The Lost Boy's Lost Love

AN: Now, the wheels really start to turn.

~~~

Chapter 3: Romantic Rendezvous, Take Two

"Stupid!" Ryoga scolded himself. "Stupid! Stupid!!" And God, was he. How could he have let the situation get so out of hand? Damn that Ukyo. He'd have been better off confessing his love for Akane on his own, even if he never gathered the courage.

He wandered over to a nearby mailbox and began slamming his head onto it just to satisfy his need for self-punishment. This, of course, drew quite a few strange looks from surrounding pedestrians, including one whose attention Ryoga would quickly come to wish he hadn't drawn.

"Ryoga, there you are!" The words rang loud throughout the street and brought the lost boy back to reality. Unfortunately, not with enough time to escape.

The blond haired stranger - 'Lacy', she said her name was - was making her way toward him; when he saw her, Ryoga's first instinct was to leap away. Then to sprint even further away. He sprang for the first place he thought he could lose this psycho: the thick foliage along the outskirts of the Nerima lakeside park.

But this girl was fast. Real fast. Ryoga could hardly believe it. He had to go full speed to lose her, and she was still riding his tail the whole way. When he thought it was safe, he ducked into the brush and hid beneath some bushes. For several seconds, he thought he'd lucked out - but 'Lacy' was close behind, and this broad was not to be fooled.

Ranma crashed down on top of the boy, giving him a good scare.

"There you are!" She caught him in a hug, her grin wide and goofy beneath her eye-glasses.

"H-hey, now you stop that!" Ryoga demanded, finally taking on that assertive tone that Ranma was more familiar with. "I don't know who you are, but I am NOT your fiance. ...Or... whatever... miss," His voice dropped with the polite finish, that assertiveness shattered by the unwavering enthusiasm on Ranma's face. It was kind of hypnotizing.

"I know you don't remember, my love," Ranma sympathized. "But that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you run around with whoever you please!" Her hold on him tightened to something painful. "We were promised to each other, and nothing can ever change that!"

Yep. This was the usual routine. The one Ranma had gone through a good two or three times herself by now: girl shows up out of nowhere, guy can't remember girl in the least, girl insists they were meant for each other, blah blah, guy wants to shoot himself in the head. Ryoga was reacting pretty much as expected; maybe now he'd finally get why she was so miserable.

"Please... stop it!" Ryoga pled and struggled. "Nobody promised anything! I didn't! You don't even know anything about me. We've never met! Just leave me alone."

Ranma forced the boy onto his back. Her voice dropped, and suddenly her words sounded dangerous and threatening. "Silly P-chan," she cooed, a devilish smirk curling her lips. "You don't mean that."

Ryoga went white with horror. All the anger and confusion bled out of him and replaced itself with barefaced terror.

"How," he stammered, quickly discovering how difficult it was to speak with his heart lodged in his throat. "How? How do you know that name?"

Ranma smiled triumphantly to herself, seeing his defenses shatter. She'd hit a nerve right on the head, there, hadn't she? No sense in stopping now.

"Oh, silly Ryoga, darling," She sneered. "I know everything about you."

Ryoga - for the umpteenth time that day - was speechless. How was this possible? He'd never seen this woman before in his life. Not once. How could she know about something like that?

"Your likes, your dislikes," Ranma rambled on, backing off him enough for Ryoga to sit up. "That you turn into a pig... everything!"

"Quiet! Not so loud!" Ryoga begged. "That's... you can't just go around talking about that, alright? ...You... You have to tell me what else you know." Ryoga said as he inched away, "You have to tell me how you found out - no lies. Who ARE you? And what do you want?"

"No lies, babe," Ranma insisted. Now this was entertainment. "Haven't I told you enough? It's my job to know about you, I'm your fiance. I'm gonna be your wife!"

Ryoga opened his mouth to speak, but his jaw just plain hung there. Moments later he breathed a sort of incredulous laugh; Ranma wasn't sure what to make of that. It was such an odd sort of sigh that her brow quirked uncertainly.

"You mean you know all these things and yet..." Ryoga muttered at last, seeming to speak more to himself than to her, his eyes glazing over with a distant look. "And yet you still want to... be with me...?"

That previously horrified look in Ryoga's eyes suddenly softened, and the fun-time carnival music in Ranma's pretend-land came to a screeching halt.

"...What?" she asked in a flat, serious tone, the act falling away completely.

"I..." Ryoga paused. Lost for words, as per usual. Ranma had a few, but she wasn't going to blow her cover just yet; she just had to see where this one was going.

As the two sat on the ground, Ryoga moved to take her hand in his. Ranma almost had to jump back in surprise. She'd just had this guy running for his life! Now he wanted to turn into Mr. Touchy Feely?

"Lacy," Ryoga said. "That was your name, wasn't it?"

"Ahm... um," Ranma was the one stuttering now. "Yes," she confirmed. "That's right." She looked away. This was getting uncomfortable.

"Lacy..." Ryoga said the name again. Okay, so this girl was pretty nuts. But she was nuts about him. How crazy was that? He'd never met anyone so thrilled with him before; so thrilled at the thought of being with him. What was there to be thrilled about? He was eternally tongue-tied in the presence of women, eternally lost what-with his absurd sense of direction, and worse yet, eternally cursed to live out a second existence as a tiny black piglet. Woe was him. The things that Ranma liked to tease him about, it was all true; he really was a freak.

"I... really don't remember ever being promised to anyone," he finally went on. "But, you're very beautiful."

Ranma's heart dropped like a rock into her stomach. She felt like she was going to puke. Holding her hand, complimenting her... shit, this kid was actually into this bullshit. That... wasn't part of the plan. That hadn't even been considered as a possibility. This was officially too weird. She had to abort. Abort.

"Ohh, th-thank you, my... love," Ranma forced herself to manage as she started to her feet. She didn't even want to let on to who she was anymore, wave it in his face and laugh like she'd planned to do; no, now this was just embarrassing for the both of them. But Ryoga kept her close to the ground, her one hand fastened between his, unwilling to let go. "But I really must be -"

"Wait," Ryoga asked at once. "Can you tell me anything else about yourself? Where are you from? How did our parents know each other? Please, I need to know whatever you can tell me!"

"Heheheh, heheh, heh," Ranma laughed anxiously. "There'll be a time, dear, there'll be a ti-"

Ranma's words were stopped by something: another mouth, pressed fast against hers. No asking, no warning. The idiot just did it. Ranma was sure her gag reflex gave a jump.

Not to worry: Ryoga enjoyed himself. He was glowing. He'd never kissed a girl before. Well of course he wouldn't, not unless he thought that was what she wanted; and until very recently, no girl had ever seemed to want him.

So for a moment, Akane left his mind. Who could blame him? He'd probably already ruined all chances with her, anyway - but here was a new chance for him to be happy. A sure chance for him to be happy. He couldn't let that slip away.

Ranma would've screamed sooner, but she'd gone into a state of paralysis, and her throat was paper dry. It was like one of those nightmares where she'd try to scream for help, but her voice just didn't work. In the time it took her to regain the ability to move, Ryoga set his forehead to hers with a contented smile and, for fuck's sake, what looked to be tears swelling up in his eyes.

"I'm so happy," he whispered. "...to have found you." His arms came around her, pulling her into a close hug.

"Nn..nnyyAAAAAHHHH!!!" Ranma let out a shriek; a whimper which, in its urgency, broke into a high pitched wail. Ranma couldn't help it, it was damned effiminate, but she just couldn't help it: her hand rose up and swooped down in one swift motion, smacking Ryoga clean across the face. In a matter of seconds she had effectively screamed like a girl, open-palm slapped another guy, and saw fit from there to flee the scene. With a good solid wriggle, she broke out of Ryoga's arms and ran for it.

"Get OFF me! FREAK!" she cried, giving him a shove and leaving a stupefied Ryoga sitting alone in the brush to wonder what had just gone wrong.

Oh no. Oh, no. He'd ruined it, hadn't he? Not this, too! What the hell did he do that for? It felt like the right thing to do at the time; he thought that was what Lacy would've expected him to do. It seemed like what she wanted. Maybe it was too soon? He didn't know. He didn't know anything about these kinds of things.

Why did he always have to be so stupid?

What if Akane found out about this?

A pang of guilt rattled him to his core. He'd kissed another girl. Would Akane even take him now, if she knew that? This brief lapse in his resolve may have cost him what little chance he had left with the girl of his dreams. This wasn't what he'd come back to Nerima for.

He had to get to her. He had to confess and apologize. Of course they weren't 'officially' together or anything - but it was the principle of the matter! They'd had one date, and no matter how disastrous it may have been, he remembered that he hadn't yet been outright rejected. And damn it, Ryoga had honor, ethics, morals; traits that someone like Ranma would never understand. He was going to make a point not to treat Akane the way that dog treated her. If she rejected him for that, then so be it; he may be left broken hearted, but at least he wouldn't be a hypocrite.

:::[s-s-scene transition!]:::

The Tendo yard was deserted when Ryoga arrived. He walked up to the porch and stood at the door, trying to keep his nerves in check. But he couldn't ignore the pulsing sting of guilt twisting in his chest. He just couldn't believe he'd been so weak - Akane was finally paying attention to him, and he'd already gone and betrayed her. There really was something wrong with him. Something, on top of all the other things that were. He was his own worst enemy.

But it was only a single moment of weakness, and it wasn't ever going to happen again. He hoped Akane would understand that. She was the only girl for him.

His stiff arm knocked twice on the door. It cracked open just an inch and an old geezer peeked out at him. Ryoga was surprised to see this strange figure; he didn't recognize the old man. "Whassit?" the old man demanded. "No soliciters!"

"Oh, I'm just looking for the girl who lives here," he explained.

"Eh?" The geezer let out a croak, his one good eye bulging out of his skull. "My girls?"

"What? No. Mr Tendo's daughter Akan-" he stopped. He turned, eyes slipping to the mailbox.

Shit.

No, of course this wasn't the Tendo residence.

Ryoga hung his head and offered the homeowner a polite bow. "Sorry to waste your time," he apologized. "I'll be going..."

:::[meanwhile]:::

Ranma didn't stop running until she was a good mile away. She finally stopped when she reached the tall chain-link fence that stood behind Furinkin High, tossing herself against its metal lining and letting out an infuriated shout.

"That freak!" she exclaimed. "That FREAK!" she collapsed in a rage.

Somewhere along the course of her brilliant plan, something had gone awry. Ryoga wasn't suppose to get into it, and he definitely wasn't suppose to have done THAT. This was the second time Ranma had been smooched by another dude, and the disgusted, shame-filled flavor tasted very much the same as it did. (The last time didn't count; she'd used tape).

She ripped the silver eye glasses from her face and flung them away. The moment was looping in her head again and again. Besides fury and embarrassment, she felt something else as Ryoga's pitiful expression flashed through her mind: a burning sort of anxiousness. At last, some sense of pride was showing through and making her feel damned insecure in this skimpy, skintight outfit. Maybe she should've gone with the school girl idea. The way Ryoga had been looking at her - all eyes, like that; it was just weird. She was a boy, damn it. God, she had to get out of this dress. All she wanted right now was a good pair of pants.

"Ma'am?" a polite male voice drew her attention. Some jock passing by. "Are you alright?"

Ranma tore off her wig and threw it at him. "What's it to you, asshole?" she spat.

The student shielded himself. "Geez, lady," he said as he deflected the wig and it fluttered to the ground, "I'm just trying to help."

Ranma ignored him and got up. Had to get moving, no more wasting time. She needed to find some hot water, and some better clothes. But she wasn't going home like this. God forbid Ryoga was there, or 'P-chan'. No - she'd have to make-do with what she could find, head home quietly, and maybe not ever even talk about this ever again. Sweep it under the rug. Ryoga ought to be fine with that.

And he was the one always calling her a two-timer. Hmph!

She returned to the Nerima streets. Where to find some hot water...? The bathhouse was an option. But trips to the bathhouse as a female was tricky business for Ranma. It required some blending in and sneaking around. Usually into the men's section - stepping foot in the women's tub was a death sentence, but not many of the guys would throw much of a fit when a naked girl hops into the water with them. She could just dive in and come back up elsewhere, and walla! - it was good-bye girl-type, as Shampoo might say.

Hey, that's right - there was one place she knew she could go to bum some hot water, if it so suited him.

:::[getting catty at the cat cafe]:::

"Anything for my future son in law," Cologne smiled that decrepit smile at Ranma as she poured a cup of steaming hot water down over his head and shoulders. Ranma jerked away in pain. It was hot - way hotter than it needed to be. "Yowch!!"

Cologne didn't pay his fidgeting any mind. "So glad you could come to visit," she said. "You and Shampoo ought to take a walk; it's such a nice, sunny day outside."

"Aiyah! Really, great grandmama!" Shampoo whirled around in excitement. She was standing over a big pot of noodles, an apron draped over her front and mixing spoon in hand. "Shampoo can take off work to go on date with fiance, Ranma!"

"Quit it," Ranma said, once again in his real form and all-man. These nice folks even let him borrow some of Mousse's clothes, though that near-sighted psycho was nowhere to be seen. "Don't be putting ideas in her head, you old bat; I just came for a quick favor, is all."

"But Ran-" Shampoo started.

"I said be quiet, will ya!?" Ranma was in no mood.

Cologne slanted her head curiously. "My, you're awfully moody today, aren't you?" she said. "Is that any way to show your gratitude?"

Ranma looked straight at her. "...thanks," he said at last. The old woman and her lackeys could be alright people, sometimes. They really were doing him a big favor, even if there was probably some wacky ulterior motive he'd yet to realize. He still hated them and stuff, but this seemed the simplest way out of an unpleasant situation.

"I'd just like to know what on earth you were up to in that floozy get-up. Who ya tryin' to impress, hmm, future son in law?" Cologne chuckled dryly to herself. Ranma didn't bother to answer.

"I'm gonna need that back," he said instead, nodding over to the discarded blue dress that now lay limp over one of the cafe's chairs. "It's borrowed." Hopefully Nabiki wouldn't miss the wig.

"Oh, be my guest," said Cologne. "You remember to bring what you've got on back, too. Don't be a stranger."

Shampoo pouted. "Ranma," she whined pitifully. "You come back soon to see Shampoo, okay...?"

"Uh - yeah." Ranma grabbed up the dress and glanced around. He spotted a pile of to-go bags on the cafe's front counter. "Mind if I take one of these?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Cologne.

Ranma shoved the dress into the bag and took a moment to look at the two women before he headed for the door. "Thanks again," he said. "You're still nuts."

Cologne smirked. "You just remember my hospitality the next time I'm in need of a hot cup of water, eh?"

"Heh..." Ranma let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Seeya."

He heard Cologne's amused chuckle follow after him as he stepped out of the cafe. Well, despite that eerie undertone of hers, that had gone pretty well. The little ghoul had actually been downright civil to him for a good while now. It must've finally gotten through to her that he wouldn't be forced into anything he didn't want to do by any dumb 'Chinese Amazonian' law, or her sneaky little tricks.

Ranma had barely taken two steps out of the cafe before he heard an obnoxious buzzing come to an abrupt halt at his right. He turned his head as his full name was growled at him by a familiar voice.

"Ranma Saotome..." Mousse stood at the side of his delivery scooter, delivery trays in one hand, the other adjusting his wide-lensed glsses. "What are you..." His face scrunched up as if h wasn't sure. "...doing in my clothes?"

"Uh," Ranma glanced down. "Well, see, I just came by to -"

"Ranma..." came the nasty snarl. Mousse pulled a long, curved wooden rod from his back; where he'd been concealing it, Ranma couldn't say. "What've you been doing with my SHAMPOO?" Mousse charged.

"What? Whoa!" Ranma flinched, his hands shooting up in a defense gesture. "This is SO not what you're thinking! Not like it looks...!" he said.

Mousse leapt into the air. Ranma's neck craned up as the thick stick came straight down at his face, cutting through the air at an alarming speed.

:::[elsewhere]:::

"The sixth house..." Ryoga said to himself. It had been a few hours now and his feet were starting to ache, but the pain wasn't too bad. He was use to it. "This has got to be the one."

He double-checked the mailbox just to be sure. Tendo! He hurried to the door and knocked. Inside, he heard some scrambling, and a sweet familiar voice called out: "I'll get it, I'm headed out anyway..."

It was Akane. Ryoga held his breath and waited for her to open the door. When she did, he broke a weak grin, cheeks flushing at the sight of her.

She was wearing a nice dress now, her short hair styled and decorated with a big white bow. She looked gorgeous, absolutely dressed to impress. He definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"Oh, hey Ryoga!" she looked surprised to see him, but greeted him warmly all the same.

"Wow," Ryoga said, momentarily forgetting what he had come for. "You look... really beautiful..."

Akane smiled. "Thanks. It's funny you showed up like this; I was just going to look for you."

"You were?"

"Yep." She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "I was wondering if you wanted to give that whole 'date' thing a try again."

Ryoga's eyes shined with new hope. "Really...? You want to? Yes! I'd love that!"

Akane laughed. "Great. Let's hope we're not interrupted this time, huh?"

Let's hope we're not interrupted. Ryoga's grin faltered as he remembered the confession he still had to make. Now he was even more frightened than before. "Yeah... but..." He swallowed. "There's something I need to tell you, first..."

Akane frowned curiously at him. "Yeah? What's that?"

Ryoga wondered whether his shaking was visible. "I need to tell you - I ran into that girl again, from earlier. 'Lacy'," he said. He lowered his eyes.

"Stop right there," Akane said flatly. Ugh, she thought sourly. Ranma..."Whatever it is, I don't want to know. Let's just... forget about her for now, okay?"

Ryoga blinked at her. He thought for a moment, contemplating what he should do. If he tried to tell her about a girl he kissed, and she didn't want to hear about it, was he at fault? It wasn't the same as lying to her. Or even keeping it from her. If she didn't want to hear it, she didn't want to hear it.

Looks like he'd lucked out.

He nodded slowly. "Okay... okay. Okay," he laughed a little. "You're right. We don't need to worry about her."

"That's right," Akane agreed. She entertained herself with the thought of how humorous Ranma's expression would be when he realized that his dumb little plan didn't even work. "Right now is all about you and me. So, where do you wanna go?"

Romantic, Ryoga definitely was; smooth, he most definitely was not. But at this point, he'd been looking for her for so long and feeling so desperate that Akane's question sparked the dead-tired truth out of him, and he didn't even realize until it was outwith how genuinely sweet it was.

"Anywhere, with you," he let out in one exhausted breath like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Akane's cheeks burned; her eyes flickered away. "Oh," she laughed. "You're sweet." She didn't know what else to say. "...How about... we just take a walk?"

"That sounds great," said Ryoga. "Uh... where, uh, to?" he asked with an apprehensive pause. If he was leading the way, there was really no telling where they'd end up.

Akane came next to him and slipped her elbow around his, her answer accompanied by a playful smile. "You said anything's good, right? So who cares? Get walkin'."

Ryoga suddenly felt that his knees might give out at any moment, but he would not disobey. "Y-yes ma'am," he stuttered and began leading her first away from, then in a round-about path back to her yard. Akane pressed up against him and lead him along the roadside - a slightly less absurd random choice of direction. Ryoga tensed up at the contact.

"So, what'd you do while I was getting ready all this time?" Akane asked.

"Uh," Ryoga started. That twisting, aching constriction made itself known again. His stomach rolled. "Nothing, really."

"I find that hard to believe," Akane said. "I always wonder where you end up going sometimes. I mean, you can't even find your way out of your own backyard? Really? How do you manage to get around? You must've gotten into all sorts of trouble over the years."

Her rambling statement caught him offguard. Ryoga laughed. "I definitely have." Though none tonight, he'd have liked to say, but that one didn't feel right. Ah, the gnawing, biting guilt. "I guess. I mean, mostly I just lose track of where I am and it's this crazy struggle to get back to where I wanted to be, so that makes for a lot of long trips. I keep comfortable shoes."

Akane laughed. Ryoga smiled at her; that might be his knew favorite sound. "I bet," she said. "I would, too."

They walked along the sidewalk shoulder to shoulder, their arms locked, all those warm things that couples do. Ryoga looked straight ahead, heart pounding wildly in his chest.

"It'll be dark, soon," he commented. The red of the setting sky was consuming too much of the horizon to ignore.

"Are you scared?" Akane teased, taking a poke at the timidness in his voice. He was so shy - it was cute. He was kind of cute, too. "I didn't figure you one to be scared of the city at night."

"Well, no... it's different when I'm by myself," said Ryoga. Akane looked at him without saying anything more, and so he tried to elaborate. "I know that I can... handle stuff. Whatever comes along."

"What, and I can't?" Akane tilted away in what was mostly feigned anger. Ryoga looked stunned. Akane tried to make her response playful as possible, but it came out ripe with irritation. She didn't appreciate being called weak. "Well if you're so good and all, you'll just have to protect me. From any boogiemen, I guess." One potential boogieman came to mind. Wonder where that ingrate had run off to..?

"I will," said Ryoga. The words seemed distant.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Akane assured him in all seriousness.

"Yeah," Ryoga agreed. Then he went silent for a long while as they walked, and Akane's bent arm went slack.

"So why didn't you just tell me you wanted to hang out, huh?" she asked. "I would've liked to."

Ryoga tensed up again. "I wasn't sure you would."

"Why not?"

He drew in a long, deep breath. This was his shot to come out with it. To see how she reacted. Come on, Hibiki, don't be a wimp!

"I wanted to..." ...do more than hang out? Geez, that would sound a little overly suggestive. He couldn't say that. His tongue stumbled over the words. "I really like you," he finally managed, and quite abruptly at that. "A lot."

A tingle found its way down Akane's spine, ultimately bubbling out through her limbs and to the tips of her fingers, like the all-encompassing warmth of stepping into a hot bath. She looked down and started missing those long locks she use to have again. This short-do had no way of hiding the - well, whatever expression she had on her face at the time. She guessed it was one of surprise, even though she sort of saw that one coming from a mile away. Even so, it just surprised her to hear it reiterated for some reason, surprised her that Ryoga would come out and say it like that, that he'd put her on the spot like that. What the heck was she suppose to say now? That she liked him back? ...Did she?

Well, he was cute. And he was kind, and generous, and strong, and so very perservering, and always so polite to her, and, well, why the heck shouldn't she like him? There was only one reason that came into her head, and it wasn't much of one. As if she was going to spend the rest of her life with a jerk like Ranma! No, her so-called "engagement" wasn't much of a reason at all. Ranma sure as hell didn't own her, and her father didn't speak for her. He was the one who had said 'yes', after all. Definitely not her.

Akane let her slackened arm fall straight so that her palm inevitably met with Ryoga's. She held it in a soft, shy grip, her face flushing several shades of red. She'd never walked hand-in-hand with a boy before. She'd never even been so very close to someone that, admittedly, she admired. New and pleasant sensations abound, Akane couldn't help but smile. It was a wide and genuine smile, the kind she couldn't have concealed if she tried.

"I like you, too," she barely more than whispered.

Ryoga finally turned his head and looked at her. "You... you do?" He hadn't meant to sound quite so incredulous, but, well, he was. Up until now, and even still, he couldn't imagine why a smart, beautiful, perfect girl like Akane would want anything to do with him. But she did. She liked him. His heart was pounding, and for the first time he could recall, not in fear or out of panic or anxiousness, or just from the raw rush of adrenaline. No; this time his heart was pounding with pure, delirious bliss.

Akane returned his look and nodded. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I? We should get together more... This is nice."

Ryoga's fingers found their way in between hers and he returned her soft grip with one more formidable.

~~~
RAEDE