The evening was cool and quiet. From his place on the roof Ranma could hear the wind rustling in the leaves and the last few peeps of birds settling down for the night. The shingles under his back were still warm from the afternoon sun, and he was content to lay still and silent thinking about nothing.
Such peace of course could never last long in this house, his home. For a home it had become, the first he could really remember. Oh there was his mothers, but that lay more or less in ruins, and despite their reconciliation, he was not yet quite comfortable with his mother. She still seemed to be watching him rather carefully, alert to any signs that his curse was exerting too much influence on him. For her he must be her son and a man first, and himself, Ranma, second.
Odd as it may seem, it was the times he had spent with her as a girl, before she discovered his secret, that had given him the most pleasure. Nodoka had been without any preconceived expectations of Ranko, accepting the girl at face value and, Ranma liked to believe, maybe loving her just a little bit…Those brief meetings, so fleeting they seemed to him now, remained cherished memories that he only took out on nights like this when no one was watching. He hoped that someday, when she'd gotten used to the idea, his Mother would be able to ignore his curse the way everyone else in his odd little family had. Sometimes he didn't think they even noticed anymore which gender he was, so long as he wasn't running around half naked….
Those memories made him smile up at the darkening sky. The early days when he'd been so angry and resentful of his curse that he ignored his female body, and refused to acknowledge the fact that a girl shouldn't wander around the house without a shirt on…yes, those had been good times too. Explosive and confusing they may have been, not to mention violent…Between his father and the ever hot tempered tomboy their parents had engaged him to, Ranma had barely gotten one set of bruises healed up before he had some brand new ones, with lumps to match...But despite that, despite the endless rounds of Kuno and Ryoga, not to mention Mousse, taking turns to try to be the one to defeat him, and The girls, Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi trying to win him, Ranma had been strangely happy. For the first time in his life he had had some kind of idea about his future.
He'd always known that he would continue his training in the saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, that was a given, and as necessary as breathing…But outside of that…there had only been his pop as a constant. No home, no real family, no routines and no regular schooling.
All that had come crashing into his life when his father had dragged him on that rainy day, to the Tendo home. Suddenly he had a fiancé, a house to come back to every night, school, friends and family. Despite the engagement being arranged, and far from stable, the Tendo's had more or less treated Ranma and his father like members of their family from that first day. Kasumi and Nabiki were as much Ranma's older sisters as if they'd been born to the same mother, and Soun, despite his eccentricity, had provided a great deal of the reliability that was so lacking in Ranma's own father.
Now this place, this house and Dojo, fit him like a well worn jacket with the pockets full of old receipts and lint covered candies. If he was being honest with himself, and he was, then he had to admit that given the choice, he never wanted to leave. That was why he was here on the roof on this particular night, this night when the wedding that would have tied him to his strange family forever, had ended in a storm of would-be fiancés, and suitors all trying to have their way at any cost. Not to mention his pop and Happosai doing their part to screw things up…Ranma may not have been all that sure about how he felt about the wedding himself, but he resented having it taken away from him at the last minute like that…And the Nannichuan…the water that would have finally ended his forever swapping genders…the water he'd almost had his fingers on so many times…that he'd voluntarily sacrificed twice to save Akane…the water, and it's magic, was gone again.
Ranma wasn't altogether certain how he felt about losing the chance once more to become a full man…disappointed yes…but also…relieved? Being able to switch genders had gotten him out of a lot of sticky situations in the past, and he'd even used it multiple times to help his friends and family. Despite the many embarrassing side effects, he had to admit that he'd gotten used to it. There were worse things. At least he stayed human, unlike poor Ryoga…Even as a girl Ranma could practice his martial arts, and lead a relatively normal life. And…he was tired of railing against something it seemed he was never going to be able to change. It would be a relief to stop fighting his curse and just get on with his life. There were advantages to being a girl…and eating fancy ice cream was only one of them.
But what would that mean to everyone else? If Ranma accepted his girl side as an equal part of himself, and everything that went with it, would his family? Would his mother be able to adjust to having a son that was content to be half a girl? Genma would, Ranma thought…His father would be just as happy that Ranma wasn't competing for the chance at a cure any more. Kasumi and Nabiki, they had never really cared for more then his sake about his curse so they would be all right. He rather though Soun wouldn't mind…the emotional martial artist had never really cared about Ranma's little problem anyway, freely offering up his daughters to the cursed young man.
But what about Akane? Would his boyish fiance, so opinionated, so stubborn and sensitive, ready to hit him as soon as look at him, would she be willing to marry a man who was half woman? Ranma had assumed earlier today, along with everyone else, that it was the nannichuan that had persuaded Akane to agree to marry him…but when he thought back to their short conversation before the doomed ceremony, she hadn't mentioned the water, claiming only to have heard him declare his love for her. Could that really be why she'd been willing to marry him? Just because he loved her? Did he love her?
Yes…even though the admission made his face burn and his stomach twist, Ranma knew that he was in love with his crazy fiancé. He didn't know exactly when it had happened, or why, but there was no denying the warm fluttery feeling that bubbled up whenever she smiled at him, or the metallic taste of fear in his mouth when she was in danger. Though it might tear them both apart to try and weave their lives together, considering that they rarely made it through a single day without fighting…he still wanted to be with her. Ever since they'd met, even when they'd hated each other, still they had rarely been far from each other's sides for long. He respected her for her guts and her determination, as well as for her refusal to chase after him the way the other girls did. Much as Ukyo was his friend, it still disgusted him when she threw herself at him like Shampoo and Kodachi. Akane might not be as cute as they were, but she had a lot more pride, and that made her special.
Thinking about Akane reminded him that he hadn't checked on her yet…They hadn't really spoken since the disaster of a wedding that afternoon. Everyone had been too busy cleaning up the mess, and too frustrated to be social. Then Pop and Soun had gone off to weep and drink sake, and the girls had all retreated to their rooms, leaving him to seek the roof and watch the sun go down. But he wouldn't be able to sleep without first making sure that Akane was safe in bed.
Slowly and stiffly, favoring his bruises, bumps and scrapes, Ranma worked his way down the slope of the roof and dropped onto Akane's window sill. The room was dark, but even without the light he could see that the bed was empty, and the room vacant. Panic seized his chest for only a moment, there was no reason why she couldn't be in the bath, or the dojo…Turning on his heels, Ranma leapt lightly down onto one of the rocks that ringed to koi pond, and perched there, considering his options.
"Ranma?"
Startled, Ranma slipped and fell into the water, coming up spluttering and clawing wet red hair out of her eyes. Figures…every damned time she set foot near that pond…Standing knee deep in the cold water, Ranma squinted through the darkness at the culprit who was quite obviously trying not to laugh, both hands clamped over her mouth.
"Oh I'm sorry! I thought you'd hear me coming!" Akane's apology sounded sincere enough, though there was the suspicion of a giggle in there somewhere.
Ranma sighed, shrugged and let it go. "I was distracted is all. It's not like you pushed me or nothing." Despite an effort to keep her tone light, she could tell that Akane heard the weariness in her voice by the change in the taller girls expression from amused to concerned.
"Ranma….are you okay?"
Not sure how to answer that question, she shrugged again, was this really the right time to be asking Akane to make a decision about the rest of her life? Hadn't they had enough to deal with already today? But…uncertainty had a chokehold on her heart and she needed the reassurance that only Akane could give or withhold.
"Akane…Do you….I mean…that is…Does it bother you, when I'm…like this…When I'm a…a girl…?" Ranma stared studiously down at the surface of the water where it swirled around her legs, refusing to look at Akane, afraid of what she'd see there.
The silence stretched out from seconds to a full minute, and she glanced up despite herself, worried that her fiancé had run off rather then answer. But no, Akane stood where she'd been before, her hands clasped in front of her, expression thoughtful. As Ranma's pleading eyes met her own she startled, and answered with a question of her own.
"Why does it matter how I feel about it Ranma?" Akane's voice was cautious, gentle, but a little cold, a sure sign that she wasn't happy, but wasn't trying to pick a fight either.
Ranma winced, all too aware how long she'd been trying to give the impression that she couldn't care less about what Akane thought of her. Even earlier that day, she hadn't been able to own up to her admission of love, and consequently had nearly screwed up the wedding herself before the others could do it for her.
"Because….I...I don't want stupid battles over cursed water to mess things up anymore. If I hadn't been so fixated on that nanniichuan…then maybe things would have gone differently today…And…I need to know, that is…I hope…that even if I never get this curse off of me…that…that…." Ranma faltered to a halt, took a deep breath and started again, this time looking up at her fiancé, noting that for once Akane wasn't interruptiong or jumping to conclusions…indeed, she was absolutely still, her grey eyes bright with concern. Unable to maintain that intense gaze for long, Ranma dropped her eyes back down to the water. "Akane…I L-Love you…but I can't keep this up anymore…it's just too much to get my hopes up, and then fail again and again…Could you….that is…if I stay half girl forever….would you…"
Ranma's broken questions was cut off as fingers calloused from training slipped under her chin and tugged it gently upwards. Akane had stepped into the pond, soaking the hem of her dress and probably ruining her shoes completely, and now she cupped Ranma's pointed female face in her hands and smiled.
"Ranma, I love you too…I have for a long time I think…I just couldn't admit it, even to myself until you did, after you saved my life from Saffron. That's why I agreed to marry you, not because of the Nanniichuan."
Akane stepped closer, swirling the water around them both and causing Ranma's heart to beat even faster then it had been already…the redhead gulped at the warm hands on her face, and shivered, not entirely because the water was so cold. This wasn't what she had been expecting…and yet, at the same time, it felt right.
"Akane I…." A finger on her lips stopped her before she could continue.
"Wait, let me finish." Akane's expression was serious now, and a steely determination had entered those dark eyes. "Ranma, for as long as I've known you, you've been cursed, I'm used to it. I would never have held you back from a cure, because I knew it was what you wanted…but…I think I would have been sad to say goodbye to this side of you…" An impish smile crept onto her face long enough to make Ranma wonder how he could ever have thought her un-cute, before she went on. "After all, who would I go to the ice-cream shop with if you couldn't be a girl anymore?"
Ranma blushed, rattled by what was probably the longest conversation they'd ever had about their relationship without breaking into a fight, and flustered by the fact that Akane still hadn't lowered her hands.
"Then…you really don't mind? I mean I know you're not attracted to girls…So I'll try to stay a guy when it's important…" Now she was bright red, how had the conversation gotten here?
"Ranma…guy or girl, you're still you, and that's who I'm…"She grinned, stepping a little closer so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Here, I'll prove it to you…" As kisses go…it was a little awkward. But enthusiasm can make up for a world of inexperience, and after a moment or two, it felt much more natural. The second kiss went better, and by the third Ranma actually felt that she was getting the hang of it…though when she was a guy again she was going to have to adjust her technique for height differences…and regain a little of the initiative. It just wasn't right for a guy to be the one swooning.
"Akane…" She spoke into the space between their lips when the taller girl pulled back for a breather.
"Y-Yes Ranma?"
Taking comfort in the fact that Akane seemed similarly breathless, Ranma steadied herself by resting her hands on her fiance's hips. "Akane…this means you are going to marry me right? I mean…not right now of course…we should finish school…but eventually?"
Akane Smiled and slid one hand around to the back of Ranam's neck and tugged playfully at her pigtail. "Idiot. I was always going to marry you…" She paused thoughtfully. "But I think on our wedding night we'd better make sure to have some hot water handy…after all…our fathers are expecting grandchildren."