---

It was late evening. Akane was in her room preparing for bed. She
sighed 
as she looked at herself in the mirror. It had been a long day. Her
body 
still ached from the brutal fight with Kodachi a few hours ago.

Suddenly, she heard a thump on her roof.  "What could that be," she 
wondered. She slid open her window, then climbed on the windowsill to 
take a peek.

Ranma was on the roof, in female form. She'd been accidentally
splashed 
earlier in the day, and hadn't bothered to change back. She was lying
on 
her back, with her hands behind her head. She looked comfortable.

"Ranma?" Akane asked. "What are you doing up here."

Ranma looked down at her. "Akane. It's a beautiful night. I'm looking
at 
the stars. Want to join me?"

"Join you? Okay." Akane climbed up to the roof, then walked over and
lay 
down next to Ranma.

Ranma was right. It really was a beautiful night. The sky was crystal 
clear, and it was filled with stars. The air was crisp and still. 
Crickets could be heard chirping by the pond. The crescent moon shone 
bright in the sky. Venus sparkled in the east. Akane could make out
lots 
of constellations. She picked out the Big Dipper, and then the North 
Star.

"How are you feeling?" Ranma asked.

Akane winced as she rubbed her sore muscles. "Okay, I guess. Still a 
little stiff."

"Oh," Ranma said. "I'm glad you won."

"Really?

"Yeah." Ranma grimaced. "A date with Kodachi wouldn't have been fun."

Akane giggled. "I don't think even you deserve such a fate."

Ranma looked at the stars, then at Akane, then back at the stars, then

back at Akane again. "Akane," she said, "would you mind waiting here
for 
a minute?"

"Eh? Why? Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back." With that, Ranma got to her feet, and jumped
down 
to the ground.

"I wonder what that was all about," Akane thought. Within minutes,
Ranma 
appeared at her window. He climbed up and rejoined her -- this time in

male form.

"Hmm? Ranma? Why did you change back?"

Ranma sat crosslegged next to her. He avoided her eyes. "Akane", he 
said, "It's just... I..."

Akane sat up, her face curious. She looked at Ranma. "What is it?"

Ranma fidgeted with his fingers. Then he looked up at her and said, 
"Remember when Mikado Sanzenin kissed me?"

"Huh?" Akane was puzzled. "Yes, I remember". Why on earth did he bring

*that* up? As far as Akane knew, Ranma's kiss from Mikado was the most

humiliating moment of his life. Ranma felt a deep and burning shame 
every time he thought of it, and he'd nearly killed Mikado for it.
He'd 
made it clear that he didn't even want to *think* of the incident,
much 
less talk about it. So why was he mentioning it now?

"Well, I..., uh..." Ranma averted his eyes from her again. "...do you 
remember after the fight, in the dojo, when you said I could kiss you
if 
I wanted to?"

Akane felt a flush of blood rush to her cheeks. Her heart started 
beating a little faster. Yes, she remembered. She remembered it very 
well. It had all started off when she'd told Ranma that the reason
he'd 
been kissed was that he didn't have enough practice. That had led to 
Ranma launching a sneak-attack kiss on her. She'd been totally 
unprepared. Of all the things she'd expected Ranma to do, this was not

one of them. And suddenly, she'd found herself in Ranma's lap, his
face 
inches from hers.

A few agonizing heartbeats later, he'd hastily backed away from her, 
telling her he wasn't going to *kiss* her or anything. She'd taken a 
gamble: she'd taunted him as a coward for not kissing her. She knew
that 
the surest way to get Ranma to kiss her would be to make it a point of

pride... and just for that moment, she wanted him to do it. The 
sensations of being held in his arms, gazing up into his eyes were
just 
too powerful. As she told him, "I'm sure, but only if you have the 
guts," a part of her was whispering *oh god, please let this work, 
please let him kiss me.*

He had come close. So close. He'd asked her to close her eyes, and
she'd 
complied. She could feel his breath on her lips as he'd drawn closer
to 
her. And then, he'd backed off again, saying that this was only 
something you should do with people you'd liked.

She'd been crushed. She'd tried not to let it show. She'd turned away,

and said, "I see... and you can't do it with me?" He'd yelled back, 
"That's not what I'm saying!" and then gone very quiet. Then he said,
"I 
just meant... if you don't mind."

Akane went very quiet herself. She looked down at the floor. She knew 
that he'd take her silence for consent. He'd just admitted, in his own

way, that he wanted to kiss her. And by not laughing at him, or
slapping 
him, or even walking away, she was telling him to do it. Forget about 
everything else... forget about the bogus engagement, forget about all

the fights, forget about all the insults hurled on both sides... just,

for this moment, one kiss. Just one. He wanted to do it. She wanted
him 
to do it. And they'd almost done it. Ranma had started to lean forward

again, when he was interrupted by a strange whirring sound... the
whirr 
of a camcorder. And the whole thing had broken up. Both of their 
families had been sitting there, calmly watching, Genma recording the 
rare moment for posterity. Nabiki'd snapped, "Are you guys going to do

this, or what?" Obviously, the mood shattered like glass.

And here, on the roof, on a beautifully romantic night, Ranma was 
bringing it up again. After she'd fought a vicious fight for the right

to keep him. After he'd deliberately turned male again for this
moment. 
It could mean only one thing. Akane felt her pulse quicken still
faster. 
She looked at him. A slight breeze had finally stirred up, and his 
ponytail fluttered lightly. He was dressed in his usual Chinese
clothes, 
golden dragons embroidered on his shirt. He was beautiful.

She closed her eyes. She knew that would be all the answer he'd need. 
She knew he'd know that she'd understood why he mentioned the scene in

the dojo, and she prayed that he would find the courage to go through 
with it.

Once more came the agonizing pause. And once more came the feel of his

breath on her lips. Akane fought to relax, and waited, waited, waited 
for the pressure of his lips on hers. And then it came. His lips were 
warm, soft, and slightly moist. Even with her eyes closed, she could 
sense his presence, closer to her than ever before. She slightly
parted 
her lips, and was answered with the feel of Ranma's tongue tentatively

poking into her mouth, lightly touching her own.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him even closer. She felt
his 
arms go around her and hold her tightly. His tongue became more bold, 
exploring all over her mouth. She slid her own tongue into his mouth, 
and did a little exploration of her own. The sensations threatened to 
overpower her. She drank in his odor and his taste and the feel of him

in her arms. Involuntarily, she let out a soft moan. And then, ever so

slowly, it was over. Ranma loosened his grip on her, and slowly pulled

back, pecking lightly at her lips as he broke the kiss.

He looked into her eyes... they shone with tears. His arms were still 
around her, and hers around him. I should say it, he said to himself. 
Now is the time. He formulated the words in his mind: "Akane, I love 
you."

"Akane," he said. "I... I..." He stopped. Somehow, he couldn't get the

words out. "I... I lo... I lo..." He stopped again. "I love you! I
love 
you" screamed his brain. But his mouth refused to form the words. He 
tried again. "I lo... Akane, I lo..." In frustration, he went silent.

Akane gazed back at him. She looked confused. "Akane! I lo..." He just

couldn't say it! What was wrong with him?

And then, Akane's mouth curved up in a smile. She looked at him with 
eyes filled with happiness and understanding. "She knows," Ranma 
thought. Akane took his hand.

"Come on, Ranma. Let's go inside. It's getting cold out here." She
stood 
up, and Ranma followed her. The two of them climbed together into 
Akane's room. Ranma stopped outside her door.

"Goodnight, Ranma... and... thank you," Akane said.

"Goodnight, Akane," Ranma said. "I love you." Or at least he said it
in 
his mind. He still couldn't say it out loud. But Akane seemed to hear 
him anyway. She smiled beautifully and pecked him on the cheek. "See
you 
tomorrow." And with that, she closed the door, leaving him to go 
downstairs, to lie awake on his futon.

---

The sun beat down heavily on the Furinkan High soccer field, as two 
angry figures stood across from each other. A small crowd, growing 
larger, surrounded them at a respectful distance, buzzing to itself as

crowds do. One of the members of the crowd was Nabiki Tendo, and she
was 
working. Nabiki's business enterprises were both numerous and diverse,

and today, she was engaging in one of the more profitable if somewhat 
disreputable businesses: bookmaking. Anytime a fight was brewing, 
opportunities abounded for the enterprising oddsmaker, and Nabiki was 
never one to turn down an opportunity.

Not that this particular fight would prove to be interesting. At
school, 
Hikaru Gosunkugi had accidentally tripped and fallen onto Shampoo. 
Unfortunately for him, he had landed on somewhat intimate anatomical 
territory, and even worse, Mousse had been present. Although Shampoo
had 
scarcely seemed to have noticed Gosunkugi's misstep, running off to
find 
Ranma, Mousse had taken offense. He'd immediately challenged Gosunkugi

to a duel, to "avenge Shampoo's honor", as he put it. And to the 
surprise of the onlookers, Gosunkugi had accepted. Many of them 
concluded that he'd been wearing his headband a little too tightly.

Setting odds is a tricky business. A really good bookmaker will 
carefully balance the odds each way so that she'll make money no
matter 
who wins. If she makes even a small misstep, she stands to lose a 
fortune. But after years of practice, Nabiki Tendo was an expert.

She'd set the odds on this fight at 50-1, in favor of Mousse, of
course. 
Few doubted that the scrawny, anemic Gosunkugi was no match for the 
longhaired master of hidden weapons. Even with snappy odds like those,

she found few takers. Not many were willing to take a chance on 
Gosunkugi.

After she'd done all the business she could, Nabiki stepped away from 
the crowd, to count her holdings, and to calculate her expected
profit. 
It wouldn't be much. As she scribbled in her ledger, she was
interrupted 
by a shadow falling over the page. She turned to see a tall, lean man 
standing over her. He looked down at her with a smile.

"Excuse me," he said. "I was driving through this neighborhood when I 
saw this crowd. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Nabiki was struck dumb for a few seconds. The man was incredibly 
handsome. His features were finely chiseled, and aristocratic. His
dark 
hair came down to his shoulders, and fluttered across his forehead in 
wispy bangs. On his head, he wore a stylish, banded hat. His chin was 
solid, his mouth firm, and he wore wearing a disarming smile. His body

was lean and wiry. He was clad in a very expensive Italian suit, and a

medium-sized diamond glittered in his left ear. His leather shoes were

buffed to a high shine. Everything about him screamed *power*. The
only 
thing that marred the effect was a slightly *too*-cheerful look in his

eyes, betraying low intelligence. He was almost goofy-looking.

"There's going to be a fight," Nabiki told him. And then, with an eye
to 
perhaps benefiting from this rich stranger, she added, "I'm taking 
bets."

"Really?" The man's smile broadened. "Oh, I just *love* to gamble, 
although I don't seem to do very well. Who are the players?"

Nabiki pointed at the field, where the combatants still glared at each

other. "It's Gosunkugi versus Mousse. The fight's not scheduled to
start 
for," she checked her watch, "another five minutes."

"Go-sun-ku-gi?" the stranger said. "What an odd name! I rather like
it. 
What are the odds?"

She stood up to face him. "Fifty-to-one against him, sir," Nabiki
said, 
trying to sound businesslike. What a rube! He must have inherited his 
wealth, she decided. Here he was, about to place a bet on a fighter
just 
because he liked his name. No wonder he didn't seem to do very well at

gambling.

"Fifty to one! How marvelous," he said. "I do believe I'd like to
place 
a bet." And with that, he reached for his wallet.

Yen signs swam in front of Nabiki's eyes. Inwardly, she smiled. Money
on 
Gosunkugi was money in her pocket. And here she didn't expect to do
much 
business today. And then, she started in shock at the size of the wad
of 
cash the stranger was holding.

Still maintaining that blank smile, he held the wad out to her, and 
said, "Will half a million yen be enough?" Nabiki felt faint, just 
looking at the money. That was more than she made in months. When she 
thought of all the things that much money could buy, her head swam.
She 
suddenly understood how Happosai felt, returning home with his bag
full. 
What a haul! Her hand trembled as she reached out to accept the money.

She forced a smile, trying hard not to let her giddy excitement show. 
"Thank you for your bet. Enjoy the show, Mr..." She stopped, realizing

that she didn't know the stranger's name.

He touched his hand to his hat, then turned to go. Walking away, he 
said, "Just call me Sekino. Nice doing business with you." She
couldn't 
see the glint in his eye as he added, under his breath, "...sucker."

---

The fight went pretty much as predicted... at least, at first.
Gosunkugi 
was clearly outclassed, and managed to frantically dodge two hurled 
spears, before taking a flowerpot straight in the face, going down. 
Mousse pressed his advantage, shooting snakelike chains at Gosunkugi, 
wrapping him tightly. Swinging the chains around, Mousse slammed 
Gosunkugi into the ground over and over again. It wasn't more than 
fifteen seconds into the fight, and Gosunkugi was down for the count.

And then it happened. Later on, some in the crowd would swear they
heard 
a sudden rush of air, like a blowgun had been fired. Others thought it

was magic, or divine intervention, or plain dumb luck. Whatever it
was, 
the left lens of Mousse's glasses shattered, and then the right. He
was 
suddenly blind, and wasted precious seconds rubbing at his eyes,
trying 
desperately to restore his vision. It gave Gosunkugi the time he
needed 
to scramble free of the chains and stagger to his feet. While Mousse 
looked around, trying to distinguish his opponent from the blurry
blobs 
which suddenly surrounded him, Gosunkugi crept in for the kill. With
all 
his strength, he slugged Mousse in the jaw.

Of course, in Gosunkugi's case, "all his strength" is not very much. 
Under normal circumstances, Mousse could easily withstand Gosunkugi's 
best, without even staggering. But the circumstances were not normal. 
Again, some in the crowd would later on claim to have heard a
blowgun... 
but nobody ever discovered the tranquilizer dart in Mousse's leg. When

he woke up, hours after the fight's completion, it had fallen out, and

been carried off by a curious small animal.

That didn't happen for quite awhile, though. The immediate effects
were 
that Mousse's eyes went blank and rolled up into his head. With his
face 
a mask of unconsciousness, he toppled forward, to crash on the ground.

None doubted that the fight was over for him.

Nabiki watched the proceedings with surprise, then shock, and then, 
dawning horror. "Oh boy..." she thought to herself. Then she quietly
got 
up, and tried to creep away as inconspicuously as possible.

She didn't get far. Her path was blocked by Sekino, who had somehow 
managed to get in front of her unnoticed. "How about that?" he asked 
cheerfully. "I won! Amazing, isn't it?" And then, as Nabiki stared,
all 
traces of foolishness vanished from his eyes, to be replaced by a
cruel 
gleam of intelligence. "I believe you owe me twenty-five million yen,
my 
dear."

Nabiki looked around her desperately. There wasn't much room to run. 
"Er... I don't have that kind of money on me, Sekino-san."

"Really?" Sekino's face showed mock astonishment. "How unfortunate.
You 
*do* have the money, though, right?"

Nabiki managed a nervous laugh. "Of course I do. I wouldn't have 
accepted that bet if I couldn't cover it, would I?"

"I certainly hope not." Sekino's face had gone cold. "You'll fetch it 
for me, won't you? I must be going soon."

Nabiki nodded. "Sure thing! I'll just go right home and get it for
you, 
Sekino-san!"

"Good." Sekino looked at her meaningfully. "I would hate for you to be

lying. You see, it might be just a coincidence, but everyone who's
ever 
cheated me has had something terrible happen."

Nabiki swallowed. "Really?"

"Oh yes," Sekino said. "There was one man... what was his name? I
forget. 
But he didn't pay up after a bet we made. The police found his body at

the bottom of the river. Poor man must have killed himself, I guess."

Nabiki was trembling. "How tragic."

"Certainly. And then there was this other man, whose name also eludes 
me. He too cheated me, and there was an explosion at his house. Poor 
chap was killed, as were his wife and daughter. People who cheat me
seem 
to have terrible luck."

She swallowed again. "I'll get you your money."

Sekino gave her a predatory grin. "I know you will. I'll be waiting 
right here. I shall expect you back in fifteen minutes. Good day." He 
turned away from her... and as he did, Nabiki caught a glimpse of
gunmetal 
inside his suitcoat.

Nabiki turned and ran for her life. Once she was outside of Sekino's 
sight, she slowed down, found a hiding place under a bridge, and
stopped 
to think.

She didn't have twenty-five million yen. *Nobody* she knew had that
kind 
of money. The family dojo wasn't worth that much. What was she going
to 
do?

She cursed herself for several kinds of a fool. She'd been blinded by 
the lure of easy money, and hadn't wanted to look a gift horse in the 
mouth. Now she was doomed. She'd misread Sekino at first sight, but
she 
was sure she wasn't misreading him now. The man was a killer. And if
he 
didn't get his money, she and her family would be in danger.

There was no help for it. She'd have to leave town. She'd have to run
as 
far and as fast as she could, and pray that Sekino didn't find out who

she was. If he learned her identity, he might go after her home. The 
story of the family that he blew up chilled her to the bone.

She wasn't sure how long she'd have to stay away. A year, at the very 
minimum... and probably five years would be safer. She'd have to 
constantly be on the run. She trembled at the thought, but she had no 
time. None at all. She had to get going *now*, to get as big a head 
start as she possibly could.

She got out from under the bridge, and started jogging across it. No 
time to go home and pack anything... all she had were the clothes she
was 
wearing. And half a million yen and change, she amended, which would 
help. At least she wasn't broke. 

She was too occupied with her problem to notice that she was being 
followed. And, to save her strength, she wasn't running full-out. At
the 
end of the bridge, the man who was following her easily caught her,
and 
grabbed her by the shoulder. She spun around, to find herself looking 
into Sekino's eyes. She felt a fist of terror squeeze her heart.

"Why, my dear, wherever are you going?"

"Um... home to get the money?" she stammered.

"Is that so?" Sekino's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If I'm not
mistaken, 
Nabiki Tendo, your home is the other direction."

Nabiki's throat went dry, and she found herself at a loss for an
excuse. 
"Um... but I'm..."

Sekino looked weary. "You disappoint me, my dear. I'm sorry to have to

do this."

Nabiki's heart beat wildly as Sekino drew a knife from somewhere 
underneath his clothes. The blade was bright and finely polished, and 
about four inches long. The edge glinted evilly in the sunlight. He
was 
faster than her, and a trained killer. If she tried to run, he'd be on

her in seconds.

Nabiki started to cry. Maybe, she thought, I can get him feeling sorry

for me. If I do that, he might give me an opening.

"P-p-please don't kill me," Nabiki blubbered. "I'm so sorry... please,

please... I'll get you your money, I *promise*. It'll just take a few 
days, that's all. Don't kill me!" Tears freely streamed down her
cheeks, 
as Nabiki put on her most pathetic face. Her knee tensed, as she 
prepared to thrust it into Sekino's groin.

Sekino looked bored. "*Very* good, my dear. A bit over-theatrical, 
perhaps, but still very good. You don't really expect me to fall for 
that, do you, my dear? And if you even *try* to kick me, I will ensure

that your death is very slow and painful."

Desperation settled on Nabiki like a heavy blanket as she realized
that 
her ploy had not worked. She was going to die. She wasn't even going
to 
get to say goodbye to anyone. What had been a harmless money-making 
pastime had turned deadly. She had so much left she wanted to do in
her 
life, and now she wasn't going to get to do anything. 

Sekino reached back with the knife, in preparation for a slashing blow

across her neck. Hopeless, she closed her eyes. She didn't want to see

it coming. She didn't want her last sight to be her own blood spurting

from her throat, her vision fading to black as she lost consciousness 
forever. She stood and waited for the final blow.

It never came. She heard Sekino scream in pain, and his knife
clattered 
to the wooden bridge. She opened her eyes and saw Sekino holding his 
wrist, his knife hand transfixed by a small throwing dagger. Blood 
dripped from the wound.

She spun around to look behind her. And there, in his full samurai 
regalia, stood Kuno. His left hand was still in front of him after 
throwing the dagger, and his right held his bokken in an en garde 
position. "Hold, villain!" he said in a commanding tone of voice.
"What 
are you doing with my fiancee?"

Sekino straightened up, his face contorted in pain. "I'm killing her, 
you fool. What does it look like?"

Kuno stepped forward, lowering his bokken to point straight at Sekino.

"You would dare to do violence upon the body of Nabiki Tendo? You
shall 
pay the price in your own blood!"

Sekino laughed cruelly. "Who are you kidding, samurai-boy? You're not 
man enough to stop me." As he said this, he backed slowly away,
dropping 
into a battle crouch. 

Kuno swung his bokken. "Have at thee, villain!" And with that, he 
charged.

"Kuno, look out!" screamed Nabiki. "He's got a g..." Nabiki was caught

short as Sekino's good hand dipped inside his suit coat, pulling out a

compact handgun. It was Sekino's injury that saved Kuno's life. Had he

been able to use his right hand, he surely could have drawn and fired 
before Kuno reached him, but his injury slowed him down enough. Before

he could bring the gun to bear, his hand was shattered by a vicious 
bokken strike. The gun fell out of his useless fingers and clattered
to 
the bridge.

Unarmed and wounded, Sekino was no match for a vengeful Kuno. Strike 
after strike from his bokken took its toll, and blood and teeth flew. 
One particularly nasty strike to his chest knocked him to his back, 
defenseless on the bridge. He raised his arms in a desperate attempt
to 
protect his head.

Kuno stepped forward, his eyes burning with fury. He raised his bokken

high above his head, and spoke in a voice like doom. "You dare to
offer 
my fiancee physical violence. I shall send you screaming to hell, foul

dastard!" 

He would have split Sekino's head like a watermelon, had Nabiki not 
stepped forward. She'd seen enough blood spilled. Grabbing Kuno's arm,

she cried, "That's enough, Kuno! Don't kill him."

Kuno looked at her, his expression unreadable. "As the lady wishes,"
he 
said. And with that, he picked up Sekino's broken body one-handed, and

brought him to eye level. "Hear this, knave," he hissed. "By the 
merciful word of Nabiki Tendo, you are spared. If you dare to show 
yourself near her again, you will not be so fortunate. Do I make
myself 
clear?" A barely-conscious Sekino nodded dumbly, whereupon Kuno hurled

him into the river. The current would carry him far away before 
depositing him on shore.

Now that it was over, Nabiki felt the weight of the whole event
crashing 
in on her. She still clutched Kuno's arm, and leaned on it for support

to keep from falling down. She looked in his eyes. His face was stern,

noble. As she watched, he carefully sheathed his bokken.

"Thank you," she said. She meant to use a normal tone of voice, but it

came out as a whisper.

"No thanks are necessary, Nabiki Tendo. I was merely doing my duty."

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "Why did you save me."

"Because, Nabiki Tendo, whether I like it or not, you are my fiancee.
An 
honorable man protects his fiancee against all harm."

Nabiki looked down. "Is that the only reason?" she asked in a small 
voice.

Kuno looked at her proudly. "No, Nabiki, it is not."

Nabiki waited mutely. Kuno continued, "We have often sparred in the 
past, but I must admit a certain fondness for you. I would not wish to

see you come to harm. My life would not be the same without you."

Nabiki's eyes shone, and she suddenly felt very close to this big man 
who had saved her. She had truly feared for her life. She was
*certain* 
that she was going to die, and she certainly would have, had Kuno not 
shown up. Sekino had a gun, and Kuno risked his life to save her. The 
way he threw that knife, hitting Sekino's hand straight on... Ranma 
himself couldn't have done better.

Impulsively, Nabiki stood on tiptoe and kissed Kuno on the cheek.
"Thank 
you," she said again. Kuno looked astonished. He turned to her as if
he 
were going to say something, then changed his mind. He gently put his 
hand on her shoulder.

"Nabiki... shall I escort you home?"

Nabiki smiled and took Kuno's arm. Together, they walked to the Tendo 
dojo. A strong and handsome man walking her home, and half a million
yen 
in her pocket. All in all, Nabiki decided, it had been a pretty good 
day.

---



Akane and Ranma ran to school together, silently. After all that had 
happened lately, neither really felt like throwing the daily insults
at 
each other. But neither one was comfortable yet with the idea of 
actually being *nice* to the other. And so, they had nothing to say to

each other. The silence that grew as they ran was almost painful.

Akane snuck a glance at Ranma. "Baka," she thought. "After what he did

last night, why doesn't he come out and say it? He loves me. I know he

loves me. Why can't he tell me? Why is he ignoring me?" She developed
a 
small pouty frown.

Ranma's thoughts were similarly on Akane. "Baka!" he yelled at
himself. 
"Say something! Do something! *Look* at her, at least!" He turned his 
head over to Akane. Seeing her staring at him, he quickly looked away.

Akane's frown deepened. Letting out a small "Hmmph!", she too turned 
away.

Together, they arrived at the gates of Furinkan High School. As they 
approached the door, they simultaneously groaned at the sight of a 
familiar figure leaning against the frame. Kuno hadn't greeted them at

the door lately, and they'd begun to hope that perhaps he never would 
again. But now he was here. It looked like it was back to the usual.

Ranma struck a defensive pose, one hand held high, one curled in to
aid 
his balance. "Okay, Kuno!" he said. "Ready for your daily pounding?"

Kuno turned to look at him with a sneer. "Fool!" he said. "I may no 
longer challenge you for the hand of Akane Tendo, you know that. I am 
not here to give you the beating you so richly deserve. Instead, I
come 
merely to talk." He fairly spat the words, a look of utter loathing on

his face.

Ranma blinked. "Huh?"

Kuno walked up to Akane, and took her hand. Looking deep into her
eyes, 
he said, "Alas, Akane Tendo, our love will never come to fruition. It 
must die, as a rose cut off at the bloom. Know that I will never
forget 
you, or how much you meant to me. But now, it is not to be. Fairwell, 
sweet Akane. Tomorrow, I forget you."

Akane stared, bewildered. Kuno's face was filled with love and longing

as he clung to her hand. His eyes pleaded with her, right up intil he 
received a nasty kick to the chin. He was thrown backwards to crash
into 
a sturdy tree.

"Hey!" said Ranma, his leg still in the air. "Let go of her hand!"

Kuno sat up, rubbed his jaw, and pointed at Ranma. "And I have a
message 
for you as well." Kuno's voice and expression softened. "I will
forever 
remember your sweet face, and your lovely big eyes, like twin full 
moons. Those few times I was able to hold your body in my arms were
the 
brightest days of my life. How I long to tenderly kiss those soft lips

of yours."

"Giyaaa!!!" Ranma contorted himself into an extremely uncomfortable-
looking position. "Stay away from me, man! You're scaring me!"

Kuno composed himself, then spoke again, his voice cold. "Give that 
message, exactly as I have repeated it, to the pigtailled girl, if you

please. And then tell her that I must say my goodbyes to her, as well.

Convey that I mourn for my love, but I must do what is honorable."

Akane stared at Ranma. Ranma stared at Akane. Neither seemed to have
the 
faintest idea what Kuno was talking about. Finally, Ranma worked up
the 
nerve to say, "Er... w-w-what are you talking about, sempai?"

Kuno turned away, his head lowered, his fist clenched. A tear dripped
to 
the pavement. "Do you not understand? I must wed Nabiki Tendo. My
honor 
dictates that I marry the woman my father chooses. It would no longer
be 
honorable of me to remain in the company of Akane Tendo or my
pigtailed 
girl. I must bid farewell to both." And without waiting for an answer,

Kuno walked slowly into the school.

Akane and Ranma stared after him. After awhile, Ranma spoke. "Well, at

least one good thing came out of this."

"Yeah". Akane sighed. "Poor guy."

Ranma did a double-take. "Poor guy? What do you mean? That jerk's been

chasing both of us for months!"

"So? Look at how much he's hurting! Even if he was a jerk, he doesn't 
deserve that."

Ranma couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you saying you'd 
*rather* have him chasing us? You are *such* an idiot."

Akane flared. "Of course I don't want him chasing us. I just don't
like 
seeing him suffer... that's all, you stupid jerk!"

Ranma frowned. "Kawaiikune!"

A loud crack echoed through the air as Akane's hand slapped against 
Ranma's cheek. He froze. Akane lowered her fist, and said, "Ranma...
you 
are such a... JERK!"

Ranma stopped, his cheek throbbing. "Idiot!" he cursed himself, for
what 
seemed like the hundredth time that week. "Why did you have to go and 
start something? Things were going so well."

Guess I'd better apologize, Ranma told himself. "Akane," he said,
"I... 
I..."

Suddenly, Ranma felt an urgent sensation that he'd felt many times in 
the past. Exactly how it felt, Ranma couldn't say, but after all these

years, he'd learned to recognize what it meant instantly: *Danger!* In
a 
split second, his head whipped around. His ears caught the buzz of a 
projectile, incoming very fast. Almost instantaneously, his 
senses calculated its trajectory, and well-tuned muscles leaped into 
action. His hand thrust to the side with almost superhuman speed, and 
there was a loud *thwack* as he caught something.

And this was the scene a blink of Akane's eyes later. The point of a 
wicked-looking knife was centimeters from her forehead. She hadn't
even 
seen it coming. It must have been moving at incredible speed. Ranma's 
fist was gripped tightly around the center of the blade, the muscles
of 
his arm trembling. A small amount of blood trickled from his palm. A 
drop of sweat rolled off his forehead. He turned to her, his eyes
fiery. 
"Akane... are you all right?"

Too stunned to speak, Akane nodded her head slightly, and managed a 
"Mmmm." Ranma looked at her a second more, then he turned away, and 
yelled, "Hey! Who's there?"

There was no answer other than a few crickets chirping. Ranma's eyes 
followed the trajectory of the knife backwards to... there! A solitary

bush standing in the middle of an otherwise-empty schoolyard.

Ranma charged at the bush, shouting, "Who's there? Who threw that?" He

arrived at the bush, and demolished it with one swipe of his foot. 
Leaves and branches fell around him, but that was all. There was
nobody 
in the bush. A trail of running footprints fled from the bush to the 
entrance to the schoolyard, where they disappeared.

Ranma grit his teeth in frustration. "Damn!" he spat. Then he turned
and 
ran back towards Akane, who was stil frozen to the spot.

"Akane... did you see anyone?"

Akane shook her head no, still not trusting herself to speak. Her
blood 
was pounding... but that hadn't started until after the whole thing
was 
over. She hadn't seen a thing. So fast, it must have been moving so 
fast... and Ranma had picked it out of the air as if it were a tossed 
ball. It would have plunged right through her skull, of that she was 
certain. He'd saved her life. And he'd injured himself to do it...
that 
cut on his hand didn't look too good. Finally, she found her voice. 
"Thank you," she whispered.

Ranma started, then suddenly seemed to realize what he'd done. He
looked 
down at his hand, and the blood dripping off it. And then he looked
back 
in Akane's shining eyes. "I didn't even think about it," he thought.
"As 
soon as I realized Akane was in danger, I acted." A familiar voice
spoke 
up in his mind: "Say it! Say it!"

"Akane..." he said, "I... I..."

Akane looked at him expectantly, silently telling him to say it. He 
looked right into her eyes, and his mouth opened. "Akane," he said,
"I... 
I... I'd better get to the school nurse." His shoulders slumped in
defeat.

Akane waited quietly for a second, then smiled at him. "I'll walk you 
there," she said. With her right hand, she carefully took his injured 
arm. Her left arm went around his waist. Ranma didn't object.

---