The next day Ranma came out of surgery feeling well. He still had to be in the hospital for a while and hooked up to machines to help him breathe. Nodoka planned on staying with him the entire time, even putting a sleeping bag on the floor in his room. One of the first things she did was soothe him of the seppuku pledge by destroying the written agreement right in front of him. She assured him she was not ashamed of his tradegy, even if his father was. After that she told him how Genma and Soun had reacted, and while Ranma tried to shrug it off, she sensed he was insulted by it.

A doctor came in at 1:30 to tell them the results so far of the surgery. They had to remove a portion of the left lung as it was too damaged to work anymore and they had no donors for a full transplant. So for a while, Ranma would have some problems breathing like a normal person, needing deeper breaths more often. But apparently, the whole 'he might never be a martial artist again' notion was just preemptive fear. Ranma would be able to get used to this new handicap and be back to normal in no time. The only problem they saw was that unless he got a replacement, he would run out of stamina sooner than normal, but otherwise be just as good as he used to. Ranma and Nodoka were very glad to hear this, even when the doctor insisted that Ranma take a break from all fights until further notice.

Akane visited before anyone else could, and hugged Ranma the moment she saw he was conscious. This surprised the pigtailed young man, much like when she did the same thing after his dispute with the Musk to unlock his curse. Nodoka saw this and smiled. "I think I'll leave you two alone for a moment." She gave them both an approving glance and left the room, and decided to see if any other visitors might come.

Akane pried herself away to get a better look at him. "Ranma, are you okay?"

Ranma patted his chest. "Yeah. Try not to squeeze so hard next time. They had to take about half of the left lung out. Too damaged they said."

"I can't believe somebody did this to you." Akane said. "Do you have any idea who it could have been?"

"Well, I can think of several people who'd like me dead, but none who'd use a gun. Where'd they even get one? Aren't they illegal here?"

Akane wiped a tear away, suddenly aware she had been crying. "Who it was, was the most dishonorable, cowardly son of a bitch I've ever seen. If I ever find them, I might just shoot them myself."

This got Ranma's attention almost as well as the hug had. "Why? You're not the one they shot."

"They shot my fiancee. No one gets away with that." Akane said with steel in her voice. Ranma's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

"Akane, you've... you've never actually referred to me that way before."

"Yeah I have. Back at Ryugenzawa, when you were about to be eaten by the orochi. Don't you remember?"

Ranma shook his head. "If I was inside that thing's mouth, then I couldn't have heard you." Akane replied with an 'oh.' "Akane, does that mean that... well... you actually... want the engagement? At least a little bit?"

What Nodoka told her the other night, and the realization that Ranma could have died, all made Akane decide that hiding her feelings weren't a good idea anymore. Plus if her father didn't acknowledge the arranged engagement anymore, there'd be no rush for a wedding. And the hope that she had heard right at Jusendo gave her more courage.

Akane took his hands in her own before she answered. "Ranma, remember the wedding? I wasn't going thru with it just for the Nannichuan water. I wanted it because... because... I love you."

Ranma froze up in surprise, and Akane patiently waited for him to recompose himself. "Akane, do you... really mean that?"

The short-haired girl nodded. "Yes Ranma, I do. Despite everything I've said and done over the past two years, I do love you. Please believe me."

"Then why did you act like that?" Ranma asked, confused by this sudden behavior. To him, it seemed so out of character.

"Well, at first I didn't love you, just tolerated you. But no matter what, you never struck back or abandoned me to suffer, even if it was in your own interest to do so. Sure, you kept angering me, but I started seeing your good side, and I couldn't help falling in love with it. I just didn't realize it until I heard you say you loved me at Jusendo."

When she finished, Ranma surprised her by pulling her into a gentle hug. Remembering his condition, she lightly hugged him back. She noticed he winced a bit when her right arm brushed against the side of his chest.

"Akane, thank you."

She decided not to try and make him admit his own feelings. Better that he did it on his own now, especially that he should have no fear now. Besides, this embrace said quite a bit by itself for her.

"Akane, I still don't know how you heard that at Jusendo, but..." Ranma paused, suddenly needing a drink. So he quickly gulped down a glass of water. "But you heard right. I love you." Akane gave him the cutest smile he had ever seen, with a blush added in too. "Can I... kiss you, Akane?"

She happily nodded, and he leaned in and both got their first desired kisses. It was brief and innocent, but electrifying for both of them. "Ranma, just what is it... about me... you love?" Akane nervously asked when they finished.

"Well, when yer not angry, you are a nice person. You've helped me out several times when I really needed it, and even with all the hits, I could tell you weren't really tryin' to cripple me. You may not be as good as me, but ya could have seriously hurt me if ya wanted to. Like with your cooking." Ranma immediately regretted saying that. "Sorry about that. I didn't..."

"I'll let it go for now, Ranma. After all, I want you out of here as soon as possible." Akane calmed him.

"That might not be such a good idea, considering the gunman is still loose." A new voice spoke up from behind them, making them both jump a little. They turned to see Cologne sitting on the windowsill, wondering just how she got there considering Ranma was on a high floor to avoid any more shots.

"Whadja want, old ghoul?" Ranma asked, earning him a hit on the head like always.

"I heard you were taken down by a shooter. Apparently it's true." Cologne sighed. "With this and your new disability, you're no longer worth taking back to the tribe. Consider your bond with Shampoo broken. We'll be heading back to China sortly." Without giving them a chance to reply, she simply hopped away, using nearby tree branches to avoid a direct drop to the ground.

"She's just... giving up?" Akane asked herself.

"Another person who just throws me away." Ranma mumbled, but Akane still heard him. Not knowing what to say to make him feel better, she settled for hugging him, which he returned. No words were needed; the message was clear.

Meanwhile, the sniper had heard about Ranma being in the hospital. "Damn. Guess I shouldn't have used that other bullet on the doctor." They had only gotten two, feeling the second would only be needed in case they missed or someone tried to stop them. "I could get more, but surely they're all on the lookout for that. I'll need a new approach." They told themself in private, wondering what to do now.