Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

-XxX-

Welcome, Mrs. Saotome!

-XxX-

How did this happen to me?

She asked herself, stripping herself of her wedding dress and slipping on her nightgown, which was also Nabiki's wedding gift. Of course this had to be given to her on her wedding night, since it was unbelievably short and revealing. She sighed and covered herself with a sweater as she brushed her teeth and washed off her makeup.

This was happening all to fast for her to comprehend. One minute she was engaged, and the next she was married? If only it wasn't for Happosai, she seethed, twisting the bathroom door open. If only he had healed a second sooner, then, she wouldn't be in this mess. This coincidental, far too suspicious, well-thought out mess.

How was she supposed to believe that her wedding was carried out moments after she gave Happosai the medicine for his unexplainable illness? In mere seconds, Ranma was in a tuxedo, she was in a wedding dress, and a priest was combining the two families forever. It shouldn't even count as a marriage since Ranma and her didn't even kiss! They both stood there frozen, and then her dad just made them sign a marriage license and forced them together.

But that's not even the worst part. Suddenly, Happosai waltzed in the room, "Happy days, happy days! I'm cured! Cured!" Isn't that even slightly suspicious? From the moment that psychic informed her of Happosai's sickness and her marriage to Ranma, she should have packed her things and bolted. But now, they were all alone in their new house bought for them, and Ranma was in their bedroom. Their bedroom.

But that should be the least of her troubles. Tonight or tomorrow, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi would be trying to kill her. Those lunatics only need one hour max to figure out where Ranma is, what happened to him in the last minute, and who was involved. It's only expected that they should be breaking down her door any moment.

She wondered how Ranma felt. Could it be that he's the one suffering most of all? He always said he would hate to be married to an uncute girl like her, so now his worst nightmare came true. She opened the bathroom door and ambled to their bedroom as her hand lay frozen on the doorknob. What lied on the other side of the room was beyond her imagination. Still, if he thought that she would be the one to sleep on the floor, he had another thing coming!

She opened the door and found him gazing at the ceiling, his face completely red. She felt the blood rush to her face as she shut the door behind her, making them both jump. He was laying on their bed, so she's guessing he thinks it's okay for them to sleep together…? Or maybe he really does want her to sleep on the floor. She snarled, no matter what happened, there was no way she was sleeping on the floor.

She wasn't really sure how she should start the conversation. 'Hey, can you move over?' No, that's not it. She can't just make a pervert like him feel its okay to sleep with her. She wouldn't want her friends to get the wrong idea. How about, 'Get out, pervert. I'm sleeping on the bed!' Nah, that would just start an argument. The last thing she wanted right now was an argument.

… But he didn't exactly argue with the marriage, though.

Could it be that he really did say he loved her at Jussenkyo? Well there was just one way to find out. She slowly approached him and saw him become crimson red, if you think it's humanly possible to reach the shade of his face. She sat at the end of the bed. He was only in shorts and a tank top- why wasn't he in his green pajamas he was so fond of? Or was this some type of advice their father had given him for his big night as a married man? What… a…. pervert!

"What are you doing?"

She growled, yanking the sheets off of him and was rewarded with the pleasure of hearing his squeals of protest. There was no way Ranma would willingly sleep with her unless something was involved- in other words, some sort of way to satisfy his ego. She was not going to allow him the satisfaction of her humiliation. After all, it was his other suitors he desired. Not her. She watched his face morph from embarrassed to furious in mere seconds.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

She crossed her hands over her chest and glared at him. "I mean, what do you think you're doing sleeping in my bed!" She spat.

"Last time I checked, this is my room." He shot back hotly.

She was quick to retort until he held up his index finger. Curious, she followed the direction of his finger until it halted on the front door. Ranma Saotome's Room (No uncute girls allowed!) Her head snapped in his direction, and there plastered on his face was a triumphant grin.

"Gee, seems like someone isn't only uncute but also really dumb." He smirked, sticking his tongue out at her.

"You are just so immature!"

She seethed through her teeth, now frustrated with the fact that he truly didn't want to sleep with her and she fell right for his trap. Through her frustration she suddenly felt tears stream down her cheeks as she made her way to the living room. After Jussenkyo, nothing changed between them? He was still the same immature idiot he was when she first met him. This was all so stupid!

Ranma cringed as the door slammed shut behind her. She couldn't be that mad, right? It was only a joke after all. He sighed and faced to his right, where coincidentally a photo of their marriage sat on his desk. Of course his insane parents took millions of photos and developed them in so little time. She looked absolutely beautiful in that wedding gown, though. Her face crimson as if set ablaze. He grinned, analyzing the marriage that took place hours ago. How was he suppose to be ready for commitment? All he devoted himself to was his martial arts, but that kind of work was beneficial. Train now and defeat your opponents later.

He groaned and tried to forget about the vacant space next to him. There were other bedrooms in this apartment, it didn't necessarily mean she had to sleep in this one. He assured himself this but continued tossing and turning for the next thirteen minutes. You see, this kind of trouble didn't happen when he wasn't married. A room was upstairs for Akane and a guest room for him downstairs. Easy, right? Yet, now he had to endure the cold shoulder he would be receiving from his wife all day tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is when the chaos begins. His crazed suitors, Akane's crazed fans, his family and her family, and all of Furinkan would barge through his doors requesting all different things. So, for now, was it okay to get one measly night sleep? But he wouldn't get it if his wife intentionally avoided him and brooded in the other room. He was seventeen now, that meant he knew Akane for three years. None of this should be new to him. And it wasn't, it was just that he wasn't use to her pain or tears.

He decided to reminisce of the hectic wedding that took place in the Tendo dojo. Happosai, the idiot, just had to get sick. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't be in this situation right now. Akane and him should not have to suffer for the old man's impeccable timing. He was fine, right? That meant the wedding should have been called off! But no, Happosai just happened to recover when he and Akane signed the marriage license. The stupid, stupid, stupid marriage license.

Funny how their family hasn't called them once since the move. Funny was how nor he or Akane figured that their items were gone until after their parents were shoving them into a car and off to a life together. He was so sure she was probably calling her friends right at this moment to drone on and on about how her life couldn't get any worse than this. So what if he wasn't like Ryoga constantly begging for dates and what not? And so what if he didn't shower her with gifts, or wasn't as kind to her as the other boys?

So what, so what, so what.

He glanced at the alarm clock resting on his table. It was midnight. He closed his eyelids, if he didn't gather enough energy to handle the mighty obstacle that lay ahead for tomorrow, he would be a goner. He crossed his hands over his chests as he slowly drifted off to sleep…

"Ranma!"

His eyes shot open as he glanced around the room, searching for the reason for hearing voices in his head. Could it be that he honestly heard someone's voice? He was a martial artist, he could have sensed someone's power level from a decent distance away. Maybe guilt was just eating away at him. After awhile, he closed his eyes once more and leaned back into a comfortable position. Of course that didn't last long as an image of the furious Soun flashed before his eyes.

"M-Mr. Tendo?"

"That's right boy! It's your father-in-law! And if you don't go and apologize to my little Akane, I swear I will come and hunt you down."

Ranma shuddered. "B-But it's not my fault!"

"I don't care whose fault it was, just go apologize to my little girl!"

Ranma jolted out of bed as he scurried to the kitchen where his wife lay. She was by nowhere close to sleep when he noticed her eyes puffy and red. Was she here… crying? He rubbed his arm sheepishly as he approached his wife with caution. Keeping an eye on her, he sat behind her on the couch. He felt uneasy as her eyes locked with his; her brown orbs filled with anger and grief.

"What do you want?" She spat angrily, scooting away from him.

"Are you okay, 'Kane?" He asked her, ignoring her previous question.

"Oh, like you care, Ranma!" She stood and tried to walk away before she felt him grab her wrist gently yet firmly into place. "L-Let me go!" She protested, struggling against his grip knowing all to well it was hopeless.

"Because I do care," he told her sincerely, setting her down next to him. "And I'm sorry."

Akane blinked a few times, registering what it was Ranma just said. There were a few things Ranma did not make a habit of. That was accepting defeat, quitting, and apologizing. Not to mention the side touch of his 'I care' speech. Either way, she decided that maybe it was too good to be true and frowned at him. "Oh, I'm sure you do."

He sighed at her sarcasm. "You are just so uncute. Think 'bout it, 'Kane. If I didn't care, would I still hang around you all the time?" He felt a bit of satisfaction as she pondered over his rhetorical question. Well Akane was an intelligent person, right? There was no other way to get through to her than insulting her or referring to a logical example. This was easy right? If he didn't care, he wouldn't choose to be around her. So that meant he cared about her.

Oh dear God. What am I saying?

Akane sniffled and wiped the remaining tears on her cheek as she gazed at Ranma curiously. He admitted he cared about her. So that must mean that they were more than just friends? Because you can care about friends, but you just don't decide to go ahead with the marriage. Oh, she wished P-chan was here so she could ask his opinion. Believe it or not, P-chan was rather intellectual. It was almost as if he had the brain of a human.

She decided to press the issue. "Care like how, Ranma? Like a friend, or like a wife?"

He gulped. He began to fiddle with his fingers as he became unbelievably flustered. "W-Wi… wif… w-wife." He finished lamely as he refused to make eye contact with her. Of course Akane could have agreed to this marriage due to guilt. She has done nicer things, after all. And when the room became unbelievably quiet, Ranma Saotome's confidence had completely vanished.

She could not believe what she just heard. Ranma cared for her as a wife. But that could mean that it was more than caring…? Perhaps it was love? She began to blush profusely at the thought as her body acted far faster than her brain could comprehend. She placed his hand in hers as she leaned closer and closer, until Ranma's face was inches away from hers.

Then she kissed him.

It wasn't passionate or long, but it was her way of speaking the words her tongue could not form. She felt all of her insecurities fade along with her kiss as all the doubts of Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi fell far behind her. Ranma loved her, and that was all that mattered right now. All of those times they used dirty tricks to force emotions out of Ranma, but at the end he fell for her. The uncute clumsy tomboy is who he fell for.

"I care a lot about you too, Ranma." She whispered, holding his hand tightly in hers.

"Like a husband or a friend?"

"Like a husband," she decided, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Definitely a husband."

He planted a small kiss on her forehead and smiled. "I guess I would prefer that to a friend."

"You should," she joked, and leaned on him and realized that maybe sleeping on the couch wasn't so bad after all. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you say you love me at Jussenkyo?" She asked, ready to hear the final answer once and for all. Of course right now it didn't matter if he said it or not since he confessed it here. But she just wanted to satisfy the part of her that assured her that Ranma never muttered such things to her even if she was on the brink of death.

"You know what, 'Kane. I think I did."

Akane felt a surge of happiness flow through her as she tackled Ranma to the couch, her arms looped tightly around his neck. So she wasn't crazy! Ranma had told her he loved her over a year ago. Why couldn't she just have caught on? She laid on top of Ranma as she smiled crazily into his neck. There was absolutely nothing in the world that could bring her down right this moment.

"Well, I guess I love you too."

"Ha, I knew you had the hots for me." He teased lightly, earning a giggle from his wife. He was blushing from the sudden outburst from her, but he found that he enjoyed it. He liked knowing that Akane could do this and he wouldn't earn a mallet from anyone. Even more so, she just stated she loved him. He guess that this night was a night of firsts. And he would never forget it.

"You think everyone has the hots for you." She retorted, both of them now laughing.

For a few moments, the both laid in that position, not wanting to get up. She never quite thought about what it would be like to be married. When she was fifteen, she was completely sure that marriage was a way to become a man's slave. Cook for him, clean for him, constantly make him happy. But now, sitting with Ranma, she could have not been more wrong. She understood now that marriage was about spending your entire life with the one you care about. Forever.

Her mind quickly came back to certain rules she must set for her husband. Of course these were mandatory if they were to have a healthy, clean relationship. Well as healthy of a relationship they could have. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and noticed him gazing at the ceiling. She cleared her throat and hoisted herself from the greatest, if not comfortable, position of her life as she locked eyes with him.

"There are some rules." She informed him, offering him a slight smile.

"Rules?" He asked, propping himself on his elbows. "Like?"

"You have to tell your fiancées the truth, Ranma. You can't continue to want them hanging around just to satisfy your ego," she told him sternly. "Got it? The moment they return, you must tell them. If not, then I don't think I can continue to stay married with you."

He nodded and placed his hands up as a shield. "I get it, 'Kane. Don't worry, I'll tell them the first minute I see them."

She smiled, now satisfied. "Alright, well, I'm going to go to sleep now," she informed him, leaving him confused on the couch. She turned and beamed mirthfully at him. "Well, aren't you coming?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if he had the courage to get into the same bed with her without consent. Even if they were technically allowed, he still was afraid of her mallet that she stashed away hidden until the right moment. He nodded and led her to their bedroom, stopping quickly to rip up the paper taped to the front door. From what he could tell, Akane was far from uncute. He decided to sleep on the left side of the bed as Akane wriggled in on the right, almost immediately sending her fragrance wafting around the room. She smelled unbelievably good.

Akane scooted closer to him as he slung his hand around her waist protectively and Akane slung hers across his chest. They were both new to the marriage thing, but yet both of them acted so natural with this. Akane enjoyed the warmth of having Ranma next to her rather than constantly assuming he was okay in his futon away from his fiancées and out of danger.

"Night, Ranma." She murmured.

"Night, 'Kane." He whispered into her ear, waiting for her to drift off to sleep before he followed after her. She was now his, and he didn't have to worry about her getting kidnapped or hurt by one of his opponents. He could always crack one eye open and see his purpose for existence right next to him. He smiled and laid his head back, thinking of a plan to break it to his crazed suitors. Of course it would be the hardest explaining it to Ukyo, but for Akane it was worth it. He would do anything for her.

"I love you, Akane." He whispered, kissing her lightly on the cheek. He finally realized something he loved more than martial arts, something he loved more than life itself. All the riches and materialistic things combined.

It was her.

-XxX-

A/N: Aw, aren't they so cute? Alright, let's not yell at this poor amateur of a writer who put this awesome couple all lovey-dovey. Anyways, you know that if Ranma and Akane ever told one another that they loved the other, then they would be this mushy. Plus, look on the bright side, I only made them kiss twice. Err, twice, right? Well, let's just give me the benefit of the doubt. For those who are still fuzzy on what happened at their wedding, the story follows:

Some episode in the 40's - I'm not quite sure of the number- The Last Days of Happosai one? Yeah, remember when Ranma and Akane almost got married in one week because their parents wanted Happosai to be alive when to see when they got married? Yeah, I always wondered what would happen if they actually did get married. So thus, this story came into effect.

Happosai, Shampoo, Kodachi, and all the other insane characters will play be in the next chapter or the one after that. I'm not sure. I've always wanted to do this type of story where Ranma and Akane were already married, so I think I am going to enjoy doing this story.

But enough about this, review the story! I love reviews since they give me courage to write. Thanks, you are all awesome. I do honestly love all of you. All of you. Thanks for taking your time to read (if ya' did), and I'll see you all later! XOXO

Oh yeah, I have returned from not having any updates in awhile. RanmaLove lives on!