This is our first fanfic, so please be gentle. Comments, criticisms
and MSTs are welcome. You can reach us at chiaty@singnet.com.sg
You can view this at http://www.singnet.com.sg/~chiaty
This story is set one year after the start of the series and
it takes on from there.
< > represents a character's thoughts.

DISCLAIMER : We have written this story out of fun. In no
way do we own the characters of this story, they belong to Takahashi
Rumiko, Shogakukan Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. 

The Fabulous World of Anime
Proudly Presents
A Joint Production by Cass and GSL


    The Pursuit Of Akane
    ---------------------

Part 2 : The Dating Game


(Outside the Tendo dojo)

        Two figures stepped out of a taxi. On closer inspection,
we see that they are Akane and Ryouga. "Um, Akane .... Did
... you .... enjoy the ....date?" Ryouga asked nervously.

        "Although I did not expect us to be away for 2 days,
it was generally a pleasant experience." Akane replied. 

        Ryouga was more than elated to hear her response. He thought
she did not enjoy the date, especially since he got her stranded
in France. But these couple of days was the best time of his life.
He had professed his love for Akane, their date went on smoothly
and she was beginning to enjoy his company. In short, he felt
like he was the happiest man on Earth. 

        Akane was about to enter the dojo when Ryouga suddenly tapped
her shoulder. She turned around and saw him standing there under
the moonlight. He had a silly smile on his face and began to speak.
"Akane, since we had such a good time, can we do this again
tomorrow?" Ryouga held his breath as he waited for her answer.

        Akane was dumbfounded, but when she looked at him, he looked
so cute, almost as handsome as Ranma, and his eyes, it was filled
with sincerity, pleading her to go out with him. "Yes, of
course."  She answered as she smiled. 

        <She said yes!> Ryouga's mind was screaming and that
smile, it melted him right away. This was the face that he wanted
to be with for the rest of his life. His thoughts were interrupted
when Akane began to speak. 

        "But this time, I get to lead the way. I can't afford
to miss school again." She grinned. 

        He nodded furiously. They then made their way into the house.

        The dojo was rather quiet. Soun and Genma were playing shoji,
Kasumi was in the kitchen cleaning up, Nabiki was in her room
reading a manga, and the only sign of disturbance was Ranma. He
was pacing to and fro in the living room, extremely agitated.
He began to mutter something about where did they go or why they
aren't back yet. His mind was in a mess right now. He could not
understand why he was concerned about her whereabouts; it was
not as if he liked her. <No, of course not, he didn't like
her, she was uncute, always malleting him and trying to poison
him with her food. But, then why was he so anxious?> he thought.

        The question was left unanswered as Akane and Ryouga entered
the room. They were smiling and this agitated Ranma more. He could
not understand his feelings but felt a pang of jealousy attacking
his heart. But, as usual he spoke before thinking. "Hey,
where were the two of you!" he asked angrily. 

        "It's none of your business." Akane retorted, obviously
still angry with Ranma for his earlier callous insults. She then
continued "Why, were you concerned about me?" 

        "Of course not, why would I be concerned about an uncute
tomboy like you?" Ranma answered defensively as a mallet
appeared from nowhere to send him kissing the floor. 

        "Baka!" Akane muttered under her breath before
leaving for her room. 

        Ryouga was at first angry with Ranma but was amused by the
proceedings that followed. He was especially happy when Ranma got
what he deserved. He vowed not to let Ranma destroy his wonderful
day. With his poor sense of direction, he tried to make his way
to his room and began to plan for the next date.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
(The next morning)

        As usual, Ranma was on the fence and Akane was walking on
the ground. She was still angry with him and he didn't dare to
approach her. He did not trust his tongue and knew better than to further
aggravate her anger. It was generally a quiet walk to the school.

        "Akane, thou beauty is comparable to the heavens. I
thank the kami for bringing you to me. For thy love, I would level
mountains and fill up the oceans. Only me, the Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High, am worthy of your love. But why did you go out
with the ever lost boy?" Kuno appeared right in front of
Akane and brandished a rose to her. 

        But before he could say anything further, he was sent away
by Akane Airlines. Akane turned towards Ranma, and said harshly,
"How come he knows that I went out with Ryouga!" 

        "The whole school knows, Nabiki has earned herself a
lot of money from this information." He defended himself.

         As soon as they were in their class, Akane was swarmed with
questions, like if she and Ranma had broken their engagement
or did Ryouga and her have sex. Akane started to get very angry
and her battle aura was visible. Almost on cue, the questions
stopped and everybody went back to their places. The rest of the
day was a repeat of the morning's event. Akane was kept busy answering
the many questions and her day was as bad as it could be.

        Ranma did not get off lightly, for he was also swarmed with
questions. <How could you let them go out on a date? > and
<Was the engagement broken?> were the most common questions
that he faced. He was not very happy about the questioning and
wished the day would end sooner.  

------------------------------------------------------------------

        Night began to fall. Ryouga was very excited about the date.
He was waiting for Akane to get dressed. He started to go over
his plans for the night, thinking of what to say to Akane. She
practically knew the story of his life and what is there that
he could say. He began to ponder over this question as Ranma
made his appearance in the room. 

        Ranma observed Ryouga silently. He was in a tux, that meant...
His mind screamed. <Not again, they just came back from
a date and they are going out again! I can't believe it!> He
was about to say something when Akane appeared from the stairs.
She was wearing a revealing blue gown, showing maximum cleavage.
She looked stunning and very sexy. She smiled when her eyes met
Ryouga's. Ranma cringed. He was angered by the unspoken exchange
between Ryouga and Akane. Before he could make any move, Ryouga
and Akane said their good-byes and left the dojo. His mind was
racing, and he began to panic. He could not stand the sight of
them together. <Was Akane in love with him or Ryouga? Did Ryouga
win her heart?> He had so many questions and the answers lay
within her. He could not ask her directly but ... <maybe I
could follow her to see if they were getting along that well.>
With that thought, he disappeared into the streets of Nerima.

        "Where are we going, Ryouga? Akane asked sweetly. 

        "Oh, we are going to an Italian restaurant called Pregoes.
Don't worry, I have dialed a cab to fetch us there so we won't
get lost. In fact the cab is waiting outside the dojo." He
smiled as he replied. He secretly vowed to make this date a successful
one. 

        They entered the cab and it drove off as Ranma came running
out. Ranma wanted to chase after the cab but Shampoo appeared
riding on her bike and knocked him down. "How come ai ren
know Shampoo here? Ah, I know, ai ren and Shampoo perfect pair,
know each other thinking." She started to glomp Ranma and
he was too dazed to stop her advances. The cab by now had vanished
out of sight and with Shampoo clinging onto him, he could not
do anything but return to the dojo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

         It was a posh restaurant with a romantic atmosphere. Everything
was almost perfect. The only thing that disturbed her was that
her companion was not Ranma. She brushed away the thought quickly,
determined to enjoy this date. Her previous date with Ryouga was
'interesting' and she knew better than to spoil this date with
thoughts of Ranma. Ryouga was shifting uneasily in his seat but
stopped when he saw her gaze. He looked cute, she thought. It
would be a wonderful night.

        They ate as they spoke of the trivial things. He spoke of
his travels around the world, while she listened attentively.
Occasionally, she would break into a hearty laugh. When it was
her time to speak, she spoke of her life before Ranma, about the
satisfaction of beating all the guys in school and the happier
times in her life. 

         Ryouga thought about the times when Akane confided in him.
But this was different. This time he was here in person, not as
P-chan. She was confiding in Ryouga and this made him happy as
he realized that she was beginning to accept him. He knew she
was having a great time and that was the reason why he was having
a great time too. 

         She was happy. To many people, this was just another normal
boring date. A candlelit dinner, music playing in the background
and waiters buzzing in and out serving them food. The person
sitting in front of her was not even the one she liked the most.
Thoughts of Ranma kept flooding her mind during the dinner despite
earlier attempts to shut them out. Ever since Ranma got here,
her life was anything but normal. She was kidnapped, challenged
by his other fiancées, drawn into adventures that involve
time travel or other mystical stuff. This dinner was something
that she longed for. <If only Ranma was here instead of Ryouga
but Ranma will never ask me out on a date.> She sighed. She
was uncertain of Ranma's feelings for her but she now knew that
Ryouga was in love with her. <He was always so sweet towards
me, how could I have missed the hint.> She berated herself.

        Being with Ryouga was also very different from being with
Ranma. With Ranma, you don't know what would happen next. In fact,
you couldn't even have a decent conversation with him without
insults being exchanged. But Ryouga was different, he had offered
her a peace of mind. She did not need to worry about the other
fiancées crashing in nor worry about his next insult at
her. Ryouga provided stability. 

         She could see that he is trying very hard to make her enjoy
this evening and she appreciates it. Since their first date, she
had gotten to know him better. At first, he was a bit shy but
tonight he seemed to be bolder. Gradually, she got engrossed in
their conversation, dispersing all thoughts about Ranma. And this
was when she started to enjoy herself, soaking in Ryouga's undivided
attention to her, complemented by the excellent atmosphere. In
conclusion, it was an excellent night.  

        Time seemed to pass quickly when you're enjoying yourself.
They had finished their dinner and Ryouga suggested going to the
beach. Akane had declined, stating schoolwork as a reason. Dejectedly,
Ryouga suggested taking a slow walk home but Akane would need
to take the lead. She agreed of course. The cool breeze and the
dim lights all added up to a beautiful walk. They talked merrily
as they made their way back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
(Back in the Tendo dojo)

        "Genma, you know, I am getting very worried. The kids
never seemed to get along. If we don't do something, our families
will never be joined." At this thought, Soun broke down into
tears. Genma, who was used to his constant weeping, was unfazed
by his sudden downpour but took the opportunity to switch the
Shoji board around. "I agree. Maybe we should set them up
on a date. You know ...." They kept their conversation down
and began planning. 

        <They must be up to something.> Ranma thought. He had
just stepped into the dojo and saw Mr. Tendo and his father discussing.
He knew they were most probably talking about Akane and him, maybe
planning of how to bring them together. He wondered how they could
be so oblivious to what is happening around them. They were still
unaware about the dates Akane had with Ryouga. <Baka!> He
muttered as he saw his father. How could he destroy his life like
that? Engaging him to so many people. As he thought of Akane having
a date with Ryouga, he got angry. To top it off, Shampoo foiled
his attempts to follow them. 

        <Shampoo.> He thought. She was a friend but she kept
pestering him with her advances. He did not like her to glomp
him. He didn't want to hurt her. He knew he didn't love her but
he just didn't know how to settle this problem. This evening,
she had came along to bring him her delicious ramen. But she also
did not lose any time in giving him hugs and kisses. He had to
struggle to keep her at bay and after much persuading, she agreed
to go home if he accompanied her. Once he sent her back, he took
the earliest opportunity to leave. He didn't want to get into
a fight with Mousse or worry about Cologne. He wanted to be alone.
He wanted to sort things out. He wanted to know if Akane had fallen
for Ryouga.

         Ranma slowly made his way to the roof. He liked to stay on
the roof, mainly because he was unlikely to be disturbed there.
He gazed into the sky. The moon shone brightly. He wondered if
his mind was playing tricks, as the stars seem to form the outline
of Akane's face. It even has Akane's characteristic smile. <Akane's
smiling face.> He relaxed slightly at this thought. <Why
did he get jealous of Ryouga? Was it because he liked Akane?>
He gulped. "No. Why would I like an uncute tomboy like her?"
He almost shouted out. But when he saw the stars, he was reminded
of her smiling face. She was so cute that it clenched his heart.
<Maybe it's time to stop denying your feelings. You love her,
don't let your pride get in the way.> He was startled. It was
as if there was another person talking to him. He turned around
to search for any moving being but found none. He knew the words
came from him. Somehow he had imprisoned his feelings for so long
that it alienated him. He was not ready to accept them. Again,
he pushed these feelings into the deeper dungeons of his heart.

        Akane and Ryouga had just stepped into the dojo, walking
across the backyard. Their return was met with scrutiny from Ranma.
They were laughing merrily and Ryouga seemed to be bracing himself
to ask Akane out again. <I can't take it any more.> Ranma
shouted in his mind and jumped down onto their path. He wanted
to vent his frustration on someone. Ryouga would do fine.

        Akane and Ryouga were taken aback by Ranma's sudden appearance.
They began to get angry. Ryouga was the first to explode. "Ranma,
what are you trying to do! For frightening Akane, Saotome, prepare
to DIE!" With a swift motion, Ryouga sent a kick flying at
Ranma's direction. Ranma was prepared for it. He sidestepped and
punched Ryouga in the gut. 

        "How does that feel, pig-boy?" Ranma smirked. 

        "Argh!" Ryouga's face grew redder and threw a chi-blow
at Ranma.

        Ranma dodged and continued to taunt Ryouga. "Is that
the best that you could do? You're pathetic." 

        "Well. Let's see about this." Ryouga moved with
deadly grace to sweep Ranma's legs off the ground. He was about
to follow up with a punch but was kicked away by Ranma.

         "Stop fighting!" Akane shouted. However, her command
fell on deaf ears.
  
        They continued fighting as Akane looked hopelessly at them.
She decided that they could take care of themselves and went inside
the house.  "Onee-chan. Ranma and Ryouga are fighting outside.
Can you please stop them?" Akane asked when she met Kasumi
on her way to her room. 

        "Oh my. I must hurry." Kasumi replied.

        In the backyard, Ranma and Ryouga were lying on the ground,
panting heavily. They each had taken a couple of blows but nothing
life threatening. Kasumi nearly cried out when she saw them. She
quickly helped them into their rooms and applied first aid. Ryouga 
was tired but he managed to thank Kasumi before slipping
into a deep sleep. Ranma strangely, on the other hand, felt contented.
He had pushed his frustrations out of his system and it felt good.
It did not matter whether how badly injured he was. He whispered
his apologies and appreciation to Kasumi before he too fell asleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
(In the morning, on the way to Furinkan High)

        <I don't understand why he must always fight with Ryouga.
Yesterday night, he just appeared from nowhere and gave me a fright.
Why must he spoil my day?> Akane was still ignoring Ranma and
refused even to look at him. 

        <She is still angry with me.> Ranma thought and wore
a worried expression on his face. <She is ignoring me now.
This is bad.> Ranma braced whatever courage he has and started
speaking. "Akane, can you stop ignoring me?  You have done
that for the past two days. What have I done to deserve such treatment
from you?"

        "What have you done!" Akane asked incredulously.
"You hurt my feelings with your harsh words. You started
a fight with Ryouga. To put it simply, you acted like a total
jerk." 

         "But.... I've always been like that and you didn't stay
mad for so long." Ranma continued. He waited for Akane
to speak but sensed that she was not going to say anything or
rather, she was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry." Ranma
spoke softly. He did not like to apologize but this was the only
way to salvage the situation. 

        Akane was fuming. When she heard the two little words, it
calmed her down. She was unsure whether to forgive him yet, but
he looked so apologetic. She started to observe her fiancée.
He looked worn out. It was as if he had gone through emotional
stress. The injuries from the previous night fight were showing.
This Ranma was not the one that she was accustomed to. Anyway,
she couldn't bring herself to hate Ranma for too long, especially
since now that he has apologized. "Let's just forget about
the whole thing." 

        Ranma was smiling from ear to ear when he heard her. She
too was influenced by him and forced a smile for him. "RRIIINNNGG!"

        "Come on Akane, let's hurry or we'll be late,"
Ranma blurted and ran. Akane followed and dashed into the building
of Furinkan High. She now felt much better.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
(Tendo dojo)

        Night had fallen. Nerima used to be a very peaceful neighbourhood.
That was, until Ranma and Genma moved in. Now, chaos was common.
Every now and then, screams were heard ricocheting around the
neighbourhood, just like this one. 

        "WWHHAAATT!" Ranma roared. 

        "You heard me. I've got you a reservation in a nice
restaurant. I borrowed a tuxedo for you. I even bought some flowers
for you to give Akane. Now, get dressed and take Akane out,"
Genma bellowed.

        "But...but...but..." Ranma tried.

        "No buts. If you don't go, not only Akane will get upset,
Soun will eat you alive before throwing us out of the house. So,
go get changed. Akane is waiting." Genma retorted and pushed
Ranma into his room. He waited at the door for a few minutes to
make sure that Ranma didn't sneak away. <Strange. Ranma didn't
put up much of a struggle. Hmm... could he have fled by the windows?
Oh, no!> Genma rushed into the room to see Ranma half-naked.

        Ranma's frown disappeared after entering the room. <Akane's
waiting for him.> Genma's last words kept lingering in his
mind. He had objected to the date that his father set up but
somehow, deep inside, he felt joy. He was excited but at the same
time, repelled the idea of the date.  He began to change into
the tux that was lying on his futon. This was the time when Genma
charged in. 

        "Oops. Sorry. Just to check if you are still here."
Genma spoke before retreating.

        Meanwhile, in Akane's room, Soun had started sobbing. "Akane,
if you and Ranma don't get married, the Tendo family and the Saotome
family would not be joined. Our dojo will not have an heir. Akane,
for our family honour and my sake, please go on this date."

        Akane looked on helplessly as her father wailed. She couldn't
reject her father or risk having her room flooded. She nodded
and Soun cried even harder. "Oh, my daughter is going on
a date." Akane face-faulted.  After her father left, Akane
had begun to get dressed. Her heartbeat hastened and she felt
a sweet tingling feeling in her heart. For nights, she had dreamed
of going out with Ranma, and today, it has become a reality. Since
this morning, Ranma had been very nice to her. They had not fought
and this was a feat. She sighed. <If only Ranma had personally
asked her out.>

        An knock was heard. With the grace of a lady, Akane walked
towards the door and opened it. Ranma was there. 

        "For you." He was holding a bunch of roses, with
an embarrassed smile on his face.

        "Thanks," Akane said as she took the roses from
him. The sweet scent of the roses began to register in her mind
as her spirit soared to greater heights.

        <Wow! She is really beautiful tonight.> Ranma thought.
"Um, are you ready?"

        "Yes," Akane replied in a matter-of-fact voice.

        "So, let's go." Ranma held up his hand to Akane
absent-mindedly. She was apprehensive but took it anyway. He was
electrified by her touch. 

        Click. Ranma and Akane simultaneously turned towards the
source of the sound.

        "Well, looks like father's plan has worked," Nabiki
grinned, holding a camera in her hands.

        "Hey! Give me the film!" Ranma ordered as he closed
in on Nabiki.

         "Not in your lifetime," Nabiki retorted. She made
a dash to her room and locked it. "By the way, have a nice
time at La Mason," shouted Nabiki.

        Ranma was disgusted and Akane had a disapproving look at
her face. "Come on. Let's go. We can handle her later."
Akane stated. Ranma agreed. They bade their farewells to the rest
of the family and left.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "Argh! Where am I now?" Ryouga shouted, holding
a bunch of flowers in his hand. He had left the Tendo dojo in
the morning to buy flowers for Akane. He had intended to surprise
her with his gift but now he was lost, as usual.  Lost in a forest,
with nobody to ask for help, he walked in another direction and
prayed that this would lead him to Akane.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "BANG!" A large hole was formed as Shampoo cruised
in with her bike. She looked around but only found Nabiki reading
a manga. "Hello, Nabiki. You see Ranma? I brought ramen."

         Nabiki sighed, "Could you please use the door? Our maintenance
expenditure is increasing by leaps and bounds. As for your question,
it will cost you."

        Shampoo fiddled with her wallet and pulled several bills
for Nabiki. 

        "As I said, this will cost you, especially after the
hole in the wall that you made." Nabiki grinned after taking
the money and laid her hand out, asking for more.

         Shampoo unwillingly pulled out all the money that she had
and gave it to Nabiki.

        "He is at La Mason, an Italian restaurant." Nabiki
replied.

        With a flash, Shampoo disappeared through the hole. Nabiki
was busy counting the money when a knock was heard. She went to
answer the door and found Ukyou waiting.

         "Hello, Nabiki. Where is Ranma? I've made some okonomiyaki
for him." Ukyou smiled.

         "Oh, this is going to cost you." Nabiki grinned.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

         Ranma was pulling a chair for Akane. He had been acting very
chivalrously, opening the doors for her, speaking so politely.
She even wondered if the person she was with, was Ranma. So far,
everything was going fine. No insults, no bad feelings. However,
Ranma seemed to be 'slower' in his response than usual. He seemed
to take time to carefully plan his words before saying it. She
knew that he was trying very hard not to anger her, and she appreciated
his efforts. 

        The night before, Akane was with Ryouga in a similar restaurant.
She secretly hoped that this date with Ranma would be more enjoyable.

        Ranma smiled. He felt uneasy wearing a tux and on top of
that, he was having a date with Akane. He vowed to make best of
whatever his father had planned for him. Akane's dates with Ryouga
had troubled him significantly. 

        They brought up their wineglasses for a toast and began sipping.
Then, they stared endlessly into each other's eyes. Ranma was
at a loss for words. He preferred not to say anything or risk
angering Akane. The uncomfortable silence lasted for quite a while.

        "Ranma, you are awfully quiet today. What's wrong?"
Akane asked.

        "Huh. Nothing's wrong. Just enjoying the atmosphere."
Ranma replied nervously. "What do you want to do after the
dinner?"

        "What do you suggest?" Akane grinned. <Wow.
This date is becoming a real one.>

        "Well, we could go to the beach or visit the newly opened
disco." Ranma answered trying to hide his enthusiasm. 

        "I would go anywhere with you." 

        Ranma smiled, and then realization struck him. That voice
did not belong to Akane. He turned and saw Shampoo. She groped
him. He saw the change of expression on Akane's face, from a confused
look to a very angry look. He frantically tried to push her away
and in doing so, he brushed Shampoo's breasts. Akane was mad.
He was desperate. Finally, a giant spatula separated them. Shampoo
was sent flying and crashed onto a neighbouring table. He was
grateful. He wanted to thank Ukyou but she began fussing over
him. He then felt Akane's deadly gaze and shuddered. He went limp
as Akane dropped her mallet on him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

        "That jerk. How dare he flirt with them when he is having
a date with me! I hate him!" Akane cried. She had run away
from the restaurant but not before rendering Ranma unconscious.
In the corner of her eyes, she saw Ukyou and Shampoo fighting
to give him first aid. Her anger subsided and was replaced by
sadness. Her tears started to flow fiercely. <It had the beginning
of a good date and he just had to ruin it.> She bumped into
something and lost her balance.

        "Ryouga?" Akane saw the familiar face under the
dim streetlight. She crawled towards him and hugged him tightly.

        He couldn't breathe as Akane had held him too tightly. He
didn't care if he gets suffocated. Her tears had soaked his shirt.
He didn't care that he may turn into a pig. The woman that he
loves so dearly was crying and that was what that matters. He
cursed himself. He had vowed to protect her and she was in so
much grief. He knew it had to be Ranma who had hurt her so badly.
<I will kill you, Saotome.>

        Ryouga patted her on her back and hushed her. Akane got control
of her feelings and was looking at Ryouga now. She was slightly
embarrassed by her crying. "I'm sorry Ryouga."

        "It's all right. Are you okay?" Ryouga asked worriedly.
His hands by his side now.

        "Yeah. I'm fine." Akane responded. But deep inside,
she could still feel the bitterness.

        "Let me walk you home." Ryouga said.

        Akane nodded.

        "Umm. Akane, which direction is the Tendo dojo?"
Ryouga asked shyly. 

        Akane forced a wry smile and led the way. Ryouga followed
beside her. They had maintained silence for Akane did not wish
to talk. Ryouga watched impatiently at Akane. He wanted to know
what was eating her? What did Ranma do? He wanted desperately to
hug her and will her sadness to go away. "Akane. I want to
help you. Tell me what happened." 

        "Ryouga, I know you care for me but can you let me
grieve alone." Akane whispered, not even turning her head
to face Ryouga.

        "Is it Ranma?" Ryouga asked. He had to know what
happened.

        Akane was silent but then she began sobbing.

        <Stupid! Why did I let her cry again!> Ryouga cursed
himself again. Her tear-shrieked face felt like a dagger thrust
into his heart. He brought Akane into his arms and carefully stroked
her hair. "I'm sorry, Akane. I shouldn't have mentioned him.
It's just that seeing how sad you are pains me. I would do anything
to make your sadness go away. If you would let me, share your
woes with me. I would do my best to protect you."

        His words touched her. She looked up at him. He was like
a saviour to her. She was still crying in his arms and in between
sobs, she began to speak. "Sometimes, I feel that he does
not cherish me. If he doesn't like me, why did he not denounce
the engagement? If he does, why did he maintain all the other
claims that Shampoo, Ukyou and even Kodachi made? Why does he
always insult me? Why.....why am I crying over him?"

        "He is not worth crying for. Ranma's a jerk. If I were
him, I would thank the kami for us to be engaged. I would never
let you grieve in such a way. If he doesn't cherish you, I will.
If he doesn't love you, I will. Your happiness is what I live
for." Ryouga was staring at Akane. His eyes brimming with
his love for Akane. "Akane, I love you. I know I said that
before. I know you may not feel the same way with me but...but...
you must know that you are a very beautiful woman. It is Ranma's
loss that he does not cherish you. And......" Ryouga was
at a loss for words. He wasn't a good speaker but his sincerity
warmed Akane's heart.

        "Thank you, Ryouga. I don't know what to say."
Here was a man who loves and cherishes her. She was taken aback
by his confession of love for her. But his words comforted
her. <It is Ranma's loss.> She repeated over and over in
her mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dictionary:

kami = god

onee-chan = older sister

Back to fanfics index Go to Part 3