Disclaimer: I am not Rumiko or anyone else with payable rights to the manga and anime Ranma ½.

1. Feelings

Ranma was walking on the fence and Akane was walking below as usual. The only thing odd today was that neither of them were talking. In fact they hadn't said anything all morning. The night before they had both had contemplated similar things and were still thinking about them, without the other realizing that they were the same.

They were suddenly snapped out of it for a moment when Ryouga appeared in front of them. Unusually he was not running and crying out his usual, "Ranma, prepare to die!", instead he had his back to Akane who bumped into him.

"Hey! Oh, Ryouga." Akane said looking at his back until he turned around.

"Huh? Oh Akane! This must mean I'm back in Nerima." He said.

"Ryouga, can you ever not get lost?" Ranma said halfheartedly.

"No." he replied without thinking, "Er, I no, Of course I can Ranma! How dare you put me down in front of Akane!" he cried out at him and stopped when he noticed Ranma had continued to walk on ahead.

"Huh? Ranma! How dare you walk away from me while I'm speaking to you!" he called out.

He turned to speak to Akane again but found that she was no longer next to him; she had walked on ahead as well, very unlike her.

"Akane…" he drifted off as he watched them go.

He finally noticed the strange quiet between them and was curious. He decided to follow them, but promptly got lost a couple minutes later when he turned his attention briefly away.

As they neared school Ranma leapt off the fence to land softly beside Akane. He glanced over at her briefly and kept walking. She looked over at him wondering why he had gotten off the fence so early. She shrugged it off and a couple minutes later began to run, Ranma joining her almost simultaneously. They arrived on time for once and their fellow peers noticed. They didn't pay so much attention to that though. They were more concerned in recent developments. A boy had begun to court Ukkyo, without Ukkyo's permission.

Ranma and Akane turned towards where most were looking and saw a mildly attractive boy give Ukkyo a rose as she was making some money selling okonomiyaki before the bell rang. She blushed as he gave her the rose. He said some brief, but lovely words and walked off.

Ranma blinked but continued walking. Maybe now she won't be so set on getting me. he thought as he walked.

Akane followed him step for step without realizing it. Maybe now she won't be so set on getting Ranma. she thought, unknowingly echoing Ranma's thoughts.

One of Nabiki's lackey's had been told to watch Ranma and Akane. Nabiki had noticed their strange behavior this morning and wondered what was up. Of course their fathers' were just happy that they weren't fighting. Nabiki heard from her lackey that Ranma and Akane had been the same way all day long, preoccupied and quiet.

Akane's friends had asked her if anything was troubling her and what she was thinking about. She simply smiled and said nothing. Ranma on the other hand was pretty much left alone. Kuno appeared occasionally like normal, even though he had graduated already, and was fought off, but even he sensed something off about them. He decided wisely, for once in his entire life, to not pursue what the matter might be.

On the way home Ranma did not jump atop the fence at all, though he glanced at it every now and then. Then he watched Akane walk and made up his mind.

"Hey, Akane." He said and stopped walking.

Akane stopped and looked at him and it suddenly occurred to her that this is the first time they talked all day.

"What is it Ranma?" she asked.

He glanced up at the fence again.

"Want me to teach you to walk fences?" he asked her looking back to her.

Akane stood there for a moment considering. She wasn't sure if she could actually walk a fence, though she knew she could stand on one. She wasn't sure if she was willing to risk falling or embarrassing herself in front of Ranma. Then again, she thought, this may just be a perverted scheme to be able to touch her. She was about to decline politely when she remembered what she had been thinking about all day and night.

Ranma noticing the silence faced forward and put a hand behind his back.

"I was only asking 'cause I thought maybe you'd want to. I'm pretty sure you'd be able to do it if you wanted." He babbled, beginning to feel a bit dejected.

Akane sighed and forced a brief smile and hopped up onto the wall. Ranma looked up at her in surprise and followed suit landing behind her.

"I think I can walk a little, just-" she began.

"Then start walking and I'll spot you just in case. After awhile your balance will improve and you'll be able to walk faster." He smiled a small, soft smile.

It was not a smile she had seen him show before, but she liked it. She began walking, slower than she expected. She was sure it was because she was trying to think too much about it instead of relying on instinct. She expected Ranma to say something about that but she was surprised when he remained quiet. She briefly lost her balance while glancing back at him and he reached out and got her. He held her arms until she regained balance. It was only a moment, but Akane still had to force away a small blush.

Ranma thought about why he decided to let her do this. It would take much longer to get home and he was starving having forgotten a lunch, despite actually being up on time. He sighed and then let what he'd been thinking about earlier fill his head once more. He had to avoid teasing her; he knew she would never understand the true meaning to his teasing. He tilted his head slightly and watched her walk. At least she seems more peaceful then this morning. he thought.

After an hour they were nearing the dojo, however hunger was overtaking Ranma. His stomach growled fiercely and Akane carefully turned to him, just in time to see him clutch his stomach and slip after appearing to have been dizzy. Akane just stared as he collapsed onto the ground while reaching for the wall. He had just missed grabbing the ledge when he fell. Akane finally recovered and hopped off the wall barely remembering to hold her skirt down with her hands. She landed gracefully and kneeled beside Ranma.

"Ranma? Are you all right?" she asked unconsciously placing her hands on his chest.

He groaned, his eyes clenched shut, as he started to slowly sit up. He opened his eyes and she slid her hands off him and he sat up. He was holding the back of his head with one head. She reached up placed a hand behind his hand. He blushed lightly as he looked at her eyes. Beautiful eyes. he thought.

"It doesn't look as though you've broken the skin" she said removing her hand, "Are you alright?" she asked once again.

"Oh, yeah, I'm all right I think." He said removing his hand from his head and standing up.

Akane stood up too and stared up at him, into his eyes. Those eyes… she thought.

"We should get home." She said still worried.

He was surprised she didn't suggest they go see Dr. Toufu. He nodded gently and they walked on the street the rest of the way to the dojo. Once they were outside, Akane turned to Ranma and asked him a question that bothered her for most of the walk home.

"Why did you offer to teach me to walk the fence?" she asked him.

Ranma blinked at her, mentally kicking himself, knowing she probably wouldn't have picked up on something as simple as that. He sighed and closed his eyes, refraining from saying the first thing that came to his mind, which was, "I just thought you could use some exercise in balance," or something along that. Instead he actually thought a bit, unwilling to tell her the entire truth; it was difficult to think of how to reply.

"I already told you, I thought you might want to learn is all." He said and walked towards the door.

He grumbled mentally that that was just as stupid as what he was originally going to say. He waited to get hit by something but was surprised when he heard a soft, "Oh," behind him. They walked into the house in silence and walked up the stairs. They each went their respective rooms. Normally they might spar after school, Ranma at least always did. Ranma turned from his room the second he entered it scratched his head, wondering why he forgot he was hungry. He walked downstairs and found something to eat while Kasumi had left the kitchen for a moment. He was afraid she'd say no to something as big as he had before dinner.

Akane sat in her room contemplating her feelings. Finally she was frustrated and sick of contemplating. She stood up and said to no one, "If it takes all this contemplating to figure out what my feelings are then there must not be any!" she said frustrated. She sat back down not believing herself. If there wasn't any, would it really take this long to contemplate? she thought. Her face crunched in an angry way and she fell back onto her bed. She opened her eyes suddenly after a few minutes of thinking of absolutely nothing.

"I do," she whispered suddenly, "I do love Ranma." She said more easily then she ever thought she could.

Should she tell him? Could she tell him? Did he love her? these thoughts ran through her head. Somehow she felt that he at least cared very much for her if not loved her. Maybe he just hasn't figured it out himself.

Meanwhile, Ranma sat staring at the TV, which was off, finishing what he was eating. He was trying to figure out how to let Akane know how he feels without telling her how he feels. He didn't know why this was so important, but he just felt he needed to do it this way. So far she had been very oblivious and he even wondered half the time if she even cared. Of course he knew that wasn't true, because the other half of the time it was painfully obvious how much she cared, even though no one else thought he knew. Akane is very dense. he thought solemnly.

He closed his eyes and very soon had drifted off into sleep. He began to dream he was sparring with Akane. Akane had a bright smile on her face, which made him smile to see. He noticed they weren't so much as fighting as teasing and laughing. Then the dream began to change and she wasn't laughing anymore and neither was he. They were standing there looking at each other, necessity in their eyes. Then the dojo faded and they were both in strange clothes that neither of them had ever worn or owned in reality. Their hair was different as well but it was clearly Akane and him. Suddenly they were facing him and had an arm around each other's waist. Ranma had an understanding smile on his face and Akane smiled almost pityingly. They lifted their hands each admitting and orb of energy that molded into one huge orb. They sent this slowly towards him and though he thought of dodging it he sensed it was not dangerous. The light enveloped him and he heard a voice as the light died down. It was a slightly older version of his own voice he realized.

"Have courage and trust in your love. You are part of an eternal pair, never to be parted." The Ranma look-alike said.

"The gift we have given you will help give you courage by clearing your clouded mind. We await the love you have yet to share." The Akane look-alike said with an obvious older and more sophisticated tone.

"For awhile you will be released from your most unnatural fears so you will be able to show emotions easier. Do not fret, you will not become a blubbering crybaby because that is not who you are." the Ranma look-alike.

"Simply put, you are now able to express who you really are without fear or clouded judgment. This gift is temporary and will find its way back to us within about two moons." the Akane look-alike.

They both said "Good luck," at the same time and turned disappearing before they could fully turn around.

The white backdrop faded until he saw Akane sleeping on her bed, many different nights of her sleeping on her bed, all those for which he had watched her sleep and thought about how beautiful she was and how peaceful she slept when he could not.

Ranma fluttered his eyes open gently. Someone had been gently rocking him, trying to wake him.

"Ranma, it's getting late now. I saved you some dinner; the others thought it best if we let you sleep earlier." Kasumi smiled calmly.

"Oh." Ranma said and sat up, "Arigatou." He said still sitting there.

"Try not to fall asleep in places besides your room from now on?" Kasumi smiled before walking away.

"Hai." Ranma said to her retreating figure and glanced over at the clock.

He had been out quite awhile. He blinked trying to make sense of the dream. It wasn't much like a dream. He wondered if maybe he really was given some energy to make him express emotions clearer. Heh. he thought, I must really be losing it. he smiled at that, but still wasn't entirely sure. He turned in time to see Akane descending the stairs. He blushed at the sight and she stopped seeing him awake.

She was already dressed for bed, even though it was still early for that, her robe flowing behind her as she walked. It was like a goddess or something like it. He didn't know why he was blushing; he normally wouldn't over something so trivial. As he thought about it though, he found nothing trivial about it. He simply saw her that way. His blush went away and he swallowed preparing to speak.

"So, you're finally awake, eh? You know I don't think I've ever seen you sleep so deep before Ranma." said Akane lightly.

"Me either. I don't understand it. I'm just glad nothing bad happened while I slept." Ranma replied as she continued down the last couple steps.

Akane smiled quickly and then let it go. Ranma stood and stretched briefly before heading into the kitchen to see what Kasumi had left him. He found it in the fridge and took it out while Akane had a glass of water. She sat down with him while he ate so he wouldn't have to be alone. She didn't know why, she just didn't want him to have to be alone. Ranma appreciated her staying but said nothing, though he wanted to. In fact it was hard not to. Ranma was beginning to rethink this dream thing and tried to worry that the dream might be real. He couldn't, he almost face-faulted realizing the dream had to have been real, or else it was having a real bad effect on his psyche or subconscious or something.

After he finished and deposited his plate in the sink he headed out of the kitchen. He was very aware that Akane was following him. He sighed and headed upstairs and into his room. Akane paused outside her own room, wondering why she was following him. Ranma came back out a few seconds later carrying his bath supplies and headed to the furo. He turned his head slightly, glancing briefly back at Akane before descending the stairs. So beautiful. he thought as he entered and flipped the occupied sign.

Akane stared down the stairs as thoughts stormed her brain. She wondered about why he was so quiet, about why he blushed when he saw her come downstairs, about why he never said anything more to her, about why she hadn't said anything more either. A thought briefly crossed her mind to go into the furo and offer to wash his back which was immediately followed by not trusting the pervert. She felt bad about even thinking that, somehow she knew he was at least less than a pervert than anyone at school. Even some girls she knew seemed to be big perverts. Akane sighed as she realized that she could even be considered a pervert, just a little. She finally moved to enter her room and sat down on her bed. She found herself glancing at the door, waiting for him to come by. She blushed when she realized what she was doing. Still, she didn't stop watching for him.

Awhile later Akane was beginning to get a little sleepy and her heart jumped in her chest when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Ranma stretched a bit while walking and pulled his shirt on, having walked out in only boxers. He glanced over at Akane's room and his eyes widened briefly as he realized her door was open and she was watching him. He blushed again, and swallowed. He forced himself to walk to his own room, surprised at how difficult it was.

Ranma stayed in his room, laying on the floor, gazing out the window. After what must have been an hour he heard Akane close her door. His pops was still downstairs playing that game with Soun. At what Ranma guessed was an hour later, he climbed out his window and found his way in his gazing tree, as he called it. He looked over at Akane. Sure enough she was lying peacefully on her bed, nearing deep sleep. Akane… He was surprised when he suddenly felt sad and… was it… longing? He shook his head, but it didn't help, the feelings where pooled in his stomach somehow. After watching her for awhile he headed to the dojo. Normally he would practice a bit, but he didn't feel into it. He did a couple katas and closed his eyes. He began to face an apparently invisible opponent with little enthusiasm.

After a moment his mental image of his opponent disappeared to be replaced by one of Akane. He didn't want to fight her so he stopped and began to dodge her invisible attacks as he normally did when he actually sparred with her. Anyone who would have seen him right then, eyes closed and dodging invisible attacks, would question his sanity, strength, and who knows what else. They wouldn't take him seriously. He realized this somehow and opened his eyes. His heart seemed to sag when the mental image of Akane wasn't still there when he opened his eyes. He sat down and tried breathing exercises. He wanted her, he realized, he needed her somehow… he…loved her? He blinked and sat with his arms straight, out in front of him, palms flat on the floor. Akane? Does Akane love me? he thought desperately. Why do I love Akane? he thought suddenly and immediately his head was filled with images and reasons of why he loved her so.

He smiled warmly, and sighed. He stood and left the dojo and climbed back to his room. He lay back where he slept and started to doze off. A short while later Genma walked in and promptly plopped down on his bed, falling asleep immediately, snoring loudly. Ranma pulled the covers over his head and tried to return to the sleep his pops interrupted. He did so, only having gotten used to his pop's sleeping habits after all these years training out there. He forced the images of the ten years before he moved into the Tendo home out of his mind. He shivered once as he got them to vacate his head in place of sweet images of Akane. Akane…