

     She gave the blue haired girl a wan smile before she started 
to walk away, suddenly filled with an urge to be alone. "Now, if 
you'll excuse me..."

     "Uh, yeah. See you," Akane said a bit reluctantly, worried by
the brief glimpse she got of Nabiki's face which had changed back
to its usual neutral expression.

                      *        *        *

     "Excuse me, can I please get everyone's attention?" Akane
yelled over the noise as soon as she got on the makeshift stage.

     The yard quieted down quickly, everybody giving her their full
attention.

     "Thanks. I'm up here to share with you all a present that my
oldest friend, Shinnosuke, has given me."

     With a self assured smile, Akane listened for Shinnosuke to
start the song. They had worked hard on writing it for the past 
couple of days, and she knew that it sounded good.

     Once he had finished playing on the piano the opening bars,
Akane started to sing.

     Ranma immediately recognized it as the song Shinnosuke was
playing when he was at their house. He smiled and started to tap
his foot along with the catchy beat.

     o/~ In a covered passage in the sun, I confided in a friend.
         A wonderful person, but "it's a secret..."
         Lamenting the hair I cut too short,
         There were nights I couldn't sleep.
         I wonder if I can ever laugh about it. o/~

     Upon hearing this, Ryoga felt guilty. To think, he was the
cause of sadness that haunted her even now. It was unforgivable. 
There must be some way he could make it up to her.

     o/~ I won't forget (that rainbow)
         I won't forget (that love)
         Even when I become an adult, I don't want to lose them. o/~

     Ranma couldn't help but wonder if she was referring to her
family with those words. Did this mean she hadn't given up on 
finding them?

     o/~ I won't forget (this sky)
         I won't forget (this dream)
         The gentle seasons I now share with you.
         In sadness (the days I shook and),
         In joy (the days I cried),
         These are important memories. o/~

     Ryoga waited until the last note of the song ended before he
made his way towards Akane. He ignored the group of people
congratulating her and asked, "Can I talk with you?"

     Excusing herself from the horde of people surrounding her, she
answered, "Sure."

     Akane led him to a secluded part of the yard and waited
patiently until he managed to gather his thoughts.

     "Is what you said true? I-I mean about losing sleep because of
what Ranma and I had done."

     "Honestly? Yeah, sometimes. But I'm not mad. I mean, how else
could we have become friends?"

     "I can think of other alternatives," he answered with a rueful
smile.

     "So can I. But you have to admit, it certainly made our first
meeting unforgettable."

     "That's true."

                      *       *        *

     It was late at night, and only Ranma and Akane were left in
the backyard. Everyone else had either gone home or, in the case of 
the dojo's residents, had gone upstairs to sleep.

     The last time either had seen Shinnosuke, he was asking Ryoga
for directions to the bathroom, so they weren't expecting him to 
show up any time soon.

     Akane stood by the pond, staring at its calm surface. She was
totally unaware of Ranma's presence until he cleared his throat to
get her attention.

     She didn't look up at him but acknowledged him with a soft, "Hi."

     "What are you still doing here?"

     "I was just thinking."

     "About what?"

     "Nothing in particular."

     "Oh," Ranma said, unable to think of anything else to say.

     They stood there quietly for a while, watching a koi
occasionally jump above the water, the moonlight hitting its scales 
painting the surrounding area a bright rainbow of colors.

     "I-I got you something," Ranma whispered, breaking the silence.
"I meant to give it to you earlier, but..."

     "What is it?"

     Silently, he handed her the small, brightly covered package
that he had been holding the whole night.

     He watched as Akane eagerly ripped open her present. "I hope
you like it."

     She let out a gasp of surprise while she took out the contents
of the cheery red and yellow box. "My necklace! H-how did you find
it?"

     "I didn't. I saw it at a store in town and..." He stopped
talking when he saw a tear fall into the pond, marring its smooth 
surface. "Why are you crying? I thought you'd be happy."

     "I am," Akane answered while turning around to face him, 
wrapping her arms around his torso and embracing him tightly. 
"Thank you."

     Slowly, seeing that no one else was there to interrupt, Ranma
hugged her back.

     In another corner of the yard, Shinnosuke silently watched the
exchange. His expression unreadable, he put back a small velvet box
in his pocket and walked away.

    Source: geocities.com/area51/keep/3956/txt

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