Escapism

3

Akane woke up in a small, sparsely furnished apartment. She learned by looking around that it had a kitchen, a living room, a small bathroom with shower and a bedroom and a few items of furniture; One table, two chairs, one chest of drawers, one bed.

Weird, she thought.

She had a vague sensation that something was wrong, but couldn't put her feelings into words. This wasn't her home but . . . it was. She clearly remembered being raised in an orphanage and applying for emancipated minor status when she turned sixteen.

But . . . but . . . something's wrong, I know it . . . what's missing?

Akane's sense of uncertainty clashed with her new memories. Fighting against her memories she struggled towards a fragment of thought she barely recognized.

What is it . . . ?

And then everything went white as she crumpled to the floor with the pain of remembering.

> > >

"No way!"

"I swear, it happened!"

"Man Arashi, I can't believe you did that! She's never gonna forgive you now."

Ranma's friend grinned unrepentantly.

"Ah, my natural charm will win her over – hey! Cutie at three o'clock!"

Ranma followed Arashi's gaze from where he and one of his friends were sitting under a tree on the campus grounds, enjoying a brief respite between classes. The girl was definitely cute, Ranma decided, her short dark hair framing a pretty face set with large brown eyes. When she realized he was looking at her the girl flushed and turned away, hastily walking off.

"Lucky bastard," Arashi declared, "she was totally checking you out."

"She was not," Ranma denied instinctively, even as he wondered at the odd flash of recognition he'd felt when he looked at her.

I don't think I'll tell Arashi that, Ranma decided, with a bemused glance at his lecherously minded companion.

> > >

He didn't recognize me, Akane thought miserably when she arrived back at the apartment after a day spent following Ranma around. The time she'd spent reading the book had told her everything she needed to know to find Ranma and follow him around without being too obvious about it, except for the one time she hadn't been able to resist getting just a little bit closer . . . for all the good it had done her. It had been a disheartening day. Ranma had been obviously, undeniably happy, going to classes, hanging out with his friends and attending a meeting of the martial arts club before going home. It had turned out, weirdly enough, that she was enrolled at the same university was attending and she met several people who knew her – the other her anyway – so finding out a few things about Ranma hadn't been too difficult. Her questions hadn't really been that subtle, but it didn't seem to matter. Ranma was still the object of considerable interest on the part of the opposite sex, so the people she'd asked about him had made their own assumptions about her reasons for asking. She'd learnt a few things that hadn't been in the book. He was still a martial artist – no surprise there, though from what she'd seen he'd lost a lot of the edge training with Genma had given him. A good student too – his best grades were in history and art, of all things.

But the most significant thing she'd learnt about him was this: No girlfriends.

He was friends with a few girls, and there were plenty who were interested in him, but she'd heard from several people that Ranma didn't seem interested in dating at all. It was unnerving to think that Ranma's dream life was missing all the things connected to him that she'd most hated.

Lying in bed that night Akane was confused, frightened and had no idea what to do next.

Okay, according to Cologne this is supposed to be Ranma's dream world. She could have been lying, but as far as I can see Ranma seems to think this place is perfect so I guess that's true. It seems that all the things he didn't like about his old life are gone. No crazy challengers, no fiancées, no Genma being an idiot, no curse . . . and no me. No Tendo Akane in this world.

Try as she might Akane couldn't avoid one very unpleasant fact: When given the chance to create his ideal world Ranma had made a world from which she was conspicuously absent.

What if he never wants to leave? For that matter, what if there's no way for us to get back?

It was then that a new thought occurred to her, at once frightening and horribly tempting.

What if we just don't? All the things back home that made everything so difficult don't even exist here. And as for all the things that drove me nuts, well, I now I know for sure that Ranma didn't want things to be like that either. Maybe . . . maybe we can really make it work now.

Akane turned that thought over for awhile, trying to decide what about it bothered her.

No, she decided at last, I have to make it work this time. Ranma wanted to be free of everything from his old life . . . including me. If I want to make this work then I have to change.

Soothed by how right this thought felt, Akane turned over and drifted off to sleep.

> > >

"Um, hi."

Ranma looked up curiously at the sound of a hesitant female voice and blinked in surprise at what he saw.

Hey, it's that cute girl from yesterday.

"Hi."

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

At Ranma's raised eyebrow the girl rushed to explain.

"It's just that you have a really nice spot here and I wanted somewhere out of the sun to eat lunch."

"Oh. Okay."

"I'm Tendo Akane, by the way."

"I'm Ranma. Wa Ranma."

She smiled at him then and Ranma felt something unfamiliar surge in him at the sight.

Well, Akane thought as she watched Ranma duck his head and rub the back of his head in a very familiar way, I might just be able to make this work.

The thought made her happier than she had been in a long time.

End