Sorry it took so long! The holidays really threw me off my game.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

"Hm, well, the cuts are shallow, fortunately," Dr. Tofu said, looking over Ranma's injured form, which currently sat on a clinic bed. "I'm sure they're sensitive, but they should heal quickly." She paused. "This dislocated shoulder, though…" She lightly tapped the shoulder in question. "It's brutal, honestly. Who did this to you?"

Donning a dramatically weary expression, Ranma waved Dr. Tofu closer. In a stage whisper, he said, "It was… a dorky girl..."

Fists clenching, Akane felt herself shouting before she could think better of it. "Ranma, shut up, you a-!"

Tofu's eyes caught Akane's, deflating her anger like a popped balloon.

"You did this?" the doctor asked softly.

Suddenly, Akane was the size of a mouse. Her cheeks felt hot, her fingers tangling together as though they couldn't stand to be apart.

"I-I… um… you see…"

Though neither her expression nor her tone were harsh, the next words out of Dr. Tofu's mouth stung like lashes. "Akane, you really need to keep that anger in check. There are better ways to deal with it." A bright smile overtook the doctor's face, followed by a hearty laugh that filled the room. "But I have to admit, when you came in carrying her," she gestured to Ranma, "it brought me back to that bully in junior-high you carried in, exactly the same way, back when I was still in-training."

Bug-sized. That's how big Akane was now.

Despite Ranma's unhidden snickering, Akane couldn't even muster a glare.

A sudden, loud pop rang out, followed by a shout.

"That hurt!" Ranma said, tears in his eyes. "Could'a given me a warning!"

With a shrug, Dr. Tofu said, "I thought it'd be better to do it quickly while you weren't focused on it. No fearful anticipation that way." Eyes locking on Ranma's shoulder, she said, "How's it feel?"

Swiveling his arm around, Ranma said, with noticeable surprise, "It… it feels great, actually. Like nothin' happened."

"Wonderful!" Dr. Tofu stood, offering a hand to Ranma. For a moment, it looked like Ranma might refuse the help, but he ended up taking her hand without a word.

"So, we haven't been properly introduced, but I assume you would be Akane's fiancée, Ranma?" Dr. Tofu said.

The question gave both high-schoolers pause. Briefly, the two of them made eye contact; Ranma seemed just as surprised as Akane felt. Who had told her? And Ranma looked like a girl right now, so why would she assume…?

"I… I am," Ranma admitted, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Surprised you'd assume that, with me lookin' like this."

Laughing good-naturedly, Dr. Tofu said, "Well, there's no reason two girls can't be engaged." Ranma and Akane made eye contact again, eyes wide. "To tell the truth, though, your father was here earlier, Ranma, for a job interview. Chatty fellow. He told me all about that engagement and curse business."

Not wanting Dr. Tofu to get the wrong idea, Akane spoke up. "Our parents made the decision about the engagement, not us. We don't - I don't want -"

Chuckling again, Dr. Tofu waved the objection away. "Well of course! It's too early, isn't it? You're still kids, after all."

The visceral feeling of her heart dropping caused Akane's chest to ache. Despite the pain, she willed herself to smile. "Hah, y-yeah…"

A soft chiming met Akane's ears; it took her a moment to realize it was the front door bell.

"Excuse me a moment, you two," Dr. Tofu said, exiting the room.

A thick, heavy silence filled the room. Tentatively, Ranma stepped toward Akane. "You, uh… you doing oka-"

Both of them jumped in surprise when a sharp ringing sound pierced through the air. Glancing over to a nearby desk, Akane shot a short glare at the source of the noise, an old black phone.

"Could one of you grab that, please?" Dr. Tofu called from the other room.

Without hesitation, Akane picked the phone up and brought it to her ear. "Dr. Tofu's, how can I help you?"

"Oh, is that you, Akane?" said the voice of her oldest sister. Her heart, which had come to rest in the pit of her stomach, dropped even lower.

"Y-yes, it's me. Dr. Tofu can't come to the phone."

"Well that's alright," Kasumi said; Akane could hear the smile in her voice. "Could you let her know I'm going to stop by? I wanted to return a book I borrowed."

Akane's heart flopped to the ground in a bloody heap. "S-sure," she said, deadpan.

"Thank you! I'll be by shortly."

As soon as her sister hung up, Akane slammed the phone down, grabbed her pack, and practically charged towards the door.

"W-wait, Akane, where're you going!?" Ranma said, caught off guard. "Who the heck was on the phone? I thought you'd wanna stay with the Doc-"

Clamping a hand roughly over Ranma's mouth, Akane pushed him into the wall. "Shut up. Just, for once, keep your stupid mouth shut." Wide eyes stared back at her, and no attempt to dislodge her hand seemed forthcoming. Sighing heavily, Akane continued. "There's… a girl. ...A girl that Dr. Tofu likes." A tortured note entered her voice. "It's my sister. Kasumi. She's... coming over."

The moment she let her hand drop away she regretted it. Smirking deviously, Ranma said, "Why so upset? Seems to me like you're jealous, but you keep insistin' you're not a les-"

Tears in her eyes, Akane glared daggers at Ranma, who stopped the teasing abruptly.

"Thanks for getting that!" Dr. Tofu said, striding back into the room with a few boxes in hand. "Just a few supplies," she said, as though anticipating the question. "Who called?"

Not meeting Dr. Tofu's eyes, Akane said, "Just someone that's going to stop by. Ranma and I should probably go-"

"Nonsense!" Dr. Tofu proclaimed, loud enough to surprise them both. She set the boxes she'd been carrying down. "They should heal pretty quick, but I still wanted to put a few bandages on those wounds, Ranma."

And thus Akane found herself sitting down again, despite her overwhelming desire to escape somewhere, anywhere else. Besides a few attempts at light conversation from Dr. Tofu, the room remained oddly quiet. Akane stared blankly at her own hands, silently rebuking herself for not leaving when she had the chance. She snuck a quick glance at Ranma, and was surprised to see him staring at her. There was a look in the currently-red-head's eyes that made Akane uncomfortable… worry? Pity? Guilt? Whatever it was, she could only take seeing it for a second before looking away.

The front door bell rang once more. Immediately after, a soft, warm voice called out, "Dr. Tofu? Are you there?"

Instantly, Dr. Tofu's demeanor changed. She froze in place, the bandage she was holding hovering a few centimeters away from Ranma's arm. Her eye were wide, like a deer in headlights, and her hands began to tremble. Akane barely suppressed a sigh; this was far from the first time she'd seen this happen.

"Oh, there you are! Hello, Akane!" Kasumi said with a smile, peeking her head into the room the rest of them were in. Her smile disappeared for a moment when she eyed Ranma. "Oh, Ranma, what happened!?"

Before anyone else could answer, Dr. Tofu spoke, her voice notably higher-pitched than before. "O-oh, nothing! She was just playing around with some friends at school, nothing to worry about!" Not glancing down, she pressed the bandage to Ranma's skin - Akane could tell from where she sat that it barely covered the actual cut on Ranma's arm. "All patched up now, good as new!"

Despite raising an eyebrow, Kasumi let her smile reappear, and took a few more steps into the room. In her hands sat the book, and atop that was a plate wrapped in cloth, presumably to keep the plate's contents warm. "I brought your book back, along with some cookies, since I took so long!"

Shooting to her feet, Dr. Tofu took a few large steps forward, her arms extended and a big, goofy grin on her face. "Oh, how thoughtful! You shouldn't have!" After quickly and awkwardly stuffing the book in her robe, Dr. Tofu attempted to unwrap the cookies, her shaky hands and shakier mind making the task a difficult one.

Shaking her head, Kasumi took a step forward. "Here, let me help." She reached a hand out, softly pressing it against Dr. Tofu's to steady it, guiding the doctor in the apparently difficult task of removing a cloth from a plate. Dr. Tofu's face went red.

It was Akane's turn to leap to her feet. "Well, sis, it was great seeing you, but I've got to go."

Kasumi turned, surprised, but Akane was already out the door, without a backward glance.

{}

A few minutes later, Akane sat on the riverbank, idly tossing rocks into the water. It was so quiet here… just the soft sound of flowing water, the small splooshes when the rocks hit that water, and the light chugging of a tugboat as it passed by. It was peaceful in a way Akane's life hadn't been for a long time.

Inside, Akane was far less peaceful than her surroundings. Her feelings were a flurry within her, nebulous and confusing. Why did seeing Dr. Tofu enjoying Kasumi's company upset her so much? Why was so jealous of her sister? She knew there had never been and would never be a chance of her and the doctor… what, dating?

She chucked the next rock harder. I'm not a lesbian. That's what she'd told Ranma, more than once. And she believed it. Sure, she had never really been interested in boys, but that was just because she hadn't met any good ones. She wasn't some… deviant. And even if… even if she were, there still was no chance Dr. Tofu ever would have been interested in her. ...So why did she hurt so much?

A familiar, irritating face slid into view - Ranma, sticking his tongue out at her like an idiot. Scowling, she stood and glared down at him.

"What're you doing here?"

"Jeeze," he said, standing up too, tongue retreating back into his mouth. "You're still so grouchy."

Hands on her hips, Akane said, "What, did you think your stupid face was going to cheer me up?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"So, what, I'm supposed to believe you found me just to try to make me feel better?" she said, rolling her eyes.

Again, he shrugged. "Maybe."

She scoffed, stooping to pick up her bag. "When did you get so chivalrous?"

As though offended by the suggestion, Ranma scowled. "You were just actin' weird back at the Doc's office, is all."

Narrowing her eyes, Akane looked Ranma over a few times. She'd expected much more teasing, not this weird, seemingly genuine concern. "You're not some alien doppelganger, are you?"

"What!? No! I just -" He crossed his arms, huffing. "Whatever, who cares about an uncute girl like you, anyway?"

Akane's eyes lit up with recognition. What a surprise! Smirking, she took a step closer to the flustered red-head. "Oh, my. Is that it?" She leaned to the side, grinning from ear-to-ear. "You like me, don't you?"

The color immediately drained from his face. "W-what!? No!"

Getting right up into his face, she poked his nose and laughed. "You're a bad liar."

Sputtering like a broken engine, Ranma flailed his arms about. "I-I don't - I never - you're just -" His cheeks went almost as red as his current hair, which was quite adorable in this form. For the briefest of moments, Akane found herself lamenting the fact that this flailing dorky girl in front of her wasn't the real Ranma.

Pressing a finger against Ranma's lips made him freeze in shock. Akane smiled warmly. "Hey, let's get some burgers. It'll be my treat."

{}

Ten or fifteen minutes later, Akane and Ranma sat near each other beneath a tree in the park, a fast-food bag between them. They quietly ate their own burgers, Akane occasionally sipping on the milkshake she'd ordered as her drink. She watched silently as Ranma crumpled up a devoured burger's wrapping, then tossed it toward a trash can across the way. It hit the rim and fell right in.

Finishing her burger, Akane followed suit, crumpling the wrapping up and tossing it. The wrapper flew through the air, hit the side of the trash can, and fell to the ground. She sighed. Getting to her feet, she walked over to pick her trash back up, but instead of dropping it into the can, she took it back to the tree and sat down. Taking more care to line her shot up, she tossed the garbage once more, a smile coming to her face when it plopped directly into the bin.

Without thinking about it, she turned her smile toward Ranma, staring at him as though awaiting praise. He ignored her at first, then spared her an unimpressed glance.

"Simpleton," he muttered, before taking a big bite of another burger.

Huffing, she looked away, angrily grabbing another sandwich from the bag. Like the first, this one was a two-patty burger, thicker than the normal ones that Ranma had been eating. She took a big, vicious bite out of it.

"...You sure eat a lot, don't ya?" Ranma said, while Akane was still chewing.

Gulping the bite down, Akane shot a glare Ranma's way. "So sorry I'm not a dainty flower like Kasumi!"

Looking simultaneously confused and annoyed, Ranma sighed, setting his chin in the palm of his hand. "That's not what I said."

Akane looked away, silently fuming. But it wasn't really Ranma she was upset about… And then, suddenly, against her better judgement, she decided to open her heart up.

"It's…. been like that for a while," she said softly.

"Huh?"

She took a deep breath. "Dr. Tofu and Kasumi. She's been crushing on my sister for… a while, now."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ranma lower the burger he'd been about to take a bite of. "She… really?"

With a dark chuckle, Akane said, "You must've noticed how she started acting, once Kasumi arrived." For emphasis, she pointed at Ranma's skewed bandage.

He nodded slowly, gears in his mind whirring. "Huh… yeah, she did start acting strange..."

"She always does, when Kasumi's around," Akane said, following it up with a small sigh.

Ranma stared at his burger, shaking his head. "Geeze, that's rough… no wonder you're brokenhear-" He stopped, seemingly realizing what he was saying, his eyes nervously shooting Akane's way.

Besides a small glance, she didn't look at him, and at first, she didn't respond. Taking a big breath, she started talking again. "It… it's not as simple as that. I just… It's not only that Dr. Tofu likes Kasumi, it's also that she sees my sister as… as an adult." Gripping a bit of her dress, Akane continued, "When we first met, I was a kid, but… I'm only two years younger than Kasumi. She's grown, and so have I. But I guess I'm perpetually a kid to Dr. Tofu, no matter what I do…"

Glancing at Ranma, Akane was unsurprised to find him at a loss with what to say or how to react. That was probably for the best.

"It's not that I like her, like she likes Kasumi. You know, romantically. At least…" She paused. "I don't think so. I… I'm having trouble figuring out my true feelings. For a lot of things, really." Tears welled up in her eyes, despite her best efforts. One small drop fell, splashing against the back of her hand. "I'm just tired of feeling this way. Of feeling confused." Softly, almost as a whisper, she added, "Why is life so hard?"

"U-uh, hey!" Ranma said, fingers flailing, a panicked look on his face that he attempted to replace with a smile. "It could be worse! You could, ya know, have a curse or somethin', like me!" Akane stared blankly at him, tears still in her eyes. His forced smile faltered. "Um, or, I mean, there's other cursed springs too… bet there's an octopus one! I bet there's some poor sap out there havin' ta live half his life as a friggin' squid! So, ya know, that's probably worse, huh?"

Abruptly, Akane broke out into laughter. She doubled over, the laughter overtaking her entire body. After a good minute or two, the laughter subsided, and she wiped tears from her eyes, still grinning. Ranma looked horrified, like he was worried he'd broken her.

"You're… really bad at trying to make people feel better," she said, chuckling once or twice more.

Casting his eyes to the ground and rubbing the back of his head, Ranma said, "S-sorry."

Waving a hand, Akane said, "Hah, it's fine. It was so bad that it was funny." Wiping away the last of her tears, she said, "And thanks for the attempt, really."

Ranma shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I just… I like seeing ya smile, ya know?"

"Hah, do you, now?" Getting to her feet, she grabbed the fast-food bag and brought it over to the trash can, dropping it inside. She smirked. "You really do like me, don't you?"

Getting to his feet with a scowl and a blush, Ranma said, "No I don't, stop sayin' that!"

"Also, you know that an octopus and a squid are two different things, right?" she said, as the two of them began walking home.

For some reason, this question seemed to make him even more flustered than the crush accusations. "I, uh… 'course I do! Everyone knows that..."

She giggled, and as they continued on their way, there were several more moments where Ranma's responses to her teasing questions made her laugh. He was just so cute when he was flustered, so she wanted nothing more than to keep him in that state. It was surprisingly easy right now.

That evening, while Akane lay in bed, her mind drifted to Ranma again. When she thought about it, it was only when Ranma was in girl form that Akane seemed to think he was cute. And not just in a 'aw how adorable' way, but, like… actual attraction, she was coming to realize. Maybe… maybe Ranma wasn't completely off base with the lesbian stuff...

Turning on her side, Akane frowned at nothing in particular. She didn't like it, but… she had to admit, there was a possibility... Maybe, just maybe, Akane Tendo was bi.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Well you're getting closer at least, Akane.