ch1ymt A Budding Romance
Ranma swallowed damply as his eyes followed Akane's movements during gym. Although he'd tried to deny it to himself, he wasn't convinced what he felt for the violent, beautiful girl. She was the most irritating girl he'd ever met and the most confusing.
A sigh escaped him and he looked at the mat under him, waiting for his turn to practice. *Still, she can be cute...when she give me one of those 'different' looks, or when she smiles when I do something right...* He painfully bit his lip, trying to block out their last arguement with nice memories.
Unfortunately, there weren't enough to do so. A sad look flitted across his face and he sighed. *I can't believe how few nice memories we have...there aren't enough...not for me...I want more.*
Akane caught Ranma looking at her while she practiced and flushed. She didn't believe her fiancee could be looking at her. No doubt there was an attraction between them, but she'd yet to figure out how deeply it ran. Yet he treated her like she was nothing compared to anyone else he could have.
*Maybe I'm not to him...* She flipped off the balance beam and sat with a few friends, waiting for the next person to go. Over on the 'guys side', Ranma was getting up to do his excersizes. Akane watched him closely, trying to figure out how he could be so graceful. *Stupid jerk...wont even teach me...*
She frowned. *But he's nice sometimes...when I learn something new...or if I'm upset...He's always on the sidelines...* She looked at the ground. *I have so many NICE memories of him...of him trying, but failing to say the right thing...maybe he does care...*
Ranma felt her eyes on him the whole time. It was not unusual. Some how, he knew she was thinking the same kind of things as he'd been watching her. *I wish I could learn to say the right thing to her, but she always thinks I'm saying something perverted.* He sighed, finishing his turn. *I wish I understood her...*
Akane blushed when he looked directly into her eyes after he landed lightly on the mat. She could hear her friends squeeling about who he may be looking at, but Akane knew. He was giving her a sad smile before he turned back to his class.
Her heart began thumping hard. *Ohmigod...he was looking at...me?* She looked at the ground. She'd been so content to stare she didn't realize the bell had run and the girls were going to get changed.
Ranma approached her, wary of anyone who may be liestening in. "Akane?" He asked softly.
Her head jerked up in surprise and she looked around. "Where is everyone?"
"They went to get changed..." He had his shirt pulled over his tank, but it wasn't buttoned yet. He looked down, then sighed. "Here." He took both of her hands and pulled her to her feet.
Akane allowed him to pull her to her feet and began to walk off to the girls locker room. She stopped when Ranma blurred and reappeared before her, his eyes sad. "Well, what?" She asked, her face settling into irritated.
He nervously twiddled his thums, his eyes on the floor and he shuffled his feet. "I...I was thinking that...Iwanttoseeyousmilemore..." He burst the words out as fast as possible, bearing it with a bad blush.
"R-ranma..." Akane blinked, surprised. "What brought this on...?"
He sighed, relaxing. "Well, everytime I think I'm tryin to be nice...I say the wrong thing or you think I said the wrong thing or someone interupts and everything goes wrong...and I..." He flushed a bit again. "I like your smile..."
She blushed and looked up into his nervous face, and a smile slowly turning her lips up. "Was that a compliment?" She asked softly.
He nodded. He was so afraid she'd start laughing at him, he looked away, blushing. "H-hn..."
"Arigato." She said with a smile.
He looked up hesitantely and relaxed when he saw her smiling at him. *Good...I said the right thing...*
"You don't need to be afraid to talk to me, Ranma..." She said, giving his hand a tender squeeze. "I mean, we are friends, right?"
He hung his head. "Yeah..." Her hand released his and she walked around him. "Friends..."

Akane looked towards Ranma's empty seat in last period curiously. *I wonder where he went. Maybe he ran into Ryoga and they tried to kill each other again...* She also noticed Ukyou herself had noticed.
"Ma'am, may I go to the restroom?" Ukyou asked innocently.
"Yes, dear."
When Ukyou passed, Akane could practically smell her worry. *Hmph...* Akane thought, looking back down into her book.

Ranma sneezed from his place on the roof. *Some one must be thinkin' bout me...* He wiped his nose on his sleeve, and sighed.
*Is that all we are? Friends? I want to be more for you...but...do you feel for me how I feel for you or is it just friendship?* He rested his hand on his head and swallowed. "What am I to you, Akane..." He whispered. "How am I going to tell the others...I don't want to hurt em, but...I have to...I love her...but what if...she doesn't feel the same..."
"Of course I do, Ranchan."
He froze at the sound of Ukyou's voice. "I need some time alone..."
"But it would be easier if you just went ahead and told Akane and took your lumps, then we could get married. I bet Shampoo would try to destroy the wedding, but Akane doesn't care who you marry as long as you-"
"I SAID I NEED TIME ALONE!" With that, he jumped off the roof.

Akane walked home, slightly worried. Ranma rarely ever ditched classes and if he did, he was either thinking or something went wrong. She was afraid it was the latter. Upon entering the compound, she heard the sounds of Ranma working out in the dojo.
Her footsteps drew her to it against her will and she glanced inside. He collapsed to the ground after he was finished, panting. Deep donw, she wondered if he'd been doing that since he'd gotten home. "Ranma?"
He glanced towards her. "...Akane..."
"What's wrong??!" She couldn't hold it back anymore. The silence was too much. "You disappeared after gym and I didn't see you at lunch and you rarely ever ditch unless something's really wrong! What is it?! You can tell me!"
He hesitated. "I...I'll tell you soon, I promise, but I can't tell you yet...it's not the right time...I'll tell you soon...yeah, I'll tell you later...When the time is right..."
She stared at him, confused. "Ranma-"
"I need some time alone, right now, alright? I promise I'll tell you but I need to think right now..." He gave her an encouraging smile and she nodded hesitantely.
"I understand...you'll tell me later...see ya later, I guess..." She left the dojo, wondering why his eyes looked so sad.

Ranma looked up at the roof. *How in the world am I going to tell my fiancee that I would die for her?* He smiled, looking at where she'd once stood. *All this thinking is going to give me a headache. I guess I should just tell her when I get a chance. But I gotta take care of the others first.*
He smiled. *And one other thing...*

The pigtailed martial artist walked into a jewelery store, and looked at the large collection of rings in the case, longing in his gaze. He wished he could get her the most expensive ring in the case, but he couldn't afford it.
In fact, most of the rings were way out of his budget. He sighed, spotting one that Akane would love. *I wish I could get her that one...* He smiled, and pointed at it. "How much is it?"
"You don't want that ring." The store owner said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"How do you know?"
"Trust me, you don't."
Ranma looked at the ring again and shook his head. "I don't see what you're saying. I see it and I want it. How much?"
The woman slowly moved over to it and lifted the ring, glancing at the bottom of it. "Sir, this ring is not meant-" She stopped. "What is your fiancee's name?"
"How did you..."
"What's her name?!" She snapped.
"Akane!" He answered, surprised.
"..." The woman stared at the inner section of the ring. "Here, Ranma-kun...on second thought, take it. 1000 yen."
He blinked and handed her the said amount of money. "I thought 'I didn't want it'."
The woman sighed. "You don't." She handed it to him. "Your fiancee does."
Ranma didn't respond, he just walked out of the store. *After I take care of my other fiancee's, I'll give it to her...* He smiled, touching the ring lightly. *I hope she likes it...*

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