Chapter 2: Uncertain…

Before note: No song in this one. I'm not taking the song out of the last one because I think it fits in fine. I know, most OC's suck, but it's not like this one is all-powerful or irresistible-for-no-reason-what-so-ever. Just a normal person, who may as well be one of those school-girls at Furinkan that we always see, but never… ever… ever…. Have names….

This chapter picks up from where Ranma announced he was leaving. OC may or may not show up in this one depending on how lazy I am.

"Wh…What?" Akane repeated, staring rigidly at Ranma. "Leaving? To where? What are you talking about1?"

"It doesn't matter anymore!" Ranma swung his arm wildly behind him as he turned, as though he was throwing something down in disgust.

"I just need to get away! From here! From my fiancées! From the challenges! From everything!" He finished in a huff and backed up a step. The tension was beginning to boil and Ranma could feel Akane's mixed emotions encroaching upon him, her large brown eyes tinged with concern.

"Ranma, did something I say… bother you?" She asked. Akane was worried that she was driving Ranma away- sure, he seemed depressed since this morning, but she had never expected anything as drastic as this. Dragging poor Ryouga into this, and upsetting Ranma so much, she couldn't tell what she was thinking in trying to make Ranma jealous. Clearly, something stupid.

"Wait, where are you going? How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know Akane. A few weeks. A few months. I just need to be alone for a long while. Look…" He opened his mouth, as though to apologize for snapping, but he caught Ryougas eye, who was staring at him with almost equal concern. Was he really going to leave Akane all alone- with RYOUGA? And Kuno? And… Mousse would show up looking for him. Shampoo too. And Kodachi, and Ukyou, and then the principle would surely have something waiting for him when he got back. All these thoughts turned Ranma's brain upside down again and he turned away.

"Never mind! I don't know anymore! I just wanna be alone! I can't take it anymore!" And with that, he leapt from the room and up the stairs, where the door of his room slammed shut quite audibly.

"Ranma, wait! D-don't go!" Akane didn't want to be alone- and more importantly, she didn't want Ranma to be hurt. She could full-well understand why Ranma would start to crack under the chaos that generally reigned over Nerima, but did the poor guy honestly think he could just escape everything by running away? She chased after him up the stairs.

"…"

Ryouga was left standing, rather confused and somewhat deterred, in the middle of the Tendo's living room. Saotome was leaving. Akane just chased after him up the stairs. He played the conversation over in his mind, lifting his index finger to his forehead, and pressing, as though he might open some valve that was holding back some vital piece of information needed to bring the whole thing together. Nothing happened. He scratched the back of his neck idly, looking around. 'Well,' He thought, 'I guess Saotome gets just as uncertain about things as I do. But, if he's leaving, what will Akane do? Keep going to school, I guess. Maybe I should go on a training trip.'

He made to grab the things he left by the door and leave. 'No, no, I'll just get lost again.' He stopped. 'I kinda feel bad for coming here to challenge Saotome. Wait, no I shouldn't! It's his own fault he's gotten all depressed. But, I get depressed and leave a lot, too. This could be my chance to be alone with Akane!' His face brightened for just a moment, and then it fell again. 'No. I couldn't do that to her while Ranma's gone.' He sighed. As of late, he noticed Akane was becoming more and more centered around Ranma. Ryouga was no where near giving up, but Ranma had more or less sucked all of the romantic motivation out of him, and Ryouga felt like going home. Home, if only he could find his.

"Keh! A home, what is it, really? A place to sleep, a place to eat? I have everything I need traveling around!"

"So then, what's the problem?"

"I don- AAAAAAACK!"

Ryouga swung on his heels to see Nabiki, the middle Tendo sister, standing in the kitchen door-way, Kasumi behind her, hands raised in her usual 'Oh, my!' pose. He face-faulted. How long, exactly, had they been standing there, watching him?

"I, uh, I, I was just about to leave, and I thought maybe, Um- did you see Ranma and Akane just now? Do you… Ah." He stopped short as Nabiki came up to him and lifted a finger to her lips, imitating the infamous 'shh' sign, better known as 'shut up.'

"Just start from the beginning and tell us what happened."

Ryouga explained the fight Akane and Ranma had, Ranma's emotional declaration, his own confusion as to what to do next, and how Ranma was planning on leaving.

"Come to think of it, Ranma and Akane ran up stairs quite a while ago. We should go check on them." Nabiki and Kasumi nodded and trekked upstairs hurriedly with Ryouga and swung open the door to Ranma's room. Empty. All traces that Ranma had once stayed in this room where gone, except his empty bed, and a few old letters and mementos he kept in a box where slightly strewn around the floor around it.

And of course, Akane, who was kneeling on the floor, looking very distressed and very hysteric. Ryouga and Kasumi rushed over to her. She kneeled there in shock, staring at the open window. Tears had welled in her eyes, but refused to run. That is, until her sisters and Ryouga walked in. Their presence gave proof that this wasn't just a bad dream. She let the tears flow freely.

'You can't leave!'

'Watch me!'

'Ranma, what am I supposed to do without you?'

'I don't know! You and Ryouga seem to be getting along fine! Don't you get it, dimwit? I just wanna be a normal guy!'

'You're… you're not going to China to look for the 'Spring of Drowned Man,' are you?'

'No. Not China. It's not your fault. It's everybody's. I want to cool off. I want to clear my head.'

'Can't you do that here?'

'No. I can't, Akane.'

'I… I still don't understand! Why are you leaving?'

'I'll come back- I promise. Maybe everyone needs to cool off for a bit.'

'It's not like you to say things like that.'

'Yeah. I know. I'm really angry. I'll see you when I see you, Akane.'

And with that, he leapt out the window, a sizable pack strapped to his back, carrying all he would need for the trip. Akane, still confused as to exactly why Ranma felt the need to take this vacation, slowly began to dry her tears, Kasumi shaking her gently.

"Akane? Akane? Finally, you're coming to. Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ranma didn't strike you, did he?"

"No..No. Of course not. But… He's gone. He really left. He says he'll come back… but… I don't want to think about what it'll be like without him."

"Oh, cheer up, little sister!" Kasumi said, trying to share some of her ever-lasting optimism. "It may only be for a few weeks. I'm sure he'll be back."

"Yes. He will. He promised."

Elsewhere, Ranma had long since made his way out of Nerima. The streets were unfamiliar now, as where the people, who glanced over him as though he were barely there, the only thing particularly noticeable about him being his large backpack and his characteristic pig-tail. It had grown fairly dark, and the world seemed tinged with the faint blues of night. It was cool for summer, and a pleasant breeze blew from the north. Ranma liked being a stranger in the crowd. He was known for some odd things and odder battles in Nerima. As he reached the city limits, he looked back over his shoulder- something he had been trying hard not to do until now.

"Don't worry Akane. I'll be back soon. When… I'm not certain."

- Owari! –

End of Chapter 2. Well. Things are finally moving along now. The OC IS going to show up in chapter 3, which I expect I'll be posting around next week. Or this weekend. It depends. Well, Review please, constructive criticism welcome.