Akane took her tank top off, clad in a sports bra and panties, she crossed her room with a sigh. She took a glance at her drawn curtains as she went to her dresser looking for clean underwear for after her bath. As she was bent over digging through her drawer, her door swung open to reveal Ranma looking around frantically.
"What the hell?" Akane hissed as she stood up, draping a shirt over her exposed body, she waved her arm, "Shut the damn door, Ranma!"
He did, while he stepped inside. He obviously did not think it through as he felt clothes being thrown at him, "Not with you in my room, dummy! Get out! Out!"
Ranma put his arms over his head as he confessed, "Hey! Quit it! It ain't my fault! I saw that 'ole lecher come up here!"
She quit her attacks as she breathed, her chest falling into place as she narrowed her eyes. She had thrown almost all her clothes so she stood exposed in her bra and panties before Ranma who took a good long look at her.
Ranma gulped, his breathed hitched as he took in her form, a blush rising to the occasion. He watched, through his fringe, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the fire in her eyes as she raised her head to lock gazes with him.
"You couldn't have said that? Instead of barging in on me, you pervert!" Akane accused.
"Like I want to peek on a flat-chested girl like you anyways!" Ranma sputtered automatically, instantaneously regretting it as he saw her flinch. The blush still resided on his cheeks as he saw her march up to him, grab him by the front of his Chinese shirt, "Then don't! I can handle Happosai on my own!"
She then proceeded to push him out her door, and slam it shut, locking it in the process. Ranma skidded down the hallway as he turned to look at Akane only to be met with her door.
He groaned internally as he stared at the door.
#
Akane groaned as she plopped down on her bed, running both hands through her hair as she fought with herself. Outside her window, she heard Happosai cry out in happiness as he yelled something about the pretties on the line.
Just great.
Now she has to go shopping for some underwear now. Ruffling her hair, she finally calmed down to get up and go do her bath. After she finished, she went downstairs for breakfast where Kasumi was finishing setting the table. Her eldest sister smiled at her as she took a seat.
"You're looking nice today." Kasumi stated.
Grabbing chopsticks, Akane smiled, "Thank you."
#
"Where's Akane?" Soun asked groggily as he made his way down to breakfast. Nabiki sat there, picking at the rice as she read the morning's newspaper. Kasumi looked up, "She said she had to go do something in town, she'll be back by dinner."
Ranma's ears perked up as he shoved food down his mouth, pretending not to care. But, he was. Oh, yes.
When Kasumi was cleaning up, Ranma sheepishly asked, "Do ya know where...uh..."
"She said something about a store called Holly's."
#
Ranma blushed ridiculously hard when he arrived at the storefront. He had no time to even think of using his curse to rid him of embarassment as he sauntered in. The heavy scent of perfume almost knocked him out as lingerie presented themselves to him as he walked in.
A blush kept itself present on his face as he walked in, there were girls of all ages in every crevice looking at the items for sale. A petite girl with a wiry frame decked in every variation of pink approached him with a nametag, "Haruko".
"Hello sir! Is there anything I can help you look for?"
"Uh," came his short reply.
"Something for your girlfriend?" she asked as she noted his handsome features, just noting that he has a girlfriend.
"I don't have a girlfriend!" Ranma exclaimed quickly. Haruko rolled her eyes mentally and groaned: saying to herself, "Just great, he's one of those guys. What a pervert. " But on the outside she gave a fake grin, only to be shocked by his next words, "F-for my fiancee!"
"Fiancee, huh?" Haruko grinned, "Oh my, something for the wedding night then, hnn? Or just for everyday general antics," she motioned with her hands, "You stud, you."
Haruko has never seen anyone blush as red as Ranma did that instance only for him to nod at her words. Just then, a shuffle from behind them caught their attentions as Akane came trifling through with these cute pasty panties in her arms. She bumped into Haruko, looked up to apologize only to turn and face Ranma. It was then, Haruko noted, she saw the two reddest people in the world.
Putting two and two together, Haruko clapped her hands together and cheerfully announced, "Oh, she must be your fiancee! She's gorgeous!"
Akane looked at her in disbelief as she then turned back to Ranma and he blushed. Akane sighed as she shoved her things into Ranma's arms and turned sweetly to Haruko, "Hnn, yes ma'am, this handsome fellow is my fiancee. Now we're browsing for now, and we'd apprieaciate it if we could look privately?"
"Of course" Haruko chirped as she turned on her heel and began to leave, "Holler if you need assistance!"
When she was out of ear shot, Akane jammed her finger into Ranma's chest, "What the hell are you doing here, Saotome?" He shoved her thinhs back to her as he spat back, "I think the better question is why are you in a store like this, ya tomboy!"
"If you haven't noticed!" Akane growled, "I'm a girl!"
She then proceeded to haul her things to the front with Ranma trailing after her. "Come on Akane..." he pleaded. Akane shot her head back as she purchased her things and turned on her heel as she left the store. "Leave me the hell alone, Saotome. Why don't you go to Ukyo or Shampoo? I'm sure they'd enjoy your company."
Outside the store, Ranma steeled himself as he found himself reply to her back, "And what, you don't?"
It was silent between the two, he watched her shoulders slump as she let out an aggravated sigh and turned to face him, unshed tears brimming her eyes, "Honestly, right now, Ranma? I'd rather be alone."
#
Akane sat in the backyard, eating strawberries as she watched the koi swim in the pond. Slowly, she bit into the fruit as she sat there in tranquil silence. It was only broken when Ranma came crashing in, complaining about being ambushed on the way home. Akane rolled her eyes, and mentally noted that if he had only came straight home instead of standing there in the middle of the street with a dazed look on his face, he would have been safe at home. But no, he did not and the girls' had a canny way of finding him.
Turning her direction towards the house, she saw Kasumi comfort Ranma with her words and offered him a cool towel, only for him to refuse and cock his head to the wooden doors and straight at Akane. He narrowed his eyes as he abruptly left Kasumi and marched to Akane.
"I hope ya had enough alone time!" he growled, "No thanks to you, I finally managed to escape."
Akane only blinked, and took another bite of her strawberry as she gave a half shrug and turned her back to him. That made Ranma furious. He found himself actually putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him, "Seriously? Akane! What are ya, ten?"
"No." she simply said as she brought her hands up to pry his off as she stood up and dusted her skirt, "I'm 19, Ranma, and you're 20," she began to leave, "Maybe it's time you acted your age."
#
Ranma was crazily insane now, Akane was driving him up the walls. He ran his hand through his messy hair as he contemplated on his futon. His legs were crossed as he shifted, only to try to piece together everything.
So what if he was twenty? She was turning twenty also, in four months. Act his age? Pft, he already was. She was changing, no denying that - but why!
#
Akane finished folding all her new underwear when she collapsed on her bed and rolled onto her side to regard the wall. Closing her eyes, she began to do calming breathing excercises. Her breath got caught in her throat when she realized her actions and she braced herself for the tears.
The one thing she did not expect though, happened: the tears never came. She contemplated that for a moment, trying to register that feat, but nothing came up as she sat up.
"No..tears?" she whispered as she put her hand to her cheeks, "I'm not crying?" She blinked.
It was all starting to be easier to bear.
Maybe, this falling out of love business was not as hard as she pegged it to be. Despite that nagging feeling in her heart.
#
"Whaddya mean?" Ranma asked as he raised an eyebrow at Ukyo as he ate an okonomiyaki.
"Well, sug, she just walked in, greeted me and Konatsu, sat there," she pointed to the emptg seat next to him, "And asked me just point blank."
"..." Ranma sat there, "And...then what happened?
The door to Ucchan's opened, Akane at the entrance with a posture that said business. She gave a peachy smile that made a person's heart just warm up at the gesture, "Hey, Konatsu-kun, Ukyo."
Konatsu looked up from the table he was wiping down and waved a rag in her direction and continued on with his work. Ukyo looked up the grill and greeted her with a smile. Akane walked over and took a seat the grill, her hands in her lap.
"What can I get you today, hon?" Ukyo asked.
"Ukyo, do you love Ranma?"
It wad silent. Konatsu heard nothing as he continued to bus the tables. Ukyo stared incrediously at Akane, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Course I do, sweetie..." she finally answered, "But you know that."
"I just wanted to hear it."
"Hear what?"
"That."
"That I love Ranchan?"
Akane nodded, putting her head down slowly. "I wanted to know how it'd feel, hearing someone declare loving someone outloud."
Ukyo looked at Akane, "Akane-chan, what's wrong?"
"Someone told me they loved me."
Ukyo froze, she knew the inevitable was bound to happen, so she braced herself and smiled for her, "Really? Who?"
"He found me, the other day. He said he couldn't forget me... all these years...he's asked me to return back with him."
That did not sound like Ranma at all.
"Akane...w-who?"
Just then, a boy entered the establishment, his hair held back by a ponytail and his clothes were out of place, almost as if he lived in a forest.
Akane stood up, walked to him and he reached out, held her hand, "Shinnosuke."
The chopsticks in Ranma's hand broke into many shards, scattering over the grill. That caused Ukyo to exclaim and start cleaning up, but she continued with her story, "So she told me to take care of you, see to it that you're happy, and to not go after her."
Ranma clattered to his feet. His eyes narrowed in anger. He wanted to just strangle himself as he knew, he knew that she had been acting more differently than as of late, but he did not do anything.
"But...Ranchan, the weirdest thing; she left saying she was happy, and she smiled...but - it didn't look like she really was."
Akane took a deep breath, steadying herself, "Tell him not to go after me, I'll be fine. T-tell him...I'm finally happy."
Author's Note
Oh ho ho, look at me updating like a boss, haha. But here we go! A little bit more to the story and hehe, a touch of a cameo of one of my favorite characters. Enjoy!
