Author's Note: Yea! Reviews! I love reviews! You guys all make me feel so loved! Okay, now to business. As far as the length of this fic, I believe it is about half over. The thing is that as I type it from my rough draft I keep adding new stuff, so it gets longer. As of now though, my guess would be maybe three or four chapters to go.

    Hana-chan, I like that idea for a fic. To tell you the truth, I've toyed with similar ideas in my head, so I just might take you up on that. If I do get a chance to write it, I promise to let you know ;)

    Finally, fair warning to all, this is the chapter that earned the fic it's rating. But it's not too intense, I don't think. Well, just read and find out.

Disclaimer: Ranma's not mine, but I wrote this really cool story about a guy named Mike once! Mike IS mine! Ha! So there! … Uh no, he's not in the fic…but he's MINE! (Mike is waaay cooler than stupid old Ranma. Who needs him anyway? Oh yeah…I do. *grin*)

Fortune's Fool

Chapter 4

Swish! Kick! Leap! Land!

Akane and Ryoga were practicing together in the dojo one evening. They seemed to move so well together, parrying each other's strikes. It was like a well-planned dance. Finally, they came to rest, standing just a few feet apart, facing each other.

Akane smiled warmly at him, "That was a really good match. Thanks, Ryoga,"

"Yeah, it was," he replied, gazing back at her. Their eyes met, and they moved toward each other. Her arms went around his neck and his around her waist, pulling her against him for a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

Just outside the slightly open door, standing in the shadows, Ranma froze, his eyes unblinking, his jaw and fists clenched, seething with jealousy and anger at the sight before him. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. This was too much. Ryoga had gone too far. Ranma couldn't take it anymore.

Slamming the door all the way open with a loud bang, he stormed into the room. The noise caused the couple to break apart, startled.

"Ryoga, I wanna talk to you," Ranma's voice was dangerously low, indicating he wanted to do a great deal more than talk. He scowled at Ryoga's arm, which was still around Akane's waist. Ryoga looked back at him, annoyed at the interruption, and Akane just stared between them, puzzled. When Ranma moved forward further, Ryoga released Akane and stepped aside, preparing to fight.

"How dare you?" Ranma said, his voice still furious, "How dare you kiss her?"

Akane, still confused, and now a bit irritated herself, spoke up indignantly, "Why should you care? After all, he is my fiance."

Ranma and Ryoga's heads snapped toward her, stunned expressions on both of their faces. "What?" they asked, in unison.

Akane looked from one to the other. "Ryoga's my fiance. I figured that much out my first day back here. I knew there was something people weren't telling me, and when I recognized his bandana I-" she blushed slightly, "well, I put the pieces together and it all made sense."

"Uh, Akane..." Ranma began, not sure how to explain. After all, the doctor said...but he couldn't let her go on thinking she was engaged to Ryoga. He glanced over at Ryoga, who looked a bit guilty, and about as lost for words as he was.

"What? What is it?" Akane began to look concerned. Then Ranma got an idea.

"Come here," he said, grabbing her wrist, dragging her outside and across the lawn to the koi pond, Ryoga following close behind. Then, releasing her, Ranma dove headfirst into the water.

She clapped a hand to her mouth, stifling a surprised gasp as a red-haired, female Ranma emerged from the pond. Akane's eyes went wide as a deluge of images flooded into her mind. She sank to her knees, pressing her hands to her temples. She remembered. She remembered everything. Not just random images anymore, like looking at someone else's photo album, but memories; her memories, of her life. Slowly, she looked up at Ranma, who knelt before her, looking concerned.

"Ranma," she whispered. For the first time in weeks, he could see true recognition in her face. The weight that had been bearing down on him fell away. She remembered him.

He jumped in surprise when he felt hot water being poured on him. He hadn't noticed Kasumi's approach, so intent was he on Akane.

"Thanks, Kasumi," he muttered, and extended a hand to help Akane up. Her expression was clouding a bit now, and she looked over her shoulder at Ryoga, then back at Ranma, her eyes troubled. She turned away from him, walking toward Ryoga, and Ranma's smile faded. She muttered something he couldn't hear, and the two of them walked toward the house. Ranma's eyes, usually bright and full of life, were dull, his expression like stone, as she walked away...with Ryoga.

* * *

Ranma sat on the roof, staring into space, the dull, hollow look in his eyes as apparent as ever. He glanced up at the night sky, which usually gave him such peace, but that seemed now only to mirror the vast emptiness he felt within his heart.

'She chose Ryoga,' he thought numbly, for the hundredth time. He'd been dreading this since the day he went into the dojo to tell her that he loved her. He supposed a part of him had been dreading it even longer. After all, she'd always been so kind to Ryoga, even before her amnesia, and it was obvious how much Ryoga cared about her. Perhaps all that had stood in their way was her engagement to Ranma. With that removed, she hadn't felt guilty about acting on her true feelings.

Yet still, he could scarcely believe it. What about all they'd been through? Had it really meant nothing to her? Had he really been so blind?

'Stupid, kawaiikune tomboy...' he flinched as his own words echoed in his memory. It was his own fault. He'd driven her away. Any chance they'd had for a relationship had been ruined by his own foolish pride and insensitivity.

"Akane..." he murmured, miserably.

"Ranma?" Akane's voice said softly from behind him, causing him to start. She came forward to sit next to him, and when he didn't speak, she continued, "Ranma, I need to explain something to you."

"It's okay. I understand. You fell in love with Ryoga," he said dryly, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. He continued to stare straight ahead, refusing to look at her.

"Yes, but it's not that simple. See, after I lost my memory, I started having these dreams full of vague impressions and images, things people had said; but I couldn't make sense of them. I could sort of remember things like when Kirin and Tomah kidnapped me, or the skating match against Sanzanin, and I remembered that someone protected me. I also had a vague idea that I had a fiance," she paused to look at him, but his expression was unchanged.

Taking a breath, she went on, "When I came home, and I saw Ryoga's bandana, for some reason I-I associated it with..." her face went red, "with, um, cuddling -- in bed. I guess I was still pretty confused, 'cause I'm really not sure where that came from," Ranma seemed to have tensed a bit and was listening more closely. "Anyway, I drew the obvious conclusion that he was my fiance. In my dreams at night, I saw him protecting me from Sanzanin and rescuing me from Kirin.

"Ranma...it was because of all those things I thought I remembered about him that I...I fell in love with him. The truth is, I was already in love with the man in those dreams, and even though I thought I saw Ryoga's face, or heard his voice, the words and the actions were always...yours."

Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. He turned to stare at her, hardly daring to believe what he heard.

"Ranma, what you said the-the night the dojo roof fell in...is it still true?" her voice was quiet, slightly nervous, her eyes pleading, looking deep into his.

His astonishment blocking his words, he raised a hand to her cheek, searching her eyes as if unsure that he wasn't dreaming again. Finally he found his voice, "Akane, I realized a long time ago that I loved you. I just couldn't seem to...I...I was afraid you might not..." he trailed off, words failing him once again. Instead, he pulled her into his embrace and crushed his mouth against hers. She sank into him willingly, all of their emotions, held inside for so long, finally expressed. When they pulled back, smiles on both of their faces, he wiped a tear of happiness from her cheek.

"You have no idea how I've wanted to hear you say that," she whispered, "I love you Ranma, so much."

"I love you, Akane," It was as simple as that, and yet it was the world to both of them. "I've been suck a jerk," he said, trademark half-grin sliding into place. "I wanted to tell you, but somehow I always ended up insultin' you instead. So many times I thought I'd lost you, and you would never know the truth. And then, when I finally got it right..." his eyes shadowed slightly, and his expression turned inward, "For a while, I was afraid you'd never wake up. Just like..."

"Phoenix Mountain," she finished, and he nodded.

"When you finally did, you didn't remember me, and you...the way you looked at Ryoga all the time made my blood boil. It was all I could do not to..." he blushed slightly, and the grin retuned, almost sheepish this time.

Akane, hearing this, took a deep breath and said, "Ranma, I talked to Ryoga. I explained to him why I acted the way I did. He-He seemed to... understand. I just wanted you to know that it was you I fell in love with; memories of you. Even in my confused state, when I thought it was Ryoga, I...I still saw your eyes. It's always been you Ranma."

Once again, they closed the distance between them with a kiss. Her hands fisted in his hair as his strong arms pulled her closer. His hands caressed her back, his mouth moving over hers with a yearning that scared her, all the more because she felt it within herself. 'I want you, Ranma,' she thought, 'so badly...' His hand slid to her side, near her breast.

Her eyes snapped open and she hastily pushed him away, gasping for breath, her heart pounding.

"What? I'm sorry," he said, startled at the slightly panicked look in her eye.

"No, no it's okay. It's just..." her face reddened at what she'd been thinking only moments before. What he'd been thinking...

"Maybe we should go to bed," he said.

"What?!"

"Th-that's not what I meant! I-I meant our own beds."

"Oh," she said, relieved, but she could hear a slight note of disappointment in her own voice.

"Come on," He scooped her up in his arms and hopped in through her open window. As he lay her gently down upon the bed, he stayed bent over her, fixing her with his gaze. "You really are beautiful, y'know," he whispered, making her smile up at him in the darkness. He gave her one last goodnight kiss and turned to go. She bit her lip, the taste of him still lingering upon them, as she watched him cross to the door.

Then, just as he turned the knob and opened it, she said, "Ranma, wait," He turned, a questioning look on his face. "Stay with me?" her voice shook a bit, and her eyes were wide in the darkness. His eyes grew wide to match, and he swallowed hard.

"Um, Akane, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Oh. I understand. I mean, if you don't want to..."

"No, no, it's not that!" he said quickly; gods, how he wanted to! "It's just...I mean we might end up...you know..." he trailed off, too embarrassed to finish.

"I know," she replied, "and I'm still asking."

He swallowed again. 'I should just leave now, before anything... She'll probably hate me tomorrow if I stay. But...' "Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded. His will power crumbled and he closed the door, crossing back to her. Their pulses raced as they looked at each other. Then she reached for him, pulling him toward her for a kiss; one full of hunger and passion and anticipation.

He crawled under the covers, lying practically on top of her, exploring her mouth with his tongue, making things up as he went along. Neither of them really knew what they were doing. She fumbled with the ties of his shirt, eager to get it off and feel the bare flesh of his firm body with her hands. Finally, she was able to toss it aside. She gasped when his hand caressed her breast before going to remove her pajama top, leaving her chest bare. Then his lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone. He could hear her heart racing in time to his own, feel her tremble when his calloused hand touched her bare breast.

He delighted in the pleasure he sensed from her. A moan escaped her as his teeth closed gently, teasingly, over her flesh. Her hand slid down over his back toward his hip, and he gasped when it slipped beneath his waistband to caress him. Soon, she removed his pants. Her breath caught when his hand brushed against her hipbone as he tugged at her waistline, removing the last obstacle between them. Both of them were trembling more now than ever, when he forced himself to pause, pull back a bit to look her in the eye and ask, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Unable to speak, she swallowed and nodded, her heart pounding in her ears. Flesh on flesh, they clumsily, nervously, made love. Their breathing was shallow and uneven. She gasped and clutched at him, biting back a scream when she felt the pain of his penetration. He held her, gently, until it subsided and he felt her relax again. The two moved together until finally, they both came to rest, satisfaction spreading through them. Pools of moonlight reflected softly over the lovers' shared bed as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

A/N: See, it wasn't too intense was it? Geez this was hard to write, especially since I had no personal ahem experience to draw from, only romance novels, other fics, and my imagination. If it sucks, tell me, please ;)

    Also, I want to let you all in on a little secret: I am a diehard Akane/Ranma fan. I don't even read fics that pair them with anyone else. A universe where those two don't end up together is a paradox, in my opinion (no offense, if you disagree). However, Ryoga is probably my single favorite character, so I like to include him a lot (he's so sweet!). I wanted to reassure people earlier, but I just had to see if I could write such that the end wasn't obvious from the start. I'm glad to see that I could, as some people asked if they would really end up together. Now I guess the question is whether I pull it together convincingly enough in the end. Any thoughts?

    As always, reviews are appreciated!