WOW! D I didn't think I'd get such a response. Actually, I thought that if I were to get any reviews at all it would just be negative things... So thank you Lerris, borg rabbit, MoonAssassin, Dream Crazy, nefandus, tkdl, Jace3, and deathsite-zero...

Don't worry, there's a point to the story, and the plot and course of it is all laid out in my head. So it all depends on me getting it out of my head and into the computer. Meanwhile, here's another small chapter of Midnight Cook...

The Fourth Night

Ranma was waiting outside of Akane's bedroom door the next night. She hadn't heard him at all, and squeaked in surprise when she bumped into him.

"Ranma!" She whispered. "Don't scare me like that! You almost gave me a heart-attack!" She was frowning at him.

"Hey, it's not my fault if you're such a bad martial-artist that you can't sense other people's presence…" Ranma quipped, grabbing her bag.

Akane bopped him on the back of his head, not with her usual strength but enough to make him rub the offended spot. She held a finger to her lips, signalling to him to be quiet, and they sneaked their way down to the kitchen.

"So, what are we having tonight?" Ranma asked with boyish eagerness.

Turning on the radio, Akane started her preparations while talking to him.

"I'm just going to make some sweets tonight… So don't you dare make me mad! Or you'll only get the ruined ones!"

Taking her threat seriously, Ranma held up his hands in a 'Who-me?' motion, sweating slightly. Akane just raised an eyebrow, and ignored him pointedly as she leafed through a cook-book. There were post-it's placed by the recipes of caramels, meringue-tops, and mint and strawberry flavoured candy, and she licked her lips in anticipation as she read them through. The radio-host was introducing a song by Lene Marlin, 'Unforgivable Sinner', as Akane pulled out her supplies and laid them out on the kitchen-counter.

"You know, Ranma… I just don't get you. I've been thinking a lot lately, and while I've been rediscovering myself I just don't understand you…" she suddenly said.

"Huh? What's not to get?" Ranma blinked surprised, his feet dangling over the edge of the countertop where he'd positioned himself to watch her blend and mix.

"Well… One moment, you can be really sweet and understanding, and the next you're acting like a senseless buffoon. Then you're talking as if all your brain cells have taken a vacation, just to come up with a surprisingly deep thought seconds later…" Akane crossed her arms in front of her and leaned her side into the counter, looking directly at Ranma.

Ranma stared at her for several long seconds, sweating with the effort to not get himself thrown out of the kitchen by saying one of his normal off-the-top-of-his-head answers. He vaguely registered that the radio host announced a music wish from a heart-broken boy, but Akane held his gaze and attention in a firm grip.

"Uh… I don't know…" he said weakly.

"Why doesn't that surprise me…" Akane muttered as she turned back to her recipes. "Maybe you should start thinking about it?"

Ranma just nodded, deciding that the safest course was to agree with her for now. Remembering his own vow of being more honest with himself, he grudgingly had to admit that Akane might be right again.

"Ugh, Ranma, could you call inn to the radio station and make a wish for some brighter music? I can't focus properly with that depressing song… Not yet." Akane interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure… What do you wanna hear?" Ranma jumped lightly down from the counter and strolled over to the phone, repeating the number to himself that was for the request line.

"I don't know… Something sweeter, maybe a love-song or at least something more happy… How about Phil Collins? He's got some nice songs…"

"Okay, Phil Collins it is."

Ranma dialled the right number and read his wish to the automatic machine in the other end. As he placed the phone back, he heard another Beatles tune being introduced, and he watched as Akane tapped one of her feet in rhythm with 'Can't Buy Me Love'. She was melting different things in the pots on the stove, and had already placed something in the pre-heated oven. Ranma slid over to the table, sitting down on one of the chairs, and let his thoughts wander as he watched his fiancée at work.

"…and here comes Phil Collins, wished for by 'The Midnight Cook', and we'll play 'One More Night' from our archive…" the radio host's voice drifted through the kitchen, and Akane's movements slowed down to calm gliding motions.

"Heh… 'Midnight Cook'? Sound very mysterious…" Akane grinned to Ranma as she started pouring out the contents of her pots into small muffin-like forms, and then placing the plates with the forms into the freezer for a quick cooling.

"Well, I couldn't use your name since I've promised not to tell anyone about your nightly activities, and I couldn't use mine either, so… that's the best I could do at the spur of the moment." Ranma defended himself.

"See… There you go again, showing me that you've actually got a brain somewhere." Akane teased him.

Ranma went over to her to help cleaning up, and snatched one of her spoons for a taste, burning himself on the warm contents. Akane giggled as she helped him get some cold water to cool down his tongue. He just scowled at her, rinsing his mouth over and over again, but calmed down as she unconsciously stoked his back in soothing circles.

"Poor, little Ranma… Burning himself on the tongue…" Akane tried to hide her grin, but he could still see her eyes glittering playfully.

"Hey! Watch it, or I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what..? Both you and I know that you'd never do anything to hurt me…" Akane said with a small smile.

Ranma fell silent, just staring at her. Wanting to busy his hands, he wandered around to gather the dishes. Suddenly he spoke again.

"Yeah… I'd never want to hurt you. Not intentionally. Whenever you're hurt, it makes me feel so… Bad. Like I've failed." His voice was low and honest, while his hand washed bowls and mixing equipment at chestnut speed.

"Ranma…" Akane gaped at his confession. "I know you never want to hurt me, and I also know – although I might not have admitted it before – that it's not your fault when I've hurt myself trying to prove something. And even if I've said so before, I can't really blame you for other people using me as a bargain chip against you…"

"Please, I know that you'd be better off never knowing me… Well, at least when it comes to all those who's always barging into Nerima looking for me…" Ranma looked seriously at Akane, drying up the last bowls.

"That may be so, but it's been enough people coming for me too, and even though I like to think that I can handle myself well, the fact is that it's much more effective and quick when you're coming to my rescue than taking the time to figure out how to get out of the mess by myself."

Akane was checking the oven and the plates in the freezer as she spoke, and Ranma watched curiously as she pulled out the plate from the oven, with the white, meringue-tops on it. Standing behind her, he didn't want to burn himself again, and waited until Akane handed him one of the tops for a taste. It was sugary and fluffy, full of dry sweetness, and Ranma nodded brightly to Akane in approval. The smile she gave him almost made him stumble, and he dumped unceremoniously down on his chair by the table as she pulled out the chilled candy from the freezer. She experimentally poked her finger on one of the caramels and on some of the candy, popping one of each into her mouth. Again she made sounds of utter joy, sighing and almost moaning with pleasure. Ranma felt a sweat drop appear on his forehead, and chills tickling his spine at the sounds.

"Hey, what about me?" he wined.

Akane grinned at him, throwing him a single caramel. He caught the treat with his mouth, and even as it melted sweetly in his mouth he placed deer-like eyes at her, silently pleading for more.

"Hold your horses, Ran-Ma..! Heh… Don't worry, there's lots more." Akane laughed softly at his expression and her own little joke, filling the table with their sweets.

Although Ranma ate a lot slower than he was known for, he still had cleared up his half long before Akane. Not even glancing at her half, he felt satisfied – feeling that he'd earned his half by helping with the cleaning, and for once wanting to share equally with someone else. In stead he propped his chin in his hand, chatting along about small things that came to mind.

#I've never been so comfortable before… and when have I been interested in chit-chat? Why do I care about what she says? I know I've cared about what she's thought before, but… This feels even more urgent, somehow…# Ranma's thoughts surfaced, his ego arguing with his new attempt at being honest with himself. #Do I care more now than before about her views on things? Do I care about… her…?#

"Here, you can take the last pieces, I'm full." Akane said almost 20 minutes later.

"You sure?" Ranma asked, his hands cupping to accept the sweets Akane held out for him.

"Yeah… I don't want to get sick or anything. And I need to be well tomorrow to present my school-project properly. It's not very impressive if I puke all over my papers…" Akane grinned.

Getting up, she walked over and switched off the radio. On her way over to the exit, she walked over to Ranma, messing playfully with his hair, before she calmly walked off back to her room. Ranma sat perfectly still with his hair sticking out at all angles, still trying to control his breathing and quench his disappointment.

#Maybe later… There'll be other opportunities…#