Three Days to Say I Love You

By Angela Jewell

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don’t own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you’ll lose and still be broke.

And remember:

Reviews=motivation to write!

Chapter 6

I Love You…

Ranma stared at Akane, too shocked too speak; she was gazing back just as intently, her face pale, her short hair framing her face as she stared daggers at him. The horns on her head were tiny and barely visible, but he could have sworn the longer she looked at him, the bigger they became…

He had seen her angry before, of course. But this… this time was different. He wasn’t sure what to make of it: she had been fine a minute ago.

His uncertainty and confusion, however, didn’t last long. Eventually, it all came back to his own anger—something that could be just as dangerous and as powerful as Akane’s.

He turned to the Hannya, his eyes narrowed with barely contained fury. “What did you do to her?!”

The demon had long since returned to the ground, and Ranma noticed that her eyes were now open. A sneer came to her face as she addressed him. “What do you mean?” she asked, looking past him to Akane, “She looks perfect to me.”

Unconsciously his fists clenched. “Don’t give me that crap!” he replied angrily, his voice cold and hard. “Just—whatever you did, undo it!”

The Oni raised a questioning eyebrow as she looked at him; then, her good humor seemed to fade. “It’s too late,” she told him flatly. “Once a person has embraced their anger and jealousy completely, undoing it becomes impossible. You may try, of course,” she added, contemptuously. “But it is futile.”

Ranma slowly began to smile. “Sounds like a challenge to me,” he told her. Without sparing a second glance, he turned once more to Akane. The anger in her eyes was still there, as was the hatred, and he couldn’t help noticing that her horns had grown about half an inch—but he did his best to ignore it as he quickly grabbed a hold of her shoulders, forcing her to face him. He could feel her body growing stiff and rigid at his touch, and she tried to pull out of his grasp several times, but he held her firmly in place.

“Listen to me, Akane,” Ranma ordered, his eyes boring into hers. He almost flinched as he saw the rage reflected in those eyes, but he went on regardless. “Look,” he began again, “I don’t know what she did to you,” he explained, nodding towards the Oni, “but this—this thing—it isn’t you. I mean, sure, you got the whole anger thing working for ya—but let’s face it, you’re just not cut out to be a demon.” He paused as he watched her nervously. And then, leaning forward slightly, he said, “So… stop it. okay?”

Akane’s eyes widened at his words, and then ever so slowly, she leaned forward, closing the gap between them. Ranma felt his heart beat faster as she drew closer, and then her lips pursed. “No,” she told him softly. And then, before Ranma knew what was happening, he found himself flat on the ground, Akane towering over him.

Okay, he thought. That didn’t work...

“Geez,” he muttered as he climbed to his feet. “You’re as uncute as ever.” He could see her lips growing thin at his words, her eyes narrowed in warning. He knew it might not be the smartest approach, but this technique had gotten him out of more than one tough situation with her before…

“To think,” he continued, undaunted. “Just when I think you might actually be cute after all, you go and do something tomboyish and violent again! And what’s worst, to further prove my point, you go and grow horns!” Shaking his head sadly, Ranma sighed. “Really, Akane,” he complained, forcing back a laugh. “You can stop tryin’ already. I’ve never seen a more noncute girl.”

Unsurprisingly, Ranma stopped. He could feel it: a hot, searing aura surrounding him, choking him. It didn’t take long to find the source: Akane, for no better form of the word, was fuming. Her horns had begun to glow, and then before his wide, startled eyes, they grew several inches.

Before he had time to react, he saw the same aura start to wrap itself around Akane, a deep, dark blue—brighter and stronger than he had ever seen it. And then, his fiancée was gathering the energy into her hands, a small ball forming before her. And screaming, she released it straight at him.

“Ranma you jerk!”

The martial artist barely had time to jump out of the way as he saw the ball of energy flying towards him. With a quick jump, he leapt to the top of the fence, right above the attack, watching as it passed harmlessly beneath him—right through the metal fencing he had been standing in front of only moments before. Hopping down, he looked at the smoking, gaping hole that now resided in the very center of the railing. Slowly, he turned to look at Akane.

He couldn’t believe what he had just seen! Akane of all people had just managed to turn her battle aura into a weapon! Sure, he had seen his old man and the old freak, and even Mr. Tendo use it on occasion—usually to grow bigger in order to intimidate their opponent—but he had never seen it used as an actual weapon before! It was like gathering something insubstantial—like mists of fog –and then rolling it into a ball! And she hadn’t even learned how to manipulate chi yet!

Cautiously, he began to walk towards her, hoping he could calm her down. He felt like an idiot. He should have known insulting her would only make things worst. “Akane,” he began awkwardly.

Rapidly she backed away from him. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she replied, her breathing shallow and labored. “If you do, Ranma, I swear I’ll rip your arm off.”

Ranma stopped, surprised at the vehemence behind her words. He didn’t doubt for a moment that she meant it.

He could hear the Hannya laughing behind him…

Infuriated, he turned on her. “Shut up!” he yelled, glaring. “This is all your fault! Fix it now, or—“ Ranma trailed off as he looked long and hard at the Hannya. There was something… different about her. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but something about her seemed… well, wrong. Now that he looked at her—really looked at her, he noticed that although she was still pale and white, she didn’t seem quite as pale, quite as white—and her eyes—her eyes which had always seemed to be filled with an unquenchable anger and hatred; now seemed less deranged, less… dead.

But the intelligence, the hatred—that was still there—although the hatred seemed to have dimmed significantly.

But it wasn’t until he noticed that her demon horns had shrunk considerably, that a warning bell started going off in his head. If he hadn’t know any better, he’d think that the Hannya was becoming… well, more human…

He glanced over at Akane and stopped. Her skin had turned even more pale, while her hair, which she had usually kept cut short, had suddenly and inexplicably grown several inches. It flew out around her—caught and carried by an invisible wind.

And he KNEW it hadn’t been like that a second ago…

Even her eyes seemed to shine brighter and stronger than before—and the more he looked at her, the more he realized how beautiful she had become. But it was an unnatural beauty.

And then the realization hit him. With a red-hot fury, Ranma turned to look once more at the Oni. She stared back at him, a small smile playing across her face, and then she winked. “Took you long enough,” she laughed.

Ranma paled.

That BITCH he thought furiously!

She was turning his fiancée into a Hannya!

It all made sense now: the changes he had sensed in her; what he had been too blind or stupid to take notice of the moment she had opened her eyes…

He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid. There had been a light around her for crying out loud! A faint one, true, but it had been there all the same. Even the pink dress she had been wearing had changed. It now seemed to wrap itself around her body, conforming to her figure in all the right places.

Even with the horns, he found it hard to tear his eyes away.

And then he remembered what he’d felt when he had first looked at the demon. The aura, the light—everything that had made the Oni beautiful had all but disappeared as soon as the horns had appeared on his fiancée. Looking at the Hannya now was like looking at a normal human being… which, from the satisfied smile that had slowly begun to appear on the Hannya’s face, was exactly what the Oni had been anticipating.

Ranma ignored the demon for the moment and instead turned his attention back on Akane. He needed some answers and he needed them now. He knew if he asked the Hannya he might end up strangling her before he could get all the answers he needed…

“The Oni mentioned an agreement,” he said, taking a tentative step closer to his fiancée. “What kind of agreement did you make with her, Akane?”

His fiancée looked at him with dark, untrusting eyes. The closer he came to her, the further back she retreated. “It doesn’t matter,” she replied, her voice cold. “I’m glad I ran out of time. If I hadn’t, I might never have seen what a selfish, lying, two-timing jerk you really are.”

Ranma opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. “Aww, come on,” he said, allowing a small smile to appear on his face. “You’ve always known I’m a jerk. What made this time so different?”

“Because,” Akane replied lightly, actually smiling. “Now I don’t have to bend over backwards to get you to say something meaningless and stupid.”

Ranma raised a confused eyebrow. ”And what exactly would that be?” he asked.

The smile on her face disappeared as soon as his eyes met hers. She looked almost troubled for a moment, but then she seemed to come to some unspoken decision, and her brow furrowed. “That you love me,” she replied softly. “Not that it matters anymore,” she added, the anger once again returning.

Ranma stopped as he stared at her. And then blushing, looked away.

He knew she had been acting strange since returning from Jusendou! The wedding, their date, wanting to meet him at the park… it had all been so unlike her. And then he remembered the way she had looked after seeing Ukyo kiss him… he frowned, remembering the hurt and anger in her eyes.

Had she really wanted him to say it? And if she had, another part of him wondered… did that mean that she…? He looked at her again, his eyes searching for any trace of the old Akane—the one he had known before Jusendou—before Saffron.

But all that stared back at him was a cold and undeniable hatred.

“You—you needed me to—” he trailed off, unable to form the words.

Akane smiled at him in disgust. “Don’t worry, Ranma,” she replied bitterly. “Even if you said it now, it would only make me sick.”

Ranma reared back as if he’d been slapped. “H—ha!” he said, his voice strained. “Like I’d ever saw that to a violent, uncute, tomboy like you anyway! I can’t believe you were dumb enough to make a bet like that in the first place!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them. Akane, if it was possible, seemed to get even more mad. He saw her horns flash briefly as her eyes glowed with anger. And then a strong wind was sending him flying, the fence behind him, the only thing preventing him from going further. He looked up in surprise, shocked to see Akane staring at him with eyes of ice—the brown of her pupils no longer visible, as she slowly advanced closer.

He stopped, breathing hard, unsure what to do.

There was no way he could hit her.

His fiancée, however, held no such qualms. Her arms were held out before her, re-gathering the wind that had knocked him backwards, preparing for another attack. Ranma stood up, clinging tightly to the fence to keep his balance against any assault she attempted. The attack, however, never came. Moments before Akane could strike, she found herself suddenly frozen in place, unable to move. And then a light seemed to explode from within, enveloping her.

Carefully, Ranma stepped away from the fence, his heart racing, a sudden fear gripping him. His fiancée’s body was surrounded by a white, blinding light, and she was staring at him now, her eyes wide with fear. The Oni stood by impassively, calmly watching.

“What the--?” Immediately he turned to the demon, his eyes accusing. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

The Hannya stared back, a small smile on her face. ”The process is almost complete,” she replied, her eyes never leaving Akane.

“Process?” He glanced once more at his fiancée, the worry plain on his face. “What kind of process?”

A look came to the Hannya’s eyes. “She’s taking my place.”

Ranma felt his heart stop. “What—what does that mean?” He was almost afraid to hear the answer…

The Hannya sighed in annoyance. “Must I explain everything?” she asked sharply. “As soon as she becomes a full Hannya, then I am free to pass on.” There was a bitterness in her voice, beneath the anger. Her eyes remained locked firmly on Akane as she spoke. “It is the way of all Hannya: Our punishment ends when another takes our place. Your beloved Akane,” she explained, smiling. “will share the same fate.”

Ranma narrowed his eyes. “No,” he replied, his jaw set. “There’s no way I’m lettin’ that happen.”

The Hannya smiled. “Just try and stop it,” she said, her voice mocking. “It’s too late.”

Ranma’s face hardened. “We’ll see about that,” he replied. Slowly, he began to walk towards Akane, his steps sure and confident, despite the turmoil in his heart. The fear was evident on his fiancée’s face, but he could still see the anger, the hatred, as her frightened eyes met his.

But his eyes continued to hold hers as he walked closer.

It wasn’t long before he was standing just outside the barrier of light. He tried to step thru, but a strong force kept pushing him back, preventing entry. “Listen, Akane,” he said softly. “I don’t know what that demon said to make ya so angry at me, but it wasn’t true! So, just forgive me already so we can go home.”

Akane continued to stare at him with open hatred and he watched as her horns flashed several times quickly in succession, before growing once again. He turned to glance worriedly at the Hannya, noticing that her own horns were now small stubs. A feeling of urgency gripped him as he glanced back at his fiancée.

The light around her was glowing brighter as time passed, and for a moment, he could have sworn she was being sucked in from the center. Ranma eyed it critically, searching for a weak spot—a hole—anything that would allow him to break through. He knew he couldn’t do anything standing outside, yelling in.

He had to find a way to get inside.

That’s when he saw it: A faint point in the light which seemed to dim considerably every time it passed before Akane, a circular weakness rotating around her. If he could just hit that spot at the right moment… Without taking his eyes off the mark, Ranma threw out his hand, watching in satisfaction as it quickly passed through. The hole stopped and conformed to fit his hand, and carefully Ranma pushed the rest of his arm through. His entire arm stung temporarily at the contact, but the pain was minimum. With a sure, confident step, he threw his entire body into the space, breaking through the light.

It felt like pins and needles were driving into him, and he closed his eyes briefly, fighting back the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw Akane staring at him in wonder, but then the anger and hatred had returned, and she scowled.

“What are you doing here?” she told him angrily, her eyes narrowed. The wind around them picked up, and Ranma could barely see her through the blinding light surrounding them.

“Akane…”

“Leave me alone!” she shouted.

Grabbing a hold of her shoulders, Ranma tried to steady himself. His grip tightened as he forced her to look at him. “Dammit, Akane!” he yelled. “SNAP OUT OF IT! Can’t you see what’s going on here?”

Her eyes seemed to darken at his words, and Ranma sighed in frustration.

“I already told ya not to believe anything that stupid demon told you,” he continued, fighting back the urge to shake her, “so why won’t you believe me?“ He stopped to look intently into her eyes as he felt her stiffen in his arms. “Seriously, Akane,” he pleaded. “Just listen to me! Why would I lie?!”

She shook her head angrily as she tried to wretch out of his grip.

His hold on her tightened.

“I know I can be a jerk sometimes,” he said, his voice softening as he looked away from her, “and I always seem to make ya mad, but—“ he took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. “this ain’t like you, Akane,” he told her, shaking his head. “I mean, sure, ya get angry a lot... but you rarely ever stay mad. At least, not for long,” he corrected. “And do you really think you can keep hating me for hundreds of years…?”

The look she was giving him at that moment, made him believe that she could…

Akane shook her head. “You’re wrong,” she replied angrily. “I’m an angry, violent tomboy, remember? This is like me.”

Ranma frowned. “Geez,” he replied, growing frustrated. “I always call ya those things, Akane. Just cause I say it don’t mean that I—“ he trailed off, blushing. “I mean, yeah, sure, you can be angry and violent sometimes, and you are a tomboy…” he didn’t notice the murderous look his fiancée was throwing his way. “But… I guess what I’m trying to say,” he told her, frowning. “Is that you’ve always forgiven me before, so why are you so angry this time?”

“Because,” she said through clenched teeth, “you use me, you insult me, you string me along… and like an idiot, I’ve always just sat back and took it!”

Ranma stared at her in disbelief. “Akane,” he said slowly, carefully, his eyes wide. “You’ve NEVER just ‘sat back and took it’. You’ve hit me; you’ve yelled at me, you’ve broken the engagement—and sure, I’ve deserved it once or twice, but that doesn’t explain why you’re so angry at me now. And if you think—”

Akane threw a hand over his mouth, cutting him off before he could finish. Her eyes were flashing as she stared at him, and her lips were thin and angry. But he could see the pain and hurt beneath it all, and he felt the light encasing them dim slightly. “That’s because I like you, you idiot!” she replied fiercely. “And I’ve finally realized just how stupid and ridiculous that is.” She tore her hand from off of his mouth in disgust. “So if you don’t mind, Ranma,” she said, spitting his name like it was a bitter taste she had to get out of her mouth. “Leave me ALONE!”

With as much power as she could, she pushed him out of the barrier.

Ranma found himself stumbling back, too surprised and shocked to react. Once more, he found himself flat on the ground, the Hannya’s laughter echoing around him.

Angrily, he glared at her.

“I told you it was useless,” the Hannya said, shrugging. “Although I am impressed you managed to get through the barrier at all.”

Ranma ignored her as he turned his attention back to Akane. She liked him?! His head was spinning at the thought alone… but not for long.

…His fiancée was slowly disappearing before his eyes as she was pulled further into the spiraling light.

This time, Ranma didn’t even look for a weak point. Without a second thought, he hurled himself towards the barrier, fighting against the pain as his body connected with the wall. Still, he kept straining against it, waiting to find the weak spot he had used before, his arms, his legs, every part of him fought against the pain, searching. Then, he felt it. It was dim, but penetrable. With a final push of his leg, he forced himself through, grunting with the effort. One eye was closed tightly shut against the blinding light as he tried to focus in on his fiancée, using her image to block out the surrounding, overpowering, glow. There was a darkness in the midst of the light—hidden in the center.

Akane’s eyes widened as he grabbed a hold of her arms, pulling himself in the rest of the way. Ranma didn’t even give her the chance to speak, as his grip once again tightened. “Ya can’t tell me something like that an expect me to just go away,” he told her, angrily.

She didn’t even bat an eyelash. “It doesn’t make a difference,” she told him haughtily. “I was an idiot to fall for a stupid, perverted, playboy like you anyway.”

“Hey!” he replied, vehemently. “I ain’t no playboy an I ain’t no pervert either. I didn’t ask for Shampoo, Ukyo, or Kodachi to hang all over me, and I sure as hell didn’t ask for this damn curse!”

Akane glowered. “Of course not,” she replied bitterly. “And I certainly didn’t ask for a sex-changing fiancée like you!” His face grew hot at the insult, but he fought back the urge to retaliate. It wasn’t long before he noticed that Akane’s eyes had slowly begun to close, and he could see her body starting to fade before him as he watched helplessly, powerless to stop it. “No, wait!” he called, desperately, pleading. “I’m sorry! I—I didn’t!”

For a moment, he felt her solidify once more in his arms, and he looked down at her in relief. Grabbing her firmly around the waist, Ranma held her in place, afraid to let her go. He couldn’t help feeling like he was back at Jusendou—once again holding her dead, limp body in his arms. Everything he had felt at that moment—the fear, the guilt, the pain, the loneliness—returned, more powerful and more terrible than before.

So this is what it felt like, he thought. No wonder I blocked it out…

He had failed to save her then; he wasn’t going to fail again.

“I don’t care what ya gotta do,” he told her quickly, desperately, his eyes boring into hers. Once again he was back at Jusendou, willing her to stay with him, for her eyes to stay open. “Go inside my mind, kick me, hit me, just—just don’t—don’t go, Akane! Don’t leave me!”

In her eyes, he saw something flicker briefly at his words—some memory, some awareness—and he knew if he didn’t do something at that moment, he was going to lose her forever…

So leaning down, Ranma kissed her.

Her lips were soft and warm against his, and he could feel his heart racing as their lips touched. It wasn’t long before she began to shove against him, trying to push them apart. His grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

Please, Akane, he silently pleaded…

And then, slowly, hesitantly, she began to relax in his arms as she kissed him back. They stood that way for awhile, completely lost in each others arms.

There were so many emotions Ranma was going through at that moment: A very real, terrifying fear that he might lose her for good; anger and guilt that he hadn’t been able to save her—that she was in this mess because of him; and disbelief and excitement that she liked him after all: despite his curse, his arrogance, and his other fiancées.

But most of all, was the indescribable happiness he was feeling at that moment as he continued to hold her in his arms, kissing her like he’d longed to do so many times before...  

…not that he’d ever admit it.

For once, there were no parents, no fiancées, no rivals to interrupt... It was just him and Akane—lost to the world outside.

If there was a way to convey everything he was feeling for her at that moment, he would have done so without hesitation…

But then, reluctantly, Akane was pulling away.

She looked up at him, startled. He noticed that her horns had shrunk several inches, and the light surrounding them had begun to dim again. “Ranma,” she said softly, her eyes wide and confused. “Why did you do that?”

He could hear the underlying hint of anger, but her eyes betrayed her. They were pleading, hopeful… and Ranma felt himself blushing under the force of her gaze.

At that moment, he knew without a doubt how much she meant to him. The thought of living the rest of his life without her was simply impossible: he’d grown too used to being around her, teasing her, saving her. He loved it when they fought, the way her nose would scrunch up when she was angry, or how her eyes would come to life whenever she was happy or excited—but even more so, he loved seeing her smile.

…and he would do anything to see her smiling at him again.

This time, it wasn’t hard for him to say the words. “Because,” he told her slowly, quietly, “I love you, Akane.”

He heard her take a deep, shaky breath, and then he looked away, too embarrassed, too nervous to meet her gaze. His eyes were focused firmly on the ground, his heart pounding…

He could battle demons and monsters and semi-Gods without flinching, but looking his fiancée in the eyes after telling her he loves her, and he fell to pieces... how would she react? He wondered.

His answer came in an unexpected way: he felt the power that had been holding them in place, suddenly disappear, and then they found themselves thrown to the hard, unyielding ground below.

Ranma quickly sat up, unconsciously reaching for Akane as he did so. He felt her lying over him and realized that his arms were still firmly locked around her waist. Like the figure skating tournament of so long ago, he had refused to release her…

She lifted her head to stare at him, and he noticed her horns were gone.

“Akane…”

“Ranma...”

A loud angry cry pierced the air and Ranma quickly climbed to his feet, dragging Akane up with him. With narrowed, alert eyes he scanned the area, searching for any signs of the Oni. If the demon was going to attack, he knew now would be the perfect time to do it.

The attack however, never came.

Moments later, Ranma was staring at the sky in surprise to see the Hannya suspended in the air, her face a twisted mask of fury. Her eyes briefly met his; dark gray orbs of madness meeting cool-gray steel, and Ranma noticed with a start that her horns had returned, now, longer than before.

And surrounding the Oni was the same brilliant white light that only moments before Akane had found herself trapped within.

A warm hand suddenly grasped his, and he turned slightly to see Akane standing next to him, her eyes glued to the sky. “What’s happening?” she asked, her eyes never leaving the Hannya’s. Ranma allowed his gaze to return to the source of their interest.

“Don’t know,” he replied, shrugging. He could see the Hannya’s lips moving against the radiance of the light, but the words were indiscernible. And then they were watching, spellbound, as the Hannya seemed to be pulled into the dark center, her long black hair wrapping itself around her body as it was sucked into the central void. Angry, narrowed eyes met theirs for an instant—the promise of revenge burning in their depths, and then her eyes closed as she disappeared completely from sight—the light fading along with her.

They stood in stunned silence, neither moving nor speaking, until finally Ranma felt a small tug on his arm and glanced over to see Akane staring shyly at the ground, a blush lighting her face. “Thanks Ranma,” she said quietly, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

Ranma gave a small shrug. “Aww, it was nothing,” he mumbled lightly. He could feel his face growing hot as he quickly looked away, his eyes glued to the fence, embarrassed.

Akane secretly watched him, a small smile on her face. “Let’s go home,” she said at last, gently squeezing his hand.

Ranma nodded in agreement, following closely beside her. His eyes strayed down to their intertwined hands; a warm, comforting feeling spreading throughout the length of his body. It was surprising that a small thing like her hand in his could be so natural, so warm.

Akane looked up at him in surprise. “Aren’t you going to walk on the fence?” she asked.

Ranma shook his head. “Nah,” he replied. “I’m right where I wanna be.”

They both were.

*           *           *

THE END

*           *           *

Authors Notes:

I guess I’m planning on making an epilogue for this… but it’ll mostly be about the Hannya. That way I can clear up any questions you might have about the ending, and the rules, and all that fun, boring, technical stuff I couldn’t fit in this chapter. And that way I can show you what she’s up too—it’ll be fun. Trust me! And if it’s not, I’ll scrap it. ;)

I might throw in a little section about Ranma and Akane as well, but I’m not sure. I kind of like how it ended here, but I guess I’ll have to see where my keyboard takes me once I start writing it… :D

If you’re satisfied with how this ended though, you don’t have to read it. It’s mostly for those people who are scratching their head, thinking, “that doesn’t make sense. There was a rule against that!” And this way I can prove I actually have legitimate reasons for what happened, and why. (Well, at least I think they’re legitimate—which is really what counts since I’m the author. MWAHAHAHAHA!)

I really hope you enjoyed this story though! It’s the first one I’ve actually managed to finish, so I am beyond ecstatic!!! Now, I must hurry and finish Chapter 8 of THE FORGOTTEN GAME before some disgruntled readers come looking for me…

But first, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!

I seriously couldn’t have gotten this done without your kind words and encouragement. The reviews help more than you know! Well, unless you’re a fanfiction writer too… then you probably know.

Well, until next time!

Bye!