Disclaimer: Ranma and Co are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just using them for this story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akane was still fuming when she opened the window to her room and hauled herself up onto the roof. She found a comfortable spot and pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her head easily on her knees. She gave a tired sigh. She knew Ranma often came up here to think and she figured it was as good a place as any for her to try and put her head straight.

Akane closed her eyes against the conflicting emotions that surged through her. She heard his voice come back to her, accusing in its tone. What were you thinking? You promised me Akane. She felt her heart wrench with pain at the words. It hurt to know he thought she'd let him down.

Akane grit her teeth against it. Damn him anyway, she thought angrily. She had been trying to help him after all. And she hadn't forgotten her promise! But that wasn't really what hurt, well not most of all anyway, what really hurt was the anger he'd displayed when she'd tried to explain the situation with Jin. The accusing way he'd suggested that she might have a thing for him, or that she might have let him do to her what Ranma had done. Did he really think after what they'd shared that she would do anything to betray him? Would he use it as an excused to deny his feelings for her again? Didn't he know by now that he was the only one for her?

Akane felt a tear escape down her face and wiped it away angrily, she wouldn't cry, she just wouldn't. She reached once again for her anger and found it. He always treated her as if she were some sort of porcelain doll that could break at any minute, and he completely undermined her skills as a martial artist. He hadn't even bothered to hear her out.

She stopped short at this last thought. How often had she done the same to him? Automatically assuming he was at fault for the situations she'd found him in. Never truly letting him explain, too many, she thought sadly. Now she knew how it felt. She gave another tired sigh, squeezing her eyes tighter against another onslaught of pain. Why did her relationship with him have to be so hard?

"Akane?" his voice was soft, almost pleading. She jumped slightly, startled and slowly opened her eyes. His stealth unnerved her sometimes she hadn't even heard him come up onto the roof.

She eyed him warily. He could see the constant warring emotions fighting their battles in her rich brown eyes and wondered idly which ones were winning. He hoped it would be the ones that would forgive him.

"Can I sit down?" he asked gently, gauging her reaction. He couldn't see a battle aura forming, that was a good sign. She said nothing however, her gaze moving away from him to stare out past the yard below.

He moved lithely and sat beside her, hoping against hope that she would let him apologize. He couldn't really blame her for being angry this time. It had been all his fault after all. The fact that she hadn't produced her mallet to bash him over the head was also a good sign. After all what he had said to her would definitely constitute a malletable offence.

He took a deep breath and began.

"Akane, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I really am." He waited to see if she would say something, when she didn't, he pressed on.

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have heard you out." He paused, his tone willing her to look at him. "I never meant to hurt you Akane. Please believe me."

At the sincerity in his voice she turned to stare wistfully at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. He felt his heart squeeze painfully at the sight.

"Believe you?" She asked a sad kind of calm in her voice. "How can I Ranma, when you don't believe in me?"

He winced visibly at her words, pain flaring in his beautiful eyes. He swallowed hard against the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat. It was another moment before he could find his voice.

"I do believe in you Akane." he told her his voice breaking with emotion.

"Do you?" she returned haughtily, her tightly reined in anger suddenly surging to the surface. "You have a funny way of showing it Ranma!"

"Akane…."

"No!" she shouted, turning her body so that she faced him completely, her face red with anger. "I can't believe that even after….after what we….after I trusted you to do….that you would even think…."

She stammered, too furious and embarrassed to push the rest of the sentence out.

She turned roughly away from him then, her anger so great that she didn't trust herself not to hit him.

Ranma's heart was hammering in his chest, his emotions a swirling mass of pain, fear, and longing that threatened to overwhelm him. His mouth went suddenly dry as he desperately reached for the words to reassure her.

He had never been good at this sort of thing and he found himself floundering for something, anything to say. His heart continued to hammer so fast he thought it might burst from his chest at any moment.

"Akane…." He tried again, forcing his fear back with sheer determination of will. "Please Akane…."

"Please what!" she said whirling on him again. "Please don't be upset Akane? I didn't mean to do those things to you Akane? I didn't mean to make you feel like that Akane?" She blurted, the tears suddenly breaking through in her anguish. She wiped them away, furious at herself.

"Go ahead and say it Ranma. I've been waiting for the last few days, wondering if it was coming, holding my breath for the moment when you would take it all back. Just like you did after Jusendo! Just like you ALWAYS do!"

Ranma recoiled as if he'd been slapped, his eyes going wide. She had once again jumped to a conclusion, and a conclusion that had him flabbergasted. He could understand her being upset about his implied accusations where Jin was concerned, but what in the world had made her think that he was going to pretend away what had happened between them? When had he given her even any inclination? He knew his past actions weren't encouraging, but had she really been waiting, expecting the worst to happen? Had he really instilled that fear in her?

"Akane, I never…."he began only to have her cut him off once again.

"No, you never Ranma, you never take into consideration the effects your actions have on other people. You never deal with all the chaos you create. You never mean any of it. You are just a poor innocent bystander who never asked for any of it right?"

Ranma felt his anger flare at her words, his eyes narrowing on her.

"My actions Akane," he blurted, "What about your actions huh? You rushed headlong into a fight with complete disregard for your own safety and nearly got yourself killed, and I would have been the one to land the fatal blow. Do you have any idea what that would have done to me? Did you even consider it? Did you!"

She glared at him then, her face a mixture of anger, pain and guilt. Her emotions building to a fever pitch, how dare he throw that in my face! She thought, the anger she had restrained for the past two days finally releasing itself as she swung her hand out to slap him.

He caught her wrist easily, holding it in a vice grip. His eyes locked on hers then, his gaze a stormy mix of anger, pain and….desire?

Before she had time to comprehend what was happening he had jerked her firmly forward his lips suddenly consuming hers, his kiss hard, demanding her response. She gave a gasp of protest that he caught eagerly, his emotions taking over as his mouth continued to devour hers hungrily. She resisted at first her free hand pushing against his chest, her shock at his actions momentarily taking over then she was returning his kiss, her mouth as hungry as his. She moaned softly, all resistance gone.

Their breathing was ragged when he finally released her from the kiss. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him fixedly, cursing herself silently for wanting him to kiss her like that again. When he spoke his voice was low, almost raw.

"I don't know how or where you got the idea that I was going to deny what happened between us under the bridge, but that is false." He said forcefully, and she saw he was raw with need, barely controlled desire flaming in his beautiful eyes.

"Make no mistake Akane." He continued some of that desire transferring into his voice. "I want nothing more than to explore what happened between us even further. You have no idea how much I want you right now, or how hard it is to hold myself back. It….it hurts."

She swallowed hard her heart still jack hammering, his words touching off every nerve ending in her being. She simply stared at him, unable to speak. He was wrong. She knew how hard it was for him to hold himself back, she knew firsthand, for it took everything she had not to reach up then and pull his lips back to hers. Slowly he released her wrist, and she noticed him physically struggle to pull his remaining desire back under control. It took several minutes. When he was finally able to speak, his voice was laced with emotion.

"Akane, I want you to know that I realize you'd never do anything to betray me. It was stupid of me to even imply it. It's just….when you knew his name, when you came to his defense I don't know. Something in me snapped. It was like this sudden primal urge that screamed you were mine, not his. So I lashed out at you, I was just jealous. I can't seem to help it where you are concerned."

He let his gaze drop then, not wanting her to see the shame in his eyes.

A light began to dawn for Akane. "You mean like that time with Shinnosuke?" she asked softly.

His gaze snapped up at her then. Slowly he nodded. "Hai, like that," his voice wavered as he searched for the right words to express what it had felt like. She saw him struggle and simply waited, letting him come to it in his own way. After another moment he did.

"When I first saw you with him and you were so protective I wanted to scream and hit something. In fact I think some of those huge animals are still wondering about the strange boy who ran around yelling and trashing their forest."

She gave a soft smile at his small joke, urging him with her eyes to continue.

"Of course there was no fear for your safety that time, at least not from him, only pure raw jealousy. The thought of him just being with you made me crazy. When he challenged me that same primal urge reared up. You were mine and he needed to know that, and I was going to be more than happy to show him." He grimaced slightly at the memory. "As I recall you also jumped into the middle of that fight as well."

She stared at him wide eyed. "Because he was…."

"I know Akane," Ranma silenced her. "He was dying. But I didn't see that, I didn't see you trying to help him, all I saw, was him with you, and it hurt, it hurt like hell."

He paused a moment and drew in a shaky breath.

"It was the same way today." He went on. "All I saw was you on the ground with Jin looming over you. The fear Akane…it was like….it consumed me. I don't know how else to describe it. Then came the rage, I lost it, I wanted to hurt him. Then afterward when it seemed as if you knew him I wondered how this could be and an irrational jealousy reared up. My nerves have been on a tight wire and I jumped to a conclusion. I know it's no excuse. And I also know you'd never break your promise to me. I'm sorry I ever doubted you Akane."

He sighed sadly. Akane's heart pained for the hurt she saw in his eyes.

"After that there was only raw pain, and how do I deal with my pain? I get angry. So you see it was never your fault it has always been about me and my inability to think straight when I see you with another guy."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She couldn't believe he was opening up to her like this. She knew the difficulty he had with expressing himself. She felt her heart ache for his pain, and rejoice for his courage in telling her. So many little things were starting to make sense now.

"So that time with Ryoga, when Ukyo set us up and you used your curse to make him think you were his long lost fiancée. That was because…."

"Because I didn't want him with you Akane," he stated plainly. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you how I felt about you, but I didn't want him to have you, pretty pathetic huh?"

And the lengths he had gone to assure it. She had thought he had just been teasing poor Ryoga. She had never guessed. She reached out then and took his hand in hers, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I don't think you're pathetic Ranma." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Pigheaded maybe, frustratingly macho at times and of course most definitely arrogant, but never pathetic."

"Gee thanks." He said wryly.

She let her gaze fall away then unable to look at him as she added,

"You're also fiercely loyal, unbelievably courageous, and…." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper, "utterly amazing."

He felt a rush of warmth fill him at her words, his desire for her once again flaring in the pit of his stomach. He fought down the urge to pull her into his arms, his lips tingling with the mere thought of kissing her again.

She looked so beautiful sitting there and he knew that he never wanted to be without her. He felt his heart hammering with what he knew he had to say, what he truly wanted to say. He reached out and put two trembling fingers under her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his, his eyes once again locked with hers, his gray-blue pools swimming with heartfelt sincerity. He took a deep breath, summoned his courage and jumped blissfully over the edge.

"Akane," he whispered, squeezing her hand tightly. "You are the one who is amazing. You mean everything to me. I….I love you."

Akane stared at him for a moment longer unable to breathe, any lingering anger and hurt immediately forgotten, washed away with the wonder of his words. She felt her heart seize with unbridled elation, a sensation so intense it was almost painful. She had waited so long to hear him say it. She'd wondered so often if it had ever really been in him to say, and now he'd spoken the words, spoken them to her. The sheer joy was almost unbearable.

Finally, her paralysis broke and she turned and fell into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly about his neck, her tears breaking through once more as she clung to him in pure bliss.

"A-Akane," Ranma stammered, feeling her tears against his neck. "Are…are you okay?"

She pulled back slightly at the worried tone in his voice, smiling through her tears at him. He was such a dope sometimes.

"Hai Ranma, I am now."

He returned her smile, relief flooding through him, all his raw emotions now reveling in sheer joy. He had done it, he had said what he'd always felt. He'd gotten past his fear to tell her and the look on her face was all the reward he'd ever need.

"Akane…." He breathed, reaching up to caress her face gently. She sighed softly, tilting her head into his palm.

This time the kiss when it came was slow and hot and sweet and she parted her lips instinctively, inviting further inspection. He obliged her, deepening the kiss until he heard her moan with the sheer pleasure of it.

He was shaking slightly when he broke the kiss, both of them somewhat breathless. He wondered absently if he'd always have this strong a reaction to her.

"Does this mean you forgive me Akane?" he asked his face lighting up with one of his dazzling smiles.

She blushed furiously and he gave a throaty laugh, a sound that reverberated through her, making her smile in return.

She quickly composed herself. "Hai Ranma, I forgive you. I'm sorry too. Once again I jumped to conclusions in thinking you were going to push me away again."

He nodded. "It's okay Akane I know my past actions haven't helped." He twisted his position, holding out his right arm. "Come here."

She smiled then, scooting over into his embrace. He wrapped his arm around her then, pulling her close and she melted into him, reveling in the nearness of him, his strength washing over her.

"Ranma?"

"Hmmm?"

"Since we are sharing our feelings," She began tentatively. "I need to talk to you about this promise," she felt him stiffen beside her. She pulled back slightly reaching up to cup his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Ranma, I want out of it."

"Akane…."

"Listen," she said before he could protest further. ""I'm sorry I scared you today but you can't keep treating me like some doll that's about to break. I won't sit on a shelf for you Ranma. I can't. I know you only want to protect me but if we are going to be together I need you to respect that I can take care of myself. I need you to understand that we're in this together, and that means that I share your risks. It works both ways Ranma."

Ranma took a deep breath and sighed wholeheartedly, still seeing her as she threw herself in the middle of that fight, nearly colliding with his ki attack. He knew what she was asking, could even respect why, but he still had a hard time agreeing with it. He would always live to protect her, he couldn't help it.

"Akane, it's just….I mean….how can I…."

"You can because you have to. I need this Ranma." Her soft brown eyes implored him. "I know I'm not as good as you, hell no one is. But I need to know you won't treat me like some helpless child - that you'll trust in me."

"Akane," he said the anguish clear in his voice. "The last time you shared my risks you almost died."

He winced at the sudden memory of her bolting towards the phoenix tap, her hands gripping the Kinjakan, oblivious of the danger to herself, her thoughts only on protecting him, her fingers pulling and twisting, shutting off the hot water and freeing him from Saffron's egg threads. And then she'd been gone, vanished, turned into a miniature form of herself as all the moisture from her body had evaporated with the intense heat of the ancient weapon.

"H-hai," she said her voice somewhat shaky. "But if I hadn't been there Ranma…." She let her sentence trail. She didn't have to finish it he knew he would have been dead, absorbed into the egg that would have fed Saffron's transformation.

His memory shifted and she was once again lying there in his arms so still and lifeless, silently slipping away from him and taking his soul with her. The utter helplessness he felt even as he pleaded with her, his voice unsteady, laced with fear, to open her eyes. The overwhelming loneliness, the bitter agony that had consumed him as the weight of losing her began to crush him under it's sheer volume.

He let out an unsteady breath as the memory faded. It wasn't that he didn't trust her skills, if anything she had proved them there on the mountain, it was just that she never took into consideration her safety, especially when it came to his own, and it scared the living hell out of him.

"You seem to like throwing yourself into the middle of my fights don't you?

She gave him a solemn look. "You would do the same for me if I were in danger." She stated plainly. "Don't you know I feel the same fear when the roles are reversed? But I trust in you Ranma, now I need you to trust in me."

He sighed wholeheartedly. He couldn't very well argue with that and so he relented, albeit reluctantly.

"Okay Akane." He said finally. "I still don't like it, I can't help wanting to keep you safe, but I do understand, and regardless of what you might think I do respect your abilities."

She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, her eyes conveying her appreciation at his words.

"So does this mean I no longer have to have a babysitter?"

"Hai," he sighed ruefully, knowing when he was beaten. "Consider yourself free and clear of your promise."

She smiled brightly, and it warmed his soul. "Thank you Ranma."

He nodded. "Will you do me a favor though?" he asked, his tone serious.

"What?"

"If you see this Jin character again, steer clear of him if you can. Just until we know more about him. The fact that he suddenly appeared after my nightmares escalated has me worried."

As he spoke Akane noticed him absently rub his forearm. She gasped at the nasty looking burn etched in his skin and quickly reached out to touch it gently, as if doing so could somehow ease his pain. She looked at him questioningly.

Ranma frowned down at his arm. "His arrows were infused with ki."

She stared at him in disbelief. "My God Ranma," She gasped. "That takes considerable skill."

"Hai," he nodded, still frowning. "So steer clear until we get a better picture okay?"

He was being sensible so Akane agreed easily. "Okay Ranma, but if I can't steer clear, if he comes to me I'm going to talk to him. I want to get to the bottom of this. I'm tired of waiting."

Ranma felt a sudden panic at her words and immediately did his best to stifle the urge to argue with her. He had to learn to trust in her, but it still scared the hell out of him.

"Very good Ranma," She commented, seeing his inner struggle reflected in his beautiful eyes. "You wanted to argue but you held back. I'm impressed, you did hear me." She smiled at him boldly.

He stared at her then shock registering in his gray-blue eyes. Was he that obvious? Suddenly he smiled despite himself. He felt something inside him relax, his eyes taking on an impish look. She noticed this instantly and gazed back at him questioningly, her smile turning to one of playful wonder.

"So…." He began. "Does this mean you'll no longer let me be your bodyguard?" He raised his eyebrow suggestively. "I live to guard your body you know."

Akane stared at him for a moment dumbfounded then her smile grew and she gave a small giggle.

"You can guard my body anytime Ranma." She returned playfully. "Although I'm not exactly sure I'd be safe."

He smiled wickedly. "Maybe not, but I'd doubt you'd complain."

She shook her head at that still smiling. "You seem sure of yourself."

"Care for a demonstration?"

Akane felt her heart quicken at the low throaty sound of his voice.

"Show me." She breathed, her eyes holding his as he eased her backward until he was looming over her.

She stared up into his gray-blue eyes, once again filled with smoky desire and felt her breath catch. She marveled at his control. Steadily, and with infinite slowness Ranma lowered himself towards her, the anticipation mounting to exquisite heights with every second that passed.

Then his mouth was on hers and she closed her eyes, every nerve ending suddenly alive again with the feel of him. Rational thought melted away and all she could do was respond to him. She moaned and he deepened the kiss, sweeping her away in a rush of emotion.

When he finally broke the kiss she was breathing heavily. "You're right," she managed in between breaths. "I'm not complaining."

He smiled down at her, his eyes alight with desire. She stared up at him and knew she could drown in those gray-blue pools.

"Akane…." He breathed her name. She reached up and caressed his face sweetly.

"I love you Ranma."

His heart swelled at her words. She was so beautiful lying here beneath him, the sweet smell of her surrounding him, invading his senses until he felt quite dizzy. He knew he never wanted this moment to end as he etched it into his mind forever.

"I love you too Akane."

They kissed again, then settled back to lie in each others arms, staring up at the warm afternoon sky, for the moment both finding a peaceful contentment in their love for one another.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From a nearby tree eyes watched the scene taking place on the roof with rapt interest. They watched the heated exchange as it slowly gave way to Ranma grabbing Akane's wrist, as he yanked her to him and kissed her fiercely.

Those eyes trained long and hard, staring with such a fierce intensity as if to burn holes straight through Akane and Ranma. The figure sat perfectly still as it watched, unable to look away, not daring to move for fear of having their presence known. There would be a time and a place for such a confrontation and now was not it. But it would be soon, very soon. With this thought it gave an evil grin and jumped silently out of the tree, Ranma and Akane oblivious to the danger that lurked just beyond them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes: Did you really think she wouldn't forgive him? Okay, next up... Nabiki confronts Ranma with his intentions toward her little sister... As usual, comments welcome. Hope I've kept the interest so far!