A/N: If you want to email me you can, Thanks for reading!

It's survival of the fittest in matters of the heart. Have you been training? - Anonymous
Ranma raised a brow, "What?"

Akane raved, she didn't need this, "Tell me why you're here. To find Genma right? You think he's dead?"

"No," Ranma explained calmly, a little cheekily, "I came because I know he's alive," Ranma smirked and walked to the kitchen table.

Akane felt her hands on her hips tighten, "So that's the only reason you came?"

Ranma turned his dazzling eyes back to her, gave her a once over, then replied, "At the moment."

She sighed heavily, not for the last time that day, "So this is just another plot made by our parents?"

Akane walked to the kitchen and grabbeda water bottle out ofthe fridge; justas the doorbell rang.Akane went to the door and paid for the pizza, rushing them away. When she walked back in, Ranma had taken out plates, napkins, and glasses. He had poured the water into each and was drinking from his.

She wondered if he still had his curse.Judging bythe way he drank the water, she doubted it. He wasn't afraid at all. She wanted to test it out; Ranma spoke first, and as he did, she picked up her glass and walked closer to him. He looked at her uneasily for a second and then seemed to shrug it off.

"Kinda. Why, they done this kinda thingbefore?" Ranma kept walking backwards until he hita cabinet and almost fell. Akane kept walking closer; steadily making progress toward her target, water in tow.

"Let's just say that I'm good friends with Ranma Somotomi." As Akane walked closer she noticed Ranma getting increasingly uneasy. She laughed; he was almost sitting on the cupboard trying to get away from her.

"A-Akane, why ya gettin' so close?" Ranma was now on top of the counter, crouched, and looking at her with fear-filled eyes.

"Oh, no reason," she murmured,quickly throwing the water at his face; she actually thought she saw him sigh in relief as he turned into his female form.

"It's been awhile ain't it?" He asked sadly, and in a very feminine voice. Ranma looked so defeated and embarrassed at the fact that this side of him still existed.

Akane could not say she was thrilled by the outcome of her experiment. So, in the end, after leaving her to find it,he hadn't gotten the cure.Ranma dug into her pocket and brought out a small thermos. Akane smiled slightly at his try at conquering his curse.

"I keep this in my pocket now; just in case, ya know," Ranma told her as she poured the water over her self.

Akane smiled. Life was already fun with Ranma in it. She thought of her dream and blushed a deep crimson.

Ranma laughed nervously as the room filled with tension.

"Well, I see you haven't changed much. Hell, you're about as flat as this pizza box," Ranma laughed as Akane grabbed a chair and smacked him with it.

Realizing what she had done, and scolding her self harshly for doing it, she helped him up. He was not dragging her back into the world she was in before; she hadn't used her mallet since he left, and she never intended to again.

"And I see your brain has the I.Q. of this piece of pizza," Akane sneered as she held up a large piece of the pizza, and took a huge bite.

Ranma ran to the box, and Akane couldn't move fast enough to get at it first. Ranma smirked as he fell gently, from a spin, onto her couch.

"I guess you're the one with the one piece, ain't ya?" Ranma stuck out his tongue, and Akane frowned.

He hadn't changed a bit. I mean, sure he looked different; but inside; he was the same arrogant jerk as before. Akane felt oddly relieved by this; like some weight had been lifted off of her. She found she didn't have to act like someone else around Ranma, and decided to celebrate this victory with a big slice of the contents of the box Ranma held close by his side; greedilygobbling downhis first slice. Akane ran over and tried to take it, failing miserably.

"Ranma, give me the box!" Akanepounced onto the couch and tried to fight Ranma for the pizza. She fell off the couch and pulled Ranma's shirt with her. He fell on top of her chest, their faces mere inches apart, and they both stayed in that position, frozen.

Ranma had come into Akane's life today, again. Nothing at all had changed. Well, except for the fact that for no apparent reason he had left her a few years ago never to return. And that he wasn't getting off of her as she thought about this.

"You pervert! Get off of me!" Akane pushed Ranma off and punched him in the face. Ranma took fighting stance and prepared to yell back just as hard.

"It ain't my fault ya took me down with ya," Ranmahollered, did a double take, and waited for Akane to say something.

"I'm sick of us bickering! These are supposed to be the best years of my life and here I am; with pepperoni on my face, with my ex. I can't take this again. The Akane you knew doesn't exist anymore, so just get off it!"

Ranmastared with another smug look on his face, and gave her a once over.

"Ya don't seem different to me! Ya still act like a dummy, and ya look exactly the same. And ya know, ya ain't exactly proving your point when you're falling over your feet to get a piece a' pizza. You're obviously as clumsy as ever!"

Akane growled and Ranma stepped back, no point in getting her too angry. Instead of yelling again though, Akane just walked to her kitchen table, sat and stared at Ranma. This scared him more than any mallet ever could.

"Pure evil, I'm tellin' ya," Ranma chuckled as he finished off the pizza box and licked his fingers with care.

Akane walked over to the phone and made a quick phone call. As she walked back, she took a seat on another chair and waited. Ranma slowly put down the empty pizza box and sat there too. They were staring at each other having another competition of who could withstand the most silence. Ranma was staring back at Akane with cold, untrained eyes that caught her by surprise. She was about to look away when the doorbell rang, and she sprang to attention.

"And now Ranma," Akane walked and opened the door so Ranma could see the figure in her door frame, "I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Suru."

Suru walked in, kissing Akane deeply before hanging up his coat. Sort of marking what was his; Akane didn't like this. She whisked away the thought of the Suru in her dream,, and decided that it wasn't unlikely that a couple would kiss when they saw each other. Right when Suru walked in Akane realized how much of a mistake she had made.

"So, how old are ya?" Ranma inquired as he circled Suru, looking him up and down, staring with a genuinely fake smile.

Suru didn't notice and shook Ranma's hand; tohis obvious distain. Suru, what a peacekeeper. Ranma stopped circling him and looked at Akane with ashamed eyes; like she had betrayed him. Suru turned to look at him, and the face quickly vanished. Akane had gone too far. She had tried to play her grown up card and had failed.

"My name's Ranma, wanna be friends?" Ranma smiled to Suru and shook his hand again.

Suru thought this was a very kind gesture and agreed, exstatic. Akane was seething and, through clenched teeth, managed an approving smile at a happy Suru. Akane did not feel bad anymore. Stupid Ranma.

"This is my ex-fiancé, you remember me telling you about him right? You know, the dark ages," Akane drolled.

Suru nodded and then paused for a moment, walking up to Akane and taking bothher hands.

"How was the pizza Akane? Did you relax?"

"Oddly enough, not filling," Akane replied, stealing a glance at Ranma.

He decided to pitch in his thoughts on this,"I thought it tasted great! So, whatcha do for a livin'?" Ranma folded his arms over his chest and gave a thumbs-up to Suru.

Suru couldn't help but get excited over the explanation he was allowed to give, "I actually have a quite exciting job! I create events for the city. Did you know I have ties to the mayor? In fact, that's how I met Akane."

"How? Pray tell," Ranma asked abashed; stealing a glance to Akane once in a while to see how she reacted.

"Well she was managing the bank account for our mayor, and I came for the balance. Why, she was the best teller I'd ever seen, and I knew, that day, we were meant for each other! You should have seen our first date; it was crazy! I was five minutes late and Akane had already gone into the movie. If I didn't know the student working there, I would have missed her. See, the teenager was a pupil of mine."

Ranma blinked, "Pupil?"

"I teach kids who go to a special summer camp, for the exceedingly smart,how to work well and get a job. It makes me feel like I give back to the community that gave me so much. I bet you've never had a date that crazy, huh?"

Ranma held onto the couch he was leaning on, having to use his soul of ice training not to laugh.

"Never. My craziest date was missing the credits to "Flopsy the Wonder Cat" 'cos I was gettin' popcorn for Akane, right?" Ranma laughed at his story, with an eye onthe female member of the room,waiting for her to break.

He was being such an ass! If she was old Akane, she would have smacked him across town by now, but she wasn't. She was fine, calm; not a flicker of anger in her. Who was she kidding; she wanted to pound him into the ground.

"And your job, Ranma?"

"Martial artist/bank teller. Me an' Akane always loved the art of banking. It's even more amazing to see how our money is managed, than running around to catch a crazy prince hell bent on kidnapping a certain young tomboy," Ranma lied, doing quite a good job.

"Wow! So you're a ninja huh? Do you know Jackie Chan?"

Ranma looked at him confused and felt berated. He had heard of Jackie Chan, and appreciated the fact that he did his own stunts, but he didn't have to fight hormone-driven, three hundred year old men.

"Sure. So how long you an' Akane been goin' out?" Ranmaasked in Ranma's version of nonchalantness.

Suru looked to Akane and took her hand in his, "About two years now; that's what I'm here about."

Ranma smirked, "Whatcha talkin' 'bout Suru buddy?"

"Akane, will you marry me?"