FEELS LIKE HOME
BY
VICCOLOVE
Hey guys, new story. I hope you guys liked it, this is something that just come to my mind it wasn't planned. I'm still not really happy with the way it came out but it will have to do.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma and Co.
AKANE'S POV
When I met you, I hated you.
I thought you were just another pervert that had walked into my life. So I insulted you, I called you names and I made you feel lower then dirt. Now I see that, I see a lot of things that I didn't back then. You have to understand that the life I had been living before you came along was more than a stressful one.
It irritated me that guys treated me like a prize, something they fought for and could simply claim as theirs, so when my dad announced that I had a fiancé, I thought my fight was lost. The daily fight I went through to be my own person, to be someone that could make her own decisions. Being told I had a fiancé, it felt like I had lost everything. So I fought the engagement, I fought my family, I fought you.
But then I got to know you, the real you and I found myself regretting everything from the beginning, our beginning. I wanted to apologize too many times, but never found the right words. And so I never did. I was afraid that if I apologized, you would reject me. And that would have hurt me more then anything in the world. Your rejection would have been a fatal wound that I know I would have never recovered from. So I never talked to you and things dragged on like that for two whole years.
And then it happened, one day I realized that I was in love with you. My realization was so out of the blue that it hurt; it hurt to know that I was where I didn't want to be. How could I, ME, the girl who hates boys, fall in love with one? Especially a jerk, only, as much as I tried to believe it, I knew you weren't a jerk, you were just Ranma. I told myself that I must be crazy, I convinced myself that it was temporary insanity. But as much as I fought it, there you were. Always saving me, always comforting me, and above everything else, you were there for me when I needed you the most.
But even when I knew that I loved you, I treated you the same, always insulting and hurting you. Our relationship or lack thereof, was something I grew to detest because it told me everything that I needed to know. You hated me. With every insult that came out of your mouth, it was like a little part of my soul died. I tired to be strong; to act like nothing was happening but inside I was dying.
Our situation was proving to be the most difficult obstacle that I have had to overcome, and so I wanted to get away. But that would mean I was running away and that would reflect weakness. That was something I would never admit, weakness. So just stuck along, pretending I was fine and that I didn't care that you were always surrounded by other girls but the truth was that I was falling apart.
One day, you found me crying, tears were my biggest traitors then. I wanted to hide it from you, just like I was hiding my feelings for you. But you knew better, maybe you knew me better then I knew myself.
It was such a magical moment; I could've died at that moment and had no regrets.
Everything changed after that day; I thought that it would be for the better but it wasn't. And I broke down completely; my heart couldn't take it anymore so I finally looked for an excuse to disappear.
Close to graduation, I called everyone to the tea room and announced that I was leaving, going away to college. I would be leaving soon, the news was out of the blue, and I didn't want to give them enough time to keep me from going. Knowing that I would be leaving you was breaking my heart but I knew that we didn't have a future. I had to let you go, not that I wanted to but I assumed it was the best thing. As long as I was around, you weren't going to be able to live your life. I couldn't let our fathers ruin your life by forcing you to be with me.
Keeping you with me would feel like killing you. See, you are such a free spirit. You are not meant to be in one place, you belonged to the world.
But I must say that your reaction to the news was a shock. Everyone was surprised, but most of all ME.
RANMA'S POV
When I met you, in my girl form, I fell in love.
It was strange; I had fought my pops so much, I didn't want to even think about a bride. I was too young. Besides, how dare he pick my bride for me? I always knew he was crazy, but that was a little too much. Besides, at that moment, I had other things to worry about, like a cure for my curse. But then I saw you, and I thought he couldn't have done better.
But you were so nice to me; you seemed like a sweet girl, not to mention very pretty. There was something in you that I couldn't resist, I don't even think I knew what it was but I knew it was there. And that was enough for me. It might have been the passion I saw in your eyes that first time we spared.
Whatever it was, it was there.
When I met you in my guy form, I hated you.
The first time I saw you, I can't deny I let my eyes wonder around. Who in their right mind can resist a peek at a girl like you? Especially after our first meeting, I couldn't believe that someone so pretty could be so nice.
But then I met you, again, and I couldn't help thinking you were a daddy's little girl. A spoiled, brat who had whatever she wanted.
Although, thinking about it now, my thoughts on you might have only been a reaction to your rejection. Your eyes were so full of hatred that it made me react in such a childish way. For the first time in my life, someone called me a pervert. A PERVERT! What kind of girl calls someone you just met a pervert? I have to admit that your rejection has been one of the hardest things I have had to overlook. I disguised my pain by insulting you back.
But then I got to know the real you. And I realize that my first impression of you was…spot on. You were the nicest girl I had ever met. You are a good and loyal friend. And witnessing all the problems you had, especially in school, made me realize that you had struggled as much as me. That made me admire you, I know it couldn't be easy putting up with all those crazy guys.
I've had quite a handful with stockers. Believe me I know.
And it made me crazy, you having so many guys after you. You see, I didn't just realize one day that I was in love with you. It took me some time to accept it but I knew it long ago.
You did that, the little things that you did for me like worrying about me, always taking care of me. I especially liked the way you tended my injuries. I even came to appreciate, at some level, your cooking. It might have been a disaster, but you did it for me, you put your best effort in cooking because of me and it kind of gave me some hope. Like, you did all that stuff because you actually cared for me.
But there were other times when I was absolutely sure that you hated my guts, when we fought, we used to say some pretty awful things. I regret some of the stuff that I ever said, but since I had no other way of hiding my feelings for you, that was the only way I saw.
I couldn't explain it, or when it happened but my desire to protect you immediately grew. With each passing day, my obsession to protect you became like a drug. Something that got me in more trouble, you used to get mad because I treated you like that, but, how could you not see? I just couldn't let anyone hurt you.
I made a promise, long ago, that no one knows about, not even you, I haven't even said it out loud. I promised to myself that, as long as you were with me, nothing was going to happen to you. I guess it's silly but inside that tough exterior, I believed there was a fragile girl, and it drove me crazy thinking that something could happen to that girl, to that girl that I knew was inside you.
I always thought that our fights were not important, and boy, how wrong was I. I never realize that you couldn't let those fights go and that I hurt you so much.
But one day, everything changed.
You announced to everyone that you were leaving. I didn't understand anything at that moment; I couldn't believe that you could even consider leaving your house, your home, your family. How could you even think of leaving me? I sat there looking at you with a sour expression. And I saw you look at me from the corner of your eye. That was what got me out of my shocked expression.
I saw you and suddenly, I felt angry. Angry at me, angry at you, angry at the whole stupid idea. Without even thinking, I stood up, approached you, took your hand in mine and dragged you out of there.
We needed to talk.
We ended up in some random place that I don't even remember where. And I just stared at you. I couldn't even think of something to say that explained my behavior. But that didn't matter at that moment. I need to know why, I wanted to know if the reason you were leaving was me. But I didn't know how to ask.
I couldn't even bare to think of my life without you. I wanted to say something to make you stay.
"I…um..." I still wasn't sure how to start
"Ranma…what do you think you're doing?" I heard you ask, but it wasn't an accusation, it was a question of pure confusion. And it made me doubt if what I was about to do was the right thing.
"I should be asking the same question, don't you think?" I managed to articulate
"I…don't know what you're talking about" you stated looking away from me
What was I supposed to say? How should I have respond to your answer? I exploded!
"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN" I screamed at you, surprised at the panic in my voice
"Look Ranma…I just think…it's the best thing…"you started awkwardly, but I didn't let you continue talking.
"Is it because of what happened?" I blurted out, afraid of the answer
"Ranma…" you didn't say anything else; I guess you couldn't believe what I was asking
"Because…it mean everything for me…I thought that…you know, things were going to be different between us" I confessed, still a little afraid
"I…fine you want to know what's happening to me? I'm mad at you…after…you know…you hardly spoke to me and I thought that you had regretted what happened" you told me sincerely, tears in your eyes
"How could you even think that?" I managed to say, I was surprised and very hurt at what you were saying.
And then there was silence. I wasn't angry anymore, I was just hurt.
FLASHBACK - TWO WEEKS AGO
It was a rainy day in Nerima, Ranma and Akane had walked home just in time, before the rain came down.
When they got home, they found the house empty and a note on the table. Everybody was out, doing god only knows what.
They had been unusually quiet that day, but not distant. They quietly walked to school, stealing glances of each other. They had lunch together, again silence filled the air, and surprisingly, there hadn't been any interruptions. And they walked home in silence again. Lately, they had grown awkward around each other, and for some reason, they couldn't be around each other too much time. They didn't avoid each other but they tried to be as far away as possible.
They hadn't been alone at home for some time now. And the emptiness of the house at that moment made them nervous. They tried to shrug their feeling off.
They each went to their separate rooms. After a couple of hours, Akane emerged form her room, she was getting kind of hungry. She quietly walked to Ranma's room; she stood there for a moment, contemplating the door to his room.
"Ranma…? Do you want to have dinner?" Akane asked while lightly knocking on the door
"Sure, I'll be there in a minute!" he said from the other side of the door
"Ok" was Akane's response. She walked downstairs and heated their dinner.
When Ranma came down, he noticed that Akane had placed his plate across from her. He found this strange, his place was next to her, but he didn't say anything. He just sat down across from her.
Ranma started inhaling his food like always. When there was food around, his attention was directed to such delicacy. When he finished though, he noticed that Akane had barely touched her food.
"Akane, are you alright?" he asked with concern. But Akane didn't respond. She seemed too preoccupied with her thoughts and he was sure she didn't even hear him. He went and sat next to her, he waved his right hand in front of her face "Yoo-hoo, Akane, are you there?" he didn't stop until she finally noticed him.
"What is it?" she asked, still concentrated in only her thoughts.
"Are you going to eat?" he asked her
"I'm not that hungry" she stated and then headed for her room
Ranma waited for a few minutes but then decided to follow her, he was positive there was something wrong with her and he was going to find out.
He knocked on her door, twice, but Akane didn't answer. The only thing that he could hear was the voice of someone that sounded a lot like the radio.
He tried knocking again, this time a little louder.
"Yeah" was the only reply that came from the room.
"Can I come in?" he asked, hoping he could talk to her about whatever was bothering her.
"Actually, I'm getting ready to go to bed" she responded
"This early?" he questioned her
"I'm tired" she said close to shouting
"I just wanna talk" he insisted
"Can we do it tomorrow?" she wanted to refuse
"I don't think so" he told her, determined
"Please?" she pleaded
"Nope, now open the door" he ordered
"uuuhhh" she grunted in annoyance, but she finally gave in and opened the door "What do you want?"
"I told you, I just wanna talk" he told her again, his mood drastically changed once he saw her face, her eyes were filled with tears "Why are you crying" he asked her
"I'm not crying" she responded
"Yes you are" he insisted "Now just tell me what's going on" he urged
"Nothing" she said plainly
"Look you can tell me, sooner or later, I'm ganna figure it out either way"
She had gone back to her bed; Ranma noticed that she was in fact, wearing her pajamas already. She refused to look at him and only stared at the wall.
"Don't you trust me?"
"Yes"
"Then…"
"Nothing" she insisted but even if he wasn't looking at her face, he knew that she was crying. With much hesitancy, he approached the bed and sat next to her. He looked away from her for a few minutes before turning to see her again.
He looked down at her hands, which where on top of the covers and he covered her left hand with his.
"Akane…" he was still looking at her hand in his when he realized that she was hugging him. Akane desperately held him close to her with the hug while her crying intensified. He didn't know what was happening to her; she just wanted some kind of comfort.
They stayed that way for some time in silence, Ranma was afraid to do anything in fear of being called a pervert. But after a minute he began soothing her, running his hand up and down her back, trying to make her relaxed.
How perfect then that in this moment this song played in the radio.
Something' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's something in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life.
Sometime during the beginning of the song, Akane had backed away slightly, only far enough for her to see his face.
"I'm sorry" she apologized
"Why are you apologizing for?" he asked, confused
"For being such a crybaby" she whispered but her brown eyes were locked in his blue eyes. And she didn't have any intentions of breaking contact. It was true, his voice made her heart want to jump up her throat. And she obviously enjoyed being close to him.
Ranma stared at her; her cheeks were still warm with tears. But her eyes, they captivated him, hypnotizing him and couldn't even dare looking away.
Slowly, they approached each other, Akane came in 90% of the way and she waited for Ranma to come the last 10%. This way, she would be sure he wanted this as much as her.
Their kiss was inexperienced, but sweet.
If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've been so alone
An if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done
Akane felt like she was walking on a cloud, kissing Ranma was something she didn't think she was going to be able to do. So she assumed she was dreaming again, as if to make sure this was real, she pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.
A single moan escaped from her throat.
All of a sudden, Ranma felt weak, but pleasantly weak, all the little noises Akane was making were urging him to go further. But he had been waiting too long to have the guts to kiss her. And now that it was finally happening, he wanted to enjoy it.
He tenderly ran his hands up and down her arms and then her back, alternating in between.
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all they way back where I belong
Ranma circled his arms around her waist and brought her closer, if that was possible. He enjoyed the way her body molded to his, fitting in all the right places. Her skin felt smooth against his, own rougher skin.
Akane was lost in the feelings she was experiencing, she never thought that Ranma could be so gentle.
At some point, Ranma placed one hand on her back and the other on the back of her dead, he gently lowered her on the bed, with him lightly resting on top of her. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was afraid that at any moment, Akane would just get up and beat the living crap out of him. But as much as he resisted, he couldn't stop, he had crossed a line, and there was no turning back.
For the first time in their lives, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo didn't let their brains get between their true feelings.
A window breaks, down a long dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see, through the dark there is light
Their kissing was still sweet but it was passionate and full of love. Slowly, their clothes began to disappear, each item at a time. Ranma slightly sat and just admired her, her beautiful face, her captivating smile, her perfect skin. He leaned and kissed her again.
"Are you sure?" he whispered into her ear.
Akane's response was to pull him down and kiss him again, not telling him, but showing him that she wanted what was about to happen. And that was everything he wanted to know, he kissed her back, but this time, more confident more sure of himself.
Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much
"Ranma?" Akane managed to say in between kisses
"Yeah?" he responded
"I love you" she told him, and to Akane, it felt like a weight had come off her shoulders. It was out there, she had told him, and it was true, she loved him more then she thought was possible.
Ranma just stared at her, unwilling to believe what she just said. He knew she cared about him, but love him? She loved him?
"I love you too" he told her sincerely, whispering into her ear. His voice was sweet.
If feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back to where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the say back where I belong
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
And then they were one. Ranma explored her body, tattooing her in his mind. Akane ran her hands on his chest, learning to be gentle and loving the way his rough skin felt against her smooth fingers.
That afternoon, they learned the meaning of loving each other. It wasn't something just physical; it was making love in a way they never imagined.
In that moment, Akane realize that there wasn't a better feeling then being in his arms. It's were she wanted to spend the rest of her life.
A few hours later, they lay in bed next to each other, fast asleep.
END OF FLASHBACK
"The next morning…you acted like nothing had happened" you told me "I thought that you regretted what happened" the tone of your voice was so sad
"Is that really what you think?" I asked you "Do you think it didn't mean anything?"
"You sure acted like that" you told me
"If you want to know the truth, I did feel a little guilty…" I admitted, but you…well being you, you didn't let me finish and reacted in that instant
"See, I don't know what I was thinking…I hate you" you screamed and tried to run away. But I stopped you, I jumped in front of you and blocked your way, you had to know the whole story.
"The reason I felt guilty was because you deserved better, I know I haven't treated you right. You deserved better" I kept repeating.
"What are you talking about?" you asked me
"You deserve someone better then me. I know I don't deserve you, and then I go and do that to you, without asking you to marry me. I didn't even tell you what was happening to me" I looked down, I couldn't stand you looking at me, I thought you hated me for not respecting you enough.
You had this expression on your face that I couldn't quiet figure out. I thought I had said something wrong. But then I saw you smiling, and I didn't know what to think.
"You…you…were going to ask me to marry you?" you asked me in wonder
"Um…I…yeah. I've been thinking about it for some time now, I wanted to…but I wanted it to be something special. I…heard you one day, talking to your friends and say that you wanted it to be something romantic. I didn't know how to do it but I wanted to do it soon" I confessed.
"Really?" you asked in what I suppose was shock, I could only nod.
I didn't really expect your reaction, you launched yourself at me, we ended up on the sidewalk and I thought I was as good as dead. But then you hugged me with such force that I thought I was going to asphyxiate. And then I felt something warm on my cheek and I knew you were crying. I started to panic.
"What ya crying for?" I asked you
"Because I'm happy" you stated. I was happy with that answer and I hugged you back.
"You know, I would" you said after a while of silence
"Would what?" I asked too much distracted
"Marry you" you simply stated
"So what do we do now?" I asked you
"I don't know, Ranma, regardless of what happens, I still have to go. I can't loose this opportunity, it's a full scholarship. You know dad can't pay for college, if I stay, I couldn't go to college" you told me,
"Where are you going?"
"The U.S."
"WHAT?" I shouted
"The U.S." you repeated, I couldn't believe you were going that far, I thought maybe Tokyo or something a little closer, but another continent?
"You know I don't want to leave you but, it might be good. Some time away from each other, maybe this whole problem with the fiancées will be over"
"I guess" I said "Come on, let's go home" and we started our way home. I didn't know what to think, or do; knowing you were still going away was breaking my heart.
We went home in complete silence, when we got to the house, it was already time for dinner. Everyone asked us questions but we didn't answer any.
After dinner, I watched you go up the stairs to go to your room. I didn't feel like going to sleep yet so I decided to go the roof and think.
I came up with something, it hit me like a wave, but it was perfect. It just had to work.
I watched the clock and as soon as it hit 3 in the morning I got up and went to your room. I got in without hesitation, I had a mission.
You were in your bed, sleeping peacefully. I almost doubted waking you up.
"Akane" I called quietly. But you didn't even seem bothered
"Akane" I called again, shaking you this time. You stirred, finally and slightly opened your eyes.
"What do you want?" you asked sleepily
"I need you to come with me"
"But I'm sleeping" you protested
"It won't take long. Now come on"
"Fine, Fine. I'm coming" you clumsily got out of bed. I pulled you out of your room, and dragged you to the roof.
I sat there, and motioned for you to sit beside me.
"Akane, you love me right?" I asked you out of the blue, without wasting one minute. You nodded. "And you know I love you right?" I asked again.
"I've thought about this way too much, I had a whole speech prepared but I'm just ganna come out and say it. Will you marry me?" he asked while reaching into his pocket and bringing out a small box.
"But…" you started but I interrupted
"No Akane, this is a yes or no answer" I told you
"But…we already said that this time apart would be good" you insisted
"No buts Akane, I just want a yes or a no"
"Then…it's a yes" you told me
"Good" I said, feeling relieved at your answer. "You mention all the fiancées and all the trouble that we have here in Nerima" I continued "If you're going then I want to come with you"
"WHAT?" you asked, sleep finally leaving you completely.
"I want to come with you" I repeated "I want to be with you. This would be perfect for us; we can get married there, imagine no nosy family, no other fiancées. Wouldn't you like that?"
But of course, you had not heard any of that; you just stared at the ring that I was holding in hands. Later you told me it was the most beautiful ring that you had ever seen. It wasn't big or extravagant, it was the perfect size, it was the perfect shape, and you said it's the ring you would pick out for yourself. But at that moment, it made me nervous that you weren't saying anything.
Maybe it's too much, I wondered.
"Akane? Are you mad? I know it's kind of sudden but I though it was a good plan. You don't have to say yes if you don't feel it. You know I would wait for you but I don't think I could stand being away from you those, I don't know, four years or something? " I told you almost out of breath, this waiting was going to kill me. But without responding, you reached for the ring, took it and put in on your finger yourself.
"I want you to come with me too" you told me. I hugged you, I couldn't believe this was happening, you had accepted to be with me.
"So, what do we do now?" you asked me
"Well, it's a good thing you haven't told your family where you're going. And I think we should keep it that way. I don't want any unexpected visits. When do we leave?" I asked, feeling very content
"Two days" you said
Those two days passed by rather quickly, in between the packing, organizing and the family butting in, there was hardly any time to rest. The only one that had some kind of clue of what was happening was Kasumi, but she didn't know all the detail either; she was the one who helped us get enough money for my expenses.
We left one Saturday; the day was sunny and warm. I remember you were wearing a white dress with blue flowers.
We picked up our bags and said our goodbyes.
We were finally going to live OUR LIFE.
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