I've started watching Ranma ½ half recently so I'm pretty good considering I've gotten to episode 51 and I've watched at least

I've started watching Ranma ½ half recently so I'm pretty good considering I've gotten to episode 51 and I've watched at least half of the OVA's. Anyway, I kinda got the idea for this becuz I was watching the one OVA with that Shinosuke dude n when it got to where P-chan ran into Ranma, he was huddled in a ball n I wandering "now why would Ranma be sulking…or is he crying?" so hence this was born!

I here goes my first Ranma ½ fic so cut me some slack, 'kay!

Disclaimer: Ranma, Akane, and everyone rightfully belong to Rumiko Takahashi…even though I wouldn't mind owning Ryoga XP

"Because…I love you…Akane, could you love me?"

That's exactly when I came in. I didn't make any move to stop the question or interrupt the answer. The silence seemed to drag, waiting for her reply.

"I don't know…I guess I could"

I was no longer frozen-just numb. The answer shouldn't have taken me by surprise, but it did. While she kept on smiling to him and Ryoga, who was P-chan at this current time, fainted and I remained unnoticed by the oblivious two and the passed out man beside them.

I wondered briefly if I was supposed to feel relieved that that uncute tomboy didn't like me, but I only felt hurt. Like some had punched me in the gut and hadn't removed their fist, except there was no rough exhaling of breath because I couldn't breathe.

I remained just as still, just as silent, as the boy stood from his seat beside Akane and looked down at her, whispering her name so tenderly I couldn't help, but say it myself.

"Akane"

She turned quickly and stared at me in surprise and shock; like I didn't belong there. Which I know I didn't.

"R…Ranma…"

I wanted to glare at her and yell that she was my fiancée and that she couldn't love this…this…stranger. I wanted to cry and beg her to think about what she was doing, about how she didn't really care about some boy she just barely knew. Yet, I kept a poker face; pushing all those alternatives aside. I did glare back at the boy, Shinnosuke I think his name was, as he glared at me; angry because I ruined his moment with Akane.

I finally broke it with a simple scoff, sure that if I stared at him any longer I'd just might attack him, and I knew Akane wouldn't want that. I opened my mouth to be or yell, but I had too much pride to lose it. I hadn't registered yet that losing my pride was more worth it than losing Akane.

"If he makes you happy than I won't get in your way, Akane," I said without making any eye contact incase she could see just what I was feeling right now.

Like something was using me as a punching bag while stepping on my heart, which felt like it'd been torn from my body.

"But first…first t-…tell me why?" I questioned.

I had to know. I just had to know why she didn't want me, why this Shinnosuke guy was so much better. Was I not good enough? I know I was never nice, calling her 'uncute' or 'tomboy' all the time, but did it make her not want me anymore? Did she even want me to start with?

"Ranma…" she whisper, almost apologetically, but her face remained blank of any emotion she may have felt.

I cringed at the kindness it held, had always held. Even when she was mad, I could still find that one hint of kindness in it. That was my only clue that she might actually care for me…like I care for her. I ground my teeth together and finally opened my eyes up again to look right into her's.

"Tell me…tell me right now why you're choosing him instead of me?"

'Just don't say it's because you don't like me' a small voice in the back of my head cried. 'If it was because I wasn't nice enough, then I'll try to be nicer to you. If it's because I'm not strong enough, I'll try to get stronger. If it's because of Shampoo, or Ukyo, or Kodachi, I'll try to stay away from them. Just don't say it's because you just don't like me. If that's true then I can't fix it and have you stay with me'.

I cared way too much for Akane, more than my other fiancées and stalker, to just lose her like this. I know I pushed her away so much by calling her every name in the book, making her life a living hell, and driving her up a frickin wall, but I couldn't help it. I grew up with Pop for God's sake! That man knew even less of how to get a girl to fall for you than I did! I tried though, and couldn't Akane see that…that I loved her just way too much.

She continued to stare at me blankly, like she didn't comprehend what I was asking. Don't you love me at all Akane? I love you…why can't you love me?

"That's enough!" that dragged both our attention to the Shinnosuke boy, who had grabbed the broom he'd been carrying around and stepped away from Akane to face me.

"Can't you see that you're hurting her?" my eyes flickered over to Akane.

She seemed troubled now instead of blank. This got me mad. Not at Akane, or Shinnosuke, but myself. I was still causing her trouble, that's all I ever did to her. I wasn't going to lose her though, and, unintentionally at first, some of my anger spilled into my words and out of my mouth.

"Stay the hell out of this" I warned him with the worst glare of could muster at that point.

"Do I have to teach you a lesson" he shot back.

"Your move, but I know somethin' you don't know," and with that said I let all my anger flow into my fist as I pulled it back and charged at the bastard, "AKANE IS MINE!"

He ran at me too, that stupid broom raised like it would fight me off and his fists pulled back just like mine. I could barely hear what I said, let alone the simple plea from Akane to stop. We connected at the same time, but the damage wasn't good enough for either of us. I wanted more than just a scratch across hi cheek, and he didn't want to leave it at a slight tear in my sleeve.

He whipped the blood away from the small scratch and was ready to face me again. I ran at him again and he was ready to defend himself with the broom. I was so absorbed in my anger I could just barely notice the far away gaze he had, like he could barely see at all. Then everything went in slow motion. Him starting to waver and sink towards the ground, Akane jumping in front of my fist to protect him, and me, just barely able to stop short on the punch.

I had barely noticed the loud, cracking thud Shinnosuke made when he hit the ground. All I noticed was how close I had come to hitting her, hitting Akane of all people. Any later and she would have been really hurt and it would have been entirely my fault.

She stood as still as stone; her arms raised to cover her head and face.

"Akane?" I barely whispered the question; either it being a question on if she was all right or why she'd jumped between us.

She lowered her arms a bit to reveal her face which were lit up by the tears bordering her lashes. My heart throbbed in pain at the sight of her crying. Did she really care for this Shinnosuke guy, more than she did for me? Why did I always have to cause her pain? I even went so far as making her cry this time. Maybe this was why she didn't love me. I hurt her so many times in so many ways that she just couldn't love me. I couldn't fix it though, I never could. Why can't you love me, Akane!

"Try…try to understand" her voice was shaky from the tears as she said it.

I could have sworn I heard the loud cracks my heart made as it broke into pieces inside my chest. The impact was enough for me to stumble back in shock. Did she really not love me? I sighed in defeat. I now finally figured out…what it's like to lose for once. Only this time, there was no conniving scheme that could help me win like all the other times.

My shoulders slumped and I stared down at the dirt beneath my feet before just turning away from her completely.

"I understand all right," I muttered, not scornfully, but the hurt in my tone was evident, "Goodbye Akane"

Thos last two words hurt. I never, ever wanted to say them, but since Shinnosuke had began this whole thing, something in the back of my head was telling me I'd have to say them soon. I walked away, trying not to make it seem like I was hurrying away. My heart throbbed painfully again as she whispered my name like an apology with so much hurt strung to it.

I let my pace pick up after I pushed past the first few branches of the forest. I seemed to get faster with every step. Then again, I was trying to get away. I could hear the creaky yelling of that old man, the low grunts of Shinnosuke as he woke back up, and the soft voice that finally sent me running blindly through the underbrush.

All I knew was how close she still was, how I just wanted to get away and try and forget about her. I stumbled when the realization stabbed me like a sharp, cold knife and twisted as I thought about it more.

I'd lost Akane!

I didn't realize I had started crying until now. I remembered that it was the whole reason I'd turned my back to her before. So she wouldn't see me so weak. So if I broke down right then and started to cry like the baby I was being now, she wouldn't have to see it.

I was Ranma for crying out loud! I was Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, so I couldn't be weak like this. I needed to be strong for my pride, for my family name and dojo, and…I was supposed to be strong for Akane too someday. I was going to be her husband in the future, and I had to be strong to protect her.

But…that wasn't going to happen…so how could I be strong without the one person who I could be strong for. I couldn't be strong for someone who didn't want me.

This sent a whole new wave of tears as my speed picked up and I was just barely dodging blurs, which I guessed were trees, and finally stopped when I realized I was no longer in the forest. I was now in a narrow crack in the mountain where the sun couldn't cut into the gloomy dark. The atmosphere here reminded me of my trouble, so I leaned against the cave wall and limply sank down to the damp floor.

I pulled my legs up and held them to me as I placed my head in my knees and wrapped my arms around my legs. I bit back more tears and just wallowed in my sadness in silence. I hoped and prayed it was a joke, a lie, a dream or something. I'd kill just to wake up back in the Tendo dojo to Akane screaming at me for being late for school, but this was real life. The pain in my heart was enough to convince me if there was any doubt in me.

I curled up more tightly as everything that had passed in the last half hour ran through my head like a silent movie. It started to build up inside me, making me angry and miserable at the same time. I just had to let it out somehow and the only solution I'd come up was screaming it as tears poured down my face before I could stop them.

"Why don't you love me, Akane!?" I choked out into a loud scream that would have echoed through out the cave and forest had it not been for the even louder commotion somewhere else.