A/N: Ok, so I got the idea from Philosophy class, obviously and I just thought Socrates made some really good points. The question and answer thingy really works.
Disclaimer: We don't own Ranma ½. We wish we did, but we don't.
THE SOCRATIC METHOD
Akane isn't stupid. She knows this and at the moment, she is hating Socrates.
A line on the book says: I know that I know nothing.
She knows what it means. It means having to humble herself and acknowledge the fact that there are questions she can't answer.
Like, why boys keep slipping love letters into her locker even though she's cut her hair short, can beat anyone of them up, and has acquired a martial artist fiancé with a superiority complex and chaos for a tailbone.
She also doesn't know why Ranma keeps giving her these funny looks sometimes, like he's arguing with himself about something. And why she can't quite manage to hate him, no matter how many times she tells herself to.
She leaves that line- I know that I know nothing- and continues reading.
This time, something catches her eye and she decides that maybe Socrates wasn't such a bad guy.
Know thyself.
Akane is simmering. Ranma thinks she doesn't notice but she does.
He's up on the fence, hands behind his head, feigning nonchalance.
She is staring straight ahead, clutching her school bag tightly, trying not to fidget under the intensity of his gaze. Ranma's eyes feel so heavy that she thinks she's going to trip under their weight.
Finally, she stops, looks up at him in irritation and says, "WHAT?"
He blushes. He has that look on his face, like he's arguing with himself. He can't come up with an answer.
Akane doesn't like being made to wait. The blush doesn't disappear even as he falls into the canal.
Akane glares at him, now a girl, through the fence. Stupid Ranma thinks I'm too stupid to notice…
If Ranma doesn't want Shampoo and Ukyo glomping him all the time, why can't he just tell them they're stupid, uncute tomboys, like he always tells her?
Akane raises a twitching eyebrow as Shampoo tries to hug the life out of him and Ukyo tries to pull her away.
Why can't he just insult them like he always does her? It works like a charm, anyway. Akane has never crept into Ranma's bed naked.
And then it hits her. Maybe Ranma doesn't think they're stupid, uncute tomboys. He's reserved those particular insults especially for her.
Akane brings out her mallet.
To Akane, P-chan is the cutest thing in the world. She doesn't understand why Ranma hates the little pig. How can you not love those big brown eyes and that cute little yellow bandanna?
She sits on the edge of the dojo's porch, smoothing out her skirt. Akane baby talks the little pig and snuggles him to her chest. She is about to kiss his cute little snout when Ranma tries to grab him. She pulls her pet to her chest protectively and dodges Ranma.
"WHAT is wrong with you?" she screams at him, still holding P-chan.
"Get that dirty little thing away from your boobs!" he screams back.
Akane's eyes narrow and she turns red with anger. "When did you become such a patriot of hygiene, you stupid pervert?"
Ranma's chest rises and falls with the effort to breathe. "Fine," he says, "and I am NOT a pervert". He huffs his way into the dojo.
Akane looks away haughtily. When she hears Ranma working off his anger in the dojo, she begins coddling P-chan again.
The last time she was sick, Akane was five years old. She has always had faith in her immune system. Battle injuries and clumsy falls don't count.
Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe how she is feeling right now. She feels hot and cold at the same time and she doesn't know whether to kick her blankets off or ask for another one.
She sneezes and decides that when all this is over, she's going to mallet her fiancé into another country.
Why the hell did she get in the way again?
Because Ryoga was having a good day and Ranma was about to lose his balance, that's why.
Probably with the help of an adrenaline rush, she had managed to jump onto the fence and block one of Ryoga's punches with her forearm. She fell into the canal, Ryoga looking on, horrified at what he had just done. He wanted to jump in and help her but he knew that doing so would be useless if he was going to turn into a little pig anyway. Ranma, finally managing to regain his balance, jumped after his fiancée and pulled her out.
Both had walked home, soaked to the bone, but somehow, only Akane caught a cold. How the sniffles turned into a full-blown fever, she did not know.
She is half asleep when she hears somebody enter the room. Her fever won't let her open her eyes.
"Sorry, Akane," she hears from her bedside. It's Ranma's voice.
He thinks she's asleep and takes her hand. Even in delirium, she wonders why he would do that.
Guilt, she answers herself.
She hears him walk away. And then the sound of his footsteps stops. She asks herself why he's hesitating. She doesn't know it, but he has that look on his face, like he's arguing with himself.
She hears him walk towards her again. The questions are making the headache worse.
She feels a brush of breath on her forehead and suddenly, his lips were there, lingering for a while before carefully pulling away.
And then she knows. Even without asking.
-End
A/N: Short and sweet? You decide.