---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 21:47:24 -0400
From: Marisa Price <marisa@value.net>
To: fanfic@fanfic.com
Subject: L in L 10 (1 of 2)
remember... I am not on the FFML anymore... so write me at marisa@value.net
here is the complete L in L 10 (in 2 parts) ENJOY!!
A Lesson In Love
Chapter 10: Lost Loves Found (complete)
By Marisa Price
marisa@value.net
Ryouga opened his eyes. She was still there. He reached
his hand over to his arm and pinched. It didn't hurt much, but enough
to make him realize that this wasn't some hunger-induced fantasy. The
REAL Akari was there in his arms, smiling up at him.
Akari pulled back a bit from Ryouga and stared at him with
glowing eyes. She said softly, "Ryouga-sama... I am so glad to see
you."
"A...a...ak..akari..." was all Ryouga could get out.
She stepped back at looked at him, and then started to
giggle and said, "You are so filthy, Ryouga-sama! Why don't we get
you inside and clean you up?"
Ryouga, still stupefied, merely nodded and allowed the
adorable girl to take his hand and lead him inside her little home.
****
"How long has he been gone now?" Ranma wondered out loud as
he scrubbed a particularly dirty spot on one of the dishes he was
cleaning.
Ukyou took the dish after Ranma had finished cleaning it and
dunked it in the cool rinse water. She said, sharply, as she rinsed
the dish, "Almost two weeks now."
"Really?"
"Really."
Ranma muttered as he started on the next dish, "Geeze. I mean,
I KNOW the poor idiot gets lost, but even HE isn't usually gone for
this long."
Ukyou turned and glared at Ranma and said, "Well, if it hadn't
been for Akane, he never would have run off. He might NEVER come back
this time."
"Well, he did deserve it. I was surprised Akane wasn't more
upset... I figured she was gonna kill him," Ranma said, looking at
Ukyou in surprise.
"Maybe it would have been kinder," Ukyou said softly.
"What was that?" Ranma asked, staring blankly at Ukyou.
"Ranchan," Ukyou said softly, "You just don't understand how
much rejection hurts, do you?" She set the dish she was drying
carefully in the rack and turned to wipe her hands before adding,
"Imagine what it would have been like if Akane had told you that
she didn't love you and had never loved you... Imagine how I felt
when you told me you loved AKANE and not me."
"Ucchan..." Ranma said softly, reaching out to place his hand
on her shoulder.
She pulled away and said sharply, "Don't! You don't understand!
You will NEVER understand!"
Ranma got angry and shouted, "Well I wasn't sneaking around
sleepin with a girl who had no idea her pet pig turned into a guy!!!
Dontcha think THAT was wrong? Dontcha you think he DESERVED her hatred!
He violated her trust and his honor!! And STILL she was NICE to him!!
Sure, maybe I won't ever understand what rejection feels like, but I
know enough to know that Ryouga deserved what he got!!"
Ukyou stiffened and added, "Well you never got what you deserved
Ranma, and your honor was pretty thin too. I mean, you never wanted
either Shampoo or I, yet it took you a whole YEAR to tell us, all the
time letting us believe we had a CHANCE!!"
"I...I...!" Ranma's face reddened.
"You WHAT...?" Ukyou asked fiercely.
"I wasn't ever sure how I felt... and I didn't want to lose either
of you. You're both such good friends..." Ranma said quietly, hanging his
head.
For once, Ranma looked contrite and sad, his heart heavy
from having to choose between people he cared about.
Ukyou's heart melted.
She put her arms around Ranma and gave him a quick hug. She said,
"I'm sorry, Ranchan... I didn't mean to snap at you. I... I... I guess
I just feel bad for Ryouga... and..." She gave a soft chuckle, "Maybe I
even miss him a bit too."
Ranma looked at her and said, "I know. I am sorry too. I don't
always think before I say things. The guy has to be hurting... Akane
feels really bad. I just hope the poor slob is okay."
At the mention of Akane, Ukyou pulled her arms away from Ranma
and went back to rinsing the dishes; she gazed out the window at the setting
sun and thought, "I hope so too... Ryouga, wherever you are, I hope someone
is looking after you... I just wish someone was here to look after ME..."
********
Ryouga sighed as he relaxed in front of the T.V. He had changed
temporarily into some of Akari's grandfather's clean work clothes and
straightened himself up a bit. Akari had promised that she would heat
up the bath (which was old fashioned and wood-heated) after she made
them some dinner. He could hear her happily humming to herself in the
kitchen.
Akari's grandfather had gone into town to buy some supplies and
to pick up the mail, and she said that he wouldn't be back until later
that evening. Ryouga looked over at Katsunishiki who leaned against the
wall watching the T.V. also. Ryouga shuddered a bit-- it was strange
having a giant sumo-wrestling pig in this close proximity. In
fact, due to his curse and the unfortunate experiences he had in
his early transformations, pigs generally gave him a slightly
disconcerted feeling.
He turned back to the T.V., stretching his arms and legs
out to practice while he watched. It was some boring anime show
about magical girls, but there wasn't much else. Akari only
received two stations out here in the country.
Ryouga leaned over to stretch when he suddenly felt a
soft hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Akari
smiling at him, dressed in a pink apron with a small pig
embroidered on it.
She said brightly, "Dinner is ready, Ryouga-sama!"
He smiled at her and stood, following her to the
table. They both sat down and Ryouga gaped at the vast
feast she had prepared... and began to eat like a man starved
(which of course he was, after a week with little or no food.)
Akari ate daintily, smiling at Ryouga, knowing that
there would not be much conversation until he had his fill.
A bit later, Ryouga sighed and wiped his mouth. He
grinned a toothy grin at Akari and said, "Boy. That was
WONDERFUL, Akari!!"
She smiled sweetly at him and said, "I am so glad
you enjoyed it... Ryouga...sama..."
Her soft voice and intense look made his heart stop and
he blushed furiously.
Noticing Ryouga was flustered, Akari decided to try a
different tact and asked, "So, why are you here? It had been
so long since I had heard from you I thought you had forgotten
about your pen-pal out here in the country."
Ryouga flushed again and managed to get out, "N..nn...no!!
I...I...I have just been busy. We had to go to China, and Akane
almost died, and then they almost got married..."
Akari clasped her hands together and her eyes glowed. She
said, happily, "Ranma and Akane got married? They admitted they
care about each other?"
Ryouga's face fell at her cheerfulness and his chest
tightened with the memory of Akane before he ran away from Nerima,
the sadness and anger in her face. He said brokenly, "No... they
didn't get married yet, but they admitted that they care for
each other..."
Akari smiled and said, "Well that is wonderful!"
Ryouga sighed and responded, "Yeah... wonderful."
Akari noticed that Ryouga looked a bit crestfallen and
wondered what was wrong. Then she realized how tired he must
be after his journey and decided that must be the problem.
She stood and walked over to take his hand, pulling him to
his feet. She smiled up at Ryouga and said, "You must be
tired. Let's get you into that bath... And then put you
to bed. Grandfather will be home soon and I am sure you can
share his room..."
Ryouga flushed at the thought of where he might stay
if Akari's grandfather did not want him to share his room.
Ryouga then whacked himself in the head and reminded himself
not to be stupid.
He followed Akari outside to the bath and flushed when
she sat down and seemed to wait.
Ryouga turned too look at her and asked, surprised,
"What are you waiting for?"
Akari said happily, "Just waiting for you to get in!
I will scrub your back Ryouga-sama!"
Ryouga turned bright red and his eyes practically
popped out of their sockets. He said, horrified, "Wha...what?!"
Akari giggled and said, "OK, OK. I see that it makes
you nervous. I will wait inside until you are undressed. Just
give me a yell when you are in and I will come back out."
Ryouga watched her walk back into the house and stood
there stupefied for a few moments before quickly stripping off
his clothes and sinking down into the tub.
He didn't quite know what to do... she might be offended
if he didn't call her to help him, but he felt really uncomfortable
about it. Ryouga sighed.
It was so... strange... being at Akari's house with HER.
Just like he had dreamed about for so long. He had meant to
instantly grab her and kiss her and admit his love. Why hadn't
he done that yet? He sat up in the tub and focused his resolve.
He WOULD tell her. Tonight. There was no obstacle anymore. Akane
was with Ranma...
He said, clearly, "Akari... you can come back out."
Akari appeared after a few moments, sponges and brushes
and towels in her hands. She said cheerfully, "Ok Ryouga-sama!
We are going to make you look wonderful!!"
He looked at her as she came towards him, she was so
bright and beautiful. She was sweet and kind and loved him. How
could he have ever looked at anyone else?
Akari began to scrub Ryouga's back and he sank forward
on his arms, enjoying the feeling. Her soft hands and the sponge
were ecstasy... his eyes closed and he sighed in contentment. He
wasn't even getting a nosebleed.
Akari said softly, "Alright Ryouga-sama, I am done." She
poured a final bucket of warm water on his back to rinse away the
soap bubbles.
Ryouga leaned back and looked up at Akari, drinking in her
sweet expression and smile. She reached out and cupped his face and
said, "I don't know why you are here Ryouga-sama, or how long you
are going to stay... but I... I am so glad to see you..."
Ryouga sat up and leaned toward Akari, his lips approaching
hers. She leaned forward to meet his lips and they kissed.
Ryouga reached up a hand to stroke Akari's soft hair and
tried to decide what to do next... this was the first time he had
kissed a real girl. He was uncertain, and he could almost hear
a voice in the back of his mind saying, "Ryouga no baka!!! Just
make up your mind!!!" And the voice sounded suspiciously like
Ukyou's. Ryouga decided to deepen the kiss, but at the same time
wondered what had caused him to think about Ukyou at a time like
this.
But the thought, and the kiss, was abruptly interrupted
when a hoarse voice said, "Ah! So Akari's fiancee has come to
visit!! Seems you two are getting along well!!"
*******
Akane waited patiently outside of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki
for her somewhat tardy fiancee. She hadn't felt comfortable around
Ukyou since Ranma's declaration or after Ryouga ran away. Akane
could tell from the look on Ukyou's face, when Ranma told her how
Ryouga had fled, that Ukyou blamed Akane for the whole situation.
She avoided Akane, mostly by remaining in the back area of the
restaurant when Akane came to walk Ranma home. Akane and Ranma had
discussed the situation and decided that perhaps it would be easier
for everyone if Akane waited outside for Ranma after work, giving
Ukyou some time to adjust to the situation.
Akane sighed and kicked a small stone across the street. She
wondered what else she could have done... there was no way she
could let Ryouga get away with what he had done, but she had tried
to do it in the nicest way possible. Akane knew Ryouga's actions had
always been affected by his affection for her and that he had never
meant to hurt her. Akane sighed again.
"I hope he comes back and we can just put this all behind
us..." she muttered out loud.
Akane looked at her watch again and sighed. He was late.
VERY late.
"How typical," she thought.
Usually, Ranma was relatively prompt. Today he was over a
half an hour late.
Akane closed her eyes and counted to ten.
"Patience," she thought.
Suddenly, she felt two hands go around her waist. Akane
opened her eyes in surprise, wondering how someone could have snuck
up on her, and turned around to face her assailant.
Ranma, in girl form, smiled at her and said, "Whoa! It's
just me!"
Akane was relieved, but decided to konk him on the head
anyway, and said sharply, "Why are you so late?!"
"Ouch!" Ranma winced, and then added, "Jeesh. You can be
so uncute."
Akane, her fists still clenched, put her hands on her waist
and said, "Yeah, especially after waiting a half an hour for you!"
Ranma put her hands up in front of her, as if to ward Akane
off, and said, "C'mon, Akane! Lemme explain before you pound me into
bean paste, OK?!"
Akane glowered, but she finally said, "Fine. What happened?"
"I was talking to Ucchan about why she has been so upset
lately," Ranma said cautiously.
"AND?" Akane asked, interested.
Ranma took one of Akane's hands and started to walk her down
the street. Ranma shrugged at Ucchan's and said, "Let's get away from
the restaurant. . . I don't want Ucchan hearing this."
Akane looked at Ranma in disgust, but followed her.
After awhile, they ended up down at the river, sitting on the grassy
bank. Akane tossed a few pebbles in the murky water and waited for the
explanation, still a bit steamed.
"Remember when we went on that trip to that stupid haunted
cave?" Ranma suddenly said.
Akane looked up in surprise, and shivered a bit in remembrance.
She nodded and said, "Yeah. . . What a creepy place. Why did you
mention that?"
Ranma said, thoughtfully, "Well, it was just something I
thought about today. You remember how we thought that Ryouga and
Ukyou had something going on at the time?"
Akane nodded and laughed, "Yeah. Well, they WERE sticking
awfully close that whole trip. I mean, considering that they usually
either ignore each other or rip each other apart."
Ranma nodded. She said, "Yeah. But that wasn't really anything...
I think it wasn't what it seemed. But NOW. . ."
Akane looked at Ranma in shock, "What are you saying?"
"Well, today Ukyou was defending Ryouga to me. And, you know
how we used to act? How we would be really rude to each other in public,
but defend each other when it really mattered?" Ranma asked.
Akane nodded slowly.
"Well, that is what it is starting to seem like between them. I
mean, I think that they used to hate each other... But after Ryouga lived
there for awhile, I think they came to some sorta understanding," Ranma
finished.
Akane said in wonder, "Ryouga and UKYOU?"
Ranma laughed and said, "Yeah! I wonder what she sees in him."
"Are you kidding?!" Akane asked, surprised, and added, "I was
just wondering what he saw in HER . ."
"Hey, she is really cute! Why wouldn't he like her?" Ranma asked.
A blue aura began to form around Akane and she said, angrily, "CUTE is
she. Hmmph. Well, I think Ryouga is pretty good looking himself. Better
looking than some half-girl hentais I know."
Ranma frowned and said, "WHAT? I'll have you know I am a LOT
better looking guy than Ryouga!!"
Akane bapped him on the head and said, "This, coming from a cute
little girl."
Ranma flushed and then smiled and said, "Fine. I am better
looking than Ryouga in EITHER form."
Akane gave a secret smile and said, "I dunno, Ranma. . .Those
cute little fangs of his have their appeal. . . Plus, he makes a
great pet!"
Ranma glowered.
Akane laughed and reached over to kiss Ranma's cheek. She said,
softly, "I am just teasing you, baka. You know that I prefer pigtails."
Ranma smiled.
Akane seemed to consider something for a moment, and then asked,
"Ranma. . . you said that Ukyou seems to like Ryouga. But. . .you know, I
have never noticed that he was particularly interested in her. What
about you?"
Ranma thought for a moment and said, "Yeah. . . you're right. He
was always going back and forth between you and Akari. I figure that if
you're outta the picture now, then Akari is his one and only and all
that. . . Of course, Ryouga can be pretty indecisive. . ."
Akane nodded and wondered, "Do you think he went to go look for
Akari when he left?"
Ranma shook his head and said, softly, "I think he was probably
too upset to consider where he was going. . ." Akane stiffened.
Ranma put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her before
he finished with, ". . .But, after he stops to think about it, he will
start looking for her, I'm sure. . ."
Akane said quietly, "I hope he finds her. He needs someone to
love him. But... If Ukyou HAS fallen for him, that would only mean her
heart would be broken again."
Ranma nodded thoughtfully and said, "Yeah, I know. I'm kinda
worried about that. But I could be wrong about the whole thing. And,
you never know, Ryouga might wander back here soon, and if he cares
about Ukyou..." He paused.
"Yeah. . . But that would mean that, if he does fall for Ukyou,
that Akari would lose him. And she truly cares about him too. . ." Akane
said sadly.
Ranma shrugged and said, "Well, love isn't always fun. Everyone
has to chose, and some end up happy, and others end up hurt. That's
the way things work. . . I mean, -I- had to chose, and I left behind
three very disappointed girls in order to have you."
Akane leaned toward Ranma for a kiss.
There was silence for a while after that.
Then Akane noticed that Ranma felt. . . shorter than usual. Her
eyes snapped open.
Ranma's eyes opened also as Akane suddenly broke off the kiss.
"What?" Ranma asked her.
"I just kissed you as a girl. . ." Akane said, in shock.
Ranma backed up as she realized that Akane was right, and
expected to be hit, kicked, or mutilated.
But Akane just sat there.
Ranma said apologetically, "I'm sorry Akane, I forgot! I end up
being changed so often that I start to forget which form I am in. I
mean, I still feel like ME, that never changes, and I forget that I
am not what I feel like on the inside on the outside."
Ranma suddenly felt incredibly stupid and added, "Did that
make any sense?"
Akane sighed and said, "Ranma. I am not blaming you for this.
It's just that. . . It makes me worry about myself when stuff like that
happens. You know, I love you all the time, either form, and I don't
really notice the changes anymore, either. You are just YOU. But...
I still feel like a hentai."
Ranma clenched her fists and looked toward the river in
frustration, saying angrily, "Don't you dare say that Akane. It isn't
you, it's ME that has the problem. There's nothing wrong with you...
Except that you had the bad luck to fall for a guy with this sort
of twisted problem."
Akane suddenly had tears in her eyes, and reached out to take
one of Ranma's hands, trying to make her relax her fists. She said
softly, "Ranma... I never considered it bad luck. Well, OK,
SOMETIMES I did, but... falling in love with you has been the most
important thing that ever happened to me."
Ranma relaxed a bit and squeezed Akane's hand back. She looked
into Akane's eyes and said fiercely, "I WILL find a cure. I promised
you that. As soon as I get enough money. . . I'm going to go. I won't
make you suffer because of me."
"I'm not suffering," Akane said tenderly.
"It's really important to me, Akane."
"I know it is, Ranma."
Ranma stood up, offering a hand to Akane to bring her to
her feet.
He said, as an afterthought, "I wonder if Ryouga still wants
to come with me. . ."
*********
Marisa Price
marisa@value.net
http://value.net/~marisa/
Marisa Price
marisa@value.net
http://value.net/~marisa/