Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Tonight
by pahlee
The morning air was crisp, the winter cold lingering as a young martial artist slept soundly on his bed, a smile creeping across his face. Birds began their morning songs as the day began, the sun slowly rising and settling in through the window in the boy's room. Slowly, he sat up and stretched his arms above his head as he looked out the window, "Tonight's the night," he muttered as he began his day.
Ranma emerged from the bathroom, sporting his regular pants and shirt, with a towel in one hand drying his wet hair, he looked up the hall into the kitchen where he could just see breakfast being served in a matter of moments. He smiled at this thought as he imagined the smells filling his nostrils, knowing and bravely taking the fact that she was cooking. He shook his head, he had places to go and he knew that she, of all people, knew how important this day was for him. Ranma headed back upstairs to get his money and leave for the activities for the day.
Had it not been the fact that most people of Nerima did not know who he was, the residents would have found his actions odd in his favor, but no one seemed to notice. That was fine with the young martial artist, as he did not care what they thought anyways, it was not like their opinion mattered anyways. He scoffed at the idea as he lingered, perhaps longer than he should, in front of the flower shop gazing at the display.
"Perhaps she would enjoy those," he thought as he looked at the assortment of beautiful flowers sitting in the window, he chuckled, "…I know she will."
In less than a minute, Ranma emerged from the store with the flowers he saw on display in his arms. A breeze blew by, allotting his bangs to sweep across his forehead as he recalled the first time he gave her flowers, "She was so surprised," he thought, "…she looked so cute." A smile threatened to appear, but he controlled himself as he continued his journey.
"F-for me?" Akane asked, shocked as Ranma stood in front of her holding the bouquet of flowers with a smile on his face. "If ya' want them," he managed to say as he felt his face get warm, reddening from embarrassment.
She smiled up at him as she took them into her small hands, "Thank –you, Ranma."
He gulped, his saliva traveling down his throat as he replied a throaty, "Y-you're welcome," to the girl in front of him. Akane buried her face into the flowers momentarily to smell them, only to resurface and with her rare smile say, "Let's go home."
Ranma realized that his mind had drifted as he stood under the familiar bridge where he shared similar moments with Akane, the memories swelling inside him as he sat down to reminisce. Quiet moments like these were rare, and he seized every moment he got.
Hours seemed to pass as he sat there, just thinking. Thinking how much his life changed in the five years he stayed with the Tendo family. How he looked forward to going back to the place he called home, sharing it with the people he called his family. Life is so beautiful that it should not be taken for granted, with that, his grip on the flowers tightened slightly. He rose up as soon as he noticed the position of the sun in the sky.
"Shit, it's late," he muttered as he began his stride back, "I hope she isn't angry."
He went back home, slipping his shoes off as he went into the kitchen where the dishes had been neatly put back and nothing out of place. Inside the cabinet above the countertops, he found a vase to put the flowers in and put cool water inside. He sat the flowers on the table as he went upstairs to change into his familiar red shirt he favored so much. Looking at the clock as he took the flowers, it had read 6:00 PM.
His feet prodded the ground as he passed familiar territory, and a feeling of nostalgia entering his thoughts as he walked. Taking a knee, he placed the flowers next to the others that lined the tombstone, he smiled as he felt the tear escape his eye, "Hey, Happy Birthday, tomboy."
Ranma fell to both of his knees as he looked at the flowers that lined her grave. Every assortment of radiant red flowers decorated Akane Tendo's tomb seem to just take him. "I miss ya'," Ranma whispered as he ran his fingers across the words TENDO AKANE, "I-I'm sorry I'm late," he let out a weak chuckle, "I promised you though, I wouldn't be, but …but I was. I-I'm sorry."
He pushed back the tears as he said in a raspy voice, losing every sense in his speaking, "I-I hope you aren't angry with me," he let out a breath, "…because I can't t-take it when you are, especially at me." He sat up, staring at the portrait that was etched on her marker, "I love you," he whispered as he stood up and glanced at her site once more before going back home.
Back at the Tendo house, in the familiar room that once belonged to a young female martial-artist, a paper sat under a paperweight with a scrawl too familiar for words sat with only a few lines written on them:
I hope you'll forgive me, I know that it'll be too late by then. But; I love you. I love you… I love you, Ranma Saotome.
A/N: I wanted to write a one-shot, so I made myself a challenge - write a story less than 1,000 words in 1 hour; hopefully this end result isn't too much of failure; I like the story, myself (then again, I might be just ever so bias), and hopefully you will too!
Thank you for reading, have a wonderful day!