Permanent part 12.

	Ryoga stood angrily over Ranma and glared down at her as she
recovered from the shock of being hit. She stared at him dumbly from the
ground. 
	"Ranma! How dare you! How dare you cure me before curing yourself
first!" cried Ryoga angrily, he slowly fell to his knees and began to
cry. "Damn you Saotome. This is all your fault." he said softly.
	Ranma stood and took off her shirt. She placed it over the nude
boy and lead him into the house. Ryoga simply followed without a word.
	Akane stood unmoving for several minutes. She glared at the spot
where the boy had changed before her eyes. She fell to her knees and just
sat for a while. Questions ran through her head and she groped
desperately for answers. 
	"I think, the festival can wait till tomorrow." said Soun
finally.
	Cologne shook her head in disbelief and pogoed off. Her plans for
Ko li had been destroyed in a single instant. She had hoped that the two
would develop a relationship and marry after she changed him back into a
man. The girl had surprised her, but she was also prepared for this as
well. It would just take a little more work.

	Ranma watched sullenly as Ryoga dressed in some of her clothes.
He watched her a little uncomfortably as he did. She was well aware that
she had just given up the only cure she might find in her lifetime.
	He finished dressing and walked over to her and sat down beside
her. He was wearing her sleeveless red shirt and a pair of her pants.
They sat together in silence for almost half an hour. 
	"Why?" said Ryoga quietly.
	"Because you needed it more than I did." said Ranma simply.
	"No I didn't." said Ryoga angrily.
	"Who is a better judge? A mage or a thick headed martial artist
who spent the last year and a half as a pig?" she said to him quietly.
	Ryoga growled and stood. "Damn it Ranma I..."
	"Don't, it doesn't matter now. Just accept it, please." she said
without looking up.
	Ryoga turned and walked out into the hall to leave her with her
thoughts.

	To her surprise Nabiki was the next to enter. She glared at Ranma
angrily. "What did he mean?" she spat.
	"Does Akane know?" said Ranma simply.
	"So it's true. You are a boy." said Nabiki under her breath.
	"What difference does it make?" said Ranma simply. "Does Akane
know?" 
	"No, I don't think she noticed." said Nabiki as she sat across
from Ranma. "But I know."
	"If you want to tell her that is your decision. You won't hear
anything from me." said Ranma simply.
	"Your not going to tell her?" said Nabiki with tension in her
voice.
	"Why? So she can feel awkward and uncertain about our friendship?
So I can destroy the only good thing left in my life?  No thanks."
snorted Ranma. She looked up at Nabiki for the first time. It was then
that the girl realized just what Ranma had given up for the boy. 
	"Ranma?" she said looking at her as she went pale. "The panda?"
	"My father." said Ranma with a small smile.
	
	Nabiki left the room and went straight to her own.  Akane was
waiting outside patiently. She stood next to Ryoga and said nothing to
him. She seemed to be ignoring his presence. He glanced at her and
quickly looked away several times before she entered the room.
	"Ranma?" she said timidly.
	Ranma felt her throat dry up as the girl entered the room. "Hi
Akane." she said to the girl.
	"What just happened?" she said in confusion.
	"I finally found a way to cure my best friend." said Ranma with a
smile. 
	"You don't look happy, I mean why are you?" stammered the girl in
confusion.
	"Akane, don't go to hard on him." said Ranma with a wistful
smile.
	Akane looked at him dumbly and nodded without really
comprehending. Ryoga's words that day never did cross her mind again.
Only the shock of seeing her pet turn into a man before her eyes and the
realization that he had returned to his true form was remembered in the
years to come. 
	With that Ranma was finally left alone to mourn the loss of her
cure.

	Akane sat on the roof of the home that night and looked out over
the city. It had been an emotional day for every one. Especially Ranma
and the boy. She hadn't even bothered to find out what his name was. 
	"Akane?" said a timid voice from behind her. 
	She didn't even have to ask who it was. "What do you want?" she
said quietly.
	The boy stepped back and sighed. This was going to be harder for
him than he thought. "We need...to talk." he said after a few moments.
	"I told you everything, my life, my hopes and dreams, my personal
secrets. Things that I would never tell another human being." she said
firmly.
	"Akane, I'm sorry. I..." stammered the boy.
	"You what?" she said looking at him with a gaze of ice.
	He backed away and looked nervously away from her. She could tell
he was not having an easy time of this. "I will never break you
confidence I swear it. You have to understand..." he stammered.
	"Do I?" she asked. This time her voice was soft and she had a sad
hurt look in her eyes.
	"Akane, I am sorry. I only wanted to be a friend. I thought I was
destined to be nothing more than your pet pig for the rest of your life.
I never meant to hurt you. I..I only want to be friends." he said at
last.
	Akane looked back over the rooftops and said nothing.
	Ryoga started to turn away. "I'm sorry." he whispered again.
	"You never told me your name." said Akane just before he was
about to go back inside.
	"Ryoga, Hibiki Ryoga." said the boy with a strange look on his
face.
	"Well Ryoga its nice to meet you. My name is Akane." said the
girl as she stood up from her perch on the rooftop. 
	"A new begining. I like that." thought Ryoga as he entered the
home.
	"I'll see you around." said Akane as she walked back into her own
room.
	"Yea, see ya." said Ryoga.

	Neither of them noticed Ranma sitting in the shadows of her own
room. "Its obvious you want to be more than friends Mr.P. " she said with
a small frown. She looked out into the moonlight one last time before
heading for bed. Tomorrow would be an interesting day indeed.

Next time Ryoga re-adjusts to his life again, and Kodachi appears
finally. A bit of forshadowing on someone to come...and why is Ryoga so
unhappy with Ranma? It was all her fault he was cursed in the first
place! More on this as well...
C&C to: Catbert25@juno.com


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