Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor profit from this fanfiction.

Slip of the Tongue

by MalletGirlAkane

Two

Akane's mind locked, a single thought repeating in her head over and over. Ranma is kissing me. Ranma is kissing me. Ranma is kissing me... A wealth of sensations, emotions and considerations flooded through her being. Awash in these feelings she was confused, overwhelmed and afraid. Before the kiss had progressed past the lightest brushing of their lips, Akane reacted out of pure instinct. Instinct she had personally developed and honed to perfection.

Staring up at the large hole his body had made in the roof of the dojo, Akane found a new thought repeating in her head over and over. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap...

Quickly exiting the dojo, she looked up. If she shaded her eyes against the bright midday sun she could just barely make out the diminishing speck that was her fiancé as he gained altitude. With a speedy mental calculation of his trajectory, Akane ran. Two blocks down and one over she found herself in the empty lot behind the Murasaki (1) residence which had been the grounds for many raging battles of late. There was still a charred scar in the earth near the fence from 'the cucumber incident.'

Akane glanced around herself nervously, but the lot seemed completely abandoned. Of course that did not mean that every random loon within a five mile radius was not on their way to there right at that moment- after all Ranma attracted them like Happosai to Victoria's Secret, but for the moment she was safe. With a sigh of relief, Akane leaned against one of the brick walls bordering the lot and waited.

Approximately eight minutes later, Ranma reentered the Earth's atmosphere and came crashing down, creating a small crater upon impact.

Akane knelt over the unconscious form of her fiancé. Gently she tugged him out of the Ranma-shaped hole he occupied and turned him face-up. She winced at his visage, face swollen with large Xs for eyes and apparently having a few teeth knocked out. Of course he was Ranma and after a few minutes he reverted to his normal, handsome appearance, much to the girl's relief.

She stared down at him. He looked so peaceful, his silky black hair softening the angles of his face and his bangs falling nearly to his closed eyes. Without thinking, Akane reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from his face, her finger lingering just over his temple. At that moment a pair of blue-gray eyes fluttered open.

Those blue-gray eyes locked on hers, she searched them but could not read the emotion they contained. "Um... um..." Akane said, feeling a sudden rush of sympathy for Ranma earlier that day. Realizing that she still had her finger pressed lightly against his face she whipped her hands behind her back. She thought her whole head must be glowing red from embarrassment.

Slowly, Ranma blinked once and sat up. His head tilted this way and that before he finally turned to Akane and asked, "What just happened?"

Oh no! Akane thought desperately, I've given him amnesia! Traumatic brain damage! What will I do?

Suddenly he pounded his fist into his palm as recollection hit. "Oh yeah! You were actin' all cute and I kissed ya." His eyes narrowed, "And then ya hit me."

Oh no! Akane thought desperately, I didn't give him amnesia! No traumatic brain damage! What will I do? ...cute?

"Um... um..." she stammered.

Ranma sighed and pulled himself sorely to his feet. He seemed to be taking this awfully well, Akane thought. He took his time brushing dirt and the occasional earthworm from himself before turning to her, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Sorry about that," he said, "I guess I deserved to be hit, huh? Don't worry though, it won't happen again. I'll tell Pop and Mr. Tendo as soon as they get home. I guess I owe ya that much."

Akane looked up at him, completely nonplussed. "Wait... what?" she said.

Ranma sighed, she could not make this easy, could she? Scratching the back of his head and refusing to meet her eyes, he replied, "I'm sorry I... uh... k-k-ki... did that. I don't know what came over me. Anyway, I'm gonna tell our folks the engagement's off so ya won't have to worry about it again."

"I won't?" she asked in a small voice.

"Nope!" he answered. He forced himself to grin at her and speak cheerfully. His heart was not shattered into a million tiny pieces, no sireebob. That annoying saying, 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone,' wound around his brain, squeezing painfully. It would take her outright rejection for him to realize how much he wanted her acceptance- wouldn't it?

A large, callused hand passed in front of her eyes and, numbly, Akane took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. His easy dismissal of their betrothal cut her to the core. It could not really be over, could it? In an anxious effort to salvage things, she tightly held onto his hand and looked at him; really looked at her fiancé.

Ranma was grinning at her cheekily but beyond that... The muscles in his neck were taut. His hand in her grip was cold and clammy. His smile was just a bit too wide. His eyes were distant and held a misty sheen.

Akane did not think she had ever seen him look better.

There was hope! She could fix things, she had one last chance. Summoning all of her courage she freed her hand from his and reached up to gently touch the corner of his jaw. Quietly she said, "This is where I hit you... right, Ranma?"

Confused, he nodded.

Trying and failing to force down a blush, Akane said, "I'm sorry I did that." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the spot, lingering for a long moment. His skin was warm and tasted ever so slightly of the dirt he had just been face down in. At last she drew back, just a hair, and breathed against his skin, "So sorry..."

(1) I have no idea whether this is actually a Japanese family name, but it amused me to call them the Purple family. No, I have no idea who they are.