Dedicated to: Noah! ^_^ Hi hi!
They reached Dr. Tofu's and Ranma walked over to him. Dr. Tofu looked up from eating his breakfast--ramen, and blinked. "What is the problem?" He set his bowl of ramen down. His eyes widened when he observed what was before him. Blood was stained on Ranma's shirt, but it didn't look like it had bled through by a wound on him. The girl in his arms was covering her mouth, pale. Her chest was heaving as though about to cough, but then being held back from it.
Dr. Tofu took Hikaru out of Ranma's arms and placed her on a bed. Ranma told him what had happened, and Dr. Tofu went to work. When he finished, he looked up at Ranma. "She'll need to rest here for at least two days, counting this one...no moving her from the bed I put her in, and no stress. You can visit her." Ranma nodded.
. . .
Akane stormed towards Ranma as he opened the door. "Where is she?!" She yelled. Ranma calmly shut the door and took his shoes off, walking past her.
"Ranma no baka, answer me!" Akane followed him. "I'm just protective of you...I don't want anyone to take you away." Ranma stopped.
"So I can't have friends."
"Yes...yes, you can...but...not her..." Akane's
voice became softer. Eyes on the verge of tears.
"Why not Hikaru?"
"Because...she'll take you away from me."
"...Why not Hikaru?"
"Because she could take you away from me."
"...Was I ever yours to begin with?"
"Yes! Yes! We're fiancees, the other two aren't
really fiancees. I'm the real one, I'm the one that..that...that
loves you!"
A silence drew over them for a moment. Then Ranma spoke, still facing the wall. "I might have loved you...I might have, but...you abuse me and yell at me and insult me. I counter it with insults, just to keep up a face. You abuse me again, and again, and again, and again. We're not even married...well, I don't love you. I know hearing that hurts, but it's the truth. I don't love you."
Akane slid down on the wall, crying. "It was
all because I loved you...I didn't want to admit it!"
"...."
Silence dulled talk again, and a strange smile curled
over Akane's lips. "You're mine anyway...I'm your fiancee.
Your dad and my dad want us to be together...you can't change it."
Akane banged one hand into the wall, causing a dent, and stood up. "I love you, and nothing will stop me from being with you...especially not her."
"We're just friends, Akane, how can you think like that? And I don't love you, I'm sorry." Ranma spoke up. Akane walked out, humming to herself as if she did not hear him...or maybe she didnt.
. . .
At school Akane acted normal, and the school part of the day passed quickly. Ranma ran out of the school as the bell rang, he made sure Akane wasn't following him and went to Dr. Tofu's.
Dr. Tofu nodded to Ranma as he entered, and pointed to a door. Ranma walked to it and opened it silently, stepping into the room without a sound. Hikaru was asleep, her braid undone, red hair flowing out in waves, she was dressed in a long white sleep shirt, the blanket up to her waist. The expression on Hikaru's face peaceful--no, wait...Ranma looked closely. There was a small mark of guilt in that expression. Ranma wondered why.
He brushed Hikaru's bangs from her eyes and smiled as she batted the hand away with a sleepy one. He brushed the rest of her bangs away and was rewarded with his hand being batted way again. Red eyes fluttered open. "Nhn?" She brought a hand up and rubbed her eyes.
"Hey." Ranma greeted her. Hikaru smiled
sleepily.
"Hello Ranma." She tried to turn on her side,
but flinched and stayed laying on her back.
"Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, alot...and i'm still sorry."
"For what?"
"For fighting with Akane."
".......It's okay." Ranma's expression darkened
a bit.
"Are you okay, Ranma?"
"Fine."
"That's good. Anything happening that I should
know about?"
"Not really."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Not much to talk about, huh?" Hikaru spoke up.
"Nope, not really."
Ranma sat on her bed near her and the two just stayed
there in silence, thinking and taking in the small pleasure of nothing
wrong around them...except for the fact that Hikaru was wounded.
Dr. Tofu walked in and Ranma quickly stood up from sitting on the bed. "Hikaru, I brought you dinner...and once your done, please rest some more." Hikaru nodded, smiling warmly. It caused Ranma to smile softly as he edged out of the room, unnoticed.
. . .
As Hikaru ate, Dr. Tofu left the room. And when she finished a figure watched her like a wolf would to a trespasser from a bookshelf in the room.
"You I kill." The figure whispered in a sealed promise.
--End of Chapter Four--