As The Sun Rises

Chapter Six: Anger And Love

"Sqweee!!"

"Hey! Come back here Ryouga!!" cried Ranma as he dashed through the dojo door after the small black piglet. The little black pig/boy wondered into the dojo while Ranma was trying out a new kata looking for all the world lost as usual. On his back strapped a small black box. Usually when Ryouga brought back something, anything, it usually means trouble for him and Akane. He shuddered at the memory of the fishing rod.

So when Ryouga spotted Ranma coming at him, he squealed and dashed off as fast as his small form could. It certainly didn't escape Ranma's notice that when Ryouga ran into the living room where Akane and Kasumi were, he didn't immediately jumped into the arms of Akane but into Kasumi's instead. Ranma skidded into a stop in front of the girls.

"Oh my," gasped a startled Kasumi. She blinked a few times before going over to Akane and handed the piglet over to her. "P-Chan must have mistaken me for Akane."

Akane merely smiled gently at her sister as she lift the P-Chan off Kasumi's hands and settled him gently on her lap, idly stroking him. She glanced up at Ranma, who still stood at the entrance in confusion, and said, "He must have just run to the nearest shelter, away from the big bully chasing him."

Ramna ignored the comment on him. He stomped over to Akane, kneeled down and hastily snatched the piglet off Akane's lap. 'Huh.' He was sure there was a small black box strapped to Ryouga's back a moment ago. Ignoring the pig's squeals and Akane's demands to set her P-Chan down, he lifted the pig to eye level. He narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Now……… where did ya hide that box pig-boy?"

Seconds later, the squealing black piglet/boy was snatched by the scarf off Ramna's hands. "That's enough Ranma. Poor P-Chan needs some rest."

Ranma continued to glare at the content looking pig snuggling up at Akane's chest. The pig's head turned to peer at him before rubbing his nose under Akane's chin. 'Damn him,' thought Ranma furiously. 'He's doing that on purpose!' If he wasn't so sure that Akane was too dense—or naïve, your choice—to realize that Ryouga was actually her P-Chan, he would tear that pig boy apart and served his remains in a stew. He gave the pig an infuriated glare before stomping out of the room, intending to get back to his training.

Funny how someone can get so used to something so much that he is almost unsusceptible to changes. The gradual realization that it won't be the same comforting routine anymore can nag at a person so much that he'll do the stupidest things to change it back.

Ryouga watched in amusement as Ranma stomped by, grumbling in frustration. Akane must have been unresponsive to his insults. As much as Ryouga enjoyed watching Akane beat Ranma or send him flying, it was just as amusing to see Ranma stomping off in anger and frustration. If he hadn't noticed it himself, the rest of the household certainly noticed that he had been actually trying his damnest to provoke Akane for a beating. Akane's responses, however, was either an equally venom of her own or completely ignoring him altogether and never the boot that would sent him flying. More times than one, it was Ramna that lost his temper and in order not to lash out, he would be found in the dojo working out intensely. The tension in the house for the last three days had been so thick, it was starting to solidify. Ryouga, well… he had been trying his best not to get in the middle of it all.

Waiting until the all too familiar dojo door slammed shut, he settled himself down next to Akane on the porch. She made no movement to acknowledge his presence, merely gazing at the koi pond in silence. The glimmering refection of the water twinkled in her honey brown eyes as it lowered slightly. She had learned to harden her features, especially around Ranma, but her beautiful honey-brown eyes still reflect everything. At the moment it was filled with sadness.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked quietly.

"I'm afraid you'll run out of pennies," she answered. Her voice was quite and slightly depressed.

"Try me," he pressed further. She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. His cheeks colored slightly in a blush. He was thankful for the night and the poorly lit porch. Just two months ago, he was still fumbling for right words to say to her and even so they were rehearsed quite a number of times. Now, he could easily start small conversations without the usual stuttering words and choppy sentences. She turned back to the koi pond, now with a small smile at her lips. When she didn't answer him, he tried again, "If you're thinking about what we'll be doing to him, consider how he will feel after you're gone."

"It's good for him anyways." She tried to sound dispassionate but her voice still cracked slightly.

So he was right. She was thinking of their plan for Ranma; the plans that even Akane's family didn't know of. Three days ago, after his arrival, she had approached him with a plan that pulled at Ryouga's heart. Akane knew Ranma has feelings for her—the extent of those feelings she had yet to recognized. She also had little faith in her survival from the poison despite her family's hope and efforts. Everyone knew that Ranma wouldn't take her death very well, even Akane knew that. With a lot of reluctance, he had agreed to make Ranma hate and forget her.

"He loves you, you know." And she loves him more than anything… Ryouga had no choice but give up on any thing more than being a friend or brotherly figure to her.

"Did you not see his great display of affection a minute ago?" she said sarcastically. Ryouga couldn't help but feel hate for Ranma. If it wasn't the silent plea from Akane, he would have bashed the guy's head into the wall multiple times already. Even the fathers were itching to hurt the boy, if they were even capable of it that is. He was surprise Ranma was trying so hard to provoke Akane and she knew fully well what he was trying to do. That was why she was patient and cool with him, even thought it saddens her to hear harsh things from him. Knowing Ranma, he won't back down until he gets some results from his efforts.

"Don't mind him. He's just irritated because he couldn't find someone to fight with lately." That got another smile off of her.

Irritated may be just the right word to describe Ranma's restlessness lately. Akane had been avoiding him. Ryouga had tried his best to not get lost, even though he could wonder around the house for hours just to look for the bathroom. He stayed a piglet most of the time and tried his best not to pass Ramna's path in that particular form. The last time he checked, Shampoo, Cologne, and Moose was still back in China and hadn't returned yet. Ukyo had been busier than usual at her shop and Happosai hadn't been sited lately. Kuno only showed up in the mornings but Nabiki usually have the guy distracted enough to let Akane by without much fuss. Even Ranma's dad was starting to avoid the boy after a particularly rough morning practice.

They stayed in a lapse of silence for a while until Kasumi called them in for dinner.

Ramna broke through ten layers of concrete brick with his hand, reducing the two tons solid concrete into powder. He had reduced to Akane's way of anger management now since there was no one around to practice with/on. What was wrong with him… what was going on with her…

No matter how much he tried, she refused to hit him. The only thing he succeeded was pushing her to say even harsher insults that got him angry instead of the other way around. She even got the last word this time. Not only that, she had been avoiding him more and more. He had to wake up earlier than usual just to catch her before she leaves for school early and she doesn't even stay in the same room as him for longer than necessary.

He reduced an even larger stack of concrete brick into rubble.

"That's it." Ranma made to leave. "I'm not letting her get away with it today."

He slid the dojo door opened with more force then necessary. He didn't like the sight before him…

Akane was still were he had left her after he stormed away earlier but… Ryouga was sitting beside her, looking like a couple together. Ramna clenched his hands. 'Why that pig boy…' It wouldn't be bad if he was in his pig form but it was the human Ryouga that she was smiling to. She hadn't even give him the smallest of smiles for a while now and not only that, she was spending more and more time with Ryouga and avoiding him. If he hadn't tried to anger her so much, she wouldn't have given him the slightest attention.

He slammed the door closed with enough force to shake the wall down. It was not something he wanted to speculate or think any further about. If she doesn't want to talk to him than fine, have it her way!

Updated Nov. 22, 2004