That night Ranma sat out on the front porch and looked out at the little koi pond. He remembered that pond oh so well. That pond caused him plenty of transforming trouble back in the day, he sighed thinking about it. He thought about the red pig-tailed girl and how it was so weird that she seemed like a completely different person now. He looked down at his lap and found it hard to ever imagine not having that down there. Then he sat up straight and pulled his hands in front of him, he tried as hard as he could. But he couldn't remember what it was like to be a girl, come to think of it when he did change back into a boy from being a girl it seemed like it had never happened at all.

Never again would he know or understand the female mind and body. He put his chin in his hand and smashed his elbow down on his leg, that was the only thing he had going for him with women. He used to be able to understand them and what they think and what they want even when they say every things fine, but that was only when he was also a girl. He heard a dish drop in the kitchen and he knew it was Akane.

She seemed to of not changed one bit, and he sorta liked it. She made him act like his old self again, he smiled remembering when he had made her mad earlier that day. It was like all the horrible things that had happened to him the last 5 years were all a dream. Yes, this is were he liked to be, at the Tendo Dojo, not fighting to stay alive or escape. Suddenly he got real depressed, "Dad, I hope you ended up getting out of there."

"Welcome back," Ryoga said from behind Ranma as he didn't even jump. 'Did he sense I was here? Or is he just not surprised by anything anymore?' Ryoga thought as he sat next to Ranma on the wooden porch over viewing the pond.

"Thanks," Ranma said once Ryoga was sitting next to him. "You know? I never thought I would ever make it back here," he said quietly he knew that Ryoga knew what he was talking about. Ryoga was lucky to of gotten away when he did.

"I don't even understand how you got back here. I thought I was in bad shape but you are way worse, you look like a skeleton," Ryoga said looking at the bony figure of a man that used to be buff and as strong as him. He was only a few more inches taller then what he was in High School and Ryoga felt weird towering over the man at a staggering 6 feet. He had always been a little taller than Ranma now he was almost a whole head!

"Yeah you still look like a wimp, I could take you," Ranma said proudly pointing his nose in the air, he was still the same stubborn son of a bitch. He looked at Ryoga and saw Ryoga giving him the don't joke around look so he dropped it. "Anyways, hows living with Akane? You guys live together alone? I don't see anyone else," he had been wondering where everyone was all day but didn't have the guts to ask Akane just in case it was something sad.

"Eh...well Soun is still here he is just gone for about another day, he went to go help Kasumi with the kids for a couple of days. Kasumi married that crazy baffon doctor, whatever the heck his name is. And Nabiki, well...I think she is in college somewhere," Ryoga laughed wondering where the heck Nabiki actually was.

"I see, and you and Akane still aren't together?" Ranma asked his eyes narrowing but he didn't look at the other man. He didn't want to seem to suspicious.

"No, she's pretty focused on her studies. Plus most of the time she annoys me with her bossiness, and she always wants to be fighting with me about something," Ryoga sighed knowing now that Ranma was back he had no chance. Eh, Ranma was better with her than he was, Ranma was a little immature brat himself. He scoffed then quickly realized what he had done and looked at Ranma hoping he hadn't noticed, but Ranma was looking straight at him with one eye brow cocked.

"She's all yours buddy," Ryoga said quickly standing up and walking back inside before he said or did anything else. He then headed straight back to his room in the gym and decided it would be best to stay there all night. He walked up the stairs and then looked around, "Dammit how do I get outside?"

Akane almost fell off the kitchen counter for a second time after she heard what Ryoga had said to Ranma. She was not bossy nor did she always try to fight with him! She was red now, and what did he mean by she's all Ranma's? She wasn't anyone's besides her own self, she was Akane Tendo owned by no one but Akane Tendo.

"Careful don't fall again," Ranma said arms crossed as he turned his head to look at her up in the kitchen window. "Being sneaky doesn't really befit you," he said as he grinned seeing her bright red face even from 4 feet away and in dim light.

"Ranma seriously?" Akane said to him before she jumped off the counter and went back to cleaning the stove. "Retard, how does he still know everything?" She whispered to herself as she scrubbed at a black spot on the yellow stove.

"Because I'm smarter than you," Ranma laughed from over her shoulder and he felt her twitch underneath him. He ignored the feeling he got and went back to picking on her, "Plus that spot that you are washing is just chipped paint not caked on food."

"RANMA," She screamed and he backed off knowing that if she swung around she would hit his still sore chest. Akane looked him in the eyes, she felt like crying the only thing he had done since he had gotten back was pick on her. "Do you really think I'm bossy?" she finally said.

Ranma sighed and looked down at the floor, "Akane you already know you are bossy, but I think if you were any other way I would like it." It was the truth, Ranma loved the way she acted, he liked the fact that if he got out of line she could smack him back into it.

"Ranma tell me the truth," she said not believing what she was hearing, was he actually being sincere?

"That is the truth Akane, ever since I've been awake this whole day every thing just seems so normal all of a sudden. It's really helped me forget the stuff that was just happening to me 3 weeks ago," he said looking up at her with a genuine look of honesty.

"So you don't mind me picking fights with everything either then?" she asked remembering the other thing Ryoga had said.

"Heh, Akane I do the same exact thing, remember?" Ranma gave a little chuckle, since when had Akane become so insecure about herself? Maybe he should lay off for a while or something.

Akane couldn't hold the tears in any longer and she covered her eyes with her arm and held her head down. "Ranma I'm so glad you are back," she said through the tears, she felt like a big baby.

'Akane,' Ranma thought to himself, what was he suppose to do now? She must have really missed him while he was gone. He began to think back about the night before they had all left and he had gone upstairs to see if she was still awake. He remembered really wanting to ask her one last time if she would come with him. "Akane I'm very happy that you went to bed early that night after graduation," he said as he took a step closer to her.

"Why's that?" she said trying to wipe away her tears, she felt so weak. She hoped that he was going to say something real instead of making a joke.

"Because after I got home that night I went to your room to see if you were still awake so I could convince you to come with us the next day, and I'm really glad that you didn't go now," he said looking down at her trying to catch her gaze but she was staring at her chest. He took his hand and grabbed her chin and lifted her head back so he could see her dark brown eyes, "You've already made me feel like I'm home again."

A/n: yes I know short chapter but I like it ending there...the next chapter should be longer. OH AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!! YAY!