Authors Note: Hey Guys! Just a quick note before this chapter starts. In this particular chapter Ranma has a number of flashbacks so the flashback dialogue and part will be written in italics while the present moments will be in normal text! On with the last two chapters!

Chapter Twenty-One: I Like You The Way You Are!

Ranma stared at the woman for a few moments and then looked up as she lowered Akane to the ground, making her lie flat.

"Let me get this straight" he looked back at Kiana, "You'll give me the Jusenkyo water in exchange for my freedom and Akane's life or you'll let Akane go and take my life. Is that pretty much what you're saying?"

"That's correct. Akane or the water? What's it going to be Ranma?"

Ranma was silent for a moment as he looked once more at Akane and Ryoga's voice entered his head.

"What's your choice Ranma?"

"Well" Ranma said with a sigh, "I never thought that I would have to make this choice. But now that I do I already know the answer."

"Really?"

"Yea" he nodded, "And it's very simple. It's true I have wanted that water for a long time. I would do just about anything for it. Almost" he looked at Kiana once more.

"I beg your pardon?" she said.

"You heard me" he replied, "And you heard me correctly. I choose Akane over the water."

"What?" she said baffled, "You can't be serious? Over your freedom of the curse? You would choose a fiancée you don't like half the time?"

"Yes I would."

"But I thought there was nothing more important to you than this water" she held up the bottle, "I could have sworn that was true."

"It is" Ranma admitted, "But some things are more important to me than that. And she happens to be one of them."

"You are certain?" she practically poised herself to strike him, "That is your choice?"

"Yes. Take my life and let her go. I'd rather her be alive then ever accept that water from you."

"I see" she replied angrily, "Well if that's yourchoice, I'll respect that. But you're a fool. A very foolish mortal indeed" she said as Akane opened her eyes briefly and whispered his name.

"Ranma?"

"Akane" he replied in surprise as he rushed over to her and knelt beside her. But she closed her eyes once more and seemed to stop breathing. Ranma began to panic.

"Akane?" he shook her, "Akane! What's the matter with her?" he demanded of Kiana.

"Oh did I forget to mention, that the only way for her to leave here safe and sound, was for you to find a way to break the spell and awaken her?"

"What?" he began to get angry and shouted, "That wasn't part of the deal!"

"Ranma it's not my fault that she is in that state. It's yours. I can't do anything," she said as she sat down on her throne smugly, "You're the only one who can revive her and break the spell. That is if you can?" she added sarcastically.

He stared at her furiously and then turned back to his fiancée. "Akane!" he shouted shaking her even more, "Akane can you hear me? Akane!"

(Next Scene)

Meanwhile outside Ryoga, Mousse, and Ukyo were out of breath from all their fighting and leaned against the wall of the left side of the room. On the other side of the room stood the men with wings on their backs, also gasping for air.

"This is getting us" Ryoga breathed heavily, "No where. Just like Ranma said."

"Well we can't give up" Ukyo replied.

"Shampoo and the others are counting on us," Mousse added.

Ryoga nodded and then the group prepared to fight yet again. But as they started a bright yellow light began to fill the room. Everyone backed off as a female figure, clothed all in white appeared before them. Ryoga, Ukyo, and Mousse stared at the figure, Mousse adjusting his glasses because he thought he was seeing things. When the winged men saw her they rushed forward but she threw out her hands and blocked their attacks, making them back off, nod to each other, and disappear, in the process making the fake Ukyo, Shampoo, and Nabiki evaporate into dust. In the cage the real Nabiki finally awoke along with all the other girls and also stared at the figure quite stunned. Ukyo and Ryoga moved forward. She turned to them her blue eyes shining.

"Where is Ranma Saotome?" she asked politely.

"Um" Ryoga pointed, "In the mirror."

"I see. Thank you" she nodded, "Oh. One more thing to help you before I go. Strike the cage with your greatest power Ryoga."

"Huh?"

"You'll know what to do" she smiled, "I must go now before it is too late" she disappeared into the mirror.

Ukyo and Mousse looked at each other as Ryoga cracked his knuckles and then ran toward the cage. "Bakusei Tenketsu!" he shouted hitting the ground near the cage with his fist.

The cage crumbled around the girls and they dashed forward. They left the foreboding place while Shampoo and Ukyo ran to the others.

"Shampoo" Mousse ran forward but she blocked his face, "Nice to see you're back" his lips mumbled underneath her palm, "The way you're supposed to be."

She turned to the others. "Where Ranma?" she asked.

"We don't know" Ukyo said still a bit confused as Ryoga came back over.

"Did you see that?" he replied referring to the woman they had encountered.

"I did" she nodded as they looked at the mirror.

"You know," he said, "If I hadn't seen it for myself. I wouldn't have believed it."

She nodded again and they all waited in silence.

(Next Scene)

Inside the mirror Ranma was still frantically trying to awaken Akane to no avail. Kiana sat on her throne with an emery board scraping her nails casually.

"Come on Akane" Ranma thought, "What can I do to make you wake up? I need your help?" he closed his eyes and placed his head onto her forehead, "I can't lose you again. I almost lost you once. I don't want to go through that same ordeal a second time. What can I do?" he whispered out loud and thought even harder, "Help me. Help me to help you Akane. Come back to me" the tears began to sting his eyes.

"Remember Ranma" Akane's voice echoed in his head.

"Remember?" he thought, "Remember what?"

"Remember what happened. It's the only way."

"What happened?" he thought, "In Jusenkyo" he realized, "Concentrate Saotome" he told himself, "Concentrate."

Ranma lay at Akane's feet unconscious his eyes completely shut.

"What have you done?" Akane shouted to Kiana, "I passed all your challenges" she fell to her knees, "You said if I did that you would let him go."

"You have one final challenge Akane Tendo" Kiana replied, "If you can awaken him and break the spell that I have placed on him. Then you both can go free."

"Awaken him?"

"That is my challenge to you. Break the spell if you can."

"Break the spell?" she cried, "Ranma" she looked down at him, "Please come back Ranma. I'll do anything I promise. I won't hit you anymore. I'll stop calling you a pervert. I'll even become a better cook. Just please open your eyes. Please Ranma. I can't lose you" she cried the tears falling down her face.

"I can't lose you" Ranma thought at the same time.

"You have to come back. I need you to come back. Without you, what am I gonna do? If you're not around. If you're not around I'll be alone and unhappy. I need you to come back. Please Ranma come back to me. I know I say a lot of things, but I don't mean them" the tears were covering her eyes so muchthat she could barely see, "I like you. I like you just the way you are Ranma."

Ranma opened his eyes and looked down at his fiancée's gentle face as more flashbacks entered his mind about the day Akane had disappeared.

"You're such a jerk!" Akane shouted, "Why do you always got to be such a jerk?"

"Oh. And who in they're right mind would want to marry someone like you!" he shouted back.

"You said it! I could never marry someone like you, you pervert!"

"Oh yea! I don't want to marry someone like you either you stupid Tomboy! I can't believe I got so worked up and worried about you!"

"Well if that's the case then I wish you had never saved me!" she cried out loud and then turned her back to him, "If I'm such a problem for you then why don't you just" she cried even more.

"Akane" he tried to place a hand guiltily on her shoulder but she turned around and smacked him across the face.

"Just leave me alone!" she shouted running off.

"Fine!" he shouted back angrily, "I will! Stupid girl" he mumbled.

Ranma opened his eyes once more and shook it in disbelief. "How could I have said such things?" he said aloud as Kiana listened in, "I really am a jerk. But Akane" he replied turning to the girl, "I didn't mean it. You gotta believe me. I never meant anything I said that day. I don't think you're that much trouble. It wasn't your fault what happened in Jusenkyo. I almost lost you. The truth is Akane; I like you just the way you are. If you come back I'll tell you to your face. You're perfect just the way you are. I don't want you to change," he cried, "Not at all. Can you hear me Akane? Akane! Akane!"

"Ranma!" Akane shouted as she cried, "Please say you can hear me? Open your eyes!"

"You're wasting your time" Kiana replied, "If you have nothing better to do then just shout at him, then the spell will never be broken."

Akane wiped the tears from her face and looked down into his.

Ranma moved his hand across his face, removing the tears that still remained and gazed down at Akane.

"Then if this is the only way" Akane whispered.

"If it's the only way to wake her up," he replied.

"Then I'll do it."/ "Then I'll do it," they said together.

Akane leaned down and kissed Ranma gently on the lips, astonishing Kiana and everyone in the room.

Ranma moved slowly down and placed his lips over Akane's, his eyes shut and Kiana equally horrified at the same reaction as before.

"Ranma" Akane said happily as he opened his eyes and blinked.

"Akane?"

"Akane" Ranma whispered as he placed his hand on top of hers and moved upward, "Come back to me Akane."

Akane opened her eyes slowly and also blinked staring at him. "Ranma?"

"You're okay" he grinned, the last tear falling, "I am so glad Akane" he embraced her tightly, "I was so worried about you."

"You came for me Ranma?" she whispered as he held onto her and Kiana seethed with jealousy, "You came for me after all."

"Of course I did stupid. Did you think I wouldn't? I'm sorry," he added.

"Me too" she nodded with a smile.

"Well congratulations Ranma" Kiana interrupted them with a cross of her arms; "You managed to wake her up, just like she managed to wake you up several months ago with the same method."

"Uh yea" he said blushing a little as he helped Akane to her feet, "Yea I did" he stared angrily at the other woman, "Now you have to keep your end of the bargain. Let Akane go."

"Ranma?" Akane began, "What bargain?"

"As you wish" Kiana agreed, "She may go."

"Akane" he replied as he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her directly in the eye, "Go through the mirror and find Ukyo and Ryoga. They can take you home."

"What do you mean Ranma? Wait a minute," she said in confusion as he took her hand.

"Just come on" he replied gently as he pulled her to the mirror.

"Wait Ranma" she said worried, "Tell me what's going on?"

"I'm sorry Akane" he shook his head sadly as he let go of her hand and her back was to the mirror, "This is for your own good" he pushed her backwards into the mirror as she screamed.

"Ranma! No!"

He sighed and hung his head as he walked back over to Kiana. "I'm ready."

(Next Scene)

Ryoga and Ukyo saw the mirror shine as Akane's figure came tumbling out of it. "Akane!" Ryoga yelled rushing forward with the others behind him.

She landed in his outstretched arms and his lap as they all stared down. "Akane honey are you all right?" Ukyo asked.

"Where Ranma Akane?" Shampoo asked her as she tried to regain her focus.

"Ranma? Ranma!" she jumped up and began to pound on the mirror, "Ranma what are you doing?" she cried out, "Why did you push me through? Ranma! Ranma you jerk! You jerk!" her punches became slower as she too hung her head and sobbed uncontrollably.

Nabiki walked over at once to comfort her. "Akane" she embraced her and Akane fell into her arms, not even trying to hold back the thousands of tears that were pouring down her face.

(Till Next Time)

Authors Note: Okay you guys! One more chapter to go!

Next Chapter: The Way Things Should Be

Not Telling!