Author's Note: Well, I've been writing this for a couple of years, but due to some unknown writer's block only applicable to this fanfic, I've only finished this now.

Disclaimers Applied!

Boys Don't Cry

"STAND IN THE HALL!" the professor said angrily and slammed the door shut as I picked up my pail filled with water.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded us. It was deafening. I sighed and decided to speak. "You're both idiots. Trading me back and forth whenever you damn well please. I feel like a Christmas Fruitcake!" I muttered and stole a glance at you, hoping to find some reaction – any reaction to what I've said.

Even if I have always been annoying you, or we've always fought over the silliest things, I must admit that I didn't like it one bit. I didn't like it when you won't look at me in the eye, won't speak to me, or just plainly ignore me.

But it was not entirely my fault. It wasn't really my fault if Nabiki was making fun of you, too. It wasn't my fault when you thought we were ganging up on you…

You were such an idiot. Why would I want to team up with her just to annoy you when every time I associate with her in any way, it cost me money? If I really want to annoy you, I could do that alone…and quite well, too!

I don't need a backup just to do that. And yet, even after all those times I've made fun of you that you're supposed to be used to it by now, I really didn't expect you to explode…

FLASHBACK

You turned your eyes, gleaming with anger, at us, "I don't know how I am anymore. Why don't you just save all of us the trouble and become Nabiki's fiancé since she's so wonderful!" you lashed out at me.

Something inside me stirred. Become Nabiki's fiancé? "What are you blabbing about, Akane?" I retorted angrily, finding the idea of being Nabiki's fiancé preposterous.

I expected you to react, call me an idiot and everything else…

But I never expected what happened…

"You're giving Ranma to me? Great, I'll take him!" It was Nabiki who said that.

And I guess that was the beginning of every weird thing that happened to me.

END OF FLASHBACK

"What's wrong? Don't you like Nabiki?" you asked, eyes looking up at me, as if challenging me.

Don't I like Nabiki? Of course I don- well, it was the very same idiotic question and the sarcastic tone you gave me that made me say, "Well, that's a good point," I started, paused and think of something equally scathing to say. "At least Nabiki isn't some violent jock who is always pounding me for no good reason…" I continued while I looked away from you, therefore not really seeing your expression, "It's actually a nice change now that I think about it. And it certainly doesn't hurt that she's pretty cute!"

In reality, I expected to be smashed down, pounded by a mallet, or screamed to death at. I expected that you would pour the water from your pail at me when I noticed that your hold on it tightened.

"Are you gonna fight about it?" I goaded further, shamefully proud that once again, I've succeeded in irking you.

But you didn't even move, and I heard it clearly when you said, "Well, now that I've heard it clearly, I hope that you and Nabiki will be very happy together," you mumbled.

I must have heard it wrong, for surely, you won't be saying those words to me? You didn't mean that we should break up for real just because you got annoyed with me, right?

Right?

But that was the end of the conversation, because for the remainder of the class period that we were both standing in the hallway, carrying pails of water, not once did you bother to break the silence.

I didn't either. It was I who initially started the conversation; I was not stupid enough to commit the same mistake twice. Because I realized that I just made the situation crazier.

---

"Damn you Nabiki," I said under my breath as I opened the door to the house, tired and battered from the schemes the witch had gotten me into. My patience was already running out and had she not been a girl, I would have beaten her in a bloody pulp. I didn't like the fact that she was using me to make money. I didn't like the fact that I cannot control her because she was the one in control of the whole damned situation.

I didn't like the fact that she was now my fiancée, and I didn't like the fact that you were ignoring me because of it.

Honestly, can you not just make up with her so that we can all go back happily to our normal lives?

"Welcome home, darling!"

I was so surprised when Nabiki launched herself into my battered body. The impact made me backed for a few steps so as not to completely lose my balance. I was about to ask what scheme she decided to put me again into when –

"You must be tired! Would you like to take a hot bath? I'll wash your back for you!" she said quite eagerly, I was taken aback.

"Wha…what did you just say?" I asked, fear creeping slowly inside me. Wash. Back. Those were the only words that registered in my body before you suddenly appeared, an angry scowl on your face.

Ah, an opening!

"What? You wanna fight about it? Eh??? If you've got a problem with it, why don't you just come at me? I'm waiting!" I said loudly, the stress of being Nabiki's fiancé and you ignoring me suddenly taking its toll.

I just wanted to end this all craziness. I wanted to go back to how we used to be.

But, for the life of me, I can't make myself say the words. So instead of apologizing to you and taking back every cruel thing I've said, I challenged you to back off from your fight and claim me back.

What I failed to notice was that, maybe, I just pushed you a little too far, annoyed you a little too much.

Because the same moment I expected you to claim me back, if only because you were jealous of all the attention Nabiki was currently showering me, you breathed deeply and walked away without a word.

--

Nothing seemed to go right anymore. It's been a week and still, we were still in this mess. I was no longer Saotome Ranma, the greatest martial artist who won Tendo Akane, in our school. Now, I was reduced to the jerk who's been dumped by Tendo Akane, and was claimed by her witch sister, Nabiki.

And boy, was I tired of it all.

Thus, even if it was against my principles and everything that I've been led to believe in since I can remember, I was ready to admit defeat and apologize to you. I realized that if I wait for you and Nabiki to make up, then I would be more than half-dead due to Nabiki's endless schemes. Not to mention the fact that I might go insane missing you. Did I just say that? Nope, of course, I didn't.

One. Two. One. Two. I mentally counted as you rounded the corner. And before I ran out of courage and entirely change my mind, I emerged from my hiding spot and collided straight into you. "Yo!" I greeted instantly, plastering a smile on my face, but mentally shaking my head for being this pathetic.

You blushed at the close distance between our faces. "What's the big idea sneaking up on me?" you asked, obviously annoyed because I interrupted your morning jog.

I pretended nonchalance. "Well, I don't know why I'm doing this, but I came out here to apologize. Can we just go back to the way things were before?" I asked, looking at you straight in the eyes.

The eyes that stared back at me held suspicion. "You mean, with us as fiancé's?" you asked slowly.

I had to blink a couple of times so as to stop myself from drowning in your eyes. I never really thought they were pretty. "Yeah," I answered, too timid for my liking. Great, Saotome, now she's going to think you really like her, eh? I can't help but think.

You paused for a few seconds, unaware of the way my heart hammered in anticipation to your answer.

Then, "I don't really mind…"

I smiled, and not really wanting you to misinterpret any of my actions (or maybe I just have this unbelievable knack of shoving my foot in my mouth), I said, "Good! I'd rather deal with your violence than your sister's endless scheming, wahahaha!"

SPLASH!

Suddenly, I found myself soaking and in my cursed body again, and I felt my irritation rising dangerously. "What the heck did you do that for?" I shouted.

To say that I was surprised to see the anger reflected in your eyes was an understatement. "Idiot! How can you be so utterly clueless and insensitive towards other's people's feelings?" you shouted at me from the sidewalk.

"What? After I just went through all the trouble of being nice to you?" I asked, clearly confused as to what was really happening. Really, you're so uncute sometimes, no scratch that, you're uncute ALL the time.

I heard a sob, and then, "Exactly when were you nice to me?" you asked sarcastically before running away – again.

--

Days still dragged on, and was feeling really weird. How you can deliberately say to me that I was never to you at all irked me so much I ended up changing my plans about apologizing. Still, the sanity of getting you back and being away from Nabiki's clutches was far too tempting to even compete with my pride.

"Hey you, Akane!!!" I said rather loudly as soon as entered the classroom after having finished eating my lunch.

And maybe, you were in one of your mood swings again or you having your monthly period, because you suddenly snapped at me, "What do you want now? You want to fight with me some more?"

I gritted my teeth. Geez, were all these worth my apology? "It was all my fault," I began, feeling the tightness of my throat swallowing my voice.

You turned to me with confusion in your eyes, "What made you say that?"

"It was my fault and, and, well it was all your fault, too," I said, instead, ignoring your question.

"And?"

I felt my courage disappeared when you looked nonchalant. "Well, if you have nothing to say, I'm ready to make up with you," I said.

You froze, and then smiled – bitterly, "Yeah, right. Like I really care. Nabiki put you up to all this, didn't she?"

What? It was my turn to freeze and when I recovered my senses, "What?! You obnoxious ingrate! I came here to apologize and that's what you say to me?"

You looked at me in suspicion, which, I have to admit, I've been getting a lot lately. "Is that so?" you asked, and when I nodded timidly, "Then, I suppose it means that… that you want to go back to being fiancés again?"

I gulped at the spreading whispers I heard suddenly. Just as we suspected. He really is in love with Akane.

NO!

I didn't realize I spoke the word out loud when they all stopped talking and looked at me. I should have put up with it, instead, I ran out of the room even before I could completely reconcile with you.

--

I have long ago accepted the fact that I would never get back to my normal life since you won't take me back, Nabiki won't give me back to you, and I could not apologize properly for the life of me.

So for some drastic measure, I decided to just make Nabiki breakup with me and let our fathers re-arrange our engagement. That would be easier, since all I had to do is be the fiancé from hell for Nabiki.

I was patiently waiting from my hiding spot, for Nabiki to come around and cling at her (heard from Kasumi that Nabiki planned to breakup with me as soon as she earned enough money) with all my might so she would be terrified of me that she would not think of us getting back together as fiancés ever again.

I heard some movement and grabbed the figure as fast as I could, "I LOVE YOU! If you think you can just break up with me that easily…ACK!" I doubled over when I realized that instead of grabbing Nabiki, it was –

"Akane?!"

You looked at me in surprise as I tried to remember what I've been saying before… "NOOOO!!! You've got it all wrong!!"

"What?"

I tried to explain though I think I jumbled it quite well again. "Um, that thing just now…I thought Nabiki was trying to trick me again," I said sheepishly.

"Okay, okay! I get your point. Would you drop it already?" you asked in mild irritation, due maybe to my repeated apologies and denial of what I've just said.

I smiled, knowing that you've forgiven me at last. "Isn't it time for you to go home?"

"Then, what about our making up date? Didn't you suggest that we go on a date?" you asked.

"Huh?"

An intense look from you made me think if I ever did such thing and realized that Nabiki set me up again. Instead of showing up for our date, she made Akane go instead, giving me back to her. That girl, sometimes she did something nice for me.

I offered the flowers I bought for Nabiki. "Want them?" I asked sheepishly.

You smiled at me when you accepted, "Thanks."

I scratched me neck in embarrassment as I held your hand and walked around the park. In the end, I realized that everything I've been through was worth it because you smiled for me that night.

OWARI

"I tried to laugh about it, cover it all up with lies…I tried to laugh about it, hiding the tears in my eyes…" The Cure (Boys Don't Cry)

Author's Note: Reviews and Constructive Criticisms are welcome!