Disclaimer: Now, you and I know who the rightful owner of Ranma ½ is so I'll spare you the lecture for my first one.

Author's Note: Head's up, people! Look's who here to start her very FIRST Ranma ½ FanFICTION! Be gentle with the rolling of eyes and dreadful groans, will ya? A-R-I-G-A-T-O! Uh hem… Do pardon my blabber and nonsense for the time being. Guess if you'all want to read my fanfic, you'll probably have to tolerate my crap. (Shakes head in pity) Anyhoo! I've always wanted to write a Ranma fanfic of my own ever since I started watching the series and OVAs. Seen them, loved them! So it's my first try and I thought I should take it slowly at the beginning. If my writing turns out well, I just might start writing more fanfictions in the future.

The Pendant
by Diabolic Angel

-

Love is the language between two individuals that neither can explain in words but can only explain by the soul.

-

The evening breeze swayed the raven strands of an eighteen year-old dark-haired female like a soft dance against her sun-kissed skin, carrying the faint perfume of flowers and the scent of the dew-rinsed earth. In graceful motions, the smooth material of her white, sleeveless dress and the milky green ribbon tied around her slender waist swung from side to side lightly like an angel's wings. The willowy wind whispered quietly into the glittering trees ever so slightly, causing an atmosphere of peaceful tranquility in the cool, refreshing air of Nerima, Japan.

A serene smile curved upon the young woman's thin rosy lips, her chestnut eyes fluttering close as she enjoyed the rare peace without any unwanted and excruciating disturbances. She could feel the welcoming warmth radiating from the setting sun, which was shining more kindly now and the trees framing the picturesque scene were a lovely, soft gold. Momentarily, Tendo Akane reopened her warm eyes. In the midst of this glory and freshness, she continued with her aimless stroll along a familiar route, tuning in with the loveliness of the evening. Her thoughts drifted away to a certain pig-tailed boy.

It had been two long, and yet never-to-be-forgotten years since Saotome Ranma entered and somewhat, disrupted the normal and artless life she claimed to have. She couldn't understand why she had to put up with the burden of having a fiancé at sixteen, a cursed one to say the least, who her father and Saotome Genma had long ago betrothed to her.

There was hardly any freedom of choice. She was happy before a girl of rosy hair and a fat panda stumbled upon the Tendo household on that fateful raining afternoon. Everything around her felt, let's just say, right. It was all good and blissfully normal. She had her father, her elder sisters, Doctor Tofu, friends and the boys who admired her from school.

With the eldest of the three, Kasumi, taking up the role of mother, she relieved Tendo Soun of the responsibility to fill up the absence of motherly love. Nabiki, the second daughter, being the wittiest and most money-minded of them all, enjoyed spending most of her days dealing with, obviously, cash and profit, which leaves the youngest Tendo to seek comfort and silent companionship in the arms of martial arts, where she trained under the careful guidance and unswerving encouragement of her father. Besides, no one else ever showed signs of fascinating interest and vibrancy in wanting to gain the Anything-Goes succession like Akane had.

Then Ranma came, and all turned topsy-turvy.

Her normal life began to slip out of her delicate fingers like dust, and what was being replaced was the abnormality of his invasion; especially with the number of fiancés he unfortunately brought along with him, thanks to his self-interested father.

It then became agonizingly difficult to mask raw emotions behind deep depths of bonny smiles: day-to-day jealousy, all-time envy, and unconditional love. No words could express the secret agony of her soul.

And realizing to herself how important Ranma was to her never did made things easier, however, it did opened her eyes to the rapturous truth.

He may be, unfortunately, a conceited, arrogant, sex-changing jerk in the beginning and dreadfully still is, but his sweet, good-natured and caring side of him drew her in regardless of his flaws. And it always hurts like a thousand knives stabbing through her heart grievously every time he belittled or cocked a snook at her back then. There were still copious of times when the forcibly engaged couple had their heated clashes, but things had changed gradually.

After the Saffron incident in Jusenkyo, Akane's tempestuous relationship with Ranma had incredibly improved over the past eighteen months. They had somehow managed to come to a balmy compatibility that it was time to get to know each other better instead of constantly snarling at each other's throats.

Even Ranma's persistent fiancés, whom vehemently refused to give up on their devotion to him, could not deny the love that was blooming between Ranma and Akane. For Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi, it was unconvincingly hard to let go.

After what seemed like hours, Akane reached her destination; a small playground. A series of flashbacks scanned across her mind like a slide screen. Her memories with Ranma were what brought her here in the first place. Sounds of their exhilarated laughter and simplistic games played like a favourite music over and over again against her ears. Recalling their times at 'Tag' here, she could not help but giggle at one hilarious and memorable moment.

- Flashback -

"Oie, oie! Come back here, Akane!"

A flash of dark and familiar raven hair flashed across his view. "You're too slow, Ranma!" she called out.

Her boisterous laughter was infectious, earning more merriment from him, despite of himself. He proficiently hopped over the railings on the second level in time to catch his short-haired fiancé gleefully sliding down the slide. Her skirts flew playfully around her as she made a quick run under him.

But he was fast.

He did a single somersault in the air to land firmly in front her, proudly blocking her path. He allowed himself to enjoy the way her dark hair framed her crimson face with eyes that burned fiercely with energy and life. Bestowing her a handsome and triumphant smile that caused her beating heart to flip in delight, he held a strong hand on the child's ladder beside him, bracing his weight.

"You were saying?"

But Akane wasn't willing to play by the rules. Before he could tap her slender shoulder and call her 'it', she leaned forward and pecked his cheek in hopes to distract him.

Mission accomplished.

His blue-gray eyes blinked once, twice, then rapidly in embarrass astonishment as his hand lost his grip, causing him to almost stumble forward. Snapping out of it, he found his balance again, a rosy blush flickering across his nose. He reached out a hand to scratch the back of his head and chuckled uneasily; catching himself thinking on how radiant she looked with a faint tint of pink on her creamy cheeks.

She only giggled and dashed off in the other direction.

"You're still 'it', Ranma!"

- End of Flashback -

By this time, the sun was gaining low fast, causing the few thin strips of clouds on the horizon to turn to a striking orange and the sky, salmon-pink. Padding across the tickling sand, she nimbly took a seat on one of the old swings. She pushed herself lightly into a slow rhythm of swinging back and forth from the light force of her small feet. Feeling relaxed, her lips began to hum a familiar lullaby mellifluously, gazing longingly at the drowning sun. Completely distracted by the beauty of it all, she failed to sense someone was approaching diagonally behind her.

"Akane…"

She snapped out of her dazed reverie, her mild surprise evident in her audible gasp. On instinct, she recognized the deep voice of her fiancé. The very sound of his husky tone caused her stomach to flutter rapidly like little butterfly's wings and the nape of her neck to tingle excitedly.

Turning her head, she greeted the boy she loved with a genuine smile, her breath caught in her throat at how handsome he looked.

Ranma stood there calmly, wearing a Chinese light blue sleeveless T-shirt and the black pants he usually wore. His biceps were stout, showing signs of all the demanding training he had undergone, and a self-respecting posture radiating his sense of ready wit, gaiety and catching cheerfulness. His scintillating blue-grey eyes dazzled under the rays of the sunset.

God, he was a sight.

"Ranma," Akane breathed. "What are you doing here?"

He lifted a shoulder carelessly. "Oyagi and Tendo-san were getting kinda worried. So I just thought I'll check in on you." Ranma said surprisingly with ease, casting a hundred-megawatt smile at her.

A faint glow secretly crept up onto her healthy cheeks as she coyly glanced away to hide her rutilant face, her sweet smile unwavering. "I see…" Her voice was barely audible.

Ranma thought that the insides of his stomach were going to burst any moment now at how ravishing she looked. Inwardly, his heart was pounding against his chest at the exquisite sight of her smile. She was in the bloom of her maturity, a strong straight figure of beautiful carriage. The glorious sunrays enveloped her in its orange glow, bringing out the brightness of her fulgent, innocent orbs and the liveliness of her silky hair. It wasn't as short as it was before. She let it grow to an inch above her shoulders now, giving her a more feminine look. Ranma liked it no matter. The snow-like colour of her dress hugged her curves sensually as it flowed down to her knees.

He could hardly breathe properly.

Ranma blushed bashfully in response and walked over to the swing beside hers. Sitting down, they silently watched the sky turned into a dark blanket with tiny, slivery stars glittering simultaneously in the night. The quietness was comforting and just like those times they had on the roof of their home, they watched the day slowly darkened into night together once again.

"Hey, Akane…" Ranma began, oddly fidgeting with his strong fingers.

"Hmmm?"

"There's erm… there's something I wanna give ya."

"Eh?" Akane spun towards his direction and tilted her head, intrigued. Curiosity was written all over her face.

"Yeah. Erm… here."

Lingeringly, he reached into the small pocket of his coal pants and fished out an object, his fist clenched around it securely. Akane leaned forward inquisitively. She watched intently as he raised it towards her in a slight gesture and opened his hand to reveal her gift. The minute she saw the sparkling glint, she gasped for the second time that evening and held a small hand to her lips in bewilderment.

Resting elegantly on the top of his calloused palm was a thin golden necklace, designed to be like tiny molten beads hooked together into a dainty chain. A heart-shaped pendant of the same tone laced through it delicately. He turned the beautifully fashioned heart around with his free hand to show her the initials that were crafted expertly on it right in the centre.

… R & A… Oh Ranma…

"It's for you…" Ranma mumbled sheepishly, a hand unconsciously scratching the back of his head. A fatuous smile grazed his lips.

Absolute joy filled her from head to toe. Instantly, Akane skipped to her feet and sprung over to Ranma, crushing him into a surprise hug. If he had not regained his balance on time, both of them would have been knocked off the swing abruptly and sprawled against the pile of sand beneath them by now.

But thanks to Ranma's quick reflexes, they were still on the swing, with Akane snuggled in his powerful lap.

"Thank you so much, Ranma!"

The pig-tailed teenager was dismayed and intoxicated at the same time. Her nearness sent a dozen of wild shock waves through him like electricity and he warmed considerably at their contact. Soon, he began to relax underneath her strong, yet gentle arms, placing a vigilant hand on the small of her back. He could have stayed locked in her embrace forever, but he knew he needed to do this now.

Remembering his gift, he pushed away from her meekly and stood up. Akane took a harmless step back. Carefully, he unhooked the chain and held it by the ends, allowing the pendant to hang in the middle graciously.

"M-may I?"

Akane beamed, gave him a brief nod and cast her gaze to the ground. Her innocent shyness was amazingly cute, he thought. He leaned forward and reached up to hook the necklace around her pleasingly thin neck. His firm and knowing fingers grazed the silky flesh of her skin accidentally. A shiver of desire swept through him like wild fire.

Dammit Ranma, for goodness sake!

But regardless of his thoughts, he spared himself a minute or two to smell her enchanting perfume. The exquisite richness of lavender ignited his senses, making him want to breathe the very scent of her every single day. Reluctantly, he pulled his face away only slightly to see how the necklace fitted on her. The golden pendant rested perfectly on her collar bone. The plain side of it was facing him, while the crafted initials turned the other way where it was much closer to the heart.

Her heart…

He raised his eyes slowly to meet her intense gaze. Warm chocolate met smoky blue. In that split second, time seemed to have stood still and the only ones that mattered in the world among other things that existed was just Ranma and Akane. Neither one of them dared to move, too afraid that they might destroy the serene atmosphere that bathed around them.

Her deep pools of bottomless hue sent him drowning into the depths of her eyes and the intensity of those darks orbs choked him with all the love that shone brightly in them. Never in his life had he wanted so badly to kiss her right then and there. He wondered briefly whether she would mind. But then again, he was pretty god damn sure that she desired it just as much as he did. He licked his lips unconsciously.

Perhaps maybe he was waiting. Waiting for what, only God knew.

"Ranma…" she whispered, her moist breath brushing against his lips sensually. Her half-lidded eyes bored deep into his.

That was all he needed to contain his overwhelming urge.

He neared her face and brushed his lips against hers, almost bashfully. Sparks flew at the brief feather-like touch of their mouths. And then he broke away. However, his lips hovered over hers lustrously, desiring for more. It was so fast and too quick that it felt like a haste kiss. Nothing like what they both craved for.

A moan of silent protest escaped her mouth before she knew it. She almost slapped a hand over it. Smiling in satisfaction, Ranma lowered his mouth to hers again. It was soft and innocent like the first, just lips pressed mildly against each other. Slowly, their passion grew and the hunger for more increased rapidly with each gentle kiss. Akane slide her arms around his neck and tugged at his ponytail to pull him closer. Ranma instinctively circled his masculine arms around her small frame tightly and closed all the gabs that separated the two of them. Her instincts ordered her to open her mouth underneath his, and she whimpered as he deepened the kiss by daringly thrusting his tongue into her sweet warmth lazily.

They pulled apart to catch their breaths; their breathing harsh and deep from the heated lip to lip experience that they had just shared. Ranma leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes to allow his fiery emotions and madly beating heart to calm down. Akane rested her opened palms onto his well-built chest and sent him a wicked grin.

"Ranma, where in the world did you learn to kiss like that?"

"In the movies, where else?" he retorted, but the grin had appealed to him. He leaned a bit closer. "You?"

She let the look hold, enjoying the easy humor in his eyes. It was the first time she'd seen it in such a long time. "No." She gave a low laugh. "Absolutely not. Have you been practicing on your other fiancés hmmm?"

He frowned lightly, and she recognized the line that formed between his brows whenever he did. "There're no other fiancés, Akane. It's just you."

It was like the heavens had just granted her wish. As his words registered into her mind, the corner of Akane's eyes brimmed with crystal-like tears. She buried her face into his warm neck and stifled a sob of absolute contentment. It was all too good to be true. During all those tormenting times, she'd hoped that Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi could simply just disappear out of trace. She'd wished them to stop claiming to be Ranma's fiancé because she wanted to be the only fiancé he was supposed to marry.

The only one who rightfully was meant to be his and his alone. Now her wildest dreams were finally becoming reality.

She cupped the pendant in a loving grip, and traced the contours of the alphabet markings with the pad of her thumb. She felt his hold tightened on her as he nuzzled her short raven hair with his nose.

"My kawaiikune…" His lips touched a ticklish spot under her ears, feeling her shudder in delight. No other words were needed right now; their gestures already speaking a millions words for themselves. Akane smiled through her tears.

Thank you, Kami-sama… thank you…

That night, the moon was abnormally large and it bathed the earth with its luminous glow, particularly on a certain pair, saturated with happiness and pure bliss. They remained like that for a while longer, before returning to the Tendo household, hand in hand. The girl's grip on her necklace remained there, as if she never wanted to let go of the love she had found in the boy who gave it to her. Another fulfilling memory was created, forever engraved in their hearts from this day forth.

Ever and always…

Fin.