Author's Note:

Glad to be back everyone. Sorry for the delay of the other chapters, my computer had chosen the time to go berserk so I indeed up typing them again (Thank God I have a copy of it on my notebook). And I'm pretty busy with other Ranma Fanfiction. I really like this one. I will post it sometime after my computer is repair.

Chapter 11

Flashback…

"I hope nothing would do something bad tomorrow because of this wedding would not push through again then it leaves me no choice but to elope with Akane… hahaha… as if that tomboy would agree to elope with me….," Ranma happily said to himself.

Tomorrow would be a big day for Ranma and Akane. It's going to be their wedding, second wedding attempt actually. The first one had failed because of his fiancées but this time he would not let them do it again. This time he wanted the wedding to push through because this time he was sure about his feelings. He knew he love Akane and he wanted her to be his wife.

He was balancing himself on the fence when he saw Ryoga turning to the alley. He was feeling exhilarating that day so when he saw Ryoga, he immediately followed him so he could pick a fight with him.

He caught up with him in the park and as he was about to come close, he noticed Akane with Ryoga. They were intently in deep conversation but he could not hear what they were talking about. Ryoga made a sudden plea and then bowed his head, which was then blushing. Akane said something and after a few minutes, she burst into tears. She was crying and Ranma was on verge of stepping forward and punching Ryoga hard. He was about to do that when the unexpected thing happened, Akane came up to Ryoga and embraced him tightly. From Ranma's view it was very intimate that he felt jealous. Then Akane raise her head a few inches to Ryoga's face. Ranma did not look anymore. He knew what she was about to do and he doesn't need a psychic to do that. Then at the very moment, Ranma turned around and quickly fled away from the place, away from everything, to escape and think that he had never seen that happened.

End of Flashback…

"A day before our wedding… You kissed Ryoga," Ranma said plainly.

"It meant nothing, Ranma," she said.

"Nothing? How can it be nothing to you when it was so intimate? You have no reason to do that, you were not poison nor cursed by Shampoo. You did it on your own. And you have to do it a day before our wedding," he said raising his voice one level higher. It was apparent that Ranma was hurt and jealous about it.

"Is that why you left me in the altar? Because of a one stupid friendly kiss."

"Friendly kiss? There was nothing friendly about it. From what I saw, you two looked like lovers sneaking from the rest of the world."

"Have you heard everything I said Ranma? Because if you've heard me at that moment you won't think that way."

"No! I don't need to because your actions were enough to give me a clearer picture of what's going on."

"That's the problem with you, Ranma. You're too judgmental. You don't even know the truth and you've already got a say on it."

"Let's not argue anymore, Akane. I'm tired. If you don't want to explain then be it. I just want you to know that what happened seven years ago was not entirely my fault. You forced me to commit that mistake," Ranma said as he turned his back on her and started walking away.

"Yeah, blame it on me, Ranma. It was my fault that you are so narrow-minded that you would think I would do something like that," she shouted but Ranma never stop walking. He continued as if he did not hear her.

Akane ran in front of Ranma to halt him from walking. She wouldn't let him go, not when he doesn't know everything that had happened.

Flash back…

"Do you love him, Akane?" Ryoga asked.

Akane was taken aback with the sudden change of topic. They were talking about his journey then all of a sudden Ryoga just asked a very serious question.

"If you'll only doing it because of duty then you won't be happy with him. So if you really don't love him tell me when we still have time to get you out of it. I'll help you," he added with each words carefully thought.

She was touched of Ryoga's protectiveness but she had to stop him then. She can't let him think that she's only doing it for duty because she's not. She loves Ranma even though he's an insensitive jerk.

"He doesn't deserve you, Akane. Ranma have always made you cry," Ryoga continued since he got no reaction from Akane. But his last statement made Akane more silent. "I love you, Akane," he shyly confessed to her. It took all his will power to do that, to tell her. And now, he was just waiting for her to either accept it or reject it.

Akane just looked at him for a few seconds, still unable to speak after his sudden revelation. She was observing him intently and scrutinizing how serious his words were. With that Ryoga blushed furiously that he could feel his body temperature rising and the color of his head beginning to be like the color of a ripe tomato. But all his waiting had come to an end when Akane spoke.

"I'm very honored to be the center of your affection because you're such a great man. And as much as I want to return it, I can't because my heart already belongs to Ranma. I'm so sorry because I know I have not been very clear about how I felt but I thought that…," Akane explained with each word she cautiously chose to lessen the pain but she did not finish it because Ryoga had already interrupted her.

"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything. I was the one at fault."

"No. You can't choose the person you love so don't blame yourself. It was all mine because I always confided with you when it comes to Ranma. I should have never done that."

"No, Akane it was mine. I knew you were engaged but I kept on hoping that you would break the engagement and choose the one you love. I have never expected that you would eventually fall in love with him."

"Yeah, I never expected to fall for him. It just happened and when I realized what was happening, it was too late. Each time I try to hate him I would only end up falling deeper in love with him… but if you would like to know, if I had not met Ranma I would have fallen for you," Akane said then laugh at her last statement. It was indeed true because she would have fallen with him if not for Ranma whom she had met first.

As she watched Ryoga in front of her, made her realized what a fool she is. Here is a man: who had endured the pain of rejection just to tell her how he feels about her, who is willing to take care of her and protect her and who would rescue her in what he thought was a great mistake of her life so that she could be happy. But she just rejected him because of Ranma. The man who can fight dragons, monsters and other living creatures that post as a threat to everyone he cares, who can jump from one roof to another without breaking a sweat and the man who had four fiancées but could not have the courage to speak of what he really feels.

"Yeah, she was really insane to reject Ryoga and chose Ranma," she thought but unknown to her as she was in deep thoughts; her tears were slowly sliding down her cheeks. Those were happy tears since at that moment Akane had finally admit to herself how she love the jerk and she has Ryoga to thank to that. With tears on her eyes, she ran towards him and hugged him tightly. Ryoga who at first was shocked by her sudden action did not move instead he returned the embraced.

"Thank you!" Akane muttered as she was still embracing Ryoga.

"For what?" Ryoga inquired.

"Nothing," she answered.

The embraced ended after a couple minutes with each person smiling with each other.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"What?"

"Can I at least have a kiss?"

"What? I just said I can't love you and now you're asking me for a kiss."

"No! No! It's not what you're thinking," Ryoga said as he waved his hand in denial.

"Then enlighten me, Hibiki!" she said with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile.

"Just a friendly kiss, Akane. So when I leave tomorrow I'll have good luck."

"You're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah… I think it's the best way to forget about you."

With that Akane understood his pains. A kiss would just be a consolation for him. So slowly, Akane raised her head to give a briefly friendly kiss to Ryoga.

The kiss was sweet and lasting and yet it was very short. Ryoga satisfied with it gave a bittersweet grin.

End of Flash back…

In an instant, she was already in front of him, blocking his way. Her cheeks were moist from her tears but her eyes were glaring with determination. The site of her made Ranma stop, knowing that she was preparing herself for a battle and he had no escape from it.

"You've walked out on me the last time, I won't let you go this time not until we settle everything between us," Akane exclaimed.

"What for? Seven years had already passed. We can't turn back time," Ranma answered as he resumed his walked.

"Because I'm still hoping to have a future with you… even those times when I hated you, when I despised even the mention of your name, I know deep down that you're the only man that I wanted to spend my life with," that was the last straw; Akane just broke down into her knees and cried. All those times, she kept it from everyone, lay hidden in the deepest part of her heart.

As he heard everything Akane said, Ranma fought back the urged to run to her and kiss her until they would be both grasping for air. He knew the feeling because he felt it too. When he was running away from her, he wanted to shout her name and tell the world what pain she had caused him. Yet behind all those pains, she was still the woman he wanted. He continued to walk until his steps were no longer heard.

Akane was left standing in the place. Never in her entire life had she felt this cold in a summer morning. The chill runs not just to her body but also into her heart. She hugged herself for warmth but that did not do anything it only made her felt colder as she realized that no one will give warmth to her. No one to hug her when she would feel like this, she can only count on herself. She managed to control her tears after a few minutes but she could not stop her heart from breaking. Though tears were no longer visible, the pain was there.

"Why? Why do I always have to be the person left behind?" she asked herself. She could not find any answer to it but only more questions.