Title: Ranma 1/2-Different life, Different love
Author:
Part: 7/?
Warnings: R, mostly for language
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and heaven forbid she find out what I've been doing with them.
Summary: Dealing with the aftermath of the breakup.
Pairing:Ryouga/Ranma
Misc. Author notes:

//-indicates flashback
** Indicates thoughts

*****************************


Ranma and Ryouga dashed up the stairs as the two elder Tendo girls succeeded in distracting Soun from Ranma.

"What was that Demon-head trick Mr. Tendo pulled?" Ryouga gasped as they entered the guest bedroom and slammed the door behind them.

"I dunno. He's never pulled anything like that before, and I've definitely never seen my old man do it. But I'm outta here before he does it again," she said and picked up her pack.

The door slid open.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" Genma asked as Ranma-chan packed up her stuff. Ryouga stood off to the side, watching. His things were already packed, as they always were.

"Leaving. I'm not marrying any of the Tendo girls, so there's no reason for me to stay."

Genma grabbed him by the shirt. "Ranma, my boy, as my only son and progeny it's your duty to see that the Tendo house and yours are joined. Now go apologize to Akane and make up."

"Apologize to her? She should be the one to say sorry! Forget it. And don't ask me to marry either of the older two. Kasumi already has Dr. Tofu, and Nabiki won't stand for it."

"And what is so wrong with Akane that you won't marry her? Have you no sense of honor?" Genma prodded, sure that challenging Ranma's morals would turn him around.

"You're one to talk about honor!!"

Then Ryouga's voice came from the other side of the room, soft and steady. "She's gay."

"WHAT?" Both Saotome's exclaimed at once. Ranma recovered first.

"Ryouga! Don't tell people that!!"

The lost boy shrugged. "I don't see why not. She never showed any consideration for you; I don't know why you should have any for her."

Genma gaped like a fish for a minute, his mouth opening and closing, but nothing coming out. Ranma took the opportunity to grab the rest of his stuff, and both martial artists made a hasty exit through the window.

Ranma made sure not to let go of her friend's hand as they bounded through the yard and over the wall.

"I guess we're going to my house, then?" Ryouga asked.

"If you don't mind," Ranma replied as they bounded onto another roof.

"Of course not," Ryouga.

Ranma stopped suddenly and wrapped herself around the lost boy's larger frame, burying her face in his chest.

"Ran-chan? What's the matter?" Ryouga asked.

"Ryouga, man, you're the only person in the world who gives a shit about me. Nobody else cares, especially not my old man, whom I've spent most of my life with." Ranma's voice was muffled in the yellow fabric of Ryouga's tunic.

"Oh Ranma..." Ryouga started, not sure what to do.

"Just hold me for a while, will ya, buddy?"

Ryouga nodded and sat down on some stranger's roof with the petite female Ranma in his lap. They sat there in silence for a few minutes and he absently started to rub her shoulders. The redhead sighed and started to relax a little. She shifted around until she had her side resting against him.

"Ya know, sometimes I wish I was a real girl," Ranma said with a bitter chuckle.

"Huh? Why?" *Where did that come from?* Ryouga thought. *Who are you and what happened to the overly macho Ranma I know?*

"It's not so much that I actually like having a girls body, though it does have its perks, but everyone likes me when I'm a girl. An' I'm not talking about all the guys who have the hots for me. That's just annoying. I'm sayin' people are friendlier, they want to chat, be nice to me, things like that. When I'm a guy, if I'm not fighting with somebody, people pretty much ignore me."

Before Ryouga could say anything, Ranma continued. "My old man would be calling me a pussy if he heard me talking like this. But I think there's more to being a man than being a good fighter, no matter what he says. I don't think there's anything unmanly about caring about other people, or wanting to have others care about you."

"There isn't," Ryouga said firmly. "And I think your father is a poor judge of manliness. You've told me yourself what a cowardly, amoral, waste of space he is, no matter his skill in martial arts. Which you've surpassed, from what I've seen," he finished smugly.

"Yeah, I know. But it never bothered me that I didn't have any friends or family before I came here to Nerima. It was just the way things were, ya know? Then Pops dragged me here. I'm telling you, this is the longest I've ever lived in one place in my life, as far as I can remember anyway. But then I fell in love with Akane, and we became friends...and I think I fell in love with you, too."

"Y-you did?" Ryouga's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Yeah...though I wasn't sure at first. I haven't exactly had a lot of experience with relationships, if ya hadn't noticed."

"But you said you were in love with Akane..." This was too good to be true. Ranma was in love with him? Or was it just his girl form talking?

"I know, it confused me, too," Ranma said. "That's why I asked Kasumi if was possible to be attracted to both guys and girls, though she thought I was asking about Akane. I was trying to sort out my own feelings. Please don't hate me. I've already lost her, and I nearly died when Shampoo made you forget me. I can't go back to being alone."

"I still don't know what she did. But when Akane hit you with the table, I just felt so protective of you, it was like my wolf instincts took over."

"Too bad you didn't actually hit her," Ranma mumbled. "You're not upset are you?" She asked in a clearer voice.

"Wha-NO!" Ryouga said, his mind still reeling. He had to know! "Ranma, you mean you're in love with me when you're a girl?"

"Nah, then I'd just be straight in both forms. I go both ways no matter whether I'm a guy or a girl. There's just not many guys I find attractive." *Please don't get mad, don't get mad...*

Ryouga just sat there in numb shock. A little voice in the back of his head desperately tried to prod him into action, to tell Ranma that he loved him, too, but he might as well have been a statue.

Ranma took his silence as a bad sign. *Oh shit, I shouldn'ta have admitted it. He's going to kill me.* "Come on buddy, I won't bug you when I'm a guy. I just thought you should know..."
Ryouga's hand came up suddenly and grabbed the back of her head. Ranma closed her eyes and cringed, anticipating broken bones. Her eyes flew open again as the other boy kissed her fiercely, almost painfully.

After what seemed an eternity of bliss, Ryouga released her lips. Now it was Ranma's turn to sit there motionless from shock, gasping for breath. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me," Ryouga said and crushed her to his chest. Ranma stared up at him, not quite believing what just happened. Her best friend just kissed her, when he wasn't asleep, and he knew who she was!

"Ryouga do you..." Ranma started but wasn't able to finish the question.

"Foul cur! How dare you defile my red-headed goddess!!!" Kunou's silhouette could be seen briefly framed by the sphere of the full moon, bokken raised high over his head in preparation to strike.

"Ah, shit," Ranma muttered. Ryouga just picked up his umbrella and with a good backhanded swing sent the swordsman flying to the other end of town.

"Hmph. Moron," Ryouga said with a satisfied grin.

"I coulda taken care of him myself," Ranma grumbled.

"And why should you have all the fun?" Ryouga teased. Then he looked up at the gathering clouds. "We should get moving. It's going to start raining soon."

Ranma let her friend pull her to her feet, and they jumped down to the sidewalk. "Hopefully we won't run into any more weirdos running around in the middle of the night- besides us I mean."

Ryouga smiled, since it seemed some of Ranma's good humour was returning. "So I take it you don't really want to be a girl, you just want people to treat you the way they do when you're a girl all the time."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Ryouga quickly raised his umbrella as the first drops of the expected shower hit the ground, immediately followed by the thick downpour that characterized Nerima rainstorms. Ranma huddled closer to him to stay under the shelter.

"It's funny. I didn't think I needed love and affection, until I started receiving it. Now I can't live without it." Ranma sighed.

Ryouga wrapped his arm around her waist. "I know exactly how you feel. You're all I have right now, too. So don't worry, Ranma, I'm not going anywhere. I'll always love you, no matter what."

Ranma smiled. "Whether I'm a guy or a girl, huh?"

"Of course. I'm not Akane."

The redhead chuckled, but then grew serious. "No, you're not...you're like me. You're attracted to both guys and girls, but that's no problem for you, cuz I'm both. It's not so easy for me. I can't have both a boyfriend and a girlfriend, though I want to."

They walked along in silence as Ryouga processed that in his mind. Ranma wouldn't be happy without a girlfriend as well. Would he be able to share, even if there was a girl out there who would be willing to?

After a while he spoke again. "You don't have to keep the curse for my sake. There's nothing keeping us from searching for a curse right now."

"I know this is going to sound funny but, as annoying as it is, and as much as I hate my curse at times, I don't want to get rid of it. It's a part of me now, and I think I'd feel empty without it. I bet you want to get rid of yours pretty badly, though."

Ryouga shook his head. "No, I don't, actually. I feel the same way you do."

Ranma laughed, but there was a terse edge to it. "The guide back at Jusenkyo said he didn't know of any cures, and he didn't know of anyone coming back to find any, either. I guess this is why. No wonder Pops doesn't want to go back to China."

The lost boy didn't know what to say to that. They were nearly to his house when something occurred to him. "Ranma...you said you didn't have any family besides your father. What happened to your mother?"

"I haven't a clue. She could be dead for all I know. Maybe she left him- I wouldn't blame her if she did."

"I would, for leaving you with him, that is. I think you should look for her."

"Where would I start?" Ranma sighed as they entered the Hibiki residence. "I don't even know her name."

"It's not like you to give up on a challenge before you even start. I'm sure you'll find a way."

"Let's just go to bed, I'm bushed. I'll think about it in the morning."

There were a lot of things she would have to deal with in the morning...

*****

TBC, as always