Those Magic Changes

by hikaranko

Summary: Akane drags Ranma with her on a shopping trip and they both get a wicked whiff of some strange perfume. Turns out, it's not a perfume at all, and it has some pretty potent side effects...

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the characters of the Ranma 1/2 series. Sometimes I wish I did, but the truth is that I don't. Credit for the idea of this story goes to Paperdoll, the author of the Harry Potter fanfic "Drawn to You". This story is named after a song from the play "Grease", and the chapters are named after various songs. Credits for all of those go to the appropriate people.

Author's Note: Wow, what is going on with the length of this story? what happened to my oneshot plan? (sigh) 4 chapters and counting. it just grows and grows and grows... oh well :P hope you guys still like it!

Chapter Four

Addicted

I'm trying to forget that
I'm addicted to you
But I want it, and I need it
I'm addicted to you

"So how far apart are we right now?"

Ranma bent down and checked the tape measure. "Twenty feet."

"Another step back?" Akane called.

"Go for it."

She raised one foot and slowly took a step backward. Almost instantly her head began to reel. Both martial artists swayed in place, one hand on the side of their heads.

"Come back! Come back!"

Akane moved back toward Ranma until they were only a few feet apart. The nauseous feeling subsided. They looked at one another for a moment and then sighed, exasperated.

Classes were over for the day, and now that everyone in their class more or less knew of Ranma and Akane's situation, no one really wanted to bother them. When they asked their friends if they wanted to hang out with them for a little while, no one agreed. Hiroshi and Daisuke just grinned wickedly and told Ranma that they were willing to give them their privacy. Sayuri and Yuka said that they didn't want to bring any bad luck to their relationship. Ukyo was too furious to speak to either of them and on their way off campus Ranma saw Gosunkugi in his voodoo get-up, hammering a straw doll into the trunk of a tree.

It seemed like no one outside of their class knew anything. Both Ranma and Akane were extremely impressed by Nabiki's self-control. Though it did raise questions as to why Nabiki was holding back the information.

"So twenty feet's the limit," Ranma murmured as he picked up the tape measure.

"I guess so."

They resumed walking as Ranma put the tape measure away. They walked side by side in silence, Ranma with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He was viciously fighting off the urge to grab Akane. He could feel his fingers itching with the need to be holding her. What made the feeling seem all the worse was the fact that he knew it didn't have to be her hand. Ranma blushed.

'It's the potion, Saotome! Get a grip!'

"Can we..."

The sound of Akane's voice pierced through the silence. Ranma looked over at her, blinking in confusion.

"What?"

"Let's never do that again."

Ranma tilted his head to one side. "Do what?" Some part of him was praying that she didn't mean kissing. Which horrified the other part.

"Separating... like that."

"W-What?"

Akane hid her eyes. "I know it's probably just the potion talking, but... just now... when we were apart... it... well, it hurt. So..."

He blinked slowly. "Akane...?"

"Let's not be away from each other anymore."

The entire world suddenly seemed to fade away. All Ranma could see was Akane. He watched her, captivated and entranced, as she tucked some hair behind her ear. A nervous smile appeared on her face. Ranma was vaguely aware of the fact that she was saying something else. That vague awareness was only made possible by the fact that he was staring at her lips. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

"I-I mean... Until the potion wears off," Akane added. Ranma nodded, still in his daze. She glanced at him, confused. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Ranma was pulled back into reality. His eyes went wide and he could feel his cheeks burn. He clenched his hands into fists. "Wh-Whaddaya mean?"

Akane's cheeks turned pink. "You're, um... staring. At me..."

Ranma's entire head must have been bright red. "I wha!" He looked away quickly as Akane's blush deepened. "I-It's just that the, y'know, the potion, and... I wanted - I mean, the potion really made me wanna..."

He pressed his lips together, forcing himself to shut up. Ranma could feel more things wanting to spill out of his mouth; confessions, sweet talk, compliments, things that he would never say under normal circumstances.

'This potion is killin' me,' he thought for the second time that day.

Ranma sunk his head into the hot water, staring blankly at the linoleum tiles on the wall across from him. Akane had let him shower first tonight, since she had been first last time. What she hadn't realized was that his punishment for going first was having to listen, with his acute martial artist hearing, to Akane take a shower. Ranma sunk further, drowning his ears in the water so that all sounds were muted. He groaned, closing his eyes.

The potion seemed to be getting stronger. Since they got home, Ranma caught himself watching Akane five times, Akane watching him seven times, three instances of gazing into each other's eyes, and two embarrassing moments of hand holding. Not to mention the insistent tuggings in his chest increasing in frequency. All of this was made worse by the fact that other members of the family witnessed a few of those moments as well. Some of it was even caught on tape. Ranma made a mental note to find that tape and to destroy it.

With one last head dunk into the hot water, Ranma got out of the tub, grabbed a towel and began to dry himself off. Part of him regretted doing so, because Akane was still in the shower and he could still hear every single droplet hit her skin. Ranma could practically form a mental image based on the sounds of the water droplets... He forced the thought out of his mind as he focused on getting dry and into his pajamas.

Unfortunately for him, he was so focused that he did the job altogether too quickly. Still trying to block out the sounds of Akane bathing, Ranma closed his eyes and began to hum softly to himself. It was a tune he knew fairly well and hummed often. He was so absorbed in his humming that he barely noticed when the shower was turned off.

"Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Were you humming just now?"

His eyes snapped open and grew wide. He sweat dropped. "You heard? Was it loud?"

"Yeah, but you weren't really loud. I was just..." Akane laughed softly.

"What?"

"I was surprised, that's all."

Akane laughed again. Ranma folded his arms over his chest indignantly.

"Yeah, well, if it bugs ya so much I won't hum anymore."

"Oh, no, it doesn't bother me at all! Go on and hum all you like."

Ranma couldn't be sure if that last comment was sarcastic or not. Just to be on the safe side, he didn't dare hum any more. Of course, he no longer needed to hum, now that Akane was done with her shower and was sitting quietly in the bathtub. After another long silence, Akane rose to her feet and started to get changed. Uncomfortable with the silence, Ranma also stood and moved toward the doorway. There he paused for a moment, ready to slide open the door as soon as Akane was ready.

"You done?"

"Just about... Yep."

He turned so that he could see Akane. "Ready?"

Akane nodded. "Sure."

She walked toward him, a warm smile on her face. Ranma blushed slightly at the sight of her smile, even though he wasn't sure what she was smiling about. He scratched a spot on the back of his head as he turned away again. He slid open the door.

Two people and a panda stumbled forward as soon as the way was clear. The panda's weight pushed Soun and Nabiki loudly to the floor. A camera clattered and skidded across the linoleum, landing in a puddle of hot water near the drain. Ranma and Akane stared at the scene, half in horror and half in rage.

"Dad! Nabiki!"

"Pop, what the hell were you doin'!"

Genma pulled out a sign. 'We just wanted to see how things were going.'

Ranma grabbed the scruff of fur underneath Genma's chin and drew him close, growling dangerously. "You what!"

Soun raised his head, tears streaming down his face. "I'm just so happy that our youngsters have found love and romance at long last!"

Ranma and Akane's faces burned red. "Dad!" "Mr. Tendo!"

Nabiki straightened, regaining her cool. She walked calmly across the bathroom and picked up her camera. She held it carefully between her thumb and middle finger as she examined it and then let out a disappointed sigh.

"It's completely ruined. There goes my income."

Akane glared at her sister, her right eye twitching in rage. "And just who were you planning on selling those pictures to?"

Nabiki smiled mischievously. "To Kuno-baby, of course. He's my best client. I managed to get some shots of Akane and 'the pig-tailed girl'."

Both Ranma and Akane descended on Nabiki in the blink of an eye, looming ominously over her. Their eyes shared the same malicious gleam. Nabiki knew right away that she was in trouble.

"Na-biiii-kiiiii...!"

"Relax, it's not like you two are actually doing anything."

Ranma snatched the camera out of Nabiki's hand. "But just in case..." He pulled the film out of the camera and tore it into shreds. He grinned wickedly in Nabiki's direction. "Now I'll be able to sleep better tonight."

She didn't even flinch. Nabiki stared at the remains of the roll of film blankly while Ranma celebrated internally. She tut-tutted quietly with a shake of her head.

"And that was a brand new roll," she murmured.

It suddenly felt like Ranma had been smacked upside the head.

"At least I still have the other roll," Nabiki continued nonchalantly as she walked away.

"H-Hey!"

Ranma would have chased after her to get his hands on that film, but the potion wouldn't let him leave the bathroom. Neither would Soun or Genma. The fathers stood stubbornly in the way, Soun with tears streaming ceaselessly from his eyes.

"I'm so proud of you two," Soun choked out between ecstatic sobs. "So when are we having the wedding?"

"What!"

"I would highly recommend a summer wedding. It'll be very festive and colorful!"

Akane's face had never been more red. "Dad!"

Genma raised another sign. 'I say May 14.'

Ranma cracked his knuckles. "Don't make me clock ya again, Pop."

Just then, Akane blew up. She took Ranma by the hand and pulled him away, out of the bathroom and down the hall.

"Let's go, Ranma."

This only made Soun happier. As he watched his daughter turn down the hallway, his grin widened. He cupped his hands around his mouth and took in a deep breath.

"Akane! MAMA MIA!"

"Honestly! They treat us like we're circus performers!"

Akane practically threw Ranma back into her room as she spun around and shut the door. Ranma stumbled forward, almost tripping and landing on his face. He managed to catch himself quickly, avoiding an ugly collision between his face and the carpet. Akane pressed one ear to the door, listening to make sure that the hallway was empty as it should be.

"I can't believe they think that this is funny."

"Don't look like they think it's funny," Ranma offered with a shrug.

"What?"

"They seem pretty serious."

"WHAT? But that's ridiculous! We're not..." Akane trailed off, pressing her forehead to the door. She blushed slightly. "Honestly."

Ranma shrugged at Akane's reaction, then stretched his arms and yawned loudly. He scanned the room for his futon so that he could lay it out already. But he suddenly felt too lazy to. Ranma seated himself on the edge of Akane's bed, testing it, and then spread himself out on it. He smiled at how comfortable it was, and how pleasant the sheets smelled. Ranma shut his eyes and rolled onto his side, settling in.

"Hey, Akane."

"Hmm?"

"They're not there."

"Are you sure?"

"Absotively."

"How can you know for sure?"

"I can hear 'em. Trust me, they ain't there."

Akane hesitantly pulled away from the door with a sigh and smoothed down her top. She turned around, just about to go to bed, but stopped abruptly when she saw Ranma settled in on her bed. Akane narrowed her eyes and stomped over, grabbed Ranma's shoulder, and pulled him off the bed with all her might. The martial artist rolled off of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud and a yell.

"What'dja do that for?"

"You were on my bed!"

She seated herself on the bed, lifting the covers up over her as she got settled. Ranma stared blankly at Akane, confused.

"So?"

Akane's eyes went wide as she turned on him in disbelief. "'So'?" Akane echoed. "It's my bed, Ranma! I have first dibs!"

Ranma screwed up his face in annoyance and quickly got up onto his feet. "Well, ya think you could give it up for just one night?"

"Why should I?"

"'Cause I always sleep on the floor! It'd be nice to sleep in a bed for a change!"

At this Akane looked thoughtful, tilting her head to one side. Ranma felt a small glimmer of hope. After a brief moment of thoughtful silence, Akane looked at Ranma and smiled.

"No."

Ranma's hope sunk. He narrowed his eyes, marched back and began to pull Akane away. Akane immediately resisted, digging her fingers into the sheets and holding on to the bed for dear life.

"Back off, Ranma!"

"Just for one night!"

"NO! This is my room and this is my bed!"

"Then just share, Akane!"

"Not with you!"

"Scoot over!"

Seeing Akane's nails deep inside the mattress, Ranma decided to switch tactics. He moved his hands from Akane's hips to her underarms and began to tickle her. Akane screamed with laughter at this sudden change, curling up into a ball and rolling from side to side in an attempt to ward Ranma off. Ranma grinned, pleased that his idea had worked.

"Stop it, Ranma!" she cried, the words intermingled with her laughter. "Stop it!"

The martial artist got onto the bed, moving around on his knees. He just laughed as he continued to tickle her, poking every ticklish spot on the human body that he knew of. Akane raised her arms and tried to elbow or punch him. Each attempted attack failed miserably, being too easy for Ranma to read through. Nothing stopped the situation from being funny, however. He was loving every moment of this.

"Ranma, STOP!"

Finally, one of Akane's attacks came through. A leg shot quickly out from underneath the blankets, delivering a hard blow to Ranma's gut. Ranma doubled over, eyes shut, wincing. He withdrew one hand to clutch his stomach. Akane immediately stopped laughing, adjusting her position so that she was facing him.

"Oh Ranma, I'm so sorry... I..."

The martial artist groaned. "Nice shot."

"I am so sorry."

Ranma slowly peeled open his eyes and as he did so, found himself face to face with Akane. The situation quickly turned slightly awkward. Akane was lying on her back in bed with Ranma leaning over her, their faces only inches apart. Their faces turned red as they gazed into one another's eyes.

'Okay, Saotome,' Ranma told himself. 'Now we back off before somethin' happens.'

He struggled against the potion, forcing his body to withdraw and back away. Ranma managed to raise himself slightly, successfully pulling back a few inches away from Akane's face. Just as he was about to break free of the potion's effects, a hand had reached out and touched Ranma's cheek. His eyes grew wide at the soft touch and he could only continue to stare into Akane's eyes.

Alarms began to wail somewhere in the back of Ranma's mind. 'Danger! Danger! We've been hooked again! Resist! Resist! Fight! FIGHT!'

But before Ranma even had the chance to pull himself back together, Akane wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck and drew closer. By then, all forms of resistance fell apart. Ranma's iron will collapsed at Akane's warm, soft touch. And before either or them really knew what was going on, they were kissing. They were kissing deeply and passionately.

It was one of the few, rare moments in his young life that Ranma felt completely at peace. Everything just washed away. The aching need in his heart was soothed at last. Ranma realized that the only other time he had felt this way was the first time they had kissed, that time in the sitting room on the first night of the potion's effects. Only Akane could make him feel like this. And he knew - he just knew instinctively - that Akane felt the exact same way.

After a long moment, they slowly pulled themselves a few inches away. They stared into one another's flushed faces. Then at last Ranma withdrew, seating himself on the far end of Akane's bed. He dropped his gaze into his lap as he tried to think of something to say. Akane bit down on her lower lip.

"Um..."

"S-So I'll just... sleep on the floor."

Akane nodded absentmindedly in agreement. Ranma slowly got off the bed and began to set up his futon. He kept his eyes on what he was doing, ignoring the fact that Akane was watching him from her bed. After turning off the lights, Ranma grabbed hold of his pillow, ready to toss it onto the mattress and then flop himself upon it. Ranma stared at the soft futon for a long moment and then spun around to face Akane.

"I-"

"That was my fault," Akane said quickly, interrupting.

Ranma blinked, disoriented at being cut off. "Uh... what?"

"I just... with the potion, and..." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the bedroom. Ranma wasn't sure whether or not he should say something, but he was painfully aware of an aching in his chest. After a long moment, Ranma tore his eyes away, punching his pillow softly as he turned to stare at his bedspread on the floor.

"Yeah. No problem."

He tossed the pillow onto the mattress and flopped down on it. Ranma turned onto his side, stuffing his face into the soft pillow so that Akane couldn't look at his face. He stared blankly at several of the cookbooks in Akane's shelf as he listened to Akane settle back into her bed. He listened to her pull the blankets over her body and shift into a comfortable position. Ranma squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force himself to sleep. But his mind continued to wrestle with what had just happened.

'She blamed the potion... She blamed it on the potion and apologized. I was just about to do the same thing... so...'

Ranma clenched his jaw tightly. He didn't know whether he was more upset with what had happened or with the tears that pricked the corners of his eyes.

'So why do I feel like this?'

Author's Note: right now, i am liking this chapter. XD lots of odd developments here and there. i tried to keep it all clean. the scene with the bath and Ranma's acute senses was inspired by a chapter of the manga Oh My Goddess/Ah! My Goddess, in which Keiichi and Belldandy are attached at the hands and Kei has to be blindfolded as she bathes. and his mind... wanders, so to speak. :P the bed scene is more or less inspired by a true story (but not my own). also getting a lot of influences from Love Hina... been reading a lot of it lately. ;; probably not good to be mixing all these things up.

May 14 - Tanabata Day. very special day for girls, apparently. supposedly means something special if you are wed/proposed to on that day. or something. not completely sure.
"Akane! MAMA MIA!" - this is one of Soun's actual lines. in the very last OAV episode with the hot spring and the doll of revenge taking over Akane's body. 'Akane' drags Ranma away and Soun yells that after her.