Recently, I've gotten to many complaints about two things; the title and the cliffhangers. The title means 'gaijin' or 'outsider' in English. The first kanji literally means "outside" while the other kanji means "person". You're technically saying 'outside person'. Weird huh? I thought so too when I was learning Japanese. The second part of the complaints was that I 'am a master of cliffhangers'. Honestly, I had no idea I was doing cliffhangers… I'm still attempting to make the chapters longer (they've risen about 100 words more each time). Anyways I'm done with my temporary rant. ON with the story~!

Disclaimer: I own a $110 armband that I'm just using for three months for college not Ranma ½

Warning: Akane chan is having self-confidence issues thanks to Ranma! Pinkie promise it'll get better!

Ranma had freed his hair from his father's grip, ignoring the glares sent his way and stared at the direction where Akane had disappeared. God he lov—liked her a lot but he hated to be the reason that the reason why her tears were falling from those beautiful brown eyes was because of him.

By the time Akane had shut her door to her bedroom, the tears were already flowing freely down her cheeks. Each time that idiot said something bad about her, it hurt. It hurt so much that it felt like someone was continuously stabbing her in the chest. The stinging in her eyes could not compare to the pain she felt in her heart. Akane fell in front of her door, her hands covering her face, attempting to stop the tears from flowing.

'Stop it Akane, crying won't do you any good.' She thought. But yet with each attempt to make the tears go away, more came to replace them. A small sob escaped her mouth as all the mean things Ranma ever said about her came rushing forth

"Why the hell would anyone want to date a tomboy like you?"

"You're built like a brick, you're thighs are too thick…"

'Shut up." Akane said mentally but the insults of what Ranma said kept coming. It was like Ranma himself was saying these things to her in her room.

"You're so uncute Akane, no one would ever want to date you"

"No guy likes a girl with short hair"

'Shut up!'

"Ukyo is the cute fiancé Akane, you're the uncute fiancé…"

"Your cooking could scare any man off…"

"Your anger could scare any priest away…"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Akane yelled and then jumped at the sound of her own voice. The voices in her mind stopped their insults as well. Slowly, she went to the mirror to go look at herself. She stopped to look in the mirror, a different girl was staring back at her.

'No that's me.' She thought idly.

The girl in the mirror had dishelmed black hair, pieces of it were sticking in different directions. Her eyes were red and puffy, and the tear streaks ran down her flushed cheeks. The girl in the mirror took off her clothes until she was in nothing but her underwear and then turned sideways. Slowly one of the girls' hands drifted down to her thigh to pinch what little fat was there.

'Are my thighs really that thick?' Akane thought as she turned back to face herself in the mirror. If someone else in the room was there to tell the girl guessing her self-image that she was wrong, that she was beautiful and nothing was wrong with her body, she would have not listened to them. All the insults and all the images of Ranma's other fiancés came into her mind.

'I may not have the curves that Shampoo has nor the cooking skills of Ukyo, but I have… What do I have?' Akane looked up, then down and then back up at her reflection and frowned.

'I have a temper. I am not worth even carrying on the Everything Goes School. The only reason why the Saotomes stay is because of the free food and the roof over their head. Perhaps I should ask daddy to cancel the engagement.' Akane mused. But the pang in her heart told her that she would never do that. As much as she hated it, she loved Ranma to much to let him leave.

Akane looked away from the mirror sighed. She went over to her dress, grabbed a pair of silky pajamas and put on the bottoms. 'If Ranma wants to leave, he could've left at any time.' She stilled at the thought and started to work on the buttoned top.

While buttoning the last button on her pajama top, images of Ranma marrying Shampoo and leaving for China to join the Amazons or Ranma leaving with Ukyo to run a big business in Tokyo wrung more tears from her eyes. She paused as a few tears ran from her eyes and landed on her hand. Soon the sprinkle turned into a monsoon of tears.

It was a few hours later before Ranma could even stomach looking into Akane's window. He had heard from his place on top of her roof crying for the past hour or two until fatigue had finally claimed the poor girl. God he hated himself. With each sob that racked her tiny frame, his heart clenched and twisted. He wanted to do something to make her stop, anything to make her stop. He knew damn good and well that he made her cry but never once did she ever show sadness in his teasing.

'It should be called bullying.' Ranma thought.

In all the times he told Akane about how 'bad' she looked, how 'bad' her cooking was, or even when her temper got the best of her, she never showed anything remotely to what he heard coming from her room.

'Does she do this every time I insult her?' Ranma wondered as guilt made his heart even painfully more. It hurt so much that Ranma grabbed his own chest, trying to numb the pain.

Quietly, he pried the window to Akane's bedroom. Once inside, he let his eyes adjust to the dark before looking in the direction of bed. There nestled in the blankets was Akane. Her face as slightly puffy from crying but her face seemed… peaceful. Ranma tip-toed silently toward the bed, praying that he wouldn't be discovered sneaking toward Akane's bed late at night.

'Imagine trying to explain that to Akane AND Dad.' Ranma mused.

Ranma squatted near Akanes face.

'Akane...," Ranma whispered "I'm sorry about today… It's just… You know how I get Akane. I… I like you a lot and I'll try to do better. Pinkie Promise." Slowly he leaned in and kissed
Akane on the forehead. He pulled back and moved some of her hair out of her face and gazed lovingly at the girl in front of him. He stayed that way until he decided it was time to leave. Just like before, Ranma quietly exited the room, leaving not a shred of evidence that he was even there.

By the time morning came for Akane, she had a splitting headache.

"Owwww." Akane said quietly. Akane wondered how she even got a headache when the phone downstairs rang. Stumbling out bed, she quickly dashed downstairs before anyone else could wake up and hear the phone.

Just when the fourth ring was done, Akane picked the phone off its base.

"Moshi Moshi?" Akane asked, slightly out of breath.

"OHAYO AKANE-CHAN!" Sam chirped.

Sam yelling into the phone was NOT helping Akane's headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and fore finger.

"Sam, can you please keep it down. I got a headache this morning." Akane grumbled.

"Gomin, Akane-chan," Sam whispered into the phone speaker "Did you sleep well?"

Akane was about to answer when her mind was bombarded with the previous night. Akane must've not responded for a few minutes because Sam had to ask if she was still on the line.

"Huh, oh no, I didn't sleep well at all."

"Why's that Akane-chan?"

Akane then re-told last night's turn of events, editing out a few things here and there but just enough to get the point across.

"Akane I swear! If I was there, Ranma wouldn't stand a chance!" Sam fumed.

Akane cracked a smile. Sam seemed to have a protective streak in her. A creak in the stairs ad Akane turning around to look at Kasumi, who was up to start breakfast which meant…

"Ano, Sam-chan. I gotta call you back! I'm about to miss my morning run! I'll call you later! Ja ne!"

CLICK

Akane bounded up the stairs, changed into the morning jog attire and raced back down. As she passed Kasumi, she yelled "Hi Kasumi, I'm going to go do my morning run! Be back soon! Bye Kasumi!"

Akane ran down the little pathway before rounding a right, starting her morning jog.

'Today will be a good day.' She thought as she quickly ran her path, completely forgetting last night's events.

And that's a wrap folks! I worked all day on this! It's over 1500 words! Take that writers block! Hope you enjoyed! Come back and see me! :D