Note: These characters don't belong to me, they are someone else's property!

" " when someone talks

Italics when someone thinks

What the future holds

Chapter 6: That's why I like him

Akane had never felt so embarrassed in her whole life, she really REALLY just wanted to die right there, right now.

She daren't look at Ranma, but she knew he would be feeling the same.

After what seemed an eternity to her the noises stopped. Ranma and Akane didn't speak. They just sat there amongst shoes and bags trying to digest what they had just witnessed.

Akane couldn't believe how only hours ago she was happily getting ready for the party hoping it was going to be a memorable night, but never in her wildest of dreams thought things were going to turn out the way they had. She had only spent a night in the future and she was already home sick, she couldn't understand how she was feeling home-sick in her own house.

All this was far too much for her brain to process. All she had wanted for that night at the party was for Ranma to notice her, to look at her not as his forced uncute fiancée, but as a nice, normal girl. As HIS nice, normal girl. Akane's thoughts deepened - Why the hell do I like this jerk anyway? I can't believe I'm even going to marry him!…But it looks like we are going to end up together anyway…

What really bothered Akane was the fact that she wasn't unhappy about was she was seeing. She actually had feelings of triumph over all his other fiancées. She was going to be the one who married him in the end! HA! She just wished Shampoo and Ukyo could see it. She had won, he belonged with her and everyone knew that. She didn't have to worry anymore because he was going to end up with her. Or maybe not. Maybe now that she knew what the future held things could change. Current events could overturn the course of things and maybe she wouldn't end up marrying him after all…

Akane's brain was starting to hurt. A lot. Her contradictory thoughts leading her to an unnecessary state of anxiousness. Her racing mind was interrupted by the voice of Ranma.

"Looks like they've finished…" He said blushing.

"Yes… thank goodness for that…" She said blushing even harder.

"At least it seemed like they were enjoying themselves" Ranma said trying to lighten up the mood.

Akane held her open palm to his face "I don't want to ever talk about this. So please stop trying to make a joke of it"

Ranma understood her embarrassment and decided to comply with her request "Let's wait a little more and make sure they're asleep, then we'll make our way out"

After an amount of time they thought enough they quietly walked out of the closet and escaped what seemed to have been a temporary torture chamber.

When they reached the roof they felt relieved and tired, it was well past midnight. They both lay down, with quite a big gap of separation between them and attempted to go to sleep, but they couldn't.

"Hey 'Kane, are you awake?"

"Yes" She answered simply.

"Guess there's so much to take in...uh…you know…with what all that we've been seeing and that" He said trying to start a conversation.

"Like I said. I really don't want to talk about it" Akane said shutting him down coldly.

They both lay silent, and as Akane felt the cold night air she wished she could sleep in her lovely comfy bed, instead of the hard,cold roof she was wrecking her back on.

She looked over at Ranma and saw him seriously looking into the sky, he looked too serious for his usual self. She felt a bit bad at how gumpy she had been with him the last few days. He must have felt as bad as her and he didn't complain. Not once. And not only that, he was being oddly nice to her, it was all so strange. It was like they had reversed roles, and he was being the responsible person whilst she was the being the annoying one. Guilt started to haunt her.

"Ranma…" She called weakly.

"Yeah?...? He said as he turned to look at her.

"Just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I've been acting like an asshole while we've been here"

"It's ok. You're always an asshole, I'm used to it by now" He smirked, clearly teasing her.

"Why…you…!" She said as she sat up and attempted to pound him with her mallet.

Ranma quickly jumped up and stopped her.

"Geez, Akane I was only kidding. Calm down!" He said as he grabbed her wrist with one hand and took the mallet off her with the other.

"I wish you got rid of this thing!" He said as he flung the mallet far away from them.

"Look, I just wanna get outta this place as much as you do" He said as he lay back down, arms behind his head.

"I know…" she said as she sat down again.

"I know you think it's all my fault that we're here, and I do feel partly responsible, but I'm not taking the blame for all of this" he said looking into the starry night sky.

"It's not my fault we're here if that's what you're implying!" Akane groaned.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just sayin' that you always blame things on me. Hell, everyone blames things on me, and I'm sick of all that bullshit" He said bitterly.

Ranma's sudden outburst had taken her by surprise.

"You have to admit that sometimes it is your fault" she said.

"Yeah, sometimes, but not ALL the time" He said.

"Well, somehow chaos just seems to follow you around. Before you came everything was calm, but then you appeared and suddenly all hell broke loose in our lives. It's only normal people are going to blame you" Akane explained.

"Yeah, but you blame me for all the wrongs in the world, like everything that's bad is my fault, and it's not. Especially you Akane" Ranma answered.

"I don't do that" She replied indignant.

"Yeah, you do. All I do is try to help people when they need me. I try not to hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it . Well, apart from Ryoga and Kuno - man it's fun pissing them off..." He said as a playful grin appeared on his face.

"I know that…I know you always try to aid anyone who needs your help" Akane said.

"Do you really think I'm that bad of a person?" He said as he looked straight into her eyes.

This caught her a bit by surprise.

"Well…you're not bad… just a bit irresponsible and insensitive at times" Akane was trying to find the right words to say.

Ranma grimaced, making it obvious that it wan't really what he had wanted to hear from her.

"Well, think of it this way. You mustn't be so bad when you have so many girls throwing themselves at your feet!" Akane said blushing and trying hard to move the conversation away from negativity and insults.

"I don't really care what other people think…I'm asking if YOU think I'm a bad person" He said staring at her with and intensity that made her gulp.

"I…uh...well…you know I like you. You're my friend. I would even say my best friend. You're always there for me when I need you… so no, I don't think you're a bad person at all. In fact I think you're a really nice person when you want to be" She said still blushing.

Ranma's hard face suddenly softened "That's all I needed to know"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I wanted to know what you thought of me, what you really thought of me" He said.

"You know what I think of you" She said.

"No I don't"

"Surely you do" She insisted.

"No I don't, that's why I asked" He looked up at her.

"I told you the other night, that I...uh...had feelings for you" She blushed.

"That was because of the punch you'd been drinking"

"No it wasn't! Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"Why do you have to be so snappy and bad-tempered all of the time?"

Akane sighed in frustration and brought her hands to her face in turmoil "Why do we always end up fighting? This is hopeless..."

"What is?"

"This. You and me" She said as she signaled back and forth between them with her finger.

Ranma rubbed his forehead in obvious sign of anguish.

"I never mean to upset ya you know" He said looking glum.

"Well you're doing a pretty bad job at it"

"I...uh...you're the last person I'd ever want to upset. I guess I'm just pretty clueless at all of this" He said bouncing his foot up and down in uncomfortable nervousness.

Akane looked at him, feeling his unease and taking pitty on his obvious struggle for words.

"It's just weird. You never talk about feelings" She said unsure how to handle a serious talk with Ranma.

"It doesn't mean I don't have any though" He said flatly.

"Sometimes it seems like you don't" She answered not willing to hurt him but trying to be sincere.

"I'm a martial artist, I have to be strong in every single aspect of life, and feelings…well, feelings can drag you down and make you weak. You have to learn to keep them hidden away. You have to leave them aside most of the time. But I'm human, and sometimes they...uh...just kinda sneak out. I guess what I'm tryin' ta say is that I do have them ya now? Feelings I mean"

"Ok...I'm not really sure it's Ranma Saotome I'm speaking to here. Are you sure you're not an impostor?" Akane said half-jokingly.

"Why?".

"Well, it's just so unlike you, to show your human side. You know, maybe if you opened up a bit more like you are doing now people wouldn't think so badly of you" Akane explained.

"Well, like I've make ya weak, and I don't want anyone to think I'm weak. I have to become a man amongst men, remember?" He said smiling.

"Yes, but do you really want to become a man amongst men?" She asked.

"Sure I do. I wanna be the strongest martial artist ever!" He replied confidently.

"Well, if that makes you happy, then go for it, but don't forget about feelings, those are a very important part in a human being, if not the most" Akane said trying to sound encouranging.

"Don't worry, I won't become a monster or anything" He joked.

Akane laughed "I'm not so sure about that…"

Ranma smiled "I'll have feelings for what and who's worth them"

"Glad to hear that"

"And I'm glad that you don't think I'm a bad person" Ranma smiled again.

"Why?"

"Because I needed to know that you thought nicely of me" He replied.

"But why?" She asked again.

"Well…because I would hate to think that you thought the worst of me"

"Why's that?" She asked once again smiling, her heart beating faster.

"Because I think the world of you" He replied.

"What?" She asked stunned.

Ranma half smiled at her surprise. "I think the world of ya, always have, always will"

Akane had no words, she just sat quiet, her brain trying to process what he had just said. She meant the world to him? What exactly did that mean? It surely was something good, but did it mean there was something more…? Did she mean the world to him as a friend? As a fiancée? She didn't know, it was as ambiguous as ever. She just knew she was too happy to spoil the moment thinking too much, she just wanted to enjoy , for once, the nice comments Ranma had given her.

"I think we should try get some sleep now, the sun will be out soon" He said.

"Ok… Good night." She said.

"Night" He answered.

The night air was quite cold and Ranma felt it, he also heard how Akane was shivering a few feet away. He didn't know if what he was about to say was going to be a good idea or if Akane would pound him with her beloved mallet, but he couldn't stand hearing her freeze like that any longer, and he was quite cold himself, so he decided to bite the bullet.

"Akane…uh...I know it's a bit chilly, and I can hear you shivering…so..uh…I know you don't like having like any kind of physical contact with me…but...uh... you can snuggle up if you wanna… and you wouldn't be so cold" Ranma said and waited for her to scream how perverted he was. Instead he felt her lie against him and sort of cuddle to him, so he put his arm around her and smiled as he closed his eyes and started to feel sleepy whilst feeling the heat glow between them, warming them up instantly.

As Akane lay next to him she couldn't believe what he had just offered to do, she couldn't actually believe anything that had happened that night! This must be a dream, Ranma is never so nice... she sighed as she kept ruminating. He's so warm…and he smells so nice…

As she felt his grip around her tighten she felt safe, protected…and she felt great. She felt like in heaven, and he made her feel like that. Now she had the answer to her earlier question: Why the hell do I like him?... Now she knew. Because things like this he does, because how he makes me feel, because he takes care of me, because he protects me, because how he is like he is…That's why I like him