A Ranma ½ Fan Fiction. . .

Author - Chibi / Warlordess

Notes – I have no idea how this idea came to me. I went from having no inspiration or confidence for R/A fan fiction to harboring this suddenly evolved plot that just popped out of nowhere. It was just, I could see this as something in the series, I guess. Those who've read the manga might not agree with me first off thanks to the summary I gave you, but it is a bit misleading, so you'll just have to find out why. Also, let it be known. . . I HATE THAT TITLE! DIE, TITLE!

Dedication – To my online sister, Silverflare07, who sent me the first through third seasons of the anime and who encouraged the creation and progress of this fic. She's the one who deserves it most of all.

OoO

Title – Herbal Remedies

Chapter Three – "Anything For Akane"

Summary – It started with Akane's losing her mind and telling Ranma that she loved him, and then it was his unwillingness to tell her he didn't feel the same way. . . But how did all of this madness start, and when? R x A romance. Kind of. :P

OoO

All she could really see at this point were Ranma's half-closed eyes as he held her to him, kissing her with splendor. Two seconds later, she'd managed to pull herself away and had successfully sent her fist flying into his face.

He was sent crashing straight back through the front door and, breathing heavily, Akane reached her full height, flustered, angry, and praying that she and Ranma hadn't been seen by any of their family.

Of course, she turned right to enter the main room and caught sight of her father, Genma, Nibiki, Kasumi, and Happosai staring fixatedly at her in complete silence. The television blared behind them, the iron in the martial arts master's hands began burning through the lingerie that he was trying to straighten, and yet none of them seemed to have the ability to think about those things.

"I. . . I can explain! I mean, probably not, but. . . It-it's not what you think!" Akane started, waving her hands wildly in front of her. She was cut off by Ranma appearing behind her and wrapping his arms around her middle.

"Koonichiwa, my kawaii fiancé. . ." He murmured lovingly.

"You. . . You. . . HENTAI!" She replied, turning around and slapping him repeatedly, "Hentai! Hentai! Don't you dare hold me like that just because I was acting off before! I'm back now and you won't be taking advantage of me!"

I. . . But, Akane, I would never dream of taking advantage of you. How could you say something so cruel when we've spent the day becoming aware of our feelings and professing our love to each other. . . ?"

"I. . . I. . . You know that I didn't mean it! I was--"

"--No, Akane! Your Outo-san will not allow your love for Ranma to go unsaid for any longer!" Soun shouted emotionally, leaping forward and grabbing onto her hands, "My little girl will not let this chance pass her by!"

"Outo-san, you've got it wrong! I don't - I don't feel that way. . . Not for him!" Akane started, elbowing Ranma in the gut so that he stepped away from her after trying to sneak up and envelope her in an embrace again, "I don't know what's going on. I mean, I do, but it's all--" She broke off, sputtering for a few seconds, "Nevermind. . . It's confusing. Just know that I'm not going to let you force us into marriage just because Ranma. . . has lost his mind." She glared at him and he grinned apologetically in response.

"I haven't lost my mind. . . I'm just in love with your daughter, Tendo-san." Ranma drooled fondly.

"And there we go!" Akane threw her hands into the air and turned away, crossing her arms. Her affronted behavior was interrupted by the timed clicking of a tape recording video camera, "Nibiki-oneechan, what do you think you're doing?"

Genma, on the other hand, followed after Soun, latching onto Ranma in glee.

"Ah, my boy, you have no idea how happy you've made me! Now that it's finally been done, the Saotome Martial Arts legacy is secure!" He punched a fist into the air, pulling Ranma's with him, "Kasumi, it's time for a congratulatory drink! Set out the sake!"

All three men ran back into the room practically dancing, leaving Akane standing there, her complaints unheard. She bowed her head, growling, and then the shouting began once again.

"No! You've got it all wrong! It's - it's not true, it can't be! Ranma doesn't love me! It's all a trick of Shampoo's! So stop planning the wedding already! It's not going to happen!" And without waiting to hear their responses, she stomped out back and to the dojo to try and relieve herself of the stress of all that was going on.

She quickly pulled on her beige training garb and tied her sash tightly around her waist, securing it with a double-knot. Angrily, she gave an abrupt shout and shot her leg high into the air. Then she spun on her heel and replaced it with her other leg; she retracted again and regained her stance, pacing forward, throwing a punch with every step she took.

Suddenly, a flitting silhouette of a being dropped down in front of her from the rafters in the ceiling and, in shock, she yelled, catching a newly revealed Ranma in the face with her fist.

"N-nani? Ranma, what are you doing here?" She asked, too stunned to retaliate at his horrible excuse for an entrance.

"You're angry at me. I can't bear it when you're angry at me." Ranma cooed with misty eyes, "So just tell me what I need to do to make it right, okay. . . ? Onegai?" He pleaded with her.

She sighed; he was acting so desperately. . . well. . . adorable, loyal, and willing to make it all go away. . . that she couldn't really see how to tell him that she didn't know any way to set it right.

She collapsed against the dojo wall and he joined her, still looking abysmally hopeful and waiting for her to answer him.

"I don't know what you want me to say; it's really nothing you can fix. Outo-san and Saotome-san will have a field day with what you told me in front of them. . . and that kiss didn't help any."

Ranma's expression sobered up even more and he pressed his finger to the floor in front of him, allowing it to make small swirling motions against the dust settled there.

"Gomen. . . Demo; it's only because I wanted to show you how much I love you that I did that--"

"--Oh, Ranma, just give it up!" Akane slammed her fist into the floor, the wood splintering around her, "You don't really love me! Or don't you remember? Because I do. The last thing I remember doing that was normal was eating at the Nekohatan yesterday after school. Shampoo put something in my food; it did something to me, made me love you. And then, I dunno. . . it's still fuzzy. . . I think she meant to have you fall for her, and the plan backfired. . . Demo, I can't be sure. Either way, you've got it wrong. . . You don't really love me." She finished with a pained sigh, wringing her wrist.

"Demo, if you're not sure about what happened, then how can you possibly be so sure about my not loving you? True, I've never actually said it to you, and the second we start getting close, the moment's almost always instantly ruined by someone jumping out of nowhere and getting in between us, and then there's just us; between our pride, the pressure of our situation and everyone trying to get involved in it. . . It does get to be a bit. . . Crazy." He cleared his throat and, not looking at her, slowly moved to grab her hand, "But none of that really matters when it just comes down to us and how we feel about each other." Tell me, Akane, what is it that you can't stand about me? What really makes you so against marrying me?"

Akane managed a cough of embarrassment and withdrew her hand from under his palm. Truthfully, there was nothing that she couldn't stand about him, but. . .

"Ranma, you know what I don't like. . . ? I hate it when you play with me and my feelings. Those times you joke about me, or when you spend two seconds acting all sensitive just to laugh it up in my face. . . Sometimes, you seem so sincere. . . And then--" He interrupted her.

"--Yea, but I'm not like that now." He said eagerly, grabbing hold of her hands and sounding as though every problem she might have had was easily solved.

She shook herself free of him, stood up, and said, ". . . And, somehow, that is just so much worse," and she walked back out of the dojo, leaving him alone.

Akane found her way back inside her home and quickly managed to dash the staircase to the second floor before anyone could corner her and ask her exactly when she was planning to "okay" the wedding that was already being planned by her and Ranma's fathers. She opened the door to the bathroom and drew herself some hot water before removing the clothes she was wearing, placing them in the laundry basket, and climbing into the thankfully spacious tub. Then she rested her head against the base and tried to think. . .

It was still barely evident, all that had happened the day before. She remembered yesterday morning quite clearly for the most part. In Home Economics, the girls had worked in groups of four to make a chocolate cake. After Akane's group was finished, the sensei had come by, taken a quick slice, managed to tell them they'd gotten a seventy-one percent due to their effort for the day's mark, and then collapsed right there. By the time the woman had been dragged to the Nurses Office, the class was almost over, so Akane had packed up her groups entire cake (which her friends had gladly given her, instead of taking their quarter share, claiming that she could use it to impress upon Ranma how much she'd improved in the art of cooking) and left to find her fiancé so that she could convince him of telling her that her recipe was satisfactory at worst.

But, contrary to her hopes, Ranma had wasted no time in disappearing upon the sight of her running towards him with the baked good in her hands. Straight after, P-chan had shown up and, noticing how down she looked, tried to make her feel better by eating it in place of her fiancé. He seemed intent on swallowing it all in one bite, however, and at the first chance he had to actually taste the food, it ended up propelling him to run as far as his little paws could carry him. . . Or, well, she had never found him afterwards (which reminded her; she had to look for him as soon as possible). However, her pet's engrossed desire to please her had left her with only the smallest of slivers left over, and she'd packed it up and hidden it in her bag just in time for her afternoon classes to start.

Then, later, after she had taken to ignoring Ranma for almost four hours (which she knew he couldn't stand), he'd come up to her and offered to take her out to get an afternoon snack once the dismissal bell had rung to make up for what he'd done. Accepting his offer, they met outside the classroom and walked silently around town until they arrived at one of the last placed she'd expected to go to. It was the Nekohatan.

Of course, suspicious as she always was when it came to Ranma leading her in the direction of another girl who was so fond of him, Akane had complained, but all statements she'd made had had next-to-no impact on Ranma, and they were quickly stifled as they entered the restaurant since she didn't want to cause a scene.

However, soon, even that thought had been wiped clear from her mind once they sat down, placed their orders with an over-affectionate Shampoo (at which point Akane continually had to grasp the seat of her stool to remain cool) and he told her that he'd found out about her cake being wrangled from her grasp by her "greedy little pet". As they sat there and began to clear their plates, she just happened to mention offhandedly that it wasn't too late since she'd spared a final piece and he'd twitched and offered a weak, almost handsome smile, said something along the lines of how lucky that was, and had taken off before she'd so much as blinked. This, of course, was after he'd cleared his plate and before they'd gotten the bill, so she was stuck paying, which meant the loss of almost her entire week's allowance. That also reminded her that she needed to get Ranma to pay her back since it was supposed to be his treat. . . but it probably wouldn't be that hard if he was as in love with her as he seemed.

Anyway, soon after he was gone was when she started feeling off. . . Shampoo had hopped over and eagerly slammed a receipt onto the table. Furiously, Akane withdrew her wallet and shoved over one thousand yen into the Amazon girl's hands, muttering about how she was going to kill a certain pig-tailed hentai later on.

"Oh; so Shampoo's Airen already dump you? Aiya! That so wonderful!" The waitress leapt into the air with glee.

"He. . . he did not! He's. . . too much of a coward to admit who he wants to be with, even if it means finally setting our parents straight." Perfectly fine with ranting at everyone, Akane collapsed lazily into her seat with her face in her palm, "Selfish baka. . . He just doesn't get it. And I worked so hard to bake this for him, too!" And, with that, she whipped out the chocolate cake and sat it on the table.

There was hardly ever a time that Shampoo had looked at Akane without fury or her catty grin, but this one passed the green light test. It was like the Amazon actually sympathized with her.

"Shampoo be right back. You no go." And the waitress hopped back behind the counter, leaving the many costumers who'd raised their hands for service fuming in their seats.

Of course, "right back" turned out to be almost twenty minutes later. The only thing that kept Akane from leaving was Shampoo's expression from before. It made her. . . curious, she supposed, as to the Chinese girl's reason for keeping her there. Then Shampoo trounced back with a plate of pork buns in her hand, steaming and smelling something deliciously potent.

"You eat, okay?" She gave a perfectly friendly smile and turned on her heel to leave but Akane shook her head.

"Gomen; I can't afford this right now. Not until Ranma pays me back." The youngest Tendo daughter picked up her bag to leave.

"Oh. . . No have to pay. Is on house." Akane lifted an eyebrow in slight suspicion so Shampoo continued, "Is. . . new recipe. Need plenty of opinion." And so the raven-haired martial artist shrugged, took a seat, and picked up one of the three buns, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.

It turned out, however, that she should have been just a bit more suspicious after all. She had only taken in one and a half of the total on her plate when something strange rumbled deeply in her chest and the world around her started changing. . . Well, the people were the same, the whole world, really. . . But everything seemed to permeate with some sort of colored aura. There were a lot of blues and whites, some yellows, and her own was a bright rosy pink. . .

Akane, still currently sitting in the bath at home in nuke warm water, opened her eyes and stood up, pulling the drain stopper and wrapping a towel around herself. She sighed, and turned to leave the bath; she did remember more than that. . . but if she were to stop long enough to think about all of the embarrassing things she'd done while under the spell. . . she might just experience the urge to hang herself.

So she quickly left the bathroom, dried herself off, got dressed in the changing room right beyond, and, clad in pajama's, headed down the hallway to her bedroom. Upon entering and closing the door, her eyes grew wide with a furious fire at the sight of Ranma sitting on her bed, awaiting her return.

"Wha-what the heck do you think you're doing in my room this late at night?" She sputtered, almost twitching. He may have been totally and obsessively in love with her, but, well, if he thought that he was getting that from her. . . he sure as Hell had another thing coming.

"We're supposed to be wed soon, right? If we're just as soon to be man and wife, then shouldn't we be sleeping in the same room?"

The vein in her temple throbbed painfully in retaliation to her fiancé's comment. He really had lost it, hadn't he. . . ?

Akane subtlety side-stepped by her bedroom door and grabbed hold of her boken, hiding it behind her back just in case. Then she took a couple of steps in the direction of her bed where Ranma was still sitting quite comfortably.

"Ranma, why don't you tell me. . . How long has it been considered a law that two betrothed teenagers have to share a bed?" He quirked an eyebrow irritatingly at her and she yelled aloud, holding up her wooden sword and attempting to beat him over the head with it, but his reflexes were heightened enough to easily enable his dodge out of the way.

"Same bed. . . ? Who said anything about that? Akane, I would never be the one to put you into that position. . ." He said affectionately, yet with a sample of his old humor, leaping onto the windowsill as she attempted to side-swipe his head like a golf ball.

"Then why are you even here, you hentai?" Akane shouted, throwing her boken aside and placing her hands on her hips, "This isn't compromising to you, is it? Because I've got news for you, Ranma, I may have automatically assumed the worst when I came in and saw you sitting here like this, but it's not like I'm the only one crazy enough to do so. A million other teenage girls would, too!"

"I guess you make a valid point. Demo, there you go thinking the worst of me again. Didn't I tell you earlier that I'm not like that anymore?" When she didn't answer, he smiled and continued, "That reminds me, what would you like for lunch tomorrow, my love?" He looked at her adoringly and she removed her gaze from him, "Oh, and do you want me to get started on your laundry now or should I just stand guard here in case Happosai tries to break in and take advantage of--"

"--Don't you ever, ever, ever touch my clothes! Even if it's to pat them down because they're on fire; I don't care, let them burn! And what do you think I am? Helpless? I can handle Happosai myself; I don't need you playing bodyguard!"

"So, that's a 'no' on the possibility of Latin cuisine?" Ranma asked her, not listening to her berating arguments.

"Get OUT!" Akane screamed and she pulled her fist back and flung it into his face, sending him crashing through the window and flying across the nightly starlit skies of Nerima.

"You always did have the best right-hook!" Was his only comment as he vanished beyond the clouds.

OoOoO

Notes - Now we're back on track. Two updates in two weeks; that's how a short-lined fic like Herbal Remedies should be, shouldn't it? Anyway, please expect another update next week. Hopefully. After all, I already have the next four chapter written up in my notebook already; all that I have to do is type them up and do a bit of research on the Japanese titles for Ranma and Ryouga's main attacks. . . Unless one of you wonderful, wonderful readers/reviewers wants to help me. The ones I'm talking about are "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" and "Breaking Point". I almost had them, but then I had to give Silvie-chan her DVD's back, and I can't get online often enough to look for them anywhere else. Well, if one of you knows, please pass the knowledge onto me. . . I plan to use it well. . . I promise. . .

Anyway, all reviews that don't say my style and idea's suck will be greatly appreciated. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Why would I be kidding about one of the most important things in the world? Reviews are what keep me breathing everyday. . . ! Not that that's a very healthy way to live, but still. . . Yea. . . So, review, please, and look forward to the next chapter, which should (hopefully) be up in a week, unless I can't type it up in time, or if I end up going home, or if I end up needing the Japanese titles for those two techniques mentioned above and have yet to find them.

See ya!