The Disaster Sisters: Celestial Interference

Part VII (My God, can you believe it?): (I fell in love with) the girl at the art show

By Kalio

Akane looked over at Ranma, startled. 'You mean my art?'

'Well, that for one thing. I think you should enter an art contest, you shouldn't hide talent like that. I, uh, want to know why you always insist on trying to cook when you should know that I don't care one way or another how bad it is. I want to know why you want me to hit you when we fight. I want to know what your mother was like. And I want to know why you always get so jealous about Shampoo and Ukyo when you've let Tatsuya kiss you.' Ranma almost seemed (very) angry when he said that last one, but he controlled himself.

'You SAW?' Ranma nodded.

'And you let him, didn't you?'

'Hey, that's not fair. You've kissed Shampoo right in front of my eyes before, and one could argue that you let her. She certainly couldn't force a martial artist like you, right?'

'That's different, I was shocked- and I was pushed into it by that bacon breath, Ryouga.'

'Oh, like I wasn't shocked when Tatsuya did it in the middle of a sentence! I'm just saying that you have no reason to be anymore angry with me than I have to be angry with you, okay?'

'Feh.' Akane snorted.

'Fine! Be that way! I don't need you to butt in, if you're so angry, why don't you do something about it?' Ranma's eyes flashed.

'Well, I thought I was!'

'Dragging me out to the middle of some forest to whine at me does not count as doing something.'

'What do you want me to do? Rip out Tatsuya's heart like you did mine?!' Ranma's hand flew to his mouth. 'That didn't come out right... Anyway, if I harmed one hair on his head, you'd have my head.' Akane fidgeted slightly, nervously.

'Ranma, you know I don't like you fighting everyone who comes into your life, and if it really bothered you that I kissed him, you really should have spoken up sooner. I can't promise it won't happen again. I can't even promise that I'll push him away, Ranma. What can I say? I... I liked it.' Ranma stared at her, his mouth cracked open ever so slightly, and there was and odd tightness in his throat as tears threatened to prick his eyes. When he finally spoke, it was ragged and almost hoarse.

'You like being kissed mid-sentence? You mean to say that you can't push him away like you push me away with your fists?' Akane looked at him in disbelief.

'Like you push me away with insults? I didn't ask for a fiancé, and neither did you. I thought we at least agreed on that!' Ranma clenched his fists in frustration.

'No, I didn't ask for a fiancée, I didn't ask for three of them! But I don't want to loose one of them to some guy she just met! I don't want you to hate me, cuz I don't want that from the only person I've ever learned to really care about!' Akane stared in shock. 'Geez, `Kane, I don't know anymore... I guess everything that I ever wanted was under your roof, but I can't stay if I get called a pervert and he's the one kissin' you. I can't.' Akane bit her lower lip.

'You're not.'

'Huh?'

'You're not a pervert.'

'You... you're wrong. I am.' Akane paled, then reddened.

'W-what?'

'I lied, I just can't stay if he's kissin' you period... whether or not you call me pervert.'

'Oh. So are you or aren't you?'

'I am. You were right.'

'But...'

'But what?'

'You haven't.... I mean- DONE anything, have you?' Ranma looked at her in confusion, then he panicked.

'Hell, no! I'm not a lech, just a perv!'

'Meaning WHAT exactly, Ranma?' Akane was a little more peeved now that her confidence somewhat returned, so Ranma matched her anger.

'Meaning I'm thinking nasty thoughts about you! Just how much I've wanted just a tiny little kiss that meant something rather than being attacked by all the nuts in Nerima! Just how much I need to touch you and I can't. That's why I push you away, Akane. That's why I can't be nice to you. That's why I can't get any closer to you; I can't be trusted to be a gentlemen. You want to know why I call you all those stupid fucking names? Huh? So I don't let you close enough that I loose control!' Akane's mouth hung open, and she started to wonder where the rest of the pod people were, she was considering looking. Ranma sighed, and talked lower.

'It's not always like this. I'm not always so afraid of myself. But if I see your smile for too long, I just want ruin it with my own lips, and I can't stand that, and so I have to fight because you hate me and I can't force myself like that. I can't force you to make up your mind like that, so I can't stay if Tatsuya does, not for long, anyway.'

'I don't.' Ranma looked up.

'Don't what?'

'Hate you.'

'Really? Sure as hell sounds like it. Especially when you use those exact words.'

'I didn't- I didn't mean it. Do you mean it, about why you call me names?'

'Every Goddamn word.'

'Ranma-'

'Yes?'

'Do you really-?' He leveled his eyes and looked at her, intensely.

'Akane, I've been losing my mind recently, what with nearly marrying you and having you all to myself, then having pretty boy come kiss you, and you actually liking him. It made me want to throw you down and make you mine once and for all, but it obviously doesn't work like that. But you know what? I couldn't do that, even if it did work like that, I couldn't stand to see you hate me for the rest of your life. Even a chaste kiss would be better than nothing, but I can't take that, either, unlike Tatsuya. So, yes, I really mean it. I mean it about an art contest, too. I bet you could do something really amazing and intense.' Akane sat silently. How could you respond to all of that? Then she spoke.

'You know, its hard to say who's caused who more pain. I never wanted to hurt you, Ranma, but I just can't stop. I really like Tatsuya, he understands me, ya know? I mean, there's no hidden meaning behind anything he says, and he tries to make me happy. There's no pain in my heart when I see him, I just- I just can't let it go. I may not be in love with him, but I haven't known him for very long...' Ranma's chest tightened and tear welled in his eyes, yet he scoffed.

'I don't buy that, Akane, all it took for me was "I'm Akane. You want to be friends?".' With that Ranma ran off into the shadows of the woods, leaving her alone.

'Ranma!' She shouted, then whispered. 'Why do I have to make this so hard on us? Why?!'

A/n: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I didn't mean to! Sorry about the ooc factor in this, but it was a necessary evil because I didn't think it would be ooc given the circumstances. Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you guys who reviewed, especially the ones who always have something to say, you know who you are. It's really helpful to hear from you guys since I think my writing sucks, and you guys always help make it a little bit better. Anyway, thanks guys! Oh yea, and the art show... I don't really know if I'm doing that, but I wanted to title the chapter based on a song title whether or not it was accurate. Sorry, I might do something with it, I might not. Hey did anyone cry with Ranma? I did, and I wrote the stupid thing!