Ranma stood with his mouth agape, "Akane… It's me, Ranma…" He responded. She answered with only a blank stare. "Have we met? You look kinda familiar.." Ranma grasped her shoulders, "I'm.. I'm your fiancé, don't you remember?" Her eyes widened. "Fiancé, are you kidding me? I've never even had a real relationship before!" Ryoga looked on in confusion as a certain thought entered his mind, 'Wait a minute.. No Ranma.. Akane's heart is now free to love.. Perhaps even me..' a wide smile came across his face as a dreamy look filled his eyes. "Snap out of it pig boy!" Ranma shouted as he noticed Ryoga's appearance. 'Theres no way im losing to him.. Akane...' he thought desperately. "Pig boy?" Akane questioned softly. "Yeah.. pig boy.. When he's hit with cold water he changes into a pig, just like I change into my girl form.. Oh." Ranma stopped short as he realized what he was saying. He glanced in Ryoga's direction who was staring at him with narrowed eyes as if he wanted to set him on fire. "uhh.." Ranma mumbled. "What?" Akane interjected, "What kind of idiot do you think I am, first you burst into my house, accuse me of being your fiancé, and now you say Ryoga here's a pig? You seriously need psychiatric help." Ranma stared at her blankly. It was the truth. "Please, just leave me and my family alone, we don't want any trouble.." She said as she grasped his hand lightly, leading him to the door. "I'm sure you have a family out there, you should go be with them." "But.. Akane." He whispered. She took her eyes away from his pleading face and cast them down to the floor. "Come back tomorrow if you have something to say.." She whispered as she slowly shut the door before him.
As Akane and Ryoga walked into the dining room, they were greeted with cold, accusing stares. Akane took a step back. "What?" she questioned looking at her inquisitive family members. "I guess this means.. You've choosen a new fiancé?" Nabiki said as she casually pointed towards Ryoga. Akane glanced in the direction of her hand and back again. "No!" she retorted as a blush came across her face. "I never even had one to begin with!" Kasumi waltzed over to sister, putting a hand on her head. "Are you feeling okay, Akane?" She took her hand away, "Are you guys feeling okay!" Akane replied as she went a few frantic steps back, in the direction of the stairs. Without looking she had tripped over a stuffed panda, one of Ranma's souvenirs from china, and was heading towards the wooden paneling. Ryoga narrowly caught her before she hit the ground. "Well, I guess she's still clumsy." Nabiki retorted. Akane glanced at the object she had fallen over as a slight hot, stinging sensation came to her cheeks and entered her head. All she could hear was a soft buzzing as the world faded around her and she was engulfed in darkness.
"Akane.." a familiar voice echoed as she opened her half-lidded eyes, still surrounded by the darkness. But it wasn't a cold, empty darkness; it felt warm and somehow comforting. "Akane.." it whispered once more. "Who.. Are you?" She questioned as she saw an out form emerge in the dim light. It was of a boy around her age. She sat up when suddenly; a strong hand was placed around her waist while the other was used to place her head on his shoulder. She reached up into the darkness and felt a braid placed between his shoulder blades. "Remember me." He replied as she could feel the night dissipating around her. Soon she sat alone holding nothing, the sound of his voice and the feel of his touch reverberating within her.
"Akane.." A voice questioned. Her eyes opened quickly, not wanting to miss the image of her mystery man's face. She blinked as she felt the mattress beneath her, the blankets between her fingers. She was in her room. Ryoga was sitting on the side of her bed, kicking his legs back and forth in anxiety, wondering when she would awake, and if she still hadn't recalled Ranma. He was gazing down at the carpet and had not yet noticed she was up. "Akane.. Will you forget me too?" He had obviously spent so much time alone that he had developed a habit of talking to himself. "How could I forget you?" She replied softly as she sat up. He gave her a tilted smile as he could feel his cheeks grow warmer. She winced as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, the world was spinning. Ryoga grabbed her shoulders to keep her stable. "A-akane?" he questioned. Her head lulled to one side and once again she had slipped into darkness.
Ranma arrived at the Cat Café, searching for answers. He kicked open the door and stood rigid at the entrance. "What have you done to Akane?" He inquired, "What's going to happen to her?" Shampoo's great grandmother turned to face him from a top the table. "Oh how disappointing.. Seems you've figured out my plan.. That pill you took was no cure for bad luck, no such thing has ever been invented." He smirk spread across her face. "The particular pill I gave you was for a tragic romance." Ranma's brow furred as his tone became harsh, "What?" "If a man takes that pill, the woman he truly loves will forget him, fall for another, and in turn die.. Romanticly.. Tragic." Ranma tried to hold back his frustration, "How could you do such a thing?" "The plan was to make you more available for Shampoo.. She needs a fiancé you know." "How could you?" Ranma was shaking with anger as hot tears obscured his vision. "You.." He murmured as he glared fiercely at the old woman. "Are the most disgusting, heartless, dried up.." She merely laughed, "Flattery will get you no where grandson.." "I will never be your grandson." He stood firm. "There is one chance to save her.. See if you can figure it out.. Before the sun sets tomorrow. By then it will be too late." Ranma threw the door open, speeding blindly out into the murky night. Ominous clouds gathered above him, threatening to rain. "Oh god, Akane.. What have I done?" He whispered as he ran atop the cracked sidewalk leading to the dojo. "Please.. Please.. Be okay.. Let this all be some chaotic nightmare.." He said between breaths. "I had never realized how much you meant to me until today.. Why does it take this to make me realize? Why couldn't I have told you I loved you sooner.." Hot tears mingled with the heavy rain falling in streams across his face. He was now female once again. Engulfed in stronger emotions from his feminine side, Ranma threw himself onto the mud covered ground beside the pond, outside Akane's window. Pellets of rain hit him sharply like daggers. things could never be the same without her..
Akane awoke once again to the sound of soft sets of rain pelting her window. She looked out into the endless gray. Through the droplets of water, she could see someone lying beside the pond, a girl. "What the hell.." Akane questioned as she pushed her blankets off, sliding her legs over the edge of her bed. Ryoga had left to eat with her family. "Poor thing, she's probably soaked out there.." Akane said to herself as she trudged determinedly down the stairs and out into the rain. "Hey! Are you alright?" Akane called from her door. Ranma broke out of his sobs and looked up pleadingly, "Akane?" He whispered. She rain out into the yard, soaking wet within minutes, kneeling down beside Ranma. "It's a little wet out here, you wanna come inside?" Akane smiled warmly. Ranma sobbed once more as he threw his arms around her, "Akane, I'm so sorry.."
"Um.. For what? Have we met?" Akane asked curiously as she knelt in the mud, unsure of whether to return the embrace. "Come on, Lets get inside." Ranma nodded; somehow it just felt good just to be by her side again.
The two entered the house, gladly avoiding any further penetrating wetness they would have endured out doors. Ranma unknowingly had his head resting from exhaustion on Akane's shoulder as their steps echoed on the wooden paneling. She glanced down at the unknown girl in an awkward silence. "You sure you're ok?" Akane inquired, "How long have you been out there?" Ranma jerked his head away causing a noticeable distance between them. "It isn't like I was spying on ya or anything.." Ranma said indignantly as he started to walk up the steps towards Akane's bedroom. "Oh really?" Akane asked, "Just what were you doing out there?" Ranma stopped as he used the time it took to face her to come up with an answer. "It just so happens that I.." There was a pause as he searched for words. "I'm from China, haven't been in Japan for too long. I was on my way to find my father's weekend apartment when the storm hit and I got.. Well, lost." Ranma shrugged as he turned around, satisfied with his innovative answer. "Oh." Akane nodded, following him up the stairs. Ranma opened the door to her room as he flopped on to the unmade bed. 'How'd she know which room was mine?' Akane thought to herself as the word, "stalker" popped into her head. Something ungraspable yet sensibly recognizable was felt about this girl.. Akane sat at the end of the bed by Ranma's feet as he wondered whether these could be the last moments they would spend together. "What's your name again?" she inquired. It felt so strange having someone he'd known for such a long time ask his name; like some kind of twisted joke that the universe was playing on him. "R.. Ranma." He replied in a feminine voice that seemed so far from who he really was. He couldn't even recognize who he was anymore. "You look familiar somehow," Akane responded as she looked deep into his eyes searching for secrets still remaining concealed. A soft blush spread over his cheeks. How much longer would he have to play this part? Akane grabbed his hand as she knelt on the bed. "Come on let's get out of these soaked clothes and get you into a nice hot bath." The blush increased. "No really, I'm fine!" Ranma said objectively, waving his hands before him. "Aw, don't be shy, it'll be fun!" Akane smiled, pulling him to his feet and out the door. His heart beat became irregular; breaths were short as they approached the bathroom. He was going to die when she saw what he really was.. Admittedly it would have been a good way to go. The door clicked closed as they were each inside. Steam filled the air obstructing his vision so he could only see Akane's out line, changing in the dim light. Articles of unmentionable clothing were spread out across the floor. Her form disappeared but her voice could still be heard as the sliding door to the bath opened, "Kasumi must have gotten this ready for us, remind me to thank her." Ranma stood clutching the seams of his saturated pants. He was going to have to wash sooner or later. First to go was the shirt, which was slid quickly over his head. The pants were second, mixed among the collage of clothing on the floor. Suddenly, Ranma noticed a familiar shirt, the color of yellow. A bandana had also been tossed aside. "Ryoga's…" Ranma said breathlessly, "That's why it's so steamy, he was here before we came.. Akane!" Ranma's unclothed form ran through the fog, toward the sliding door.
Akane had emerced herself in the tepid water, letting it flow over each and every crevice of her body. So far she hadn't noticed Ryoga's shrinking form in the corner of the bath tub because of the haze. 'W-what's Akane doing here?" Ryoga clutched his nose feeling the warm blood seep through he spaces between his fingers. "Oh, I hadn't realized you were so quick, you got in here before me!" Akane replied, moving towards what she thought to be Ranma. "I guess you win, which means.. I have to do one dare, so you pick something for me." She said remembering the child hood game she once had played. it could have been the heat or from the countless thoughts coursing through Ryoga but his face was flushed. Akane slid closer, "Can't thing of anything?" She inquired.