Breakfast was a difficult meal. Ranma sat very still, letting his father steal as much of his food as he wanted, and trying not to react to the conversation going on around him. He was acutely aware of Akane, that damn pig held tight on her lap, brooding like an unexploded atom bomb in the corner.

It was all Akane's fault, in any case. The situation might have been resolved discreetly, but Akane in a violent mood,Ranma reflected bitterly, was anything but discreet. The entire household had heard her screaming at him to get out of her room, not to mention the flying furniture, and it was too much to ask that anything that happened in this house not become a subject for general discussion over breakfast.

"At least he was a girl kitten." Kasumi, of course, determined, to the point of delusional insanity. to look on the bright side.

"Oh, of course, then, that makes it perfectly respectable," drawled Nabiki. She clicked beads on her abacus as she spoke. Ranma shuddered internally to think what profits precisely she was calculating. "I must say, though, it is a creative way to take advantage of a girl," she said admiringly.

Soun managed to stutter something about dishonour through his tears, and Kasumi petted his arm soothingly. "Of course they are too young, Father." She gave Ranma as disapproving a glance as she was capable of mustering.

Genma laughed heartily. "Like father, like son. You'd better remain a boy for the wedding though, my boy." He leaned towards his son and whispered all-too-audibly, "Or you might not legally inherit the dojo."

Ranma smacked him in the face, so hard that the larger man tumbled into the pond outside the door. He remained sitting still, glaring impassively at the panda who was holding up various insulting signs at him.

The blowrelieved his feelings at least a little.

It was little comfort, however, on the walk to school. Ranma had walked to school with a seething, silent Akane so many times that he should have been used to her bouts of not speaking to him by now. He was not quite sure what stubborn streak kept him pacing the fence by her side no matter how difficult relations were, but hostile company on the way to and from school had become almost routine. Besides, he was always forgiven, in the end.

It's just that there was something particularly pathetic about her stiff back and red eyes this morning.

This Akanewas just… so different from the drowsy, amorous girl he had been kissing in the early hours of the morning. Ranma sighed, pressing the back of his neck with his hands. He had a fair idea now why his fiancée had been so upset. He supposed he had more or less sneaked into her bed under false pretences, worse than Ryoga pulling the same trick night after night; at least Ryoga never transformed back to try something with her. But in no way had it been Ranma's fault! He would never have done something so dishonorable intentionally. Of course he had thought… that…

He looked down at the girl marching rigidly beside him, and sighed. She was so much nicer when she was being kissed…

…and she had kissed back. Passionately. There was absolutely no doubt in Ranma's mind about that. The memory had fused itself into his brain, and would already replay at the most inconvenient moments. Like right now.

Somehow, he was not inclined to let the whole thing go this time. There had been too many near misses between them, and he was determined to resolve things for once and for all. They had wanted to kiss each other, and they were just going to have to face up to that fact. Summoning all his courage, he leapt lightly down from the rail to land in front of Akane, facing her and blocking her route. Maybe pulling the alpha male routine would work. There was always a first time.

"Hey, Akane, you have to listen to me," he began in his most commanding tones.

Expressionlessly, Akane swung her arm out like a mallet and smashed him against a street light. Her progression down the street did not miss one angry stride.

Ranma curled up in the gutter for a few moments, wincing. He knew he healed incredibly fast, but… Akane had a good solid right-handed swing for someone who usually only worked out to relieve anger, and that lamp post was solid metal. Maybe he really should see the doctor instead of attending school this morning. Assuming he could avoid a certain bad-tempered panda assistant at the clinic, that was.

He could sort things out with Akanewhen school broke for lunch.

Akane sat in silence at her desk, working with feverish intensity. Her classmates kept a respectful distance from her, recognizing her mood.

Several of them were taking bets on what had caused the fight this time, and when she and Ranma would make up.Akane deliberately ignored them, although part of her was itching to go tell them that she would burn in hell for a thousand eternities rather than so much as speak that – jerk's – name again. That, however, would display entirely too much interest in the situation. Ranma was not worth her time.

What kind of pervert pretended to be a cat in order totake advantageof a girl in girl form?

She tried very hard not to look at the clock on the wall. It was half past ten, and her so-called fiancé had still not arrived at school. Not that she was concerned. She didn't care what that stupidlecher did at all, and if anyone thought she was going to marry him after all that, then they could - they could just –

The point of her pencil crumbled into fragments of lead, and she stared blankly at the hole she had driven into her paper.

She caught a whisper from behind her. "…the moment Shampoo… back in his arms… forgiven… you know…" Blood burned in her face, and she leaned over to let her bangs obscure her expression a little.

Maybe she had been a little too forgiving of Ranma's insensitivity on other occasions, if she was to be absolutely honest with herself. She wanted, she decided virtuously and with blatant untruth, to make her beloved father happy by complying with his wishes as to her marriage, so she overlooked Ranma's frequent failings. But surely there were some limits as to what she should endure for the sake of family.

She wanted to kill him. Or herself.

This was different from the other times. This time it was not just her dignity or her feelings that had been bruised. Ranma was a brat, and in her heart she had become more or less reconciled to his charming obnoxiousness, even if she still blew up at times… well, all the time. But this time she had been more than just hurt or humiliated.

She had been violated.

How could she have been so stupid? To kiss Ranma at all, that had been unforgivable enough. She had given up another small part of power in the complicated game that was their erstwhile, laugh at the term, love life. But to kiss him as a girl, that had been admitting entirely too much.

But –Ranma had looked so deceptively appealing, there in the half-darkness, her eyes made huge by shadows. And it had been nice, so much nicer than Akane had wanted to admit, to have this pretty girl who was, after all,her Ranma, trusting and wanting to be with her alone in her weird feline state. And the kiss…

Her kisses had felt sincere. Had felt passionate and sweet. Had felt like dreams fulfilled, true tenderness, true lust, true love…

And the kisses had been from a girl. And there was no doubt about it, that had been part of the sweetness… The softness of her lips, the smallness of her hands, the contrast between the firm muscled arms going around her and the pliant body pressing against hers… She had been so close to… to…

She abandoned her work and dropped her head in her hands with a sigh, uncaring that she had caused another flurry of betting behind her with her obvious depression. So Ranmahad figured out thatAkane liked girls as much, if not more, than boys. That wouldn't have been a disaster in itself, really, considering all the insults he flung at her on a daily basis. Better to be a dyke than undesirable. The problem was that, for a few precious moments, Akane had lowered all her defenses and let herself be a normal girl in love. She had letanother into the most secret, cherished part of her feelings.

Andthe otherhad flung it in her face and mocked her. And now everything was… tainted. Made ridiculous and ruined beyond recovery. Her innermost feelings, her engagement… Everything was a sick joke. Just like Akane.

She felt tears start in her eyes, but they were inconsequential compared to the burning rise arising in her heart yet again. What kind of boy would turn himself into a girl and make a pass at his own fiancée, merely in order to expose her as a lesbian? That was twisted and… cruel. More cruel than she would ever have suspected Ranma, even at his most unbearably cocky and provocative, of being.

"Stupid pervert," she whispered to herself.