AUTHOR: Cathryn (HouseSlytherin@aol.com)
PART: 1/1
RATING: *shrug* PG, I think. If you can watch anime/read manga that hasn't been homogenized for the sake of little American childrens' delicate sensibilities (hah), you can read this.
DISTRIBUTION: The RRyaoi archive, when it gets back on its feet. Otherwise, please to ask.
SUMMARY: Kuno finally gets it.
WARNINGS: I wrote this after very limited exposure the the Ranmaverse (namely, the volume one manga and two comics). I feel it's only fair to warn you of as much, though I have had a couple of beta readers much more familiar with the fandom go over it.
DISCLAIMER: All things Ranma belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Isn't it nice of her to let us play?
PAIRING: A touch of Kuno/Ranma.

"Blind Clarity"

Akane was beginning to wonder how many times one person could accidentally fall into the same fountain.

Ranma knew that fountain was there. He'd learned over time how many angles he could fall into it from. He often gave it a wide berth while walking past it.

And yet . . .

Akane could only assume that he'd developed some sort of mental block about that fountain. That could at least partially explain why he couldn't seem to get through a week without falling into it.

Which lead up to the fact that Akane was standing at the door, waiting for her currently emasculated fiance with kettle in hand.

She didn't have long to wait - she saw Ranma up ahead, tearing down the sidewalk at top speed. The reason why she was running soon became apparent as Akane spotted Ranma-chan's ever-faithful caboose - none other than Tatewaki Kuno himself.

Ranma bore down on the house with her usual gotta-get-the-hell-away-from-Kuno-oh-god-why-me speed, not slowing down as she approached Akane and - more importantly - the full, steaming kettle in Akane's hand. Akane didn't even blink, fully aware of Ranma's ability to stop instantly, regardless of any and all laws of inertia.

True to Akane's expectations, Ramna stopped dead in her tracks about two inches short of where she would have spilled scalding water on both of them.

"Showoff," Akane muttered.

Ranma ignored her and snatched the kettle from her hand. She then whipped around to face Kuno, furious fire in her eyes.

Akane blinked as she began to realize what, exactly, Ranma had in mind. "Don't do anything stupid, Ranma," she hissed.

Once again (or was that per usual?) Ranma paid her no attention, focussed tightly on Kuno as she walked grimly toward him, kettle hand clench in one fist. She held up one hand to silence Kuno's lovestruck ramblings before they began. Kuno closed his mouth obediently and waited. When Ranma spoke, her voice was low, tense, and deeply pissed off.

"Kuno, I want you to look at me very closely." (Judging from the look on the older boy's face, Akane thought privately that this wouldn't be such a hardship.) Ranma continued, clearly bent on outlining things so carefully that even Kuno couldn't screw it up. "I am going to pour this water over myself. I want you to watch what happens. Do not blink. Do not look away. Just watch. Very carefully. Do you understand?"

"Always, my goddess," Kuno replied fervently.

It took visible physical effort to suppress a snide remark about Kuno's capacity for understanding, but Ranma managed it - and raised the kettle over her head.

Akane stared. { Oh my god. He's really going to do it. He's finally had enough. }

Ranma tilted the kettle. Hot water cascaded over her . . . his . . . body, and Akane would have paid money to know what was going on in Kuno's mind, such as it was, as his pig-tailed goddess metamorphosed into his worst enemy.

"Ranma-chan is me," Ranma continued, twirling the kettle on his fingertips and firmly meeting Kuno's gaze to try and drive the point home. "It's the water that makes all the difference." He tossed the kettle to Akane, who caught it neatly, then folded his arms across his chest and stared at Kuno, waiting.

"Well?" he inquired coolly.

Kuno's mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to speak.

"I must be alone with my thoughts," he said finally, and stalked away.

Akane couldn't resist. Neither, apparently, could Ranma, as they spoke in unison.

"Well, that won't be very good company."

**********

". . . Did you hear about Kuno . . . ?"

"Yeah. No one's seen him for three days . . . !"

"Ever since he took off after that pig-tailed girl again . . ."

"Maybe she finally had enough of him and cut his head off!"

Ranma and Akane exchanged uneasy look as they listened to the students gossip outside Furinkan High.

"I think you've scarred him for life, Ranma!" Akane whispered. "He can't rationalize this one away and he finally snapped!"

"Don't blame me!" Ranma shot back, also in an undertone. "It's not my fault he's so thick I had to beat him over the head with it for him to get it! And even now I wouldn't be surprised if he's just been off thinking up one of his brilliant explanations." Akane was about to reply, when -

"Ranma Saotome!" The familiar voice boomed across the school grounds. Ranma winced.

"Oh, look, he's alive," Akane remarked.

"Shame, that," Ranma muttered under his breath, earning a smack acorss the shoulder from Akane, as he turned to face Kuno.

Kuno strode purposefully toward him, hand at his bokken sheath. Ranma sighed. Same old, same old.

Kuno stopped scarcely a foot away from Ranma. Ranma tensed defensively, but what Kuno drew from the sheath was definitely not a weapon. What it was, Ranma's mind refused to register, even as Kuno pressed it against Ranma's chest and held it there with an open palm. Ranma reflexively clapped a hand over Kuno's hand, wide-eyed and wary. Kuno spoke, voice low enough so that only Ranma could hear it.

"Love has no eyes, no prejudices. If I love the girl, than I will love the boy as well."

He slipped his hand out from under Ranma's and walked away, leaving a stunned Ranma clutching a single red rose to his chest.

-- Cathryn