Arc V: The Breaking Point

Chapter: Revelation

The morning after the dance, Akane woke up and snuggled into her blankets, a wide smile on her face. The previous night had been so wonderful it almost felt like a dream. She never thought she and Ranma would get to the point where they would actually share a kiss! She had always hoped they would and she had dreamed of it often enough, but to actually have happened?! She giggled.

She couldn't help it. She was just so happy. Almost giddy.

She thought over her feelings and came away very happy. She loved the way she felt when he had his arms around her. There were a few times when they were physically close but she remembered them all so clearly, and realized that they fit together almost perfectly. When Ranma had risked his life for her by offering himself to the Orochi, she had splashed him with hot water and he had jumped out of the monster's mouth and caught her in midair. Despite falling from such a height, the moment he held onto her, she felt safe. Then when they finally beat the monster, he had taken a moment to just hold her to his side. Standing there she wanted to put her head on his shoulder and realized how easily it would have rested there.

After the fight over the battle dogi, they had ended up on a park bench together, with her sitting on his lap. It had been surprising how comfortable she felt there and had tentatively asked if they could remain that way for a while. She had wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer to him, but she knew they weren't ready for something like that. More recently she thought of how it had felt to wake up in his arms, even in his girl form, they seem to fit together. While she wasn't attracted to women, it was easy to forget his physical change, because regardless of his body, Ranma was always Ranma. Then when she woke up with him spooning her, it felt wonderful being tucked into him. Their bodies seem to mold to each other so well.

She loved the smell of him, it was always musky and so masculine; a mix of the basic soaps he used combined with the slight scent of perspiration from his almost constant motion. She loved the taste of him. She licked her lips as she realized that she could get very intoxicated with his mouth. She especially loved the way it felt when she rubbed herself against him. Just thinking about it had her tingling in a very private area. It was still a new feeling to her but one she really didn't mind at all.

There was a part of her that was a little worried about what he thought of her. She had reacted so strongly to him that she surprised herself. But she couldn't stop herself, everything he had done had caused so many sensations in her. Sensations she never expected or could have even imagined. She didn't regret her actions for a second, though she wondered if he would think less of her for being so...wanton, for the lack of a better word. She brushed the doubt away and grinned to herself as she remembered his big reaction to her.

No, she thought happily, he didn't seem to mind my actions at all.

She shook her head when she realized that she was acting like a pervert. But she didn't dwell on it because she was just too happy. She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head in embarrassment as her body became warm at the memory, the tingly feeling moved over the rest of her body.

She shot up in bed a second later and frantically looked at her clock.

Shoot!

She jumped out of bed and hurriedly pulled on her running clothes. She had been so lost in her thoughts she had almost forgotten about her morning run and training with Konatsu.

A few minutes later she met up with the kunoichi who was waiting patiently for her. They did their normal run in silence, their breathing and the sound of their feet hitting the pavement creating a soothing rhythmic tune.

After their run they had stopped in the empty lot near her home. They began their cool down stretching. Konatsu congratulated her on her win and began to tell her about his evening. A few minutes later, the blue-haired girl was on the ground, breathless, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Konatsu! You're joking, right?" Akane said, still laughing.

She had never heard anything as funny as what Konatsu did to the Kuno siblings. While it was a bit disturbing, she thought the punishment as fitting their various crimes.

"Nope. I do hope it teaches them a lesson, but I doubt it," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, I won't hold my breath," Akane said a little more soberly.

"So how did your night end?" Konatsu asked.

He had decided not to tell her about his early departure, not wanting to have to explain why Ukyo had been drained of her ki.

"It-it was good!" she squeaked, unprepared for the question.

The kunocihi's eyebrows rose in question when she blushed fiercely at the question and looked away. However, she could not hide the wide grin that stretched across her face, leading him to only one conclusion.

"Exactly how good, was it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a teasing way. His suspicions had been confirmed as she grew even redder. He knew Akane wasn't one to kiss and tell so he added pragmatically, "Well, I hope you two used protection at least."

Her eyes grew wide and she spluttered, "We didn't...it's not what you...it was just a kiss!" She diverted her eyes, knowing that it wasn't just a kiss. She chose not to comment about Ranma's roving hands but she reasoned that it wasn't really a lie and her friend didn't need to know all the details.

Konatsu giggled at her indignation and he had to remind himself that she was not raised as a kunoichi and thus was much more reserved about such things. Though it disappointed him a little that they hadn't sealed the deal, he was happy that they at least ended the night on a kiss. Although with the way she had evaded her eyes he assumed that wasn't the only thing that happened.

"Well, I'm happy for you," he said sincerely. He was going to drop the subject but couldn't resist the chance to tease her a little more and hopefully give her some helpful advice too. With a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, he added, "Although when you do have sex with Ranma I do hope you remember to use protection. Condoms or the pill."

Konatsu gave her a wink and then watched in amusement as she sputtered at him incoherently.

Back at the Tendo dojo, Ranma was going through some complex katas that constituted his daily warm-ups. What would require anyone else's entire concentration and caused them to sweat, he did flawlessly while his mind was miles away. He was glad that these moves were second nature to him because he had never been more unfocused on his martial arts in his life. And for once, didn't care.

Goofy smile spread across his entire face, his thoughts were completely focused on what happened the previous night.

He'd actually kissed Akane! And she'd enjoyed it. More than enjoyed it going by her reaction. His ego had to swell at that. He still couldn't quite believe that she had kissed him back and so enthusiastically. He had thought a lot about kissing her, especially after the neko-ken incident, and he always thought it would be sweet and innocent. He never thought they would get so carried away so quickly.

Though when he thought it over, the fireworks that always existed between them - the ones that caused their arguments to be so heated - would definitely affect them in other ways. But he never knew before what that could mean, being inexperienced with what really went on between men and women. He wasn't stupid, he knew about sex and kissing but never having experienced either, so how was he to know that those fireworks meant passion? Now that he did, he couldn't be happier.

He let his mind wander into other things that the two might have done had they not stopped.

He didn't regret putting a halt to their activities last night. Not really. He knew it was the right thing to do. Would he have liked to have experienced more? Definitely. He'd love to have trailed some kisses down her neck. And, after feeling her breast in his hand, he was naturally curious to how her bottom would feel in the same hand. Or both hands.

Okay, so maybe he regretted it a little. But ultimately he had done the right thing.

Only slightly sweaty and breathing just a bit heavier, more from his thoughts than physical exertion, he decided he had enough for the morning and walked towards the house. He wanted to take a bath before Akane got back from her run and wanted to take some time today getting dressed to look nice for her. He thought that maybe using the cold water to clean off would be a good idea. His thoughts had run away from him and he needed to cool down.

Ranma walked through the house into the antechamber of the furo and stripped off automatically. He threw a clean towel over his shoulder and slid the door open. He walked in, closing the door behind him. He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened in shock.

Akane had just stood up from the bath and he noticed that her eyes had widened too. As much as he knew his eyes should stay on her face, they drifted down of their own accord.

Her creamy skin was glistening from the water and his eyes roamed her body, taking in her slender neck, down to her shoulders as they focused on her breasts. He thought vaguely that her breasts had grown since the last he saw them in the bath. His eyes locked on one particular water drop that had begun to trail down the valley of her chest and he watched as it crept slowly down her body, growing larger as it went. His eyes followed it as it went down her slender waist, sliding right around her belly button. When it disappeared into a small patch of dark hair, he gulped as he felt his body react to the sight.

His eyes flew back up to her face, knowing that this time, he was going to get pounded for being a pervert, and thinking he deserved it. But he was surprised to see that her eyes, while still wide, were definitely no longer focused on his face.

Flustered by Konatsu's comments, Akane had done horribly during their training that morning. The kunoichi had been able to find her quickly during their game of hide and seek and she had barely hit her targets when working with her kunai. Clearly unable to concentrate on her training, she went home early.

She headed straight for the bath, wanting to shower and come down before breakfast, hoping to be able to spend time with Ranma before he had to go work that day. She went quickly through her routine and was just stepping out of the bath when she heard the door slide open. Her head flew up to see Ranma coming in, sliding the door behind him. Completely naked.

When he looked up and her gaze locked on his, she saw the shock on his face and she knew immediately that he had not known she was in there. Then she watched as his eyes started to trail down her body. Her first reaction was one of anger, but when her own eyes had started their own decent down his body, she forgot about any indignation she felt.

She loved his broad shoulders, his defined chest, the way his stomach muscles were outlined, and wondered how they would feel under her fingers. Her eyes had gone lower and she stared completely fascinated by what hung between his legs. She had seen him naked before but that time she had been too surprised and shocked to really catalogue what she was seeing. With their activities the night before and the comments from Konatsu, she found herself riveted to the sight.

When he started to grow before her eyes, there was no way for her to look away. Not that she tried very hard, or at all. She watched until he was standing full and proud at attention. She gulped at the sheer size of him and unconsciously licked her lips, she squeezed her thighs together as she felt her body react to the sight. She finally snapped out of her daze when she saw it twitch. Her eyes flew up to his face and she saw that he was beet red.

This was it. He was going to die. She was going to kill him. There was no way she could have missed his reaction to her. It didn't help his reaction that her nipples had grown hard. Nor the way she licked her lips seductively. It would probably help his cause if he could take his eyes off of her, but if he was going to die, he wanted to enjoy the sight for a few moments more. It would totally be worth it.

"I'm...I'm sorry! I didn't...the sign..." Ranma finally stammered out.

His eyes darting over her body again, taking in her slim, toned legs. He watched as she bent down and picked her towel off the edge of the tub and quickly wrapped it around herself. She walked towards him and he noticed that her face was probably as bright as his was and the color had spread to her chest. He braced himself for the hit that was sure to come but was surprised when she walked right past him.

"It's okay, I-I understand. Just...check next time," she said from behind him. He breathed out a sigh of relief, surprised but happy that she had not reacted badly to the situation.

He completely missed her gaze lingering on his butt before she walked out of the room.

He went towards the scrubbing stool and looking down at himself and decided that yes, he was definitely going to need some cold water.

Breakfast that morning would have been a little awkward for Ranma and Akane. After the kiss, both had been unsure of how to interact with the other after such a large shift in their relationship. But after the incident in the bathroom, the pair could barely look at each other. When they came face to face upon entering the room, they stopped in their tracks and their eyes became wide as a flush settled over their faces. They looked away from each other and rushed to their respective places. They both wanted to sit close to each other but neither was daring enough to breech the small gap between them. Instead, they sat stiffly, their faces titled downwards as they stole peeks at each out of the corners of their eyes. They tried to calm their nerves and their flushes as the rest of the family filed in.

The rest of the family, well the women, could not fail to notice their strange behavior but for once they decided to leave the couple alone. Nodoka had presumed from the blushes - and the distinct lack of yelling and stiff postures - that something must have happened last night and while she was curious, she wasn't going to push either of them. She was also patting herself on the back for having a hand in pushing them together. Nabiki had left shortly after their dance and assumed they were embarrassed at having danced so close to each other. In public no less. She scoffed at their perceived shyness and felt it best to not goad them, knowing from experience that it only brought about denials. Kasumi had no clue what happened and was just happy they were only being awkward with each other and had not reverted to their past behavior that included property damage. The fathers ate oblivious as ever, Soun missing all interaction hidden behind his newspaper and Genma's focus solely on his food.

After breakfast the family scattered to do their various activities, leaving the two teens together. Ranma was the first to break the silence.

"Ummm...so what are you doing today?"

"I don't have any plans and I'll have to do homework at some point," she replied not really looking him in the eye. "How about you? Are you going to work today?"

"Yeah, in fact, I've got to go soon to help Mousse get ready for the day."

Akane's head dropped a little as disappointment washed through her. She had so wanted to spend some time with him today but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Worse, the little time they had together had been awkward. She sighed to herself.

Ranma, too, was disappointed and said before thinking, "Well, when I come back do you want to...?"

Akane looked up expectedly, a small smile on her face.

Ranma froze. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just knew he wanted to spend time together but didn't think about how to do it. He wracked his brain before blurting out, "Help me with my homework?"

Akane raised her eyebrow and looked at him oddly. This was probably the first time since she met Ranma that he had volunteered to do homework. She thought that maybe he had just wanted to spend time with her and blushed at the idea.

"Yeah, okay," she said softly.

Ranma gave her a grin and took off for the Neko Hanten. Later that evening, he came home tired and smelling like sweat and food. After taking a quick bath he pulled on his typical black pants and cotton tank top before he gathered his books and headed towards Akane's room, when he reached the door he found it already open. Akane was sitting on her bed reading a magazine, her school books stacked on the table, ready for their study session.

Ranma took a moment to look at her and smiled at the sight. She was lying on her side, her head propped on her right hand as she flipped the magazine with her left. She looked so cute lying there in a tank top and short skirt. He took a moment to enjoy the way the skirt showed off her shapely long legs. The way the tank top showed off her breasts and how wonderful her cleavage looked pressed together. He was about to knock on the door jamb when she grabbed her magazine and dropped on her back bringing the magazine over her face. She brought her legs up at an angle and he watched as her skirt slowly fell down her thighs, and as it settled, the skirt barely covered her bottom. From his angle at the door, he caught a glimpse of her underwear. He realized he had been utterly wrong before and blue-polka dotted panties suited her just fine. Ranma gulped and closed his eyes. Akane lying on her back on her bed was too close to the other images that had been running through his mind all day.

He had always had some daydreams of girls - he was a teenage boy after all - but lately it seemed he lacked control of when the images hit him and his reaction to those thoughts. When he first got to Nerima he had the occasional thoughts of Akane. While he denied it, he couldn't help but notice how cute she was. So naturally he had imagined what it would be like to kiss her.

Shampoo had occasionally starred in some of his thoughts, especially after she had stripped down in front of him. The dreams of her often occurred after one of the many times she showed up in his bath or in his bed, but what teenage boy wouldn't have those types of dreams after being exposed to a body like that? Shampoo was one of those girls that was built to make a guy think of sex, she was all curves. He remembered how his heart had beat so fast in his chest when he was trying to save her from Mamolin by giving her a kiss. He knew though, that his physical reaction had to do more with the act - it being his first kiss - than who the act was with. As he got to know her better he realized that all Shampoo was was a pretty face and hot body. While he was attracted to her physically he didn't like the person underneath.

He'd even had the stray thought of Kodachi; it was hard to not notice her body in the skimpy leotard. Especially when she bounced around everywhere, and he wasn't thinking about the way she ran. But while she was also physically attractive, she kind of frightened him with her psychotic behavior.

The only girl he never really dreamed about was Ukyo, partly because she was often dressed like a boy but mainly because although she was cute, he still thought of her more as a boy than a girl. His childhood memories of his friend overshadowed everything else.

As time passed and he got to know all the girls better, his thoughts had centered more and more on Akane. At first he thought it was simply because he was around her more than any of the other girls. But as he slowly - very slowly - began to acknowledge his feelings for her (at least to himself) he realized his desire for her increased with his love for her. While he still looked at other girls in passing, none of them affected him the way she did.

When his mother had found him dressed in the sailor fuku (thanks to Happosai), he was shocked that Akane had agreed to allow him to peep on her to help prove his manliness. He didn't really understand his mother's logic in thinking peeping proved him manly but he was not only willing to go along with the plan to save himself from seppuku, but also because he could not believe his luck at essentially being given permission to look at Akane. Naked!

When she tricked him by wearing a bathing suit in the furo, he did not have to feign his disappointed because it was very real. He had never spent a more restless night in his life as that night, his mind conjuring its own images of what he missed. When he finally was able to fall asleep, his dreams were sexually charged and starred his blue-haired fiancée. After that day he found himself thinking about and looking at her body more often but he was still able to reign in his thoughts, lest he become the pervert she had accused him of being.

However, after the kiss last night he could do nothing today but think about her. And that was before the bathroom incident. After that, his mind had started to imagine all the things that they could have done against the front door the previous night. Or in the hot steamy water of the furo this morning. Or on the breakfast table after everyone had finally left them alone.

His imagination was only spurred on and further inspired by knowing exactly what she looked like naked and dripping wet. Plus with all the new sensations he had discovered the previous night, his thoughts had run amuck. So much so that he had almost spilled several bowls of noodles from being thoroughly distracted. He was sure that Akane wouldn't have halted their activities had he not stopped them first. The thought made him happy that she had become so wrapped up in what they were doing, that she trusted him enough to let go of her inhibitions.

But part of him wondered if he deserved her. The insecurities he had when he thought she preferred Sota, or even Shinnosuke, to him resurfaced. There really wasn't much he could offer her other than himself and while he may act confident, he had doubts like everyone else. The only area in his life where he was really sure of himself was in his martial arts and even that had taken a hit during his fight with Saffron. He had been so close to losing her, to letting her...die.

No, he probably didn't deserve her but it didn't matter, as he didn't think he could live without her. Twice in Jusendo he had thought that she had died and for a few moments the thought of life without her was too painful to bear. So, knowing he couldn't stay away from her, he would just have to try to do his best to be the man she deserved.

Finally shaking himself from his winding thoughts, Ranma knocked on the door and was greeted by Akane sitting up on her bed, giving him a wide smile.

"Yo," he said more calmly than he felt.

"Hi! Did you just get back?"

"No, I came back a little while ago, I just needed a bath first." Feeling slightly awkward, he waved his books in the air. "You ready to study?"

"Sure."

Akane inched herself off the bed and Ranma tried not to stare at her legs as the action caused her skirt to hike up even more. He turned his gaze and headed to her desk quickly. She soon joined him and sat down, leaving more space between them than necessary. He realized that she must still be feeling a little awkward from this morning.

They worked for a while and Ranma looked at her out of the corner of his eyes again, realizing that she wasn't going to bring up their encounter in the bathroom and was thankful for it. He didn't want to talk about it, but he would think about it. A lot. When he was alone.

For her part, Akane had decided to push it out of her mind. It had obviously been an accident and he had meant no harm. Part of her felt upset at being caught naked by him, again, but mainly she was embarrassed at having stared at him for so long. But she was not going to be sorry about it. Or ever forget the image of him standing there in his excited state.

Ranma had an amazing physique, every single part of his body was defined. With how active he was, she wasn't surprised. It just wasn't something she thought much about, only because he tended to wear very loose fitting shirts, which hid his form well. Too well in her opinion. Now that she had seen him in all his glory, she knew exactly what she had been missing out on. She had, of course, seen glimpses of his body when he walked around in his cotton ribbed tank tops but that only showed off his strong, muscular arms and wide shoulders. It did nothing for the eight-pack abs she now knew dwelled beneath his clothing. Or the tight ass that was hidden beneath his baggy pants.

She had spent a better part of the day getting lost in thinking about what she saw, the thoughts creeping up on her when she least expected it. Glancing at him while she was pretending to think over a problem, her mind had begun to wander again and she had to force her gaze back to her book. She was beginning to think that she was turning into a pervert. Maybe she had picked it up from one of the boys she had beat up, she thought sarcastically. But the idea of catching anything from those idiots made her feel slightly nauseous and she was able to focus on her assignment.

As they worked they began to move closer together until their sides were grazing each other. Wanting to be even closer to her, Ranma had pulled out his math homework and pretended he needed help figuring out the equations, which forced her to lean in and share his book.

"Does that make sense?" she asked after explaining a problem to him.

"Yeah," he answered.

He wondered why she was looking at him expectantly and finally realized that she wanted to see him do the problem. He looked down at his page anxiously, he had been so busy looking at her, he hadn't been listening to what she was actually saying. He was relieved to see that it was a problem he understood and solved it quickly.

Akane leaned over to check his work and was happy that he had got it right. She tilted her face towards him and graced him with a smile.

"Perfect! You picked that up pretty easily."

It was then that she realized how close their faces were and that he had a look in his eyes that she had only seen once before. She unconsciously bit her lip in anticipation.

"Well, I had a good teacher," he said in a low husky tone that caused a shiver to run up her spine.

Ranma's gaze dropped down to her mouth and he watched as she continued to bit her lip, a slight blush forming over the bridge of her nose.

"But you're the one who did the work," she said softly.

"Ummm...then maybe...maybe I deserve a reward?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, what were you thinking of?" she asked, her eyes darting to his lips as she leaned closer to him.

"I was thinking of..."

Ranma didn't finish the statement and instead leaned in to gently place his lips on hers. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her soft lips on his. Akane's eyes closed right before his lips reached hers and she sighed as a tingling sensation spread through her body at the feather light touch.

When he pulled back Akane opened her eyes and smiled at him before shyly looking down at her paper and tucking her hair behind her ear. Another goofy smile spread across his face, Ranma went back to finishing the rest of the assignment.

A little while later, they had both finished their homework. They closed their books and sat there awkwardly, wondering how to stretch out their time. Neither having dated before - neither counted dates that they went on as a part of schemes, revenge, or blackmail as real dating - this was all unchartered territory for them and they were unsure of how to act.

"Well, I guess I'd better go to bed," Ranma said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I guess," Akane replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Ranma stood up and gathered his things in one hand and headed towards the door. He paused when he reached it and turned around to find that she had followed him and was standing right in front of him. He took a small step forward.

"Thanks for all the help."

"Anytime."

The pig-tailed boy reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before leaning in and giving her another kiss. While Ranma was still unsure of himself, initiating kisses with his fiancée was less daunting now that he knew she enjoyed them. For her part, Akane - who enjoyed their activities immensely and was happy to repeat the process as often as he liked - stepped into the kiss and put her hands on his chest as she moved her mouth against his.

This kiss was different than the one they shared the previous night. While their first kiss was frenzied from years of unreleased tension, this one was more exploratory. Their lips moved together softly before Ranma used his tongue to run along the seam of her mouth. She opened up for him. Their tongues danced together in a slow easy rhythm. Each enjoyed the feeling of being together and learning about the pleasure that a kiss could bring. This time it was Akane who stopped, but she didn't pull away. She stepped even closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as he brought his arms around her in a firm embrace. He still gripped his books firmly in one hand so he wouldn't give into the temptation to change their kiss into something more. They stayed that way for a moment before they separated.

"'Night, 'Kane."

"Good night, Ranma."

She closed the door behind him and then flopped on her bed, smiling at the ceiling. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. She took a moment to just soak in the feeling before gathering her things and getting ready for bed.

Ranma whistled as he walked out for lunch, ignoring the knowing looks and whispers that followed him. While they had kept quiet about the progression of their relationship to everyone, the students of Furinkan couldn't help but notice a change in their most notorious couple. The first being that neither of them objected to being called a couple any longer. The second being that they had been so different since the dance. They no longer fought, they bickered plenty, but it definitely lacked the animosity it previously held and now had a teasing element to it. If it were any other couple, the students would have called it flirting. No one could miss the smiles plastered on either of their faces or the looks they sent each other during class.

For once the pig-tailed boy didn't care what people thought or were saying about him because it had been the best week of his life. He smiled as he thought of all the nights he and Akane had spent "studying" in her room. He would have been perfectly happy to have ignored his homework and spend time just hanging out with her, but his fiancée was too diligent a student to ignore her work. So they had worked on their assignments every night, which shocked all of his teachers as he turned in every assignment and had done them correctly (they were all surprised at the quality of his work).

What they didn't know was that he was compensated rather handsomely by Akane. She had kept up the reward system he initiated the first night but with some changes. She only kissed him after he completed an entire assignment. At first he would rush through them in his eagerness for a kiss but when he realized that she would have him correct his mistakes, he had spent a little more time on his work. When she was finally satisfied with one assignment, they would take a "break" before starting another. After their assignments were completely done, she would often reward him with more kisses

On the second night, things began to heat up, and after some hesitation, he lifted her until she was sitting on his lap. Perched on his lap she was able to wrap her arms around his neck, as she played with his hair. Or ran her hands up and down his arms before gripping his shoulders tightly. From that position, he let one of his hands explore her body. As he gained courage, he would slowly let his hands roam under her shirt before he enveloped her large mounds in his hands, massaging her gently over her bra. The action always caused her to grind her bottom enticingly on his lap, rubbing against his excitement.

On the third night he was surprised when he came into her room to find her wearing the cutest, shortest pair of sleep shorts he had ever seen paired with a simple cotton tee. He loved her new pajamas because not only did she look adorable, but sexy as hell. After such positive responses from her, he became more sure of himself and when they finished their homework, he pulled her onto his lap before their books were closed. His appreciation for her new clothing only increased as he realized it allowed his hands to roam all over her legs, feeling all the soft silky skin in the process. When his hands found themselves up her shirt, he was surprised to find no barrier between him and her full, firm breasts. He had pulled back slightly giving her a surprised, questioning look. She had only responded by blushing furiously and pushing herself further into his hand before grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him fiercely.

They had not done much more than that but Ranma was still insanely pleased. He was finally able to touch her when he pleased, whether it was a simple affectionate caress across her cheek or something more passionate. But what truly made him happy was that she was so receptive to him. Not, only receptive but encouraging. By unspoken agreement they avoided her bed, not trusting themselves to stop before things went too far. The intensity of their first kiss lingered in both their minds and the more time he spent with her, they knew it would only get harder to pull back given the temptation.

But it was more than just the making out that he enjoyed; it was the little things they shared as they grew closer. She seemed to drop her guard around him when they were alone; he had heard her laugh more this last week than in the two years since he met her. There was the casual way they touched each other that they would have never dreamed to do before they kissed. When everyone had assumed they had gone to bed, they would sneak onto the roof and just talk. He shared with her stories from his travels with his father and she shared with him stories of her life at home. He didn't regret his childhood, as he knew it was what made him the martial artist he was now, but he envied her stable home life and the fact that her childhood friends were always there for her, always supportive of her. While his childhood friends all seemed to want to kill him at some point, or at least enact some sort of revenge.

It was as if he had jinxed himself with those thoughts. Just as he was reaching the tree he was going to meet Akane at - she had stayed behind to discuss something with their teacher - his danger senses tingled and he jumped back just before the ground he was standing on exploded.

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"

The pig-tailed boy looked on passively as a heavy, red umbrella was pointed at his face by a fanged boy clad in yellow, wearing his trademark bandana. Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Geez, pork-butt. What the hell'd I do to ya now?" Ranma shouted in irritation.

Ranma was surprised when Ryoga just dropped his umbrella and smiled at him before shrugging.

"Nothing. But just walking up to you and saying 'Hey, Ranma!' felt really wrong."

Ranma laughed as he realized how true those words were. Despite the frequency of which Ryoga attacked him and wished him harm, the pig-tailed boy had always considered him a friend. Their fights had only been really contentious when it involved a specific blue-haired girl. While it bothered him that Ryoga was so enamored with his fiancée, Ranma couldn't fault his taste, only his persistence.

He did blame Ryoga for using his curse to get close to Akane. It always pissed Ranma off that his curse had caused so many problems between him and his fiancée but Ryoga used his cursed form to get closer to her and often used it to cause a fight between the pair.

But he sensed a change in Ryoga after Jusendo. When he showed up at the wedding he had seemed wholly focused on the nannichuan and had not mentioned the wedding at all. With Ryoga's absence in Nerima, Ranma had hoped that meant that he had finally given up on Akane, and with the greeting he got, it seemed like a good possibility. But he couldn't ignore the idea that Ryoga had merely been lost and wandering around this entire time. His next question was designed to test that theory.

"So, where ya been, man? Did ya get lost again?" he asked casually.

"Shut up, Ranma!" Ryoga shouted, his face turning red in irritation, a sure sign that he had been lost. The fanged boy then lowered his head and mumbled something as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Whadya say?"

"I said that I was staying at Akari's farm. I was helping her out when I got lost this morning, alright?" he screamed back in embarrassment. Ryoga hated his curse, but worse he hated being reminded of it. Especially by Ranma.

Ranma chuckled and shook his head at the expected response but he latched on to one comment that pleased him.

"Sooooooo, Akari, huh?" he queried with a raised eyebrow.

The pig-tailed boy watched as a blush formed on his friend's face.

"Yeah. I've been staying there since...for a while now. I help out with the farm work."

Ryoga wanted to avoid thinking of the wedding. While he had finally accepted Akane's lack of feelings for him and abundance of feelings for Ranma, it still hurt him.

"And how are things with Akari?"

"Good," he replied with a faraway look on his face.

"Does that mean you've given up on...?"

"Yeah." Ryoga looked him in the eye and added, "I never had a chance with her. I realized...a lot after Jusendo. I won't interfere again." Ryoga looked at the ground and added in a softer voice, "This isn't the first time I've been in Nerima since the wedding. But as soon as I figure out where I am, I leave right away."

Ranma smiled at that, relieved that he would no longer have to deal with Ryoga's crush on his Akane but his forehead furrowed as an obvious question came to mind.

"How'd you manage to leave without getting lost or someone finding you?" When Ryoga only mumbled something and looked at the sky, Ranma asked, "What was that?"

"Damn you, Ranma! I said I just tried my hardest to focus on finding the Tendo dojo and the next thing I knew I would find myself in Nagasaki or Sapporo! You happy now?" Ryoga shouted as a vein popped in his forehead.

He had gotten lost several times since the wedding and had often found himself in Nerima, which would have made him happy had he actually been looking for Ranma and Akane. But his directional curse seemed to want to keep him from his goal, both in avoiding a place or finding it. That is when he had what he thought was a stroke of genius. If he really wanted to try to find Akane, he would undoubtedly get lost. So he put an image of the beautiful blue- haired girl in his mind and focused as hard as he could and started walking and sure enough, it worked, he was out of town before he knew it.

Ranma suppressed his laughter. Just barely. He coughed to cover it up and then asked, "So, you need some help getting back?"

"Yeah, if you can get me to the train station, that'd be good," he said sheepishly.

"Sure man! I'll take you right now, don't want you running off while I'm in class. But since you're here, how about a spar? It's been a while since I've had a challenge." Ranma paused for a second before adding, "Not that you were ever really a challenge."

The last part was meant to goad Ryoga into a fight and Ranma was rewarded when his friend reacted predictably and lunged for him.

Akane had spent more time than she thought talking to her teacher with the result that her lunch period was half gone by the time she was done. She walked as quickly as she could to meet Ranma for lunch and began to run when she heard the tale-tell signs of a fight, which she could only assume included her fiancé. She ran up to see Ryoga and Ranma going at it and rolled her eyes. She could never understand why those two were always fighting. Sure they had a history with that ridiculous bread feud but there seemed to be more to it than that. She just could never figure out what it was.

But as she walked closer she noticed that the pair seemed to be having...fun. They were taunting each other but were laughing too. She smiled as she hoped that they had finally gotten over their differences. She found a familiar figure sitting on the grass near her and walked over to sit next to Taro, who she assumed was waiting for Nabiki.

"How long have they been at this?" Akane asked.

"I dunno, about ten minutes." Taro said. "It's not as fun as I thought it'd be. They seem to be taking it easy on each other."

"Well, I'm glad. They fight too much as it is."

Taro didn't respond and only rolled his eyes at Akane, she may be a martial artist but she was such a girl sometimes.

"I wonder what Ryoga's doing here? He probably got lost again," she added with some sympathy. She always felt bad for Ryoga, thinking he probably lead a very lonely life.

"I have no clue but...damn did you see that? Little piggy's been slacking off. You boyfriend could have really hurt him with that last punch."

"Not really."

Taro raised his eyebrow at the comment, surprised she would say something insulting about Ranma since she had been so defensive about him before. Seeing the look, Akane rolled her eyes when she understood how the comment could have been taken.

"What I mean is that Ryoga is tough. He went through the Bakusai Tenketsu training, where he literally got hit with boulders. It'll take a lot for him to be seriously hurt." She sat and watched as something Taro said finally processed in her mind. Looking over at Taro again, she asked, "What is it with you and Ranma? Why are you guys always calling him pig related nicknames?"

"I thought that much was obvious." When Akane just looked at him in confusion, he added slowly as if he were talking to a small child, "It's because of his curse." Taro, who was exceedingly proud of his alternate form laughed derisively at the thought. "It's got to be the weakest curse ever. Ranma turns into a girl but at least he can still fight. Shampoo turns into a cat but she has claws she can use to defend herself in that form. Even duck-boy has wings he can use to fly away from danger or I guess he could even peck his opponents to death. But how the hell does a small pot-bellied pig defend itself? I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been eaten by someone yet!" he shouted, laughing at the idea and not realizing how close he was to the truth. He went back to watching the fight amusedly and not noticing his companion stand up and leave.

The pig-tailed boy was having fun. It really had been a long time since he was able to fight almost at full power. He didn't want to hurt Ryoga so he still had to pull back but he knew from experience that Ryoga was tough and could take a hit.

He had leapt into the air, aiming a kick at Ryoga when all of a sudden he was a soaking wet redhead. His opponent's body, no longer in the same place it was a moment ago, having shrunken over five feet, he overshot and stumbled on landing. The water caused him to slip and slide, crashing head first into a nearby wall and knocking him out.

Ranma blinked his eyes open a few moments later. The feeling of hot water over his head shook him out of his forced slumber. He sat up and noticed a naked Ryoga shaking his head next to him. Ranma looked up and saw Taro standing over them, an empty thermos in his hands.

"What the hell, Taro? Why'd you splash us in the middle of our fight?" Ranma shouted, putting a hand to his stinging head.

"Well, you're welcome, you ungrateful jackass! That's the last time I use my hot water to help you out!"

"It's the least you can do since you splashed us in the first place!"

"I didn't splash you! Akane did! Why the hell would I want to stop your lame ass fight?"

Ranma was about to respond in defense of his fight when he began to process what Taro said and his eyes widened. Akane had splashed him? He looked over at Ryoga and realized he was naked.

No...no!

That meant that she saw him, no them transform. She knew. She finally found out.

A/N: I know that the Ryoga/P-Chan issue has been done to death in other stories, so I hope you guys bear with me. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest obstacles that needs to be addressed in Ranma and Akane's relationship.

Big thank you to alwaysZutarian who did an amazing job reviewing the chapter and even came up with the arc title!

Original Publication Date: November 19, 2014

Revised: June 9, 2015