Wow look at me just posting like crazy :P I've had this one around for
a while though, so I suppose I'm not TOO pathetic :P ^^; Well, enjoy!
The first ha;f is written in Akane's perspective.. the other half in
just normal style I write in. Well, ja ne!
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Based on the Manga by Rumiko Takahashi
We're proud to present.....
A Smile Like Yours
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I could still tell you the day he left. I could describe every
action...every single detail. I could even tell you how much my heart
broke. Even after a month, I can remember everything. How pathetic of
me. How many times was that that I hit him now? More than I can
count. Why? He insulted my cooking, but why not, it sucked. He called
me a tomboy, but I am, I already knew that. He chased after other
women, but it was actually them chasing him while he ran from them.
He never ran from me though. With of course the exception of when I was
mad. But, when it really counted, when I was really in danger, he was
there. Can't say the same thing for myself.
Yes, I remember every little detail. How my father cried, but he's
always doing that. How my two sisters seemed kind of sad. I bet Nabiki
was sad about the profit margin she was going to lose rather than his
presence gone. I remember his father spouting of how dishonorable he
was. He was more honorable than his father by the time he was 2! But,
I suppose I remember what I did the most out of all. Nothing. I did
nothing. Why hadn't I tried to tell him to stay? "Ranma, please don't
go, I need you here!" Ha, what a laugh. I bet he would have left
anyway. What reason did he have to stay? Parents forcing him into
something his obviously didn't want to do. Someone making money off him
of him at every turn. And a fiancee... a fiancee he never wanted in the
first place.
I wasn't surprised when I saw him at "Ucchan's", a small okonomiyaki
shop near us that was owned by his best friend from childhood, not to
mention his other fiancee. I always thought maybe one day me and Ukyou
could be friends, even though we competing for the same man. I see now
how wrong I was. I know now I'll never be her friend.
It was the first day Ranma and Ukyou had bothered to show up to school.
I knew Ranma wouldn't have wanted to see me, that's why he had missed
school two weeks straight. She was hanging all off of him. She knew I
was there. Maybe if she knew how hurt I was she would have let up a
bit. Maybe not. Either way I knew she was trying to show him off.
That's when he looked at me. The resign in his eyes hurt more than
anything. Didn't he care what he was doing to me?! Didn't he know how
much I hated life without him there? Hehe...I guess he couldn't have, I
never told him. And maybe that's why he's still over at "Ucchan's"
today. She told him all the time how much he meant to her. And still,
he always thought of her more as a best friend. I wonder if it's still
that way. I heard my voice called out after I took off, but I don't
think I actually opened my eyes then until I arrived home. Tears
pouring down my face. Oh, I must have looked like quite a sight to
Kasumi. She's helped me through this so far. She's always been so
great. Almost like my real mother. For two weeks now I haven't been
back. I help her around the house, maybe my cooking has improved.
Maybe it's good enough for him.
Here I am, pathetic me, sitting in Ranma's room hugging the pillow he
always used. It cheers me up, even if the tears fall down my face.
Just knowing, for a little while, he was mine instead of hers, makes
life bearable.
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"Ranma...." Akane whispered to herself after a long moment. She felt
the wind whip through her hair from the open window to her right. Her
head tilted up slightly to reveal the curtains flowing playfully though
the air. She shook her head, *Why do I have to torture myself like
this...*
"You're crying.."
Akane wiped her head up to see Ranma crouched down on the window sill
with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face.
"Ranma?" She quickly wiped off her tear stained face, "What are you
doing here?"
Ranma hopped down from the window, "I dunno.... Just..uh.... how come
you haven't come to school lately?"
Akane looked to her knees that were drawn into her chest. She then
realized she had Ranma's pillow hugged tightly to herself, she blushed
and looked away, "I... I haven't been feeling well."
"The flu?" Ranma asked in some worry.
Akane shook her head smally, "Not that kind of sick.." She choked out.
"Oh..." Ranma said guiltily, "I should... maybe I should go."
Akane sat silent, not knowing how to respond. She had so many things to
say but, once he was actually here, her mind froze up.
Ranma nodded silently and jumped back onto the window sill.
*I'm doing it again. I'm not doing anything from stopping him.* "Ranma
wait!" But Akane's words only reached empty air. Ranma had left. She
lost her second chance. Tears blurred her vision once again and spilled
down her face silently. She crept towards the window and peered out
into the endless sea of stars, each of shining with such brilliance it
hurt her eyes.
She held back her sobs for once and just stared into the night sky,
*Maybe I don't deserve him after all...* After another wipe of her face
with the back of her hand to clear her tears she turned around to leave
to her room. She almost sunk to her knees when she saw Ranma standing
near the doorway with his hung slightly.
"You're still crying..." He whispered smally, a pink blush apparent on
his cheeks.
"Ranma... you came back.... I wanted.... Stay! I wanted to say stay!
When you first left I wanted to say it...." She could feel tears
welling up in her eyes but refused them.
Ranma smiled embarassedly, "I thought you wanted me gone..."
"When you left.... I thought you hated me. Why wouldn't you? I can't
cook, I'm a tomboy, I hit you.... I'm so sorry." Akane swallowed her
pride back down her throat.
Ranma grinned crookedly, "I don't mind..."
Akane sniffed, "What do you mean?"
"I don't mind... umm.. what I mean is.. I like that about you." He said
embarassedly, "I mean.. living at Ucchan's gave me time to think about
stuff. Heh heh.. I know no one would have ever accused me of that."
Akane couldn't help but smile faintly to the remark.
Ranma smiled back glad to get a positive repose, "I thought of my
fiancee's and why I liked them. Ukyou's my best friend, and she's so
sweet and all, but I dunno if I could ever imagine her as anything
else. Shampoo's cute.. but she's so forward and the only reason she
liked me in the first place is because I put up a good fight. And there
was you.." Ranma coughed to clear his throat, "You're macho, can't cook
worth a lick and you always get mad at me whenever I do pretty much
anything ."
At this point Ranma was the match nearing a short fuse in Akane's
perspective, and Ranma could sense this so he decided to make his point
short.
"But, if you weren't any of those things, you wouldn't be you, and I
dunno if I'd like that. Sometimes, you can be so nice, and it makes me
feel great cuz I know you don't like guys and it must be hard for you to
be nice to me. And.... sometimes.... when you smile at me...." And
apparent blush creeped up Ranma's cheeks, "Heh heh... listen to me
talkin like this. You think I turned in Kunou or somethin.." Both
shuddered, "Maybe not that bad.."
Akane let out a nervous sigh, *Did he just say he liked me?*
"So..." Ranma said uncomfortably, "I..uh... should go anyway. Ucchan's
probably wondering bout me."
Akane took hold of one of his hands in restrain, "I..uh... I wouldn't
mind if you came back."
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, "R-really?"
Akane shook her head with a dumb grin plastered on her face, "Yeah....
I..we've missed you."
Ranma soon matched her grin, "Than--??" Ranma cut himself short when he
felt Akane wrap her arms around him forcefully.
Akane supressed the urge to cry, "Don't ever do that to me again, baka!"
Ranma cautiously put his arms around Akane's shoulders the lump in his
throat decided to clear for a moment, "Who could leave a smile like
yours?"