It was pleasantly warm, not yet hot, but the kind of lazy late May warmth that gently caressed the skin and made sitting outside extremely appealing. Scruffy clouds drifted slowly across the cerulean sky, and fruit blossoms whispered in the gentle breeze. A small stream wound its way through a peaceful glade. Though the area was only a short distance from Nerima, there was nothing there that signaled that it was near civilization. The young man reclined on the stream's bank was completely alone.

Ryoga Hibiki wasn't taking in the beauty of his surroundings. He was, in fact, staring intently at a small glass vial, half full of a clear liquid. This container was his salvation.

Or it might be. If it worked correctly, this solution would solve... well, not all his problems, no, but a great deal of them. Of course, he didn't know whether it would work at all. He had purchased it from a street vendor he'd never seen before. For all he knew, he might simply be holding water.

"This is a very potent solution," the man had told him, dark eyes twinkling beneath bushy brows. "Created specifically to aid those suffering from shape-changing curses. All it takes is contact with a drop of this, and your current form will be yours for the rest of your life. Be very careful with it—there is no reversal..."

Ryoga had bought it almost without thought. If this potion could actually help him... well, the idea was incredible. He would finally be free of the hideous curse known as P-chan. No more would he suffer the humiliation of becoming a tiny, defenseless piglet whenever water touched him. He would be a normal man again.

Perhaps, once his curse was lifted, he could go visit Akane. He would no longer have to worry about her discovering his secret, and would finally be able to talk with her without hiding anything. Perhaps then she would look at the man in the same adoring way she looked upon the piglet.

A smile was beginning to form on his face, a rare thing indeed for Ryoga Hibiki. However, it soon disappeared as he realized the flaw in his fantasy. Akane would never truly love him, for her heart belonged to another. Ryoga had seen the way she gazed at Ranma Saotome when she thought no one was looking.

"Curse you, Ranma," he muttered. The phrase was almost a mantra for him. Even when there was no one to hear, he repeated it over and over, reminding himself of his hatred for his fellow martial artist. Ever since the two had first met, Ramna had always got the better end of everything. And now... he had the one thing that mattered most to Ryoga. Akane's heart.

True, when he was P-chan, Akane might hug him and kiss him and tell him all her secrets. But she could never love Ryoga himself. The only way she loved him was when he was a pig. And that was not the same, anyway. He didn't want to be loved as a pet. He wanted Akane to shoot surreptitious shining glances at him, the way she did to Ranma.

Ryoga glanced down at the potion again. Did he truly want to use it? If he did, he would be rid of his curse forever. But was that what he wanted? That meant that never again would Akane hold him close, never again would she take him to bed and snuggle up to him, telling him all her hopes and fears.

Akane loved the pig. She would never love the man.

Ryoga stared at the potion for a moment longer, then made a decision. Getting up, he walked the few paces to the stream, then plunged a hand decisively in. Immediately, he found himself shrinking, changing into his cursed form as his clothes fell around him. He dug himself out of his shirt, which now enveloped him like a tent.

Finding the glass vial that had slipped from his hand as it became a hoof, he sank his pointed teeth into the stopper. Slowly, carefully, he eased it free.

--(--

"Ranma, have you seen P-Chan?" asked Akane Tendo, a worried frown on her face. Her pet piglet had gone missing yet again.

"Nope," Ranma replied carelessly, chewing on a stick of Pocky.

"You haven't been teasing him again, have you?" asked Akane suspiciously. For some reason she couldn't comprehend, Ranma seemed to have a grudge against P-chan. She wished the two could get along.

"Who, me?" Ranma tried and failed to appear innocent.

Akane sighed. "Go find him, Ranma."

"Huh? Why me?" he asked.

"Because you're the one who teased him and made him run away."

"I'd like to see some proof of that..." complained Ranma. Akane glared at him. "Okay, fine , I'm going..."

Ranma walked out of the dojo into the pleasant sunshine. At least it wasn't pouring rain. He could have an enjoyable walk and look for P-chan at the same time. It turned out that walking wasn't necessary, however, as he looked down to find the black piglet coming up the path toward him.

"Well, that was easy," he said, half to P-chan and half to himself. "Surprised you actually found your way back here." He picked up the piglet by his bandana and carried him back into the dojo.

"Found him," he announced, dumping P-chan into Akane's arms.

The girl hugged her pet, cheerfully exclaiming, "Oh! P-chan! I was worried about you! But you're all filthy... come on, you need a bath..."

Ranma, knowing better than to expect thanks, returned to his Pocky as Akane carried P-chan up the stairs and into the bathroom.

Kneeling on the tiles, Akane chattered to herself. "Hmm, this is nice bubble bath, I think I'll use it. It'll make P-chan smell nice... hey, P- chan, I know you don't normally like hot water, but would you be willing to try a warm bath today?"

She was mildly surprised when the piglet didn't begin to squirm as he usually did at the phrase, "Hot water." In fact, he simply sat on the floor, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "That's strange..." Akane said to herself, but mentally shrugged it off. It was good that her pet had gotten over his ridiculous fear.

Filling the tub with warm water, she gently placed P-Chan in it. Humming, she scrubbed the piglet with the aromatic bubble bath, careful not to get any in his eyes. Once he was fully lathered up, she poured a bucket of warm water over him to wash off the suds. Satisfied, she picked him up out of the bathtub and wrapped him in a towel.

The piglet looked so adorable in her arms, she couldn't help but plant a small kiss on his snout. With a smile, she said softly, "I love you, my darling P-chan."

--(--

Ryoga Hibiki would never be human again. He would live the rest of his life as a pig. The rest of his life probably wouldn't be very long, anyway—how long did pigs live? He would never again speak, never challenge Ranma in another futile match, never be anything more than a housepet.

But Akane Tendo loved him, and that was all that mattered.

--(Fin)--

Well, that's pretty much the first piece of serious fanfiction I've posted. Thank you for taking the time to read through it. Maybe, if you're in a kind mood, you could leave a review? Constructive criticism is much appreciated.

(Incidentally, I do not own the characters or concept of Ranma 1/2.)