                       AKANE'S HEART
                      by Dreamspinner


     "Ranma! I have a formal letter of challenge for-"
     "-me?" Ranma snatched the piece of paper from Akane. "Boy,
these letters grow more and more each week - huh?" He broke off
when he found her giving off a red battle aura.
     She was clearly annoyed. "Unless you've changed your name to
Akane Tendo, it's not for you." 
     He read the name at the top. "Oops. Here," he said, throwing
it to her.
     Akane raised an arm and caught it.
     "You better hang on to that one, Akane," Ranma advised as
she scanned the note. "You get so few nowa- Woof!" he cried as
she hit him with her mallet.

     "Yoohoo! Akane I've come to return the book I've borrowed."
Sayuri paused when she saw the expression on her friend's face.
"What's wrong?"
     "Nothing. This came in the mail though." Akane handed the
letter to her.
     "A formal letter of challenge? Shouldn't you be giving this
to Ranma?"
     Akane shook her head. "Not you too, Sayuri."
     She was chagrined to read who it was for. "Sorry." She
glanced at the rest of the note. "Shizuko Kimura? Who's she?"
     Akane shrugged. "I thought you would know."
     Sayuri was puzzled. "Well...let me think." She stared into
space, thinking deeply.


After an hour (Akane's hair is standing on end)

     "I've got it!" Sayuri exclaimed at last. "Remember in third
grade, there was a chubby girl with dirty blond hair? cropped up
real short? She used to sit behind you in class."
     Akane thought for awhile, then her eyes lit up. "Of course!
Shizuko Kimura!" She paused as a thought occurred to her. "But
why would she challenge me?"
     Sayuri shrugged. "You know, she had a big crush on Miko
Ishikawa."
     "Miko Isikawa?" Akane exclaimed. "The conceited creep? What
does he have to do with me?"
     Sayuri answered by asking a question. "When's the date of
the showdown?"
     "Tomorrow."
     "Then I guess that's when you'll find out."

     The next day, Ranma and Akane were waiting at Furinkan
High's vacant lot. The letter had said that was where Shizuko
would meet her. Akane was wearing her gi and a troubled look. She
didn't want to fight when she didn't even know the reason why.
Ranma had his arms folded across his chest, indifferent to the
goings-on or the lack thereof.
     Where is she? Akane wondered.
     As if on cue they heard a battlecry, and a girl wearing a
drab brown gi came crashing through, her leg aimed right at
Akane. Akane stepped back and raised an arm as Shizuko attempted
to punch her. During that space of a moment, Akane had observed
that she had let her hair grow to her shoulders but it was still
limp and oily. She was a few inches taller than Akane and her
watery blue
eyes shone with determination.
     "W-W-Wait a minute," Akane cried in protest. "Can't I at
least know what this is all about first?"
     Shizuko continued thrusting. "Three words. Miko Ishikawa."
Akane frowned as she counted the words in her head. "What about
him?"
     "Have you so many men under your belt that you don't
remember?!" Shizuko exclaimed. She flew into a succession of
kicks with a passion.
     Akane dodged and jumped, speechless.
     "Let this refresh your memory!!!" Shizuko jabbed her right
shoulder viciously. Akane let out a cry of pain.
     "Oh no! Akane!" Ranma shouted in concern. He stopped himself
and looked around self-consciously. Fortunately, not a soul was
in sight. "This is a little too weird for me," he muttered.
Suddenly insecure, he put his hands in his pockets and lowered
his head.
     Meanwhile, Akane had recovered and let out a feeble kick
which Shizuko jumped away from. This girl is good, Akane thought.
     Shizuko began to kick and punch alternately, her movements
pained. "Third grade. It was our first boy-girl party and
Miko-kun asked you. Do you know how that made me feel?!?!"
     "Shizuko..." Akane struggled to remember.
     "You made him hate me!!!" Shizuko screamed. "You ruined me
in his eyes!!!"
     "B-But I refused him," Akane whispered raggedly.
     "It didn't matter!!!" Shizuko launched a high kick before
her emotions got the better of her. She crumpled up, sobbing as
if her heart were breaking. She gasped out, You bewitched him!
You bewitched all of them! There was no one left for me!" Tears
streamed down her cheeks.
     Akane knelt down beside her, warm brown eyes sympathetic.
The poor girl, she thought. She closed her eyes for a moment,
letting the wind whip her hair across her face. Finally, she
opened her eyes and murmured softly, "I know just what you're
going through."
     Shizuko turned to face her furiously. "You! What would you
know about what I'm going through???"
     Akane smiled bitterly, thinking of Dr. Tofu. "Believe it or
not I do. I spent the longest time of my life envying this girl -
who just seemed so perfect - everything I wasn't. She-she could
cook, sew, clean..." A bitter smile played on her lips, and she
was silent for a long time. "Miko Ishikawa isn't the
man for you. You don't deserve such a scumbag. Find someone real
special...who you can love...like I did," Akane added softly.
     But Shizuko didn't hear her. She became excited, eyes
lighting up with hope. But then, she seemed to shrink back, and
she bowed her head, letting her limp brown hair form a curtain
over her face. "You're just saying that to get out of the fight,"
sme mumbled, sounding close to tears.
     "No, I really do care for you." Akane laid her hands on her
shoulders. "I want to be your friend."
     Shizuko turned her face away. "No one wants to be my
friend."
     Akane laughed lightly, although she didn't find the
situation at all funny. "Then you're wrong. I want to be your
friend and I mean it." She watched as Shizuko's face began to
glow with happiness.
     "You do?!" she cried out ecstatically. "I've never had a
friend before. Does that mean we can go to the mall?"
     Akane smiled and nodded, stroking the girl's hair absent-
mindedly.
     "Can we shop and watch movies?"
     Akane nodded again.
     "And pig out and talk about boys..."
     Akane continued to nod feebly to every suggestion Shizuko
made about how they'd have fun together. A huge perspiration drop
ran down her face. Oh boy, she thought. 

     Ranma and Akane were walking home together after the fight
that didn't happen. Ranma had his arms behind his head,
contemplating Akane out of the corner of his eye. She was
absorbed in her own thoughts. Finally, he sighed and hesitantly
began with,"Akane, I just want you to know that if I was in your
place I'd have bashed her head in before making friends with
her."
     Akane turned on him, angry all of a sudden. "What's that
supposed to mean?" she demanded hotly. She was glad that Ranma
didn't know that her flushed face was because of what she'd
confided to Shizuko.
     Ranma backed off, eyes becoming shuttered. "Nuthin'. I meant
it as a compliment and you take it the wrong way. As usual." He
looked away in disgust.
     They walked on in silence. After awhile, Akane smiled and
said, "Thank you, Ranma."
     He was still troubled over something, however. "So..." he
mumbled. "Is this Miko Ishikawa someone I should know about?"
     Akane gaped at him, aghast. She felt the insane urge to
laugh; he couldn't be more wrong. "You're joking, right?"
     The expression on his face told her he wasn't. 
     "Honestly! You're ridiculous!!!" she cried in disbelief.
     Ranma sulked.
     Akane watched him out of the corner of her eyes. "Baka," she
muttered affectionately.


AUTHOR'S NOTE : So ok...what purpose does this fanfic have?
Nothing really...but doesn't it have a cute ending? (Don't answer
that if you think otherwise.) Seriously though, I think I wrote
this because I think Akane deserved a fic where she fought for a
change. And I liked the idea that Ranma would be uncomfortable
having their usual roles reversed. This produces no major changes
to Ranma as we know it, which I'm sure you've noticed. Anyway,
that's all I can say about that.                                 

       

                           :)
