A big, empty void.
## Hey, that's how I feel when I haven't eaten in three days...
It was bad enough, those last two years of high school, when she would
wander the streets of Nerima and see reflections of him every where she
looked. At that time, she had been frantic to get away from Nerima.
She
just needed a break, she'd assured herself, so that she could put the
memories behind her. Then, she could come back, and not feel the
searing
emptiness whenever she saw the familiar sights of her hometown.
## AKANE: Ah, the wreckage of the high school... the wreckage of the
public bath house... the wreckage of nearly every single street here...
the wreckage of my own house... It hasn't changed a bit.
But as she'd gotten out of the cab and stepped inside the Tendo dojo,
the
memories had come crashing over her like a tidal wave. She hadn't
forgotten him at all. She'd only been keeping herself so busy that
she'd
had no time to think about him anymore, but he was still there, still in
her
mind and in her heart, and the hole in her heart was no closer to being
healed.
## I have the same problem with donuts. Actually, after five years, the
donut hole is pretty much filled, though it's hard to say what with...
She was happy for her sister. No one had thought that Dr. Tofu would
finally get over his nervousness enough to propose marriage to Kasumi.
But
he had. Theirs was a long and steady relationship, but it took a couple
of
years before Kasumi finally felt ready to leave her family, so that she
could pursue her own happiness with Dr. Tofu.
## Bet those couple of years before she left were rough...
TOFU: Oh, Kasumi, you look absolutely radiant...
KASUMI: Oh, Tofu, we musn't!
TOFU: But I cannot resist!
KASUMI: We musn't!
TOFU: But Kasumi! Your skin is as soft as-
RANMA: (banging on the door) Hey, hurry up in there! Other people wanna
use the bathroom too, ya know!
TOFU: THAT was unromantic.
It really was pathetic, she thought. She'd had to watch him walk away,
out
of her life, before she finally realized that she loved him. By then,
it
was too late.
## Well, duh.
The train station - the stage of real-life, human drama. For countless
hours she'd spent here, waiting to board her train, she'd witnessed more
emotionally-charged moments in here than in any soap opera she'd
watched -
tearful goodbyes, joyous reunions...
## Not to mention the numerous shouts of, "Weren't you supposed to be on
the LAST train?!? I've been waiting for TWO HOURS!!" But that would ruin
the moment, would it not?
No, she was not going to think about *that* again, she told herself.
Akane
took a seat beside a well-dressed woman in her late thirties. She put
her
backpack down beside her feet and pulled a thin paperback novel from the
bag. A quick glance at her wristwatch told her that she had almost
another
hour to wait before her train would arrive.
Fifteen minutes later, she set the novel down with a defeated sigh.
## I wouldn't think that a thin paperback would be that challenging...
"If you're too stubborn to listen to reason, then I give up!" the young
man
exploded, glaring angrily at the young woman in front of him.
## MAN: Why don't you accept that it's the only one for me?!
GIRL: But why? Why must it be this way?
MAN: Because it HAS to! I will not accept anything but CRUNCHY peanut
butter!
GIRL: (sobbing) Please stop saying that!
She remembered the stricken look on his face, the way his eyes widened,
his
entire body frozen in midstep... He'd taken much worse from her before,
they
both knew it, but as she'd watched his eyes blank out, shutting her out
completely, she had known with a certainty that no other blow she'd
landed
on him hurt him as much as this one had...
## RANMA: Akane, you left the thumbtacks in.
Both her sisters were watching her solemnly. "What?" Akane asked,
unnerved
by their combined stares.
## KASUMI: Resistance...
NABIKI: Is futile...
"Oh yeah?" Nabiki crossed her arms over her chest, surveying the rosy
blush
creeping up Akane's cheeks. "Whatever it was, it must have been pretty
heavy."
## AKANE: Naw, he can't weigh more than 140...
*No,* Akane thought mindlessly, as she stared at him, her eyes
disbelieving.
## How does one think mindlessly? (scratches head) It's like talking
wordlessly... (Or maybe I'm just putting the "annoying" into "nitpick.")
He stared back, his eyes infinitely sad. "I... I can't to marry you,
Akane."
## RANMA: I have this "problem" with "performance"...
AKANE: What problem?
RANMA: Well, you know, certain "parts" don't work right...
AKANE: Like what?
RANMA: Uh... ya know... it doesn't... um... er...
AKANE: What are you trying to tell me, Ranma?
RANMA: It doesn't work! It won't stand! It...
AKANE: Explain yourself!
RANMA: Arrrgh!
"Don't be." She tried to smile again. She was probably a glutton for
punishment, but... She wanted to know. "Are you in love with anyone
else?"
"Does it matter?"
## Which usually means yes, he does. (But Ranma probably doesn't know
that)
They went down the stairs together, just like strangers walking beside
each
other in a hall. The talk with their fathers was uneventful. As
expected,
the Soun and Genma put up a fight,
## Don't need the "the" before Soun
"I ain't asking you to come, old man," Ranma told him. "Behave
yourself,
and..." A look of sadness flitted across his face. "And look after Mom,
okay?" Genma shut up at the mention of his wife's name.
## Her name is Mom?
Ranma shook Soun's hand. "Thanks, Mr. Tendo."
"You're always welcome in our home, son," he told Ranma. "Engaged or
not,
you're part of the family now."
## SOUN: ... You filthy rotten weak SLIME-BALL! Have a pleasant trip.
With one last look, he turned and walked away, and Akane stared after
him,
until he turned the corner and disappeared from her life forever. He
didn't
even turn around for a last look.
## Who knew that Ranma could be so strong about being weak...
Akane stood beside a crowd of teenagers, slinging her backpack off her
shoulder to set it on the ground while she waited for her train. A
raucous
burst of laughter erupted from the group beside her, and for a moment,
Akane
longed again for the carefree joys of youth, without the pains of
adulthood,
regrets, and love lost.
## Man, what a DEE-pressing woman!
For five years, in her weakest moments, she'd dreamed of this, of being
able
to see him again, and finally tell him what he'd meant to her, what he'd
*always* meant to her, all these years... Of how empty she'd felt,
without
him, and how she'd waited for a love, a love so strong and enduring, it
would completely eclipse those feelings she'd once had for him, so long
ago...
And then, he smiled... And Akane felt hope bloom in her heart.
Maybe she wouldn't have to wait after all.
## Kinda odd statement to make, considering that she's waited five years
already...
****
Notes:
This fanfic is in draft mode only. This was inspired by the song "MY
LOVE"
By Westlife. Sequel coming soon (hopefully).
## Yep.
Any and all C&C are welcome and appreciated.
## Okay. I thought your evaluation of Akane's feelings was quite well
done, we all understand that she's been living in mudville nonstop for
five years, while Ranma's been out cavorting with... Actually, we have
no idea what Ranma's been doing. One thing I have to say is that this
divergence you've made is based entirely on a change in Ranma's
character, namely, making him weaker. Originally, he was strong, so he
didn't give up on Akane. BUT, that aside, I am looking forward to the
next chapter. Noticed only a few small grammatical errors, but those
have been picked up already by others.
Leif Johnson
I have this strange aversion to extreme pain, okay?- Ranma Saotome
Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.- Dark
Helmet
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