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Ranma swallowed a lump in his throat at the sound of her sobs. "I'm sorry...I'll give it to you soon...I promise...Aishiteru, Akane..." He closed his eyes and reached for the door, opening and moving down the hall.
He paused at Akane's door, listening to the heart wrenching sobs coming from inside. He cringed and tapped the door. "Akane?" He asked softly.
She opened the door slowly and looked up at him.
It was obvious to him that she'd attempted to dry all the tears before he'd seen her, but had failed. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Akane..." He said, gently brushing her tears away. "Why are you crying...?"
"Because...I...I care for you and I'm afraid that Kuno'll start up that nonsense again if you leave me...and I don't want to see you in pain..."
He tried to smile and failed. "I'll never be gone...I have a home now...Nerima is my home...If you EVER need me...I'll be there."
"But what if she turns you down?!"
"I wonder about that myself...what would you want me to do?"
"Come back here..." She admitted. "I love you, Ranma..." She whispered, a tear falling from her eye.
His eyes widened and he pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, Akane..." He whispered. *I'm killing her doing this...but I have to finish...*
"I should have told you before I lost you...I should have told you long ago...before the failed wedding...I really thought you'd said you'd loved me in Jusendo...but you didn't..."
He held her to his chest as she sobbed and looked up at the ceiling. "Shhhhhh...it's alright."
"I love you, but I also like to think I'm your friend...so I'll support you...I'll help you get the parents to break off the engagement..."
He swallowed the returning lump and sighed. "I-I...arigato, Akane..." He whispered, tightening his grasp just slightly.
"Come on, let's go tell them now..." She pulled from his grasp and led him through the door.

Genma and Soun sat at the Shoji board, playing yet another never ending game. When their children entered the room, they barely acknowledged them.
"Father...unc-I mean...Mr. Saotome...We want to end the engagment." Akane said, her face still showing the signs of her previous tears.
The father's merely shook their heads. "Again, dear?"
"Yes, Mr. Tendo." Ranma said, forcing him to stand up to their parents, because if he wasn't strong enough, it'd never work.
"What's the reason this time?"
"Ranma fell in love with someone." She closed her eyes trying to fight the tears. *Ranma needs me to be strong.*
"Ranma...." Genma glared at the boy. "You WHAT?!"
"Dad, I'm in love. I intend to propose to her, she knows about the curse and she loves me despite it. It's not Ukyou or Shampoo or Kodachi. Akane agreed to support me in this matter, also."
The parents stared. "WHAT!? What about your honor, boy?!" Genma growled.
Ranma looked down at his hands. "It has nothing to do with honor, dad...and everything to do with love. You engaged me to Ukyou, and Akane. Shampoo wasn't my fault because I didn't know their stone aged laws. It's your fault MY honor was put on the line and I have eighty frigging fiancee's running around the world. I'm going to fix this mess you started, and I'm going to marry who -I- want to marry, not who you want me to."
With that, Ranma spun on his heel and stormed back up to his room. When he was behind the door, he smiled. "Who -I- want to marry...not whom I'm honor bound to..." He looked towards Akane's picture and his smile broadened. "I like the sound of that..."

Shampoo looked up and smiled broadly as Ranma entered. "Airen hungry?" She said, putting a little wriggle into her hips.
"No. I need to speak to Cologne. Now."
She started. *Airen not here to see Shampoo?*
Cologne exited the kitchen and smirked. "I thought I heard muku dono. What did you come here to ask?"
"To tell, actually. I have no intention of, nor have I ever had, any intention of marrying Shampoo, and I'm finally making some choices and fixing some errors made by myself and my father."
"NO!" Shampoo rang to him hugging him tightly.
His arms remained at his sides. "Let me go, now. You managed to get engaged to me because of that stupid law of yours. Well, I'm not an Amazon, nor will I ever be one. I don't love you."
She smirked. "Who Airen love...?"
"If I told you, you'd try to kill her."
"BUT-!"
"NO!" He shoved her away and looked back at Cologne. "I've told you. I was engaged to two people by my father and one because I was trying to protect one of my best friends. Shampoo was that one. I never challenged, and there was no battle. I do not want her as a bride. If she continues to pursue me, it'll hurt her in the long run."
With that, he spun on his heal and left the Nekohaten. Colonge nodded sadly. "Shampoo, why did you not tell me this?"
"...because...Shampoo want Ranma...doesn't want spatula girl or pervert girl to get him. Only Shampoo deserve him..."
"Perhaps, but his heart isn't with you. Perhaps it's time you found someone who's heart you have."
Tears glided down Shampoo's face and she spun away from her grandmother's back. "Yes, great grand mother..." She said softly.
"Shampoo?" Mousse asked, coming out of nowhere.
She didn't look at him, her head hung. "Mutsu, I'm going home. I have no choice anymore. Ranma doesn't want me."
He was startled when Shampoo started talking in Chinese. "Shan pu...are...are you okay...?" He asked, moving in front of her. Tenderly, he lifted her head and stared down at her tear stained cheeks.
"M-MUTSU!" She cried, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck. She sobbed against his shoulder. "What's wrong with me...why didn't he love me..."
Mousse swallowed a lump and hugged her tightly, knowing he was taking his life in his hands. "It'll be okay...Ranma's a jerk...He used you...I'm just glad he decided to clear up this situation."
Shampoo didn't respond, just continued crying into his robes.

Ukyou served up another Okinomiyaki. She'd been happy since Shampoo called. *He must have picked me! He's on his way over now!*
Ranma entered shortly after.
"Hi Ranchan, want an okinomiyaki?"
He walked over to the grill shaking his head. "I need to talk to you. You may want to close shop."
"Of course, Ranchan...come on, let's talk in the kitchen."
Once there, Ranma thought a moment, wondering about the best way to approach this. "Ukyou, you know you're my best friend, ne?"
"Hn."
"Of all of the people I'm engaged to, I don't want to hurt you or Akane...but I've already had to hurt her and now it's your turn."
"WHA-"
He lifted his hands. "This engagement holds no more water than my others do. My father got me into this mess as a child. I didn't understand what was happening totally and I thought you were a guy." He looked up at her. "I'm making my choice. I'm getting married to someone I'm not engaged to. I'll do it cause I want to, not because honor demands it. This engagement is over."
She stood there her jaw gape. "B-but...why... after all this time...why...?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Because I'm in love with someone. She doesn't know yet, but I am. I have dissolved my engagements with Akane and Shampoo, but I still have to end this one. I'm sorry I waited this long, Ucchan, I really am...but...I can't control my heart. I intend to marry for love, not...for honor..." He turned and left the kitchen, walking out of the shop and onto the street.
Ukyou sank to her knees and stared at the counter before her. "I...I always thought it would be...one of us...wh-why...?" She smiled sadly. "I guess it's good that he's finally set us all free..." She looked up and sighed.
"I wonder who she is..."

Ranma jumped over the wall surrounding the Kuno property. "Kodachi! Tatewaki!"
The younger Kuno's left the house and stared at him. "RANMA-SAMA!" Kodachi launched herself at him, but he side stepped her. "Ranma-sama?"
"Keep you hands off to me. It's time the three of us had a nice long talk." He looked between the pair and his eyes narrowed.
Kuno swallowed hard and gestured towards the kitchen. "This must involve my sister-"
"And you, 'upperclassmen'."
"Me?!"
"Yeah, could you get me some hot and cold water?"
"I'm no servant!" Both objected.
"Either way, Kodachi, if you want to continue walking, stay the hell away from me. I don't belong to you, I never will. And Kuno, keep you hands off my female form."
Both of the Kuno children stared at him. "Female...form?" Kuno asked.
"Are you gonna get me that water or not?"

Ranma stood on the porch, looking at the pair. "While I was training as a martial artist, my father took me to a cursed training ground in China called Jusenkyo. While I was there, I fell in one of their springs. When I came up, I was a girl." He poured the cold water over his head and felt himself become a female.
Kuno watched Ranma's body go curvy and form two breasts. He shrunk about eight inches and his hair grew fire red.
"P-p-pigtailed...g-g-girl..."
"WHAT?!" Kodachi screamed.
Ranma set the bucket on the ground. "I am the 'pig-tailed girl' as you call her. I'm attempting to find the cure to this curse still, but the best solution to the problem in this form is hot water, which reverses the effect." She lifted the kettle and poured it over herself.
Kodachi and Kuno watched Ranma's shoulder's broaden as he grew taller, and his chest flattened, his hair darkening to ink black. "R-ranma...sama..."
"I'm not intrested in either of you. Now that you know about this, I -hope- you're not intrested in me either."
"You're a girl...or a boy...?"
That got Ranma's guard up. "I'M A GUY!" He growled.
Kodachi looked relieved, and Kuno shattered. "My pigtailed goddess...is a male..." He burst in to tears. *Note to self, stop hanging around Soun's family.*
Ranma roled his eyes. "Remember, Kodachi, keep your hands off me. I don't love you. Hell, I don't even like ya." He turned and jumped onto the ledge, before running across it. *It's been a LONG day...* He thought, zipping across rooftops.

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