Special thanks to Alison Westbrook for editing this story.
--Yellow Roses--
Shampoo clung to Ranma, pressing her body into his side, her arms wrapped around his neck. Ranma tugged futilely on them, trying to pry them away from his windpipe, but her grip was solid. He could have removed her easily, but Ranma found himself hindered by the desire to not hurt her, and by the fact that Ukyo was clinging to his free side, both of her arms wrapped around one of his.
They were both sprouting declarations of love, but Ranma was preoccupied with a tiny ball of terror in the pit of his stomach telling him that Akane was going to come around the corner at any second now.
At least that's what he thought it was telling him. He found out very quickly that he was wrong, or partly anyway. What it was really saying was that first Kodachi was coming around that corner, then Akane.
Kodachi came, a whirlwind of ribbon, black rose petals, and maniacal laughter. Ranma groaned, clenching his eyes shut and letting his head drop back.
Kodachi stopped before Ranma, Ukyo, and Shampoo, dramatically raising her ribbon and pointing at the group.
"Unhand my fiancée," she ordered loftily. Ukyo let go of Ranma and raised her spatula in response. Shampoo took the opportunity to snuggle up to Ranma a bit more.
"Excuse me? Ranchan is MY fiancée!"
Not wanting her claim to go unnoticed, Shampoo let go of Ranma. He took off.
"Ranma!" three voices chorused.
Shampoo and Ukyo lunged after him, catching him a few blocks away. Shampoo clung to Ranma tightly, ignoring his tugs on her arm as before. She cuddled closer to him, murmuring softly in his ear.
"Shampoo love Ranma. Ranma come home with Shampoo, yes?"
He twisted his head. "Come on, Shampoo, Ukyo, let go."
On his other side, Ukyo ignored him. She tightened her grip on his arm, reveling in the rippling of his muscles.
"Come over to the restaurant with me, Ranchan. I have a romantic dinner prepared just for the two of us."
Ranma exhaled loudly out his nose, torn between panic and frustration. "Look, I ain't goin' any--"
Ranma froze mid-sentence, mid-inhale. 'Oh, nononono..." he thought. As if in response, a black rose petal floated diagonally across his vision. As it disappeared from sight, Kodachi's laughter reached the group.
Shampoo hissed in his ear and let go. Ukyo growled and followed suit. They both took up a defensive stance behind Ranma, waiting for Kodachi to appear.
Ranma didn't bother to wait.
~~~
Akane cocked her head as a light rumbling echoed down an alleyway several yards over. It was a familiar sound. She ignored it, though, in favor of pulling a dark red rose free of a tangle of thorns, putting it up to her nose, and inhaling deeply.
As the rumbling grew closer and louder, Akane stepped into the flower shop.
As a cloud of dust, women's voices, and rose petals thundered past, Akane paid for her purchase. She never looked behind her, and they never looked in the shop.
Cradling her bundle as if it were an infant, Akane stepped from the shop into the street. She glanced in the direction Ranma and the girls had disappeared. Then she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
~~~
Shampoo bounced into the Nekohanten, glaring belligerently at everyone. She hadn't caught Ranma. He had disappeared without a trace, leaving her and the other girls searching Nerima and even the surrounding areas.
She started toward the back, her attention catching on the flowers in the last second. She turned and squealed in delight; three yellow roses sat in a crystal vase by the cash register. She bounded over, picked the vase up, and buried her nose in the largest of the roses.
"What are you doing to my rose, girl?"
Cologne's voice shocked Shampoo from her fantasy.
"These no Shampoo's roses?"
Cologne eyed Shampoo from her perch on her walking stick. She loved Shampoo, but the girl was oblivious to others.
"One of them is. The other two are for Mousse and me."
"Why Ranma give you and Mousse flowers?"
Cologne chuckled. "They aren't from Ranma, Shampoo. They're from Akane Tendo."
"Violent girl?" Shampoo asked, wrinkling her nose.
"Mm-hm. Yellow roses. Friendship."
Shampoo blinked in surprise. She looked down at the roses, her fingers straying over the tops of the buds as she thought about that.
~~~
Ukyo slammed the door to her shop closed, furious that she had wasted a day and a meal. She ignored Konatsu's startled exclamation as she tossed the food she had prepared for Ranma into the sink.
"Um...Ms. Ukyo?" Konatsu ventured. She whirled, ready to take her frustration out on him, but paused when he cringed. She sagged back against the kitchen counter.
"What, Konatsu?" Ukyo asked tiredly.
"Akane brought this by for you." He held out a single rose. It was partially opened, the outer petals curled back. It was a deep yellow in the center, the edges of the petals faded to a warm creme color.
Ukyo hesitantly took it. "What for?" she asked.
"I believe Valentine's Day."
"But..." Ukyo frowned.
"Akane said that her mother believed Valentine's Day was not just for your lover, but for anyone you loved."
"Oh," Ukyo replied softly. "Did you get one?"
Konatsu smiled widely. "Yes, she gave me one. I've already put it in my room."
"Oh." Ukyo paused. "Well, thank you, Konatsu. I think I'm going to bed now."
"Good night, Ms. Ukyo."
"Just Ukyo, Konatsu, just Ukyo."
~~~
Soun stood at the foot of his wife's grave. Akane's roses sat at the base of the headstone, signaling that she'd already been by. Soun smiled sadly and sat. He studied his wife's name for a moment, letting the familiar words evoke memories that he had thought were lost long ago. Then he set his own rose down, a single red one.
~~~
Nodoka sat at her table, teacup in hand. A vase of yellow and pink roses sat centered on the table. Genma eyed them uneasily, wondering but not daring to ask.
He'd forgotten it was Valentine's Day. Nodoka knew it. She also knew that he wasn't asking so that he wouldn't know. It was fine. She was used to him forgetting. He forgot everything from her birthday to their wedding anniversary.
Ranma hadn't shown up, but she had doubted he would, having been raised by Genma for the past ten years.
With a sigh, Nodoka sipped her tea and then set the cup down.
"Did you have a good day, husband?" she asked, smiling politely.
Genma started. He eyed her warily before nodding.
"That's good," she murmured, rising to bring more food in from the kitchen.
~~~
Kasumi lifted the pan with one hand and opened the oven door. She slid the pan into the oven and stepped back, adjusting the temperature slightly. Humming, she wiped her hands down on her apron, moving to the sink. Dishes were stacked there, dirty from use. While water ran, Kasumi moved about the kitchen, gathering other used dishes and wiping down the counters.
"Kasumi?"
"In here, Nabiki."
"Oh." Nabiki entered the kitchen. She cradled a small vase of white and yellow roses. "Roses are here."
"Oh, good." Kasumi smiled and gestured to the counter. She turned off the water and started on the dishes. "Has she taken care of Mother's?"
"First stop she said. Auntie Saotome was second."
"Oh, that's nice of her."
"Mm." Nabiki set the roses down and fiddled with them, adjusting their arrangement. "I've put Dad's in his room, and there's a vase on the table."
"Good, good."
Nabiki turned to face Kasumi, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. "She put a vase in Ranma's room."
Kasumi looked over her shoulder at Nabiki, hands pausing in their task. "Really?"
Nabiki's grin matched Kasumi's smile. "Really."
~~~
Ranma sauntered into the house, hands in pockets, shoulders hunched. He glanced nervously into the living room, checking for any unwelcome visitors. Finding it safe, he entered, his shoulders straightening a bit. The scent of something warm and sweet wafted from the kitchen, catching Ranma's attention. He wandered over and poked his head in.
"Hey, Kasumi."
"Oh, hello, Ranma. I didn't hear you come in."
"Uh, yeah. What're you makin'?"
"Dessert."
"What kind?"
"That's a surprise, Ranma." Kasumi turned after placing the last of the dishes in the drainer to look at him, wiping her hands dry on her apron. "You look tired," she said.
Ranma winced. "Yeah, well, the girls were chasin' me again."
"Why don't you take a short nap? I'm sure it will make you feel much better."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I think I will. Later, Kasumi."
"Night, Ranma."
Ranma headed to his room, wondering vaguely where Akane was. He hadn't seen her all day, and that was unusual. Typically, she was up there in front of the other girls, eventually coming to run beside him instead of after him.
Giving his shoulders a shrug, Ranma slid open the door to his room with his foot, pulling his shirt off over his head. He dumped it on the floor and flopped himself face down on his futon. He lay for a moment, enjoying the quiet, before sighing and sitting up to shut the door. He rolled over onto his back and started to settle himself when a flash of color caught in the corner of his eye.
"Wha…"
A vase of orange roses sat on his dresser. Ranma stood and reached out to touch them. A piece of paper sat half under the vase, and Ranma tugged it free. He unfolded it and eyed the writing. There was no name, but he knew whom it was from.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he settled back down on his futon, the note tucked safely away.
~~
Yellow means friendship. Red means love. You have both.
~~~
Ryoga sat huddled at the base of a cliff, snow drifting down around him. He didn't know where he was, just that he was alone and that he missed Akane dearly.
He sighed and reached over to his pack, flipping it open and reaching in. Slightly off to one side, Ryoga's fingers brushed over something soft and delicate. He frowned and felt around. It curved beneath his fingers and gave way to what felt like a stem. Ryoga pulled it out and found he was holding a yellow rose. A tag dangled from it.
~~
To Ryoga, From Akane~~
A soft sigh escaped Ryoga. He touched the rose with his large fingers and wished it were red.
~~~~~