Author's Note: So! Here I am with yet another Ranma ½ one-shot! This is my first fan fiction that is written in the first person point of view, so this is more of a practice run. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, obviously.

Enamored Purple

When I woke up, I was cheerful enough. I sprang out of bed feeling extremely well rested, did a few morning stretches, and donned my school uniform. Even the normally obnoxious sleeves of the garment did nothing to bother me, as I was only thinking that I would be seeing Ranma in just a few minutes time.

This turned into a problem.

Suddenly, as if experiencing a journey of self-realization, I finally came to my senses; after refusing to acknowledge my fiancé of three years as just that, I concluded that I was head over heels in love with him.

These feelings just came out of nowhere, so I think I'm justified in saying that I was completely shocked with myself.

The next thing I felt was excruciating pain, starting from my forehead and extending almost straight down my face all the way to my chin. Apparently, in my shock regarding these new revelations, I had turned too quickly to leave my room and had promptly run straight into the doorframe.

So, my beautiful morning was already tarnished by that problem of being in love with an egotistical jerk, as well as a facial injury that was sure to attract some attention.

My face smarted, so I ran to the bathroom to examine myself in the mirror. What I had neglected to remember was that I was wearing socks, and, being accident prone this morning, I was scared witless when I slipped on the wooden floor and landed right on my butt in the middle of the hallway with a loud shriek.

I sat there for a good five minutes regaining my composure and then made my way slowly to the bathroom to observe myself in the mirror.

What I saw wasn't pretty.

In my eagerness to leave the room I had probably bowed my head slightly, so my chin had avoided taking much of a hit. There was a faint red mark, but it went away after I rubbed it. Although, that might've just been because I rubbed the skin surrounding until it turned red also. It was hard to say.

On the other hand, my nose had taken quite a blow. It was sore and it was beginning to puff up. I envisioned myself walking around school that day with a large purple bruise in the middle of my face. My forehead had amazingly sustained only a red mark, similar to the one on my chin. However, it was much more defined and didn't go away when I rubbed it.

So I now had to deal with that problems of being in love with an egotistical jerk, sustaining a facial injury that was sure to attract some attention, and dealing with a rather sore butt for the rest of the day.

The thing was this; at least the bumps and bruises would go away. My infatuation – which was completely unwanted and dreaded, let me remind you – could last forever. And it was nothing short of ironic that the object of my affections (as horrifying as that may sound) should see me on the day of my epiphany looking as though I'd been painted like a street sign… a street sign walking around with an abused ass.

Oh woe is me… there he is.

I tried to avoid making myself noticeable to Ranma as he made his way down the stairs, as he had always woken up later then me during the week, but it was to no avail. He stopped his trek downstairs to walk over to where I was quite obviously staring at him openly from the bathroom.

Stop staring at him! Maybe he'll change his mind! But it was as effective telling Happosai to stop his panty raids. I'll tell you this: once you admit to yourself that you're madly in love with a person, it'll take a screwdriver to get your head to turn away. I could feel my face flaming like mad, and I covered up my nose before he got close enough to see what I'd done to it.

"Akane, why aren't you at breakfast?" he inquired, looking positively irresistible with his head cocked just slightly to his left, his eyebrows furrowed in mild concern, and his mouth in a half smirk, half grin.

It was a perfectly reasonable question, and I was determined to keep my cool when I answered… you know, despite the fact that I was suddenly aware of how good he looked when he did that.

"I, well… you know… uh… bathroom."

Smooth Akane.

"What'd you do to your nose, then?" There was a hint of a laugh in his voice that made me want to scowl. I almost forgot about my attraction towards him, but not quite. "Take your hand off your face, c'mon, you're acting kinda weird."

"NO!" I positively hollered as he made a move to draw my hand away from my swelling nose. He recoiled in an instant, looking more surprised than anything. Taking advantage of this blessed opportunity, I ducked under his arm and dashed down the stairs without waiting to see if he was following, falling ungracefully over the last two steps.

So I now had to deal with that problems of being in love with an egotistical jerk, sustaining a facial injury that was sure to attract some attention, and dealing with a rather sore butt and some bruised knees for the rest of the day.

Why was I falling all over the place?

I was already running several minutes late due to my detour to the bathroom, and by the time I had wolfed down my breakfast of fish and rice, it was already time to leave the house for school. I did just this, glad that Ranma wasn't there yet, with the excuse that I was going to be late for class.

"Akane! You forgot your book bag!"

Curse Kasumi and her motherly niceness!

I had already been out of the front gate of the dojo when I had to turn around to get my school satchel, and I knew that Ranma would be inconveniently walking out the door when I got there. Sure enough, he held the bag out for me and proceeded to join me in the trek to school without even the slightest remark.

What was this all about?

"Have a good day at school, you two!" I vaguely remember Kasumi shouting to us when we finally left. Only Ranma managed to say anything to her in return. I think he said something along the lines of "okay," but I was too distracted by the way his arm muscles flexed just noticeably under his silk shirt when he waved back to my sister. I stared long after he stopped waving.

As if feelings my eyes all over him, he turned to look at me with his eyebrows raised in question. I looked away immediately after we made eye contact. His eyes were nothing less than beautiful. Normally a perfect azure, they would turn a steely grey when he was angry, and they would turn a sultry violet when he was feeling content or, dare I say it… enamored. I had seen the "enamored purple" only a few times before actually realizing how I felt about him, and I had failed to notice how alluring it was.

I prided myself on being able to avoid an obvious blush, instead settling for a pink haze across my upper cheeks.

"What do you want, tomboy?" he asked.

I looked at him while we continued to walk, but at the risk of turning into a stuttering idiot, I trained my eyes on his nose rather than choosing to make eye contact. "Nothing," I replied, glad to hear that I sounded nonchalant. "What makes you say that?"

"Well… it's just that you've been staring at me all morning." He rubbed his nose, apparently thinking that there was something offensive on it, as I had been glaring at it almost angrily. I snorted. He shot me another quizzical look. "Hey, if anything, whatever's on my nose can't be as bad as yours."

"Oh my gosh!" I reacted immediately and put my hands instinctively on my face. How could I have forgotten? Now he probably thinks I'm a complete – wait, he's laughing?

"Don't freak out! You're already acting weird enough!" he said, though I could tell he was kidding… somewhat anyway. I relaxed noticeably for the first time that morning and let out a sigh, slumping slightly. He seemed to notice. "You know…" he paused to clear his throat, and – was that a blush on his face? "It's probably not any of my business, but I feel kinda… concerned about you right now. I mean, you're jumpy and nervous, you didn't react at all to being called a tomboy, you didn't respond to the jab I made about your face, and I haven't seen your mallet all morning…" He trailed off, hoping for me to elaborate, but I was in no hurry to answer him.

"It's a quiet morning…" None of the other suitors had shown up yet.

"Akane…" He sounded a little annoyed, but I would probably be annoyed at myself also.

I was just so confused! Last week I had spoken to him as I would to anyone else, so why was that such an issue today? Thinking about it, I realized that these deep feelings couldn't've sprung up overnight. No… that would be impossible. After pondering for several moments, I came to the following explanation: I had been too afraid to admit it, even to myself. I couldn't stand the pressure of our relationship, whether platonic or not, and I couldn't ever stomach the thought of being rejected by the first boy to ever romantically attract me so forcefully.

But that doesn't explain why it took me so long to realize how incredibly good-looking he was on a physical level! I mean, he's got an adorable face, but his body's not too shabby either! I immediately had an image of my fiancé running around shirtless imprinted into my mind, and I was reminded that I had gotten the occasional opportunity to feel what was under his clothing whenever he had held me with those strong arms of –

"Oh, shut up!" I suddenly yelled, flushing and closing my eyes, as though afraid that Ranma could somehow know what I was thinking.

"I didn't say anything!" He yelled right back. "What's you're problem! You're starting to get uncute!"

Does that mean I was cute earlier?

When I neglected yet again to answer him, he suddenly smirked, regressing into his normal arrogant self. His eyes, once again turning a bright blue, shone like they did right before a big argument. I frowned. I had enjoyed the civility of his company, but I have to admit I was somewhat relieved to be able to dislike him for a moment. "It's about a guy, isn't it?"

I nearly tripped over the stretch of sidewalk on which we were both walking.

"Wha – "

"Did ya think I'd make fun of you or something?" I was surprised to hear that he sounded almost hurt.

I chose not to answer and merely shrugged. But I was convinced that he knew. Wait, scratch that. He definitely knew my biggest secret, and once he said something, I'd never hear the end of –

"So who is it?"

I nearly face-faulted again. How could he not know? Obviously I didn't admire him for his logic and reasoning skills…

"None of your business!" I retorted, and I was immensely glad to hear that I sounded more or less like my normal self.

"Okay, I'll just guess then, shall I?" He smiled, and it very nearly made me want to jump on him at that moment and either kiss him or beat him to a pulp… or both.

"I don't like anyone!" I retorted in my defense. "Even if I did like a guy… why would you care?"

"Well, I'm engaged to you, aren't I?"

I considered his statement, which was completely true. "But you're engaged to Ukyo and Shampoo also! As if you have any claim on me you… polygamist!" High five Akane!

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is, if you like someone, then I have to know!"

"Why do you 'have to know'?"

"I just do!" Before I had the chance to retort, he had already started playing twenty questions. "Is it Ryoga?"

"What the – of course it isn't! You know he's just my friend!" Why was I playing along with his little game? I should be avoiding this subject completely! I could just imagine the uproar it would cause if anyone were to find out that I was in love with Ranma Saotome.

"Hiroshi? Daisuke?"

"Decidedly not."

"Doctor Tofu, then?" He stated matter-of-factly, glancing slyly at me out of the corner of his eye, looking thoroughly enjoyed that he was making me so uncomfortable. By now, we had stopped walking to Furinkan High and were simply standing near the fenced canal. I just noticed that Ranma hadn't decided to walk on the fence this morning.

"I told you I was over him!" Getting mad made it a lot easier to forget how utterly cute he was, but I still made a violent attempt to get away from him.

When he stopped me and gave me a look of disbelief, I mimicked him. What in the world…

"It can't seriously be Kuno!"

That statement was enough to make me vomit. Was he that thick? "NO! Ranma, you know I hate guys!"

"Okay, okay," he said. After a pause he continued to tease me, "So it's a girl then? Well, that was unexpected, but I suppose – "

"Oh, come off it! You can't tell me you don't already know that it's you!"

Why did I say that? Why did I give in to his little game and say that?

I panicked. I covered my mouth. I wanted to disappear. I was tempted to run, but for some reason, my feet wouldn't budge. And I had yet to look at Ranma and see his reaction. Gulping, and hoping that I wasn't about to die of embarrassment, I looked at him only to find the beginnings of a smile on his face, a smile that was growing by the second.

Okay… so it could've been worse, but I had been bracing myself for a snide remark. And here he'd decided to be all quiet and reserved. I decided I was in too deep to back out now, so I cleared my throat nervously and added onto my statement. "Ranma, I have to ask you… do you have any romantic interest in me at all?" I was surprised that I didn't sound more nervous, but on the plus side it encouraged me to keep talking. "I mean… you can't deny the sparks between us, even if they only happen every once in a while…" I trailed off, willing him with my eyes and my mind to respond. I was suddenly very aware of every throbbing injury I had unintentionally inflicted upon myself that morning.

He just grinned at me. He stood there and grinned, grinned like a sodding Cheshire cat.

Perhaps it was to cover up my embarrassment, but the next second I became extremely angry. "Well!"

"Well… what?"

Was he completely tactless? I'd just spilled out my heart to him – well, excluding my sudden fascination with his eyes and physical attractiveness – and he was just standing there and smiling? "Well, say something already!" I all but screamed at him.

He seemed to be thoroughly pondering his answer. He hadn't stopped smiling, but he began bouncing up and down lightly on the balls of his feet in a way that couldn't help but remind me of a kangaroo.

Hm… kangaroos. Maybe I'd move to Australia if this ordeal didn't work out in my favor. There'd be plenty of kangaroos there, and I wouldn't have to deal with Ranma or anyone else for the rest of my pathetic existence. Yeah! That sounded fantastic! I'd always found Australian accents to be somewhat endearing… maybe I'd meet a nice Australian guy, and the two of us could settle down and start a center that took care of abandoned joeys…

"Akane?" I stopped daydreaming immediately. "Do you want to know what I think?" I was surprised to see how close he had gotten to me.

"Uh, well…" I honestly wasn't sure anymore. Did I want to now? If he had felt the same way, I thought his answer would be more immediate than that…

Before I knew it, Ranma had "swooped in for the kill," so to speak. Without warning, the space between us closed when he leaned forward and kissed me. My eyes felt wide and afraid, and my first reaction was to send him into oblivion with the mallet that had yet to make an appearance… but I couldn't do it. I relaxed, my shoulders no longer tense, and my eyes slid shut of their own accord. Ranma seemed encouraged by this and took the opportunity to pull me closer and slide his trained hands down my back to rest near my hips; I couldn't even bring myself to get annoyed that he was getting dangerously close to my rear, which was still sporting a bruise from earlier this morning.

Okay, as embarrassing as this sounds, I had fantasized about what it would be like to kiss Ranma, having come close to doing so a few fair times. I had imagined it to be wonderful (albeit clumsy and awkward), and I expected a certain roughness that would only come hand-in-hand with someone who'd studied martial arts for over a decade. In reality, however, it was – there's no other word for it – incredible. Despite being incurably awkward in romantic situations, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

I heard myself groan audibly when he pulled me even closer so that there was a greater amount of contact between our torsos. He tilted his head sideways against mine and I felt him smile against my mouth. When I felt his tongue run across my upper lip, I couldn't help but return the grin, burying a hand in the soft black hair near the base of his neck, the other retreating to twirl his pigtail. I smiled when I heard a noise of contentment escape his lips.

When he broke away, breathing heavily, I seriously think I let out a whine of disappointment. Just as my eyes fluttered open and I prepared to pull away as well, he started kissing my cheek sweetly, trailing to my right ear and lingering there for a moment before continuing the trail down to my neck. "Oh, Ranma…" Sighing and closing my eyes for a second time, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I jumped a little when he reached my collarbone and nipped it gently. I hadn't even noticed that he'd undone the first two buttons on my school uniform.

I either completely forgot, or I didn't care, that we were doing this in complete public view. Suddenly it didn't matter that Shampoo, or Ukyo, or anyone we lived with could've chosen this moment to ruin our precious time together. All that I cared about was the feel of his lips over mine; I was in complete bliss.

He kissed back up the side of my face and met my lips once again in a shorter, yet more passionate kiss. I was only faintly aware of his hands massaging my sides, precariously close to my chest. By the time we both finally broke away from each other, we were both panting rather heavily; my eyes remained closed for a fraction of a second, savoring the last few moments. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Ranma blushing like mad and blinking at me every few seconds. He withdrew his arms from me, suddenly realizing where he had put his hands.

I grinned.

I couldn't help it. I just stood there and grinned like an idiot.

"You kissed me," I stated, as if it wasn't obvious.

"So did you."

"So does this mean you like me too?" I had wrapped my arms around his neck again in a hug, and he had reacted instinctively by draping his hands around my waist.

"I thought… I'd made it obvious all these years," he mumbled, but I'd heard him.

"Obvious?" I asked in disbelief, pulling backward to get a look at his face; he was completely serious. I frowned slightly.

Was letting Shampoo and Ukyo molest him at every given chance his idea of being "obvious?" The thought made me burn with envy. Then again… he'd never gone to them willingly; the two other suitors had always had to go and hunt him down or tempt the poor boy with food. And whenever he'd gotten close to me, it had always been out of his own free will. That meant something, right? How could it not, especially after what had just happened between the two of us.

"So…" I began.

"'So…'?" He asked, sounding a little afraid.

"So… isn't there something else you like to say?" I almost laughed when I saw his horrorstruck expression. "Like asking me out or something?" I did let out a snicker when he looked relieved yet again.

"Oh, be quiet." I heard him say playfully, but he was still smiling nonsensically. "We can go out whenever you want. I mean, we're technically engaged, right?"

He had a fair point; I'd give him that.

"Well… Ranma Saotome… I don't know if you know this already, but I think I am completely, head over heels, in love with your egotistical ass," I paused. "Both literally and figuratively." There, I'd just come right out and said it.

"Oh, good," he said, going in for another kiss to which I obliged most happily. "I feel the exact same way."

Before our lips met again, I saw that his eyes had turned to the beautiful enamored purple that I had been waiting to see all morning.

Author's Notes: Oh my gosh… this was so cheesy! I think when I'm feeling particularly sappy or romantic, I just have to go and write one of these lovey dovey fics, haha. Sorry for the OCCness… So, review please, and I hope you were at least entertained a bit by the story.