Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any of its characters.

Note: I took a break from writing my long Ranma 1/2 story (I haven't uploaded it yet. I didn't know it would be a good idea to upload it until it was finished or not) and wrote this story. It's a one shot between Ranma and Ryoga.

It was on a cold, winter day that a dreary storm cast shadows over Nerima, blocking the sunlight. A lone figure curled her legs close to her chest and shivered as rain lapped at her face. She paid little heed to the rain, dignifying it only with a shudder as wind violently thrashed at her.

She glared solemnly down at her feet. Curse them, she thought. They steered me away from my problems when I so need to face them. She placed her chin on her knee and let a tear drop escape from her eyes as she cried, "As if I could have done anything about my problems in the first place!"

Ah look at me now. All alone, crying in a dark alleyway in the middle of a freezing storm. It just can't get any worse than this. Raindrops fell down her cheeks, accompanying her tears as they too slid awkwardly down her face. She herself hadn't even realized the amount of hurt that mounted in her frail heart, and was surprised to hear herself emit a sob. She shuddered, unable to stop herself from burying her face in her legs and crying out.

She closed herself off from the rest of the world as she violently sobbed into her legs, and so when another figure entered the vicinity, she was completely oblivious. The man watched her silently from the sidelines. He instantly recognized her by her scarlet hair and short frame, but he was so shocked by her uncharacteristic display of emotion that he could not budge an inch as her sobs pierced his ears.

For whatever reason, the man, upon opening his mouth, found that he had not a voice. He glanced down to his shaky hands. Ranma... Was the only intelligible word that came to his mind then. His hand violently shook as he brought it to his head and tore his yellow bandana from his forehead. He gripped it in his hand as he brought it down to his side.

He stepped closer, and as he did, Ranma noticed the other figure towering over her. She glanced upward into his eyes, startled, and said, "Ryoga. I didn't know you were here." Her hands found her face, quickly removing any evidence of her crying just moments before.

Before she could say anymore, Ryoga knelt down to face her on eye level. He brought his hands up to her cheeks and held her in place. He allowed his thumbs to roam just under her eyes and wipe away the tears that threatened to fall. "Ranma." He said soothingly. "Don't deal with this on your own." He pulled her into an embrace and held onto her tight. He could feel her stiffen, and he was slightly scared she'd floor him...

That was until she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer, burying her head into his chest and crying. Her fears, her worries, her troubles – all inflictions of her sorrow were cast away as Ryoga held her close, giving her condolences of love and warmth.

Much later into the night, while Ranma rested her head on Ryoga's chest and unconsciously trailed a lone finger along his body, she asked, "Ryoga..how come you haven't transformed yet? You've been in contact with cool water for far too long to not have changed." As she stated the obvious, the prospect of Ryoga attaining a cure for his curse filtered into her mind. She smiled brightly at Ryoga's wonderful news.

"I found myself a cure, although it was not without a cost..." Ryoga responded as he glanced down at her bright face and couldn't help but smile. For the first time, Ryoga could see that her smile was absolutely stunning. Her beautiful blue eyes radiated with glee rather than contempt for his success. He got lost in those eyes as he brought his face closer yet.

Ranma was startled to find a pair of lips pressing up to her own. Ryoga's kissing me. He's kissing me!...I should be...hating this...why does it feel so good? She found herself kissing back as he pressed his lips closer to hers. The two were quickly becoming heated as their tongues slipped over one another and Ranma shifted completely into her new-found lover's lap.

The two pulled themselves apart, and Ranma found herself wrapping her arms around Ryoga's neck and slowly drifting off into sleep in Ryoga's chest. With a big yawn, Ranma asked, "What did it cost you?" Ryoga tightened his hold on Ranma, as if he were afraid she would leave him upon discovering the truth.

"At first, I had no idea what the old man was talking about, but he suggested that my happiness would come in the exchange of the happiness of someone close to me. I didn't believe him for a minute as I took the potion that would grant me my happiness." Ryoga explained carefully. "When I saw you earlier, I realized that your discontent might be what he was talking about."

Jumping up from her sitting place, Ranma yelled, "How inconsiderate Ryoga. It was at the cost of my happiness? What if it had me killed or worse?"

"What could be worse than your death, Ranma?" Ryoga asked with a frown. He was not pleased with the developing situation. Ranma was taking the whole statement the wrong way.

Without giving Ryoga a proper response, she stomped off towards her residence. Ryoga watched her round the corner before calling out, "Wait!" He could see her turn back towards him. Before even waiting for her to reply, he was already closing the distance Ranma had placed between them.

"Why would I wait for someone like you?"

And he stopped. Her voice pierced his heart. When Ranma broke out into a run towards the Tendo household, Ryoga found that he could move his legs again, and he followed close behind. Many times he lost sight of her, but he didn't give up. He continued pursuing her, even when his legs threatened to give out.

He found himself face to face with the opening to the Tendo household. In the front of the house he found the angry face of a now male Ranma. There was confusion between the two boys as Ranma turned his head and headed for the door. "You're not welcome here anymore Ryoga."

"Ranma you have it all wrong..." Ryoga said.

"I have it all wrong? It was you who drank the potion, without even thinking about just what that unhappiness meant for the rest of us." Ranma cried.

"You're right about that Ranma. I didn't give it any heed. It doesn't mean I'm heartless! Looking at your crying face broke my heart in two. Not at all what I imagined it would be like, watching you huddle close to yourself and cry." Ryoga bit his lip and forced back tears as he stared at Ranma.

All Ranma could do was stare back as Ryoga continued, "I don't know what it is that hurt you, but I swear on my life that I will do whatever it takes to make you happy."

Ranma shook his head and yelled, "No! How dare you speak like that! It's impossible for you to do that right?! I thought you wanted to kill me!"

A pair of strong arms found their around Ranma's mid back, and they caused Ranma to shudder as the warmth spread through him. At first Ranma, who was blushing, had been struggling to get away from Ryoga's comforting hug, but his will weakened. Suddenly, from above, a bucket of cool water splashed over Ranma and Ryoga. The couple looked up at Akane, who cried, "Get a room you two!"

Ranma, who had turned back into a girl, and Ryoga, despite the seriousness of the situation, chuckled. When their laughter died down, Ryoga whispered into Ranma's ear. "The loss of my curse may have made me content, but you are what makes me happy."

Ranma blushed redder than a tomato as Ryoga kissed her. Her protests quickly died as Ryoga deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. As Ryoga pulled away, he said, "Ranma...I love you." and gave her another kiss.