Ranma sighed. The moon was bright, the snow was glittering as the soft
light bounced off of it, and Akane was mad at him again. Why did these
things never go right for him? All he had tried to do was ask her if she
wanted to go out to eat before her big skating competition, and where had
he ended up? Boxed in, labeled, and shipped out.
*****FLASHBACK*****
"Hey, Akane?" Ranma stood in her open doorway, fidgeting nervously. Akane looked up from her homework with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, Ranma?"
Ranma tried to lounge casually, but he only succeeded in looking more nervous than before. "I was wonderin' . . . . umm . . . do you wanna . . . ." Ranma tried to force the words up, but they didn't want to come. He cleared his throat and tried again, but nothing came out. He looked down at the floor and blushed, and just stood there for a moment or two, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation when Akane's voice permeated the silence.
"You mean . . . . you want to . . . . I can't believe this! How could you even ask me that?" Akane began glowing, and advanced toward him menacingly, as he slowly backed away from her, and found himself in a corner with no place to run or hide.
Boxed in.
"How could you? This skating competition is one of the most important events for me, one of the few things I'm GOOD at, and then you have to . . .to . . . spoil the whole thing by asking a question like that? How could you even think-I mean, it's YOU, and I'd never. EVER. You, Ranma Saotome, are a total, utter, complete PERVERT!"
Labeled.
"I . . . . . I can't even say anything else to you, Ranma! I . . . ." Akane's blue aura phased into a red one, and then she pulled out her mallet and smashed it into him, causing Ranma to fly through the roof and to some unknown destination, most of which are at least a mile away from the Tendo residence.
Shipped out.
*****END FLASHBACK*****
Ranma sighed and looked down at the lake. How could he ever have even thought Akane would even consider going out to dinner with him? Akane had obviously hated him from the moment she had laid eyes on him . . . no wait, that wasn't right. She had hated him as soon as she had found out that he was really a guy. And all he had wanted was a . . . frie-no, best not even think the word.
'I thought Ukyo was my friend, and now she wants to marry me. I thought Ryoga was my friend, and now he wants to kill me. The more "friends" I have, the worse my life seems to get. I guess . . . . I guess I'm just destined to go on alone. Guys aren't supposed to need friends.' A little voice from the back of his mind seemed to interject, and Ranma tried to ignore it. 'Girls can have friends.'
Ranma got off the bridge and jumped onto the fence, and began walking back to the Tendo Dojo, the place he now thought of as home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He went upstairs to the furo, but didn't go in once he realized the occupied sign was hung on the door. He instead turned around and went into his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He pulled up one of the floorboards, one of the few things around the house that never seemed to get demolished (unlike the ceilings and walls), and pulled out a little book, full of writing. He pulled out a pen and paged through to about three-fourths of the way through the little book, all the pages before being filled with writing. He dated the top and began to write.
Akane got mad at me again today. I'm not sure why . . . ok, that's a lie. She said it was because I was a pervert. I don't think I was. All I wanted to do was ask her out to dinner, but she got mad and said I was a pervert and booted me out. I ended up somewhere over by Furinkan. When I was there I got to thinkin. She's hated me ever since she found out I was a guy. When I was a girl, though . . . . when I was a girl, she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to be friends. I wanted a friend so bad then. I still do. All the friends . . . the two friends I made while I was a guy want to marry me or kill me. And the one that wants to marry me wanted to kill me before. But I haven't made any friends as a girl yet. And all the guys at school have people they hang with, but they don't wanna be any kinda friend with me, that's for damn sure. They want to be me, and try to score with all these damned girls I have hanging all over me. But they don't want my friendship. They don't want to hear about my problems or my life, least of all become involved in it. But the girls . . . they talk to each other. They sleep over at each other's houses at night, and gossip about what they do and who they like. They bond, and they can . . . well, show emotion. I'm not supposed to want to do that sorta thing, but I do. They can cry and laugh and be silly. They can be angry and feel bad about it after. They can do all the things I'm not supposed to. I wish I could. I want to have that kind of friendship with somebody. I did with Ucchan, before she wanted to marry me and I found out she was a girl. I sure didn't with Ryoga.
I want to be friends with Akane. Truth be told, I wanna be somethin more. I love her. I wanna be her husband, but she hates me. She loathes me. She utterly and completely despises me. So, after putting all these words down, writing down what I wanted to say and how I feel, but having no one to tell it to, my question to myself is this.
Would Akane be my friend if I was a girl?
Ranma put down the pen, and sighed. If only he could get advice from someone, anyone. But he couldn't. He no one he could trust. No advisors, . . . . no friends. He paused for another half second before making his decision. The last thought alone made up his mind. If he wanted Akane as a friend, if he wanted ANYONE for a friend, then he might as well try being a girl. Kami knows nothing else had worked . . . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Akane came down for breakfast she was startled to see Ranma already a girl, sitting and eating without even bothering to get up to get some hot water. The rest of the family was leaving the table, having all already eaten. Ranma turned and looked at her as she came down the stairs noisily, his face looking somewhat tense, but Akane being herself, missed it.
"Why are you a girl? Is that hot-water heater broken, or is somebody in the furo?" Ranma shook her head.
"Neither." Ranma finished her breakfast and stood up. "I'll meet you outside in the Dojo, okay Akane?"
Akane shook her head to clear it, dumbfounded. "Uhh . . . ok, Ranma."
As Ranma stepped out the door, she turned around and looked at Akane with . . . something . . . in her eyes.
"Akane . . . . it's Ranko now." And with that she walked off.
*****FLASHBACK*****
"Hey, Akane?" Ranma stood in her open doorway, fidgeting nervously. Akane looked up from her homework with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, Ranma?"
Ranma tried to lounge casually, but he only succeeded in looking more nervous than before. "I was wonderin' . . . . umm . . . do you wanna . . . ." Ranma tried to force the words up, but they didn't want to come. He cleared his throat and tried again, but nothing came out. He looked down at the floor and blushed, and just stood there for a moment or two, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation when Akane's voice permeated the silence.
"You mean . . . . you want to . . . . I can't believe this! How could you even ask me that?" Akane began glowing, and advanced toward him menacingly, as he slowly backed away from her, and found himself in a corner with no place to run or hide.
Boxed in.
"How could you? This skating competition is one of the most important events for me, one of the few things I'm GOOD at, and then you have to . . .to . . . spoil the whole thing by asking a question like that? How could you even think-I mean, it's YOU, and I'd never. EVER. You, Ranma Saotome, are a total, utter, complete PERVERT!"
Labeled.
"I . . . . . I can't even say anything else to you, Ranma! I . . . ." Akane's blue aura phased into a red one, and then she pulled out her mallet and smashed it into him, causing Ranma to fly through the roof and to some unknown destination, most of which are at least a mile away from the Tendo residence.
Shipped out.
*****END FLASHBACK*****
Ranma sighed and looked down at the lake. How could he ever have even thought Akane would even consider going out to dinner with him? Akane had obviously hated him from the moment she had laid eyes on him . . . no wait, that wasn't right. She had hated him as soon as she had found out that he was really a guy. And all he had wanted was a . . . frie-no, best not even think the word.
'I thought Ukyo was my friend, and now she wants to marry me. I thought Ryoga was my friend, and now he wants to kill me. The more "friends" I have, the worse my life seems to get. I guess . . . . I guess I'm just destined to go on alone. Guys aren't supposed to need friends.' A little voice from the back of his mind seemed to interject, and Ranma tried to ignore it. 'Girls can have friends.'
Ranma got off the bridge and jumped onto the fence, and began walking back to the Tendo Dojo, the place he now thought of as home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He went upstairs to the furo, but didn't go in once he realized the occupied sign was hung on the door. He instead turned around and went into his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He pulled up one of the floorboards, one of the few things around the house that never seemed to get demolished (unlike the ceilings and walls), and pulled out a little book, full of writing. He pulled out a pen and paged through to about three-fourths of the way through the little book, all the pages before being filled with writing. He dated the top and began to write.
Akane got mad at me again today. I'm not sure why . . . ok, that's a lie. She said it was because I was a pervert. I don't think I was. All I wanted to do was ask her out to dinner, but she got mad and said I was a pervert and booted me out. I ended up somewhere over by Furinkan. When I was there I got to thinkin. She's hated me ever since she found out I was a guy. When I was a girl, though . . . . when I was a girl, she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to be friends. I wanted a friend so bad then. I still do. All the friends . . . the two friends I made while I was a guy want to marry me or kill me. And the one that wants to marry me wanted to kill me before. But I haven't made any friends as a girl yet. And all the guys at school have people they hang with, but they don't wanna be any kinda friend with me, that's for damn sure. They want to be me, and try to score with all these damned girls I have hanging all over me. But they don't want my friendship. They don't want to hear about my problems or my life, least of all become involved in it. But the girls . . . they talk to each other. They sleep over at each other's houses at night, and gossip about what they do and who they like. They bond, and they can . . . well, show emotion. I'm not supposed to want to do that sorta thing, but I do. They can cry and laugh and be silly. They can be angry and feel bad about it after. They can do all the things I'm not supposed to. I wish I could. I want to have that kind of friendship with somebody. I did with Ucchan, before she wanted to marry me and I found out she was a girl. I sure didn't with Ryoga.
I want to be friends with Akane. Truth be told, I wanna be somethin more. I love her. I wanna be her husband, but she hates me. She loathes me. She utterly and completely despises me. So, after putting all these words down, writing down what I wanted to say and how I feel, but having no one to tell it to, my question to myself is this.
Would Akane be my friend if I was a girl?
Ranma put down the pen, and sighed. If only he could get advice from someone, anyone. But he couldn't. He no one he could trust. No advisors, . . . . no friends. He paused for another half second before making his decision. The last thought alone made up his mind. If he wanted Akane as a friend, if he wanted ANYONE for a friend, then he might as well try being a girl. Kami knows nothing else had worked . . . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Akane came down for breakfast she was startled to see Ranma already a girl, sitting and eating without even bothering to get up to get some hot water. The rest of the family was leaving the table, having all already eaten. Ranma turned and looked at her as she came down the stairs noisily, his face looking somewhat tense, but Akane being herself, missed it.
"Why are you a girl? Is that hot-water heater broken, or is somebody in the furo?" Ranma shook her head.
"Neither." Ranma finished her breakfast and stood up. "I'll meet you outside in the Dojo, okay Akane?"
Akane shook her head to clear it, dumbfounded. "Uhh . . . ok, Ranma."
As Ranma stepped out the door, she turned around and looked at Akane with . . . something . . . in her eyes.
"Akane . . . . it's Ranko now." And with that she walked off.