Chapter One: Ranma's Tears
That was it. She was just plain sick of it. She pushed the door in front of her with such a force that it almost broke at the hinges. She ran out of the yard and off into the street, away from him.
"Akane! Wait!" Ranma shouted as he ran after her. "Wait, Damnit!" Just then, Shampoo jumped on his back, causing him to fall to the ground onto his stomach. Shampoo straddled her legs on his back, gently massaging his neck and shoulders with her hands. "Shampoo! Get the hell off of me!" He mumbled with his face in the caked dirt.
"Ranma! You silly, Shampoo is giving you nice back rub!" Shampoo exclaimed giddily. Ranma slowly got up, Shampoo still straddling his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders with her hands. "Ooh! Now Ranma give Shampoo fun piggy back ride!"
"Shampoo, get off! I have to go and get Akane!" He struggled as Shampoo's death grip twisted around his neck.
"You no get Akane! Akane is fine by herself! Now, Ranma stay with Shampoo! Maybe have date, ya?" Shampoo asked in her bubbly self. Ranma grunted with the last of his breath and tossed Shampoo off of him. "What is matter Ranma?"
"Look Shampoo. I have to go and get Akane. Shampoo, leave me alone for a while." Ranma told her, his hands resting on her shoulders. With that, Ranma quickly sped away, leaving Shampoo utterly speechless.
"Hmmm... maybe there is way to get Ranma away from Akane." Shampoo smirked evilly. "Maybe even... forever." She giggled and ran off.
Tears flung off of her face and spilled out onto the dirt road. She briefly tripped as she leaped over sidewalks and bushes, heading to nowhere in particular. No one was really around. The streets were empty and the shops seemed to be closed. 'Stupid Ranma! Stupid Shampoo! They can marry and have children and be in love for all I care!' Akane stopped momentarily to catch her breath. "Stupid! STUPID RANMA!" She sifted her fist into an innocent metal bar beside her. The pieces fell as chunks to the ground and crumbled around her feet. She breathed in heavily. "Why do I care?" She pondered the thought for a moment, and then shrugged. 'It's not like I'm really in love with him. Am I?'
"Akane?" Akane spun around to see Ranma chasing after her. She grunted and turned back around fiercely. "Akane!"
"NO! I DEFINATLY DO NOT LOVE HIM!" She headed off again running. Ranma hesitantly stopped.
"What? Did she just..."
Just then as she was about to cross the street, a random car flung into her side, knocking her a few feet away from the area. She glided with the ground, sliding roughly on the rocky surface. The car flew past them, not even noticing that they had just hit a person.
"Akane!? AKANE!" Ranma ran as fast as he could. The wind flung past him, almost knocking him out through his lungs. "Akane!" He collapsed beside her limp body. "Oh God! Akane?" He gently checked the pulse on her neck. 'Good. She's still alive.' He thought. "Akane? Can you hear me?" He stroked her hair with his hands and snuggled her face into his chest. Tears began welding into his eyes. 'Don't cry. Whatever you do, don't let anyone see you cry.' He couldn't hold them in. He had no power over his tears. They flowed freely down his cheeks and dripped silently onto Akane's tender, scratched and bruised skin. "Akane..."
"Ranma?" Akane breathed. She fluttered her eyes open to meet his.
"Akane? You're..." He began, but Akane then coughed hoarsely from under his chin. Akane peered up at him.
"Ranma. You're crying. You're crying for me." She whispered to him. Ranma gazed into her eyes.
"I... ahh... yes..." He confessed, not that he could prove that he wasn't. Akane smiled weakly.
"That..." She went through another coughing fit. "Means so much to me..." She whispered through coughs. Akane's body went limp again as her eye lids covered over her eyes, her lashes gracefully resting at the top of her cheeks.
"Akane?" Ranma whispered to her. "Akane?" He asked a little louder. 'Damnit! She's unconscious.' He figured. 'I gotta get her to the hospital!' He gently picked her up off of the ground, bridal style. Her slender arms rested limply on his chiseled chest, and her legs swung freely with his every step. Ranma walked quickly to the hospital, being sure to keep Akane in safe positions, considering the fact that she might have some broken bones.
That was it. She was just plain sick of it. She pushed the door in front of her with such a force that it almost broke at the hinges. She ran out of the yard and off into the street, away from him.
"Akane! Wait!" Ranma shouted as he ran after her. "Wait, Damnit!" Just then, Shampoo jumped on his back, causing him to fall to the ground onto his stomach. Shampoo straddled her legs on his back, gently massaging his neck and shoulders with her hands. "Shampoo! Get the hell off of me!" He mumbled with his face in the caked dirt.
"Ranma! You silly, Shampoo is giving you nice back rub!" Shampoo exclaimed giddily. Ranma slowly got up, Shampoo still straddling his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to his shoulders with her hands. "Ooh! Now Ranma give Shampoo fun piggy back ride!"
"Shampoo, get off! I have to go and get Akane!" He struggled as Shampoo's death grip twisted around his neck.
"You no get Akane! Akane is fine by herself! Now, Ranma stay with Shampoo! Maybe have date, ya?" Shampoo asked in her bubbly self. Ranma grunted with the last of his breath and tossed Shampoo off of him. "What is matter Ranma?"
"Look Shampoo. I have to go and get Akane. Shampoo, leave me alone for a while." Ranma told her, his hands resting on her shoulders. With that, Ranma quickly sped away, leaving Shampoo utterly speechless.
"Hmmm... maybe there is way to get Ranma away from Akane." Shampoo smirked evilly. "Maybe even... forever." She giggled and ran off.
Tears flung off of her face and spilled out onto the dirt road. She briefly tripped as she leaped over sidewalks and bushes, heading to nowhere in particular. No one was really around. The streets were empty and the shops seemed to be closed. 'Stupid Ranma! Stupid Shampoo! They can marry and have children and be in love for all I care!' Akane stopped momentarily to catch her breath. "Stupid! STUPID RANMA!" She sifted her fist into an innocent metal bar beside her. The pieces fell as chunks to the ground and crumbled around her feet. She breathed in heavily. "Why do I care?" She pondered the thought for a moment, and then shrugged. 'It's not like I'm really in love with him. Am I?'
"Akane?" Akane spun around to see Ranma chasing after her. She grunted and turned back around fiercely. "Akane!"
"NO! I DEFINATLY DO NOT LOVE HIM!" She headed off again running. Ranma hesitantly stopped.
"What? Did she just..."
Just then as she was about to cross the street, a random car flung into her side, knocking her a few feet away from the area. She glided with the ground, sliding roughly on the rocky surface. The car flew past them, not even noticing that they had just hit a person.
"Akane!? AKANE!" Ranma ran as fast as he could. The wind flung past him, almost knocking him out through his lungs. "Akane!" He collapsed beside her limp body. "Oh God! Akane?" He gently checked the pulse on her neck. 'Good. She's still alive.' He thought. "Akane? Can you hear me?" He stroked her hair with his hands and snuggled her face into his chest. Tears began welding into his eyes. 'Don't cry. Whatever you do, don't let anyone see you cry.' He couldn't hold them in. He had no power over his tears. They flowed freely down his cheeks and dripped silently onto Akane's tender, scratched and bruised skin. "Akane..."
"Ranma?" Akane breathed. She fluttered her eyes open to meet his.
"Akane? You're..." He began, but Akane then coughed hoarsely from under his chin. Akane peered up at him.
"Ranma. You're crying. You're crying for me." She whispered to him. Ranma gazed into her eyes.
"I... ahh... yes..." He confessed, not that he could prove that he wasn't. Akane smiled weakly.
"That..." She went through another coughing fit. "Means so much to me..." She whispered through coughs. Akane's body went limp again as her eye lids covered over her eyes, her lashes gracefully resting at the top of her cheeks.
"Akane?" Ranma whispered to her. "Akane?" He asked a little louder. 'Damnit! She's unconscious.' He figured. 'I gotta get her to the hospital!' He gently picked her up off of the ground, bridal style. Her slender arms rested limply on his chiseled chest, and her legs swung freely with his every step. Ranma walked quickly to the hospital, being sure to keep Akane in safe positions, considering the fact that she might have some broken bones.