Akane wasn't sure she could process all of this. Ranma had opened up to
her, telling her his problems, his feelings, what he wanted. And now . . .
Ranma wanted to be a girl, wanted to be Ranko. And was asking Akane if she
wanted to be friends. One of her memories suddenly surfaced, startlingly
clear. Akane had blocked it out for a long time, and now it returned with
painful clarity. She remembered how she had told Ranma that she was so
glad Ranma wasn't a guy. She remembered offering him her friendship. And
she remembered withdrawing it as soon as she found out Ranma was really a
guy. Not in so many words, but she no longer had a friendly demeanor
toward him. Akane remembered how she had said almost the same words Ranma
just voiced, and as Ranma found out, how back then the words only had
applied to one gender. She could hear the echo of her own voice in the
back of her mind. "Hi, I'm Akane, wanna be friends?" She could see the
hope in Ranma's eyes, and although back then there was no specific incident
that crushed the hope out of him, she knew it was gone all the same. Akane
felt horrible at what she'd done, and how badly she'd treated him back
then, and nearly started crying right there, in the Dojo, in front of
Ranma.
Ranma's, or Ranko's, hand suddenly disappeared from her field of vision, and she heard a voice speak softly, and heard the sadness almost cascading from the sound.
"That's ok. I should've realized you hated me, and it didn't really matter what gender I was. I thought it was maybe cause I was a guy. When I wanted to ask you out to dinner earlier, I thought that it might be because I was a guy, and that maybe being a girl you might like me better. That you might want to be my friend. I guess I was just too blind to see the way that my life is always gonna be, guy or girl." Ranma's voice dropped into a whisper, and Akane could tell that she wasn't supposed to hear the words Ranma spoke next, although she did.
"Always alone."
Akane's shock hadn't quite worn off, and if she had been able to move fast enough, she would've told Ranko that she wouldn't be alone, that she had a friend in Akane, that the incident earlier was just a misunderstanding. That Akane knew how it felt to be alone, because she didn't have a mother, either, and her father wasn't really emotionally there for her. That she loved Ranma as Ranko or as Ranma, and that Akane would always be there for him or her, whatever Ranma's decision would be. But Akane didn't move fast enough. And when Akane looked up, Ranko was gone.
Akane stood up and looked around, wondering where Ranko was, and knowing that she needed to find her, and fast.
"Ranma? Ranma?" Akane yelled as she scrambled up. "Ranma, Ranko, whoever you wanna be! Come back!" Akane screamed for him to come back as she ran out the dojo door and into the house, whipping through the entire first floor in a matter of seconds, and instinctively running up to Ranma's room. She tried the knob, which was locked, and then smashed the door open, expecting him to be there.
He wasn't. But his pack, which had always before sat in the corner, ready to go at a second's notice, was gone too. She stared for about three seconds, then whirled back down the stairs and out the door, not even noticing that the rest of the family wanted to know what was going on. She didn't notice that the snow outside was cold, and that it was freezing her shoeless feet. She didn't notice, and if she had, she wouldn't have cared.
She ran with all her speed down to Ucchan's, and when he wasn't there, left just as fast, moving so fast that Ukyo never even saw her. The Cat Café was devoid of people. Not being able to think of anyplace else he'd go, she ran to Dr.Tofu's for help.
'If I can't find him, Dr.Tofu has to! He just . . . . HAS to!' Akane felt tears streaking her face, and wiped them away. She stopped at the entrance to Dr.Tofu's clinic, out of breath and energy from her exhausting run, and collapsed inside. No one was in the main waiting room, but she heard Dr.Tofu's voice in the back. Akane slowly began to dredge her way to the back room, all of her strength and energy gone. As she got closer, she began to be able to make out the words.
" . . . . what you want to do?" Dr.Tofu's voice, sounding worried, rang out softly. Another voice responded, and Akane gasped, both in surprise and relief, when she realized who it was.
"Yeah, doc. No one 'round here really cares. I used to think that maybe Akane might . . . . if maybe me being a guy hadn't gotten in the way, but that wasn't it, and . . . ." Ranma's voice, most definitely his male side's, broke out in sobs, and Akane began to cry herself. She wanted to yell. 'Of course I care!' but her voice had stopped working.
"It's ok, Ranma," Dr.Tofu's voice was soothing. Ranma sobbed for a minute, while Akane cursed herself for not being able to move quickly, to get back there and comfort him. After the sobbing stopped, she heard Ranma's voice again.
"No, it's not, doc. It's never gonna be okay . . . . don't ya see? I'm in love with Akane, and she hates me. I can't even be her friend as a girl. I gotta leave the love of my life. I've gotta leave and never see her again. I have to spend the rest of my life alone. How is that okay? Tell me how the hell that's ok." Ranma's voice was strained, and it cracked several times. When he was finished talking he broke into low, muffled sobs.
Akane gasped, and nearly collapsed again. 'He . . . he . . . he l-loves me? But . . . how can he love me? . . .' Another voice in the back of her head decided to cut the tirade short, and yelled at her. 'WHO CARES WHY? HE LOVES YOU, YOU LOVE HIM, GET OVER IT!' The voice paused for a moment, and threw in an afterthought. 'AND GET BACK THERE AND HELP HIM OUT!' Akane winced at the volume of . . . herself, and realized that the voice was right. Trembling, Akane forced her legs to be steady, and walked as quickly as she could manage into the back room, where Ranma sat on the floor weeping, head in his hands, while Dr.Tofu looked at her.
"Ranma, I can't tell you how it's going to be okay," Dr.Tofu's voice murmured softly.
He slowly nodded at Akane, then stood and left the room, knowing they needed to be alone for this.
Akane walked over to Ranma, as slowly as ever, and collapsed next to him, crying, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him for all she was worth.
"He may not be able to tell you, but I can. It's gonna be ok, Ranma, cause you don't have to leave."
Ranma looked up at her, startled, the tears in his eyes still falling.
"But I gotta leave. I can't stay here." His voice shook, and his body trembled as well. He looked back at the floor.
"No you don't. Because I want to be your friend, whether you're girl or boy. Because you're a part of my family, and we love you." She took one of her hands and lifted his face so she could see his eyes. "Because you're a part of my heart, and I love you. Don't leave me, Ranma. Don't leave me alone. You may be able to be strong enough to do that, but I can't." Akane's voice failed her as it had earlier, and she waited for a response.
Ranma spoke, trying to make sure this wasn't a dream. "You . . . you don't hate me?"
Akane shook her head. The hope in Ranma's eyes increased, and a smile began to brighten his face.
"You . . . love me?"
Akane nodded with a happy grin. and Ranma slowly moved his face toward hers, their lips meeting in their first kiss. It was soft and tender, and Akane loved every second of it. She parted from him, looking into his eyes, and she could see that he wouldn't be leaving. Not now, not ever.
"So, are you going to be Ranko or Ranma?" Akane asked as Ranma offered her a hand and pulled her up.
"I'm going to be both. And I'm going to be neither. I'm going to be Ranma. A Ranma who laughs, and cries, and is happy and sad. I'm going to be a Ranma who's in love." Ranma smiled as they walked out the door, Dr.Tofu watching them happily.
"Are you going to like it?" Akane asked him.
"I'm going to love every minute of it, as long as I'm with you." he responded as he looked at her. "You'll be with me, whether you want to or not, Ranma," she told him.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied, and kissed her again, both of them warm despite being covered in snowflakes. They pulled apart, and Ranma put his arm around Akane, pulling her close. She smiled at him, arm about his waist.
The snowflakes fell all around in the moonlight, without noise, sparkling in the moonlight. As Ranma and Akane walked back to the place they both knew was home, they knew their lives of being alone were over, and their life of being always together was just beginning.
FINI
How'd you like it? R+R! I'm sorry I put it into 3 chapters like that, but I wanted some reviews, and some encouragement before I spent too much time on the story. I also needed some time to edit and re-edit the last chapter. A lot of the things in it didn't feel quite right, and although many are fixed, many still need to be messed with until satisfactory. I'll continue to edit it until I feel it's good enough to leave alone. I'll also put the whole thing together into one story once my editing is done. One other thing I'd like to note is that I know this story didn't have too much of a plot to it, and I'm sorry, but this was meant to be a one-shot, and that's what it ended up as. Oh, and one more thing (last one, I promise). I know Ranma and Akane are REALLY Out Of Character, but I needed them to be in order to make this story work right. Thanks.
~Lia-chan~
Ranma's, or Ranko's, hand suddenly disappeared from her field of vision, and she heard a voice speak softly, and heard the sadness almost cascading from the sound.
"That's ok. I should've realized you hated me, and it didn't really matter what gender I was. I thought it was maybe cause I was a guy. When I wanted to ask you out to dinner earlier, I thought that it might be because I was a guy, and that maybe being a girl you might like me better. That you might want to be my friend. I guess I was just too blind to see the way that my life is always gonna be, guy or girl." Ranma's voice dropped into a whisper, and Akane could tell that she wasn't supposed to hear the words Ranma spoke next, although she did.
"Always alone."
Akane's shock hadn't quite worn off, and if she had been able to move fast enough, she would've told Ranko that she wouldn't be alone, that she had a friend in Akane, that the incident earlier was just a misunderstanding. That Akane knew how it felt to be alone, because she didn't have a mother, either, and her father wasn't really emotionally there for her. That she loved Ranma as Ranko or as Ranma, and that Akane would always be there for him or her, whatever Ranma's decision would be. But Akane didn't move fast enough. And when Akane looked up, Ranko was gone.
Akane stood up and looked around, wondering where Ranko was, and knowing that she needed to find her, and fast.
"Ranma? Ranma?" Akane yelled as she scrambled up. "Ranma, Ranko, whoever you wanna be! Come back!" Akane screamed for him to come back as she ran out the dojo door and into the house, whipping through the entire first floor in a matter of seconds, and instinctively running up to Ranma's room. She tried the knob, which was locked, and then smashed the door open, expecting him to be there.
He wasn't. But his pack, which had always before sat in the corner, ready to go at a second's notice, was gone too. She stared for about three seconds, then whirled back down the stairs and out the door, not even noticing that the rest of the family wanted to know what was going on. She didn't notice that the snow outside was cold, and that it was freezing her shoeless feet. She didn't notice, and if she had, she wouldn't have cared.
She ran with all her speed down to Ucchan's, and when he wasn't there, left just as fast, moving so fast that Ukyo never even saw her. The Cat Café was devoid of people. Not being able to think of anyplace else he'd go, she ran to Dr.Tofu's for help.
'If I can't find him, Dr.Tofu has to! He just . . . . HAS to!' Akane felt tears streaking her face, and wiped them away. She stopped at the entrance to Dr.Tofu's clinic, out of breath and energy from her exhausting run, and collapsed inside. No one was in the main waiting room, but she heard Dr.Tofu's voice in the back. Akane slowly began to dredge her way to the back room, all of her strength and energy gone. As she got closer, she began to be able to make out the words.
" . . . . what you want to do?" Dr.Tofu's voice, sounding worried, rang out softly. Another voice responded, and Akane gasped, both in surprise and relief, when she realized who it was.
"Yeah, doc. No one 'round here really cares. I used to think that maybe Akane might . . . . if maybe me being a guy hadn't gotten in the way, but that wasn't it, and . . . ." Ranma's voice, most definitely his male side's, broke out in sobs, and Akane began to cry herself. She wanted to yell. 'Of course I care!' but her voice had stopped working.
"It's ok, Ranma," Dr.Tofu's voice was soothing. Ranma sobbed for a minute, while Akane cursed herself for not being able to move quickly, to get back there and comfort him. After the sobbing stopped, she heard Ranma's voice again.
"No, it's not, doc. It's never gonna be okay . . . . don't ya see? I'm in love with Akane, and she hates me. I can't even be her friend as a girl. I gotta leave the love of my life. I've gotta leave and never see her again. I have to spend the rest of my life alone. How is that okay? Tell me how the hell that's ok." Ranma's voice was strained, and it cracked several times. When he was finished talking he broke into low, muffled sobs.
Akane gasped, and nearly collapsed again. 'He . . . he . . . he l-loves me? But . . . how can he love me? . . .' Another voice in the back of her head decided to cut the tirade short, and yelled at her. 'WHO CARES WHY? HE LOVES YOU, YOU LOVE HIM, GET OVER IT!' The voice paused for a moment, and threw in an afterthought. 'AND GET BACK THERE AND HELP HIM OUT!' Akane winced at the volume of . . . herself, and realized that the voice was right. Trembling, Akane forced her legs to be steady, and walked as quickly as she could manage into the back room, where Ranma sat on the floor weeping, head in his hands, while Dr.Tofu looked at her.
"Ranma, I can't tell you how it's going to be okay," Dr.Tofu's voice murmured softly.
He slowly nodded at Akane, then stood and left the room, knowing they needed to be alone for this.
Akane walked over to Ranma, as slowly as ever, and collapsed next to him, crying, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him for all she was worth.
"He may not be able to tell you, but I can. It's gonna be ok, Ranma, cause you don't have to leave."
Ranma looked up at her, startled, the tears in his eyes still falling.
"But I gotta leave. I can't stay here." His voice shook, and his body trembled as well. He looked back at the floor.
"No you don't. Because I want to be your friend, whether you're girl or boy. Because you're a part of my family, and we love you." She took one of her hands and lifted his face so she could see his eyes. "Because you're a part of my heart, and I love you. Don't leave me, Ranma. Don't leave me alone. You may be able to be strong enough to do that, but I can't." Akane's voice failed her as it had earlier, and she waited for a response.
Ranma spoke, trying to make sure this wasn't a dream. "You . . . you don't hate me?"
Akane shook her head. The hope in Ranma's eyes increased, and a smile began to brighten his face.
"You . . . love me?"
Akane nodded with a happy grin. and Ranma slowly moved his face toward hers, their lips meeting in their first kiss. It was soft and tender, and Akane loved every second of it. She parted from him, looking into his eyes, and she could see that he wouldn't be leaving. Not now, not ever.
"So, are you going to be Ranko or Ranma?" Akane asked as Ranma offered her a hand and pulled her up.
"I'm going to be both. And I'm going to be neither. I'm going to be Ranma. A Ranma who laughs, and cries, and is happy and sad. I'm going to be a Ranma who's in love." Ranma smiled as they walked out the door, Dr.Tofu watching them happily.
"Are you going to like it?" Akane asked him.
"I'm going to love every minute of it, as long as I'm with you." he responded as he looked at her. "You'll be with me, whether you want to or not, Ranma," she told him.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied, and kissed her again, both of them warm despite being covered in snowflakes. They pulled apart, and Ranma put his arm around Akane, pulling her close. She smiled at him, arm about his waist.
The snowflakes fell all around in the moonlight, without noise, sparkling in the moonlight. As Ranma and Akane walked back to the place they both knew was home, they knew their lives of being alone were over, and their life of being always together was just beginning.
FINI
How'd you like it? R+R! I'm sorry I put it into 3 chapters like that, but I wanted some reviews, and some encouragement before I spent too much time on the story. I also needed some time to edit and re-edit the last chapter. A lot of the things in it didn't feel quite right, and although many are fixed, many still need to be messed with until satisfactory. I'll continue to edit it until I feel it's good enough to leave alone. I'll also put the whole thing together into one story once my editing is done. One other thing I'd like to note is that I know this story didn't have too much of a plot to it, and I'm sorry, but this was meant to be a one-shot, and that's what it ended up as. Oh, and one more thing (last one, I promise). I know Ranma and Akane are REALLY Out Of Character, but I needed them to be in order to make this story work right. Thanks.
~Lia-chan~
