C&C craved! P~L~E~A~S~E~!!!!!!!!! ^_~

<Part 1>
 

 Ranma stood in the middle of the gymnasium. The place was all decked out for the valentines day dance. Big deal.

 The dance would be held in two nights and still Ranma didn't have a date. It wasn't for lack of offers, he had been approached as a boy and girl, it was for lack of interest. He didn't want any of his admirers. Not since junior high, when he had met a boy named Ryoga Hibiki and had fallen head over heals in love with him.

 //I wonder where Ryoga is now. Hope he gets back in time for the dance. I know he would never go with me, but maybe he'll take Akane and I can be near him then.//

 The lost boy would never know how Ranma loved to hear him yell ‘prepare to die!'. That yell meant he was home. Nothing could have made Ranma happier. It was funny, Ryoga came to Nerima to
steal Ranma's happiness, he had no idea. Ryoga -was- Ranma's happiness.

 Akane knew about his feelings for Ryoga. She was the only one. He wouldn't have told her, but he
had to assure her that he wasn't interested, and he did value her friendship. She had taken it very
well. . . after beating him bloody with her ever present mallet-sama.

 Lost in his thought Ranma jumped when he heard, "Saotome! Prepare to die!" Screamed from
behind him. He turned swiftly to greet his heart back home. But it wasn't Ryoga, it was Mousse. His
disappointment must have shown because Mousse stopped mid-attack and frowned. "Ranma?"

 "Hi Mousse."

 The amazon looked at him carefully and then shrugged. It wasn't his business why Ranma looked so
sad. He felt like he had to make some kind of conversation though, so he asked, "Who're you going
to the dance with?"

 "No one, I don't even know if I'm going."

 "Why not?"

 "I just don't feel like it." Ranma walked away leaving a confused Amazon to stare after him.
 
 

 The martial artist didn't go home that night. He sat in a tree in the park and stared out into the night.
Hollow hearted and missing the one he loved. Valentines day was only one day away now, the dance
was tomorrow night. He had a valentine for Ryoga, but he knew he couldn't give it to him. It was too
hard. What if Ryoga left forever? One thing was sure, if Ryoga came by Valentines day, he wouldn't
be staying at the Tendo house. He couldn't stand the thought of being there when Ryoga gave Akane
her valentine. He couldn't stand watching the boy he loved so much gazing in unabashed admiration
at someone else. Every time P-chan slept with Akane or Ryoga fawned over her, it was just another
stake shoved through his heart. Valentines was his least favorite holiday. He hated it, because the
only person he could ever love, was never going to be his.

 The pigtailed boy leaned back against the tree and thought of the box at the bottom of his backpack.
Filled with Valentines that he had made each year for Ryoga. Not one of them made it to the lost
boy. They all ended up in the ornate wooden box he had carved. He'd put soul and sweat into the
rough little box. He had made it in years ago, to give to the boy who held his heart. It was the day of
the duel that never happened. It was also the day that Ranma's father realized how much he cared for
the lost boy. The next day, Ranma was gone. He never knew, for all of those years, if Ryoga had
come. Even if it had been to fight, Ranma had hoped. . . but now he was older, and he knew a
roughly carved box filled with old valentines could only succeed in losing his heart forever.

 "Ranma?"

 The boy looked down and slid to the ground below the tree. "Hey Akane."

 "You didn't come home for dinner, we were worried."

 "Well, I'm fine." He assured her, "See? No blood."

 "Not on the outside anyway."

 "Well it's impossible to heal a bleeding soul. I should know."

 "Why don't you try telling him Ranma?"

 He shook his head and bit his lip to keep from sobbing. "I don't want to loose him."

 "You don't have him to loose as it is." She said softly.

 "Well when he's trying to kill me, at least I can see him. One day maybe he'll kill me."

 "Ranma!" Akane glared at him, "Don't start that!"

 "Well if he killed me at least I would die by his hands."

 "He would be heartbroken of you died!"

 The pigtailed martial artist looked at Akane brokenly.

 "Did you make him a valentine?"

 He nodded, "I do every year. And then I put them in the box I carved, deep in the bottom of my
pack, and every year I read them as I put the latest in and I get more hopeless."

 "You have to tell him Ranma."

 "Akane, if you are my friend please drop it ok?"

 She sighed and nodded, "But this conversation isn't over."

 Ranma grinned and slid down to sit against the tree, "It never is."

 "Come home now."

 "I want to stay out a while longer."

 Akane nodded and picked up the shoulder bag she was carrying. That's when Ranma saw. . .

 "P-chan!"

 Akane smiled, "Oh yeah! He came home today."

 Ranma's face lost all color and he ran to the bushes where he emptied his stomach onto the grass.

 "Ranma?!" Akane was shocked! He wasn't just teasing her about P-chan, this time the little pig had
really upset him! "Are you ok?!"

 "I. . . I have to go." He whispered and ran off out of site.

 "Ranma." She waited until she couldn't see him any more, and then turned to head back to the dojo.
 
 

 Ryoga snuggled down in Akane's shoulder bag, being P-chan had it's advantages! Akane reached in
to stroke his back and he closed his eyes in contentment. If pigs could purr he would have.

 "Ranma?"

 The little piglet tensed as he heard his rivals name and he peeked out of the bag to see the boy who
slid out of the shadows to answer. Ranma. He had made Akane worry! He fought back his growl
and stayed hidden. Ranma was acting too cheerful, something was up.

 "No blood."

 "Not on the outside anyway."

 "Well it's impossible to heal a bleeding soul."

 Bleeding soul? Was his nemesis sick? The piglet slipped his ear closer to the opening in the bag. For
some reason, the thought of Ranma being sick made him a little worried.

 "Why don't you try telling him Ranma?"

 //Him? Who him? Tell him what?// The conversation just got weirder from then on. Obviously
Ranma had confided something to Akane that he hadn't to Ryoga. That hurt. Why should that hurt?
When Ranma actually wished for death at the mystery boy's hands Ryoga fought a deep growing
panic. NO! Ranma couldn't die!

 "He would be heartbroken of you died!"

 //-I- would be heartbroken! Damn it Ranma think of someone other than yourself for a change!//
Ranma's broken look would haunt him for a long time. He had never seen so much pain. This was
not a new wound. Whoever had hurt him had been doing it for a while, and the wound was festering
with no relief.

 "Did you make him a valentine?"

 He nodded, "I do every year. And then I put them in the box I carved, deep in the bottom of my
pack, and every year I read them as I put the latest in and I get more hopeless."

 //A romantic interest?! In a guy?! And Akane knows and doesn't care?! Ranma what's going on?//
When Ranma made Akane drop the conversation, his voice became carefree again and P-chan
poked his head up out of the bag to see if Ranma looked normal as he sounded.

 "P-chan!"

 The little pig grunted and gave him a grin. //Yes, I heard Ranma, I know your secret.//

 Akane smiled, "Oh yeah! He came home today."

 Ranma's face lost all color, Ryoga stopped grinning. He looked like he was going to. . .

 The boy retched.

 . . . throw up. //What the. . .//

 "Ranma?! Are you ok?!"

 //Yeah Ranma, are you ok?!//

 "I. . . I have to go."

 Ryoga felt sick to his stomach. Why had Ranma. . . it wasn't that big a deal, so he was gay, so
what? He had thrown up he was so nervous! There must have been something else Ryoga hadn't
caught in the conversation. Whoever was hurting Ranma so much would pay for it. No one hurt
Ranma like that! Physically hurting the pigtailed martial artist was fine, he could hold his own, but
hurting his heart. . .  That was too much. Ranma's heart was to soft, to fragile a thing to play with.
One wrong move and. . .

 //He mentioned valentines. . . in his pack.// Ryoga jumped out of Akane's pouch the moment she got
back to the house and ran to the bathroom to become himself again. He walked into Ranma's room
and reached down into the pack careful not to disturb the sleeping panda on the bed next to Ranma's
empty bedding. When he found a rough feeling box , he pulled it out and slipped onto the roof with it.
Maybe this would tell him who had hurt Ranma so horribly.

 On the roof, the full moon shone down giving of bright light and illuminating the box.  The lost boy
looked at it's rough surface and felt a pain in his heart. The top of the box was carved with a wild
horse rearing on it's hind legs, a dragon wrapping lovingly around it, a heart behind the two creatures,
around them was an intricate web-work that must have taken Ranma forever to do. He must have
worked on this for months! And he had made it for someone he loved. Inside he would find the name
of Ranma's love, but he didn't want to know! He didn't want to know who had stolen the pigtailed
boy's heart. //I have to look, I have to find out who hurt Ranma so I can stop this before he carries
out his wish to die at the hands of the one he loves.//

 He traced the delicate woodwork nervously. When they were in junior high, he had called Ranma
the stallion and Ryoga had been known as the dragon. If only Ranma had made this in junior high, if
only he had made this box for him.

 "Who is it Ranma, who has hurt you so much that you would leave our business unsettled?" He
slowly opened the lid and his eyes widened at the number of valentines inside. //Ranma has been
holding this inside for this long!// He shuffled through the multitude of poems and cards and heartfelt
pleas for affection. None had the name of the one who had hurt his friend. Friend? //Yes, yes, Ranma
is my friend. He's more than that. No matter how much we fight he's always there when I need him.
Even when I don't. He never lets me hurt, and I wont let him.// His hands shook as he found the last
and latest letter. The whole thing was covered in sketches of dragons and. . . pigs? Ryoga's breath
caught in his throat when he noticed the bandana. . . his! The pig was wearing his bandana and so
was the dragon! He looked at the top of the box, yes, it was there. . . but why. . . When he opened
the box again he noticed a little yellow tip sticking out from under the bottom. When he pulled on it
he found. His bandana! The blood stain that hadn't quite washed out told him it was the one he had
wrapped one of Ranma's many wounds with. Why had he kept this?! Could it be. . . His eyes went
back to the last Valentine. This one was a poem.
 
 

I still remember the first day we met

I'll never forget your smile

You made me feel whole and grown

and at the same time kept me a child
 
 

for you I would move mountains

for you my own blood would shed

eternally I love you, eternally I'm true

and you only want me dead
 
 

Well for you my life lay down

it always has been yours

Just before you kill me hold me once

just one kiss before.
 
 

I know I'm nothing to you

you will never be mine

but always in my deepest heart,

you're my only valentine.
 
 

 Tears gathered in his eyes. How could anyone not love Ranma? How could someone hurt him so
much?! //But my bandana. . . could it be. . . does he love me?// He rubbed the bandana between his
fingers and then shoved it into his pocket. //No, couldn't be me. People are always threatening him
with death, he just used that to line the box that's all.

 He snuck back in Ranma's window and stuffed it into the pack again. //I'll have to find out another
way. . . could I just ask him? No he might just throw up again.// "Akane!" Ryoga slammed into the
girl's room and almost got pummeled by mallet-sama. "Whoa! Wait!"

 "Ryoga what are you doing here?!"

 "Akane you need to tell me please! Who is the boy Ranma's in love with?!"

 Her eyes went wide and she shut her door soundlessly, "What do you know about that?"

 "I heard you two talking about it and I saw the valentines in his bag."

 "Why do you want to know?"

 "So I can make the bastard pay for hurting him so much."

 "Ryoga I can't. . ."

 "Please Akane."

 "But I promised. . ."

 "It's killing him! I can't stand seeing him hurting like he is!"

 "Ryoga why don't you ask Ranma?"

 "I can't."

 Her breath hitched in realization, "You love him!"

 "What?! No! I mean. . ."

 "Ryoga, tell him how you feel."

 "You think that would help?" He looked so lost.

 She smiled and put her arm around his shoulders, "I know it would."

 "Akane I heard something are you. . ." Ranma froze when he saw Akane with her arm around
Ryoga. In her pajamas on her bed. "Akane, you. . . Ryoga. . ." He looked sick again. Somehow he
managed to get out, "‘m happy for you both." Before he ran toward the bathroom.             They sat
frozen as sounds of vomiting reached their ears and then Akane turned worried eyes to Ryoga. "He
thinks. . ."

 "But why. . ." Realization hit Ryoga like a fist in the gut and his heart flew and fell at the same time.
"Oh Kami-sama!"

<Part 2>
 

    When his stomach finally had nothing left for him to lose,  Ranma left the dojo. He couldn't stand the thought of stayin there when. . . Gods he felt so lost! //Is this how Ryoga feels every day? Gods buddy I hope Akane can make you happy.//
 

    Ryoga was stunned. He sat on Akane's bed, eyes wide and mouth moving but nothing came out.

    "Ryoga?" Akane finally tapped his shoulder.

    He reated like he'd been shocked back to life! "Ranma!" Ryoga slammed out the window and ran after the other boy.

   Akane rolled  her eyes and closed the curtains. "Boys. Hn."
 

    "Ranma!" Ryoga stumbled but tried to keep his eyes on the boy in front of him. He knew if he looked away he would end up lost again, and he had left his pack outside the dojo. "Ranma you coward! Come back here and face me!"

    If the other boy had heard him he gave no sign. Ryoga growled deep in his throat and sped up. When he was finally close
enough, he tackled Ranma's legs and sent them both rolling into the bushes.

    "Itai!! Ryoga! Get off'a me! These are thorn bushes!"  Ranma struggled to get his skin away from both the thorns and Ryoga. It was a loseing battle

    "Why did you run?"

    "Why do you care?! Get off! That hurts!"

    The lost boy stood up and pulled Ranma to his feet but refused to let him go. "Why?"

    The serious look in Ryoga's earthen eys stopped Ranma from snapping at him again. He really wanted to know. "I have no intention of living in that house while you and Akane. . ."

    He looked so lost Ryoga wanted to pull him into his arms and chase all the pain away. //Where did that thought come from?!//

    "I saw the box."

    Ranma's yes widened and his lips formed a shivering O as he reached into his back and pulled out the box in question. "I. . ."

    "This was in it." Ryoga held up his old ragged bandana.

    The pigtailed martial atist snatched it from his hands and stuffed it back where Ryoga had found it.

    "Why was that in there? It isn't a very good cloth for lining a treasure box."

    "I liked it." Ranma still refused to look up from the box, refused to meet his eyes.

    "Ranma?"

    "Why don't you just leave me alone?" Ranma asked brokenly, "You made your choice, I'm not a part f the future that you chose so just go back to Akane ok? build a picket fence and have piglets."

    "You aren't going to goad me into a fight."

    "That's a first."

    "Damn you Ranma just shut up!"

    The boy stood and handed the box to Ryoga, "Happy Valentines day." He muttered and ran off again. Ryoga only stared at the box in his hands. "Ranma no baka."

    After some time searching he found the dojo again, sitting outside with his bag he fingered the carvings Ranma had put such
love into. //For me. He did this for me.// "Ranma."

    "Ryoga?" Kasumi smiled from the door. "Welcome back."

    Ryoga nodded then went back to contemplating his treasure.

    "Ranma isn't here I'm afraid."

    That caught his attention. "Where. . ."

    "He went to the Valentines dance at the highschool. Nabiki hasn't left yet if you wanted to let her show you the way."

    "H. . . hai."

    She smiled and pulled him inside, are you going in that?"

    "I. . . ah. . ."

    "I'm sure we can find you something to wear, hold on. Nabiki! Do you have . . ."

    Once again Ranma found himself in the guynasium. All decked out for the dance that was going on around him. He hid in the
shadows. He hadn't come here to dance or smile or find true love, he came here to punish himself for letting his love find out. For
messing up. He had lost everything now, even hope.

    "Ran-chan?"

    "Hi Ukyo." he said flatly.

    "Why so down?"

    "I hate valentines."

    "You?!" She smiled, "Look at all the fiances you have! How could you hate Valentines day?!"

    "It's easier than you'd think." He walked away and left Akane to explain to Ukyo that it wasn't her fault.

    As the night progressed he watched couples come and go through a haze of hurt. //Why couldn't I have the farie tale ending?
Just once.//

    Another slow song started and Ranma sighed, as once again he turned down his fiance's. //Punishment is on thing but I can't
take much more of this.//

    "This is a valentine going out to someone who has been my reason for continuing for as long as I can remember. I wrote it,  for
you. . . Ranma."

    //Oh great, another one.// He almost growled.

   The singer began, then Ranma noticed the lead singer by the punchbowl taking  break. //. . . If he's down here then who. . .

    "*You're the earth I walk on, You're the air I breath,
You're everything I love and want everything I need*"

    //R. . . Ryoga?!//

    The lost boy was dressed in a white silk cross between a chinese tunic and a poets shirt, and a pair of obscenly tight jeans. His head band was still wrapped around his head but his hair was caught back in a pony tail.

    Ranma's heart almost stopped from the shock On the spot he took back everything he had ever beleived about men looking
dumb with microphones. Ryoga was like a vision! An angel who had lost his way on his journey to heaven and found Ranma.

    "*I can barly breath when I see you,  My heart is on my sleeve,
You make me need what love can give, you make me believe.*"

    "Ryoga."

    "*Promise me you'll never change, and neither will I
We'll be together for ever and ever beyond the day we die.*"

    Ryoga leaned down from the stage and pulled Ranma up onto it, holding him close as he sang. The pigtailed martial artist found himself drowning in earth toned orbes.

    "*Now and forever your heart is mine, and my soul belongs to you,
    Ever and Ever nothing can change how much that I love you.
    I'll stay by your side for this life and more,
    You complete me, of this please be sure,
    Our love will last until the end of time,
    You're my hero you're my lover you're my best friend
    You're my  heart's Valentine.*"

    Ranma felt tears well in his eyes and he threw his arms around Ryoga The lost boy let the microphone slip from his fingers and hugged him back, they both slid to sit on the stage facing each other.
 
    "Ranma, I . . ."

    "Yeah, me too." He smiled. "Forever."

    "Hai, zutto." Ryoga smiled and kissed his neck in front of the whole school. Not caring about the looks they were getting or the negetive reaction of the crowed.
 
    Ranma arched into the embrace and smiled, "This mean we're a couple?"

    "Yeah but of what who knows." Akane teased and approached the two leaving the stage.
 
    The whole room was quiet. Eveyone knew Ranma was Akane's fiance. They were waiting for bloodshed.

    "You aren't bleeding anymore." She smiled.
 
    "Love heals a bleeding soul." Ranma answered happily and tightened his hold on Ryoga's arm.
 
    "Glad you told him?"

    They both answered, "Yes!"

    "Well where's the music?!" Akane glarred at the band. "They want to have their first dance!"
 
    They began another slow song and Ranma smiled, "Thanks Akane."
 
    "Happy Valentines." She smiled.

    Both boys were too engrossed in each other to answer, so she backed away and watched them with all the pride of a big sister sending her brother of for his first date. //Good luck you two.//

    Ryoga lay his head on Ranma's chest and smiled, "Is it ok if I don't kill you now?"
 
    Ranma smiled and hugged him tighter as they danced, "Yeah, I think I could live with that."
 
 
 

~Owari~