"Staying angry with you is how I protect myself from you. Refusing to forgive you is not only how I punish you; it is also how I keep you from getting close enough to hurt me again, and nine times out of ten it works-only there is a serious side effect. It is called bitterness, and it can do terrible things to the human body and soul."

--Barbara Brown Taylor

Shinosuke awoke at one o'clock p.m. the next day. He slowly raised himself from the blankets he lay upon and took in the room. It was bare; there were a few other blankets and a pillow or two, but aside from that, there wasn't much else. There was a dresser in the corner and a window that was open, letting in cool air. He sucked in the fresh air, and blew out, half sighing.

He had no clue where he was, but remembered seeing Akane last night. And then . . . did he fight someone? Or at least try? He couldn't remember, so he shook off the feeling of vengeance, and tried to get up, only to feel a sudden borage of pain in his kneecap. As he fell back, off his hands, he cupped his knee and let it lay flat, recovering quickly. He did not expect that. He hated this.

He couldn't remember if it was broken; this was bad. In a few hours, or a few minutes, he could forget again and try to get up. He thought this over, deciding that he was in this house for a reason, and lay back. Being stuck was hard, but he couldn't lose focus, he had to remember his leg was broken. He brought out a pen from his pocket and unscrewed the cap.

Shinosuke sighed, "Why did I ever leave the forest?"

She had gotten up early for this. She had to remember why she was doing what she was doing. He was upstairs, broken leg and all, because of her. Well, because of Ranma too, but she did have a lot to do with it. He was immobile; she had to take care of him.

She had been so relieved when her father had agreed to letting him stay. When he heard the story of how he had saved her, and of the mess she had made of him before that, though he did not say his reasoning, he had joyously agreed to let him stay.

And now, standing before her, was her next obstacle, the greatest foe of all: breakfast. Akane was about to give up when a tall boy strolled into the room, a look of complete and utter terror on his face.

"What is that?" He exclaimed, jumping back several feet, "Is that-t-t blood?"

Akane put her hands on her hips, "It was supposed to be rice."

He laughed in astonishment, but still cautious, "Well, it sure ain't now!"

"Go away! Why are you even in the kitchen, just to bug me?" Akane fumed, turning as red as her "rice".

Ranma strode over to the fridge, rolling his eyes, "For food. Why ya up so early, Kasumi won't be down for another half hour?"

Akane took off her oven mittens, and turned off the stove. She walked over to the table and collapsed into the chair, head resting on hands, resting on table, "I told you," she sniffled, but hid her face in her sleeve, "trying to make breakfast."

"Uhhh," Ranma stuttered nervously, Akane was on the brink of tears and he knew it, "at least ya made somethin'!"

Akane looked up, tears brimming her eyes, tiredness apparent, "Ranma, breakfast isn't supposed to be alive."

"Well, maybe just yours is," he told her reassuringly, sitting down across from her at the table. All the lights, except for one upstairs and the kitchen's, were off. The house still slept.

Akane scoffed nasally, "Yeah, I'm a real grade A chef. People come from across the world to adopt my cooking," she looked to Ranma again, right in the eyes; he nearly dropped his coke, but she continued, "and to hunt it."

He couldn't help but smirk, "Ya really are your toughest critic. Well," he mused, hand in hair, "except for me, right?"

Akane tried to laugh, but choked on her tears,starting tocough sporadically. Ranma tensed immediately and, as she subsided, he slowly calmed down. He didn't think she noticed. She did.

Desperately trying to end the silence he found so awkward, Ranma pointed to the mess of a stove, and inquired cautiously, "So, what were ya doin' there? Ya know none of us get up this early; whatcha doin' cookin'?"

Akane turned to the mess, and back into her lap miserably, "Trying to fix Shinosuke something to eat," at this Ranma's face fell, he tried to hide it by lowering his head, but Akane could tell, "His leg's broken you know."

"Yeah," Ranma coughed, "I noticed."

"Thanks for letting him bunk in your room with you guys Ranma, that was good of you," Akane articulated carefully.

The mood was tense, very tense; cutting it with a knife tense.

"Didn't really have a choice, did I?" Ranma asked.

Akane noticed he really was asking, waiting for an answer.

She laughed nervously, "Oh, I dunno, maybe. I think it's good that you were good and . . .," Akane trialed off, and then shot her head up and pointed an accusing finger, "You didn't say why you came down early! You said it yourself; no one will be up for a while!"

Ranma paused, and then continued, voice strained a bit, "I uh . . . remember, I told ya; for food," he laughed nervously again, and almost fell off his seat, tipping it back quite far.

Akane motioned to the table, "You haven't eaten yet, and only drank a bit of something."

"Yeah, well," Ranma had to think of an excuse, if Akane found out he was here for some reason he didn't even know she'd probably get mad or something, even perhaps embarrassing him, but that was hardly part of it!

"Yes?" Akane asked curtly, resting her head on top of her hands, staring at him skeptically.

"Your cooking!" Ranma almost sang, pointing to the mess triumphantly, "Your disgusting cooking made me lose my appetite. Ha, ha! Thought ya got me there, eh?"

"Great," Akane mused mournfully, "I had to pick the worst liar in the world."

Ranma asked the question that was burning in his mind, ignoring the previous comment, "Hey Akane, why ya bein' so nice? Usually, ya would've whacked me into Timbuktu by now."

"I'm sick of it," Akane spat indignantly and turned away, "aren't you?"

Ranma stared at her shoulders, and then the back of her head. He studied them for a long time, contemplating, "Things," he told her delicately, "are sometimes harder to organize. Can't master a new technique in one day, right?"

Akane turned back; looking delicate, fragile, and utterly tragic. Ranma wanted to give her a hug, to comfort her, but he couldn't. He hoped she could read his eyes, he learned you can't lie with those.

She stared at him, into him, "You can," she whispered, and then turned back around.

Ranma stood then, not knowing how to stop his feet from moving, or his lips from quelling, "Maybe you're right," Ranma moved to put his hand on Akane's shoulder, "but I'm just not-," Ranma was curtly cut off by a strained cough.

Both turned sharply to the door, where Kasumi stood smiling warmly.

"Morning you two! Oh my, this is a mess; have you tried to cook, Akane?" Kasumi beamed, busying herself cleaning up the stove.

Akane nodded, half frozen, "Sorry."

Kasumi smiled again, "Don't worry Akane; practice makes perfect, right? Would you like to help with breakfast? You can boil the water!"

"Maybe at dinner Kasumi, thanks for the offer though," Akane rose and Ranma followed her figure, but didn't follow. "I'll go see how Shinosuke's doing."

Ranma turned to the ground crossly, forgetting to be embarrassed. Akane left the room a tad guiltily, not looking in Ranma's eyes.

After Akane went upstairs Kasumi spoke, head in oven, cleaning enthusiastically, "Ranma, could you pass me another rag?"

Ranma nodded and moved quickly to the cupboard beneath the sink, reaching in and out with furious force, "No prob."

The cupboard shut with a loud "bang" and Kasumi's head hit the top of the oven.

Ranma winced as he heard her yelp. He really didn't mean to do that, "Kasumi! You okay? I really didn't mean to . . . yeah, sorry."

She pulled herself out, holding a dirty rag in one hand, and the other atop her head. She looked at him direly, "Don't worry Ranma; it's not bleeding, just a little bump."

"Well, can I do anything to help?" Ranma asked guiltily, toeing the floor a bit.

She beamed.

"You can clean your room up a bit; we have a guest now," she told him sweetly.

He nodded wide-eyed. In the same room as him, and Akane will be there too. It seems suffocating him self with a pillow will be out of the question. Pity.

Ranma turned on his heels, walked calmly upstairs, and to his door; staring at the wood. He pressed his hand against it, and sighed, "Here goes."

He could see a lot of scenarios, before going in, playing in his mind: she was over him crying, she found that he was actually a scarecrow and, due to the very open window, the crows had come to seek their revenge.

Ranma laughed out loud at the thought, "Stupid scarecrow."

Mostly though, he didn't want to walk in on anything. She could be kissing him lightly; on his forehead, his cheek, his nose, his lips. Hell, she could be holding him and he would feel it: the pang, the jealously. He didn't like it, but he needed it. It sort of kept him going, trying to get stronger.

Before all this, his reason for growing was just the feel of learning a new technique. Now, it was what she thought of his new technique too. Of course, the way he felt when he mastered something was wonderful; nothing he knew of could surpass that joy. Except, when they got close, and they were alone; he almost felt lighter than the clouds. It was so close to the best feeling he ever had, that it hurt how he messed it up all the time. She messed it up too, but she didn't feel the same, it was stupid and naive to think that. Yet, he couldn't just forget.

"I'll teach that scarecrow!" He told himself, determined.

"Ranma?" Akane asked . . . from behind him.

"Uh. . ." he certainly wasn't expecting her not to be in the room with him. Had she been watching him stand there? Well, he was frozen, and she obviously wanted to get in. He wanted to be anywhere but here; he'd rather have gone cat than this.

Ranma willed himself to move, 'Get in there! Ya look like a damn idiot!'

"Right," Ranma murmured before going into the room, face a nice shade of red.

Akane nodded suspiciously, but let it go when she saw Shinosuke. Ranma stopped and gaped too.

Shinosuke was lying down asleep. All over him; his face, his hands, his legs, and his cast, were the words "Your leg is broken", and over his clothes were the words, "You are in Akane's house."

Ranma snickered, and then full out laugh. Akane looked crossly at him with a smothered smile on her face, "Ranma, that's mean! You shouldn't laugh!" Before her short lecture finished she was giggling a bit too.

Ranma mused to himself, "Stupid scarecrow."

"What?" Akane asked confused.

"Nothing," Ranma said quickly.

Things had gone like that for the rest of the afternoon. Akane sat by Shinosuke, and Ranma cleaned the room. He finished about an hour earlier but then decided to clean the walls, peering over at Akane and the sleeping Shinosuke the entire time.

"Ranma, why are you cleaning the walls?" Akane asked, bored. Her legs were asleep from sitting for so long. There was nothing else to do, so she decided on bugging the only other person in the room.

"Because, they're dirty!" Ranma scolded, as if it was obvious.

"Right," Akane muttered, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Shinosuke, and studied his face.

He awoke for about ten wordless minutes a few hours before, while she fed him, and then subsequently fell back asleep.

In this way, Ranma had a lot of time to think about things. He decided it was not good Shinosuke was just lounging here. In fact, he was probably taking income from the family, and he might be stealing jewels. Then Ranma remembered he was a scarecrow, not a pirate.

He had to come up with an idea; something that would make the unwanted guest leave, give him no other choice. He didn't want to hurt the guy while he was down, especially if he was down due to a rather large branch that wouldn't have hit him if he hadn't. He had to figure something out though, for the dojo's income of course.

Akane was sitting patiently, touching the felt marks on his face delicately, tracing them with her finger.

"Why don't ya get some rest?" Ranma asked, oddly nice, "I'll look after the guy."

Akane laughed sarcastically, "Oh yeah, leave the bull in the china shop?"

"I am not a bull! If anyone's bullish it's you. Ya look like it must be at least a relative," Ranma quipped.

"You are such a stupid jerk," Akane screamed as her fist flung and slammed him just through the open window.

And she left the room then, "Be back after my shower, alright?" She waved good bye to the sleeping figure, and exited the room quietly.

Right when the door clicked shuta hand clamped down on the window sill, and a boy pulled himself through, grinning like a madman, 'Thought she hit me far, lucky that tree hit me!'

He fell into the room all at once with a thump and then stayed still, worried the noise would alert her. He crept over to Shinosuke after a few seconds, and peered at the mess of black and tan his face had become.

"Listen you," Ranma spoke into his ear, pointing a finger at his face, subliminal messages in his sleep would surely work, "ya ain't stayin'. Ya don't wanna be here, ya wanna go, and," Ranma was at a loss of ideas, "fulfill yer destiny or somethin'. Just, go away from here. Soon. Your leg's lookin' okay. A few more days and you'll be outta here. Man, that dragon's stuff we put on ya musta accelerated your healing junk. Lucky."

Shinosuke squirmed and whispered in his sleep, ". . . Akane . . ."

"Oh yeah, uh," Ranma redirecting his attention to the matter at hand, "she's off limits."

"Why?" he asked, strained. A troubled expression fell across his face, but Ranma had to forget his compassion, and somehow explain.

"Because, ya wouldn't want her! She can't cook, she's not pretty," Ranma went on, counting the reasons on his fingers, "she's violent, got no figure, real mean, and she's, uh," Ranma turned away so he couldn't see his face, "already got a fiancé."

"Not enough," he muttered dazedly, eyes still tightly shut, "I love her."

Ranma shot up at this, he stepped back a bit and stared out of the window, still crouching, "That's a big word. I'd watch out sayin' things that should be so slight in you vocabulary. Big commitment. Funny, huh," he turned back to the restless man on the floor, "how a word could change your life. Could make it," he reflected, "or ruin it."

Shinosuke groaned lightly, "I live dangerously, why not love dangerously?"

Ranma smirked, "Stole the words right outta my mouth."

Ranmawatched the other male in the room sleep,and lazily stared out the window.

He had been left alone with him, and had not yet smothered him with a pillow, which he took as personal growth. He had made a few decisions. First, Shinosuke would have to stay until he was healed, but after that he would have no choice, butto go. Ranma had been absurd thinking he would. A clear mind always made him feel fresh and clean; like deodorant.

He could still make Shinosuke actually want to leave, which might be a big deal in the future. He remembered the first time him and his new bunk buddy met. He had liked him at first, then hated him, then respected him in a "you're-cool-because-we'll-never-see-each-other-again" way.

Now he just had to figure out how to make him want to leave. It couldn't be on purpose, or Akane would have his head on a silver platter. Not unless she was part of it.

He grinned. He had a plan. He loved when he had a good plan, and this was a very good plan.

"Oh Akane!" Ranma called innocently, "Shinosuke says he's hungry for just your cookin'! That's right, noooobody else's! Lucky you, ya found a new victim!"

A/N: I like that I'm writing more each chapter. I'll try to make them even longer, but I think 3000 words each chapter is going to be the normal thing. I'll try to update when it goes off the new 25, or I get ten reviews this chapter. Obviously, I won't so you'll just have to wait. Muahahhahahaa.Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or read this! Review or I might forget to write the next chapter! Next chapter hopefully up soon!