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                     Ranma's Apartment
                      by Chris Jones
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	Ranma glared around at the destruction that
surrounded him. He was *trying* to get ready for his class,
but now that was completely out of the question.
	Having forgotten about him for a brief second, Ukyou
and Shampoo were wrestling. They had rolled over near the
dojo, and were kicking up an inordinate amount of dust.
His father was unconscious, in panda form, lying half on,
half off of the steps.
	Ryouga, P-chan rather, was just crawling out of the
koi-pond, but he still had vengeance in his eyes, and was
about to leap for Ranma.
	"DON'T PICK ON P-CHAN, BAKA!"
	Ranma spun around, but couldn't avoid Akane's frying
pan. He fell to the ground half dazed, but his eyes cleared
as Akane was picking a broadly grinning piglet up off of
one of the large rocks near the pond.
	"I wasn't pickin' on the pig, Akane. He attacked
*me*."
	"Oh, I'm so sure. I know you like to beat him all
the time."
	"Akane I ain't gonna--"
	"Aiyah! Violent girl no harrass husband!"
	"That's right, Honey! You want to bully Ran-chan,
you're gonna have to go through me!" Shampoo and Ukyou had
both momentarily forgotten their fight to gang up on
Akane. Ranma stood up to protest, but was roughly shoved
aside by a blue blur.
	"Akane, take the advice of these two serving-women
and leave Saotome's foul embrace for the tender mercies
that only I can provide." Tatewake Kunou posed with his
back to Ranma. "Even then, I shall struggle endlessly to
also free the fair pigtailed girl from his dark clutches."
	"Serving-women?!?!" Ukyou and Shampoo cried in
unison.
	"Kunou, how many times do I gotta tell you not to--"
	"Ranma-sama!!!! Ohohohohoho! Now I will take you
away from the abuse of all these harridans!"
	"Ranma!" Akane shouted, "How could you invite
Kodachi here?!?!"
	"I didn't invite no--"
	"Ribbon girl leave husband alone!"
	"Shampoo, listen to me... I gotta go to--"
	"Hush, Ran-chan. I'm just going to remove a few
unwelcome intrusions to our relationship."
	"Ukyou! Why--"
	"Ranma, you pervert! How can you keep stringing all
these girls along when you're engaged?"
	"Akane, I'm not--"
	"Now is not the time to proclaim your innocence,
enslaver of women. Now is the time to die under Blue
Thunder's mighty onslaught!"
	"I AIN'T GOT TIME FOR--"
	"Bukuiii!!!"
	"Damnitt, somebody get this pig--"
	"Stop picking on P-chan, Ranma!"
	"ALL RIGHT, I'VE HAD IT!!!!"
	The world stopped as Ranma 'had it'. The resulting
explosion of three-years worth of pent up violence lasted
several minutes. The first casualty was the 'Blue Thunder'. 
He was sent back home via the Hiryuu-shouten-Ha.
Kodachi didn't escape so easily. She ended up unconscious
and tied up upside down,  from the overhang in her own
ribbon.
	Happosai showed up sometime during the middle of the
fight with a pail of cold water, but was forcibly ejected
in much the same manner Kunou was before he got a chance
to use it.
	Ukyou and Shampoo both cowered, crying, in one
corner of the walled-in yard, transfixed and terrified by
Ranma's fiery gaze and cruel words.
	"...An' if I ever see either of you again, it'll be
too soon. This has gone on long enough. Now it's over. All
the engagements are *over*!"
	Both girls broke at his pronouncement. They leapt
the fence and ran off in opposite directions.
	To her horror, Ranma strode up to Akane with the
same murderous expression on his face. She held P-chan
protectively to her breast as he approached.
	"R-R-Ranma?"
	"Same thing goes for you, Akane. I'm tired of your
crap, and I'm tired of bein' hit all the time. You're
violent, you're mean, you don't listen to anything I gotta
say, and I've been trying to get along for three years. No
more, Akane. No more! I sick of it all, and I'm sick of
*you*!"
	Suddenly, there was a demon head and a monstrous
panda hovering over Ranma.
	"HOW DARE YOU TREAT YOUR FIANCEE IN SUCH A MANNER,
BOY?!?!"
	"GRRROOOWWWWFFF!"
	Ranma glared back with none of his usual fear. "Just
you wait, Pops, Tendou. You're next."
	Akane stared back at Ranma with tears standing in
her eyes. He was glowing with rage, and getting brighter.
	"Now, I'm in college, and I'm about to fail out
'cause I can't get even GET TO CLASS 'CAUSE OF ALL THE
CRAP THAT GOES ON AROUND HERE. I'VE HAD IT!"
	He spun back around to Akane and pointed a finger
directly at her face. "I'll be damned if I ever marry a
tomboy like you. Do you hear that? I'm gone, and I ain't
never comin' back."

	Akane watched him walk out. All he left with was one
suitcase, and his backpack. She had a horrible feeling in that
if she were to look in the guest room that it would be as empty
as it was before he came.
	Just like that, after all the time he had spent
here, he was gone. After his horrible pronouncement, he
had made no more effort to fight or insult anyone. He just
left and said he wasn't coming back.
	P-chan nuzzled her warmly, but her skin was far too
numb to notice. She felt the blood drain out of her face
and ears, but not the tears that coursed down her face.
	"Bweee?"
	"H-h-he's gone? B-b-but..."
	She watched him turn the corner over and over again
in her mind. He was gone.
	Akane's legs went out from under her as her father
began to speak with Uncle Saotome.
	"He's coming back, isn't he, Saotome-kun?"
	"Of course, Tendou-kun. He's always come back,
before. Why wouldn't he this time?"
	She looked up into Genma's face. It betrayed his
calm words with a worried glance back down at her.

	Ranma sighed as he strolled down the street. His
mother had just given him enough money to rent an
apartment and buy food. He'd have to get a part-time job
and cook for himself, but he was *finally* away from all
the craziness.
	He thought back to the conversation with his mother
after he left the dojo.
	"You could always stay here, Ranma. It's not that
far from campus, and the building has a very nice
athletic workout room."
	He shrugged, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "It's
just, I gotta be on my own for a while. How am I gonna
learn to live by myself if I never get the chance?"
	"Those words are years beyond you, Ranma. You're
only nineteen. I lived with my parents until I was twenty-
two, and then with Genma until you were four."
	He tried to counter by stating that the generations
were different, but got tied up in his words like he
usually did. In the end, she accepted his explanation
anyway. He privately suspected that she understood his
real reasons.
	It was difficult to tell his mother that he didn't
want to move back in with her. It would be so nice to have
someone to cook for him. Someone who would clean and keep
the house nice. No, he *had* to get away from that.
	*From now on, *NOBODY* tells Ranma Saotome what to
do but Ranma.*
	He turned, following a guide-book map to the
apartment building.
	He had seen it earlier in the week. It was on his
way to school. Fairly near the University's sports-center
as a matter of fact. It was a new building, so the rates
were very inexpensive as it tried to attract tenants.
	He looked up at it as he approached the front walk.
It was a grey, hulking monstrosity, but it was likely to
be his home for the next several weeks, if not
indefinitely.
	He walked into the front doors, and began to look
for the rental office. A pleasant looking older woman,
about forty or so, called to him from an open door.
	"Are you looking for something?"
	Ranma turned, and adjusted his backpack slightly.
        "Yeah, I'm lookin' to rent a room."
	"Oh, you've come to the right place then!" She
opened the door wide, and waved Ranma inside.
	"Are you a student?"
	Ranma nodded nervously as the woman began to rifle
through several folders. She pulled out several documents,
and a ball point pen, which she handed to Ranma.
	"What are you studying, if you don't mind my
asking?"
	"Ummm... Physical education. I'm gonna be a martial
arts teacher."
	"Hmmm, a teacher, how nice! I need you to fill out
this," She pointed to the first sheet, "And this one as
well, to this line. My name's Mariko, so if you have any
questions, just ask."
	
	Akane sat in her bed with her knees drawn up to her
chest, sobbing uncontrollably. P-chan was doing his best to
keep her company, but he was scant comfort.
	There was a soft knock on the door, and Kasumi came
in and sat down next to her. She gently ran her motherly
hand across Akane's short hair and pulled the girl close
for an embrace.
	"How are you doing, little sister?"
	Akane just buried her head in her sister's shoulder.
	"Do you miss Ranma"
	"I do NOT miss that baka hentai!"
	"Of course not."
	The gates were open, though. Once Akane had spoken,
the words continued to fall out of her mouth like running
water.
	"How could he do something like that?!?! He insults
me all the time, and makes fun of me, and won't eat my
cooking! Doesn't he care about how I feel!"
	"I'm certain he does, Akane."
	"It's not fair! He sees all the other girls, and
doesn't pay any attention at all to me, and he does so
many things that make me angry, and--"
	"Now, Akane, is that really his fault?"
	"Of course it is! He's a perverted jerk!"
	"I'm not so sure. Any time Shampoo or Kodachi shows
up, he really does try his best to get away from her. You
really don't give him a chance before you hit him, you know."
	A fresh wave of tears started. "That's *HIS* fault!
Besides, what about Ukyou?!?!"
	Kasumi bit her bottom lip. "Regardless of how Ukyou
feels for him, she *is* Ranma's best friend. She's known
him since he was very little."
	Akane nodded, but kept her angry expression.
	"Have you ever given him a chance, Akane?"
	"Wha--"
	"Just once, why don't you try letting him explain
himself, Akane. Ranma's not very good with words, you
know. If you give him a chance, he may have a reasonable
explanation or two."
	"HE BROKE OUR ENGAGEMENT! How can there be an
explanation for that?"
	P-chan 'Buki'ed' in agreement.
	Kasumi smiled and put her hands back in her lap.
        "All right. My friend, Mako, has a younger brother
about your age. I want you to spend the rest of your life with
him without any previous visits or knowing even what he looks
like. Regardless of your first impression, I'm going to ask that
you treat him with devotion and honor, and be a good wife to him
regardless of how he treats you and how faithful he acts."
	"Kasumi! How can you ask that of..." Reality crashed
down on Akane as her words stumbled to a halt.
	Kasumi nodded in acknowledgment. "Regardless of
what it seems, that's exactly what an arranged marriage is.
Regardless of the way you feel about Ranma, one of his
first memories of you is being hit over the head with our
table."
        Akane felt the fear she had first felt at his leaving
clench a new claw around her heart. "But that means that he
hates me! He's gone, and he'll never be back!"

	"I very much doubt that Ranma hates you, Akane. More
likely, he needs some time away. Perhaps he wants a chance
to get to know you like a new person. A person that doesn't
fight with him or hit him on a daily basis, maybe?"

	"How can I know?"
	Kasumi patted her shoulder again. "You can't, Akane.
Not unless he tells you. You have to go to him." She
looked up at Akane's calendar, which was just barely
readable in the darkness. "You have class tomorrow. Why
don't you find out where he eats lunch and go apologize
for hitting him today. Maybe you should take back some of
the things you said, as well."
	Akane nodded, nervously.
	"Remember, you must not lose your temper, or you will
only be working against yourself. Promise me, Akane?"
	Akane clenched her eyes and nodded, weakly. "I'll
try, Kasumi."
	The older girl smiled and embraced her sister.
"It'll be okay, Akane. You'll see."
	After Kasumi left, the only sound in Akane's bedroom
was a soft, anguished snuffling as P-chan tried to comfort
Akane.

	It was fairly late by the time Ranma returned to his
apartment from grocery shopping. He opened the door of his
apartment, and sat the bag of food down on the floor next
to the refrigerator.
	As he began to stack the food inside the small
refrigerator, Ranma decided that he liked the design of
the room. It was compact, yet efficient. There was room
for a little furniture and a futon, once he could afford them.
	For a second, he worried about the lack of a dresser.
He had lived out of a backpack for almost a decade, but his half
of the guest room bureau at the Tendou's was something he had
grown accustomed to.
	He did have a small closet, so he hung what he could
on wire hangers, and laid his bedroll out in place of a
futon.
	*Gotta see about the facilities. Never know when I'm
gonna need hot water.* He padded over to a narrow door
set near to the apartment's entrance and opened it.
	A face stared back at him.
	"Ah-ah-ah-ah--"
	Luckily, she was fully clothed.
	"You must be the new tenant! Hi, I'm Megumi. Would
you excuse me for a minute?" She pulled his door closed.
	Rather than wait at the door, Ranma ran back to his
pack and pulled out the floor plan advertisement. Sure
enough, every two rooms shared a bathroom.
	*Ack! I'm sharing a bathroom with-- one person?*
	It was true. It was a *significant* improvement over
the Tendou place, where there was frequently a line for
the toilet every morning. True, it threw another unknown
into Ranma's situation, be he thought it was one he could
deal with.
	A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Ranma pulled it open to find Megumi standing there.
	"Uh... I'm Ranma. Sorry 'bout that."
	She smiled warmly and wagged her finger at him.
        "We'll just have to be careful about walking in on
each other. Here," She handed him a little sign on a piece of
string. One side was bright green and the other was bright
red. "Hang this on your doorknob, and when I go, I'll
reach in and turn in around. I'll put one just like it on
my door. This way, we'll always know if there's somebody
in the restroom."
	Ranma nodded and rubbed his chin. "Sounds like it'd
work. Pretty nice that the rooms even have bathrooms."
	"Yeah, and Western style shower stalls, too!"
	"Really?"
	She waved him inside the small bathroom. Indeed, it
did have a glass doored shower stall set into the wall
across from the porcelan basin.
	Megumi crossed her arms over her chest and leaned up
against the tile wall. "It's not a furo, but it's still
pretty nice."
	Ranma could only nod. Hot water... on demand. He
would never have to wait for a kettle again. "This is...
wonderful!"
	"I'll say. Hey, are you a student too?"

	Megumi was an engineering student, along with her
brother. Her parents were strict conservatives, and
originally wanted her to rent an apartment with their
other child while they attended university, but by the
time she tracked him down, he was already happily shacked
up with his gaijin girlfriend.
	Megumi *could* have told her mother, who would not
have approved, and probably disowned her son, be she held
back because her brother's lover was so *nice*.
	She found this apartment building, after she heard
some bad rumors about the rent house her brother found for
her and took advantage of the move-in special when it was
first constructed.
	That was a year ago.
	Since, the building had done poorly. The service was
excellent, but the building had an odd design, which was
unacceptable to many of its potential customers. It just
barely stayed afloat.
	Just recently, the manager had lowered the rates
back to the special level when the building had first been
constructed in a last ditch effort to keep it solvent.
Megumi, who had attended the tenants meeting when the
building was facing bankruptcy, was rather proud that the
building was finally attracting tenants. Ranma was one of
the first of the new batch as the building was slowly
becoming populated.
	Megumi was rather shocked to learn that her suite-
mate had been the unwilling recipient of no less than
seven different marriage proposals, several of which
his father encouraged.
	"You're kidding, right?"
  	Sadly, Ranma shook his head. "Nah, I wish I was.
Pops would do just about anything if it meant a free meal.
He even tried to make it my fault that he stole the cart.
Asked me if I liked okonomiyaki more, or the girl. I
even thought she was another guy 'till I was sixteen
'cause I hadn't seen her since I was five."
	"That's awful! How could anyone do something like
that to their own child?" Megumi sipped at the soda she
brought in from her room.
	"That's why I wanted to get away from the old fart.
Every time somthin' went wrong, it was my fault,
regardless of what really happened."
	Megumi put her hands under her chin. "So which one do
you like?"
	"Huh?"
	"Which one of the girls? The amazon, the chef, the
martial artist or the gymnast?"
	Ranma's face took on a sick expression. "Eugh...
I've had enough of Shampoo to last me a lifetime. I hear
one more--" Ranma changed his voice to a falsetto
singsong, "'-- Wo-da Airen!' an I'm gonna puke!"
	"The chef, Ukyou wasn't it? She sounds like a pretty
good friend. What do you think about her?"
	Ranma shook his head. "Ukyou's nice and pretty and
all, but she's my best friend. It'd be like marryin' my
sister." *Or brother...* He added mentally. "Kodachi's
*really* pretty."
	"I think I saw her at one of my friend's gymnastic
competitions once. If it's the same person, I know what you
mean."
	Ranma nodded. "Pretty, but crazy as loon. She's into
all sorts of drugs, and tries to poison people all the
time. She *needs* help, but'll never get it 'cause she's
so rich. 'Kodachi's not crazy, just eccentric.'"
	"How many times have I heard that?" Megumi rolled
her eyes. "So what about the martial artist? You seem to
have a lot in common, if nothing else."
	Ranma just looked down at his feet.
	"You like her, don't you? Hmmm?"
	Ranma ran his finger along the texture in the
carpet, trying to word his response. "Yeah... I like her.
I like her a lot, but she doesn't like me very much at
all. She hates all the other girls, 'cept Ukyou, and even
they don't get along real well. She gets mad really easy,
and she gets frustrated about just about anything...
	"Sometimes, she smiles at me. It's when I've just
won a fight, or kept her from gettin' hurt, but it makes
me feel like..."
	Megumi grinned broadly, and cocked her head at him.
        "Oooh, what a lucky girl! To have a hunk of a martial
artist like you in love with her. Mmmm... what I'd give!"
	"Hey, I'm not in love with her!"
	"Sure, Ranma. You're also not a martial artist."
	Ranma was about to say something else, but Megumi
started laughing and he couldn't keep from joining her.
	They talked long into the night, about their
families and loves. Ranma realized that he had found a
true friend.
	Just before she went back to her own room for the
night, Megumi pulled out a spare futon, and a little black
and white television to lend Ranma until he could afford
his own furnishings. He tried to refuse them, but Megumi
plugged the television in and turned it on for him before
he finished protesting.
	"There, now. I'm sure that you won't have a problem
with these, right?"
	Ranma rolled his eyes, but Megumi had somehow
managed to find his favorite martial arts movie when she
turned on the set. It would be nice to have a real futon,
too, instead of his thin bedroll. He sighed, and began to
lay his blankets over the top of it. "They'll be fine. I'm
just trying to get away from..." He pronounced the word
with obvious distaste,
        "Freeloading."
	"You're not freeloading, Ranma. You're a *friend*,
who's being helped through a rough time by your *freind*.
Okay?"
	Ranma nodded. "Thanks, Megumi. I'll... owe you one."
	Megumi smiled and patted his shoulder. "That's what
friends do, Ranma. They help each other. There no 'owe' to
it. I'd like to think you're a nice enough guy that you'd
help me out if I needed it if I had never seen you before
in my life. For me, that's enough."
	Ranma smiled and hesitantly nodded. "Okay, I can
live with that." Still, Ranma felt the need to repay her
kindness, "Hey, do you think you'd like a martial arts
lesson sometime?"
	"Sure!" Megumi tousled his hair and walked back
through the bathroom into her own room. "Goodnight, Ranma."
	"'Night, Megumi."
	Things were looking up, Ranma thought as he did his
before-bed katas. He had a refrigerator full of food, a
loaned futon and a television that was currently playing
his favorite movie, and most importantly, an honest, kind
*friend*.
	If he could actually manage to get to class on time
tomorrow, things would be *perfect*.

	Akane slept poorly, and woke late. Having slept
through her alarm, she skipped breakfast and ran for the
train that would take her to school.
	Much to her chagrin, the train was delayed several
times, and by the time she made it to campus, it was
already lunchtime.
	Akane *usually* ate with Ranma. Still, her drama
class wouldn't start for another hour, and she did skip
breakfast.
	Akane ordered a burger and fries from the fast food
concession in the student union and made her way to her
usual eating place.
	She nearly dropped her tray when she saw Ranma.
	He was there already with a beefbowl and a glass of
cold tea. Next to him in Akane's usual spot was another girl.
	"Why that Casanova! He's gone for a day and has
already picked up another girlfriend. That pervert!"
	Akane wanted to scream, and throw her plate at
Ranma, but Kasumi's words came back to her. She *refused*
to lose her temper again for something that baka did. She
would go over and kindly ask him what he was doing and who
his newest hussy was.
	*No! I'm already doing it!* Akane rolled her head
back and tried to calm herself so that she could confront
Ranma. Nervously, and a little anxiously, she made her way
over to her ex-fiancee.
	Ranma jerked as he saw her, nearly spitting out a
mouthful of beefbowl.
	"Hello, Ranma."
	The girl smiled broadly and waved at Akane.
	"Oh, you must be Akane! Ranma's told me all about
you. Why don't you have lunch with us?"
	Akane's angry gaze bore a hole into Ranma's but she
sat down across from him and the strange girl.
	"Who's your *friend*, Ranma?" she asked coldly.
	"Uhh, this is Megumi. We share a bath." Ranma smiled
at the quick explanation, but then realized what he had
said. *Kuso...* He thought to himself, as he closed his
eyes in preparation for the inevitable mallet strike.
	Megumi saved him. She pulled out a diagram of the
suite and pointed out the architectural peculiarities to
Akane.
	"...So we have to be really careful not to walk in
on each other. It seems to work fairly well for most of
the other tenants."
	"I... see." Akane studied the diagram intensely for
a few seconds. "So, your rent is reasonable?"
	Megumi nodded as Ranma prayed in thanks.
	Ranma pulled the contract out of his pocket and
handed it to Akane. "It's pretty cheap. They're trying to
get new renters, so I got a special deal. Mom's helpin' me
out until I find a job."
	"Um-hmm". Akane's expression became troubled as she
studied the contract. "This is a six-month contract."
	"Yeah. I coulda got a year, but I don't wanna be
stuck with it if I end up not likin' it."
	Megumi stood up and lifted her tray. "Well, *I* like
it. Bye, Ranma; I've got to get to class. It was nice to
meet you, Akane!" She strode off towards the cafeteria
entrance.
	Akane let her finger rest on the expiration date.
        "So this means you have to live there the whole six
months."
	"Yup. Should be 'bout Christmas."
	"What if you want to come home?" Akane asked, almost
desperately.
	Ranma allowed his eyes to dip down to the table. "I
ain't goin' back. Not ever."
	"But--"
	Ranma shushed her and clasped his hands together on
the table. "No buts, Akane. I've had enough of havin' my
life lived for me. I'm gonna make my own decisions, and
I'm gonna run my own life. If Oyaji or Tendou don't like
that, tough."
	"What if I--" Akane began to feel the tears pricking
behind her eyelids again. She breathed in sharply to try
to control herself.
	Ranma leaned back in his chair. "What?"
	"Can I see your apartment?"
	His eyes widened briefly, but then darkened and flashed.
        "Maybe some other time, Akane."
	A tear wound its way down her cheek. "You don't want
me to see it."
	"Hey! I didn't say that!"
	"No, but you meant it. Why don't you want me to see
your room?"
	Ranma's eyes narrowed in anger. "'Cause I'll say
somthin' stupid about my room or Megumi or you, an' you'll
hit me, an everything I wanted to get away from is gonna
come right back home." He crossed his arms. "I'm sick of
the crap, the fightin' cause no one listens, of havin'
eighteen fiancees an not asking for any of them, of havin'
Ryouga wake me up with a punch, drugs or worse in my food.
I can't... I *will not* take it any more. If I'm gonna be
engaged, it'll be because I'm in love, not because Oyaji
ran out on a restauraunt bill. Got that?"
	Tears streamed openly down Akane's face as his words
crashed down on her. He *hated* her! How could she...
	"iwon'thit..." She murmured.
	"What?"
        "I-I won't hit you anymore, Ranma. Please believe me."
	Ranma's angry expression suddenly became uncertain.
He thought he would be able to stand up to her when she
started crying.
	"Please, please don't hate me..."
	"Akane?" He felt a funny feeling in his chest as she
folded her face into her hands.
	"Please don't hate me, Ranma..."
	"Okay," Ranma hesitated for a second, but his
defenses fell against the onslaught of Akane's tears. "But
you gotta promise that *nobody* finds out where I live.
Not your family, not my dad, not Ukyou or Shampoo, and
especially not Ryouga, Okay?"
	Akane lifted her head in wonder. Tears still ran
down her face, but hope sparked somewhere in her throat.
	"Ranma? You don't hate me?"
	"Nah, 'course I don't hate you. Just leave the
mallet alone for while, okay? Just gimme a chance to
explain when I goof up."
	Akane wiped the tears from her eyes and anxiously
nodded. "I'll try. Will you..."
	"Yeah?"
	"Will you try not to insult me?"
	A broad smile broke across Ranma's face. "Who am I
gonna joke with if I can't tease my favorite tomboy?"
	"Ranma..."
	"Okay, okay. I got class at two, and I was gonna go
back to the apartment after that. Is that gonna be  alright?"

        "Tadaima!"
	Kasumi watched Akane come in the door from her
vantage behind the kitchen counter. "Did you have a nice
day at school, Akane-chan?"
        Akane nodded happily and skipped into the living room.
	Kasumi smiled, knowingly. Akane had made up with Ranma.
There was hope, yet.
	A smirk crossed her face as she heard her father and
Uncle Saotome rush in to the room to question her sister.
	"Did you see that worthless son of mine, today?"
Genma asked in an angry voice. Uncle Saotome had been
*very* upset when Ranma hadn't returned for dinner or bed
the previous evening.
	Kasumi could almost hear Akane mentally shift gears.
	"Yes, where is Ranma, Daughter?"
	Her voice, cold and shrill, sounded out against the
pleas of the older men.
	"He wouldn't tell me. You know how stubborn he is."
	Lie.
	Genma grunted, "Did you talk to him at all?"
	"Briefly. He didn't say much at all."
        Lie. Acting class was such a good influence on Akane.
It did wonders for her temper.
	"Daughter, you must tell us what he's doing, and who
he's with!"
	"If you must know, Ranma has already found another
girl and is living with her. Some son, *Uncle* Saotome."
	Kasumi's eyes widened in shock. Akane's voice
betrayed some truth in her last statement. Still, the girl
was so happy... She decided it must have been creative
exaggeration on Akane's part. If he was in a coed
apartment or dormitory, he could very well live near
female students. That would usually still be enough to set
her little sister off, though...
	*Is little Akane growing up? I wonder...* The
situation merited further examination.
	Kasumi smiled and prepared dinner.
	All through the meal, Akane kept shooting nasty
glances at both her father and Uncle Saotome. Still,
Kasumi caught the corners of her mouth turning up more
than once.
	After Akane had gone to bed, Kasumi knocked softly
on her door and crept into her sister's room.
	"Onee-chan?"
	"I see that you made up with Ranma today." Kasumi
sat down next to her sister and adjusted the sheets around
her.
	Akane nodded in the darkness.
	"Is he really living with another girl?"
	Akane laughed quietly. "They 'share a bath'," she
quoted.
	"Akane?!?!"
	Akane smiled and explained the living arrangements.
	"What did he have to say to you, then?"
	"It's really funny, Kasumi. He never did take back
what he said yesterday, but he's never treated me nicer."
	"So the engagement is still off?"	
	Akane nodded. "I think so. At least... until Ranma
says so. I'm..."
	"Scared?" Kasumi wrapped her arm around the suddenly
shivering girl.
	"Yeah. A little. He's not there for me all the time,
anymore, but his eyes... They seem so alive now! He's
happy... and I think I am too."
	"Do you still love him?"
	"I DO NOT LOVE THAT BA--" Akane faltered. "I... I-
I... yes. I do."
	"Does he love you back?"
	"I-I'm not sure. He says he didn't hate me..."
	"That's a good start." Kasumi pointed out at the
stars. "If he's still willing to be your friend, you can
still win him, Akane."
	"Even with all the other girls?"	
	Kasumi nodded. "You have the advantage now. You know
where he lives, and they don't."
	Akane grimaced.
	"What is it, little sister?"
	"It's just that... He's so alone. He doesn't really
have anything but a television and a refrigerator."
	"I've already put together a care package. It's
behind the dojo for when you go to school tomorrow."

	P-chan had left just after dinner. He finally found
a bathhouse around nine, and changed back. He wasn't doing
Akane any good by being there, and he knew it. There was
only one reason why she was in pain, and there was only
one cure.
	This was all Ranma's fault, and he must die for
tormenting Akane.
	Ryouga growled and ran off into the night in search
of his nemesis, completely unaware of the tall, grey
building next to the bathhouse.

				FIN

* * *
Author's notes:

First, a big thanks to Dave Eddy for prereading!

Second, this is intended to be a standalone story. While I feel
like I have left room for a sequel, I'm not sure if I want to
write one right now.

I'm sure all of you caught who the guest star was. While I had
fun doing it, This is really not intended to be a crossover
story... Although I could be persuaded.

I hope you enjoyed it. Please send C&C to:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Jones                      hamster@arn.net
The Hamster House of Animation   http://users.arn.net/~hamster
The Ranma 1/2 Gallery            http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/6413
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