A Present
"Where's your holiday spirit, Pop?!" Ranma said as he sent Genma flying into the ice cold pond. Akane shook her head, the two were fighting over who would get the last piece of cake that Kasumi had made for Christmas.
"HA! Serves you right! Now, I'm just gon-"
Ranma was tossed over the panda's shoulder, like a piece of crumpled paper and landed with an icy splash in the pond. The panda then picked up the plate with the coveted piece of cake, turned it upside down over his gaping mouth, and swallowed the entire pastry in one bite.
"Awwwww!" Ranma whined as she leapt out of the pond. "Geez, you didn't even taste it!" She punched the panda in the gut who responded in an absurdly loud belch.
Everyone laughed at the two's antics. Even Ranma couldn't help but laugh with the others as her panda-father patted his stomach.
"Okay, Pop, you win this one...but I get the bath first!" Ranma said, dashing to the bathroom. Genma hurried quickly after him leaving the others who had started laughing yet again.
"Well, now that the show's over, I'm gonna go to bed." Nabiki said heading to her room. Soun also decided to turn in, leaving Kasumi and Akane to gather the dishes.
"So, Akane, what did you get Ranma?" Kasumi asked in a sly tone.
Akane nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She looked at her older sister with a surprised expression.
Kasumi laughed lightly, "Of course you would get him something, I'd be more surprised if you hadn't."
Akane scratched the back her head and laughed too. "Well, I made him this scarf, but it looks awful. Like, I'm not even exaggerating, it turn out simply terrible." Akane groaned remembering the atrocity of red yarn. She pulled it out from under the trees' skirt where she had hurriedly hid it when she had heard footsteps coming near.
"Oh, Akane, I'm sure he'll like it even if it isn't perfect. In fact, I'd doubt he'd even know a perfect scarf if he saw one." Kasumi whispered conspiratorially to her sister. Akane laughed, her tension leaving her body. "It actually, isn't too bad for a first try, with more practice you'll get even better. Now, let's get these dishes to the kitchen." The two sisters picked up the dirty plates and silverware and went to go wash them.
They chatted idly as they washed the dishes, memories of past holidays recalled fondly. They remarked at how different things had become, yet they still felt that good times came along with all the changes.
XxX
Ranma rubbed the towel against his wet hair, he glanced around the living room. Seeing that everyone else had headed off to bed, he decided to do the same.
That is, until a tangle of red string caught his eye on the table. He curiously picked it up and unfurled it. It was almost four feet long and was filled with knots and odd ends of yarn poking out of the stitches.
"Hehe, it looks like Akane tried to untangle some string and accidentally made a scarf. Geez, this thing sure is a mess, huh?" He smiled fondly at the thought of her knitting a scarf for him, he shook his head. No, she'd never make such an effort for him.
Ranma heard loud footsteps run behind him and a resounding slam of the front door.
"Huh?" He turned and saw Kasumi staring wide-eyed at him.
"Oh dear," she whispered.
"Akane actually made this, didn't she?" Ranma asked.
Kasumi nodded.
"And that was her that just ran out, wasn't it?"
Kasumi nodded.
"And I'm a huge idiot, aren't I?"
Kasumi nodded.
Ranma groaned and ran out of the house. Why did he have to open his big mouth?
XxX
Bare feet flew across icy puddles as they carried the girl farther down the street. The cold night air bit at her cheeks and nose almost as hard as the ice did at her soles. When she made it to the park she sunk onto a swing, sucking in breaths that pierced her lungs. She looked at the snow that was stuck between her toes, it had a slight pink hue. With a deep sigh she looked at the sky. No stars were visible as the clouds had covered them up.
"akane!"
She startled at the sound of her name off in the distance. Quickly she darted into a slide and waited.
"akANE! AKANE! AKANE, I HAVE YOUR SHOES! BET YOU NEED THOSE! AKANE! AKane! Akane! akane!" Ranma's voice faded again off into the distance. Akane let herself slide down, her chest feeling like it was being crushed.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, "That jerk."
A pair of glinting eyes stared down at her.
"I never want to see his stupid face again." Akane rubbed her feet, trying to warm them.
"Your wish, my command, violent girl."
Akane's head snapped upwards and she stared at Shampoo. The Amazon was perched gracefully atop the playground, a bucket gleaming in her hand.
"Just great," Akane cursed. She glared up at the purple haired girl, "What do you want from me, Shampoo?"
Shampoo laughed, "I have present for you." She raised the bucket and Akane quirked her eyebrows.
"A bucket?"
"It what inside the bucket, stupid." Shampoo grinned.
Akane stood and took a few steps back to better look at the other girl, "Shampoo, it's freezing out, you're not really gonna soak me with that, are you?"
The Amazons smile only widened, "Violent girl MUST accept present." Shampoo leapt down and stood in front of Akane, "It came all the way from Jusenkyo"
Akane gasped and leapt away from Shampoo who laughed.
"You wouldn't!" Akane exclaimed.
"Oh, but Shampoo would! With this, Ranma be all Shampoo's. He hates own cursed form and Shampoo's cursed form. And now, he'll hate Akane cursed form too!" Shampoo sneered at her.
"You can't be serious!" Akane said incredulously.
"Dead serious." Shampoo said as she readied to throw the cursed water at Akane.
Akane tried to knock the Amazon over, but Shampoo jumped off of her head and landed atop the monkey bars. Akane took this chanced and darted the other way.
She ran across the park and down the street, "This day just keeps getting better," Akane gritted out. She turned the corner and kept sprinting, she leapt over a dog rummaging through a trash can and slipped as she rounded another corner. She caught herself though and continued running, only to come to a sudden halt.
A dead end.
She whipped around and came nose to nose with Shampoo.
"Time to unwrap present," Shampoo grinned as she upended the bucket over Akane.
"RANMA!" Akane cried as the frigid water soaked through her clothes, it clawed its way down her arms to the tips of her already freezing fingers, and scraped down her legs to her numb toes.
And then.
A pile of wet clothes laid crumpled on the cement. Shampoo giggled in delight, "Now Ranma be all Shampoo's, good bye violent HALF girl." She laughed and leapt away from the scene of the crime. Leaving Akane in whatever form she had just been given.
The clothes rustled as something moved under them, a small furry head poked out which was slowly followed by an equally tiny body.
'This is bad,' Akane thought as she looked around at the world that had grown in size. She took an awkward step forward, learning how to use her new muscles. She turned and looked at her former clothes, 'This is really really bad.'
A breeze ruffled the hair on her body and she shivered. She looked up, expecting to find Shampoo with a cheshire cat grin only to find that she had disappeared. 'At least I don't have to worry about her,' Akane looked down the street that seemed to stretch into eternity. 'But I get the feeling it's going to take me a lot longer to get home'
Her ears drooped and she jumped, startled but their movement. She looked down at her paws, 'What exactly am I?' She approached a puddle and slowly peered down into it. The face of a small bunny peered up at her. It had a white head and body, with a cute pink nose. Its ears flipped up at Akane in interest and they looked as though someone had taken those two snow white ears and dipped them into black paint.
'What a cute little bunny...wait. THAT'S ME!'
The small rabbit leapt a foot into the air and landed lightly on its hind paws. The front paws were busy grabbing her ears and touching her pink nose, 'I'm a BUNNY!'
'Ok. Ok. Calm down. Freaking out is going to help anything. I'm a bunny. And this is totally ok. I'm gonna go home. And I'm going to get some hot water. And then I'll be me again! It's that easy. Home. Hot water. Me...Home. Hot water. Me...Home. Hot water. Me...' Akane continued this chant as she bounced down the side walk. She turned the corner and continued down the street.
'At least I'm not so cold now with all of this fur. Plus, I'm cute! I mean, yeah I'm a rabbit, but I could have turned into a rat or something worse. Like a...turtle! That would have made this trip much longer, but I'm a quick little rabbit instead! Geez, what if I had been turned into a slug? I'd probably be frozen within a couple of minutes!' Akane's nose twitched as she amused herself with all the other things she could have turned into.
'Oh, there's that dog in the trash! See, I'm making some progress. About three more blocks to the park and then...what...eight blocks? Maybe ten more until I get home! At this rate I'll back in an hour! Which really isn't so bad!' Her whiskers wiggled with determination as she continued to hop forward.
Danger.
'Why do I have a bad feeling?' Akane turned her head back.
The dog had stopped rummaging in the trash.
Instead, it pointed its enormous snout right at her, its ears alert and muscles frozen. It let out a low growl.
'Uh oh.'
XxX
Ranma jumped atop yet another roof and called out for Akane. Where could she have gone? She couldn't have gotten THAT far. Did she go the other way? This was an absolute disaster. He looked at the small shoes in his hands, her feet would be blue by the time he'd get these on them.
He froze. Had he imagine it or had he heard Akane calling his name? Was she in danger? He listened...but he heard nothing. He shook his head and headed back home, maybe Akane had gone back home? He hoped so. He'd find her tucked in bed, with her prized pet pig comforting her after her terrible night. Or sipping tea and warming her feet in the living room. "It doesn't matter where she's at, as long as she's warm and safe," Ranma thought as he jumped to the next roof.
XxX
Akane dashed through a puddle, which soaked her fur and chilled her bones. She could hear the dog's jaws snapping behind her.
'I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE' She darted around the corner as tight as she could, stopped suddenly and turned around. The dog sprinted past her and she tore down the street in the opposite direction. She heard the dog yip and looked back, it had slipped and fell on some ice. She slowed, her tiny chest rising and falling quickly to calm down its heart.
The dog looked around itself, Akane let out a sigh of relief. She looked up at the heavens gratefully. And then she heard claws clicking against the pavement. Her head fell and she looked at the dog which barreled right at her.
'Damn it.'
She bolted down the street.
XxX
Ranma dropped to the ground, tugging the scarf up to cover his mouth. "It may not look too pretty, but it sure is warm."
Ranma groaned, in the frenzy of trying to find her, he had forgotten that she was furious at him. "Why am I so damn STUPID?! Akane's going to lose her toes, because I had to make fun of this scarf. Which is doing pretty great at its job of keeping me WARM! Ughhh.." Ranma sank into a swing at the park. His head fell into his hands and he let out a sigh. "She's never going to want to see me again..."
...
"Is that barking?"
XxX
'I can't keep this up! This dog is going to eat me! Oh, if only I hadn't hidden from Ranma! None of this would have happened! Shampoo wouldn't have turned me into this defenseless bunny, this dog wouldn't be chasing after me, and I wouldn't be eaten!'
Akane dashed down the street towards the playground, 'If I can find a place to hide, maybe it will leave me alone! It's my only chance! Oh, if only Ranma was sitting on that swing!' She thought wistfully, 'Wait. Ranma IS sitting on that swing!'
Without second thought she shot straight for Ranma, the dog closing in on her. She crossed the frozen ground and once she was a foot away from him she used all of her energy and jumped as hard as she could right at his chest.
Time slowed. She looked up at Ranma's surprised face as she flew into his arms, then she felt warm relief surround her. It smelled bad, but that didn't matter because she was safe. Then she saw teeth in her peripheral vision. Her eyes widened, but before the dog could shut its jaws around her Ranma snatched her away and held her to his chest.
"Get outta here, ya mutt!" He shouted, the volume pierced Akane's sensitive ears.
Ranma nodded at the hound as it retreated with its tail between its legs. He wished all of his enemies could be scared off as easily. He felt something shift in his hands and remembered the ball of fur he had just rescued. What HAD he just saved? He opened his hands and looked down at the tiniest bunny he had ever seen.
"Well, get load of you, bit off a little more than you could chew, huh? You gotta pick someone your own size." Ranma laughed as he stroked the small animal. Slowly all the muscles in Akane's furry body loosened, the slow petting helped to calm her. "It's a good thing my Chestnut Roasting on an Open Fire technique didn't get rusty!" Ranma grinned at her.
'You can say that again!' Akane's nose wiggled in agreement.
"Hehe, you sure are a cute little thing." Ranma flashed a dazzling smile down at Akane and she felt her small heart skip a beat.
'Don't tease me you j-!' Akane froze as she noticed the scarf around his neck.
"What are you looking at? The scarf? Don't like it?" Ranma asked.
'I made it you idiot! I spent hours knitting that "TANGLE OF STRING" jerk!' her nose and tail twitched violently.
"Well, too bad."
'What do you mean by tha-!'
"Akane made it just for me. Err..I'm pretty sure she did." Ranma blushed and scratched his cheek.
'Wait, can you not hear me?' Akane looked up at him with her big eyes.
"Ughh, but then I messed up and she's running around without shoes!" He said exasperated.
'Shoes aren't the only thing I'm not wearing...'
"The worst part is, this is a really great scarf! My neck is so warm! I made fun of her for making this perfect scarf!" Ranma ran a hand through his hair.
'Perfect?' Akane's whiskers twitched and her cheeks turned a faint pink.
Ranma sighed and looked at the small rabbit in his hand. It sat on its hind legs, front paws two little nubs by its chest, and its ears stood tall atop the rabbits teeny head.
He chuckled and one of the baby bunny's ears flopped down as it tilted its head curiously. Suddenly, the small thing convulsed, squeaked, and fell on its back.
"Did you just sneeze?!" Ranma laughed.
'Don't laugh at me!' Akane flailed, not quite figuring out how to sit up in her new body, she covered her face with her paws in embarrassment. 'I can't believe this day keeps getting WORSE!' Ranma laughed and moved a finger to rub her white belly.
Akane opened her eyes and froze, 'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!' She bit the pink monster and heard Ranma cry out in pain.
'Oh no,' Akane laid flat on her stomach with her paws tucked beneath and ears pressed tightly against her head. She stared up at Ranma who had stuck his finger in his mouth.
Ranma frowned, what had made the thing bite him? He looked at the bunny which stared shivering up at him with big, terrified eyes.
"Oh. Hey, now. None of that. You're ok. I just scared you a little, right?" Ranma asked gently. Slowly Akane's ears flipped towards him.
"You cold? Do you wanna go warm up? I could take you home..." Ranma proposed. The bunny jumped enthusiastically in Ranma's palm.
"Hehe! You sure are excited! Hey, how cold are you? Because my hands feel pretty cold.." Ranma said pressing a hand to his cheek. "One way to find out, now don't freak out. I ain't gonna eat ya." Ranma said.
'You're not gonna eat me? What are you gonna do?'
He raised his hand up to his mouth and gently pressed his lips against the bunny's head which was still damp. Akane froze the moment his lips touched her, all thoughts flew out of her head in an instant.
"Geez, you're freezing!" Ranma exclaimed. Holding the creature at eye level. "Hmmm. I don't know if you're gonna like this, but..."
'Huh? Not gonna like what? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!'
Swiftly Ranma stuffed Akane into his shirt, cupping his hand on the outside of the fabric so he could hold her up. Akane's head went fuzzy and for a second she felt as though she couldn't breath. Once her wits returned to her she pressed her front paws and readied to hop straight out of the shirt.
But the warmth radiating from Ranma's chest made her pause.
'I...I shouldn't...how dare h'-...I mean he doesn't know but...God he's so hot. WARM! His body temperature is much higher than mine!' Without realizing it, Akane had pressed the rest of her body against Ranma. 'He'll be embarrassed once I turn back to normal...but I won't be mad...I couldn't be. Not at THIS.' Akane nuzzled Ranma's skin happily.
"Are you ok down there?" Ranma asked looking down his shirt.
The small animal blinked slowly up at him in bliss. Ranma grinned in response.
"Glad to hear it, now let's head home."
Any requests? IF you have something you'd like to see, a certain situation be it awkward or adorable or both, TELL ME. Leave a review or message me your requests! I'm not entirely sure what kind of story this will be, I'm leaning towards smutty, but cute, with moments of bitter bitter regret.
However, if you wanna see a scene where bunny Akane goes shopping with panda Genma and only wants carrots while he only wants bamboo, that's super specific and I'd never think of it on my own, so you should request it!
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Also, I'm running out of synonyms for small..
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