Disclaimer: Ranma and co sadly do not belong to me :( they belong the great Rumiko Takahashi!

Author's Note: WOW... That was quick! I told you I really wanted to write this chapter. Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews. They make me smile :D I hope to have chapter 5 ready for you soon! I hope you all enjoy chapter four. I had a BLAST writing it!

Fool Me Twice
Chapter 4 - The Scene
By: Lori Finnegan

Two hours later, Akane stood in front of the bed watching Ranma sleep. Her eyelids were drooping, but she didn't have the heart to wake him up and tell him that it was her turn for the bed. Instead, she sat down on the floor and cuddled up with the same pillow that Ranma had been using earlier.

Sleep hit her hard, and just as she drifted off, she realized that the pillow still held a little of Ranma's scent.

Ranma woke to a crack of thunder, and sat up straight in bed. The room was pitch black save for the occasional flickering of lightening. He rubbed his head, his fingers moving over a bandage.

"Oh, yeah..." he cringed. It was still sore. "I'm stuck here with Akane..."

But where was she? He looked down and waited for the lightening to illuminate the room. Yep, sure enough, there she was curled up on the floor with a pillow and a lone blanket.

Ranma threw himself back down on the mattress and stared across the room into the dark. Why didn't she wake him up? If she wasn't going to wake him up, then what was all the fuss about 'turns'?

He closed his eyes, but couldn't fall back asleep now that he knew she was sleeping on the floor. Dammit, she was the most macho chick he'd ever met, yet still he felt guilty about her having to sleep on the floor. What was his problem, anyway? He leaned up on his elbow and looked back down at her.

"Why can't you be a normal girl?" he whispered just before the room lit up and a huge crack of the thunder broke out about his head. There was a snap, and a crash that shook the walls. Ranma sat still, listening to the rain pound onto the roof.

"What was that?"

He spun his head around to see Akane sitting up on the floor, looking at him through large eyes.

"I think maybe a branch hit the roof or something. Don't worry about it."

Another huge crack of thunder sounded, and the next thing Ranma knew, Akane had leapt up onto the bed with him. "Um..." Ranma said, glaring at her. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "In case you've forgotten, it was my turn for the bed a long time ago. Maybe I let you have a longer turn this time, but now that it's storming, I'm definitely not sleeping on the floor."

Ranma grinned at her. "Are you afraid of the storm, Akane?"

"What!?" she gasped. "Of course not! Why would I be afraid of a little rain? You've got to be kidding me!"

Ranma almost laughed. What a liar! "Fine, I'll sleep on the floor, but if you get scared, don't come crying to me." He grabbed his pillow, climbed over her and then onto the floor. Just before he sat down, something stopped him. He turned to see Akane holding onto his pillow. "Excuse me?"

"You already have a pillow, Ranma. Leave one for me!" she told him, a flash of lightening illuminating her scowling face.

"No way! Why should I have one pillow and a blanket, when you have a whole warm mattress and three blankets? You should at least let me have two pillows."

"I'm not sleeping without a pillow!" She pulled harder on the pillow until she had pulled him up from the floor, and they were in a fierce battle of tug of war.

"You have a WHOLE MATTRESS!" he yelled, pulling harder on his side.

"What's a mattress without a PILLOW!?"

"AKANE, if you don't give it to me..."

"What? What will you do, RANMA?" She gave one last hard pull, and they both toppled back onto the bed.

It seemed as though the lightening had stopped, because Ranma couldn't see a thing. He blinked, but still couldn't focus in the darkness. That's when he realized that he and Akane no longer had a pillow between them. Lighting flashed, and once more, light filled the room. Not only had Ranma landed on top of Akane, but their faces were a mere inch apart.

His heart nearly flew from his chest as he leapt away from her and to the other side of the bed. "This is all your fault, you know. If you would have just given me my pillow—"

"You pervert!" she exclaimed. "Next time you decide to jump on me, watch where you put your hands!"

Ranma felt his face heat up. "J-jump on you!? I wouldn't call that a JUMP! And I had no idea where my hands were, it was pitch black!"

"Pervert!" she gasped. "I can't believe you, Ranma! Just because our families set this whole thing up, doesn't mean you have the right to make your move on me!"

"Make my MOVE!?" he exclaimed. "Trust, me the last thing I want to be doing is moving closer to YOU!" He got up from the bed, snatched the pillow from the floor and threw it at her. "Have your stupid pillow, you uncute tomboy. The second that door opens in the morning, I'm getting the hell out of here."

"You know what, Ranma?" he heard her say as he pushed the side of his head down into the pillow and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. "You're a JERK!

"Gee, Akane, tell me something I don't know." He waited for her to say something, but only heard the pitter-pattering of the rain as it bounced off the shingles above them. His body felt numb against the hard floor, and he squeezed his eyes shut. All he saw was Akane's surprised eyes from only an inch away.

His eyes flew open. What the hell?

He pressed his hand to his heart to try and get it to slow down, but it didn't work. Something wasn't right. Something was making his heart race like there was no tomorrow...

Akane listen to Ranma move around on the floor, trying to get comfortable. That jerk! Who did he think he was trying to feel her up and then calling her names? Then again, he had landed on her in the dark... maybe he really didn't mean to...

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Akane, you don't have to cry about it! Just because you're not as cute as other girls—"

She turned around in bed to see Ranma kneeling beside her. "And who's crying!?"

He reached forward and brushed a tear from her cheek. "Look, I'm sorry I fell on you, and I'm sorry I apparently didn't have my hands... well, I guess I didn't have them in the right places... but I didn't mean to. You're one strong chick, Akane, and when you gave that last pull on the pillow..." He looked away from her.

She pushed his hands away and wiped her own tears. "That's not why I'm upset."

He blinked at her. "It's not? Then... then what is it?"

She flipped over and buried her head into the pillow. "Never mind," she mumbled. "It doesn't matter. Go to sleep, Ranma."

Akane could feel him leaning on the edge of the bed for a while before he finally gave up and moved back to the floor. What was with the sensitive act?

Ranma flew up to three hard knocks on the door. "It's too early!" he groaned, rubbing his eyes with one hand and hugging the blanket with the other. He peered out from his hand when he felt a tap on his leg.

"Get up, Ranma, it's time for our nature walk. I've taken the liberty of packing your bags so we can make our escape.

Two more knocks shook the walls. "Rise and shine, young lovers!" the old woman's voice rang out.

Both Ranma and Akane cringed.

"We are NOT lovers!" Ranma called back. "And give me a second! I'm not ready yet!"

"Ranma, go change already! They're gonna leave without us!" Akane grabbed his wrist, pulled him up and pushed him toward the bathroom. He grabbed his clothes on the way and shut the door behind himself.

"You don't have to push!" he yelled at the door.

Once Ranma was out of the bathroom, they picked up their bags and opened the door to see the old woman and a middle aged man standing before them. "We're ready!" she smiled.

The woman smiled back at her. "Mr. Saotome, Miss. Tendo, you don't have to bring your bags with you, you know."

Ranma grinned. "We insist!"

Akane elbowed him. "We always like to be prepared, don't we, Ranma?"

Ranma nodded vigorously.

"Let me introduce myself," the man spoke up. My name is Mr. Hitoratu, and I'm the manager. Let me guarantee you that it will only be a disadvantage for you to bring your bags with you. I insist that you leave them."

Ranma and Akane clung to their bags as they chuckled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hitoratu," Ranma said. "I'm Ranma Saotome, and I must carry my bag with me at all times."

Akane leaned closer to the manager. "He's a little obsessive compulsive, if you know what I mean. He doesn't go anywhere without his bag."

Mr. Hitoratu raised an eyebrow at her. "Then why do you have yours as well?"

"Oh!" Akane smiled. "He feels uncomfortable if I don't have mine with me. He doesn't understand that not everyone carries a bag around with them, if you know what I mean."

Ranma frowned. "Obsessive compulsive?!"

Akane leaned even closer to Mr. Hitoratu. "He's in denial," she muttered. "I wouldn't make him set down his bag. He gets really anxious and unpredictable when he doesn't have it."

Mr. Hitoratu blinked at them. "But you can't take your bags on the nature walk. We're going to try and catch sight of some rare animals... if you have all of your stuff with you, you'll be loud and distract them!"

"But we're not loud!" Ranma insisted. "We'll be very careful not to distract the animals, won't we, Akane?"

Akane nodded. She and Ranma stared at the manager, awaiting his decision, when all of a sudden the old woman let out a roar of laughter.

"Oh, I was warned about this! Ms. Nabiki Tendo said that you would try and get away from your romantic week! She said that you lead busy lives back home and would feel like you had to get back to your business. Well, let me assure you, all is taken care of, so you can put down your bags and enjoy yourselves!" Without another word, she grabbed hold of Ranma's bag and began pulling on it. Ranma didn't let go. "Give me your BAG, Mr. Saotome!" she said through clenched teeth.

Ranma still wouldn't let go. The old lady pulled and pulled, but couldn't get the bag loose from Ranma's fingers. Mr. Hitoratu joined in and trying to pry the bag away from Ranma, and together, they finally threw it back into the room. Akane gave up her bag with less of a fight.

As they walked out of the building, Ranma leaned in and whispered to Akane, "Don't worry, we'll have our stuff mailed back to us."

Akane nodded as she gulped. Did Ranma really have an escape plan, or were they just going to make a run for it?

The old woman stood on the steps watching as Ranma, Akane and Mr. Hitoratu commenced their walk. "Happy couples should hold hands!" she called out to them.

Akane heard Ranma choking next her. "Are you okay?"

He wiped at his eyes. "I just swallowed wrong."

"First," Mr. Hitoratu began while they padded across the soft forest floor. "We'll be searching for a rare breed of monkeys that only exist in this very forest! Aren't you excited?" He looked back at them, and they nodded. "And why aren't you holding hands? I was under the impression that you were engaged!"

Akane looked up at Ranma, who was staring at the man as if he had asked Ranma what kind of dress he wanted to wear that day. Without changing his expression, Ranma stuck out his hand and wiggled his fingers, signaling that Akane should take it. Akane slipped her fingers into his, and he squeezed so hard, she thought she might loose circulation.

The manager smiled and turned back around. He went on talking about rare kinds of trees and weird bugs he had seen on past walks.

"You're gonna break my fingers!" Akane hissed at Ranma just low enough so that their guide wouldn't hear. "Quit squeezing so hard!"

Ranma loosened his grip a little. "As if I want to be holding your hand in the first place," he whispered back to her. "I'm only doing it because if he's less suspicious of us, he's less likely to watch us as closely."

"I don't even care why you're holding my hand, but I do care that my fingers come out in tact!"

"Shh!" he hushed. "When I say, go, we run."

She nodded at him. This was their chance.