A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I lost posted. When was that? Back in February? And now it's been almost 7-8 months. That's crazy. I don't have a really good excuse, but I'll do my best to explain my situation at the end. For now, read my story and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

Chapter 10: Ryoga's Explanation

"Hey, Ryoga!"

Ryoga stopped walking upon hearing this.

"This voice sounds familiar," he thought. "I wonder who it is… "

Ryoga slowly turned his head around to see Akane right behind him.

He was surprised. "Akane… called out to me? What's going on?"

Ryoga quickly turned the rest of his body around. "Oh, Akane! Um… how are you?"

"I'm doing well, I guess," Akane replied. "And you?"

"I'm fine. Just lost as usual," answered Ryoga, letting out a nervous laugh.

Akane giggled at what Ryoga said. "You're silly Ryoga. It's kinda cute."

Ryoga started to blush. "Y-you mean it?"

"Yeah." Now it was Akane's turn to blush. She put her hands behind her back and stared down at the ground to avoid eye contact.

A companionable silence consumed the two teens.

"Hey, I've got something to say," spoke out Akane, breaking the silence.

Ryoga's ears perked up in anticipation. "I wonder what Akane has to say to me."

"But I need you to promise me one thing," said Akane.

"What is it?" questioned Ryoga.

"I need you to promise me that… no matter what I say, you won't hate me," replied Akane, suddenly shy.

Ryoga could see that Akane was hesitant and somewhat distressed over what she had to say. So he did something that even surprised himself.

He grabbed her hands.

"Why did I grab her hands?" Ryoga thought to himself.

Akane looked at Ryoga in surprise. Just for a moment, her hesitation disappeared.

And a moment was all Ryoga needed.

"Alright, here goes," thought Ryoga, noticing that Akane wasn't distressed like she was earlier.

"Akane, I promise you this," Ryoga started. "I promise you that I won't hate you, no matter what you say."

Akane's surprise turned into hope.

"You really mean it?"

"Yes, Akane, I mean it." Ryoga managed to say. "She's so beautiful!" he thought.

"Ok then. Here goes," said Akane boldly, looking Ryoga straight in the eye with confidence. "I love you Ryoga."

Ryoga looked at Akane with disbelieving eyes. He was stunned!

"D-did she really say that? Did I hear her correctly?"

"C-could you run that by me one more time?" asked a still shocked Ryoga.

"Y-yeah, um," Akane started, suddenly shy. "I kinda, sorta love you."

At that moment, upon hearing Akane's confirmation, Ryoga's mind shut down.

And then, it rebooted.

"Oh my god! She actually said it! She said the words that I've been trying to say for a long time! I'm so happy!"

Ryoga flashed Akane a hopelessly pathetic smile. It was his way of showing how overjoyed he was.

Unfortunately, Akane mistook Ryoga's happiness for panic; panic that he doesn't love Akane.

"You don't love me, do you?" asked Akane in a sad tone.

"Huh?" reacted Ryoga, momentarily brought out of his happy state.

"You despise me, don't you?" she continued, sounding more depressed the more she talked. "I mean, who could love an uncute, unsexy girl like me? Ranma says it all the time. And, well, I guess he's right."

"Why would you think that?" questioned Ryoga.

"Well, you looked like you were panicking," started Akane. "And I thought that you were panicking because you don't love me."

"I wasn't panicking. I have too many feelings to not love you."

"Really? You mean it?" asked Akane in a small voice.

"Yes," responded Ryoga in the most confident voice he could manage. "I love you with all my heart."

Another silence consumed the two, this silence containing happy yet embarrassing thoughts and feelings.

"Then kiss me," said Akane shyly, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Ryoga face faulted. "Could you run that by me again?"

"Kiss me," said Akane, more confident this time.

"Uh… sure?"

"And make sure to kiss me hard."

Ryoga just blushed to hear this.

"Y-you got it," he managed to say.

Satisfied, Akane puckered her lips and closed her eyes.

Ryoga looked at Akane gulped. Her face was so beautiful and radiant, just like a goddess. Her lips looked very soft yet firm, and they had a pinkish color.

Her blue hair was ruffling due to the wind and it seemed as if her feet were barely touching the ground. Ryoga was right; she was definitely a goddess.

All in all, Akane loved very cute and was making Ryoga's heartbeat very quickly. And the moment couldn't be more perfect than this for the kiss that was about to happen.

Ryoga leaned in for the kiss, his heart thumping very loudly.

"It's alright, old boy. You can do this," he thought to himself. "It's all or nothing."

Ryoga put his hands on Akane's face and brought her to his lips.

This feeling, where Ryoga was kissing his crush, was one he could not describe. It was unbelievable! Perfect, even though it was nothing special. It made Ryoga feel as if he was floating.

"If this is a dream, then please, don't wake me up!" Ryoga exclaimed once he released himself from the kiss.

"It wasn't a dream," giggled Akane. "It was real."

Ryoga felt like the luckiest man alive.

He leaned in for another kiss when-

*SPLASH*

Akane and Ryoga got drenched with water.

And unfortunately for Ryoga, the water was…. cold.

So while Akane was rubbing her eyes, Ryoga transformed into his cursed form.

"Who's bright idea was it to splash cold water all over us!" thought P-Chan, furiously.

It didn't take him long to find the perpetrator. And the incident made a lot more sense.

"What the hell?" Akane asked no one in particular. "Who splashed water on me and Ryoga?"

She finally opened her eyes… and was surprised at the sight. And confused.

"Huh? Where did Ryoga go?" Akane asked, looking around her.

"Do you mean this?" asked a voice.

Akane turned to the voice.

"Kasumi? What are you doing here?" questioned Akane.

Kasumi only offered a small, cute black pig that looked awfully guilt-stricken…

"P-Chan?! Why are you here?"

Kasumi only dropped P-Chan, letting him hit the ground in a painful position. He let out a squeal.

"What was that for?" Akane asked, glaring at her older sister.

"This is not P-Chan," was her reply as she proceeded to pour warm water all over P-Chan.

One minute, P-Chan was laying on the floor. The next, he turned into a muscular teenage boy.

"R-Ryoga?" Akane asked in a shocked state. "Y-you're P-Chan?"

"I can explain," was all he said, looking at the ground shamefully.

It was silent for a moment when…

"ARGH!" screamed Akane. "I trusted you! I even loved you! And you kept a secret like this from me? You pervert! I hope you burn in Hell!"

Akane turned around and started crying.

"I hate boys. But especially you, Ryoga. I hate you so much!"

With that, Akane ran away.

Ryoga only looked on, cursing his past decisions that led to this moment.

"I really hate myself," he said to himself, quietly.

"As you should," agreed Kasumi. It seemed as if she was able to hear Ryoga. "Regardless if you feel remorse or not, you need to be punished. As such, I prepared this."

Out of absolutely nowhere, Kasumi pulled out a scorching hot pot full of water.

Ryoga looked at the pot with a horrified expression.

"Y-you're not going to boil me alive, are you?!"

"Why, of course. After what you did to Akane, this is the fairest thing to do," replied Kasumi, a rare sinister smile on her face. "Plus, I've been craving pork chops lately."

Kasumi pulled out a bottle of ice-cold water and splashed Ryoga, triggering his transformation.

"So long, Ryoga," said Kasumi, picking up the wet and scared pig and dangling him over the pot of water. "It's been nice knowing you, but I think it's time for you to go."

With that, Kasumi let go of Ryoga, letting him fall from her hand and into the pot!

"AHHHHHHH~~~"

"~~HHHHH!" screamed Ryoga as he woke up in cold fright. His entire body was furiously sweating and there were tears in his eyes. He then realized that he was not in a pot full of boiling water.

"It was just a dream," Ryoga said to himself as he examined his hands and body for any cuts or burns. "It was just a dream."

He then put his hands over his face and made a silent prayer, thanking God he wasn't dead yet.

After he was done, he took a look around the room.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. From the futon he was in, he could see that he was in a dark, windowless room. The doors were closed and no sunlight penetrated the room. "Have I been here before?"

After a few moments of observing his surroundings, Ryoga noticed something.

"Wait, is it just me, or is it a bit drafty in here?"

He pulled on the blanket covering his body… and saw that he was naked. The only thing left on his body was his wet underwear.

"I'm naked?!" he shouted in surprise. "Why?"

"It was me," said a voice from his side.

Ryoga turned to his right… and saw Kasumi looking down at him, holding a pile of clothes in her hand.

She did not look happy at all. In fact, if Ryoga wasn't mistaken, she almost looked angry.

"Hey Kasumi," Ryoga greeted nervously. "Umm… what did you do exactly and how did I end up here?"

Kasumi looked at Ryoga in disbelief.

"You seriously cannot be asking me this question," replied Kasumi. "After everything that happened, you cannot be asking that. Just how dense are you?"

"Uhh… "

The situation was increasingly getting difficult. And it didn't help that Ryoga was helplessly confused.

"Here, maybe this will jog up your memory," said Kasumi, tossing Ryoga's slightly damp clothes at him. "P-Chan."

Ryoga looked at Kasumi in horror. As his clothes hit him, his memories came rushing back to him from the past hour. Particularly the one where Kasumi discovered his cursed form.

And suddenly, everything made a little more sense.

"Ah, so that's why I had that dream… " murmured Ryoga.

"What dream?"

"Ah, it's nothing," said Ryoga dismissively as he put his shirt on. "Say, why exactly are my clothes so wet?"

"After you passed out, your clothes were wet. I was contemplating on whether I should dry them, like I usually do, or make them wetter for you, due to obvious reasons. In the end, I compromised and did neither, which is why your clothes are a tad moist."

"I guess that's fair," said Ryoga after a moment. "I mean, I did do something really unforgiving."

"Indeed," agreed Kasumi. "What you did was unforgivable. And you did it multiple times! I thought better of you, Ryoga. I treated you like a brother. And now I find out that you did something like this." Kasumi let out a sad sigh. "I'm very disappointed in you."

"Yeah," replied Ryoga miserably. "I'm disappointed in myself as well. I knew what I was doing was morally wrong. I even asked myself 'why am I doing something as horrible as this?' And yet, I still did it."

All Kasumi did was offer Ryoga some tea while he talked.

"Here, drink this. Then I will ask you some questions."

"Thanks, Kasumi," said Ryoga, grabbing the cup of tea and chugging it. After a moment, however, he nearly spits it out.

After all, it was cold and bitter.

"What the hell is this?"

"I'm sorry?" asked Kasumi. "Are you complaining to me after you 'slept' with my sister, or is that me?"

"Ah, nevermind," Ryoga replied quietly. He took another sip of the tea. "This is quite good."

"Thank you," replied Kasumi with an icy smile.

"So," Ryoga started, finally finished with the bitter tea. "You have some questions for me?"

"Yes, I did," responded Kasumi. "My first question is this: why did you do it? Why did you 'sleep' with my sister without her consent?"

"Um, well," Ryoga started, sweat forming on his body. He didn't have a really good reason for why he slept with Akane as P-Chan. Or what he pretended to be a pet when he wasn't one. Well, maybe he did…

"Haven't you ever done something you knew was wrong, and yet you still did it?" questioned Ryoga.

Kasumi pondered the question. Had she ever done something she knew was wrong?

Kasumi would like to think she hadn't done anything morally wrong. After all, she was a sweet, kind girl, a motherly figure, someone people could turn to when at times in despair. She couldn't imagine that she would do something horrible. Something like what Ryoga did.

She wasn't sure what to say, so she just told the truth.

"I'm not sure, actually," admitted Kasumi. "Most of my actions are usually helpful, mild-mannered, and without malice. I can't imagine myself doing something wrong when I know it is wrong."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," said Ryoga after a moment. "I can't imagine you doing something you know is wrong. It's just not in your nature."

A deafening silence then consumed the two. Ryoga was carefully thinking of his next words while Kasumi was patiently waiting for him to talk.

"Well, even though you haven't done it, I have," Ryoga said, breaking the silence. "As I said earlier, I knew what I did was wrong. And yet I still did it. I abused my pig 'curse' and pretended to be Akane's pet. I even 'slept' with her. Why? I don't really know. But I do have a hunch."

Ryoga took a deep breath.

"You see, my family is inflicted with this directional 'curse.' We can't go from one place to another without getting lost. Even if we're given directions! My parents suffer from it. So do my grandparents. Even my aunts and uncles and cousins. In fact, the last time we saw each other was about a year ago and I haven't seen anyone since. Can you imagine how sad that is?"

Ryoga let out a sigh.

"Look, what I'm trying to say that because of my family's ability to get lost basically anywhere, I've been by myself for most of my life. Everything and anything I did, I did it myself. In other words, I've been lonely my entire life."

Ryoga paused for a second and let his words sit there.

"So I've been lonely for a long time now. That is, I was feeling lonely… until I met Akane.

"When I first met Akane, we started off on the wrong foot, mostly because of the fight Ranma and I were in. I mean, I accidentally cut off her hair when I was trying to attack Ranma. So that was a horrible first impression."

"Indeed," chimed Kasumi.

"But when Akane met me again, this time in my cursed pig form, she treated me with kindness and tenderness, much like how a mom takes care of her young child. Her actions were heavenly," said Ryoga, a dreamy expression on his face.

Suddenly, his expression soured.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Ranma," he said bitterly. "That bastard tormented me like the jerk he is. But no matter. His harassment only made Akane's treatment more pleasurable for me."

He let out a sigh.

"And then that night, when Akane took me to bed, it was one of the best feelings of my entire life. Like seriously. At first, I was scared. I knew I shouldn't be there and I was trying to think of ways to escape. But then Akane started cuddling me and started talking to me in a soft, happy voice. It just… melted me. It made me feel warm inside. As the night went on, Akane kept on hugging me even though she was fast asleep and I was left there, asking myself 'what is this warm feeling?' over and over again. And as I was about to fall asleep, I found my answer; I didn't feel lonely anymore. This girl, Akane, was able to drive away my loneliness and make me, well, not lonely. I… can't explain the feeling. All I know is that I felt warm and mellow inside. I felt like I was wanted by someone. And that someone was Akane.

"And so, whenever I found myself in Nerima, I would make sure to turn into P-Chan so Akane would find me and treat me like how she did that night. All I wanted was to not feel lonely, and Akane did exactly that each time. As time went on, to realize what I did was wrong, but I brushed it off because I wanted to feel happy and not lonely. And then, before I knew it, I started to fall in love with Akane.

"So whenever I saw Akane during the day, I would try to get a little closer to her, bring her gifts, and build up my courage to profess my love. And each night, I turned into her beloved P-Chan. I was basically killing two birds with one stone.

"But over time, my guilt was overwhelming the happiness I felt. Some nights I would wake up and feel ashamed of what I was doing as 'P-Chan,' but then I would see Akane's face and feel all happy again. It really was disgusting.

"Eventually, I decided enough was enough and tried avoiding Nerima and Akane. I went on random trips all around Japan. But each time, I would find myself back here as P-Chan. It really was frustrating. Especially since I knew she didn't love me; she just loved P-Chan. And even when I was my normal self, she only saw me as a friend. It was pretty depressing

"Then I met Akari, and everything changed. She basically saved me. Despite all my flaws, she accepted me and loved me. And in time, I fell in love with her. She helped me move on from Akane, as myself and P-Chan.

"That doesn't mean that I still don't have feelings for Akane, because I still do. But they're not as strong as my feelings for Akari. Plus, if it means anything, I haven't slept as P-Chan with Akane ever since I met Akari.

"But, yeah. That's my tale. It was probably me just rambling gibberish to you, but hopefully you understand," finished Ryoga, an apologetic smile on his face.

Kasumi, who was still digesting Ryoga's story, shook her head.

"It wasn't gibberish. And yes, I did understand what you said," assured Kasumi in a somewhat calm and soothing voice.

To say the least, Kasumi was… confused? Conflicted. Yes, that's the word. Conflicted because she didn't know that Ryoga was lonely even though she knew him for a while now. It's been more than a year since she met the boy with serious directional issues. And yet, it should've been obvious to her. His sense of directions should have given it away.

She was also conflicted about what she should do with Ryoga. Indeed, his tale was a bit sad, particularly at the beginning, when he went somewhat in-depth about his loneliness. On the other hand, what he did as he pretended to be a pig was morally wrong and while Ryoga does admit that it's wrong and says that he's disappointed in himself, it does not erase the fact that he still committed to the heinous act and did it multiple times.

On that note, Kasumi should still be angry with Ryoga. And yet…

"I think Akane should know," Kasumi said in a neutral voice. She was still furious over what Ryoga did, but he had been honest and gave his reasoning with humility, so the least Kasumi could do now is not let her emotions get the better of her and act, perhaps, a little more hospitable towards the boy.

The blood drained from Ryoga's face.

"W-wait, what did you say?" asked Ryoga in a shaky voice. "I think I misheard you."

"I said, I think Akane should know," answered Kasumi, this time enunciating every word clearly.

"NO! She can't know!" exclaimed Ryoga, his voice full of panic.

"Why not?" questioned Kasumi.

"Because," started Ryoga, trying to think of a reason. "Because… I still want to be Akane's friend."

Kasumi's facial expression went dark.

"You still want to be Akane's friend," she repeated, her voice cold.

"Y-yeah," responded Ryoga weakly. He was starting to get scared now. "If only I had not come to Nerima today. I could have avoided all this! But then again, I would've been caught sooner or later, so maybe it's a good thing I was caught now, and by Kasumi of all people."

"After what you did, you don't have the right to be Akane's friend," said Kasumi plainly, glaring at the boy and watching as he withered under her gaze. "Even though I understand your reasoning, it's no excuse."

She then broke eye contact with Ryoga.

"Besides, Akane has every right to know what you did."

Ryoga understood everything Kasumi was saying. He understood it clearly. And he knew what she was saying was right. Ryoga had done a terrible deed by preten- no- by being Akane's pet and taking advantage of the love she showed to him by sleeping with him. It was wrong, and he knew it. So the moral thing to do was to tell Akane the truth.

But Ryoga didn't want to do that. After all, he considered her to be one of his good friends, and he knew she thought the same. He wanted to keep that friendship with her, even years from now.

But, again, Akane deserved to know the truth. She just needed to know. Even if that meant that he, Ryoga, would have to stop being her friend.

Ryoga let out a resigned sigh.

"I guess this is for the best. What I did was despicable and if the only way to make up for it is to tell Akane the truth, then I will do just that," he thought sadly. "Even if it means that I'll never be her friend again."

"Fine," Ryoga said finally. "Akane can know the truth."

"Glad we're aligned," responded Kasumi with a curt nod. She began to get up. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Wait," called out Ryoga, as he raised his hand, signaling that he had more to say. "There's one more thing."

Kasumi sat back down. "What is it?"

"I would like to tell Akane the truth," he said.

Kasumi looked at Ryoga with a shocked expression. "Are you sure? I mean, this is Akane we're talking about. Heaven knows how she would react if she found out you were P-Chan."

"Well, not directly," he responded, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Through a letter. I was thinking of writing a letter to her, telling her that I am P-Chan, and confessing to my deeds. And you would give her the letter."

"Ah, that's a bit more understandable," said Kasumi with a nod. "Although it would have been awfully brave of you to tell her the truth to her face. It might have changed my opinion about you."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"No, no, it's alright," she said, shaking your head. "Whether or not you had told Akane the truth about P-Chan to her face, I wouldn't have forgiven you. And I think it will be the same for Akane."

"Yeah," was all Ryoga managed to say. "Um… one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I stay the night and leave first thing tomorrow morning ?" he asked. "I'll leave the letter with you so you can give it to Akane as soon as I leave."

"Well," started Kasumi, carefully thinking of her next words. "I guess it's the least I can do, considering that you were honest and have decided to tell her the truth. So yes, you can stay until tomorrow morning."

Ryoga let out a sigh of relief.

"However, once you leave Nerima, you better not step foot in this town again," she said sternly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," replied Ryoga, fear starting to consume him again.

"Good boy," said Kasumi, giving Ryoga a smile- a genuine smile!- while getting. "Now then, if you will excuse me."

Ryoga gave her a small bow from where he was sitting as she picked up the cups of tea and walked out of the room, leaving him alone.

Once Kasumi had left, he began looking around the room and noticed how dark it was. The darkness matched his misery perfectly.

It was as if he was in a cave, walking around aimlessly and without any will to escape.

While Ryoga sat there in the dark, he contemplated his decisions over the past couple of months or so.

"Why did I do that?" he thought over and over again as he cursed himself. "If only I hadn't slept with Akane as P-Chan, if only I had stopped myself from being her pet, then I would still be Akane's friend. Right? If I hadn't done any of those things, Akane would still consider me a friend, right?"

Indeed, the poor young man was extremely depressed, even though he knew that his consequences were inevitable.

And so, he did something he had not done ever since he met Akane and stopped feeling lonely.

Ryoga began to cry.

And he didn't stop until he fell asleep.

A/N: Damn, that was a lot. At least, to me it was. But still, it was a lot of fun writing it! Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it. I would apologize for any errors in my story(because, trust me, there are a lot), but some people told me that saying "sorry" makes me seem like I want sympathy, which isn't true. I'm genuinely sorry for my awful writing, even though I believe I get better every time. This time, however, I'm not going to apologize because, like I said, I don't want sympathy. Instead, I'm going to say I'm proud about my writing, which is true. I really am proud on what I wrote for this chapter. Too bad it took my 7 months to write...

Which brings we to my next talking point. Why did this chapter take me 7 months to write? I bet most of you guys are wondering why. Here's my reason.

Simply put, I've been busy. Not just with schoolwork, but also writing. You see, I'm writing this story with another author(his name in FFN is SonicThunderSaiyanTurtle; you should check him out and our story. It's pretty good imo!) and, well, I have been busy writing with him. After all, we write pretty lengthy chapters. As a result, I haven't been able to write for this story. Then school ended for the summer and I thought "Finally! I'll get a chance to write!" But that didn't happen because I decided it would be a good idea to write fanfics for other fandoms(I only uploaded one story from another fandom and dropped the others because I got bored). Plus, I was just lazy. And then Junior year came along, and I got piled with so much work that I didn't get a chance to write. Then I realized that I wouldn't get much time to write this year or next year. Like I said, I'm a Junior right now. Next year I'll be a Senior. I'll be graduating pretty soon and I'll be really busy taking tests and whatnot as I prepare to go to college.

Upon realizing this, I decided I should probably update my story because, well, I knew I wouldn't get much time to write in the future. Also because I needed to tell you guys that I'll be going on a long-term hiatus. If I just said I was going on hiatus, some of you guys would be surprised and disappointed, especially if I said nothing about a hiatus. So yeah. That's my explanation for why I've been away for so long and why I'll be going on hiatus. Hopefully you guys understand. I hope all of you guys will come back when I return.

Other than that, I think it's time to celebrate. Why? Because the birthday for this story passed recently! Get the cake out! It's time to party! Man, I can't believe it's been a year. With how hectic 2020 has been, it feels as if a century passed, not a year lol. But yea. Happy Birthday to this story(that's part of the reason why i updated my story now; I'm such a weird guy, aren't I?)!

Well, that's about it for me. I'm sorry that I have to leave, but I must do it. I just can't focus on too many stories while also doing classes. I hope you guys understand and I look forward to seeing you guys again! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it(even though I can tell that it's bad; still, I'm proud of it). Until next time, I suppose. Have a nice day! Cheers!

-DaniFuli