The song "Think" belongs to the Information Society. Ranma 1/2 characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Think
Imagine if I said I sometimes need you
--I need you to this day
Imagine if I said I sometimes hear you call my name.
Some would say that it happened unexpectedly. Others may remark that it was only a matter of time. What matters most is that they did it: they turned the arguing and fighting into something else, something more. It was easy to do, really when all the obstacles were gone on various winter escapades.
Being together was easy when they let it be. At first, they hung out together because they were bored. It wasn't too long before they began seeking each other out to train, to see a movie, to get ice cream, to sit, contemplating the stars.
Imagine if I said I still could love you.
Imagine what you'd say.
Imagine if I said I sometimes still could see your face.
It wasn't love at first, not for Ranma and Akane. It was admitting. Admitting that there was something there. It was wanting. Wanting that something to grow into something else. It was easy to do really, when they both dropped their guards and allowed themselves to see each other the way they wanted to be seen.
Neither one knew when it happened. When the something between them grew to affection, to needing, to love. Even when their feelings changed, each waited for the other to say something. Even though the confessions never really came, each knew how the other felt. It was obvious in the way the spoke to each other, the way some part of them was always touching, the way their eyes softened at just the right moment.
Think about all the things we shared.
Think about all the times we cared.
When all of your hopes have come and gone,
Think about me and I'll be there
The short time they had together felt like forever. It was easy really, when you shared your darkest fears, your deepest secrets, your wishes and dreams with the one person you knew could understand it all. Nightmares weren't so bad when you knew that someone who could make them disappear with a word. Forever is easy to realize when you're doing it together.
There's something in the air that feels like winter
--The kind we used to know.
Yesterday can seem like such a long, long time ago.
Nabiki captured everything they felt in a single picture. Ranma and Akane were out wrestling in the snow. Nabiki and her camera seemed to appear out of nowhere to capture their antics on film. She took just one picture. It was freezing outside, she complained, and disappeared, eager to get back to the warmth of the house. The pair looked at each other. He had her pinned. There was snow everywhere…in their hair, on their eyelashes, up their noses. Their cheeks were stained red with cold. Somehow nothing mattered anymore.
Akane grinned at Ranma. "How long do you think we can lay here like this?"
Ranma grinned back and nuzzled his cold forehead to hers. "How long do you want to?"
Who could ever count the miles between us?
But now I know it's true.
Imagine if I said that all my dreams were dreams of you.
She was living in a different place now. She left, hoping to escape to a new existence. But existence was futile. No matter how far away she tried to get, he was always there…one heartbeat away. She could sleep now, but it didn't matter because he filled her dreams.
Think about all the things we shared.
Think about all the times we cared.
When all of your hopes have come and gone,
Think about me and I'll be there.
Think about images we've drawn.
Think about all the empty songs.
Whenever you're sure that I won't dare,
Think about me and I'll be gone.
He spent the entire night before she left thinking. He couldn't sleep. She had given him an ultimatum. She challenged him to tell her how he truly felt in front of parents and rivals. To stand up in front of the ones he thought mattered and confess his feelings. If he could do that, she'd stay.
He was convinced that she was bluffing. The part of him that saw her departure as a way to seek attention won out. The day she left he was silent. When she got in the cab, he hurt so much he couldn't even cry.
It took me a long long time to learn
That love is a thing you have to earn
I finally realized it's true
I just can't make it without you
Akane added Ranma's letter to the envelope she was sending Kasumi. As she sealed the envelope, she hoped that this one would find him, that his mother would finally track him down and pass along her prayers. Did she lose her chance? Did she throw it all away? Did she lose him forever? She hadn't realized how much she needed him until he walked out of her life completely, impossible for even a Chinese Amazon to track. If she saw him again, would she be able to tell him how she really felt? Would he feel the same way? Could she go on living if he didn't?
Most of the time, Ranma didn't even know where he was. Once in a while, he'd write a quick letter to his mother, letting her know that yes, he was safe, and yes, he was alive, but just barely. It was as if, by trekking across Japan he could find something that he had lost a long time ago. What would he do if he ever got it back?
Think about all the things we shared.
Think about all the times we cared.
When all of your hopes have come and gone,
Think about me and I'll be there.
Think about images we've drawn.
Think about all the empty songs.
Whenever you're sure that I won't dare,
Think about me and I'll be gone.
