Drabble #1: To See Her Smile
Word count: 307
Warning: none
Note: set during episode 5 and 6 of the first season, when Ranma finds out that Tofu likes Kasumi. I just recently started to re-watch the entire series, so I think it'd be interesting to try a second set of drabbles.
When Akane admitted to him that Tofu-sensei loves someone else, Ranma was both surprised and angered. He wasn't angry that Tofu-sensei is in love and not with Akane. He was mostly angry at that fact that someone had put that expression on Akane's face.
He had only known the girl for less than a week, yet somehow that sad, painfully defeated expression made something inside him twist. He was surprised, because he honestly didn't like her all that much. Oh she can be nice, of course, the few times where she helped him out. When she tossed that pot of hot water at him, and then went off to face Kuno to buy him time. When she knelt and offered to give him a piggyback ride back home. Those times surprised him to no end, because by all right, she should've left him stranded where he was. But all those times when she insulted him and got angry at him and started hitting him with no real reason beside the fact that he opened his mouth, he resented it.
Yet, as he saw her downcast eyes, somehow that didn't feel right at all either. At the same time, Ranma also realized that there was nothing he could do. Akane was in love with Tofu-sensei, who was in love with another woman. It wasn't like Ranma could beat Tofu-sensei up and make him like Akane back.
It wasn't until they were walking back to the Tendo dojo that Ranma realized that perhaps there was something he could do after all. He didn't enjoy the part where he turned into a girl, and Akane's teasing annoyed him, but the smile she offered, the pure and unburdened laughter, it made his heart jump, just a little.
At that moment, Ranma realized that Tendo Akane can be very cute after all.