A/N: It seems the question on everyone minds is 'WILL NATSUKO AND HOTAKA GET TOGETHER???' and my answer is…

*drum roll*

…I have no idea.

You're just going to have to read and see how everything plays out! (Yes, I know this is cruel and unusual torture. Yes, I know I'm evil.)

Hotaka lay on the floor in Kasumi's room, wide-awake. There were a few reasons for him to be awake, and the main one was tossing and turning in Kasumi's bed just an arm's length away from him.

How Natsuko could sleep in these kind of conditions, he'd never know.

Why was he in such a state and Kasumi's room? Easy.

Nodoka.

Yes, the Saotome woman had insisted since he and Natsuko were 'engaged' that they should sleep in the same room. And of course Kasumi, being the kind soul she is, offered to sleep on the couch so he and Natsuko could use her room.

Whoo hoo.

In short, Hotaka was not happy.

Does she always toss and turn when she sleeps? I don't know how Kazuma could put up with sharing a room with her for so long if she does! he thought as he pulled his pillow over his head in a vain attempt to block out the sound. After a few more minutes, he sat up and looked over at her. Her slender body tossed and turned and kicked, spewing the blankets everywhere. She held the top of her sheet in a ball and clutched to her chest. Her eyes were forced shut, and little groans and half sentences escaped from her lips.

Is she dreaming? he thought, then he shook his head. What am I talking about? Natsuko _never_ dreams.

He laid back down and rolled over on his side, desperately trying to ignore his 'fiancée.'

"Hotaka…"

Hotaka bolted up at the sound of his name and stared at Natsuko.

"Hotaka, no-- I didn't-- Hotaka--"

She's dreaming about-- me?!

He looked down at her form, still for the moment, and felt his hand reaching out and stroking hair away from her face. As his fingertips touched her face, she seemed calmer; almost, peaceful.

Kawaii…

Finally, realization dawned on him, and he wrenched his hand away.

What am I doing?!

Shaking his head he turned away from her. She started tossing again. Looking back at her, he finally recognized what was going on. He had walked in on Banna doing the exact same thing in the middle of the night.

She's having a nightmare, he thought. He looked back at her sympathetically. What do I do for Banna when she has a nightmare? That's right, I usually climb into bed… with… her… Oh, crap.

He hesitated.

I don't want Natsuko to get the wrong idea, but, ah damn it! I want to go to sleep!

Mind made up, he crawled into Kasumi's bed. Reluctantly, but forced by grim determination, he put his arms around his rival and pull her close to him. Thankfully, she stopped moving, and even more thankfully, she didn't wake up.

This is gonna be a loooooong night.

***

Natsuko was trapped. Trapped in darkness. Alone. Somehow, she was floating a void, feeling nothing, nothing except weariness and fear.

"Where am I?"

"Where do you think you are?" a voice said from behind her. She whipped around to face it.

"Hotaka?"

He merely nodded and pointed to his right. She followed his hand and looked at where he was pointing. Her eyes widened at the sight of the middle-aged couple. The man had his arm around the woman, and both looked sadly at her.

"Ma? Pop?"

The couple nodded. Happy tear flooded her eyes and she rushed towards her parents.

"Mom! Papa!"

Just as she was about to run into her parents' arms, it wasn't her parents anymore. She watched two people she loved morph into Ranma and Akane. The two turned away from her and walked into the darkness, leaving Natsuko alone, not moving.

"What…? Mom! Pop! Come back! MOM!! PAPA!!"

"What's your problem, Natsuko?" said another familiar voice behind her. "I thought you hated Pops."

Her eyes widened and she slowly turned to face her twin. He leaned against an invisible wall in the void, staring at her sadly, but his eyes were cold. She could only stare at her brother in shock. Kazuma, _her Kazuma_, never talked to _anyone_ like that, nor did he ever call her by her full name.

"Times change, Natsuko," he said, almost responding to her thoughts. "I'm not your Kazu anymore."

He reached into his shirt, and pulled out a jade pendent on a silver link change. His Amazonian Promise Pendent Perfume had given him not even three months ago. From the pendent, a jade smoke spilled out and took a form next to her brother. It twisted and morphed until it took the form of a young girl, her purple and black tipped hair pulled into two high pigtails. Thick glasses covered a good part of her face.

"Times change, Natsuko," the young girl said. The smoke enwrapped her again, and Perfume, in her true age and beauty, stood next to Kazuma now. "Kazuma is mine now. I'm his other half. It's time for you to move on."

"No…" Natsuko whispered as she watched in horror as Perfume took Kazuma's arm and led him into the darkness. "No! Don't leave me alone!"

"If you don't want to be alone, then don't be alone," said a third voice.

This time, Natsuko faced Banna when she turned around. The young girl was sitting on an invisible chair, drawing on an easel. She put down her pencil and turned her drawing towards Natsuko. It was a picture of her now, surrounded by Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Ukyo, Mousse, and Shampoo. The only difference between her and the rest of the people in that picture was that she had no color, no joy in her expression, and looked very much alone.

"Is this how you want things to be?" Banna asked, also fading away into the darkness.

Natsuko couldn't speak, only watch. It felt like she was bodiless, just a pair of eyes watching a situation from a distance, no input, no say. Tears flowed freely over her cheeks, clouding her vision.

I just wanted to go home, now I'm all alone…

Something brushed across her forehead; something kind; something warm. Her eyes opened to see Hotaka standing in front of her, face unemotional as ever. He removed his hand from her head.

"I'm still here," he said. "But you don't want me to be."

"Hotaka, no-- I didn't-- Hotaka--"

He then did something she never expected him to do. He wrapped her in his arms. Any worry, any doubts, she felt being lifted off her shoulders at that moment. Burying her head in his shirt, she lost herself in the safety of his warmth. For the first time since she arrived in Nerima, she felt at peace. He soothingly stroked her hair.

"I will always be here, and you will always be home."

***

Natsuko groggily opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust. After a few seconds, she was awake enough to glance at the clock and make sense of the numbers it was flashing.

1:46 a.m.

She tiredly flopped back on to her other side and came face to face with another face. It was a content face, a peaceful face.

Hotaka's face.

I must still be dreaming, she thought to herself. She wrapped her arms around Hotaka, enjoying the warm feeling of his body against hers.

"Hotaka…" she whispered before slipping back into the, now sweet, dreamless darkness.

"Perfume…" Hotaka moaned back in his sleep. Luckily, Natsuko had already fallen asleep, or else she would have pounded him into the ground.

***

Hotaka stood in a pit, blood and sweat running down his face and limbs. Fallen demon carcasses lay about his feet. Breathing heavily, he looked up and saw Kazuma standing in front of him looking shocked at his friend.

"You slain all these monsters wh-when I couldn't even defeat one…" Kazuma said in a humiliated awe.

"Hotaka!" a sweet voice called from the top of the pit. A smile crossed his lips as he looked up to face the beauty.

"Perfume…" he whispered.

The girl was kneeling at the top of the pit, looking over the side. She nodded, smiling and crying at the same time. She rose and ran down into the pit, and threw herself at Hotaka. Tears of relief, joy, and pride streamed down her face as she embraced him. Kazuma only watched sadly from the side.

"Hotaka, I surrender to you," Kazuma said, pulling the Amazonian Promise Pendent that he had so proudly worn during his and Perfume's engagement off his neck, breaking the chain to get it off. He placed it in Hotaka's outstretched palm, closing the victor's hand around it. "Take good care of her."

Both Hotaka and Perfume watched on, not breaking their embrace, as Kazuma turned and walked out of the pit, breaking off his and Perfume's engagement in the process.

Hotaka couldn't have been happier. He had the girl of his dreams in his arms, his only rival for her heart gone, and his promise not to interfere. Proudly, he took the pendent and tied it around his own neck.

"Hotachan," Perfume whispered lovingly, tightening her embrace.

"Yes, Perfume?" he replied just as lovingly, looking down at the girl in his arms.

It wasn't Perfume.

"N- Natsuko?!" he stuttered.

"Hotaka…" she whispered, snuggling closer.

***

"AHHHHH!!" Hotaka screamed and jolted awake. He nervously looked around his surroundings. His eyes widened and face went pale when it dawned on him where he was.

Kasumi's bed.

Natsuko next to him.

Of course, it was two late to stop his impeding doom, for the girl next to him was already stirring awake. She groaned and pushed herself off the pillow, her eyes, thankfully, still closed.

But not for long.

"What the hell is your problem Hotak--"

Her eyes were wide open, and went even wider when she sat up and came face to face with her rival.

*HWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

"Ah, ah--" Natsuko stuttered, her face quickly shifting color from normal to an embarrassed red, to a scared white, to a angry red.

"Um, good morning?" Hotaka said, thinking it would have been better just to run while he had the chance.

Unfortunately, Hotaka's message from his brain to his legs didn't have enough postage.

"PPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT*!!!!!"

[*For those of you having a hard time reading that, it's a really long "PERVERT!!!"]

A/N: Okay, okay, it's shorter than normal. And more confusing. And… aw, forget it. Okay, for those of you who didn't get this chapter, when Natsuko is in the void and Hotaka is in the pit, those are dreams. Everything else really happened.

Now, here's the significance about Natsuko dreaming. As Hotaka mentioned, Natsuko never dreams. When she rarely does dream, it's usually because she's going through an emotional tidal wave, if you will. I think being away from home and not being able to get back was the straw that broke the emotional camel's back.

About the part with Perfume and Kazuma in Natsuko's dream, they're engaged. ½ + ½ = 1. Natsuko's not one of those halves for her brother any more. You do the math.

Also, when Kazuma asked her if she hated their father… I'll be explaining that in future chapters.

Oooo… Perfume has a love triangle… Betcha didn't see that coming. (C'mon people, this is the RANMA-VERSE we're talking about! I had to do at least ONE new love triangle in this story.)

Anyway, um, please don't hurt me! And review!!

Natsuko: At least we didn't kiss this time.

Hotaka: Amen.

Natsuko: I'm still going to kill you for being in my bed though.

Hotaka: Damn.