He sat on the porch and watched the little three-year old pick flowers from the garden. Occasionally she would take a questioning look at him and once being reassured by his smile, she'd step a little further to pick new flowers. Looking at the little figure giving her best effort just to get the perfect flower, reminded him of someone else. Bob-cut head turned again to look at his direction and with a dazzling smile she ran to him. She held out her hand with a rough bouquet of white flowers. He smiled at her and patted her head: "What a beautiful bouquet! Did you pick them yourself?" The little one nodded her head while her big brown eyes sparkled with childishness.
"You know what? Go give them to your auntie. And then I'll do a plane for you!" Her dark bangs hopped along with her when she hopped up and down with excitement. While laughing he picked her up as she was too small to get on the porch by herself. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she would run off inside the house with loud pat-pat sounds. Well being energetic was in her genes, he laughed to himself. Just as he had finished his thought, the little frame ran into him loudly yelling: "Plane! Plane! Plane!" He picked her up and swirled her around in the air. The summer air was filled with childish giggle and his rather failing attempts at mimicking plane noises.
"Ranma! We have to go now!" a voice stopped his movements.
"I don't wanna go," said the little one in his arms. He threw her into the air making her giggle again before catching her mid-air and starting to make way to the house: "You heard your mother – you have to go now."
He placed her on the porch and pinched her cheek: "Don't pout! Girls are cuter when they smile!"
"Now give uncle Ranma a hug and go find your shoes – daddy is already waiting for us," the woman yelled from the kitchen. The little one wrapped her warm hands around his neck and with small discontent in her voice said: "Don't worry – I'll come again!"
Ranma just laughed: "I know you will, my little tomboy!"
With this the bob-cut head ran to find her shoes that probably where somewhere lying in the different parts of the entry hall.
"Thanks, Ranma, for babysitting her again," Nabiki emerged from the kitchen.
"Anytime," he carelessly said while entering the living room.
"You know – you should have one yourself. I mean you're still young and even more attractive than back in high school. If you're interested, then I have some colleagues who've asked about you."
Ranma just casually smirked at it as he sat down.
Nabiki sat next to him looking at his complex expression as he tried to avoid the conversation: "It's been five years, Ranma, and you're still wearing your wedding ring… She wants you to be happy. So why not get a child of your own?"
Ranma looked at the small altar – a black laced picture-frame protecting the image of the most beautiful woman in the world. And next to the frame – a small vase with rough bouquet of white flowers.
"I don't want just any children. I want clumsy bob-cut'd, brown-eyed tomboys with bad temper and no cooking skills."
Steadily completing my collection of Rumiko Takahashi mangas made me read and write fanfiction again.
As everybody knows my story "The Examination of the dojos" has been on hiatus for a very long time - I slowly have gained the will to write again, so maybe I'll finish it someday.