A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Mike Simmons. All characters herein are property of Takahashi Rumiko. Before you bludgeon me to death for such sacrilege, please...read the fic. Who knows, you might even like it! :) C & C would be greatly appreciated. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Oil & Water-- part II The thin, pale fingers of dawn came drifting silently through Akane's bedroom window. Creeping across the huddle of blankets on the bed, the small sunbeams illuminated the face of a sleeping Ranko. As time passed, the light gradually became warmer and brighter. Eventually, some critical point was surpassed. Ranko cracked open an eyelid. Morning. It was definitely morning. And -early- morning at that. Ranko rolled over and burrowed deeper under the covers. {Early mornings are for birds and Amazons, not for martial artists...} she thought. Closing her eye again, Ranko began to drift back into a dozing, dreamless half-sleep, but suddenly her surroundings registered. Ranko sat upright, fully awake. {Oh, great! I'm in -Akane's- room! If she finds me here, sleeping in her -bed-, she'll go ballistic!} Ranko stretched, the bones in her spine giving off small popping noises. She twisted, and paused in mid-stretch at the sight of Ryoga fast asleep in Akane's desk chair. His arms were still folded and there was a stern expression on his face, but sleep lent a softness to Ryoga's normally hostile features. {What the heck is Ryoga doing here? Come to think of it, what the heck am -I- doing here?} Ranko hopped out of bed, moving on silent feet to the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, looking back at the sleeping Ryoga. {Something strange is going on around here. Where's Akane? And why is Ryoga here? It's almost like he was...guarding me?} Ranko scoffed, flipping her pigtail over her shoulder. {Naaaaaaah!} Ranko slowly opened the door, but as she began sliding out into the hallway, the floor gave off a loud creak. Ryoga stirred, and Ranko froze. His sleep-filled eyes slowly drifted open, and were filled with the image of a short red-haired girl in a tank top and shorts standing by the door. Ryoga jerked awake. "Huh? Ranma? What...." The memory of what had happened yesterday flooded into his mind. {She doesn't -look- like an evil spirit girl. Still, best to be careful.} He stood up and slowly approached Ranko, stopping a safe distance away from her in case she turned out to be evil. Before he could speak, Ranko beat him to it. "Ryoga, what's going on? Why are we in Akane's room?" Ryoga checked his pockets. Damn. Out of spirit wards. Without taking his eyes off of Ranko, he snatched a pad of yellow Post-It notes and a pen from Akane's desk and began to scribble furiously. Ranko folded her arms, watching Ryoga's antics. Finishing, Ryoga tore the note off of the pad. Diving towards Ranko, he stuck the hastily-created spirit ward to her forehead. His mission accomplished, Ryoga leaped back, expecting the pigtailed girl to shriek and evaporate in a burst of flames. Ranko stood there with her arms folded and a yellow Post-It note flapping merrily on her forehead in the cool breeze from the window. "You better start talking, Ryoga." * * * Ranma yawned, and stumbled out of bed. {Ooog. I don't feel so hot.} His stomach was rumbling like a Panzer brigade as he wandered downstairs into the kitchen. Kasumi was standing at the counter, trimming the stems of some small flowers before placing them precisely in a vase. Turning at the sound of Ranma's footsteps, Kasumi's eyes went wide and her arms flew up in surprise. A shower of daisies floated lazily down around them. "Geez Kasumi, I know I'm never up this early, but you don't need to make a big deal out of it." Ranma scratched the back of his head idly as he opened the refrigerator. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starved!" "I haven't started breakfast yet." Kasumi's tone was serious, with a hint of censure in it. Ranma looked up, startled at the sound of displeasure, however slight, from Soun Tendo's oldest daughter. Then he realized that he had just wandered in to Kasumi's personal domain, spoken to her with a bare modicum of respect, and immediately ignored her in the search for something to eat. Ranma gulped, and looked down at his feet in embarassment. He'd never been much for manners, but if anyone deserved respect it was Kasumi. "Uh.....I'm sorry, Kasumi. I didn't mean..." He wasn't much for apologies, either. Raising his eyes, he caught the strange expression on Kasumi's face. "What's wrong, Kasumi?" Kasumi opened her mouth to tell Ranma what had happened yesterday, but before she could speak, a crash came from the stairs. Kasumi and Ranma ran out of the kitchen, ducking just in time as Ryoga flew over them and smacked into the wall. Ryoga struggled to his feet, a small shower of wood splinters pattering off his shoulders. Ignoring Ranma and Kasumi, he faced the stairs. "I'm telling the truth!" Ryoga yelled. Ranko appeared at the top of the stairs, her fists clenched and a battle aura beginning to flicker around her. Ranma dropped to the floor with a thump, his eyes wide with shock. Ranko hadn't noticed Kasumi or her male counterpart; she had eyes only for Ryoga. "If you're trying to make some kind of joke, Ryoga, that's not very funny!" Ryoga scowled at her as she leaped down the stairs. The two stood toe-to-toe, glowering at each other. Ranko only came up to the level of Ryoga's nose, and her head was tilted back as they locked eyes in mutual stubbornness. Without looking away from the irate Ranko before him, Ryoga pointed at Ranma. "If I'm such a liar, then who is -that-?" Ranko flicked her eyes over in Ranma's direction, and back at Ryoga with redoubled intensity. "I DON'T CA... oh." Ranko turned back to stare at Ranma, who rose from where he had been sprawled on the floor. The pig-tailed martial artists regarded each other silently. "How did this happen?" Ranma whispered hoarsely. Kasumi spoke up, quietly relating what had occurred at Ukyo's restaurant the day before. Ryoga nodded, glad that at least -somebody- could back up his story. Throughout Kasumi's retelling, Ranma and Ranko stared at each other, neither one stirring an inch. As Kasumi finished her tale, Ranma reached out and poked Ranko in the arm. Looking back over his shoulder at Kasumi, Ranma asked "Is it permanent?" In a very un-Kasumi-like gesture, she shrugged. "As far as we know." Ranma grinned, his entire face lighting up with irrepressible joy. Ranma laughed, and began jumping around in an impromptu victory dance. "Never gonna be a girl a-gain, never gonna be a girl a-gain!" Ranma chanted, smiling until he thought he'd burst. "Yes!" He punched the air. Filling a glass of water from the sink, he poured it over his head in celebration. Rivulets of cold water ran down his face, mixing with tears of happiness and soaking his shirt. -His- shirt. "Where's Akane? I gotta tell her! It's finally over I'm -normal- again!" Ranko watched Ranma's antics, anger boiling inside her. {He -poked- me!} Ranko thought. {Like I was some kind of museum exhibit! He talked about me like I wasn't even here!} With a flash, Ranko's battle aura flared to life, crackling with power. Ranko gritted her teeth as the irrational rage that had been so recently focussed on Ryoga found a new target. * * * The morning came, clear and sharp, bringing a tang of frost that vanished as the autumn sun beat down on the pavement. In the cool shadows by the wall of the Tendo dojo, Akane raised her head. Slowly she filled her senses with the world, pouring into it like a stream of water from a jar, luxuriating in the dream-like feeling of peace. {I guess this is what Dad was talking about. I can't believe I've been out here all night!} Akane felt a slight ripple of shame. It was the impact of Ukyo's words that had kept her motionless and alert, mind working furiously as afternoon cycled to evening, and night gave way finally to exhaustion. At first Akane had merely sat, uncaring eyes tracking the rustle of a stray leaf along the pavement, her thoughts wandering random and disjointed. Then came the words; teasing, annoying, and sharp. Akane shuddered as she recalled her response, the violence and rage, the many blows she had dealt without warning. Throughout the nighttime silence, Akane's innermost self drifted on a lake of memories, all beginning with a panda who showed up on their doorstep one day and a pig-tailed girl who needed a friend. Hearing the murmur of voices coming from the house, Akane rose stiffly, brushing off her gi and stretching to work out a few of the aches brought on by long hours in a sitting position. Akane drew her newfound calm around her like a cloak. She knew what she had to do; she knew now how to deal with the situation. {I have to have a talk with Ranko,} she thought. {And I have to...apologize to Ranma.} However difficult it might be trying to deal with Ranko, there was no question that it would be a lot easier than apologizing. Pulling the gate open, Akane slipped inside the doors and closed them behind her with a thump. {That's funny.} The voices coming from the house had ceased. Akane moved towards the front door. "RANMA NO BAKA!" a feminine voice screamed with anger. The flying body of Ranma Saotome exploded through the wall of the Tendo home and sailed across the yard, coming to rest at Akane's feet. One hand still in the 'evil-spirits-begone' position, Ranma climbed to his feet, gingerly rubbing the lump that had sprung up on his head. "Crazy girl," he muttered to himself. At the sight of Akane, a grin animated his features. "Akane! Watch this!" Leaping into the air, Ranma held his nose and dropped like a cannonball into the pond. A tremendous splash erupted, soaking a confused Akane. {Ranma?} "Yeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ranma rocketed up from the depths of the pond, dripping wet and laughing with glee. "I'mcuredI'mcuredI'mcuuured!" He shook himself off, black pig-tail lashing back and forth. Akane smiled. {He's so happy, like a little kid! This is what he's always wanted, more than anything!} Her smile faltered as she remembered what she had to do, but resumed itself as she watched Ranma's joyful antics. {Maybe apologizing won't be quite as hard as I thought...} * * * Through the gaping hole in the wall created by Ranma's swift exodus, Ranko watched Akane and Ranma sitting by the edge of the pond, facing each other. Both had their eyes lowered to the ground rather than looking at one another, and Akane was speaking in quiet, faltering tones. They were too far away for Ranko to make out what Akane was saying, but a small gust of wind brought the words "...I'm sorry..." to Ranko's ears before dying off again. Ranko's fingers flexed, digging into the hardwood floor. The pigtailed girl was torn between anger and sheer amazement. Her fists itched, filled with an almost uncontrollable urge to pound Ranma's face in. Ranko looked down at her hands, slightly shocked at the strength of the anger coursing through her. "I can't believe it! She's...apologizing! To that -jerk-! Why?" "Because she loves him." Ryoga dropped down beside Ranko as he answered her question, folding his legs into a more comfortable position. He joined her in watching Ranma and Akane as the two spoke quietly out in the garden. "What?" Ranko hissed. "You've got to be kidding me, Ryoga!" Ryoga shook his head, eyes still riveted on Akane as she rested a hand gently on Ranma's. Ranko felt her rage fade, leaving only a dull ache in her chest. "Akane..." Ranko whispered, and the tears came, trickling gently down her cheeks like a soft spring rain. Ryoga gave a bitter chuckle, and rested a hand for a moment on Ranko's shoulder. "Now you know how it feels," Ryoga said simply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes: Well, that was part II. It's a lot shorter than part I, but I wanted to get all that I had written so far out; at this time I'm not sure if I will be continuing this story. It seems to be getting more and more cliched by the paragraph. I may come back to it later. I hope you enjoyed it. Ronin