Ranma entered the dojo and closed the doors behind her, stuffing the edges with rags Kasumi had given her. "This way, we'll be sure to breathe it in," she explained as Ryoga lit the incense.
Ryoga grunted in reply. "You're still wearing that get-up," he growled.
"You don't like it?" Ranma looked down at herself critically. "Maybe I *have* gained a few pounds."
"Don't be ridiculous! You look just the same! You just look like a normal girl in that, that's all." *A normal, highly beautiful girl*.
"Oh." Ranma shrugged. "Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, I guess I can wear my normal stuff when you're around. Akane says the sweater makes me look pretty."
"It does," Ryoga protested.
Ranma's head bobbed upwards. "Oh!" She blushed. "Okay, then. I guess I should just trust her taste."
"You *guess*, you *guess*, you *guess*," Ryoga imitated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Would you stop being so damned deferential all the time? It makes you seem like a typical girl."
"Typical girl, typical girl, typical girl," Ranma repeated. "This really bugs you, huh?"
"Of course it bugs me! What do you expect?"
Ranma smiled at him slyly. "I don't know. Let me see. You have a girl in here that you think looks pretty. She's deeply in love with you, and you're stuck inside a room together for twenty-four hours. Hm, if I were a guy. and I am. what would I do?"
Ryoga glared at her. "Well gee, Ranma, I don't know, either. Maybe if it were you, you'd hem and haw and say you don't like the girl in the first place."
Ranma smiled brightly. "Well then, I guess we *are* alike!"
"I don't like you! I never will! So just stop it!!!"
The redhead backed off considerably at that. After a brief silence, she spoke into the smoke-laden darkness. "Making a fool of myself again, am I?" she whispered. Ryoga could no longer see her, but he heard a sniff sound from her direction. He couldn't believe it. He'd made her cry again. "Ever occur to you that this scares me maybe as much as it scares you?" she demanded. "Ever think that maybe I haven't enjoyed pining over you these past few months, dreaming about you, and hating myself the entire time? This spell is strong, Ryoga, strong and powerful and consuming. I have to remind myself to eat and sleep! And it doesn't help my state of mind if you yell at me like that."
For a long time, Ryoga absorbed this. "Okay," he said finally. "But it freaks me out when you come on strong like that. You don't do that, and I won't scream at you."
"It's a deal," Ranma said. "Hey, Ryoga. I know what I want more than anything in the world. What do you want?"
Ryoga paused to consider. "I guess I want to get rid of my Jusenkyo curse."
Ranma laughed. "Okay. I may have the solution for us both, then."
Ryoga scrambled over to her in the darkness. "You figured something out?!"
"Yeah," the redhead replied, "but it's only of use to you. If this whole incense business doesn't work, I'll go to China with you and I'll make your wish come true."
"You will?!" Ryoga exclaimed.
"That's how much I love you," she replied, hanging her head. "But this is the deal. You have to act like my." she gulped, and started over. "If I do this for you, you have to act like my boyfriend while we're journeying. I promise not to do something really hentai-I just want your affection."
Ryoga paused to consider. If Ranma wasn't joshing him, he could live the rest of his life free with his curse! It didn't take much time to come to a decision. One or two weeks' worth of pretending to like Ranma weighted against an entire life free of the pig! "You've got a deal," he said, shaking the redhead's hand. "But not until we're out in the wilderness."
"Fine by me," Ranma said, her voice filled with emotion. She hugged her knees to her body and took deep breaths of incense-laden air. "Are you starting to hate me yet?" she queried.
"No more than usual," Ryoga grumped. Remembering Ranma's admonition, he tacked on, "which is never much."
"Nice try," the redhead laughed in the darkness.
Hours later, Ryoga rolled his sleeping-bag out and climbed inside. Ranma scrambled to sit next to him, but thankfully kept her distance. "You sleepy?" Ranma asked.
Ryoga longed to scream at her that there was, of course, a *reason* he had unfurled his bedroll, but remembered at the last second to be kind and gentle. Ranma had the cure, after all, or knew about it; and she was clever enough to keep it to herself. "Yeah, a little tired," he replied in a strained voice.
Ranma sighed. "It's really that hard to be nice, huh. All right, I won't talk anymore. I'm going to sleep." She sprawled next to him, carefully not touching any part of him, and soon was asleep. Ryoga stared at the ceiling, watching as the incense swirled around in the air; his eyes teared from the terrible build-up of smoke, causing him to quickly close them.
Inside, he was singing. He was finally going to be free of the curse! Provided, of course, that the incense didn't work. Glancing around furtively, Ryoga pulled the rags out from around the doors and slid them open.
************************
(Posted Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:39)
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