Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters so don't sue me.

What! Ranma left the Tendo Dojo? He's not a Saotome anymore? What will happen to their lives now? Can their love still be saved? Read on and find out.

R&R... R/A pairings

The Right One For Me

by: numbskull

Part 16: The Trial Exam and Christmas Love

At last! The trial exam day! Ranma, Naru, Mutsumi, Akane, and Keitaro left Hinata Sou early. Everybody wished Naru, Keitaro, and Mutsumi luck.

They walked together to the station without speaking to each other. Akane noticed all three are nervous. She just accompanied them to check up on Ranma and Naru. Ranma kept on encouraging the three that they can pass the exam. He kept on eyeing them as he walked with his hands on the back of his head. 'These guys are really nervous. Why don't they loosen up a bit?' Ranma thought. "Hey guys, cool down okay? I think you'll do a great job on this exam. So don't worry!" Ranma said cheerfully but all he got was the wind as a response from the three. Naru walked closer to Ranma and placed her arm around his. Ranma was shocked at Naru's sudden action and looked at her. Naru looked back at Ranma and smiled. "I think we'll do a great job too, Ranma. Thanks for encouraging us." Naru said and leaned closer to him which made him feel more uncomfortable since he can feel Akane's angry eyes at him. 'Oh man! I hope she doesn't hit me for this!' Ranma thought as he still felt Akane's aura behind him.

Finally, they arrived at Sasagi Seminal and the three went straight to the examination assembly hall. Ranma waited for them with Akane.

Keitaro and Mutsumi sat beside each other at the front row while Naru sat behind them. A few minutes later, the exam began.

After a few hours of hectic examinations, they passed their papers and headed out of the room. Ranma and Akane greeted the three and the group walked to the station together. "So, how did you do on the exams minna-san (everybody)?" Mutsumi asked. "It's quite hard but I think I did fine." Keitaro said. "It was okay. It's not the easy but its okay. I think I'll pass the exam." Naru said confidently. "You'll pass the exam. I know it!" Ranma said loudly. Everybody looked at him shockingly at his reaction especially Akane. "Yeah, I think so, Ranma-kun!" Mutsumi said with a half smile. "Thanks Mutsumi-chan! I really feel confident about the exam! I think it's really easy for you guys!" Ranma said.

They finally reached the station and Keitaro bought the tickets. Once inside the train, Ranma yawned and stretched his arms. "I'm tired. I think I need a little nap. Wake me when we get there, Keitaro-san." Ranma said and closed his eyes. "I think I need a nap too." Naru said who was sitting beside Ranma. She rested her head on Ranma's shoulder and fell asleep. Ranma opened his eyes and looked at Naru and closed his eyes again and fell asleep. He didn't see that Akane was staring at them, frowning at the view in front of her.

Ranma lied on his futon as soon as they got back. He opened his manga (comic book) and read it. Then, someone knocked on his door. "Come in!" Ranma said. Naru went inside and Ranma sat up. "What's up, Naru-san? Is there something wrong?" Ranma asked. Naru shook her head and sat next to him. "I need to ask you something." Naru said while blushing. "What is it?" Ranma asked the blushing girl. "Uhmm... w-would you like t-to go out with m-me on C-Christmas Eve?" Naru asked. Ranma blushed. Sure he was asked by a lot of girls before namely his fiancées but he wasn't sure why he was blushing like this. "S-Sure, Naru-san." Naru smiled and kissed Ranma on the lips which made the boy blush even more. She left his room with a smile on her face.

Akane was washing the dishes when Shinobu, Sara, and Suu entered the kitchen. She heard them talking about Christmas. "Did you know about the Christmas rumor?" Sara asked. Both Shinobu and Suu nodded. "It's about confessing your feelings to the one you love, right?" Shinobu asked. "Yep! And when you do that on Christmas Eve, both you and your partner will be together forever." Sara said. "So, do you have someone to confess to?" Sara asked Shinobu. Shinobu blushed when she thought about confessing her feelings to Keitaro. Suu smiled at Shinobu's reaction. "I think there's someone she wants to confess her feelings to." Suu said with a grin on her face. "Who is it? Who is it?" Sara asked excitedly. "Of course it's…mmmfff!" Suu was cut off when Shinobu cupped her mouth. Shinobu waved her free hand at Sara while saying "Iie! Iie! (No! No!) I got no one to confess to! Suu's just kidding! Haha!" Shinobu said nervously. Sara sweat dropped and just accepted what Shinobu said. Sara saw some bananas on the table and grabbed it. "This'll do. We got food! So, let's go!" Sara said and walked outside the kitchen together with Shinobu and Suu.

Akane heard everything and she thought about Ranma. Maybe if she confesses her feelings for him, they might end up together. 'But he has Naru-san now. How can he even love me?' Akane thought as her tears starts to form on her eyes. 'Maybe I should give it a try. I'll take the risk. If he doesn't love me back, then I'll know that we aren't meant for each other. But if he loves me too, then I will be happy to be with him. This is my last chance to know what he feels for me.' Akane thought and quickly finished washing the dishes.

End.

Wow! It's been a long time! Sorry if I kept you waiting guys.. I've been so busy with school and it's already killin' me! Hahahaha! Well, at least I found time to post another chapter. Hehehehe! Well, time for my guest!

numbskull: Hmmm… who could be my guest for today? Let me check my appointment papers… (checks papers) Oh! It's Ukyou's turn today and she'll arrive any minute now!

Doorbell rings..

numbskull: Come on in!

Ukyou: Hello! (smiles)

numbskull: Hi! Please come in! Would you like some tea? (smiles)

Ukyou: That'll be nice! Thanks!

numbskull: I'll be back in a few minutes! Please take seat. (goes to the kitchen and prepares tea)

Ukyou: This is a nice place you got! (looks around)

numbskull: (goes back to the living room with a pot of tea and two tea cups in a tray) Thanks! (puts tray at the coffee table and pours tea on the cups) So how have you been? Any luck with Ranma?

Ukyou: I'm fine! The restaurant runs fine too. A lot of customers are still craving for okonomiyaki. And speaking of okonomiyaki, I made one for you. (hands the okonomiyaki)

numbskull: (takes the okonomiyaki) Thank you very much, Ukyou! (gives Ukyou a gentle smile which makes the girls weak in the knees)

Ukyou: (blushes) N-no problem!

numbskull: (to self) Works every time! Hehehehe! (turns to Ukyou) Back to the question, any luck with Ranma?

Ukyou: Nope… he told me that he can't love me more than a friend. He said that he sees me as his sister. That's all.

numbskull: How are you feeling now?

Ukyou: A little sad because he can't love me the way I love him. But I'm alright… really… (smiles) I just found out that he's not the one for me. I guess someone's out there waiting for me to come to him and fall for him.

numbskull: Yeah! You'll never know! He might be just around the corner! (grins)

Ukyou: I think you're right! Well, I think I'm going to look for him!

numbskull: Don't look for him. He'll just pop out of no where and you will some day realize that he's the one for you. (smiles)

Ukyou: Hmmm… I can sense something… Are you in love?

numbskull: Uhhh…(blushes) Y-yeah…

Ukyou: I knew it! (laughs out loud) I knew you are in love! You say things about love and meeting that special someone someday! Now you're in the hot seat! Tell me! Tell me about her!

numbskull: Ummm… well, she's actually nice. She's my friend from another school. She's turning 16 next month. I'm 3 years older than her but our age gap is never a problem to us. Our schools are just near each other. It's actually located in front of our school and we see each other everyday. We started out as friends. She was my friend's ex-girlfriend. Anyway, their relationship goes on and off. She wasn't that close to me before. One day she texted me and asked my phone number at home because she needs someone to talk to. Then she opened up to me about her problems with my friend and she was feeling at that time. As for me, as a good friend, I listened to her and I gave her some advices about her problems. After that, we became very close. We text each other every single day. One day, I opened up to her that I fell for her friend and I needed some help because I'm actually a shy guy. She gladly accepted and helped me. I courted her friend and after a week, a got turned down. I got hurt, a lot. My friends, including her boyfriend, comforted me. I told them that I would alright. Then, when I got home from school, she called me and cheered me up and she succeeded in cheering me up. And then one day, she and my friend broke up because my friend fell in love with someone else. And it hurts more that he fell in love with her friend. She cried a lot that day and she called me and let all her frustrations out on me. I comforted her and I don't even know what to say just to make her feel okay. I tried cheering her up with a little bit of my wacky stories and she laughed and thanked me for making her feel better. One day, I told her that I was eating donuts and she asked what my favorite donut is. I told her that I love choco butternut and mocha filled donuts. She told me that we have the same favorites! We texted a lot and found out that we have a lot in common. And I'm helping her move on with her life and to let go of my friend since I can see that she's hurting a lot. Then one day, I just felt something weird. I ignored the feeling but when I saw her picture, my heart starts to pound faster than normal. Then, I realized that I was falling for her. I tried to suppress the feeling because she's my friend's ex-girlfriend and I know that my friend still loves her. I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings and it's not good to fall for your friend's ex-girlfriend since you'll look bad to other people. So I hid what I feel and just go on telling myself that I'll let go of her someday. And one fateful day, I met her at the mall. We talked, ran through the hallways, laughed, ate our favorite donuts together, and had fun. I enjoyed being with her that day and I knew she enjoyed it too. We just sort of jived in a lot of ways. Then I held her hand and ran through the halls of the mall and let go of it since I don't want her to think anything about what I've just done. Then, we said our goodbyes and texted each other. And here comes the questions that lead us to the truth. She asked me a lot of "what if's" and I answered all of them honestly. Unfortunately, my phone's battery got emptied and I didn't get the chance to answer her last question. The next day, I opened the topic again and there we confessed our true feelings for each other. We found out that we both fell in love with each other, that our feelings are mutual. Then, I opened up to a friend if I have to tell my friend, which is her ex-boyfriend, about the truth. She told me that I have to him the truth as early as possible. I followed her advice and I told my friend about me and his ex-girlfriend. He said that it was okay with him but it hurt him. He said he's not hypocrite. He says what he really feels. I cheered him up because I know he's hurt. When I got home, I texted her and told her the news. I asked her if she wants this to continue. She said yes and I told her I do too. Then I asked her what we are now. She told me that she doesn't know. I told her that maybe we can be officially be together the next day since the date is significant to us both. She agreed and the next day, we are officially together. We're going to celebrate our first monthsary on Monday and we haven't fought in one month! Even before we found out our feelings for each other!

Ukyou: Whoa! What a story! I wish you all the best!

numbskull: Thanks!

Ukyou: By the way, what's your real name?

numbskull: uhh…I'll tell you another time…

Ukyou: Okay! (smiles) I'll be going now! Thanks for the wonderful story. Ja ne!

numbskull: Ja ne!

Time for the reviews!

About the reviews:

Batanga: Thanks! And sorry for the late update of the story..

Inu-Kag-inLove: Hey! I read your story and its okay! I like it! I've heard about taking back sunday and alkaline trio! They're great bands! Well, I wish you luck on your stories!

Jerry Unipeg: Thanks! I hope you'll also love this chapter! I'm sorry if it took so long to post…

kawaii-animal: Good luck on your first fic and I hope you will have a lot of reviews too! I know you'll do a great job on your fic! Keep it up!

epic third: This can't be a Ranma/Naru pairing… just keep reading and you'll see… (smiles)

KiraIzazuma: Thanks! And please keep on reading and reviewing! (smiles) Thank you again!

DanyChic: Well, Ranma changed a little bit. He doesn't want to make the same mistakes again. And he became a bit matured in this story. And so are the other characters too. Did you notice that Naru didn't bash anybody yet? And she's been too nice to Ranma too? And Akane haven't used her mallet yet since she wants something different to happen to her and Ranma. Well, thanks for the comment. (smiles) I'm accepting any comment about my story to see if there's something wrong. Thanks again and please keep reading.

Preview of the next chapter:

Akane asks Ranma out but Ranma declined the offer. He and Naru go on a date in a fancy restaurant. Will Akane give up on Ranma and will Ranma end up with Naru? Find out on the next chapter…