Chapter 10

Eclipse of Time

Nodoka sighed as she looked back over her shoulder at the Tendo residence. She had found Akane, and was ready to wake her, and tell her to come out of hiding, but something had felt wrong. Sure, she was at fault, if Akane hadn't seen her with Ukyo... That was the point though, she was with Ukyo, and Akane was with Ryouga. Akane had no right to run away, to be jealous, and as such, Nodoka had no right to be the one to find her. All the same, she'd done what she had felt was best as she left the Tendo residence behind. Akane was a big girl, she could take care of herself, and Ryouga would find her eventually.

She looked up to the horizon, the sun was already low in the sky, and the moon was coming over the horizon signaling the fall of night. A small smile crept across Nodoka's lips, and she dropped to her knees as tears started to swell in her eyes. She couldn't explain it, but she wanted to laugh so much that it hurt, that it brought tears to her eyes. Only a few chuckles escaped her lips. She continued to laugh in the face of her tears for several minutes before she again looked at the sky, the smile still on her face.

She pushed up to her feet and started walking, there was a place she had to go, someone she had to see. Nothing else would matter, nothing else was important, she'd come to a conclusion, and there was only one person that she could discuss it with right now.

After several minutes of running, she found herself at her destination, and pushed open the door with a forceful determination. "You're on break Uk-chan." She stormed into the restaurant, grabbed the girl by the hand and dragged her upstairs to the living quarters. The girl's father who had been doing better nodded with slight frustration, then went back to the cooking, expertly taking over for his now absent daughter.

When they had reached the room of the chef's daughter, Ukyo broke the silence. "What's so important No-chan, that you'd drag me away from work?"

"Life is one giant joke." She raised her finger to Ukyo's lips to stop her from responding, then continued on, "I've decided, Ranma died in China. I'm not that person, I'll never be that person again, from this day forward I'm going to live my life completely as Nodoka." Again she raised her finger to stop Ukyo from responding before she again continued, "Ryouga and Akane deserve each other, and I won't be a shadow of a person who'd dead. If Akane wants to suffer for it, she's welcome to."

"Do you hear what you're saying? Isn't that a little harsh, especially for you?" Ukyo wouldn't be hushed anymore, she slipped that in before the other girl could even try to keep her quiet.

"I have to be like that." She sighed a bit and looked away from Ukyo. "Or else, I might change my mind."

"If that's what you think is right."

"It's what has to be, for all of our sakes." She took a deep breath then looked up into Ukyo's eyes. "Even you need to change Uk-chan. Ranma's dead, and you were in love with him, not me. You and I are friends, and I know you want more, but for that to happen, we have to start over. We can't rely on the past, the past is for the dead, and I want to live."

"I..." She paused for a moment, then looked away from Nodoka. It was true, she was in love with Ranma, not Nodoka, despite them being the same person. Even then, they weren't the same person, Ranma's personality had changed a bit from when they were kids, and for the first time since she'd met Nodoka, this person seemed mature beyond her years. The effect was obvious, that Nodoka had become someone else, that her very outlook on life was changing. "I understand, but I won't accept just being friends. You're too important to me for that."

"Then get to know me for who I am now, not the person I was."

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Akane stared at the note for several minutes. She'd read it several times already, and then several more times again just to be sure of it. She'd been found, but the person who found her had left her to her sleep, and it was obvious that person had told no one else she was here, or else they'd have barged in to take her back home. The thought made her smile a little. She wasn't ready to go yet, but she wasn't as depressed as before. Still, she was highly confused as she re-read the note one last time.

I know you want to be left to yourself, but just so you know, everyone's really worried about you. I know you're upset, and I kinda think I know why. I didn't mean for you to see me and Ukyo together like that, but you have nothing to be jealous over. You have a wonderful fiance who'd do anything for you, and wonderful friends. Why let a little crush on someone you hardly know ruin your life? It does make me happy that you think so much of me that you'd run away and hide for days because you saw me with someone else, but it also hurts. Look, as far as I'm concerned, we're still friends, and I want you to come back so we can talk about it. And one more thing, don't tell Ryouga I found you, I think he'd be jealous.

Your friend,
Ichijin Nodoka

PS: You're awfully cute when you sleep.

She carefully folded the note then held it to her chest with a slight smile. She did feel better, and despite still being jealous, she felt she could face the world again. She gathered what belongings she had brought, and left the dojo to head back home. It was still late, no one would notice. She just hoped Kasumi would prepare enough food for her to eat in the morning when she surprised them all.

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The morning scene at the Tendo household had been an awkward one, like some sort of twisted Kodak moment. If it were to be described in the manners of a photograph, one would have to picture a zombie-like Akane sitting at the breakfast table, still half asleep, clung to by each member of her family. The reunion was tearful, at least for her eldest sister and father, and even Nabiki had seemed a bit relieved to see her back.

School itself was a different story. The moment Ryouga had seen her sitting at her desk, he dragged her from the classroom and to their usual meeting place. There he held her tightly for several minutes, just savoring her prescense again. The entire situation had made Akane feel a bit uncomfortable, but after a moment, she'd finally been released. She looked at Ryouga, a look of determination on her face, and then she spoke. "Ryouga... I.. I've done a lot of thinking, and I came to realize something."

"What is it Akane?"

"About us, that is to say, our relationship. I... I can't do this anymore Ryouga, I'm in love with someone else."

Ryouga's form went limp as he stared at his beloved for a moment, waiting for the words to come. For several seconds, he found himself at a loss. He had felt it coming from the moment she first spoke, but he didn't want to believe it. He knew the details, without them being spoken, and still he had to hear them for himself. "It's Nodoka, isn't it?"

"I.. I'm sorry Ryouga." She turned from him and ran back to the classroom.

Ryouga dropped to his knees, then slammed his fists into the ground as he broke down in tears. His worst fears had come true. "It's all your fault Ranma..."

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Nodoka sighed as she pushed the door to the school's roof open and stared at Akane. She knew that it had been her note that coaxed Akane to come back to school, and she was certain she knew what it was the girl had wanted to talk about. Still, why was her heart in her throat, why was she so nervous, and why did she want to run away?

Akane looked back at Nodoka, she too was nervous, and felt her heart racing, but contrary to the other girl, she knew why it was her heart felt this way. She'd realized only too late how she had felt, and that made it all the more difficult. "N-Nodoka?"

"What is it? What'd you call me out here for?"

"A-actually..." She fumbled for a moment, she couldn't say it, not now, not what was truly in her heart, it was too sudden. "Uh, th-thanks for the note, it meant a lot to me."

"A-anytime Akane, we're friends right? I'm just glad you came back to school."

Akane smiled then flung her arms around Nodoka to hug her closely, tightly, an embrace she had realized she had long desired. "There was one other thing." She took a deep breath, and mustered every ounce of courage she had. She let go of Nodoka, turned from her and took a few steps towards the edge of the roof. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, and the orange tint painted a perfectly romantic picture. Satisfied with the backdrop, she turned back to face Nodoka and spoke softly. "I... I love you Nodoka."