My head hurts like hell, and the big fat raindrops pounding down onto me aren't helping relieve the pain one bit. I'm too depressed and angry and tired to move underneath some sort of shade or get some hot water. Surprising, since I'm unsurprisingly in my girl form right now.

Sticking out my hand to watch the water slide from my palm, I inhale deeply. My lungs burn with cold air and raindrops. "Feh."

I drop to sit on one of the smooth stones beside the Tendo dojou's koi pond. The lights behind the closed doors of the shogi flicker with different colors. Akane's probably watching horror movies again, and a feeling of irritation passes through me. She'll be getting nightmares again tonight – tossing about in her room. Then I won't be getting any sleep. Kami knows I've already lost too much sleep because of her.

I scowl, I want that long denied sleep of mine badly. Couldn't she give me that much in reparation for this morbid headache? I stomp up the steps and slide the shogi door open so forcefully it bounces back. I barely catch it, annoyed with how Akane didn't even so much as flinch.

I know I shouldn't be testing her patience right now, I've just been on the receiving end of the worst part of it. I don't know why I'm unable to help myself tonight. "Akane, you dumb macho chick," I practically spit out at her. "Why do you insist on watching those stupid shows when you know you're gonna be having nightmares after?"

Her shoulders tense, and I can't help suppress a twinge of a feeling of victory.

"The hot water's on the table Ranma," she says, with some effort to remain calm. "And you're welcome, you ungrateful freeloader."

My hands itch to grab her, shake her, do anything that will make her stop attaching insults to every sentence she throws my way. How did we get to this point? The fighting never used to be this bad.

"Wow, 'Kane. You actually know how to boil water now?"

I mentally knee myself in the groin. Baka baka baka ba –

I stop mid-sentence as Akane turns to look at me, and there's something different in her eyes. A certain determination. She's up to something, and I'm instantly on my guard.

"As a matter of fact, Ranma. I do." Then she flashes me a smile that looks ridiculously forced. But I know that it's a sincere smile, and I am floored. I gape at her as she gets the hot water from the table and pours it on me. It's what I call a perfect boil – not scalding hot, but hot enough to let me turn back instantly.

I really am surprised and impressed, and I wonder if she can see the awe and admiration in my eyes as she averts her gaze from mine and shoves a towel in my hands. There's a slight tint on her cheeks. It's at that moment that I make a promise to myself to be nicer to Akane. "Yeah, Akane. What an achievement."

Kuso. Old habits die hard, and sarcasm is quite the ancient bitch. So I'm really not surprised that she's given up on the nice Akane act and glaring at me with every single fibre of her macho being. If looks could kill, I'd be dead thrice over.

I try to placate her, scared of the fists her hands are making, wary of any mallet that might appear. But she just whispers fiercely at me, "You really are a jerk, aren't you, Ranma?"

I deserve that. But I don't know why that hurt so much. Come to think of it, any barb from Akane hurts like hell. "So what if I'm jerk? A lot of people are still crazy about me." I stick out my tongue at her. Yeah, I know it's mature. But it's like a goddamn reflex. "And I wonder what that fact says about you."

She steps up to me and slaps me.

I expected death through malleting, but that didn't hurt at all. I turn to look at her and tease her about the weak, half-hearted slap, but words fail me. Akane's eyes are brimming with tears, and I know she meant that slap, not like her punches or jibes or mallets.

"I don't understand why I even bother, but a lot of people want to be MY fiancée, too, you know." Her tears are falling now, and my hands are itching to wipe them away. But all I can do is just stand there and gape at her and mentally berate myself. "Everyone else but you, Ranma." My eyes follow her as she runs down the corridor away from me, with a hand over her mouth.

I sigh, I really am a baka.

I grab an umbrella from the storage closet and move to follow her out the house. No more mistakes this time.

- a/n -

Edited it a bit. Sorry if the characters are a bit OOC. Owari? Review if you want more.