The young girl cracked her eyes open sleepily as she heard her alarm go off. Yawning heartily, she stretched her arms only to cuddle them back under her blanket immediately. She loved the warmth of her bed, she loved those lazy Sunday mornings when she could just wait for the first ray of pure sunlight to crash through her window, shattering it into a thousand pieces of flawless diamonds that seemed to glow in all the colors of the rainbow, she loved listening to the night's silent orchestra and it being replaced by its cheerful counterpart. Before she closed her hazel eyes with a lovely smile, she caught a glimpse of someone's shadow lingering in her room out of the corner of her eye. She simply loved those lazy days – and jolted right up as her drowsy mind realized exactly what she had seen. Having thrown the blanket off of herself and jumped out of her comfortable bed, she got in a ready stance to fight off any intruder.
"Chill out," she heard a very familiar voice coming from somewhere beneath her and found her fiancé sitting directly in front of her. "I'm only here to wish you a happy birthday; in case you forgot."
Breathing a sigh of relief, the blue-haired woman let herself fall back on the bed. The mattress creaked under her weight and she buried her beautiful face in her palms. Just seconds later, though, she spied through her fingers to see the time on her clock – 6:30 in the morning –, yawned again and finally closed her eyes sleepily. This could not be real. After all, she had set her alarm to go off two hours later and there was no way that her inconsiderate fiancé would be sitting in her room, waiting for her to wake up so he could wish her a happy birthday. No way was this real; and yet she sat right up again. Suddenly wide awake, the young girl looked at her smirking husband-to-be.
"6:30? Don't scare me like – what is going on?" she jabbered and watched him get up from the floor beneath her bed. "What's it this time? Did someone get kidnapped? Or has Shampoo drugged you again?"
"Duh!" he answered grumpily, before he suddenly bit his lower lip and closed his sea blue eyes for a moment. Then, having opened them again, he smiled at her in such a cheeky fashion that the puzzled young girl could but smile back at him. "Sorry, but I mean, c'mon! You really think I'd be here if Shampoo drugged me?"
"No," the young girl shook her head and fell back down on her pillow, noticing the faint smell of sweet maple syrup, but dismissing it as a child of her own imagination. "No, you'd have been in China by the time I'd woken up. Well, I give up; what's it this time?"
"I told you," he said, conjured up a rather large breakfast tray out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to the surprised figure on the bed. "Happy birthday! Hope you like breakfast in bed."
The blue-haired woman looked at the tray in her hands in utter bewilderment. The freshly made pancakes, piled up and garnished with the number seventeen made of maple syrup, smelled as deliciously as the cup of green tea next to it. To the left of the plate full of pancakes was a bowl of fruit salad. A sole white flower adorned her breakfast. The young martial artist turned her head slowly and eyed the raven-haired man suspiciously, before she put the tray onto her bed, one of her hands on his forehead and the other on hers, trying to determine whether he was running a fever.
"Seems to be normal," she spoke under her breath. "What's wrong with you? Are you coming down with something? Is this your last day here? Or are you going to die soon?"
In the split second after her heedless words had left her smiling, ruby lips the young woman saw the transformation in her friend's composure. His sparkling blue eyes were coated with an invisible veil that seemed to hide both his fear and the lurking form of death in its grey shadows. His shoulders slumped and his smile cracked a little bit. Remembering their recent encounter with death in China, Akane cursed her rash words and slid her fingers down his masculine face to distract him from his bleak train of thought, hastily trying to change the subject.
"Thanks, Ranma! That's really nice of you," she said a little louder than necessary so that the young man gave a small jerk and turned his head to the door, half expecting someone to come rushing through it. "Don't worry, it's early Sunday morning. They're not up yet and I wasn't that loud, right?"
"Right," he answered her slowly with his eyes still glued to the door, before he faced her again, still somewhat distracted. "I wasn't quite sure what to make for breakfast. The usual stuff didn't seem, you know, right, so I went with something foreign. Hope it turned out okay."
"It's great," Akane exclaimed delighted after she had dug in and went on to try the fruit salad. "What's with the salad?"
"I figured that no good story ever started with someone eating a salad," he told her with a smile, watching her eat her breakfast. "Today's not about a good story or something, you see? It's your birthday and you're supposed to enjoy it. And a good story is hardly ever enjoyable for the people in it, right?"
"Absolutely," she agreed with him, taking a sip of green tea. "Either someone gets kidnapped or drugged or something entirely unrealistic. You know, with all that's happening in our lives, I almost feel like I'm in one of these cheesy, half-baked romance stories."
"Yeah, that'd be it," he laughed. "Some twenty-something guy with absolutely no ideas whatsoever, sitting on his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand, writing about us."
"Coffee?" she grinned. "Given how nuts our lives are, I'd go for beer or wine. Plus, I'd definitely damn him, because he'd have something crazy up his sleeve that'd happen to us. Anyway, what were you doing in my room?"
"Dunno," he shrugged, still amused at the idea that his life was nothing but a story and not paying attention to what he was telling her. "You know, I love those peaceful, quiet moments and when I came in you looked like a sleeping angel, so I couldn't wake you up. That's why I tempered with your alarm clock…"
The rest of his words were lost in the sound of the blood rushing from her heart to her face, as she blushed right up to her ears. She could not believe that her rude, unromantic fiancé had actually said something as sweet as this. Akane tried hard to keep her lips from forming a charming smile, but as she looked into his sincere eyes and knew that he had meant if not realized what he had said, she could not refrain from giving him her loveliest smile, which triggered his blush. The two adolescents looked at each other, both blushing, both not speaking a word, not even daring to breathe, until, suddenly, his stomach growled with hunger. The tension broken, Akane chuckled heartily while the young man gave her a sheepish smile.
"Open wide," she said, pierced half of the pancake with her fork, and held it out to him. Utterly surprised at this sudden gesture of friendliness, the young man did as he was told; little did he know that he would never eat the offered food.
Like two deer caught in the headlights the two adolescents stopped dead in their tracks, as the heard the steadily approaching sound of a person coming up to the girl's room, the loose floorboards creaking in anticipation. Suddenly the noise ceased to be but existed as a distant echo of days long past in the despairing hearts of the youths still. The handle of the wooden door moved silently and maddeningly slowly. Then, the door cracked open and the head of the girl's older sister popped in. In a split second the brown-haired woman scanned the situation and grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"I just wanted to sneak in your birthday present while you were still asleep," she told her sister, placed the neatly wrapped parcel on the ground and grabbed a small apparatus from her pocket. "But that's just too good to be true."
Humming a delightful tune, the eldest female of the household put on her apron and looked around in her kitchen. She had the strangest feeling that someone had already used the kitchen this morning, because she could not find the whisk – but then again, who would have got up this early in the morning an used the whisk to prepare breakfast? Her father? Or Mr. Saotome? The woman giggled. No, she probably put it somewhere last night and just forgot about it. Shrugging the mystery of the missing whisk aside, she rolled up her sleeves and began to make a special breakfast for the birthday girl – when she heard the usual lover's quarrel.
"You jerk!" her baby sister screamed at the top of her lungs, waking up the whole household, followed by the sound of the young man's light footsteps and the stomping of Akane, who was running after him with the ever-present mallet in her hands.
"Oh, Ranma! You promised me you'd be a good boy today," she sighed and waited for the usual insult – and heard him yell "You witch!" – which was to be shortly followed by her furious sister's fearsome growl that somehow sounded like a giggle today. "Regular as clockwork – wait! You witch? Giggling?"
Before the woman could realize what was going on or do as much as turn her head to see who came running into her kitchen, Kasumi was jerked around by someone seeking shelter behind her fragile form. Now facing the door, the oldest of the three sisters could see Ranma and Akane come to a sliding halt in the kitchen, slightly bumping into each other. Within a mere second, the woman grasped the gist of the situation, realizing that it was her younger sister using her as a shield against the combined rage of the two martial artists. What her sister had done this time, though, remained a mystery to her.
"Happy birthday, my dear!" she congratulated the young woman, who was still in her now somewhat rumpled pajamas, with a sweet smile. "So, what has she done to upset you two this time?"
The birthday girl took a deep breath, squinted at her elder sister in anger, and was about to place her hands on her hips, as a sudden thought seemed to strike her. She quickly averted her eyes from those of her sister, daring a quick side glance at her fiancé, who was idly shuffling his feet and looking at the ceiling. Crossing her arms, the young girl then rather decided to shoot the perpetrator a scornful look than to look directly at Kasumi, who had followed this surprising change of heart with a raised eyebrow.
"She took a photo of me in my bed," she accused her sister. "And now I'd like to have her camera, so I can get rid of it!"
"Lying does not become you well, my dear little Akane," remarked the devil on her sister's shoulder with a grin, before she had the chance to comment on the situation. "Now, it wasn't just a picture of you in your bed, was it?"
Blushing a redder shade of scarlet at both her sister's twisted words and the resulting implication as well as her fiancé's kind gestures, the young woman tried to defend herself against the disapproving look of the new devil's advocate; however, all her heated denials were stuck in her throat and Ranma turning pale was no real help either. In her desperation, Akane grabbed the sleeve of her friend's red shirt and gave it a tug, urging him to say something in her stead, yet gaining nothing but another, even more strongly disapproving look by her sister.
"Put two and two together, sis," Nabiki said in a whisper, waving her camera at the open window. "Why do you think they want the camera so badly? Why won't your dear little sister, who's always so eager to yell at her fiancé, defend herself? Why is she blushing?"
"Ranma?" Kasumi demanded in her sweetest, frighteningly calm voice that seemed to be able to cut a swatch of ice through the ever burning fire of the young pair's hearts. "What did you do with my little sister?"
"I didn't do nothing!" he exclaimed shocked.
In the wake of the ensuing chaos, Nabiki seized her chance and turned around to the open window. Quickly checking whether the three adults were still arguing about the non-existent incident, the brown-haired demon handed the camera to seemingly nobody. For a few seconds, the apparatus dangled uselessly in the air. Suddenly, however, a small figure appeared out of nowhere, clad in black robes and kneeling before the young girl.
"You knew I was here?" the personal servant of the Kuno household asked in surprise.
"I hoped you were here," she answered truthfully, urging him to take her camera. "Then again, where else would you be? Both of your masters seem to have taken an unhealthy interest in the persons living in this house, haven't they?"
"That they have done," he agreed with her, bowing his head in respect. "What shall I do with this? Is it a gift for my master?"
"No, it's not," she said, quickly turning around to see whether she had any time left. "I need you to do me a solid. Please develop the pictures on the film and bring them back to me. It is a birthday present for my little sister. Under no circumstances are you to give them to one of your masters or anyone else. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course," Sasuke bowed. "It will only take me a minute. You know how a solid works, though?"
"Yes," Nabiki sighed. "What do you want in return?"
"I would highly appreciate it if you could try and get along with my master, as you would phrase it," he said. "I think a steady and good, eh, influence would become him very well and hopefully make his orders seem less suicidal."
"I can try," the young woman agreed with a slight smile on her lips and looked at her watch. "Speaking of the devil, I thought he would be here by now in order to congratulate my little sister."
"I think he will be here momentarily," he answered with another bow and left the scene as quickly as he had entered it. "Farewell!"
The brown-haired woman turned around to her sisters again and tried to stifle a laugh as she saw the blatantly obvious defensive body language of the otherwise proud and fearless martial artists. While Kasumi appeared to lecture them, the blushing youths seemed to be awfully eager to clear up the misunderstanding. Seeing that it was her baby sister's birthday, Nabiki decided to intervene and tapped Kasumi on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Kasumi. I just took a picture of Akane having breakfast in bed," Nabiki told her and turned to her other sister next. "Don't look at me like that, Akane. The camera is already gone – and I promise I won't sell the picture. I just want to have it as a memento. Which reminds me: if you want to avoid an all too exaggerated present by your most outspoken admirer, you could do worse than go for a walk now."
The mighty wings of the brisk, but bland wind wafted a single feather of the majestic plumage of a brilliantly white dove that seemed to merge with the vast sea of clouds in the far distance, while a ray of pure sunlight broke through them and asked the fading dove for a dance on its way to blissful oblivion. Its single feather floated through the devastating grey of the city towards a small channel, an invigorating oasis of life and nature amidst the barren concrete of the city's suburbs. As though it were a stroke of fate, the breeze abated for a moment, driving the feather towards a small path next to the channel and into the raven hair of a certain martial artist.
The young man, who had just been saying something to his companion, stopped walking and talking to get the feathery object from his hair, but instead raveled it further into it. Just as he groaned, though, he felt the gently touch of fingers on the back of his hand, silently asking him to let them do his work. The puzzled man turned around and found the gorgeous hazel eyes of his fiancée twinkling at him, while a charming smile enlightened her bright features and her fingers combed through his hair.
Every touch of her smooth fingers felt like a drop of hot water running down his spine, pouring down a warm and fuzzy feeling through every pore of his very being. His heart beat fast than ever as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the intense feeling of the wind on his skin and the electrifying touch of his companion. Then, after a few seconds or minutes or hours – the young man could not tell what amount of time had passed – the birthday girl took the feather out of his hair and put it back in vertically. The martial artist opened his eyes again and looked at her questioningly.
"I think it suits you," she answered his unspoken question with a smile. "By the way, thanks again for taking me out for a walk. I really didn't want to face Kuno this early in the morning."
"I know what you mean," he sighed as an answer, rolling his eyes. "That guy really gives me the creeps sometimes. I mean, talk about obsession."
"Right on," she agreed, laughing wholeheartedly. "Talking about obsession: aren't you normally obsessed with walking on the fence rather than walking beside me?"
"Nah, it's got nothing to do with you, it's just training, plain and simple," he answered, putting his hands behind his head. "I figured I could skip it just this once. It's not like I'm gonna need it anymore or something."
"You consider this training?" Akane asked incredulously.
"Hey, cut me some slack! It's harder than it looks from down there," he defended himself automatically. "Why don't you try it for a change and see how well you do? I bet you can't make it halfway to school before you fall down."
"Pshaw! You're on!" Akane sneered and got ready to climb the fence, as her fiancée's hand stopped her, his face averted from hers.
Blind rage clouded her vision at first as she heard his poisonous words. Could he not at least refrain from insulting her at her birthday? But soon she realized that he was not mocking her; he was serious and her fury quickly turned to bitter disappointment. Did he really think so poorly of her as a martial artist? Did he really think that she could not even take a few steps on a fence? After his behavior following their adventure in China, after his gestures this morning she thought she had gained his respect. She would not talk let alone think about love, because she knew that she could never be his equal, a challenge, but she thought she had gained his respect.
"On second thought," he told her, "you may wanna postpone that bet till you got something appropriate to wear."
Akane swiftly dismissed her thoughts and looked down at herself. She wore her favorite white dress and the silky fabric of the light skirt barely covered her knees. Imagining how she walked on the fence, her skirt getting caught in a slight breeze, the young girl blushed. After a moment, another idea struck her.
"What if you walk behind me on the fence?" she asked. "I mean, there's noone around this early in the morning and we won't have to worry about anything, right?"
And soon enough, the young woman was standing on the small fence, her fiancée a couple of feet behind her. Cautiously she took the first few steps on the uneven and unfamiliar path, gaining confidence due to the seeming easiness of the task. Then, having taken a few steps, Akane walked more quickly until she broke into a light jog, dismissing the warnings of the young man behind her. The dazzling feeling of being above everything, of being above all others, the taste of freedom clouded her judgment. She jogged even more quickly, ran as fast as the wind, and misplaced her right foot. Akane knew that her speed and the momentum of her slipping left foot left her no chance to balance herself. She knew that she would fall and that it would hurt. She knew that she should have heeded the warnings and braced herself for the unavoidable fall, as she felt two strong hands on her hips, holding her right in place.
"I told you so!" he sighed. "It's not as easy as it looks."
"But then again," she said after she had balanced herself again and turned around to him with a sheepish smile, "I can always count on you to catch me when I fall, right?"
"I wouldn't count on that," he answered and looked past her into the wild forest separating the civilized life from the uncultivated nature.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I can't always be … on time, can I? So you better start depending on your own skills," he told her, his eyes averted from hers, and jumped down the fence. "Wanna go back home?"
"What's with those pictures?" the brown-haired girl demanded angrily. "I can't use them at all!"
"It is not my fault," the ninja answered humbly. "You took them, I only developed them. Use them however you like. And now I must bid my farewell to you."
"Screw you, buddy; that's cheap talk!" she mumbled as the personal servant of the Kuno family disappeared from her side, and added, as she heard someone knocking on her door: "Come in!"
"Nabiki?" Kasumi asked nicely as she entered her sister's room. "Would you like to help me entertain Akane's guest while she is out?"
"Sure thing, Kasumi," she answered and tossed her the pictures of Ranma and Akane having breakfast in her room. "You can have those. I can't use them anyway."
The rest of the young woman's day went as she had thought and feared: a good deal of her friends from school, even more of her admirers, amongst which, of course, Kuno, and also most of her rivals for her fiancé's affection showed up to congratulate her, so that she had next to no time for the person she wanted to spend her birthday with the most. Nevertheless, Akane smiled, thanked everybody for them being here, and, after a somewhat bountiful and cheerful supper, fell exhaustedly into her bed, one thought circling her mind: tomorrow was going to be just another day to spend time with him.
The stairs creaked as he went down. He did not care nor did he know why he should. They were all asleep and would not wake up from something as trivial as a creak. Still, he had the distinct feeling of being watched; however, he dismissed it as his imagination. After all, his highly trained senses would have picked up a trace of whoever was supposedly watching him by now. Another stair, another creak. He was in the hall. Slowly but decidedly he walked down towards the front door, touching the wall as he went by and remembering all the good times he had had.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" a formless voice sounded from the impenetrable darkness.
"I should've known you were here," he said, his eyes closed, and tried to find the owner of the soft voice in the pitch darkness. "My instinct's never been wrong. How come I can't tell where you are?"
"Do you really have to ask that?" she asked and switched on the hallway light, so that he could see what she was handing him. "Your senses are getting weaker by the minute."
For a moment, the raven-haired man looked at the picture, before his numb fingers let it drop to the floor. The woman watched the small piece of paper fall to the ground and caught a last glimpse of the image. She could see her darling little sister sitting in her bed, looking at the camera in complete shock, while trying to feed something to her fiancé; he looked as shocked as her, but other than her he seemed to stare at a shadow that stood between him and the photographer, blurring his lower body.
"What do you want?" he asked slowly, eying the woman carefully.
"How long have you watched out for her?" she asked.
"Ten years," he said. "Ten years. I wanted to make sure that she was alright. I know I should've noticed them earlier, but I didn't. She'll be safe, though – at least if I'm leaving. And that's what I'm gonna do. Did you know all that?"
"Yes and no," she told him. "I thought I knew you from somewhere when you first arrived here and I was almost positive when you hugged me. I was sure that you had hugged me before, but I could not remember when. Now I know. It was you who protected her in that forest when you were just kids and it was you who brought her back home. I hugged you because I was so relieved that she was safe."
"What do you want, Kasumi?" he asked her again.
"I wanted to thank you, Ranma," she whispered and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before she embraced him with such force he had never expected from her. "I know how hard it must have been. You did everything you could to stay away from her – yet you ended up here. You tried everything you could to make her hate you – yet she fell for you. You were the angel on her shoulder – yet you were the devil in disguise. Do you want me to tell her?"
"No," he said decisively. "The less she knows the better she'll be off. I wish I could tell you that I wanted to see you again, but I can't. Goodbye, Kasumi…"