Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or anything associated with it. All rights to Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the other proper entities.

Summary: Sometimes a small shift makes all the difference. This is the world of Ranma ½ if the engagement hadn't been forced on them straight away, and Ranma, Akane, and their assorted suitors and rivals had actually been reasonable. "Against Genma's wishes, Soun had decided to wait and see which one the boy seemed the most suited to before he engaged one of his daughters to him."

Rating: T, for language

Genre: Friendship/Romance

Pairings: Ranma/Akane

A Shift In the Wind

Chapter Two

Later that night, Akane was working on a particularly stubborn math problem for her homework when her sister's gentle knock came at her bedroom door. Grateful for the interruption, she set her pencil down and called out "Come in!"

Kasumi entered, shutting the door behind her. The older girl crossed the room to sit on Akane's bed, and regarded her with a rare look of mild disappointment. Akane immediately cast her mind to try to discover what could have put such an expression on her elder sister's face. Nothing immediately came to mind. "What is it, Kasumi?" She settled for asking. "Is something wrong?"

Her older sister sighed, her expression melting into something sadder. "Yes, little sister. Something is very wrong." Her voice was softer than usual, as though it pained her to speak the words. "Akane, I wanted to tell you…" she trailed off a bit, seeming to search for words. Akane's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to puzzle her sister out before she spoke again. "I wanted to say how disappointed I am in your behaviour tonight."

Akane bristled. "What do you mean, 'my behaviour'?" She demanded curtly. "What did I do?"

Kasumi regarded her with sad eyes. "The way you treated poor Ranma," Kasumi raised her voice slightly to speak over the beginnings of Akane's protest, "was not the way our father's guests should have been treated." Akane settled for a quiet petulance, knowing that her sister wouldn't listen until she'd said her piece. Though Kasumi was the soft-spoken and gentle one of the family, she was also the mother figure, and that compelled an obedience of sorts from her sisters. "He can't help the curse, Akane. You heard the story. His father knocked him into the water. He could have just as easily ended up a dog, or a monkey. Assuming such pools exist in this Jusenkyo place."

Akane snorted. "The pervert probably enjoys his curse."

"I don't think he does, Akane." Kasumi shook her head. "You saw his face when he first introduced himself. I didn't understand why at the time, so I thought it had something to do with being embarrassed about the racket he was making, but he looked absolutely humiliated. He was shouting 'they can't see us like this', remember? I don't think he enjoys being a girl. He's very much a masculine character; I wouldn't be surprised if this curse might make him a bit insecure in his own skin."

"He saw me naked!" Akane protested.

"After you walked in on him." Kasumi reminded her. "Akane, I checked, and the 'occupied' sign was still up when he got out of the bath. Even if Ranma was really a girl, you should have asked if it was okay to share a bath, since he would have been a stranger. I know sharing doesn't bother most people, but some people prefer privacy. You know that."

Akane reeled back in shock. Kasumi was always the one that Akane had counted on to understand her in their household—she had provided Akane with a sympathetic shoulder to lean on more than once in the past few weeks, and had agreed that the behaviour of the boys at school was deplorable. She had thought that Kasumi would agree with her on this, too; but it seemed Kasumi was taking the side of some strange boy over her own sister, and Akane wasn't sure how to feel about that.

She crossed her arms and looked resolutely out the window. "What, so I'm just supposed to accept it? That pervert saw me naked, and I'm supposed to get over it? And he insulted me before he left! I suppose I'm just supposed to forgive him for that, too!"

Kasumi sighed. "I wont pretend that he couldn't have phrased it better, but he was justified in what he said, Akane. You were being a little nasty." Akane felt as if she'd been slapped. Kasumi pressed on. "You saw his face when you offered to be his friend, little sister; he lit up. I was thinking what a pretty smile he had. And with what I've gathered from the conversation with Mr. Saotome, I don't think he's had very many friends in his life. With his curse, it would be even harder to make any. You've offered this poor, probably lonely boy—who has a terrible, socially crippling problem—your friendship, only to take it back when you realised he wasn't actually a girl. Worse, you treated him like some kind of monster."

Akane looked down at her lap, twisting her fingers together. "He didn't tell us. He just let us think he was a girl." Despite her defiant words, she felt shame pool in her belly. She recalled the way the red-haired girl earlier had, like Kasumi said, lit up when Akane had offered her friendship, and the absolute misery on his face while they were explaining the situation before he'd run off. Now that she was thinking clearly, she had a sinking feeling that he'd actually started to say something in the dojo before Kasumi had interrupted.

"We didn't exactly give him a chance to explain, with Father fainting and then you offering to show him the dojo. I think he saw his father talking to ours on his way to the bathroom." Kasumi supplied thoughtfully. "He probably assumed that it would all be explained to us by the time he got out." Kasumi sighed. "Akane, if you're going to be upset at anyone, be upset with Father and Mr. Saotome for not making sure we all knew. If, for instance, they had called me into the family room on my way to show Ranma to the guest room, or on my way back to make dinner, I would have known to make sure that I didn't send you into the bathroom with him."

At this point, Akane was feeling very low, seeing the reason behind her sister's words. Kasumi pressed on, encouraged. "He didn't do anything to you, Akane. Not really. It was very embarrassing, yes, but neither of you was really at fault. I don't really think he deserves to be labeled as a pervert." She paused. "You both lost your temper tonight, but that doesn't make him any worse of a person than it makes you. Do you understand what I'm saying, little sister?"

Akane nodded miserably, feeling absolutely rotten. Her sister was right, as always, and Akane's temper had gotten the better of her again. It wouldn't be the first time she'd made up her mind about someone during an outburst, only to later find that she had been unfair in her assessment. Nor, she supposed with a sinking feeling, was it likely to be the last. "Yes. If—if Mr. Saotome finds him and brings him back, I'll apologise for my behaviour."

Kasumi smiled affectionately. "Good girl." She stood and patted the younger girl's shoulder. "Don't stay up too late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night." Akane responded glumly, returning to her homework feeling utterly miserable.

Genma was back by breakfast time, announcing that he hadn't seen his son anywhere, but that he was sure he'd be back later that day. "The boy always talks about leaving me behind, but he's yet to actually do it. He always comes back." He grumbled, helping himself to more than his fair share of the rice.

Akane felt Kasumi's eyes on her from the opposite end of the table, and she ate quietly. She hadn't slept well, replaying the afternoon in her mind. If anything, she felt worse—if Ranma had gotten lost or sick after a night in the rain, it would be all her fault.

School that day was much the same as ever; Akane arrived fifteen minutes before the first bell, had dealt with her morning attackers, and had been seated at her desk with five minutes to spare. She kept looking out the window at the cloudy skies, watching the rain come and go. Her mood matched the weather perfectly, she thought. Glum. She didn't tell any of her friends why she was so despondent, merely citing her lack of sleep as the cause for her dour mood. By the time the final bell rang the rain had ceased, and she was more than ready to wander down to the market in search of a burger.

She was standing in line at WcDonalds, contemplating the menu, when she caught a flash of red at the edge of her vision. Turning her head, she was just in time to see Ranma, in female form, leap over a fence and wander into a construction site. Hoping she would be able to find him, she bought two meals and clutched the paper bag and cup holder and hurried over to the fence. A quick inspection around the side revealed a gate that she could push open with her shoulder, and she wandered into the construction site.

The place was empty—with the earlier rain, it was far too wet to do any actual work. As such, she was able to spot Ranma quite easily. His red shirt and hair did little to hide him in amongst the grays and browns of the scaffolding, even if he were standing in the shadows. Akane watched him as she approached, throwing punches and kicks at an invisible opponent. She thought it strange—for someone who had supposedly been studying martial arts all his life, he was a bit sloppy.

"What d'you want?" He stopped and demanded, glaring at her.

"I, um…" Akane held up the paper bag and drinks. "I thought you might want something to eat?"

He turned up his nose at her. "No thanks."

Akane wrestled down her temper, knowing that he was probably still smarting over the previous night. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "You dad's been looking for you."

Ranma snorted. "I know. I saw him sneaking around last night."

Akane bit her lip. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday." At his flat, disbelieving stare, she pressed on. "I am. It's just—I don't get along so well with the boys at school. They've been giving me all sorts of trouble since the semester started, and it kind of makes it hard for me to trust new boys. And with your curse, and the bathroom…" her voice failed her as her cheeks flooded.

Ranma had looked away, his own cheeks colouring. "That wasn't my fault."

She wasn't exactly sure which he was referring to; the curse, or the nudity. "I know that. But I was embarrassed, and I don't react so well when I get embarrassed, or when I feel like a boy's trying to be perverted with me."

"What'd they do to you?" Ranma asked, hostility apparently forgotten. "Cause I can tell you, no girl I've ever met acts like you, even if she don't like a guy trying to get fresh with her."

Akane's blush deepened. "It's kind of a long story. Can we sit down and eat? The foods going cold."

Ranma jerked his head toward the interior of the half-completed building. "There's a mostly-finished room in the back. My stuff's in there." Without waiting to see if she were following, he turned on his heel and started walking. Beating down the panic that he was going to try to take advantage of her like the boys in school would if she were alone with them, she followed. After all, it wasn't like he could do too much to her at the moment; he was stuck as a girl, and she didn't see how he could get his hands on any hot water in a building that had no power.

The room was clearly meant to be an office of some description one day; Ranma's pack was tossed in a corner away from the lone window. He wandered over to it and sat down with his back against the wall, looking at her expectantly. Hesitating for a moment, Akane joined him, sitting on his right. Wordlessly, she divvied up the food and offered him half. She almost recoiled at the speed with which he dove into his meal, while she picked at hers almost daintily. "Have you eaten today?" She asked, almost afraid of his table manners.

He paused to swallow before speaking. "Yeah, I got some of the leftover breakfast stuff from the dumpster across the street this morning." He resumed eating with gusto, shoving half a handful of fries in his mouth. It was one of the most disturbing sights Akane had ever seen.

She thought of the dirty WcDonalds dumpster she'd passed on her way across the road to find him. "You ate out of the trash?" She whispered, horrified.

He shrugged, taking a big mouthful of his soda. "Yeah, so? Pop makes me find my own food all the time. That's usually the best place to look, if you get there quick enough after they chuck it so that it don't start to stink like trash."

Akane felt queasy; suddenly, her half-eaten burger didn't look so good anymore. She offered it to him. "You want this? I don't feel so good all of a sudden."

"Thanks." He all but snatched it out of her hands, also accepting the fries she wordlessly offered him. She sipped at her soda silently, staring off into space as she thought about the boy next to her. She surprised herself by feeling pity—actual pity—for him. A boy! Akane hadn't ever thought the day would come when she'd feel bad for a member of the opposite sex, after the way they'd been treating her at school. Studying Ranma more closely than she had the previous night, she noted all manner of small scars and healing abrasions on his visible skin. The thought occurred to her that these had probably all been training accidents of some kind, like the curse. There was a set of puncture wounds near one of his elbows that looked suspiciously like animal teeth. She found she didn't want to contemplate the training methods the boy's father used to train him, if they left scars like that. She recalled the way his father had decked him last night, and cringed; there was a vivid bruise on his jaw.

"Hey!" He waved a small, dainty hand in front of Akane's face. "You in there?"

She gave a start, jumping out of her thoughts. "Sorry, I zoned out. What did you say?"

Ranma had almost finished the second burger, and was now chewing a little slower. "I asked about the guys at school. What'd they do?"

Akane sighed, turning away again. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and began at the beginning. "There's this guy in my sister's class. His name's Kuno. He's convinced I'm in love with him." She sighed again. "No matter how many times I turn him down, he doesn't take the hint. Then one day I got sick of it and beat him up, and he decided that I only wanted to go out with someone who could beat me in a fight." She glanced at Ranma to see him watching her with a frown on his face. It struck her that despite having seen his true face, this was the face she'd been picturing all day when she thought of him. His male face was a blur in her memory, seen through a haze of embarrassment and fury. She kind of wanted to see it again to see if it were as unpleasant as she remembered.

She cleared her throat and gave herself a little mental shake before she averted her eyes and continued. "And then, at the public speaking competition in the second week of the semester, he announced that, and I quote, 'If anyone wishes to date with Akane Tendo, they must first defeat her in combat. I will permit no other terms!'." She spat, in an approximation of Kuno's significantly deeper voice. Miserably, she shrugged. "Every morning for the last four weeks, I get about a dozen guys trying to beat me up at the school gates before class."

"You have got to be kidding me." Ranma's voice was flat. "Those idiots actually believe that?"

She nodded miserably. "Yeah. I beat the crap out of them every morning, but they keep coming back."

Ranma snorted. "If it were me, I'd start putting people in the hospital." He muttered darkly. "No way I'd put up with that shit."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I broke a guy's arm the second day they rushed me. It hasn't helped."

"Dish out some head injuries, then. Though that might not help—it sounds like they're already suffering from at least one each."

Akane couldn't help it; as a girl, Ranma was such a little thing, and his voice was high enough to make the threat sound ridiculous. She giggled, pressing a hand to her mouth. After a few moments, the laughter passed and she was able to speak again. "I guess you'd be starting to know how it feels, huh?" She realised aloud. "Since your cursed body is so cute and all."

Ranma's expression was thunderous. "This one guy decided to cop a feel of my chest last week, before we left China." He muttered darkly. "I don't think he woke up any time soon."

Akane gaped. "You—you didn't…?"

"Kill him? Nah." Ranma waved it off. "I beat the shit out of him, though. He'd probably still be speaking with a high voice."

Akane smiled, feeling better. "So, will you come back to the house?" She asked. "My sister Kasumi is worried." Ranma hesitated; she could feel the indecision from where she sat. "I promise I'll… try to be your friend." She bit her lip. "I dunno that I'll be any good at it, though." She muttered. "I haven't had a male friend since I was like thirteen."

She watched Ranma stare out the window. After a few moments, he licked his fingers to clean them of grease and salt. "Okay." He stood, hefting his pack over his shoulder. Akane scrambled to her feet, collecting their trash to toss out on the way home. "Fresh start?" He offered. "We forget last night ever happened and start from now."

Akane grinned, holding out her hand. Ranma wiped his hand on his pants before he took it, shaking firmly. "Deal." She paused for a second, considering the strong grip he had on her hand. She wondered how strong he actually was. "Hi, I'm Akane. You wanna be friends?"