Disclaimer: I don't own the Ranma ½ gang, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. So good luck trying to sue me. I've got no money :P
Author's Notes: I finally got the plot of this story together, and so here's chapter two of 'Our Little Secret.' Oh, and this chapter is a few months after the first chapter.
Legend:
[ ] = panda signs
" " = talking
' ' = thoughts (sorry, my computer's screwed, and the italics didn't show up for the thoughts in the last chapter ^_^')
On With The Story!
~
Akane sat at her desk, staring out the window. It's been three months since she and Ranma confessed their feelings for each other. Akane sighed, a slow smile making it's way across her face. She could still taste that kiss on her lips, the on that happened on the hill. Her smile grew wider as she thought about that night. The two of them had sat on that hill for hours, talking and staring at the stars. She learned more about him that one night than she had in all the time since she had first met him. Akane sighed again.
'You should be studying,' a nagging voice in her head said. Akane returned her focus to the open history book on her desk. 'This is so boring.' Akane was about to close her book, when she heard a soft know at the door. "Come in," she said.
Kasumi entered her little sister's room. Akane wiped the look of pure happiness from her face before she swiveled her chair around to face her sister. "Good afternoon, Akane. How's your studying coming along?"
"Oh, fine," Akane lied. She hated to lie to Kasumi, but Kasumi couldn't know about her and Ranma. If Kasumi found out, there would be a quick chain of events, and faster than Akane could throw a punch, her and Ranma would be married. Kasumi couldn't find out.
"Would you like to take a break and help me bake some cookies?"
"Sure." Akane got up from her chair, stretching slightly. She had been sitting in that chair for hours. She followed Kasumi to the kitchen.
~
Ranma was walking down the street to Ucchan's. He hadn't been there all week. But Ranma's mind was not on Ukyo's fabulous okokonomiyaki, but on Akane. On him and Akane, to be exact. Their secret was perfect. During the day, they were Ranma and Akane, a couple of teenagers who hated each other. But on their dates, they were a Ranma and Akane, a couple of teenagers who loved each other. No one even had a clue about what was going on between them. The two of them should get one of those American acting awards, what were they called? Oh yeah, Oscars, or something like that.
Ranma walked in the door to Ucchan's. "Hey Ukyo!"
"Hi Ranma honey. Where've you been all week?"
"Oh, just studyin' for exams. Or at least, I'm supposed to be." Ranma slid onto one of the stools.
"What do you mean by that?" Ukyo expertly flipped an okonomiyaki patty onto the grill.
"Ah, nothin'."
'He's hiding something.' The two were quiet. The only sound was the sizzle and hiss of the grill. At just the right time, Ukyo flipped the patty, and when it was done, flipped it onto a plate for Ranma. She slid the plate toward him. "Here you go, sugar." She smiled as Ranma dug into the okonomiyaki.
"This is great Ukyo! New recipe?" Ukyo smile again.
"Yep. You like it?"
Ranma just nodded his head. When he finished his okonomiyaki, he got up from the stool. "I'd love to stay, but I've really gotta study if I wanna pick up my marks. Bye Ukyo!" With that, Ranma left the restaurant.
Ukyo sighed. She plastered another smile on her face as the door chimes rang, signaling the entrance of a new customer. "Hi, welcome to Ucchan's," she said brightly.
~
That night, Akane woke up in the middle of the night. She heard her door click open silently, and she could tell someone was checking to see if she was asleep. Her mind went through all the possibilities as to who it could be this late at night. It couldn't be Ranma, they weren't planning on going out tonight. Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. The person checking on her cursed, then slid her door shut. Akane waited a few moments, then got up from her bed and followed the person.
The shadowy figure went to the front door and answered it. Kuno was standing there. "What's that idiot Kuno doing here?' Akane hid in the shadows of the stairway.
"Kuno-baby, how many times have I told you not to knock on the door," hissed the shadowy figure. 'Nabiki? What's she doing talking to Kuno at this hour?'
"But, Nabiki, my sweet, I cannot wait to see you."
"Yeah, and I'm flattered, but how would you like to wake up my father with your knocking?"
"Hmm, you have a point there." Kuno leaned down and kissed Nabiki.
"Anyway, let's go before someone wakes up." Kuno nodded and the two left.
Akane returned to her room, turning the scene she just witnessed over in her mind. 'Nabiki and Kuno…together? This is really weird.'
~
By the next week, Akane had pushed the events of that night to the back of her mind. She sat in her room, waiting for Ranma's knock. When he did know, she smiled and went to her door.
"C'mon. Everyone's asleep. Let's go." Akane kissed his cheek and followed him outside. Again, he picked her up, and leapt nimbly to the nearest rooftop. As he leapt from roof to roof, Akane could hear his heart beating in his chest. Finally, they found themselves at the park that they found themselves at almost every night that they went out. There they could have some privacy. Besides, there wasn't much for a minor to do at midnight. Ranma set Akane down on the ground, and took her hand. They walked through the park gates and strolled under the canopy of trees.
~
Back at the Tendo household, Nabiki found herself awake. Instinctively, she went to check on her little sister. Nabiki was shocked to find that her sister wasn't asleep in her bed, as she should have been. Nabiki began to worry. She walked down the hall to Ranma and his fathers' room. Genma was there, snoring loudly. But Ranma wasn't sleeping on his futon. Nabiki's brow creased into a frown. 'So this is their secret. Did they really think that they could keep this a secret while Nabiki lived under this roof? I'll wait in Akane's room until she gets back. I wonder how long this has been going on. This should make for interesting blackmail.' Nabiki slipped into her sisters' room and sat on Akane's bed, waiting for her little sister's return.
~
Ranma and Akane were back at home, and Ranma walked Akane up to her room. He kissed her gently. "Goodnight, Akane." Akane kissed him again.
"'Night, Ranma." With that, Akane slipped into her room. She closed the door, and sighed contentedly.
"Have fun, little sister?" Nabikis' voice startled Akane.
"Huh? Nabiki! What are you doing in here?"
"What weren't you doing in here would be a more appropriate question, don't you think?"
Akane began to sweat. Nabiki stood up from her sister's bed and crossed over to Akane. "You know, it was very hard to stay awake, waiting for you."
"What do you want, Nabiki?"
"Oh, not much…"
"What do you mean?"
"Only 5000 yen a week, and I won't tell Dad."
"What?" Akane stared at her sister. Then a scene from the previous week replayed in her mind. "That should come in handy right about now!' "No."
"Huh?"
"No, I won't pay that."
"Then I'll tell Dad."
"No, you won't"
"What makes you think I won't?" Nabiki looked her sister in the eyes. She saw uncertainty.
"You won't tell Dad, because I know your secret." The look in Akane's eyes changed to confident. She was taunting Nabiki. No one knew! No one could know!
"Yeah, right. What's my secret then?" Nabiki was faltering. She was finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face and not facefault as the seconds ticked by.
"You've been going out with Kuno!"
Nabiki stumbled backwards. "Wha…? How…?
"I saw you leave together last week."
'Damn' "Fine. I propose this then, I won't tell anyone about you and Ranma, and you don't tell anyone about me and Kuno, deal?"
Akane relaxed slightly. "Deal." She shook Nabiki's hand, and Nabiki left the room. Akane breathed a shaky sigh, she was trembling as she changed her clothes and went to bed. 'Now I know what it feels like to be Nabiki. Well, sort of.' Akane fell asleep with a small, contented smile on her face.
~
A Few Nights Later
~
Akane met Ranma in the hallway. Again, they left the house and Ranma carried Akane as he hopped from roof to roof. At the park, Ranma set Akane down and took her hand. They walked through the gates, and Ranma could tell Akane was getting nervous. "What's wrong?"
Akane looked up into his blue eyes. Ranma could read the fear in her eyes. "Nabiki knows" was all she said.
Ranma stopped walking and turned Akane so that she faced him. "What? How could she know? We kept the secret so well. Not even our fathers know!"
Akane continued to look into his eyes. "She woke up last night while we were gone, and when she checked on me, she found me gone. She waited in my room until we got back."
"How much does she want from us?"
"Nothing, as long as I keep her secret."
"Huh?"
"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, so I can't tell you. Besides, you wouldn't care anyway. It's a girly thing."
"Oh, okay then. I won't ask." Ranma leaned down and kissed her, as if to seal his promise. Akane kissed him back. She was happy. He was happy. And that's all that mattered at the moment.
~
Akane and Ranma made it back to the Tendo household around two o'clock. Ranma set Akane down on the ground, and she looped her arms around his neck. She pulled his face to hers. From his perspective, They were kissing. He closed his eyes to shut out the awful sight. His Akane and… Ranma… together. No matter how hard he squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn't block them out. He nearly fell out of the tree trying to shake the image from his mind.
~
"Aren't you coming inside," Akane asked when they had broken their kiss.
"Nah, I think I'm gonna sit on the roof for a while."
"Oh, okay. See you in the morning then." Akane kissed Ranma again and slipped into the house. Ranma continued to stare at the closed door for a few minutes, not really seeing the door there. He only saw Akane's smiling face and dancing brown eyes. Ranma sighed and hopped onto the roof.
He lay there, stretched out, almost asleep, when a shadow descended upon him.
"What were you doing with my Akane," asked a gruff voice.
Ranma sat up. "Oh, hi Ryoga. What are you doing here this late?"
"What were you doing with my Akane," demanded the eternally lost boy.
"I was on a date with Akane. Why?"
"Why were you on a date with her this late?"
"'Cause we don't want our parents to find out, duh!"
"Find out what?"
"Wasn't it obvious," Ranma asked, cocking an eyebrow at Ryoga.
Ryoga's response was the glow of his battle aura. "Y-y-you l-l-lo-love each-each oth-ther?" Ryoga found it hard to choke out those words.
"Yeah, so?"
Ryoga's battle aura faded away and he lightly collapsed to a sitting position. He dropped his head between his knees. "How could she love someone like you," he whispered.
"Because she can. And she does. And she has for a while now. Probably for just as long as I've loved her." Ryoga's shoulders drooped even further. "Look, I know how you feel for her, and I'm sorry man, but things just happened. We couldn't do anything to stop it. But promise me one thing." Ryoga looked up. "Don't tell my Pop of her dad. They can't know yet."
"And what if I do tell them?"
"I'll tell Akane about her precious P-Chan." Ryoga was taken aback. "Look, I've kept it a secret for this long without a price, and now I'm asking for one. Got it?"
"Yeah," Ryoga said shakily, "I won't tell. I promise. You have my word as a martial artist." 'And once I leave, I'll never come back. I can't stand to see the two of them together. It just hurts too much!' Ryoga choked back a sob and stood up. "Good-bye Ranma. I'll leave now. So you can be with your Akane." Ryoga turned away before Ranma could see the tears that had begun to stream down his face. Ryoga bounded off, fetching his backpack from the tree that he had hidden in earlier. Ryoga hit the ground and began to Run.
Ryoga ran and ran, not caring which direction he ran in. Not that it mattered. He would just get lost anyway, no matter how hard he tried not to. Ryoga ran until he collapsed into the soft undergrowth. He had run into a forest. But he didn't care. He lay o the ground and cried. He could literally hear his heart break. He sobbed for his lost love. He sobbed for his foolishness. How could he have ever thought that Akane could love him? He sobbed until he fell asleep, with the sky graying with the coming dawn.
~
Author's Notes: I left it kind of abruptly, didn't I? Oh well. This chapter was getting kinda long, and I needed to end it soon. Hopefully this next chapter will be up soon! (I have no clue why, but I want to finish this story fast!) Anyway, any type of review is welcome (even flames, they'll make me write better next time!) Either post 'em her on FanFiction.Net, of e-mail me at horsecrazy217@hotmail.com
