For Akane, she didn't want the sun to come up that morning. She just wanted to lie in bed and sulk. To be engaged to someone she had never met before was just too much to take. And him not being able to talk didn't make matters easier. Akane rolled over in bed to turn the alarm clock off. What am I going to do? We haven't even talked to each other. We can't talk to each other. I just want to have a normal high school life, or as normal a life that someone who is chased every morning by love crazy boys can have. UGH! This is just nuts!

Kicking her sheets up, she got dressed and ran out the door. Her lunch, oddly enough, wasn't made but since her time left was short she hurried out the door. The walk to school was normal as usual but the thoughts were still there. I'm engaged. I'm engaged. I'm engaged. I'M ENGAGED! Angry, she kicked a stone on the pavement, sending it flying across the street, taking out a wall in the process. Fuming, she stomped off towards the school.

Expecting the normal crowd to be there she went into fighting position. Going into a burst run, she ran through the school gates and stopped in her tracks. The entire crowd of boys were on the ground, groaning. Kuno was in the middle of the pile, multiple feet impressions on his face and chest. Surveying the scene some more she caught a glimpse of a black pig tail passing the side of the building. Again in burst run mode she caught up with the lock of hair and pulled it. Ranma tumbled to the ground. Almost immediately, he hopped into a defensive stance. Noticing that the "attacker" was Akane, he eased up and smiled a bit, then lost his smile when he saw the unhappy look on Akane. To say that Akane was unhappy would be an understatement. She was furious.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? I don't need anyone to fight for me. I can do it. I don't need you. Just because we're engaged doesn't mean I am unable to take care of myself. Just do me a favor and… LEAVE…ME…ALONE!"

To be honest, Akane didn't mean everything she said. She did want him to leave her alone forever. She was just overwhelmed by everything that has happened lately. The thought that this boy was trying to run her life just sent her overbroad. Anger, and secretly embarrassed, Akane ran off towards the school. Changing her shoes at her shoe locker she walked to class. Expecting to see Ranma first in class this time she tried to think up an apology. I'm sorry. I'm just really overwhelmed by everything that's happening so far. It's just too much for me right now. I appreciate what you did for me but I want to do it by myself. It's kind of like training…you know? Yeah. That will do. Rounding the corner she saw Ranma's chair empty. Moving closer she saw a folded piece of paper on her desk. Sitting down, she picked up the paper and opened it. One word was written on it: "Sorry". All around, she saw students talking to each other and performing their own pre-class rituals.

"Have any of you seen Ranma"

"Who"

"Um, Ranma. The new kid?"

"Oh him. Not this morning."

"Ok, thanks."

The bell rang and the teacher walked in. Whatever the lesson was one, Akane didn't know because she wasn't paying attention. Every terrible thing that she could think of went through her head. Ranma ran away. Ranma was committing suicide. Ranma was becoming worse then before. And, oddly, Ranma was canceling the marriage. That last one made here think for a long time. Do I want to be married to him? No! Not him. Not to someone I just met. I want to marry someone I love. Don't I?

The bell rang and the class went to lunch. Since she had no money or a lunch, Akane went to meet her friends. On a whim she looked to the tree that Ranma stayed in last lunch. Sure enough, in girl form, he was laying on one of the larger branches. Forgetting about her friends, Akane made her way to the tree.

"I'm sorry that I yelled like that."

Obviously started, Ranma visibly jerked up and then steadied herself. With out even looking down she nodded.

"I'm just…just used to protecting myself. I don't want to feel helpless or feel like I need to rely on someone else. You know?"

Nodding, Ranma started to write something on a pad of paper. He handed the paper to Akane.

It's ok. I understand. I don't like to feel helpless either.

"And…this whole engagement thing is really tough to cope with. I mean, I'm 16. I should be having fun and finishing school in hopes to go to college."

I understand. I feel the same way. Maybe a little differently but the same none the less.

Akane thought for a while before she asked her next question. "Do you want to be engaged?"

Ranma thought just as long as Akane. To be honest. I don't know. I guess all that we can do is go with the flow and stay engaged. If it doesn't work out we could always stop. We don't have to get married in the future if we don't want to. We will just leave decision for the future. But for right now, I'm going home.

"Home? But its just lunch."

Yeah but I know everything that they are talking about. Plus, I don't want to stay for the rest of class. I just want to lie down in my bed and do some thinking. I will see you tonight. We're moving in tonight.

"Ok. See you then."

Ranma leapt from the tree and took off at a run when she hit the ground. In seconds she was gone. Akane just turned around and walked to class where she spent the remainder of her day thinking about her conversation with Ranma, the lesson forgotten.

When Akane made it home she saw Mrs. Saotome in the kitchen talking to Kasumi. Must be swapping recipes or something. Ignoring them she went up to her room and changed into her normal clothes. Not having anything else to do she went to the dojo to do a few quick exercises. It was there that she saw Ranma. Ducking to the side Akane watch him train, with awe. He was sparring alone with dummy, but it seemed to be in some bad shape. Every strike he made hit with such force that the dummy would rock back, straining on its bindings. His fists were like blurs and never missed their mark. But his face was torn with emotion. At times, when he hit the dummy, it looked like a piece of his soul was being shattered. Then his face would contort with pure anger and the dummy would be strained to its max. Akane was broken from her thoughts when he saw a dummy's chest explode and fall from its stand. Ranma just casually walked over to it and tossed it into a pile of used dummies. He turned around and was startled to see Akane looking at him. With a small smile and a wave he walked towards the bathing room. Akane just watched him walk by, not moving an inch. He must have so much pain. I wish I knew why he is like that… Not in the mood to train, she made her way to her room to finish homework.

A few hours later there is a knock at her door. Having completed her work a while ago, Akane got up from her bed and opened the door. Ranma was there. He made a quick motion with his hands that looked like eating and nudged his head towards the kitchen. Taking the hint she followed him downstairs. Dinner was quick and simple. It seemed to be a mixture of Kasumi's and Mrs. Saotome cooking. Everyone looked pleased but Ranma was still looking a little down.

When the meal was finished everyone went their separate way with Mrs. Saotome left to bring the dishes to Kasumi.

"Um…Mrs. Saotome?" She looked up to Akane and smiled.

"Please. Call me Nodoka."

"Nodoka…I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about Ranma. Like how he got his scar. And why he is so sad." Nodoka just put her plates down and walked to a chair in the living room (which was clear of anyone). Sitting down she motioned for Akane to follow, who sat on the couch next to her.

"This will be very tough. It took me a while to learn what I could from Ranma and in his condition he can be more reserved with what he says." She sighed. "I also think it would be better if you asked him about it."

"I know…but I would like to find out now. It does sound selfish but I saw something today that really made me worry." Almost immediately Nodoka responded.

"You saw him training didn't you?" Akane nodded. Nodoka sighed again.

"He gets like that. Training reminds him of his father. His emotions are very torn with him."

"Why is that?"

"Because Genma wasn't the best father. His training methods were crude and abusive. That's how he got that scar on his chest. One of the forms that his father taught him was Nekoken, cat-fu."

"What's that?"

"It allows the user to take on the abilities of a cat. Its reflexes, agility, strength, everything just like how and alley cat would fight."

"How is that bad?"

"The technique isn't that bad. But to learn it is. His father threw him into a pit of alley cats with fish cakes strapped around him." Akane gasped while Nodoka nodded, remembering. "He was like lunch to them. One of the cats was a bobcat and right before we got him out of there he slashed Ranma on the chest. He was just a boy when it happened. About 6 or 7."

"But how could you let that happen?"

"Because back then I had the same thinking of his father. I wanted my boy to be a 'Man Amongst Men'. I even went to the extremes of threatening seppuku. My dream clouded my judgment and it hurt Ranma in the end. For that I am sorry."

Akane just sat there for a few seconds.

"How did his father die?" Nodoka just sat there, thinking really hard.

"He drowned…at the Jusenkyo."

"Then why does Ranma feel so bad about it."

"What you have to understand is that Ranma doesn't have many friends. Almost none, in fact. He moved a lot for his training. He didn't even get any proper schooling until after his father died. His scar also scared a lot of the children that he met." Akane remembered the kids a school staring at his scar. "Having no one to be with caused Ranma to cling to what he could, which was me and his father. Even though his father's actions were abusive, and even though Ranma hated him for it, he still loved him. This is why he is emotionally torn." Nodoka paused for a bit. "At Jusenkyo, his father was sparring Ranma. He kept on heckling him and heckling him and then he punched him into one of the springs. His father didn't understand Chinese, you see, so he didn't know of the curse. When he saw Ranma come out of the pool he was startled. He lost his balance a bit; if he didn't do that then he may have been here today." Tears started to form on the side of Nodoka's eyes. Dabbing them with her sleeve she continued with the story. "Ranma punched the pole that Genma was struggling to keep his balance on and fell towards one of the springs. He hit his head on side of the spring and broke his neck. Ranma didn't even know that he himself had changed so when he saw a panda in the spring he just ignored it. He just stood outside the spring and told his father to stop 'fooling around'. Then the Jusenkyo guide came out with a pot of hot water, pulled the panda out and poured the water on it. When his father appeared, thought to be unconscious, Ranma did everything to try to save him, but his father was already dead. This was when Ranma lost his voice." Nodoka stopped for a moment to blow her nose. "He…he buried him at a neighboring Amazon village. It was easy when his father was in panda form and he was in his girl form. He learned around this time to use his girl form to evade people and get past obstacles. If he wasn't a girl they may have eaten his panda father and tried to kill him. When he came home it was raining. I had a drenched girl in my son's clothes, who couldn't speak and was telling me with a pen and paper that he was my son. I would have killed him if he hadn't got a hold of some hot water. I stopped my horrible dream and helped my son any way I could. I gave him an education and as much love as I could. He still continued to train though…and that was 4 years ago."

Akane just sat there thinking about what she had heard. When she was about to speak, Nodoka hushed her.

"Don't say anything now. It's getting late. We can talk about it another day."

Akane nodded and walked to her room. As she passed Ranma and Nodoka's room, she looked in to find Ranma tossing in his sleep. Continuing to her room, Akane shut the door behind her and flopped onto her bed. Silently, she replayed everything that Mrs. Saotome had said over and over until she fell asleep.

Thanks for all of the reviews. They have pressed me to finish this chapter now. Unfortunately, i won't be able to do any more for a while. College is starting for me on monday and i am going to be on World of Warcraft while i wait for monday. I want to get to lvl 40 before i leave for school. And i need to make about 150 gold...damn gold. You can catch me in the relam, Cenarion Circle. My characters' name is Nuhart. Look me up if you are ever on, but don't expect a reply if i am busy.

-Unspoken Flame