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              |            P.S. I LOVE YOU             |
              |                Part I                  |
              |         "Healing in Progress"          |
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 "Ha ha!"
 "Ooooh!  Ukyou!  Stay still and fight me!"  Akane swung her briefcase
again, but the nimble okonomiyaki chef artfully leaned backwards to keep it
from smashing into her face.
 Stomping forward, Akane swiped at her rival several more times, growling,
"Why are you defending that JERK!"  Ukyou just kept weaving left and right,
skidding backwards across the pavement, almost dancing, slipping past
Akane's defense like quicksilver; but Ukyou wasn't attacking!
 Furious, Akane took a forceful step forward and swung her case three times
in rapid succession, yelling, "Doesn't it bother you that he's been
dreaming about other girls!"  Ukyou was shocked by Akane's sudden burst of
speed, but that didn't stop her from ducking left, dodging right, and on
the final swing, pushing against the top of the briefcase as it went by and
backflipping away; Akane started to fall forward with the unexpected change
in momentum, but quickly caught her balance.
 Ukyou landed gracefully several yards away and laid a finger aside her
chin, stating with distant thoughtfulness, "Gee, Ranma-honey's not kidding
when he says you're slow!"  She then thrust her hands to hips and leaned
forward a bit, her eyes growing wide in concern when she noticed that Akane
was sweating (CUTE VOICE: Ahem.  Perspiring.), breathing hard, and somewhat
unsteady on her feet.  "It looks like you need to learn to control your
breathing more during a fight.  You look pretty winded."
 "Haven't you been listening to me?" Akane seethed, slightly hunched, hands
resting on knees for support.  "Ranma had a dream about another girl--his
female form no less!  That PERVERT!"
 Ukyou straightened up, folded her arms, closed her eyes lightly, and
stated confidently, "For your information, Sugar, not everything in a dream
is exactly what it seems."  She leaned forward again and laid a finger
under her eye, taunting, "Personally, I'd like to think that Ranma-honey
was dreaming about me."
 Akane roared at the insult and threw herself forward with new energy.
 Meanwhile, Ranma sat crouched atop the nearby fence, downcast and
sullen-faced, and shook his head slowly as he passively watched his two
fiancees squabbling in the middle of the street--or rather, as he watched
Ukyou harass Akane.  At least Akane wasn't fuming at him like she had been
since they left for school.  And he thought she'd understand how much this
was affecting him.
 Ranma looked up at the sun, then off in the direction of school.  Maybe he
should go on without them.  It must have been nearly 8:30.  He didn't want
to be late; but at least he was half-way there.  But still, he wouldn't
feel right leaving the two alone together--especially when the fight was
about him.
 He looked back at Akane, tiring as she TRIED to catch Ukyou off-guard with
a random pattern of kicks and swipes.  He sighed, then called out, "Hey,
Ukyou....  Wha!!!!"
 He jerked to the side, almost falling backward, as there was a motion blur
and suddenly Ukyou was standing on the fence with him, leaning toward him
with a big, warm, ready-to-serve-ready-to-please smile.  "Yes Ran-chan,
what is it?"
 Ranma let out a little sigh of relief, then said, "You should stop picking
on Akane like that.  You know she's too slow to even...."
 "I am not slow!"  Ranma and Ukyou both turned in time to see Akane jumping
at them, and the two casually sidestepped away from each other and watched
as Akane landed between them on the fence.  She immediately faced Ranma and
started vehemently, "Now you listen here, you...!"
 But before the violent tomboy could go on, Ukyou calmly and casually
slipped her right foot across the thin ledge of the fence and intercepted
with her rival's footing.  "!"  With a sudden, panicked gasp, Akane floated
several inches over the water; her hands were raised with index, pinky and
thumb extended, her face soured and a large sweat drop appeared on her
forehead as she hovered in the open air for a few seconds.  Then she fell
into the canal.  !Splash!
 Ranma and Ukyou turned around and looked down into the canal to see if she
was alright.  Akane was sitting up and looking quite surprised; her hair
was matted, her teeth were clenched, her eyes were wide in shock, her arms
were tensed, and her fingers were gnarled upward.  The only thing they
could hear from her was a faint, "Co-old...."  Other than that, she was fine.
 Ukyou crouched down and rested her chin on her fist.  "You're right,
Ranchan.  Maybe I should stop.  She can't even balance properly."
 *groan* Realizing what had happened, Akane furrowed her brow and folded
her arms tightly.  "Hmph!"

   ----- * * * * * -----

 _Ah!  Such a beautiful day!_  Ryouga inhaled deeply, filling his lungs
with the fresh, morning air, as he strolled down yet another vacant street
flanked by walls which seemed familiar yet he couldn't place in memory.
(Perhaps he should read signs more often--but with his hectic lifestyle, he
hardly had the luxury (CHEF'S NOTE: Or brains....) to stop and read every
sign he passed.)
 No matter.  He knew he'd eventually reach his destination--if he hadn't
already.  He had recently come to rationalize that, when his mood was
completely calm and unexcited by life's pressures (like, being at the top
of the list, the torment he felt when Ranma did something bad to Akane), he
had found that if he followed his heart instead of relying on his other,
less dependable senses, he would always find his way--he was a creature of
feeling after all.  It was when he rushed himself to find a certain place,
when he burdened his heart with painful thoughts--like the agonies Akane
must endure in Ranma's presence--that his destination became unclear.
 But not today.  The past week had been a nice, relaxing, as well as
enlightening, trek through the mountains, and he had given himself ample
time to slow down and reflect upon matters.  Like perhaps he had been
judging Ranma too harshly; despite the fights his rival caused, he really
did seem to care for and protect Akane--but it would eventually be Ranma's
lack of expressing his true feelings that would ultimately allow
him(Ryouga) to win Akane to his side.
 *sigh* He smiled as he turned his head upward toward the warm, morning
sun.  The morning sun always seemed to settle his soul and wash things
anew--whenever he'd allow it to.  _Today, Akane, you will be the beacon
that guides me to your heart.  I hope you are well._ 
 Ryouga shifted the backpack on his shoulders as he turned the next corner,
then he looked around to see if he could recognize anything. A chirping
bird first drew his attention to a tree behind a wall on the opposite side
of the street he was on.  Ryouga stopped and chuckled to himself, feeling
like calling out to the bird and asking if he could sing with it.
 When he stopped and became aware of his surroundings, he was always amazed
at how much there was to see.  He watched as a gray cat scurried across the
street back in the direction he came.  Then he noticed and said "Hi" to a
group of girls standing across the street some distance ahead of
him--hmm... they didn't seem to notice him, intent on watching something in
front of them.  Oh.  There's Akane in the distance, being pushed in the
canal by Ranma and Ukyou.  And there's....
 Ryouga stopped dead and gasped and his eyes widened as he saw, in his
mind's eye, the image of Akane falling into the canal, this time in
slow-motion and with that ominous something-bad-is-happening clashing sound
and repetitious, three-note piano string that tends to accent key scenes in
Ranma episodes.
 Ryouga's heart froze; he stood in shock for a few seconds, his eyes
dilated and his mouth moving without words, "The... they... pushed
Akane...."  A new image formed in his head of poor Akane huddled in the
water, soaking wet, shivering and crying, staring up at her tormentors with
wide, quivering eyes, sobbing, "Why are you doing this to me?" as Ranma,
with Ukyou hanging on him like a piece of clothing, laughed and bellowed,
"Don't you get it?  I'm through stringing you along and toying with your
emotions, and now I'm just throwing you away!  Hahahaha!"
 Tears welled in Ryouga's eyes and instinctively, even before he was aware
of it, his hand was grasping the handle of his umbrella.

   ----- * * * * -----

 "RANMA!  UKYOU!  PREPARE TO DIE!!!"
 Ranma and Ukyou, hearing Ryouga's familiar battle warning, simultaneously
turned their heads in surprise to see the fanged warrior rushing toward
them with his umbrella before him like the nosecone of a rocket--and it
looked like it was aimed directly at Ranma.  Ranma swiveled around on the
fence to face his attacker and stared at him curiously.  "Hey, Ryouga,
what's up?"
 "Shutup Ranma!"  Ryouga jumped in the air and aimed his weapon at his
target, shouting, "Pushing Akane around is unforgivable...!"  He thrust his
umbrella forward, aiming for Ranma's face, but Ranma just tilted his head
away and scooted a few inches back on the fence.  Ryouga started to land on
the fence to ready another thrust, but the fanged warrior's touchdown was
interrupted by a stray foot--this time, Ranma's.  With trademark sweatdrop
on forehead, Ryouga floated out several inches over the canal with one hand
raised, index, pinky, and thumb extended, and the other hand loosely on
umbrella; but just as gravity started taking effect, he gathered his
reflexes and thrust his umbrella far into the metal links of the fence,
then hung on for dear life (because if he fell, then his life would be
over--Akane would kill him).
 Ranma looked down at him and sighed wearily, "I'm not in the mood right
now, okay Ryouga."
 Ryouga shouted, "Shut up!  Does honor care what mood you're in?  You have
no right to push Akane around, you swine!"  Ryouga gasped when his sudden
movement caused several links to snap and his umbrella started sliding
loose; as soon as his umbrella fell free, he immediately grasped onto an
undamaged part of the fence with one hand (umbrella in other).
 Ranma sighed again, then said, "Believe what you want... P-chan." before
jumping down from the fence onto the street; he thrust his hands in his
pockets and slowly walked away.  Ukyou looked curiously back at Ranma, then
at Ryouga, then jumped down to walk alongside her Ran-chan.
 "Why did you call Ryouga P-chan?" Ryouga heard Ukyou ask; he held his
breath and sweat suddenly streamed down his forehead... but he didn't hear
a response in the expected time that a response should be given, thank
goodness. (Ranma just wasn't in the mood to give one.)
 Back in anger mode once again, Ryouga yelled, "You won't get away with
this, Ranma Saotome!" as he started climbing up the fence; but then a loud
"*cough cough* Ahem!" from behind caught his attention.  Ryouga gulped
hard, then laughed a bit as he looked down to see Akane frowning up at him
with her arms crossed and brow furrowed.  As he reached out his umbrella to
her, he smiled and stuttered, "S-Sorry Akane...."
 Akane paused a couple of uneasy seconds before grasping the umbrella;
Ryouga then hoisted her up so she could grab onto the fence beside him.
 Akane pulled herself over the top at about the same time Ryouga did, then
nimbly dropped to the sidewalk below.  "Thanks Ryouga," she said somewhat
harshly as she stared down at herself and tried to wipe away the water from
her clothes like dust.  "Now we can....  Hn?"  When Akane looked up, she
could already see Ryouga running down the street a few dozen yards ahead of
her.  She called out to him, "Wait, Ryouga!  We can do this together!"  But
he must not have been listening to her.  He could be a real idiot sometimes.

   ----- * * * * -----