A/N: I hope this story has been interesting enough for you guys… and I hope I'm not wasting your time! I would appreciate it if you let me know what you think… Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Oh, and thanks to all those who reviewed and a shout-out to FrameofMind! I'm a fan of your work! Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm looking forward to more from you too!

The sun set on me--

But you stayed in my shadow

And watched me fall to the ground.

I waited for

The silence to break.

CHAPTER 1: Confessions to the Wind

Through the window of her cubicle, Akane watched the streaks of colors pass by in a haze. She wasn't really thinking anything; the world had stopped when the train began to move and she left him standing there. She didn't know when it would start revolving again. But that was the problem; her world revolved around Ranma- was Ranma- and she had forgotten how to live without him. She knew she was going to have to though; it was all for the best anyway. At least she hoped it was.

"Hi, is this seat taken?" a masculine voice said. She didn't even turn to look at whoever it was.

She shook her head. "No."

The stranger moved about, storing his bags in the overhead compartment and finally settling himself across the beautiful, but subdued, young woman. He had overheard snippets of her conversation with the tall boy a few minutes ago and felt sympathy for her. He wondered what kind of relationship the two of them had shared, and why it didn't work out. They both seemed to care deeply enough for each other.

She wiped a growing tear from the corner of her left eye.

"Uh, miss? Are you all right?" he asked apprehensively, running his fingers through his brown hair.

"I'm fine," she said, the underlying tones in her voice warning him to mind his own business.

"Uh, miss, if you need anything… I mean, I don't know what happened with you and your boyfriend back there but-"

She abruptly turned her head to look at him, her brown eyes staring daggers at him. "It's not polite to listen to other people's conversations, mister," she snapped. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh… I'm sorry… But I thought you were…"

"He's my fiancé. Ex-fiancé, as a matter of fact," she said, turning back to the window.

The stranger looked at her, one eye narrowed in confusion. "Uh, miss, I don't want to invade on your privacy but-"

"You already have."

"Right… Well, um… I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Please shut up."

"Well, sor-ry," he muttered. He narrowed his eyes at her in irritation, feeling dejected he had to be so damned concerned just because the woman was so pretty.

She sighed and looked back at him. "Look, I'm sorry… I'm still pretty upset… so I'm sorry if I snapped at you."

"It's okay," he said, smiling at her. "I understand. I know you don't know me but… I just thought you might need some help."

She shrugged and said, "I'm Tendo Akane, by the way. And I appreciate your concern. It's not everyday strangers sit beside grouches like me just to comfort them." She grinned at him and he smiled back.

"It was nothing. Honestly, you were just a very pretty grouch, that's all," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Hisamatsu Takumi." He extended his arm to offer his hand for a shake. She took it and nodded politely at him.

"Where are you heading, if I may ask?"

"Morioka. I'm taking Dramatics at Geijutsu Kawa University."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Really? What a coincidence! I'm taking Film at Geijutsu Kawa."

Clapping her hands in delight, she replied, "Great! We can register together, ne? Where are you staying?"

"My aunt has an apartment building near the university and she's letting me stay there. What about you?"

"Oh, I'll just be in one of the dormitories, I think."

"Hey, how about you stay in the apartment next to mine? It's vacant. My aunt's friend, who used to manage the building, just got married and moved to Yamagata."

"Well… I don't know… I don't have a job yet and-"

Takumi waved his hands in front of him as a gesture of dismissal. "Oh, don't worry about that! I'm sure my aunt's going to give you a huge discount."

"Are you sure?" she said hesitantly. This guy was far too trusting for his own good. He knew her for barely half an hour and already he was providing her with shelter.

"Yeah, I'll go call my aunt when we get off the train."

She grinned brightly at him and said her thanks. A comfortable silence settled between them. After a while, Takumi extracted a book from one of his bags and Akane stared back out the window.

Thoughts began swimming in her head. She wondered what Ranma was doing at the moment. Was he sorry he didn't stop her from leaving? Was he angry with her?

Of course he's angry. I left him to face the fiancées on his own.

But wasn't it easier that way?

How would Ranma react to Kuno once he finds out?

The thought almost made her chuckle. The annoying bastard would probably be more determined to find his pig-tailed girl now that one of his most prized fixations was gone.

But Ranma would be happy.

The amusement in her eyes dimmed and she sighed miserably. Her eyes were beginning to sting and the beginnings of tears formed in her lids.

"Sometimes, talking about it makes things easier."

Akane looked up. Takumi had closed his book and placed it on the seat beside him. The gold fringes of a navy blue bookmark were hanging from between the pages. A tear made its way down her cheek and she quickly swiped at it with her hand.

"I never planned to leave Nerima," she said shakily. "I never planned to leave Ranma."

"Then why did you? He didn't-"

"He didn't ask me to stay." It was a statement, a fact, and she spoke it in a voice almost short of a whisper. "All he had to do was ask me to stay and I would have… for him."

Takumi, for once, didn't have anything to say after that, choosing instead to reach over and gently pat the hand fisted on the edge of her sweater.

The sun had long since set and crickets had started chirping a lovely melody. For hours on end, he had been sitting in the same bench, staring at the same blade of grass. He wasn't really aware of how long he had been there; all he could feel was the painful wrenching of is heart everytime he breathed. She hadn't been gone for a day and already he was losing his mind.

Finally realizing how dark it was, and that the breeze was growing chilly, he raised his head and looked up at the stars. Somehow, he thought they weren't as bright as when he could have asked her to watch them with him. Now he was sorry he never got to watch the sun go down in her eyes- never got to see stars take its place.

Gingerly, he reached inside his pocket and checked if the object he was keeping was still there. It was and he realized he'd acquired a habit of doing that, as if he was afraid she'd be gone too if he lost it. He sighed and angrily retrieved his hand from his pocket. She left him anyway- didn't stay for him.

He wondered vaguely where the fiancées were and why they haven't come looking for him. He figured perhaps they had and just didn't succeed. A part of him was relieved that he'd been left alone because somehow, he felt he had to think things through for once. Plan his next actions. What was he going to do without her? All his plans included her; she was the center of all those plans. Now that she was gone, it seemed like nothing made sense anymore.

Another part of him longed for distractions, anything that formed some sort of semblance to the strange normalcy he was used to even if it involved bear hugs and possible poisoning.

Stupid kawaii-kune tomboy, he thought bitterly. Leaving me behind to clean up after her- after our mess.

He told himself it was her fault, that she didn't give him a chance, but he knew, somewhere in his head, he knew he had somehow pushed her away too. Maybe he could have been more sensitive. Maybe he could have stopped insulting her all the time just because he too was insecure. Maybe he could have exerted a little more effort to make her smile. Maybe he could have been braver, could have fought for her and told the other girls off. Maybe he could have told her he loved her too.

Maybe he could have asked her to stay.

Perhaps she would have. She did say she loved him and he had just stood there like an idiot, never thinking about what she might mistake his blubbering for. There was something in her eyes that pleaded for him to say the words too and his mind had gone blank, leaving his palms sweaty and cold. It was almost funny, now that her absence made things easier to think through. He had always been known for his strength and skill in martial arts and yet, he couldn't be brave enough to tell a short young girl how he felt about her. Hitting things was so much simpler to do.

Of all the things running through his head, he knew one thing was for certain- he couldn't stay in Nerima. Nerima was an alley of angry cats without her. Nerima was not home without her. He didn't know where he was going, what or whom he was taking with him but he didn't care. He was going to settle things once and for all.

Ranma Saotome hardly made any real decisions in his life and one of them had already gone wrong. He wasn't going to let anyone tell him what to do or how to feel. No, not anymore.

Soun looked out into the silent koi pond from the dining room. It was a fairly pleasant night with the crisp breeze blowing gently into the open shoji. Kasumi was in the kitchen washing dishes and Nabiki was in her room packing for her trip back to Yamagata. Genma was doing katas in the dojo.

Ranma still hadn't come home since that morning. It was a bit surprising because the boy never missed meals and his absence during lunch and supper said a lot about how he was taking to Akane leaving.

Soun sighed a long, suffering sigh. Akane leaving. Such cold, empty words. Akane leaving. His baby had left home. He couldn't help but feel a little bit sentimental with the sound of Nabiki's packing mingling with Kasumi's soft humming in the kitchen.

When Nabiki left the next morning, sweet Kasumi would be the only one left to take care of Daddy. He wondered vaguely how things would be when his eldest daughter finally got married, got a life of her own that didn't include worrying so much about her family. In that sense, it was hard to imagine life without the maternal figure of their little home. Who would cook for them? Who would clean the house? Do the laundry? Reprimand Genma when he's stealing food from their plates? Who would smile at all of Daddy's jokes? Who would comfort Daddy when he cried over the pettiest things?

Nabiki, Nabiki wouldn't give him much of a surprise when she moves away to live on her own hours after she graduates. He had always thought the girl was born with one foot out the door, always thinking about what the rest of the world was like outside of the dojo, always knowing exactly what she wanted. But despite Nabiki's in-born thirst for success and independence, he knew she cared for them in her own way. He didn't doubt for one second that when she did move out, she'd be making sure they kept in contact and that they ate at least three square meals a day.

But Akane…He was worried for Akane. She was their baby, the porcelain little China doll he wanted to save for something special. Akane had never been on her own before. Akane had him and her sisters… and Akane had Ranma. She was pretty and petite and idealistic and arrogant and passionate and always so full of life. Akane couldn't cook. What would she do if she became hungry? She couldn't eat fast food all the time; Akane cared about her health. What would Akane do? Akane wasn't born to be alone. Akane didn't like being alone. She preferred hitting things and yelling and giggling. She couldn't do that in college. No, Akane wasn't meant to be away from home. No, Akane wasn't meant to be alone.

But, oh, he knew Akane was strong. She would cry for many nights but she would wake up the following mornings tired but very much determined. She would go hungry for a few days before managing to find someone to cook for her. She would stay up late reading books and doing papers but in the weekends, she would do katas and she would sweat like she always used to. No, Akane wouldn't change. College couldn't change her. Nothing could change Akane.

Nothing except Ranma.

Nothing could break Akane.

But Ranma could break her heart.

Soun never really liked Ranma. He wanted the boy to marry Akane, yes, but in the deepest recesses of his mind, the part he tried to deny exists, he knew that Ranma had changed his little girl and he didn't like it. Akane was the one he was prone to babying and all the 'growing up' didn't jive well with her father.

Although she still had that fire that made her Akane, he had noticed several changes in her. She was more… graceful somehow, as if she was conscious of how two pairs of blue eyes were watching her every minute of the day, waiting for her to do something wrong, say something stupid. Her temper still got the best of her at times but Soun noticed the strain that was there when she yelled, when she hit Ranma. During the course of their relationship, Akane had grown, matured. Perhaps it was because this was the first time she'd experienced that kind of heartache- not the kind the child Akane had felt when her Mommy left to 'become an angel and watch over her', but the kind that kept her awake, made her walk downstairs in the middle of the night for a glass of milk.

The kind that left a shadow over her smile.

Today, at the train station, if the emptiness of Akane's room and the silence of the yard was any indication, Ranma had succeeded in breaking the girl's heart. Again.

Soun sometimes wished he hadn't ever made that stupid deal with Genma. A few times, he had seriously considered breaking the engagement. That idea was weak though. Genma was a good friend he didn't want to lose. And more importantly, he knew what it was in Ranma's eyes when he looked at Akane. Yes, he was more observant than he let on; being a father and losing his wife made him that way.

Ranma was in love with his daughter. Stupid… but all the same, in love.

Shaking his head, he raised his cooling cup of tea and brought it to his lips.

A/N: Ok! So the first chapter is up. Am I doing ok? So far so good?

Here are a few facts by the way, that you don't have to read but might, I guess, make the story more interesting. MAY provide clues too.

1. "Takumi" means artisan. I just thought that would be a fitting name for him since he's gonna be a really artistic, creative, weird person. I think I'm gonna try to make him a kind of representation of myself. I don't really know if "Hisamatsu" means anything. I just kind of picked it from a list of Japanese surnames and thought it would sound pretty good with 'Takumi'. Heh. If it does mean something, please let me know.

2. "Geijutsu" means art. My source says 'art' can also be "ato". I don't really understand the differences but I just thought 'geijutsu' would sound nicer with "Kawa" which means 'river'. I chose the word 'river' since I thought it would be a fitting concept to how art works differently for different people and would also symbolize Akane's kind of wild, and sometimes a bit reckless, nature and decision-making since she left Ranma without a real explanation and in the heat of her emotions. This university is totally fictional. I don't know if there's a college somewhere in Japan named "Geijutsu Kawa" but if there is, that's absolutely coincidental and unintentional.

3. I researched a bit and found out that Nerima may actually exist in Tokyo. Yamagata is about two to two and a half hours up north and Morioka is well, up-er, just before Hokkaido. It's about four and a half to five hours from Tokyo. I know, I know, that really isn't much distance to put between Ranma and Akane but I just thought the separation would, more or less, be as effective just because of the reasons behind it and all that had transpired between the two of them.

Well, that's it. If there's something I overlooked or failed to explain, just press that little review button down there and your inquisitions will be answered! Thank you!