Hi, hope you like this one...


Look at me...
By Kiwi Noriega

ALL RIGHTS ARE OF RUMIKO TAKAHASHI AND VIZ VIDEO

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LOOK AT ME...


	Akane threw a stone at the river as she looked out at the flowing water.
She grinned as she remembered the time when she tricked Ranma into falling
into the water. Things have been going nicely between her and Ranma lately
and she found herself always thinking of the times when he made her laugh
when she felt like crying. She leaned down on the grass and closed her
eyes, feeling the wind and hearing the river flow by as she fell into a
quiet trance. 

	Akane failed to notice a person sit beside her and stare at her. Ranma
grinned as he looked at Akane. She seemed so peaceful with her eyes closed,
like there was nothing in the world that could ruin her spirits. Ranma
sighed quietly and tilted his head as he stared at Akane's blissful face.
He knew that he could just sit there the whole day, and just stare at her.
Even when he closes his eyes, Ranma could see a picture of Akane form in
his mind. Nothing could let him forget the face of Akane.

	Ranma grinned as Akane's eyes shot open and stared at him. She was
speechless for a second, then her face became all red. Ranma just smiled
through the whole thing, and eventually made Akane smile too. 
	
	"How long have you been watching me?" Akane asked, her face still flushed,
whether from embarrassment or something else, she didn't show it. 

	Ranma tilted his head with a secretive grin and said, "It depends..."

	She gave him a confused look and Ranma explained, "It depends if you were
asking me how long I've been watching you today, or if how long I've
watched you ever since I came to Nerima..." 

	Akane didn't know what to say and immediately found the sky fascinating
all of a sudden.  They stared off at the blue sky and sat in silence,
letting Ranma's words go deeper. 

	Akane suddenly turned to Ranma and asked, out of the blue, "Ranma?"

	Ranma looked sideways at her and sensing the seriousness at her voice,
faced her fully.

	"Ranma..." she continued, "...look at me and tell me what you see..." 

	Ranma was caught off guard by the question, the tone of her voice warded
off any taunt that he was about to say. He looked her in the eyes and said,
"I...Akane...I see a person who's violent and has a short temper. A good
martial artist that tries so hard to be the best again after being set down
from above," he felt her tensing up, but continued, " yet the kindness in
her heart outbalances everything she is...she's a person who follows her
heart whatever the circumstances. She values heart over everything else..."
Ranma stared into Akane's eyes and noticed that the words just tumbled out
of his mouth, as if he realized only now that he was pouring out his heart
to her. He took her hand and thought that just her simple question made him
tell everything he's known about her, what he's noticed, what he feels, and
what he knows just by seeing her actions.

	Akane listened as every part of her soul was being described in such a way
she's never imagined. She wondered how someone summed up almost everything
she was. She heard the vague sound of the water flowing by and felt the
soft blow of the wind on her face. Time seemed to hold still and Ranma
broke the silence by saying,

	"Akane...look at me and tell me what you see..."

	Akane never thought that Ranma would ask her that. She fell silent and a
long pause came over her. She held her head up and faced the sky then
turned her face towards him. For the first time, she actually saw _him_.
Akane never thought it possible to see so much emotions flooding through a
person's eyes. His face was set with eagerness for her words yet she could
see a small hint of fear in those blue-gray eyes. She took his hand and
softly answered, 
	
	"Ranma, I see part of me in you...pride...strength...compassion..." Akane
sighed and looked at the water flowing by and continued, "I see a man who
doesn't know what he wants at the moment...an excellent martial artist that
takes pride in his skill but sometimes gloats too much," Akane smiled, "but
he'll do anything to help someone in need. He wants people to see him as a
strong individual who's manly even in his cursed form. He's dedicated and
loyal to his honor and nothing could sway him from his path of
righteousness," Akane turned to him and squeezed his hands, "He sees
through another's soul...you see through me..."  

	Their eyes met and their hearts touched. They stood up as one and smiled
softly at each other. Their hearts were light and they felt as if a big
stone has been lifted yet there were some small stones left to be upturned.
Rain started falling one by one and neither of them even noticed it. Ranma
slowly changed into a girl and grinned. Akane smiled back and put her arm
around Ranma-chan's slim waist as they walked in the rain, holding each
other tight.

	"I'm glad I have a friend who knows who I really am..." Akane whispered.

	Ranma-chan looked up at her and grinned, "Yeah, I know what you mean..." 
	

-end

Author's notes:

	Hi, hope you guys liked it, this was kinda a feel-good fic instead of a
really WAFFy one with romance. 
	
	This story was based on a simple question that goes beyond any deeper
meaning... 
	
	"Look at me and tell me what you see..."

	Now I'm asking you to try and ask a special person this question and
you'll be surprised at what the other person answers and then you will know
who really sees you...

*I got the idea from my sister who never stops from inspiring me to
overcome my limitations...

	C&C's are welcome at becknkal@addax.bc.ca  for some of my other works,
please visit, the Anything Goes Ranma 1/2 Fanfic Page at
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/9371
-Kiwi ^_^