Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and co. and Pride and Prejudice

Akane rejoiced when she saw Kasumi fully recovered from the cold the next morning and she thanked Dr Tofu profusely for his help and could not help but giggle when he danced around the room with Betty after seeing Kasumi's smile. Ranma entered the room much later once Dr Tofu was back to normal and congratulate her on her speedy recovery while his eyes kept glancing at Akane. Once the three exited the room to give Kasumi some rest, Dr Tofu asked Akane, much to Ranma's dismay and embarrassment,

"Did you have a good night sleep yesterday?"

Akane, confused by his question, nodded. He smiled and walked away, giving Ranma a winked when he passed him. Trying to hide his blush, Ranma excused himself curtly and mad his way down the stairs. As she watched his departing form, scenes of her dream flashed in her mind. In her dream, she saw her father and sisters vanished before her eyes and before she could open her mouth to scream, she found herself standing in front of her family graves. Emptiness consumed her and the darkness surrounded her.

Before she was fully absorbed in her misery, a stranger reached out for her and carried her to the end of the dark tunnel. He whispered comforting words to her ears and cradled her gently and all she could do was to cling onto him tightly, hoping that he would not leave her. When she opened her eyes, she found, to her amazement, that she was lying on the bed. Who had carried her to the bed? Akane shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was very sure that she was sitting on an armchair when she fell asleep. Did Dr Tofu know who something about last night incident? With a sigh, Akane made a mental note to ask Dr Tofu about it and quickly search for a servant to help her with her immediate task – convey the good news to her father and Nabiki.

Much to Akane's surprise and delight, her father and Nabiki pay a visit to the mansion and she embraced them tightly when they made their appearance. Satisfied on seeing that Kasumi has recovered, Soun sobbed and thanked Dr Tofu while Nabiki engaged in a 'profitable' conversation with Ukyo.

'I hope you made a big profit, my dear sister.' Akane gave a small but evil smile to Nabiki. She turned away from the group and was startled by Ranma's appearance. Apparently, he had moved behind her while she was lost in her thoughts. He motioned her to follow him as he walked stiffly away from the group towards the other end of the mansion. He stopped and slide the door open, revealing a traditional, Japanese style, spacious room. Its walls are lined with various weapons, some of which were new to Akane.

"This is the training hall. Ryouga and I sparred every morning before breakfast here and, of course, I always win. I had heard that you are a martial artiste from your conversations with Ryouga and I would like you to demonstrate your style to me as I wished to know what style you family practiced." Ranma smiled.

Akane did not reply him nor did she make a move to the center of the training hall. After a few moments of silence, Ranma repeated his request, with some surprise at her silence. "Oh! I heard you but I could not give you an immediate answer. If I did what you would requested, you would criticize my style and that is what's in your mind, isn't it Lord Ranma? Well, I have made up my mind not to show you my family style as I had no intention to be the object of your humor. I do not mind if you insult my character or my style but I would not let you insult my family and my martial arts. Although I'm not sure how my style is ranked against the rest in the martial arts world, it is my and my family's pride and joy and I do not want to hear you condemn it. And now despise me if you dare." Akane raised her eyebrow and prepared for another round of verbal argument with him.

Ranma laughed something which he rarely did in front of strangers, and replied this was not his intention. Looking at the room, he said,

"Miss Akane, every type of martial arts has its flaws and worth. No style is said to be superior to the others. Every move has its own counterattack. This is what I had learned during my training journey. I want to see your style not because I want to insult you. I want to learn new moves that may come in handy in a duel. Besides you are not the only one who is proud of your martial arts. Every martial artiste is proud of their own and they are willing to defend their choice of martial arts."

Amazed with his speech, Akane looked at him in wonder and awe and Ranma had ever been so enchanted by any woman as he was by her. Were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he believed that he would be in grave danger. Akane walked to the center and took a fighting stance, her eyes challenged Ranma. He caught the message and faced her seriously. When Akane attacked, he dodged effortlessly.

'He is fast. I never see such speed.'

Tired of the pattern of attack and dodge, she gathered her strength and tried to execute one final punch on his mid section. However he flipped before the punch arrived and landed gracefully behind her. With his forefinger, he tapped on her shoulder. Akane whirled around, her aura building up.

"What is the meaning of this? You never attack at all. If you do not take me seriously, I would like to take my leave now."

"Don't you get tired of being angry all the time?"

"That's my business."

"Fine. But you know...you look cute when you smile."

Author's notes: I apologized for any grammar mistakes that I made in this and the previous chapters. Right now, school would be opening soon and I hope that I could update as soon as possible. Although the story seems to be steering away from Pride and Prejudice and the characters are OCC, the main plot may still be the same. So now I would sign off and of course reviews are welcome.

, smiling): Okay, but you know... You're cute when you smile.