Disclaimer : Ranma 1/2 and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. This fanfic is written for enjoyment and self-fulfillment purposes only.

He was standing with his arms across his chest, his shoulders leaning against the back wall. He was standing amidst a group of boys, all of them whistling and hooting, as they watched a couple of boys sitting across each other at a low table, arms propped on the smooth wooden surface. Arm-wrestling. She rolled her eyes. A typical male sport.

He'd be bored, too. From the look on his face, the way he tilted his head listlessly, she could tell. After all, he was Mr. Macho Martial Artist. This was a kid's game to him.

A hand fell on her shoulder, and she looked up. Sayuri was smiling at her, offering a can of cold juice. She smiled back and shook her head, holding up the can of juice she'd just finished.

"What do you think, Akane?" she asked.

Akane blinked. "About what?"

Yuka laughed. "Weren't you listening? We were talking about going down to the beach for a couple of days, rent a beach house or something. What do you think?"

"Sounds fun," she replied.

"You'll come, won't you, Akane?"

She smiled. "Sure. Got nothing to do over the summer, anyway."

Yuka nudged her. "You can even bring your fiance along."

She blinked. Automatically, her gaze flew to Ranma, who was still standing among his friends, looking bored. She looked back at Yuka. "Are you out of your mind?" she asked. "That pervert? Why would I want to bring *him* along?"

The girls laughed, as Akane looked on, confused. Finally, Sayuri elbowed her. "You need a vacation, Akane," she said. "Lighten up, it was a *joke*."

Akane smiled back, unable to think of a smart retort. The topic moved on to swimwear, and she sighed inwardly, relieved to have the conversation steered away from her. Her engagement to Ranma was always a popular topic of conversation, but that didn't mean she was used to it. She could certainly do without the probing questions about her relationship with Ranma. Not now, not yet. Not until she'd sorted her feelings entirely.

She felt her gaze drift back to where Ranma was. She saw Hiroshi elbow him, whisper something in his ear. Even from across the room, Akane could see the way he smiled briefly at his friends, and then looked away, still absorbed in his thoughts. Daisuke said something to Hiroshi, and the two of them moved on, leaving Ranma alone.

He always looked so alone, Akane thought suddenly. All around him was laughter and lively conversation, but he was just standing there, lost in his own little world. Some of the guys would make an effort to include him, but he'd just look up after a while, smile a little, and go back inside his shell.

Was he feeling sad? Lonely? To watch him get caught up in one disaster after another, to see him running across town with two or three psychotic women fast at his heels... it was hard to imagine how he could ever feel lonely, being the trouble-magnet that he was.

On nights like this, however, when all was calm and quiet and peaceful... here, he was only an ordinary boy, sitting alone, looking lost to the rest of the world...

He was kind of different tonight, though. Sure, he was less than his usual boisterous self when they were with the gang from school, but not like this.

Akane smiled softly to herself. What was she to complain about? Savor the peace while you have it. With Ranma around, it sure wouldn't last for long.

Things certainly became more... complicated... since Ranma came to town. Akane smiled ruefully to herself; that was an understatement. Though privately, she didn't think the crowd at school minded about the chaos overly much. They were never affected directly by all the trouble, after all. And life was certainly more interesting with Ranma around. They just stood at the sidelines and watched, cheered, placed bets...

That was because they didn't have to live with him, she thought. They didn't have to deal with fiancees bursting through the walls, rivals crashing through the roofs, pushy parents trying at least once a week to get them married...

She sighed inwardly. Not to mention, of course, the endless fighting, bickering, teasing...

He was such a jerk, she thought suddenly. Even when she was making an effort to be nice, like agreeing to marry him so he'd get the Nannichuan water, he still managed to ruin everything, just by being the insensitive jerk that he was...

She glared at him from across the room. Oblivious to her gaze, Ranma just yawned and scratched his head, his eyelids drooping with every minute. The gesture was so... so *him*, that she felt the remnants of her anger ebb away. *Stupid Ranma,* she thought, an unconscious, soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

That was just like him, she thought. Sometimes, she'd be so angry at him for being a stupid jerk, but all it took was a simple gesture, a small sign of caring, and she'd forget that she was mad at him, and he'd actually be able to make her smile...

Her reasons for agreeing to marry Ranma hadn't been so selfless. She admitted it now. She had remembered the way he'd held her at Jusendo, when he'd thought she was dead, and how he had screamed her name, his voice raw with anguish...

And right then, she'd believed with all her heart that Ranma loved her...

... Ranma *loved* her...

... so she'd agreed to marry him, because she... she, too, lo-

Unthinkingly, she looked up, her eyes resting on Ranma...

And before she could tear her eyes away, his head came up and his eyes opened, and he was staring straight at her, his eyes widening...

****

He yawned. Man, this was a boring party.

For the thousandth time that evening, he wished he were somewhere else. Anywhere else. Man, he'd even be happy to see *Ryouga*. At least it was better than standing here and doing nothing.

*The things I do for that tomboy,* he thought, irritated. He didn't even want to come to this stupid party. But then old man Tendo had found out Akane was going, and absolutely insisted that Ranma had to accompany her. Of course, he'd said a macho tomboy like her could take care of herself, but that hadn't gotten him anywhere...

The sound of feminine laughter brought his head up, and he looked across the room. The party seemed to be divided into two groups - the boys and girls were each gathered at opposite ends of the room. And there, standing among a group of girls such that he could only see the top of her head, was Akane.

Even from across the room, he could pick out the sound of Akane's laughter, and the sound of it brought a smile to his lips. Akane... even when she was standing in a crowd, he could still pick her out as easily as if she were alone. There was a uniqueness, a fineness in her, that set her apart from the rest.

Akane... the sound of her laughter could make him feel giddy and light-hearted... the sight of her tears made him feel as if his heart was being torn into two... only Akane, with her fiery temper and her sunny smile, could make him feel...

Suddenly, he heard her raised voice clearly over the din of noise. "That *pervert*?" she exclaimed. "Why would I want to bring him along?"

There was scattered laughter across the room. Ranma scowled and looked away. Was that all he would ever be in her eyes? A pervert, a sex-changing freak, a womanizing jerk? *She* was the one who walked in on him in the bath. How was he supposed not to look?

"Hey, Ranma," a voice called from beside him. Ranma looked up.

Hiroshi raised his brows. "Heavy thoughts?"

Ranma smiled briefly. "What's up?"

"We're going to play some pool," he replied. "Want to come along?"

He shook his head. "No thanks." He leaned against the wall and looked away.

"Never mind him," he heard Daisuke say. "Come on, Hiroshi."

A group of guys moved past him, their feet shuffling across the floor. He heard the sound of their dragging footsteps, heard the slur in their voices, and he grimaced at the tinge of alcohol in the air.

Sake, he thought derisively. It clouded the mind and dulled the senses, and hell would freeze over before he succumbed to such a weakness. He thought of his father, or Akane's father, or Happosai...

His eyes clouded at the thought of Happosai. That old lecher. If he hadn't drunk the Nannichuan water at that wedding, he'd already be cured...

His fists clenched at his sides. Would he ever be a whole man again?

He thought again of the wedding. If he'd agreed to marry Akane, and Soun Tendo handed the water over to him without a fight, he'd already be cured...

Marry Akane...

With his eyes closed, he easily conjured an image of her, wearing her wedding dress. Long flowing white dress, flowers in her hair...

He'd always thought she looked cute whatever she wore, he'd told her as much himself...

But at that moment, as she'd looked at him, her soft smile reflected in her warm brown eyes, and he'd remembered she'd smiled at him like that, too, after he'd defeated Saffron, and she was a tiny doll, and again later, after she came back from the dead, and he was holding her in his arms...

He thought of her limp weight in his arms, the deathly stillness, the coolness of her skin against his... remembered the raw terror that coursed through his veins... remembered crying that he loved her, begging her to wake up...

Love?

Had he really said it? When she'd asked him, he'd denied everything in a fit of panic. He'd been so surprised at the turn of events... waking up to see he was wearing a tuxedo, and Akane looking so radiantly beautiful in her dress... and why the *hell* did she want to marry him?!

She said it was for the Nannichuan water. But that same night, while he lay on his back on the roof, staring at the stars, he couldn't help but wonder if there could be anything else...

They were always fighting, and she always called him names, always hitting him over the head for one insult or another... He'd thought she hated him, but then she'd agreed to marry him...

There *couldn't* be anything else, except...

Love?

His eyes opened and he looked up, his eyes automatically scanning the room, and finally coming to rest on Akane...

And his eyes widened, as he realized she was staring at him, a soft look in her eyes...

Love?

He felt a smile spread slowly across his face.

****

Under the stars, a couple walking, side by side.

He tipped his head and glanced at her. Walking beside him, her profile illuminated by the moonlight, she looked, to him, more beautiful than ever. She smiled then, as if feeling his gaze on her.

He turned his head back and stared straight ahead, a smile on his own lips. He thought of the last time they'd been together like this. He remembered, he'd been a nervous wreck, his feelings a jumble of mixed emotions. He'd felt her confused gaze on him, as he struggled uselessly to express his own feelings...

Finally, he'd simply stopped and held out his hand, every nerve in his body trembling with nervous anticipation. At last, he felt her hand close warmly over his fingers, and tension slowly drained out of his body. Even when she took the words from his own mouth and he could think of nothing to say, still, he'd felt, finally, at peace.

He smiled fondly at the memory. But this time, as he stopped and turned to her, there was no trace of confusion or doubt in his heart. He met her gaze and held out his hand, a soft look in his eyes. And as she smiled and clasped his hand, he felt, again, at peace.

Still, there were no words to say, but as he looked down and saw their clasped hands, it seemed to say everything he needed to know. And, as he looked up and stared right into her smiling eyes, he could tell she was thinking the exact same thing.

They continued walking home, their fingers intertwined.

****

Author's notes:

Just a li'l piece of nonsense, when I wanted to write something and couldn't think of anything else to write. :)

This shortfic was written while listening to the FF8 themesong, "Eyes On Me."

As always, any and all C&C are appreciated. Thanks for reading!

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