Know this! I do not own Ranma 1/2 (or anyone associated with him for that matter)! I'm nothing more than a fan who's chosen to write my own version of Ranma, Akane & their relationship...

Chapter 3 : The Talent Show And The Unexpected

Akane wore a yellow leotard and held a stick with a long flowing (matching) yellow ribbon in her hand. She stood looking in the mirror hanging in her bedroom and couldn't help but feel extremely anxious about having the night be done and over with.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she scowled at her reflection. "And just when have you ever been one to run away from a challenge...importantly when have you ever admitted that Ranma could do something you couldn't?"

"Ah, now that might be true in most cases, but I'm sure you'll do fine tonight!" Akane turned to see Ranma hanging outside her bedroom window...a position he'd taken to using frequently after upseting her and she'd retired to her room.

"If you're trying to upset me by saying that I'm not as good as you it's not going to work!" Akane tried to sound confident but her voice was slightly more quiet than she'd wanted. "I'm just trying to find my motivation for tonight...incase you haven't noticed I find this whole thing to be a waste of time, and honestly, I'd think that you would too."

He pondered her comment for a few moments and responded, "Eh...I just figure that this is a chance for me to do a little more showing off and show then world that I'm good at more than just martial arts."

"You mean you're not doing martial arts?!" Akane almost fell over one because of her two options she would have opted for martial arts over the gymnastics, and two at the thought that she had chosen to fall back onto something familiar when Ranma was trying out something different for a change.

Akane didn't have time to think about it anymore as it was clearly too late to switch what she was going to perform. Besides...she had worked hard to come up with a good floor routine and honestly, she was proud of what she'd managed to come up with.

"See you at dinner then!" Ranma smiled and was gone from her window in the blink of an eye.

'Sometimes I still can't believe how fast he is...' Akana thought to herself. Then she gave herself one last check in the mirrow adjusted her hair slightly and walked down stairs to the dining table.

The plan for the evening had been to have an early dinner with the whole family (including Ranma and his mother). After which Ranma and Akane would leave for the school early to prep themselves along with other students from their grade, and the rest of the family would follow along a bit later and closer to when the show was to start.

Moment after the two left the house and were safely out of site the questions finally began.

"Alright Mrs. Saotome...time to spill" Nabiki showed no preliminaries. "What is Ranma doing tonight that he had to be so secretive as to move out of the house. I swear though she'd never admit it, I think Akane's been going crazy without him around...although that could just be that she sees him as competion and not knowing what she's up against"

Nodoka took a sip of tea that she had helped Kasumi to serve moments earlier. "Honestly, my son never came straight out and told me what he had in mind for tonight...and I'm sure he has his reasons" she paused a moment while curious eyes continued to focus on her. "Although...call it a mother's intuition...but I really do believe that Ranma may surprise us tonight..."

At the school

Ranma was in the boys locker room and grabbed the guitar that he'd managed to sneak in a couple nights prior.

'This is it, Ranma', he thought to himself, 'after tonight there'll be no more secrets...no more pretending.' He felt his face turn red but quickly shook it off. The worst case scenario would be that she wouldn't feel the same way in which case he'd probably leave town to make her more comfortable.

In the Gymnasium

Families had began filing onto the gym and the seats were quickly feeling up. There was a lot of loud conversation amongst those parents who were there with children waiting nervously behind the curtain..waiting to make them proud.

It didn't take too much time for Ranma's and Akane's families to find a place not too far from the stage that had enough seats together to fit the lot of them and they made themselves comfortable. Nabiki (having seen Akane in her get-up at dinner) was ready with camera in hand. She even made sure to splurge on the best camera she could find with an awesome zoom mode. After all...she figured that the funds she'd recieve for these pictures would more than pay for the camera itself...and it was a good time to upgrade anyway.

Before too long the lights dimmed and the audience fell silent and the spot of the spotlight up on stage where Principal Kuno stood.

"Welcome to da families of all da lovely studends we have here!" The principal bellowed, not really needing to use the microphone that was in front of him. "We be going to put on a very good show for you tonight so sit back, relax and enjoy our first annual talent show!!"

Things started off rather as expected with students coming on stage one by one as they were announced and performing their skills for their families and anyone else from town who'd decided to show up...likely from lack of anything else to do that evening.

Ukyo, a girl who Ranma was supposedly in a way engaged to through an arrangement made by his father (much like his engagement to Akane) had the roof coming off its hinges with her applaus with the routine she'd come up with while surrounded by five or six grills. The loudest applause of course had come from the small handful of people that she'd asked to come up as assistance who now were holding fabulous plates of okonamiyaki (yeah, I have zero idea how to spell that, so I apologize greatly). With a bow she walked off the stage to the right and members of the drama tech wheeled the grills off after her.

The applause continued through out the night and it was obvious where the families of each studend was by where the loundest cheers came from after each perfomance.

Soon it was Akane's turn and she could hear her family (particularly her father) going absolutely nuts as she made her way out to the center of the stage. She took her beginning pose and within moments the music she had selected and gotten to sound began. This was it. She ran throught the routine she'd come up with involving the ribbon to help with movement flow better with the music. Unkown to anyone in the audience...off at the edge of the stage and behind the curtain, two eyes were on Akane and it was doubtful even if there hadn't been bright lights shining down on the stage that he would have seen the audience beyond. It was just her. Her.

Ranma came quickly back to his senses, knowing that he couldn't let himself feel too macho and back out from what he was about to do...but also knowing that if got too weak in the knees that he's also never go through with it.

He heard the music faint away to nothing and looked up to see Akane taking her final pose awaiting her fate from the audience. Much to her happiness (but not too much to her surprise..she felt great about her perfomance) she'd recieved applause that came close to (if not surpassed) those that Ukyo had brought in. She smiled to herself. It didn't matter what Ranma did now or whether or not it was better than her. She was truly happy and nothing could make this night any better or worse.

Of course she was wrong on one of those accounts...

A few more studends came out to the joy and applause of their crazed families and all in all the whole thing seemed to be going well.

At long last the name of Saotome Ranma was called out once again to thundrous applause...the crowd quickly quieted though after seeing that not only was Ranma not wearing the gi that most of the town had expected him to wear for his performance, but he was holding what actually looked to be a guitar case! A lot of jaws dropped, although none quite so much as one Nabiki Tendo.

Ranma stepped up to the microphone after having pulled what was indeed a guitar out of the case.

"Ahem...could um...could Akane Tendo please come onto the stage to help me please?" he managed to get out without sounding too broken up.

He motioned for her to sit on the stool that had been placed there at his request for his performance and she did looking quite perplexed.

'Just what are you up to, Ranma?' Akane was curious as well as nervous, but at the same time excited.

Ranma then turned back to his microphone and positioned himself so that he was facing Akane. Putting his hand over the mic for a moment so that only she could hear him he said, "Please don't hate me for this..."

He moved his hand and began stumming his guitar...and then he started singing. His voice seeming to put Akane in a transe. The poor girl didn't know what hit her...

If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?

If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?

If you are not mine than why does your heart return my call

If you are not mine would i have the strength to stand at all

I never know what the future brings

But i know you are here with me now

We'll make it through

And i hope you are the one i share my life with..

I don't want to run away but i can't take it,i don't understand

I i'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that i am?

Is there any way that i can stay in your arms?

If i don't need you then why does your name resound in my head?

If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life?

if you're not for me then why do i dream of you as my wife?

I dont know why you're so far away

But i know that this much is true

We'll make it through

And i hope you are the one i share my life with

And i wish that you could be the one i die with

And i pray in you're the one i build my home with

i hope i love you all my life

I don't want to run away but i can't take it,i don't understand

I i'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that i am?

Is there any way that i can stay in your arms?

'cause i miss you,body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away

And i breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today

Cause i love you,whether it's wrong or right

And though i can't be with you tonight

And i know my heart is by your side

I don't want to run away but i can't take it,i don't understand

I i'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that i am?

Is there any way that i can stay in your arms?

Ranma let his voice fade away at the last phrase and it was unkown to him or Akane if the audience was applauding or not as they were completely entranced in eachother's gaze. Ranma could see tears flowing slowly down Akanes face as he looked at her. Was that good? Was it bad? The curiousity was killing him but he didn't let himself lose the gaze he had with her. This was it. He knew when he decided to do this that he was taking a huge risk and he was ready to face whatever happened now.

Finally after what seemed like a lifetime Akane stood up off the stool and walked slowly towards him with them not taking their eyes off eachother. Without looking away from him Akane grabbed the microphone of the stand Ranma had been using and held it to her chest for a few moments while looking in his eyes.

The audience had grown silenty by this point and a good deal of them were from the school and knew that what had just happened was a very big thing.

Akane finally found what she had been looking for deep in her heart and still looking at Ranma sighed deeply and with that she kneeled in front of him.

"Ranma..." she began, her voice quivering a bit, "since the day I met you...you've done...absolutely everything for me...and I never let myself see it."

Ranma's eyes began to water a bit and he didn't bother to try to hide it...

"Not only did I not see it...but I treated you like you were nothing...I judged you and I tormented you, and I called you unfair names." She took another breath and began again "but I don't want to pretend anymore, Ranma...I don't want to take something else that you've found in your heart to do for me and turn it into something you should be blaimed for...starting to cry I...I can't lie anymore Ranma and I don't care who hears it. I ... love you! I love you more than I could ever imagine loving anyone else in my whole life...and...and...Ranma, please...marry me?"

The gasp could have been heard all throughout town and the following silence was defening.

Ranma just stood there with tears flowing now more freely down his cheeks, and unable to keep himself in a standing position he also came down to his knees facing her.

"Akane..."he began and his hand made its way to her right cheek and wiped a tear away "...you are such an uncute Tomboy..." Akane's gazed drifted down only to have Ranma pull her back up to look into his eyes. "and I will never ever...love another person as much as I love you."

New tears swelled up in Akane's eyes uncontrollably and Ranma was barely able to make out the "Oh you Baka!" before he had pulled her into a deep embrace and kiss. Suddenly it was as if the two of them were on a cloud of air. Everything else was completely forgotten. The fact that they were currently on a stage in front of the whole town was a distance memory. The two just stayed there in eachothers arms and let their lips make up for such a long time of fighting and denial.

In the audience two particular fathers had broken out a bottle of Sake (yeah...howd they get into the school with that?) and a (surprisingly) not so upset Nabiki couldn't help but smile..having also let a few tears of her own fall. She was sure she could find some other way to make back the money she'd spent on the camera. Right now she just couldn't help but get lost in how happy the two up on the stage seemed to be.

Our story comes to an end with the one and only Kasumi Tendo with the regular calming and soothing look she always bore (although if it was possible her smile was even bigger today...)

'Well, mother..."she thought silently to herself, "I've done what you asked...I've taken care of Akane as if I was her mother...but she has Ranma now...and I know he'll love her as much as you could ever hope for your little girl.'

A tear fell silently down her cheek.

THE END

Shidoin: Well, I'd like to apologize that this story wasn't better..and also that I only used 3 chapters to finish up. Actually by this last chapter I was feeling very frustrated with it so I decided to get it finished up in one whack. I'd like to think it's not too horrible though...especially for being my first fan fic ever.

Tatewaki: Lies! All lies! I, Tatewaki Kuno would never have allowed such a performance to play out!

Shidoin: Which would be the very reason why I opted to basically just forget your existance for this story. (Yes, I realize that there was really no competion for affection the whole story...but being my first I wanted to focus on really just Ranma and Akane...and I hope no one minds too much)

Please let me know if you at least enjoyed the overall storyline I came up with and also if you think that I should maybe try my hand at another fan fic sometime...I think I'd try to put more thought into it, but it's something I wouldn't mind trying again if you think I'm up to it :smiles: