OK, I have absolutely NO idea why I even wrote this, but I ended up thinking it was kinda cute!

Well, that's just MY opinion, though. Read on, and give me yours!

MattSaotome

Post-Crashed-Wedding Syndrome

Ranma walked in silence along the green fence once again. He was heading for school, and about to face the most difficult part of it all. Final exams. He shuddered at the thought. It had been two years already, and he was more than prepared to never see the inside of his high school again!

"By the way, Ranma," Akane walked on the street beside him. Her eyes were low, and a stern look covered her features. Her schoolbag held out in front of her, as it had always been. "It wasn't anywhere close to my fault!"

Ranma took in a deep breath and let it back out with a huff. He was tired of arguing about this. They had been doing it day in and day out for the past month. He really didn't want to hear any more of it. He cast his mind back to the day in question.

The wedding was ready to begin, with the invited guests to arrive shortly. A sudden commotion ensued when it was discovered that Soan had received a pitcher of Nanniichuan from the Jusenkyo guide in appreciation for Ranma's assistance against Saffron. Soan had intended to keep the pitcher a secret until they were well underway with the wedding reception, but Genma had other plans as he stole the cursed water and took off with it. He was intercepted by Ryoga and several others, including Ranma.

Then, all of a sudden, Ranma's suitors began to appear. First, Shampoo and Ukyo, and then Kodatchi, who was already clothed in a wedding dress of her own design. Not far behind them was Kuno. Pandemonium ensued, and within mere seconds, the Nanniichuan had been drank by Happosai (who had mistaken it for Sake), and the hall around them was destroyed. All this was done just in time for the guests to arrive at the Tendo residence.

The next day, Soan sat and talked with Akane and Ranma. He informed them that the wedding had been postponed until they could clear up their lingering relationships. They went off to school with Akane telling Ranma that her father's speech mostly applied to him.

He had been defending himself every day since against that very same accusation.

"Dammit, Akane," he huffed again. "I'm so sick of fighting about this! Can't you just let it be? Why do you have to be so moody all the time?!"

Akane scoffed. "Ranma, you're so thick-headed! Do you have any idea how much of a jerk you are?!"

Ranma stuck his tongue out at her. "At least I'm not a tomboy, like you!"

Akane threw her schoolbag at him, hitting him square in the jaw. "Grow up, Ranma! You're eighteen years old, you idiot!"

"Oh, yeah?" Ranma retorted. "Look who's talking!"

Akane 'hmph'ed, throwing her head to the side, and began to walk away. Ranma just glared after her with a scowl. He sat on the fence, supporting his head with his hands, still watching her walk away. His expression softened with a sigh. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, he let his head drop for a second.

"Dammit, Akane," he cursed. "I'm really trying. Really." He looked back up and saw her silhouette vanishing on the horizon. "But what am I supposed to do about those three morons, anyways? Shampoo will never quit! Ukyo won't either… and Kodatchi… that crazy bitch belongs in a mental facility!!"

He sighed to himself again. Now why can't I just say that to Akane's face…?

Ranma stood up again and ran along the fence line to catch up to Akane. As she came back into view, a smile twitched at the corner of Ranma's mouth. He caught up to her with ease, and he was soon walking along beside her again. He stared straight forward, knowing that if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to say a damned thing.

"Akane," he breathed. "Listen. I'm… sorry… that I snapped back there. I-it… it's not your fault."

Akane stopped walking. She turned and looked up at Ranma, surprised. Did he really mean that? Was he actually apologizing to her?

"It's ok, Ranma," she answered. Better not say anything else…

Ranma waited for the 'It's not really your fault, either' that he wanted to hear, but it never came. He let out a small breath and continued.

"I mean Kuno did show up and try to kick my butt, so he is only one to my three. But hey, who's counting?!"

Akane's face twisted back into rage. "You Asshole!!" Her bag flew at him again, slamming into his chest with such force that he was tipped over backwards. He fell from the fence to the water main below, a large splash sounding as he hit the water.

Akane seethed there for a second longer. Then a tiny "No Fair, Akane!" drifted to her ears from below.

"Jerk!" She shouted back. Then, she turned and walked off.

With a leap, a figure came flying up out of the water main to land on the fence. Drenched from head to foot, a red-headed female version of Ranma glared at Akane walking away.

"Moody Tomboy…" Ranma mused. She jumped off the fence and onto the street. This was not what she needed on final exam day. With a snarl, she turned back in the direction of the Tendo Dojo and broke out into a run.

I've got to go change back and get some dry clothes! Oh, Man! I only have ten minutes to do that and be back at school! Hmph! Roof tops it is!

With that thought, Ranma kicked her foot out behind her and flew up to jump along the roof tops. The Dojo was only a two minute hop away.

Akane fidgeted with her pencil, staring down at the paper in front of her. The minutes ticked by agonizingly as she thought hard about the question she was trying to answer. Finally, with a look of worry, she put her pencil to the paper and began to write.

Ranma glared at her from across the room. Stupid… he thought. He gave his head a little shake and looked back down to his paper. His face melted into despair, and he began to furiously scribble answers down.

That crazy Akane! Where the hell does she get off throwing me at water all the time?! She knows how much I hate changing into a girl! Hmph! She knows even better how much I hate the trouble of finding hot water to change back… dummy!

He took a second to review his answers. The last one he'd filled out came to his eyes, and his jaw dropped as he realized that he'd written what he was thinking in place of the answer.

"Gak!" Ranma quickly erased his mental scribble and filled in the blank lines properly.

Akane sighed as she poured over her answers as well. Question one… good. Two… good. Three… It'd have to do. She did this all the way down, putting little checkmarks beside her answers if she approved of them.

What is it with him, anyways! All he needs to do is show that stupid Shampoo who's boss, and Ukyo will fall in line! Mind you, the only way to deal with Kodatchi is to lock her up… but that doesn't change the fact that he can fix this if he really wants! Pfuhh! Who am I kidding? He won't. The only way he'd do that is if he actually likes me, and the answer to that is all too obvious! Jerk!

As she came out of her mental reverie, she stared back at her answer sheet.

"Eek!" she squealed. Beside the last dozen answers, instead of a checkmark, she had written a single word all the way down.

'Baka!'

She frantically erased the words and started checking her answers from the top.

Two hours slithered by slower than a snail. Finally, a little buzzer sounded at the front of the class. The teacher looked up from his desk and smiled. Before him, there were only three students left writing, all of them seeming to be on the last few questions.

"Pencils down," the teacher called out. The remaining three students gave only minor, mumbled objections as they obeyed. The teacher stood and began to collect the answer sheets from around the class. He came to Ranma, one of the remaining three and looked down at him.

"And how do you think you did, Mr. Saotome?"

Ranma gave a little growl. Bite me! That was what he wanted to say. Instead, he shrugged and put his head in his hands. The teacher frowned a little. "O… Kay… good answer." As his soon to be ex-instructor walked away from him, Ranma swam in his own thoughts again.

All I want is to move on from that stupid wedding thing. She's so wrapped up in it. The only reason it's ever gonna happen is cause my stupid Pops made a decision with her dad to betroth us… stupid old man.

Liar!

His eyes snapped wide as he realized that he'd just yelled at himself mentally. What was that supposed to mean?! That was the truth!

You only make yourself think that way because you're a coward!

Hey! Whose side was his brain on, anyways?! And how dare he call himself a coward?! Wait… that didn't make any sense. Ranma sighed heavily as he slumped back into his chair. He couldn't wait to get dismissed so he could go back to the Dojo and beat the hell out of a pole or something! Training weighed heavily on his thoughts now, and all he wanted to do was break something.

The teacher continued to pick up sheets from the rest of the students. As he came to Akane, he smiled again.

"Just couldn't quite fit in those last few answers, eh Miss Tendo? Do you think you did alright otherwise?"

She glared at him, but managed to feign a smile. In her mind, she had grabbed her permanent marker and scribbled countless swear words all over his face. She nodded instead, and looked back down at her hands, folded in front of her. The teacher walked away, and Akane's gaze turned to Ranma. He was leaning back in his seat, wiping both his hands up and down his face like something was bothering him. She growled inside.

Yeah, right! The only thing that's bugging him is the fact that he has to stay here until he's dismissed by the teacher! All he probably wants to do is go train some more. Why can't he just do what he needs to do and get rid of those three idiots that call themselves 'suitors'?! If they bug him so much on a daily basis, then why can't he tell them and get it over with? Stupid Jerk!

Once the teacher had gathered up all the answer sheets, he moved to the head of the classroom and turned to face them. His face was grim as he surveyed the students, each and every one of them shrinking under his stare. Except for Ranma and Akane, of course, but he had come to expect that from the couple.

His face softened, and a grin appeared on him.

"Class dismissed!"

There was a giant cheer from everyone there as the masses jumped out of their desks and began heading for the door. The teacher chuckled to himself and turned to his desk to begin marking the exams. As he was rounding the desk to sit down, Ranma came up to him. He stepped right up to the instructor's desk and leaned over it, putting his face mere centimeters from the teacher's.

"I… hate… you…" he snarled.

The teacher regarded him with sarcastic surprise. "Why, Mr. Saotome! What ever for?"

Ranma slammed his hand down on the pile of exams. "The last question, you idiot!" With that, Ranma gritted his teeth and threw himself away from the teacher's desk, joining the horde of students leaving the classroom.

Akane watched what happened between Ranma and her teacher and walked up to his desk now.

"Excuse me, Mr. Tsaukyo; may I have my answer sheet for a moment? I think I forgot to put my last name on it."

The teacher nodded as he ruffled through the pile of paper. "Ah!" he proclaimed as he pulled Akane's from the pile. He surveyed it for a second, and then handed it over. "Indeed, you did forget, Miss Tendo."

Akane scribbled her last name down on it, then flipped the answer sheet open to the last page. She glared, wide eyed at the question at the bottom. The last question that Ranma had been so upset about. If she had read that far down, she would have seen it. In front of her very eyes, the question shone out to her.

'Question 237: Do you think Ranma and Akane will ever get married?'

She crumpled her answer sheet into a ball with a snarl of rage. Whipping around to face the teacher again, she shoved her hand forward, ramming her balled up exam sheet right into his mouth, then she punched him hard across the jaw.

"Insensitive prick!!" she stormed out of the room. The teacher rubbed at his jaw as he removed the crumpled answer paper from his mouth.

"Uh… have a nice life, guys. See you around the planet… It was supposed to be a joke… Ranma…? Akane…?"

They were long out of earshot as they tore down the halls and out the main doors. Akane breathed in the fresh air deeply as Ranma stretched his hands out towards the sky.

"I'm free!!!" He hollered with a grin. Akane giggled a bit as she wandered over to him.

"And that makes you oh-so-happy?"

He nodded as he began to walk towards the gate.

"Did you see what that jerk wrote for a final question?!" Ranma growled again. "If I ever see him walking around, he's toast!"

Akane's face twisted into hatred. "Burnt toast!" She seconded.

The two of them walked away from the school, sharing their hatred for their teacher as they made the journey back to the Dojo. Neither one of them looked back. School was a part of their lives that both were glad to close the door to. Silence graced them, and they meandered home the same way they came; Ranma walking the fence with Akane beside him on the street, her bag out in front of her as it had always been.

Ranma sat leaning against the door frame of the entryway to the back yard a week later. The sun was a little on the hot side that day, so he decided on a cool glass of lemonade while enjoying the day relaxing instead of training. There was a cup of the cool beverage in his hand, and a second one sitting beside him, still full. He hadn't thought about it since he put it there, but the trigger would show up eventually.

Akane walked into the dining room. She looked around and, seeing nobody but Ranma, turned to leave again.

"Akane," Ranma's calm voice stopped her. She turned around again and looked at him, surprise washing over her expression. Sitting against the door frame, Ranma was holding up a full glass of lemonade to her!

She stepped forward, reached out a hesitant hand and took the glass from him. She stared into the liquid for a second. This is…

Ranma, without looking away from the outdoors, tapped a single finger beside himself twice. Akane felt stupid. He was inviting her to sit with him. Sure, it wasn't exactly rolling out the welcome mat, but she knew, none the less. Taking small steps around Ranma, she moved around the front of him and sat down at his side as he had requested. To her further surprise, Ranma turned a little so he was leaning against the outside wall slightly. Hesitantly, she followed suit, and letting only a second pass, she allowed herself to push back against his left chest.

She held her lemonade glass in silence, looking out into the day, trying to find the glory that Ranma seemed to see in it. Long, quiet moments passed by them. Ranma lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip. He placed the glass back down beside himself, and then reached out a hand to hold Akane's shoulder.

"It's beautiful outside," he mused. "I know it sounds funny, but it's so much easier to appreciate now that school is done and over with! Heh, education always did seem to get in the way of beautiful things…"

Akane wasn't sure what to say to him. "…Ranma…"

"Listen, Akane," he sighed, picking his glass up again to stare into it. "I know that I've got 'lingering relationships' that I have to deal with. I just wanted you to know that… somehow… I'll figure it out."

"Ranma," Akane lifted her head to look at him. "If this is about the last question on the exam-"

"No, Akane," Ranma stopped her. "Well… Yes, but not really."

Akane looked at him funny.

"Uh…" Ranma tried to regain his train of thought. "I'm trying to say… that… well… I mean, I know that the wedding flopped and all but if you… wanted…"

Akane sat up and turned so she was facing him, looking back into his eyes as he gazed up to hers.

"Ranma," she said quietly. "…Kiss me."

Ranma's glass fell to the floor and shattered. "Wai-What?!" His eyes were huge.

"…Kiss me," Akane repeated herself, her gaze locked with his. "There's… something I need to know…"

Ranma sat quietly, still shocked. Was she serious? Kiss her?? What was she up to? There had to be a reason she was doing it. The last time she had offered to let him kiss her was after the stupid dance of death thingy at the skating rink two years ago! Just what was she doing?!

"You're… serious… aren't you?!" Ranma exclaimed in a quiet voice. Akane nodded slowly.

Ranma lost control of his muscles, and his body leaned towards her of its own accord. He brought a hand up to her cheek that slid to her chin and lifted it as he moved his face closer to hers. Their eyes began to close together, and as Ranma realized what he was doing, Akane closed the distance and their lips met.

His face went beat red, and he could feel his cheeks burning. Yet, for some reason, his hand stayed holding her chin, and he didn't pull away. Their eyes remained closed, and Ranma could feel energy shooting through his veins, sending a wonderful chill down his nerves as he relaxed into the kiss. His hand drifted from her chin back behind her neck, and he gently pulled her towards him as their kiss deepened.

Akane's mind swam in a river of confusion and want. So much flashed through her thoughts as she leaned in to Ranma's gentle tug. Did she actually have feelings for him? A cool shiver flooded her body at the feel of his lips, and she realized her eyes were closed. That answered that question! And what about Ranma? Did he have feelings for her as well? She wanted to lean forward and be held by him. She wanted him to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She wanted him to… to…

Ranma leaned back carefully, gently pulling his lips away from hers. His eyes still closed, he moved around her face, pushing his cheek against hers as he whispered to her, his breath rippling ever so softly over her ear, and sending a wave of pleasure surging through her.

"…akane…" he whispered. "…are we… still… e-en-engaged…?"

"…ranma…" she whispered back. "…do you think we have a chance?"

Kasumi's gentle voice rippled into the dining room from the front door.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Tsaukyo."

"Good afternoon, Kasumi. Are Ranma and Akane around?"

"I believe they're in the dining room. If you'll wait I'll fetch them for you."

Ranma's eyes snapped open and he slammed himself back against the wall. Akane must have heard it as well. Her eyes were also wide as she jumped to her feet and backed a few inches away from Ranma. The two blinked at each other.

"A…kane…?"

"…Ranma…?"

They took off in separate directions. Akane ran towards the training hall as Ranma headed for the open yard. The question that they never got to ask each other was left to linger at the front of each of their minds.

Kasumi walked into an empty dining room, where just a few seconds before, she'd seen Ranma and Akane by the outside wall, kissing. Instead, she saw Ranma by the pond practicing his chestnut fist, and Akane was opening the door to the training hall.

Those two… Kasumi thought.

Ranma's fists flew through the air at incredible speeds. With each swing, he fought to regain what he had felt just seconds before. He replayed the kiss over and over in his mind, each time wondering why he had done it.

Akane, he thought. Why did we do that? I'm confused enough as it is! Now I have to think about this? There's… just no way that you love me! You always tell me what a jerk I am, and you're always throwing stuff at me… why the kiss?!

His mind fought and fought to understand what had taken place. He couldn't deny any more that, somewhere deep inside, he had feelings for her. He had to. There just wasn't any other reason that he would have let himself go like that. It was supposed to be a simple question. Did Akane still want to be engaged to him even though the first wedding attempt had failed?

"Why… Couldn't… I… Just… Say it… Like… THAT!" he growled each word with every swing.

Akane slid the door to the training hall open. Instead of going over to the closet and putting on her Gi, she moved to one of the windows. As she peered out, she watched Ranma practice. Hard muscles flexed with every swing he made, each fist stopping at the same distance as the one before. She watched with fascination as his biceps would grow slightly, and then shrink in perfect opposite synchronicity. His consistent, strong breathing was made visible by his chest moving up and down. As she watched him, she knew something deep down.

Ranma… maybe I do have some feelings for you after all. But why? You're always such an insensitive jerk. All you ever seem to do is make me angry at you, and sometimes I think you go out of your way to do it. Why did you kiss me when I asked you to? Is it possible that… you actually have feelings for me, too?

Then she saw Ranma's mouth moving, and she stared at it hard as she read each word that he grunted out.

Why Couldn't I Just Say It Like That

Say what? What was it he wants to say that he hasn't? Then Akane remembered how Ranma had started out speaking to her.

"I'm trying to say… that… well… I mean, I know that the wedding flopped and all but if you… wanted…" Akane finished the sentence in her mind as she pieced it together with what he had whispered to her.

"If you wanted to," Akane spoke quietly to herself, still staring out at Ranma. "We could still be engaged."

He wants to try again!

She didn't know what to think, at first. If Ranma had been the one to ask, then it must have meant something to him. Maybe this was another one of those 'Overcome all odds' scenarios to him… She quickly rushed that thought out of her head. If Ranma saw this as only a challenge, he wouldn't stake a life long commitment on its outcome. No, somewhere inside of Ranma, there had to be feelings guiding him to this. It didn't really matter, though. In the end, her answer was always going to be the same. And just maybe, she was starting to realise why.

Of course she wanted to! She smiled lightly as she continued to watch him exercise. New knowledge lingered in her now. Somewhere, beneath his tough exterior, Ranma had feelings just like she did. He had trouble getting to them, but the moments that really mattered most to her were the ones where he dug deep down inside himself… and just said what he felt instead of beating around the bush!

Outside, Ranma stopped for a second. He looked up towards the window Akane was at. Her smile faded a little, but she kept a bit of it at the corner of her mouth as she nodded to him and said one word out loud.

"Okay."

Ranma watched her nod and read her lips, and then he smiled as well. He shifted from one leg to the other as his smile got bigger, and he brought his fists up and continued to practice. Somehow, even though it normally had the opposite effect, Akane watching him practice made him more focused.

Deep inside, he knew that what had just taken place between them was a silent agreement to give things another shot. In his head, he played it like a battle, though he knew it was far more than that. He had always considered himself to be a person that could master any challenge put before him. This was the mother of them all, and no mistake. He knew that, deep down, he had some kind of feelings towards Akane. Some day, he'd get them all sorted out. Until that day arrived, however, he would just have to keep trying.

"Ranma!" Kasumi called from the deck. Ranma stopped and turned to face the house.

"What is it, Kasumi?" he asked.

"Mr. Tsaukyo is here to see you!"

"OK!" He swung once or twice more at the air, and then calmed himself as the sweat trickled down the side of his face. He looked to the window once more and nodded his head in the direction of the house, indicating to Akane that they were wanted inside.

He saw her look over to the house and then back away from the window to head for the exit. After taking a second to breathe deep a few times, he ripped off his white sleeveless trainer and walked in the direction of the dining room entrance, wiping himself off with the torn garment.

"Ah, Akane. Ranma." Mr. Tsaukyo greeted them each as they walked into the dining room. "I'm glad to see you."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma breathed as he threw his torn shirt over his shoulder.

"Wish I could say the same," Akane growled at him as she crossed her arms.

Mr. Tsaukyo sighed and scratched the side of his face. "Listen, I know that you guys didn't approve of that last question, but it was only meant to be in good fun. It was my way of letting you guys know that I actually enjoyed having you around this year."

Akane blinked, and Ranma's face went blank. "Huh?" he questioned.

"You two were the most interesting students that I've ever had. I never had a dull day when the two of you were around, and you inadvertently kept the entire class in line behind you. Whether or not you realized it."

Akane and Ranma were speechless. They had been idolized by their class? Since when?! Gosenkugi was always causing trouble by taking his stupid pictures of Akane, and all the other people in the class either wanted to marry Ranma's fiancée, or kill Ranma! How could they have missed the switch?!

"See," Mr. Tsaukyo continued "Ranma always stood up for you against the other guys, Akane. For this reason, they never wanted to cross him. After that stupid incident in the gym that put you into the hospital, all the guys lined up behind Ranma and respected his space. And Akane, every girl in that class would kill to have the guy you beat up on a daily basis. Instead of being jealous of you, probably because most of them consider you a friend, they supported you and tried to be there for you when you thought Ranma wasn't. In that way, they all lined up behind you!"

"Wow…" Ranma breathed.

"I never thought about it like that…" Akane lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Well…" Ranma sighed. "I… guess I owe you an apology, Mr. Tsaukyo."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Akane mused, looking back at her former teacher.

Mr. Tsaukyo smiled. "Hey, with the way you two act every day about your engagement, how could I have ever expected reactions any different? Anyways, I came here to give you your final exam marks."

Ranma and Akane, out of habit, stood at attention and waited quietly. Holding out the first sheet to Akane, Mr. Tsaukyo smiled. "Even though you missed the last three questions, you passed with 87, Akane!"

Akane's face lit up with joy as she took the paper from him and began to look over it, seeing what answers she got wrong.

"Mr. Saotome," The teacher glared at him as he handed Ranma his answer sheet. "You missed the last four questions…" He trailed off. Ranma looked at his paper, and his expression turned from worry to wonder.

"…But still passed with 82!"

Akane was suddenly bubbly. She bounced up and down a couple of times. Then, she turned and threw her arms around the dumbfounded Ranma, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "I've got to go show my dad!" With that, she released Ranma and flew out of the room, heading for Soan's study. Ranma still just stood there.

"I…" he was bewildered. "Passed…?"

Mr. Tsaukyo chuckled. "Yes you did, Ranma. Congratulations. You and Akane both graduate."

Having nothing else to say, the teacher excused himself, and Kasumi showed him to the door. Ranma flipped over a couple of pages, slowly taking in a breath. Then, looking up with sudden realization, he turned to look at the hallway that Akane had just run down.

"Akane! I Passed!!!"

A day passed by, and life around the Dojo was slowly shifting back to its normal pace. At the dinner table, Genma kept glancing from his empty plate to Ranma's practically full one.

Ranma took some noodles into his mouth and slurped them up happily. Beside him, Akane grimaced at the action.

"Slow down, Ranma! Your table manners are terrible!"

With noodles still hanging from his mouth, Ranma looked over to her. "And who are you to be lecturing me on table manners, you tomboy?!"

"What did you say?!" Akane hollered back.

As the two of them continued to argue, Genma reached over and took a dinner roll from Ranma's plate. Kasumi sighed.

"Honestly!" She mused. "You'd almost think that nothing happened to them!"

At that, Akane and Ranma stopped and shot Kasumi a look.

"What are you talking about?" Akane questioned.

"Yesterday," Kasumi answered. "Just before Mr. Tsaukyo came to give you your marks."

Akane's eyes went wide, and Ranma's jaw dropped, the noodles in his mouth falling back to the bowl. Not even two seconds passed before Ranma and Akane jumped over the table and each grabbed one of Kasumi's arms. They ran quickly into the kitchen with her and sat her on the stool.

"What did you see?!" Akane asked, panic written all over her face. Ranma held the same expression as he listened impatiently for Kasumi's answer.

"Well…" Kasumi trailed off. "And I haven't told anyone else, either."

"Just tell us what you saw!" Akane pleaded.

Kasumi took a deep breath and huffed it back out. "I came into the dining room to set up for supper. I didn't mean to, but I looked over and saw you and Ranma kissing."

Ranma became redder than a maraschino cherry! He hadn't been so embarrassed in a long time. Akane did everything she could to keep from crying, feeling ashamed, and just a little stupid.

The two of them turned for the dining room and slowly made their exit.

Ranma headed straight through to the bathroom. He filled a pail of cold water, knowing full well what it would do and not caring, and threw it over himself. Now a girl, Ranma tipped the bucket upside down over her head, sucked in a deep breath of air and screamed at the top of her lungs.

At the dinner table, Genma ate the last bite of Ranma's dinner. Then Ranma's scream, slightly muffled by the bucket, drifted to his ears.

"Eh?" He looked around. "What was that?"

Akane made a beeline for her room. All they had done was kiss! Why did she feel so disgusting?! Unable to put any of it together in her mind, she threw open her door, slammed it shut behind her, and then fell onto her bed. Taking a deep breath of air, she threw her head into her pillow and let herself scream as loud as she possibly could.

At the dinner table, Soan was taking a sip of his tea as he read his paper. The sound of Akane's scream, muffled by her pillow, drifted to his ears, and he put his cup down as he looked around the room.

"Hmm?" he looked over at Genma. "Did you hear something, Saotome?"

The hot bath water never felt so good as Ranma slipped her foot into it. She stepped the rest of the way in and bent her knees to sit in the water as her gender switched over once again.

The steam felt so good, and Ranma really didn't mind if it burned just a little. He had so much on his mind from the last few days that it was almost unbearable.

"A good, hot soak," he mused. "Then I'm going to bed!"

Akane's head never left her pillow. She turned to lie on her side, and allowed sleep to drift quietly over her. Tomorrow would be another day, and maybe the sleep would calm her mind and help her sort things out in the morning. For now, all that mattered was the calming feeling of reality slipping away from her as she drifted off.
There it is then. Nothing crazy, just a brief tidbit in their lives.

Let me know what you thought of it!

MattSaotome