Yearning

AN: Here we go! Sorry this chapter took so long, but hopefully the extra length makes it worth the wait!

Without further ado, enjoy!


The screech of twisting metal drowned out all other sound in the room. As Ryoga finished, he calmly handed the katana back to the dumbstruck Nodoka, before turning and leaving the room.

Following behind him, Ranma speaks up. "Not that I ain't happy that ya stopped Mom from trying ta make me commit Seppuku, but why did you tie the katana in a knot?"

Smirking, Ryoga replied, "Well, it's supposed to be the Saotome Honor Blade, right? I just figured that it should reflect your parents' honor: a binding tie, yet twisted beyond all repair."

The pair walked in silence for a moment, before Ranma spoke once more. "Ya didn't have ta get involved, ya know. It was a family thing."

"Family, huh?" Ryoga looked to his rival with a flicker of nervousness and hesitated a moment. Slowly, he pulled a small box out of his pocket before saying-


"Ranma? Are you okay, Ranma?"

Ranma blinked as she came out of the vision, taking a moment to recall where she was. Seeing Ryoga's concerned expression across the table and smelling the delicious food before her, Ranma quickly covered her lapse by saying, "Just surprised how good this place is. Hell, the only way they could probably improve would be by hiring Kasumi!"

"Heh, told you you would like this place!" Ryoga said, looking at her with a happy smile, before going back to his own food.

Ranma followed his lead. She had not been lying about the food, and the fact that he was paying for everything meant she could enjoy the meal without worry.

After their run-in with Nabiki, they had headed to a restaurant to get dinner. However, no sooner had they started eating, than Ranma was hit with another vision. 'I wonder what he was gonna say,' Ranma pondered. 'Not often somebody interrupts themselves.'

As they ate their meal, Ryoga said, "I wonder if Kasumi will get a job as a chef some day. Probably won't be until after her sisters graduate, of course."

"Nah, she's studying ta be a nurse," Ranma replied. "She's borrowing Tofu's books all the time ta study."

"Really? I thought that was just an excuse to go see him," Ryoga said. "I wonder if he'll ever work up the nerve to buy her a ring and make it official."

"Tell, me about it," Ranma said with a grin. "They way those two act around each other, it's obvious ta everyone else. If he didn't already help out so much for free, I'd expect Nabiki would play matchmaker just to get a discount by making him part of the family..." Ranma trailed off and her eyes went wide as she realized something.

'Ring... family... There's no way he would have...' Ranma thought about her last vision as, for the first time in a while, she found she had no appetite. Ranma knew she should be disgusted at the thought, but that feeling was numbed by a sense of shock as several of the previous visions took on a decidedly different light. 'That's impossible! There's no way Ryoga would pick me over Akane, unless there was magic involved,' Ranma tried to convince herself. 'And if there was magic responsible, we'd definitely find some way to undo it before... a kid...'

Noticing that Ryoga was looking at her in concern again, Ranma quickly stood up, declaring, "Toilet! I'll be right back!" With that, the redhead rushed off to get some time to think. After reaching the restroom, Ranma leaned against the sink, staring at her reflection.

"What the Hell are ya doing?" The redhead in mirror asked. "As nice as the free food and fun is, ya know it won't last. Even if Ryoga wasn't being influenced by magic, mom and pop would go ballistic if they found out. Ya learned that in middle school, didn't ya?"

"Yeah, well, it ain't like I'm standing in the rain for three days, this time," Ranma muttered. Ranma knew there were few people in her life she could talk to, and even those few she could never share certain things with. As a result, Ranma had gotten in the habit of talking things out with a mirror when she needed to clear her head. After all, emotional conversations with others were not 'manly'. "I'm just indulging for a day while keeping him outta trouble. He did the same when the whole Koi Rod thing happened, so I'm just returning the favor, that's all. Besides, it wouldn't be an issue if these damn visions weren't showing me that... that..."

"That despite all odds, things work out?" The redhead asked rhetorically. "That you could get married, have a kid, and actually be happy?"

"I don't know that!" Ranma snapped at her reflection. "It was just a guess! Sure, things make sense that way, but... there's no way I could be happy living as some weak girl!"

"And who told you girls had to be weak? Your father? The same guy who thought the Nekoken and Jusenkyo were good ideas?"

"Pops is an idiot, sure but there's also mom ta think about. And even if everything else were perfect, Ryoga's my rival. He's the only person who even comes close ta understanding me, and the only person my age that I respect. I don't wanna lose that even if there were a chance of us becoming... more, some day," Ranma said. Turning to the sink, Ranma eyed the knob for hot water, before instead turning on the cold water and splashing her face. "Besides, as soon as the Love Pill wears off, he'll go back ta hating me, and it'll be business as usual, visions or no."

"I knew it was only a matter of time until those visions showed something valuable, but I never expected this."

"Heh, tell me about it, I-" Ranma started as she dried her face, before suddenly freezing as she realized that at some point, she had stopped talking to herself and started replying to someone else, instead. Spinning to face the door, she saw a familiar brunette leaning against its frame, arms crossed and an amused smirk on her face. "N-Nabiki!? I thought you went home! When did you..." Ranma paled as she realized just how bad this could be. "How... How long have you been there?"

"Long enough that I don't think you want me talking to your mother until we reach an agreement," Nabiki said. "So, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to make the answers interesting enough that I don't think visiting Auntie Nodoka would be a better use of my time, got it?"

Ranma glared at the mercenary-minded girl, but said, "Fine, don't see I've got much of a choice."

"I'm glad you understand the situation," Nabiki said. "Now then, I think most of my questions have already been answered, but... what was that about middle school and standing in the rain for three days?"

Ranma hesitated, but knew she needed to do whatever it took to keep Nabiki quiet. "Well, it was actually only raining for one of the days. If the pig had actually shown up on time, then Pop wouldn't have overreacted."

Nabiki knew there was only one person Ranma called a 'pig', and the pieces started to fall into place. "You're talking about your duel with Ryoga," she stated more than asked. "I've never heard anything about your father 'overreacting', though."

"Well... I may have said some things ta give him the wrong idea," Ranma admitted, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"You putting your foot in your mouth? Shocking," Nabiki deadpanned.

"Well, its just that Ryoga was the only other kid in school that took martial arts seriously, and he was good at it, and his sense of direction made him pretty funny, and... I just wanted him ta pay attention ta me, but everything I tried ta do to make him notice me just made him mad," Ranma explained, before trying to brush it off in annoyance. "Look, it was just some stupid kid stuff, but pop said there was no way I'd wait three days just for a fight, like he didn't think I was taking martial arts that seriously."

Nabiki listened in confusion for a more, before everything finally clicked. "Wait, so you're saying the reason your dad rushed you off to China so suddenly was because he thought you had a crush on a guy? On Ryoga?"

"I never said that!" Ranma protested reflexively, before slumping against the sink. "But, yeah, I guess. He only really got serious about all the manliness stuff after that."

"That... actually makes a lot of sense," Nabiki muttered to herself. After a moment of thought, she said, "Alright, two more questions and I'll let you get back to your date, Saotome."

"It's not a-! Ugh, whatever, let's just get this over with," Ranma grumbled.

"First question, if your father reacted that badly back then, why didn't he say anything when Ryoga showed up here?" Nabiki asked.

Ranma shrugged at that. "No idea. Ya would have ta ask him about that. If I had ta guess, I figure he thinks it ain't an issue now that I know I've got a fiance."

"And that brings me to my last question," Nabiki said, schooling her face into a neutral expression. "Is it an issue?"

"What?" The redhead replied, eyes wide as she was caught completely off guard.

"Look, Saotome, it doesn't take a genius to see that even if something is finally starting to grow between you and my sister, you two aren't happy together," Nabiki said, expression still unreadable. "So, if you did have a chance at happiness, would you take it?"

Ranma lowered her head for a moment, before saying, "It's a matter of family honor."

Nabiki chuckled at that, saying, "You say that like your parents haven't already left it twisted beyond all repair." Turning to leave, she said over her shoulder, "I'll keep quiet for now, Saotome, but I'm sure we'll speak more of this later. In the mean time, I'm sure your date is starting to worry about you."

Unseen by the retreating girl, the redhead stiffened as Nabiki's words brought Ranma's most recent vision to mind. "...Beyond repair, huh?" Ranma muttered, before shaking her head. "Whatever. No point in worrying about it now, just gotta make it through today, and see what comes tomorrow." With renewed determination, Ranma headed back out to enjoy the restaurant's delicious food.


As the pair headed outside after their meal, Ranma noticed the sun nearing the horizon. Relief warred with a sense of disappointment. Although Ranma wanted Ryoga back to normal as soon as possible, part of her had to admit she had enjoyed the day together, aside from interrupting visions and Nabiki's meddling.

"It's almost over, huh?" Ryoga said, drawing her attention.

Ranma looked over her rival, who was also staring towards the setting sun. His expression was neither his typical anger or depression, nor the goofy smile of happiness that occasionally graced his features. Instead, Ryoga had a look of thoughtful seriousness Ranma rarely saw from him. A slight smile spread across Ranma's own face as she thought, 'If he could look this cool more often, perhaps he'd have better luck with girls.' Despite meaning it as a humorous observation, the thought left Ranma feeling slightly... perturbed.

Shaking such thoughts away, Ranma replied to him, "Yeah, in a few minutes, you'll be back ta normal and then we can forget today ever happened."

"What if... what if I don't want to forget?" Ryoga asked. "What if, even after the magic fades, I realize I prefer things this way?"

"Ya won't," Ranma said. "If anything, you'll probably get mad at me for 'taking advantage of ya'."

"I'm serious, Ranma," Ryoga snapped. "If today's showed me anything, it's that we can be more than just rivals!"

"Dammit, Ryoga! This isn't really you!" Ranma cried. "Whatever ya feel right now, it's just from that Amazon Love Pill you swallowed. Just wait a little longer, and it's magic'll run out. You'll see that it ain't real!"

"You keep saying that, Ranma, but is it true?" Ryoga said quietly. "If my feelings for you are just from that pill, than what about before I swallowed it?"

"Huh? What d'ya mean?" Ranma replied in confusion.

Ryoga stared down into the eyes of his rival's shorter cursed form. "When we met in middle school you were the first person to ever beat me in a physical contest. Fighting was almost all I knew, yet I could never best you back then. My pride demanded I challenge you, yet at the same time, you were the first person I ever truly respected. Despite the fact that I was always trying to pick a fight with you, you still were willing to help me get home every day. I was always stronger than other people my age, and most of the kids at school seemed afraid of me. Yet, you never cared about that. you really were my closest friend. Heh, you know, if you had been born a girl, I might have asked you for a date, rather than a fight."

Ranma simply stared at him in shock at the familiar situation. 'Wait, I saw this!' Ranma thought to herself. 'I thought it just meant we were becoming closer friends, but this...'

Ryoga was far from finished, however. "When you left, it wasn't revenge that motivated me at first. That desire only came later, after I got cursed. You were the only person I looked up to, and it felt like you had abandoned me. It was bad enough that I never knew if I would see my parents again whenever they left home; I wasn't about to lose my best friend the same way. So, I tried to catch up to you. I didn't have any overall plan behind my actions, or even any idea what I would say if I did manage to find you. All I knew is that I wanted to fight you again, to talk to you again, just to see you again. You were all I could think about. I knew I was obsessed, but I didn't care."

Ranma couldn't bring herself to interrupt. 'Should I stop him, or let this play out? It was a different vision from the k-kiss, so I may as well let him run out of steam.'

Ryoga sighed, before he continued. "Despite my determination, everything seemed to go wrong. I grew bitter, and with every misfortune, I began to think, 'This never would have happened if I never met Ranma!' I grew angry that you left me behind. Getting cursed was the final straw. I convinced myself that I only chased after you for revenge, and focused solely on traveling and training."

'Why is he telling me this now, though?' Ranma thought. 'The Love Pill has made him get more and more attracted to me over the last 24 hours, so why is he telling me why he hates me, now?'

As if reading her mind, Ryoga went on. "Even then, it was all about you, Ranma. Day and night, for the years I tried to find you, you were always on my mind. When I finally found you, I almost wasn't sure what to do. So I fell back on what we both knew; fighting. But then we broke that water fountain, and you transformed. Seeing that you had a Jusenkyo curse also, and yet such a beautiful one... It that moment when I first saw you in this form, I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill you, or kiss you. But you hadn't even remembered me. It was that more than anything that enraged me. After that... Hell, you were there for most of it."

"Ryoga, what are you-" Ranma started, only to be interrupted by Ryoga grabbing her by the shoulders.

Staring into her eyes, Ryoga declared, "What I'm trying to say is this. I love you, Ranma, and it's something that's been growing for years, not just the past day. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that the magic is altering my memory, that you hate me for saying it and never want to see me again, tell me something to refuse me, because if you don't say something soon..."

Ranma gave a sharp intake of breath as Ryoga's hands slipped from her shoulders to her back, pressing her athletic body against his more muscular form. 'Wait!' Ranma thought in a sudden panic. 'Those were different visions! They were connected!?'

"...I won't give you another chance." Ryoga finished, as he brought his face down to hers, clearly moving in for a kiss.

Ranma brought her hands up to his chest, intending to push him away, thinking, 'He's still under the effects of the Love Pill. I don't want him to kiss me because of that!' Then it hit her. She did not want him to kiss her because of magic... did that mean she wanted it to actually be him? The hesitation gave Ryoga the opportunity to close the distance, however.

And then his lips were on hers.

This was not Ranma's first kiss, even with a guy. So, Ranma could not help but compare it to previous experiences. The kiss from Shampoo had been eager, the girl herself soft in all the right places and just enough muscle on her athletic form. The kiss with Akane was a complete blank, thanks to the Nekoken. The kiss forced on her by Sanzenin was something Ranma would sooner forget, the mere knowledge of who it was that was kissing her making it a scarring experience, even without the grabbing hands and sickly sweet cologne.

In this case, the knowledge of who it was only kept Ranma too stunned to stop it. Like everything else Ryoga did, his kiss was full of passion and determination. The muscles on his chest could be felt clearly beneath his shirt, and Ranma's hands soon found something better to do than push him away, as she realized just how different his form was, even compared to her male form. Ranma had trained for speed, giving a leaner build, while Ryoga's form made clear his emphasis on power.

All this went through Ranma's mind in a moment. As Ryoga's tongue slipped into her mouth, Ranma's hands tightened, gripping his shirt. A moment later, Ranma pushed herself up on her toes, instinctively refusing to let him take the lead, or at least to keep it. A moment after that, Ranma's eyes widened as she realized what she was doing.

And so, as the sun set, Ryoga found his memories of the last day rather fuzzy. As he pulled back from the girl he was kissing he had just enough time to recognized the redhead in his arms before her fist met his face.


AN: There we go! You know, despite how long I've been writing for the pair, I think this is the first Ranma x Ryoga story I've written that has actually gotten to a kissing scene...

Again, I apologize for the wait on this chapter, but life has been quite busy of late. If you want to help me have more time to write, consider supporting me. FFN does not allow direct links, but PM me if you are interested. My fanfiction will always be free, but the less time I'm working, then the more time I'm writing!

Will Ranma and Ryoga really be able to go back to their usual relationship after this? What will Nabiki do with the information she learned? Find out in future chapters of 'Yearning'!