A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Mike Simmons.  All characters herein are property of 
Takahashi Rumiko.  Comments, flames, questions, and requests for me to stop 
writing can be sent to me at msimmons@bcgroup.net

Visit my homepage at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/2506 so you can 
brag about it to your friends.  ^_^

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-- Oil & Water --  (Part IV)


	"Look Ranma, I thought you said you were going to help me with my 
training!"  Akane folded her arms, regarding her fiancee.  She had cornered 
him in the dojo, and the trapped look on his face wasn't improving her 
temper either.  Akane took a calming breath, trying not to get mad.  She 
was going to learn control if it killed her.  Ranma glanced to either side, 
searching vainly for an escape route.  Finding none, he decided that the 
only alternative was to tough it out.  

	"Yeah, moves, techniques, that stuff I can help you with.  But 
helping you learn to control your temper?  C'mon Akane, I don't think 
that's even possible!"  Ranma shut his mouth with a snap, immediately 
regretting his last remark.  He didn't know why he said those kind of 
things, they just sort of slipped out.  Eyes narrowed and body tensed, he 
waited for Akane's violent reaction which was sure to follow.  Would it be 
a side kick? Uppercut?  Elbow strike?  Ranma gulped.  Was she going to 
bring out The Mallet?  He prepared himself to dodge, and Akane smiled.  

	{Uh oh.}  Ranma's relief at not being nailed was drowned out by a 
growing sense of foreboding.  {I -really- don't like the look of that 
smile...}  

	"I told you you could do it, Ranma!"  Akane assumed a ready stance 
in the middle of the dojo, and beckoned him out of the corner.  "All I 
need you to do is keep saying stuff like that.  If I can stay calm with 
you insulting me like that, I can do it any time!"  Her smile took on a 
slightly sarcastic air.  "This should be a golden opportunity for you.  I 
won't react."  
	
	Ranma cautiously emerged from the corner.  He didn't like this at 
all.  {I don't care if she's been doing daily meditations!  There's no way 
she can keep control over her temper, and I'm gonna get nailed again.}  
Akane remained in her ready stance, a small smile still on her lips.  She 
was enjoying Ranma's discomfiture immensely.  He shrugged.  {Well... she 
did apologize for a lot of stuff the other day.  And she -has- been pretty 
friendly lately.  It's kinda... nice.}  Ranma's caution lessened.  It was 
still present, but only as a quiet murmur.  

	"What the hell."  He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned 
forward, still from a safe distance.  "Geez Akane, you sure are ugly."  

	Akane remained in her ready posture, relaxed and confident.  Her 
smile grew superior.  "Come on Ranma, you can do better than that!  I got 
called worse than that in sixth grade!"  

	"Okay,"  Ranma sighed, throwing caution to the winds.  He began to 
circle Akane with slow steps, hands still clasped behind his back.  "You 
know Akane,"  he began in a conversational tone, "I never really realized 
how well you fill out that uniform."  Akane met his eyes with a bored 
look, her body motionless.  A wide grin spread across his face.  This was 
going to be fun.  "I mean, it does seem to be getting a little tight in 
the legs.  Have you been putting on some weight lately?"  Akane flicked 
her eyes forward, directing a blank stare towards the dojo wall.

	Ranma leaned close and inspected her from top to bottom.  "Yup.  I 
think you're gettin' a little chunky, Akane.  You know, if I didn't know 
better I'd think you were trying to put some curves on that tomboy's body 
of yours.  Who are you trying to snare, hmmm?  Kunou?"  Akane's eyebrow 
twitched at that one.  She tried to clear the flush of emotion from her 
mind.  {I can't let him get to me.  Have to be in control.  Ooooh, you're 
lucky I'm not going to hit you for that one, Ranma.}

	Ranma continued his comments, obviously enjoying himself.  "Oh, 
silly me.  Kunou isn't your type at all, is he?"  Shaking his head, Ranma 
whispered in her ear.  "You're trying to catch Happosai, aren't you?"  
Akane didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she did neither.  She 
remained still, but the smile was gone from her face.  

	"Yeesh, and you call -me- a pervert!"  Ranma cocked his head to 
one side, huge grin still on his face.  "That must be why you're always 
throwing yourself at him.  And here I thought -he- was the one who was 
going after -you-!  Ranma locked both arms behind his head, still circling 
Akane.  "Well, I wouldn't bother if I were you.  Happosai likes his women 
busty and sexy."  He gave Akane a critical glance.  "It's obvious that 
-you- don't fit the qualifications.  You're built like a beefburger, 
Akane."

	Laughing, Ranma turned to face the door, oblivious to the vein 
that was throbbing in Akane's forehead.  "I bet if we checked your butt, 
it'd have a cattle brand on it somewhere," he tossed over his shoulder, 
relishing the silence.  Ranma turned back to her, saying "What are you, 
Akane, a Rafter L or a Lazy Q?"

	"RANMA, _YOU_ JERK!_"  

		*	*	*

	Reaching into the cupboard, Ranko removed her pack and sleeping 
roll.  Her brain reminded her that technically it was -Ranma's- pack and 
sleeping roll, but she told it to shut up.  {Pity me, will they?}  Ranko 
flipped open the top of the pack with unnecessary force, tearing the corner 
of the flap.  She carried it to the closet and started stuffing clothes 
into it.  

	Ranma dragged himself up the stairs, and dropped to the top step.  
He examined his wounds.  {Nothing serious, but those bruises are gonna be 
there for a while.}  The memory of Akane ripping a board out of the dojo 
floor and wielding it like a baseball bat briefly came to mind, and he 
winced.  {Oh, that meditation did a -lot- of good,} Ranma thought 
sarcastically to himself.  {You were perfectly safe, oh yeah, SURE!}  
Still muttering under his breath, the battered young Saotome shuffled into 
his room and stopped dead.

	Ranko glanced up from where she was packing, saw who it was, and 
ignored him.  She went back to what she was doing.  Ranma shifted uneasily. 
This was definitely a situation he'd never dealt with before.  What do you 
say to a female version of yourself, anyway?  

	"Uh...hi," Ranma said awkwardly.  "What are you-- hey!"  Ranma 
rushed forward and grabbed an article of clothing out of Ranko's grasp.  
"That's my favorite shirt!"  Ranko glared him down, and yanked the red 
Chinese-style shirt out of his hands. 

	"It's my favorite too."  She balled it up and stuffed it in the 
pack.  -His- pack.  Ranma stood there, not quite sure of what to do.  He 
scratched the back of his neck.

	"So you're leaving, huh?  Where you gonna go?"  

	Ranko dropped all pretense of packing, and stood up to face him.  
"Look.  Why can't you go bother somebody else?  Why don't you go slobber 
over Akane?  You two are in -love-, aren't you?"  Her sneering tone made 
Ranma's blood boil.

	"What?  There's no way I'd do anything with that--"  Ranko slapped 
a hand over his mouth before he could finish the sentence.  Standing on 
her tiptoes, she brought her face very close to his, so close that their 
noses were nearly brushing.  At this range, Ranko's turquoise eyes were 
huge.  She shook her head slowly, tendrils of red hair brushing across the 
hand that she still held over Ranma's mouth.

	"That's a load of bull.  You know it, and I know it.  I -used- to 
be you, remember?"  Ranma's eyes widened at this.  "Now look.  You should 
be very happy now.  You've been cured of your curse, and you're engaged to 
a beautiful girl who loves you very much."  Ranma made protesting noises 
at this, but Ranko yanked his head around, keeping his eyes facing towards 
her.  Her voice was soft.  "Life has just gotten a lot better for you, 
hasn't it?"  Ranma nodded tentatively, not knowing what to make of the 
situation.  

	"Good."  Ranko's tone altered, becoming more brisk, almost 
businesslike.  "Then I suggest you go spend some time with your wonderful 
fiancee and LEAVE ME ALONE!"  With barely a shift in her stance, Ranko 
dealt Ranma a ferocious uppercut to the jaw that caught him completely by 
surprise.  His flying body tore through the thin wall.  Recovering in 
mid-air, Ranma landed heavily in a crouch.  He rubbed his rabidly swelling 
jaw, and surveyed the collection of minor injuries he'd managed to sustain 
on the way through the wall.  Added to the bruises that Akane had given 
him, he was beginning to look like he'd been through a steamroller.

	"Women,"  he muttered.  

	"What was that, Ranma?"  Ranma whirled and froze like a deer 
caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  Akane stood there with her 
arms folded.  He quickly fumbled for an excuse.

	"Uh.... I said... Oh man!"  She raised an eyebrow, but thankfully 
said nothing.  Ranma heaved a silent sigh of relief.  "Look Akane, have 
you noticed anything wierd about Ranko?"  

	"Well, let's see.  She's more polite than you, better behaved than 
you, she doesn't eat like there's no tomorrow, she doesn't run around 
without any clothes on, and she -doesn't- call me a tomboy."  Akane gave a 
mock frown.  "You're right, that -is- wierd."

	"Argh!  That's not what I meant!"  Ranma lowered his voice.  "I 
think she's planning on leaving pretty quick."  He quickly related all 
that had gone on in his room.  Akane's teasing air slowly vanished, to be 
replaced by one of concern.  Ranma wound up his tale, and she sat down on 
one of the stones beside the pond.  Akane stared into the depths as Ranma 
dropped into a cross-legged position beside her.  

	"All I remember is how angry she was when she saw us practicing in 
the dojo this afternoon."  Akane pulled up her knees, hugging them to her 
chest.  "I feel sorry for her, the way she's been dumped into this 
situation."  She sighed.  "If she wants to leave, we really don't have any 
reason to stop her, and it's not like she has anything to tie her down 
here."  Ranma nodded, but remained silent.  Akane was making a lot of 
sense, and he didn't want to stop her now.

	"I don't know."  Akane made an exasperated noise.  "If she -is- 
going to just up and leave, I wish at least someone could go with her and 
keep her company, at least."  

	Ranma stared at his shoes, remembering how angry Ranko had been.  
"I think she'd much rather be alone.  She probably wouldn't take too well 
to someone tagging along after her."  

	"She's depressed, she's mad, and I just don't think we should let 
her wander off by herself, Ranma!"  

	"All right, all right!"  Ranma held up his hands.  "I surrender!  
But who's gonna go with her?  You can't, you've got school.  I guess I 
-could-, but..."  He rubbed his still swollen jaw.  "I get the feeling she 
doesn't like me."  

	"I don't know either,"  Akane exhaled.  She thought for a moment.  
"What about Ukyou?  She carried Ranko all the way here from her place, she 
must like her."  

	"Nah."  Ranma shook his head.  "Ucchan has her restaurant to run, 
she can't exactly take time off to go following Ranko wherever she decides 
to go.  Besides, I thought Kasumi said that Ucchan carried -me- home?"  
Akane bristled slightly at this, but he ignored it.  "Yup, apparently 
since it was Ryoga's fault, Ukyo made him pack Ranko all the way here..."  
Ranma trailed off.  They looked at each other.  It was so obvious.  He was 
perfect.

		*	*	*

	Ryoga loved the early dusk.  It was his favorite time, after the 
sun and before the moon.  {It's a magic kind of time,} he thought.  
Leaning back against a tree, he glanced over his makeshift campsite.  
Ryoga had pitched his tent in the old vacant lot where, a long time ago, 
he had arrived prepared for the duel of his life.  {You couldn't wait just 
one more day, could you, Ranma?} Ryoga thought, but there was little 
rancor in his thoughts.  Only a sort of longing for days gone by, when 
everything was so much clearer.  

	{It would have been a great fight.}  Ryoga idly traced the 
darkening silhouette of the crumbling concrete wall surrounding part of 
the lot.  He supposed his house was very near here, but long experience 
had taught him that he would never find it.  One by one, the stars 
glimmered into existence, and he tossed a couple of more pieces of wood 
onto his small fire.  Leaning back once more, he drew mental lines from 
star to star, forming little pictures in his mind.  It was a game Ryoga 
had played many times on long nights by himself.  It gave him something to 
do in the times that he couldn't sleep, and this was one of those times.

	{There's a fish,} he thought, {and that one would be a dragon.}  
He filled in some detail, imagining a great colourful serpent coiled 
around a precious hoard of flickering diamond stars.  {Now that one...} 
Ryoga leaned his head to the side.  {That one looks like some kind of 
face.}  A few more stars down the side formed a pig-tail.  A red one, 
soaked with water, icy and cold along his neck.  The face of Ranko stared 
down at him from the stars, turquoise eyes wide.  Ryoga's mouth quirked in 
a rueful smile, remembering how she had booted him down the stairs.  {She 
may not -be- Ranma, but she sure -acts- like him.}

	A small and most annoying part of his mind remarked that he should 
be thinking about Akane.  {Akane.}  Ryoga sighed, feeling the old familiar 
bitter pain.  {She's just as beautiful as ever.  But something's changed 
between her and Ranma since he got cured of his curse.  They're... closer, 
somehow.}  Ryoga swallowed, and kicked idly at a pebble on the ground.  He 
wanted to get mad, but it just would have taken too much effort, and he 
didn't feel like getting up right now.  {I think I'll just sit here and be 
depressed for a while, thanks.}  He sighed.  {This sucks.}

	"Ryoga?"  The bandanna-clad Hibiki looked up at the sound of 
Ranma's voice.  Ranma entered the vacant lot from the street, Akane with 
him.  Ranma grinned.  "I thought this is where you might end up.  You've 
never had any trouble finding this place at all, have you?"  Ryoga 
grunted.  {It's true.  I couldn't find my way from the Tendo's house to 
Furinkan without ending up halfway around the world, but I can always find 
this place.}  He folded his arms, watching Ranma with a cautious eye.

	"Yeah.  Too many old memories, I guess.  What do you want, Ranma?" 
Ryoga demanded gruffly.  "If you want to finish that duel now, I'm ready 
and willing."  Ranma opened his mouth with a slightly embarrassed look, 
but snapped it shut again.  Akane gave an exasperated sigh and pushed past 
him, kneeling down across the fire from Ryoga.  After a second's indignant 
look, Ranma assumed the same position next to her.  

	"It's about Ranko, Ryoga." Akane said.  Ryoga sat back with a 
surprised look evident on his face, this was one of the -last- things he 
had expected to hear.  Akane explained the situation.  "...and we need 
someone to go with her,"  Akane finished.  "We thought since you're always 
travelling, you could maybe tag along with her for a while."  She caught 
Ryoga's unsure look.  "Please, Ryoga?"  

	"Well..."  Ryoga hesitated.  He didn't want to leave again.  It 
had taken him so long just to get back to Nerima, just to see Akane again, 
and now she wanted him to leave!  The beseeching look in Akane's eyes 
tugged at him.  She needed him to do something for her.  Ultimately, that 
won out, even over his own desire to see her again.  Ryoga assumed a 
nonchalant air, and shrugged.

	"Okay."

	"Ryoga, that's great!"  She reached around the small fire and took 
his hand.  "Thank you.  I'm sure she'll be really happy to have someone 
else to travel with!"  

	"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Ranma muttered quietly to 
himself.  He debated for a moment, but eventually decided not to warn 
Ryoga at all.  In Ranko's current state of mind, she wanted to take out 
her frustrations on somebody.  {Looks like that somebody's gonna be 
Ryoga.  Oh, well.  Better him than me.}  Ranma chuckled.  {The poor guy's 
not gonna know what hit him.}

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Author's Notes:

I can't believe how fast this whole section went.  I love those times when 
a story just seems to write itself.  Of course, having midterms right 
about now could have something to do with that.  -Anything- is better than 
studying for a Post-Confederation History exam.  

As you can see, things are slowly moving along to where Ranko will be 
leaving the Tendo household.  Akane and Ranma seem to be maintaining a 
kind of peace, but as you can see from the training session scene at the 
beginning of this part, it's not exactly an idyllic existence either. ^_^ 

See you next time, then.  

Mike Simmons
msimmons@bcgroup.net