Akane found herself drifting back into the waking world. She still wasn't quite used to sleeping in a car, even if the large plush seats of this boat of an American car were rather comfortable. She hoped the gentle sound of the ocean lapping nearby would help her fall back asleep, but wasn't having much luck.
Reluctantly opening her eyes after a few minutes of trying to get back to sleep, she was treated to the sight of Ranma's sleeping face. The petite woman's features looked down right angelic, gently illuminated by starlight.
Ranma twitched slightly in her sleep and Akane's heart fluttered a bit. That beautiful woman was her wife. It was a thought that still seemed surreal... the pair had been supposed to marry from the day they met, but the idea that, legally, Akane could call the woman she loved her wife was something that she never thought she'd get to do.
"Ma, whaddya got there?" Ranma mumbled in her sleep.
Akane sat up a bit, worrying at the nervous tone in Ranma's voice.
"Momma... no... I can't be that," Ranma half whispered, her voice starting to sound more worried.
Akane slid across the couch-like front seat towards Ranma, pulling the smaller woman into a hug and gently stroking her cheek, hoping to wake her. She knew what dream Ranma was having; the redhead had had it several times since informing Nodoka she had a daughter, not a son.
"Ranma, you're okay. We're okay," Akane said softly as her wife flinched slightly in her sleep at the touch. "You're just dreaming."
Ranma's eyes fluttered open, worry evaporating as they focused enough to see Akane in the pale illumination of starlight. Immediately, Ranma buried her face into Akane's shoulder and hugged in wife in return.
"Why do I gotta keep havin' that dream?" Ranma asked at last, lifting her sad eyes to meet Akane's. "I mean, it worked out... but I still keep worryin'."
Akane leaned forward and kissed her wife softly on the lips. "You were worried about what your mom would say for years. And for good reason. It'll take a while to get past that. I know I'm still having nightmares about entrance exams, and that was nowhere near what you had to worry about."
Ranma giggled a bit.
"Great, now I'm probably gonna get a nightmare that combines ma's katana with a test I didn't study for. Thanks," the redhead said, sticking her tongue out afterwards.
Her eyes still looked sad to Akane though.
"What do you say we get some fresh air and do a little stargazing?" Akane offered, hoping that getting Ranma moving would help her get away from the dream.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Ranma replied, nodding softly.
Ranma swung open the door of their rented car and lay down on the hood. Akane slid out after her, and found a spot beside the smaller woman.
"Told you the caprice was the right choice, lots of room for relaxing," Ranma said as she shifted a bit to rest her head on Akane's shoulder.
"Yeah, the room is nice... I'll concede it's not a bad choice, since you've proven you can reach the pedals fine. Still a boat of a car though," Akane replied in a lightly teasing tone, while enjoying the warmth of the other woman leaning against her.
"I ain't that short," Ranma grumbled, though her tone was just as playful.
Silently enjoying one another's company, Akane began to properly take in the sky above them. The stars seemed endless, and Akane wondered if she would even be able to pick out the few constellations she knew.
"I love these clear skies," Ranma said, almost more to herself than Akane. "It just makes the stars seem ta go on forever."
"And you wanted to go north," Akane added with a smile on her face.
"What can I say? Rainy places got a charm of their own too," Ranma replied. "At least for me."
Akane nodded, as her eyelids began to grow heavy.
The smell from the barbecue woke Akane. She was disoriented for a moment as she found herself back in the front seat of the rented caprice. Akane could only guess Ranma had carried her back in at some point.
Climbing out of the car, she found Ranma at the folding grill, with assorted small bits of meat grilling away.
"Mornin' sweetie," Ranma said, smiling gently.
"G'morning," Akane mumbled as she blinked herself closer to something resembling 'awake'. "Smells good."
"Mhm, think I'll be a Yakiniku cookin' pro by the end of our honeymoon at this rate," Ranma said, her gentle smile growing into a confident smirk. "Gotta say, love how cheap horumon tends ta be here."
Akane sat down on one of the folding chairs Ranma had set up. She quietly watched the redhead for a couple minutes, both to take in Ranma's beautiful face (as well as, if she was being honest with herself, the redhead's excellent figure) and trying to see what she could figure out about grilling. It seemed simple enough.. maybe she could try offering to help next time.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Akane asked.
"Well, I was lookin' at the map, and I think we can reach Santa Barbara by about lunch time if we keep goin' down this highway? That travel booklet said it's got lotsa nice shops and stuff. Unless ya wanna just focus on gettin' ta LA?"
"I don't mind taking our time and seeing the sights on the way," Akane replied. "Besides, I'll bet the beaches down towards LA are crazy crowded. Might be nice to enjoy some of the ones on the way instead."
"Alright then. Let's eat and head off, since the food's ready."
The highways of California were breathtaking, when one avoided rush hour. Ranma's cassette of softly electronic music from 808 State was a good compliment to the rolling hills.
Soon enough, the highway crested a range of hills and began to run along the ocean's edge once again. The sheer emptiness of the land struck her, as it so often had on this road trip. It was amazing to think a country could be so big as to leave land like this completely empty.
They soon enough hit the suburbs of Santa Barbara, however, and the empty feeling vanished. Luckily, Ranma's timing had been good, and they encountered only the tail end of rush hour, meaning traffic was busy, but not too slow. They reached their exit for downtown a few minutes later, and began the grand automotive tradition of hunting for a parking spot. The pair succeeded just before annoyance hit, and, though it was a bit farther from the main shopping area than hoped, the price was really quite reasonable for a day's parking.
As she pulled the keys out, Ranma let out a sigh of relief and turned to Akane. "Alright, let's get exploring."
The shops were nice. There were so many interesting outfits, showing a style quite different from back in Japan. There was just one issue: Akane was firmly petite by American sizes. And Ranma...
"I swear, I gotta shop in the kids' section here," Ranma grumbled, pouting quite adorably. "But it ain't like any a that'll fit right around my chest."
"I'm sure we'll find somewhere with clothes your size," Akane offered, though this was the fifth store they'd visited.
"Maybe," Ranma muttered.
Akane wasn't sure how best to comfort her, when Ranma's eyes lit up. The small redhead wandered over to one wall, staring up at long and flowing red dress, with a white floral patterning echoing some of the traditional embroidered Mexican dresses they'd seen for sale.
"I love it," Ranma whispered, reaching out to test the fabric.
"Ooh, it is very nice, but it's too long for either of us," Akane said, sure that Ranma realised that.
"Yeah," Ranma sighed, until some sort of idea struck her and a grin spread across her face. "Or maybe not. I think I just had an idea."
"What sort of idea?" Akane asked, feeling a bit nervous about her wife's large grin.
"You'll see," Ranma replied with a wink.
The young married couple walked down the street, Akane with a few bags in her hands, and Ranma happily swinging her lone bag.
"Whaddya say we get a hotel room and sleep in a bed for a change tonight?" Ranma asked suddenly, as they waited at a crosswalk.
"Sure, a bed sounds good. As does a shower," Akane replied.
"Cool, let's ask for some directions then," Ranma said happily.
Asking for directions was a bit easier said than done, as neither was particularly great at English, and local directions seemed to involve nearly as much Spanish as English. Then there was the confusing way Western directions worked, naming streets rather than neighbourhoods, but they found their way to a decently priced hotel that wasn't too far of a drive in the end.
The first thing Akane did when they reached the room was to flop on the bed, and simply enjoy how soft it was. Ranma, however, made a beeline for the washroom. How long Ranma was in there Akane wasn't sure, as she felt she may have drifted off a bit while enjoying the soft bed, but when she had begun to wonder what was taking Ranma so long just before the door swung open.
Akane sat up, slightly confused by the woman who emerged. She was taller than Akane, shoulder length black hair hanging loose. Her makeup was skillful, a touch of contouring to soften her features. And the red dress from before hanging elegantly from her well defined shoulders.
It had been nearly a year since Akane had seen her wife's birth form, and she'd certainly never seen that face quite so deliberately feminine.
"S-so... what do you think?" Ranma asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to hold it in a feminine range.
Akane felt her cheeks growing hot as she took in this new look from Ranma. "Wow... you've got a whole second type of beautiful at your disposal."
"Really?" Ranma asked her voice louder and excited, but still sounding feminine. A nervous smile spread across her face.
"Oh, definitely," Akane said as she stood up and walked over to her wife.
Akane lifted a hand up onto Ranma's cheek, gently brushing Ranma's cheek, before shifting onto the balls of her feet to reach up and kiss Ranma. Her heart fluttered at the way Ranma blushed.
Suddenly Ranma pulled her into a tight hug. "I don't know if it's a leftover from bein' raised a guy or not, but... I missed bein' taller, so I could properly feel like I could protect ya."
Akane smiled as she held her wife just as tightly. "I like to protect you too. I think it's more about being in love than anything. Don't worry."
Ranma loosened the hug, letting the young couple stare into one another's eyes. Akane didn't want the hug to end... though a sudden mischievous grin spreading across Ranma's face began to shift the mood.
"Alright, dear, what's that smirk about?" Akane asked, preparing for some sort of nonsense from her wife.
"I was just wonderin' if they'll have sufficiently padded bras ta feel proportionate for me when I'm like this," Ranma replied. "Feels funny bein' flat chested again after so long."
Akane stifled the urge to bury her face in her hand, and instead gave a strained smile. "I... well, if you want. Though... flatter has some advantages. Like, you can wear shirts with text on them for a change."
Ranma's eyes lit up. "You're right! And pictures too! Ooh, this opens up so many new outfit options. It's real useful, havin' a flat chested tomboy for a wife, thanks Akane."
"Ranma... I love you, but, also, sometimes I want to strangle you," Akane said, trying not to laugh at how genuinely positive a tone Ranma had used.
"How about I buy you a burrito as a peace offerin'?" Ranma offered, her smile adorably smug.
Due to having not seen Ranma's birth face in so long, Akane was suddenly struck by how that smile was once the thing she most disliked about Ranma... and yet was now one of her favourite things about her wife.
"Sure, burritos sound good... Honestly, they sound a little too good. I'm going to miss all this Mexican food when we go back to Tokyo."
Ranma nodded. "Well, let's just enjoy our honeymoon while we're on it, and worry about the after... after."
Akane smiled and grabbed her wife's (now less dainty) hand. "Sounds good, Mrs. Tendo, as they say here."
Ranma smiled with an overwhelmed blush. "Oh, that sounds so nice. Thank you for letting me have your name, Mrs. Tendo."
Akane couldn't help but join Ranma in smiling like a fool. The beautiful woman in front of her was her wife. She knew she'd married an adorable redhead, and was still getting used to that, but now she had a tall and lithe raven haired beauty to get used to being married to as well.
She was impossibly lucky.