Three Little Words
by Jai-kun

"...why is it everytime I try to explain my-"

"So WHY did you let her HANG on you like that?"

Akane and Ranma came home as usual. Fighting.

"How could an uncute, sexless tomboy like you understand anyway? If you were..." Ranma went on, not seeing the look of rage on Akane's normally gentle face. Nor did he see the angry blue arua spring into it's now familiar place.

Nor did he see the mallet crash down on him from Akane's dainty hand.

He did see black though, and took the split second before it over took him to recognize what happened.

I opened my big mouth, agai-

He was out before even that quick recognition was fully formed.

Akane sat on her bed, allowing the anger to flow through her. It was the only way she knew to get rid of it.

Why does he have to insult me, anyway? Everyday, it's he insults me, I hit him, he wakes up, and we start all over again. Her eyes teared up as she remembered the few times the routine was veered from, when he had shown some kindness to her. The times when he thought she was dead, or the time in Ryogonzawa... but other than these all to sparse times, the cycle of fighting, slamming, and fighting again was perpetually spinning itself.

She got up and trudged to the dojo. Breaking some bricks will make me feel better... at least I can imagine his stupid, idiotic, perverted FACE on the bricks...

A part deep inside of her sighed in resignation.

She stormed into the dojo, almost directly into Ranma's back. Her martial arts reflexes allowed her to stop in time and walk around him. She turned to him to chastise his carelessness.

Ranma evidently hadn't noticed. His eyes were closed, his hands sweeping slowly up and down, his legs guiding him smoothly, slowly. Every muscle was tense, but he was not trembling with the effort. His face was almost relaxed, the only evidence of any emotion being a slight furrowing of the brow, which was fading even as she watched. Her own anger began to fade as she watched his precise movements. It was almost as if he were dancing at festival, but she recognised some of the more complex movements as joint-locks and take-downs.

A slow martial art? She watched, becoming enraptured in the beauty of his movement, sliding down the wall in her rapture. His muscles rippled easily as he moved through the kata, every strike on target, every stance in perfect form. God, he's good...

She almost hadn't noticed when he halted, and blushed when opened his eyes and looke right at her.

Oh, man, not again... Ranma looked at her, not willing to open his mouth and risk another fight.

Akane looked up at him, still blushing, vague thoughts tripping through her mind refering to his handsomeness when he was quiet. Thoughts that, this time, rather than instantly smashed, were reluctantly pushed aside.

Ranma grabbed the towel from the shelf beside him and wiped away the thin sheen of sweat that had formed on his face. Why is she starin' at me like that? What'd I do now?

Akane opened her mouth, realizing she had been staring. "Ummm... what was that?" She chided herself for the directness of her question, but he seemed to take it in stride.

"It's Tai-chi. Very soothing."

Akane had, of course, heard of Tai-chi. "Isn't that just a series of exercises for the elderly?"

Ranma couldn't supress a wry grin. "Well, yeah, but it's also a martial art."

Akane hmphed, then remembered the look of peace in Ranma's face, melting into place as she watched. "Could... could I learn?"

She had expected him to laugh, to call her names and tell her that a 'clumsy chick like her' couldn't learn such complicated moves. In truth, she was already reaching for her ever-present mallet. But she stopped when he just shrugged and said, "Sure."

He pulled her up and moved her into a position next to him, adjusting her arms and stance to the first position of the kata. "Follow me, and do as I do."

He began the kata again, keeping his eyes sideways on Akane. At first, the flowing movements aluded her, but the she began to get the hang of it. Still, her movements were jerky, almost as if she were resisting their intentional smoothness.

"No, smoother..." The move was still jerky, and Akane's face showed her frustration.

"Let it flow through you..." Ranma himself began to feel her frustration, and the wheel began to spin again, slowly, increasing...

Another jerky motion better, and Akane snapped first. "OK! OK! So I can't do it!" she shouted into his own frustrated frown.

Ranma opened his mouth to point out that he shouldn't have tried to teach something so graceful to a clutz like her. It snapped shut again at her glare. No. I started doin' this kata to calm down. I ain't lettin' her ruin it.

He instead turned and grabbed the towel by the door, missing Akane's defiant expression turn to one of sadness. Then she turned her back on him, trying the kata. I'll show him! I can do it myself!

Her movements, no matter how hard she tried to smooth them, remained jerky. She nearly gave up when she felt it.

Gentle pressure behind her.

She gaped at her wrists, now held softly by two strong hands. Her head snapped around to glare at Ranma behind her, who was pressed up against her, and blushing.

"This had better be because of one of Shampoo's mushrooms again."

He stunned her by starting the movements of the kata, forcing her arms to comply when she resisted.

"Look, it's the only way to teach you, OK?"

His soft voice in her ear, coupled with the warm breath of it, eased her resistance.

Ranma eased up as well, merely guiding her movements where before he was forcing them. "That's it. Let the movements flow... empty your mind... don't be afraid to slow down if you need to..."

Ranma's voice was surprisingly soothing, and Akane found herself relaxing more and more into the movements, allowing her mind to relax, to let the images flow instead of ordering them.

Ranma himself began to relax into the role of teacher, letting gentle movements rather than biting sarcasm correct Akane's mistakes. He could not ignore her grace before him, or the pleasant warmth she was giving. He guided her, letting the kata empty his mind as well.

Soon, they were again side by side, sliding through the movements in unison. The two bodies moved as one to the kata's end, a balanced stance, hands in front in a gaurded position, every muscle tensed and ready, but not straining.

After holding this for a few seconds, Akane and Ranma opened their eyes. Ranma turned to Akane, bowed, and walked out of the dojo. Akane was still smiling as she, too, left.

Akane looked at the kitchen in wonder. There were no flour marks on the wall, no remnants of dough on the counter. Or the sink. Or her hair...

The timer dinged, and she reached for her oven mitt. The oven opened, letting out a heavenly smell, one she had never experienced when it was her turn to cook. Akane smiled as the cookies, brown, not black, slid off of the tray onto the plate with ease.

He'll love them.

Ranma stepped into the kitchen then, and opened his mouth to ask why Akane was messing with Kasumi's cookies. He never got the chance as Akane cheerfully shoved one in his mouth.

"I baked them myself."

He nearly gagged at the thought, until his tastebuds message made itself known. These cookies are good!
He swallowed, and picked up another, looking it over back to front. Finding nothing wrong, he looked down at Akane's smiling face.

"YOU cooked these? Where did you find the water of life?"

Ranma's warning senses went off, something they had only seldom had a chance to do. He stepped back, but was cut short by the violence of...

A laugh? Akane was laughing gently at his joke.

Ranma started to chuckle slightly, then said the only thing he could trust himself to say.

"Milk?"

The plate sat empty, hardly even any crumbs left. Two glasses stood nearby, only the barest rings of white liquid at the bottom.

Ranma Saotome looked Akane in the eyes. "How?"

Akane couldn't look him in the eyes. She didn't want him to see her smile and make fun of it. "I just... did what you told me. I wasn't afraid to let myself slow down.

Ranma stared at her dark head, then cleared his throat, drawing her eyes to his.

Akane nearly cried when Ranma said three words she had longed to hear him say since... it seemed like forever.

"It was delicious."

FIN