The morning started like any other morning in Nerima. All was quiet in the Tendo home as the late afternoon rolled in. There were no shouts between two arguing teenagers, or the gleeful decrees of a pervert returning from a successful hunt. All that could be heard in the perfectly still house was Kasumi's humming while she worked on the laundry.
As was the usual during school hours, the inhabitants took advantage of the moment of peace and calm. While Kasumi tended to the household duties uninterrupted, her father and Mr. Saotome sat in the family room, enjoying cups of tea while playing a game.
Soun and Genma were immersed in their never ending game of Shogi, each watching the board, unblinking, to prevent the other from cheating. They took their time with each move, often losing themselves in the peaceful silence surrounding them.
This peace was interrupted with the faintest grunts and cries coming from the dojo. Soun and Genma had been amazed when Ranma had taken to training with their old master, Happosai, but didn't question the girl when they saw the serious look on her face. The result was a more peaceful day than usual, and to the two aging martial artists, it felt much like a long overdue vacation from all the chaos that seemed to gravitate towards them.
"So, Tendo," Genma said as he moved a piece on the board. "What do you suppose the master is teaching my boy?"
Soun sat in silent contemplation. He was examining the move his old friend had made, while also pondering what sort of training the master could have presented the young heir of the Anything Goes School. It was the first time, indeed, the young Saotome had accepted Happosai's training, so it must have been something impressive.
"I have no idea," Soun answered, finally. He rubbed his chin as he continued to think over his next move, and possible counters to each scenario. "Let's hope it's nothing like the training our master gave us," he added. Soun then moved his piece, causing Genma to twitch and rub his bandana covered scalp nervously.
Genma had found himself trapped in the game they were playing. He had few options to choose from, and all of them had obvious counters that Soun would make to continue to keep him on the ropes. He was busy thinking over a way to escape his friend's clever trap when a sudden crash in the dojo caught their attention.
"What was that?" Genma asked, looking past his friend's shoulder in the direction of the dojo.
Soun glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know," he said.
While his attention was busy directed towards the dojo, Soun failed to notice the sound of Genma making his move. The overweight, balding man moved several pieces and completely removed others while adding some of his own. He was quick with his attack, returning to his game face before Soun turned back around.
Soun had heard the sound of a few pieces moving on the shogi board and turned back to see his friend staring at it with his arms crossed, as if thinking of his next move. When he also glanced down at the board, his eyes widened. It no longer resembled that trap he had sprung on his friend, instead being almost completely flipped. He pointed at the unfamiliar layout of pieces and glanced at his friend, but Genma's serious face did not crack, causing Soun to doubt his own beliefs.
"How did you?" he stammered, finally.
Genma did not answer, but remained staring with his best game face. His act was flawless, having been honed from over a year of cheating against his good friend.
Soun continued to move his eyes back and forth between the board and his friend, now ignoring the distant crashes coming from the dojo.
Kasumi came in and set down a fresh pot of tea for the two adults. She bowed slightly as they thanked her, and then glanced over to the dojo as another loud crash nearly shook the walls of the family room. "Oh my," she said.
"Mmm…" Genma mused with Kasumi's statement. He looked over his friend's shoulder towards the racket from the dojo. It begun to grow even louder, telling him that whatever the training entailed, it was becoming more intense.
True to Genma's suspicions, Ranma's training under Happosai had begun to increase in intensity. She had spent the last few hours training her mind to focus her aura in ways she didn't think were possible. Happosai had been berating her the entire time, criticizing her lack of concentration, and imagination.
Ranma strained under her master's constant scrutiny, but bit her tongue and endured it all, determined to figure out the core of what Happosai was trying to teach. Finally, she had gotten to the point where she could focus her aura enough for Happosai to at least attempt to direct her, but the results thus far were nothing short of disastrous.
On her first try, Ranma had blown her aura outwards into massive proportions, but that only prompted the midget master to crush it with his own in disgust. Next, she tried focusing it into a ball and firing it, but the old man deflected it, calling it 'old hat'.
Now, frustration was beginning to settle in on Ranma, and her aura was becoming more erratic. Her anger, paired with her instincts, was telling her to silence the old goat. Without being aware of what she was doing, Ranma stomped the ground with her hand swinging downwards in a chop. Although her target was far away, she could feel something reaching him. Instinctually, she had extended her aura in a blind rage, creating a sharp blade of blue energy that swung down, shadowing her body's action.
Happosai gave a faint smile of satisfaction at seeing this form of attack. He could tell Ranma was acting without thought, but it would do for now. Not to let his pleasure distract him, however, Happosai countered the attack. With a quick motion, He dodged the blade of blue chi, letting burst harmlessly beside him.
Ranma growled at missing her attack, and let her body twist around as her chop swung her weight. She bent down into her twist, and brought her left leg up into a backwards kick, again feeling her chi stretch with a snap. Not being able to see her opponent behind her, she quickly followed with her next attack, planting both feet firmly. The force of her spin forced her to once again bend over slightly, but she stopped her body's motion and reversed it like a slingshot, brining her right fist upwards into a backhand that also sent a burst of her chi out.
Happosai could feel the small girl's chi stretching outward, sending ripples through the air at him. He leapt over the horizontal wave sent by her kick and then twisted around the backhand strike. Having seen enough, he twirled out his pipe and whacked Ranma on the head, dropping her to the ground.
"That's a start," the old man said, more than a little mockingly.
"You old goat…" Ranma hissed. She got to her feet slowly and refocused her chi. It flared into a more brilliant blue than before, and was so potent that it actually bent the air around it like a physical barrier.
Happosai eyed the strong battle aura in mild surprise and then gave a slightly twisted laugh. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said.
Ranma ½: Limitless
By: OmegaGear
Chapter IV : Aura
Akane walked home from school with her head held low. The previous day had been hard enough on her, what with the rumors spreading with no basis in reality, but today had been another thing all together. When she had arrived to school that day looking the way she did, her class literally erupted into clamor.
Akane sighed, remembering the torrent of questions fired at her from her class. She of course, refused to answer any of them, only stammering out protests to the most embarrassing theories being given. Even after the teacher started the lesson, she could feel the looks everyone was giving her, and the scribbling she'd heard didn't sound like class notes to her; more like gossip notes.
Why can't they all just give it a rest? Akane wondered to herself. She had gotten used to the rumor-mongering classmates by now, but this new wave was a lot bigger than what she was experienced with. Then there was Kuno.
Akane's eyes lowered into slits as she remembered her upperclassman's tirade that day. He had shown overacted concern over her appearance, and vowed to avenge her. Akane had shrugged off the wannabe samurai's display of affection and support, but unfortunately for her, he wasn't done. As if the signs were in plain sight for everyone, he then began shouting about the 'wretched Saotome' having no honor by forcing himself onto her. At that comment, she had felt anger on so many levels, including the fact that he was insulting Ranma with that kind of assumption. The punt that followed proved to be her best yet, as Kuno did not return until much later that afternoon.
That creep. Akane thought to herself. It's bad enough he has to keep dropping his lame lines. I don't need him telling everyone Ranma forced himself onto me. Akane felt a little strange after that last thought, and decided it was best to think about something else. Her mind, however, could not get off of the subject of Ranma. No matter what, everything seemed to revolve around Ranma.
"Hey, there," a soft, friendly voice called suddenly, shocking the young girl back to the present. She jumped slightly and glanced to where the voice had come from to see Ukyo standing just around the corner she had reached.
The okonomiyaki cook, and current marital rival, was dressed in her purple chef outfit with her hair arranged into a pony tail. She had her usual battle spatula strapped to her back, but the pleasant smile on her face showed she wasn't here to start a fight. She was standing with her hands on her hips, as if to announce that she had arrived, with a confidant look in her blue eyes.
Akane recovered from her initial surprise at hearing the other girl and returned the smile, although hers was forced. "Hey, Ukyo," she said, sounding a little strained at the moment.
Ukyo noticed Akane's controlled behavior and smirked slightly before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause you more trouble," she assured the girl. "Heh, I figured you'd gotten enough at school," she added, remembering the rather huge outburst at lunch that day. Ukyo meant to make this move at that time, but found the crowd surrounding Akane a little intimidating, even for her.
Akane let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. "You can say that again," she muttered.
"So, about Ranma," Ukyo continued, not wanting to let the situation deviate from her intentions. She had been waiting all day to get Akane alone, and wasn't about to let this chance slip away. "I take it things aren't getting any better, judging by how you showed up to school today?" she asked, trying to ease into the topic.
Akane became downcast at hearing her fiancé's name. While she could just ignore her classmates' questions, she knew Ukyo wouldn't give up so easily. Now in a corner, she decided it was time to think of an answer.
"Not really," she admitted. It was an honest answer, but it also showed how unsure she was about any details behind it.
"I see," Ukyo replied in contemplation of her answer. She could tell Akane was as confused as ever about the situation surrounding Ranma, perhaps even more so than the previous day. The story she had told her over lunch was very troubling for the tomboy fiancée of Ranma, enough so that she decided to wait it out before taking a hands on approach. Ukyo, however, found her patience wearing thin, and it was only being worsened as Akane's own confusion seemed to grow.
Akane stood there in silence, wishing she could just walk away from the other girl. She always felt mild discomfort around Ukyo, knowing that the girl who acted like her friend would be more than willing to ditch her in a hole and run away with Ranma at a moment's notice. Being this close talking about that same boy was borderline unbearable for the raven haired girl.
"Well… if you'll excuse me," Akane said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I really need to get home."
Ukyo was shaken out of her own mild meditation and jerked her head around to see the other girl slowly walking away. Oh no! She's getting away! Ukyo thought to herself and panicked. "Err… uh, wait!" she cried, waving her arms and trying to think as fast as she could for a way to salvage her plan. She then remembered the box she had with her at looked down at her feet to see it sitting there. "Akane! Wait!" Ukyo cried while lifting the box.
Akane paused and looked back over her shoulder to see Ukyo running to catch up. The taller girl bent over to catch her breath when she finally reached her and handed over the box she had been carrying.
"Give this to Ranma for me, would you?" she asked. It's not much, but it's all I've got now. Ukyo thought, disappointed that her plan hadn't gone the way she imagined it.
"Mmm? Okonomiyaki?" Akane asked; a little perplexed.
"Yup," Ukyo confirmed, now standing up straight again. "Just a little something for my Ranma honey," she added, smiling proudly and at least a little mockingly at her rival.
Akane growled at the obvious message Ukyo was hinting at, but remained pleasant, for her own sake. "Of course, Ukyo," she said, sounding all too restrained. Her body was literally shaking with suppressed anger.
Ukyo noticed that Akane was now on the edge, and decided that it was a better time than ever to make her escape.
"Well," she said, turning to leave. "I better get going." She called back while waving. "Tell Ranma I said hello!"
Ukyo ran off quickly, not wanting to get in any deeper than she already was. Her plan had failed, and she was upset about it, but ruffling Akane's feathers a little had helped her feel better. But now I have to remake that delivery order… She thought sadly, thinking about the box she had given to Akane.
"I wonder if Ranma even likes peanut butter on his okonomiyaki?" she asked herself, recalling the rather bazaar order with an unsettling feeling in her stomach. "Eh, he'll eat practically anything. It'll be fine."
- x -
Akane walked into her house and announced that she was home. Kasumi came out of the kitchen to greet her with a warm smile.
"Welcome home, Akane," she said sweetly.
Akane returned the smile, a much warmer and more genuine one than the one given to Ukyo. "Thanks," she replied.
"What's that you have there?" Kasumi asked, noticing the box in Akane's hands for the first time.
Akane lifted the box and looked at it. "This?" she asked. "Just some okonomiyaki Ukyo wanted me to give to Ranma," she said, speaking as if it didn't mean anything to her.
"Oh my, that's awfully sweet of her," Kasumi said, not realizing that what she had just said affected her younger sister in a negative way.
Akane wanted to speak her mind about the whole okonomiyaki deal, but when she saw her sister's warm smile and innocent eyes, her anger fizzled away. There was just no way she could yell at her older sister.
"Where is Ranma anyway?" Akane asked, although she believed she already knew the answer.
"Ranma's in the dojo training with grandpa Happosai," Kasumi replied.
"Thanks," Akane said while walking past her sister. She made her way towards the dojo with the box in her hands, wondering about what her sister had just said.
Ranma training in the dojo was nothing strange, especially these days, but that's not what had Akane's mind abuzz. She was wondering what could have possibly convinced Ranma, the most stubborn person on earth, to actually train with the old pervert.
As she neared the dojo, Akane looked at the box in her hands and began to wonder about something else.
"Ukyo sure gave this to me in a hurry," she thought out loud. "I wonder what it is."
The raven haired girl raised the box to eye level and gazed at it with studious eyes. She wondered if the little Japanese pizza had a message for Ranma, and was more than a bit tempted to open it and see.
No, that wouldn't be right. She chastised herself. No matter what, she wouldn't stoop that low; not even Ranma would, for the most part.
Finally, she reached the dojo gates. She stood at the wooden doors nervously, listening to the sounds of combat coming from within. She could hear a lot of grunts and cries coming from Ranma's female form, as well as a lot of crashing and tumbling. The training Ranma was undertaking sounded quite rigorous to Akane, and she was a little nervous to interrupt it like this. It didn't help that they had never resolved the argument from the previous night.
Steeling herself to face the redhead, Akane slid the gates open and stepped inside. What welcomed her was the sight of Ranma flying through air, screaming. The redhead crashed onto the wooden floor and tumbled several times before stopping on her stomach, groaning.
At seeing Ranma hurling through the air like a rag doll, Akane forgot what she had come to do, and dropped the take out box.
"Oh, my gosh, Ranma!" Akane cried, running to the girl. She eased Ranma onto her back and was taken aback at what she saw.
Ranma was in a complete daze. Her eyes were blank, and seemed to be chasing swirling spots in front her while her lips twitched. She was mumbling incoherently while Akane shook her softly to try to rouse her.
"What did you do to him!?" Akane demanded, glaring at the old man standing at the other end of the dojo.
Happosai remained calm at the girl's rather emotional outburst and took a puff from his freshly lit pipe before answering. "Training," he said simply.
"You call this training!?" Akane stood up and pointed at the dazed girl lying on her back, twitching and mumbling. "Just what kind of twisted training did you make Ranma do!?" she asked.
Happosai glared at the girl, showing a little of his anger at being insulted as a martial arts teacher. "Now see here!" he retorted, "I didn't even lay a finger on her!"
"Oh!?" Akane asked, not believing a word he had said. "And I suppose he just collapsed on his own then?" she asked sarcastically.
"You got that right," Happosai answered, grinning. "The boy's got heart, but his chi reserves ran dry rather quickly."
"Chi reserves?" Akane asked, not familiar with the term. She looked back down at the dazed girl, whom continued to stare blankly at the ceiling. She had to admit, Ranma did not look physically beaten, and the look in her eyes was similar to the one Genma had whenever he drained himself using his giant battle aura technique.
"That's right," Happosai said matter-of-factly. "Ranma must learn to control his chi in new ways if he is to face his opponent." His back was now turned to the pair of girls, which he glanced at with a knowing look. "But it would seem he first needs to develop a larger reserve," he added, a bit cold this time.
"Uh…" Ranma groaned as she came to. She blinked her eyes weakly and struggled to sit up.
"Oh, Ranma," Akane exclaimed, kneeling next to the redhead. She helped her fiancé sit up by holding her shoulder with one hand. "Are you okay?"
"Akane?" Ranma asked, sounding like she had just crawled out of a collapsed building. She rubbed her head gingerly and then saw Happosai standing there, looking rather smug. The sight suddenly reminded her of what she had been doing earlier and awoke her instincts. "You!" she hissed, channeling her chi into a battle aura. The pale blue light sparked for a second before vanishing just as suddenly, and Ranma fainted.
"Ranma!" Akane cried. The girl had fainted so suddenly, Akane couldn't catch her in time, letting her meet the ground with a loud thud,
"Hmph, he sure is stubborn," Happosai mused. He was surprised the little girl had any spark left after that training session; he was sure he had felt her chi was completely used up before that last burst. Ranma is more than what I expected. He thought to himself.
"Leave Ranma alone," Akane warned, lifting the girl over her shoulder.
Happosai didn't like the girl's tone and turned to glare at her. "Mind your manners towards your elders!" he said sternly. He was determined to assert his authority, but the sudden sight of an unconscious Ranma brought out the worst in him. He suddenly felt incredibly warm as a tinkling feeling ran up his spine and he pounced before he could even process what he was thinking. "I'll forgive you with one little touch!" he said gleefully.
Akane jerked Ranma's limp body away from the now rabid pervert and crushed him into the dojo floor with her free hand. The old man grunted as he was crushed, but Akane wasn't done, oh no. She knew there was only one way to handle this situation, and she retrieved her mallet from, well, thin air, it would seem. With one mighty swing, she sent the midget sized martial artist flying towards the setting sun.
"Get out of here, you pervert!" she shouted after the old man.
Akane breathed deeply as she watched Happosai vanish into the distant sky and then returned her attention to the unconscious girl that she was now holding by the collar. She sighed and dragged the smaller girl out of the dojo and back into the house. She had reached the stairs when Kasumi exited the kitchen and saw them.
"Oh my," Kasumi exclaimed with a hand to her mouth. "What happened to Ranma?" she asked.
Akane looked back at the girl she was dragging behind her and shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me," she said, sounding more than a little angry.
"Akane?" Kasumi asked, a curious tone in her voice. She walked to the stairway and looked up towards her sister with a concerned look only a mother could know how to give. "Is something the matter?" she asked, pleading for an answer with her piercing eyes.
Akane refused to make eye contact with her older sister, knowing all too well that she stood no chance against that look. No matter what she may have been feeling or thinking, she just knew now wasn't the time to talk about it. With the greatest of effort, she managed to slowly look away.
"We can talk later," Akane said slowly, still feeling Kasumi's concerned gaze eating at her resolve from behind. "Right now, I need to take care of Ranma."
Kasumi didn't want to accept that answer, but could tell by her sister's forced tone that it would have to suffice. She blinked her eyes, replacing her motherly gaze with her usual warm look and smiled. "That's so sweet of you, Akane," she said.
Akane stopped dead in her tracks at her older sister's comment. "D-don't go reading anything that isn't there!" she stammered.
Akane felt her cheeks getting hot, and just knew they were turning pink, possibly even red. She was glad her face was hidden from Kasumi and made a hasty retreat. She ran up the stairs, completely ignoring the fact that she was giving Ranma a fresh beating by dragging the redhead up so roughly.
So rushed was her escape from Kasumi, Akane automatically ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She dropped what she was carrying in her hands and put one up to her chest as she caught her breath. After recovering a little, she let out a sigh and looked down next to her.
Ranma was lying on the floor in a heap, looking worse than Akane remembered her being. Rather than just being exhausted, it now looked as if the girl had taken quite the beating, although Akane had no idea where all the fresh bruises had come from. She looked back at the shut door, as if it would show her the source of the bruises on Ranma when something suddenly struck her mind. The taller girl glanced back and forth, realizing where they were for the first time since running up stairs.
"Oh no!" Akane said, slightly panicked. "This is my room!"
Akane felt her cheeks getting hot again. She didn't know what to do. Ranma's room was just down the hall, but what if someone saw her dragging him out of her room? Even with him in his girl form, it looked bad enough. And the fact that the redhead was unconscious would only make things harder to explain if anyone caught her.
The other option was to, of course, let Ranma rest right here, in her room. Akane was equally uncomfortable with that scenario, because it was probably the worse of the two if they got caught. Still, she felt it would be easier to explain an unconscious Ranma lying in her bed like she was sick rather than being dragged out of her room. It also helped that Ranma was looking worse for the wear at the moment, and dragging him to his room was probably not a good idea.
Having decided, Akane hauled the smaller girl to her bed and set her down. She moved her arms and legs so that she was resting on her back, and then fluffed the pillow beneath her head. After she was satisfied with Ranma's position, she took a step back to admire her work.
Ranma had not roused from her slumber during the entire episode Akane had to endure, which the latter was thankful for. The redhead looked at peace as she lay in Akane's bed, breathing softly. She was sleeping much like a patient in a hospital.
Akane felt a warm smile sneak into her lips and let the other girl rest. She turned to her closet and began undressing, relieved to finally be removing her crumpled school uniform. She had just finished removing the blue dress when she heard the girl in her bed stir slightly, and mumble something.
"Uh… Akane…" Ranma mumbled.
Akane spun around, mallet at the ready to strike. She made sure the large weapon covered as much of her body as possible and glared at her fiancé. "Close your eyes pervert!" she shouted, not realizing Ranma was still unconscious. She glared at the stirring girl with the mallet raised over her nearly nude body. But after a brief moment, realized she was not awake, and lowered her defenses.
"Ha, still unconscious," Akane said nervously. She turned back to her closet and rummaged through the many dresses she had hanging within. After a moment of contemplation, she decided on a light yellow sundress. Normally, she would save such a dress for a weekend, but the heat of summer was settling in early, making the end of the school term unbearable.
Akane put on the thin dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She liked how it looked, smiling while she turned to check it from different angles. Satisfied with her attire, she shut the closet.
Akane gathered her dirty school uniform and glanced over to her bed. Ranma had stopped stirring and was now resting calmly, although some sweat seemed to have formed on her forehead. Akane felt Ranma's face with the back of her hand and noticed how cold it felt.
"Hmm, I should go get a towel," she said to herself.
Akane walked to her door and kicked something as she reached for the handle. She looked down and saw the okonomiyaki box Ukyo had given her for Ranma.
"Huh, I guess I forgot," she said in mild amusement.
The raven haired girl set the box aside and opened her door to leave. She paused for a second, and took one last look at her bed. Ranma was sleeping peacefully, which seemed to calm the other girl. Akane left her room and went downstairs to the furoba. She threw her uniform into the clothes hamper and then grabbed a towel from the shelf next to it. After running the water until it was warm, she drenched the towel and returned to her room with it.
When she entered, Akane took a moment to watch Ranma sleeping in her bed. It was odd to see the small girl there, so peaceful, but it gave Akane the strangest warmth deep down inside. She felt another blush enter her cheeks and shook her head, trying to free it of whatever it was thinking. When she was done, she walked over to the side of her bed and placed the wet towel on Ranma's forehead.
"That should do it," Akane said, smiling. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at her patient with a triumphant smile. She felt a sort of pride in taking care of Ranma, although she wasn't sure why.
Satisfied with her patient's condition, Akane turned to her desk and pulled out some school work. She began to read over her notes, or rather, the random scribbling scattered in her notebook. She hadn't noticed at the time, but all day during class, she had been drifting in and out of the lesson, writing parts of notes at random, often trailing off and stopping mid sentence.
A sweat drop appeared on Akane's face as she tried to make sense of her notes, and she laughed weakly at herself. "Heh… guess I'll have to reread the chapters," she thought out loud. She frowned when her words really settled in, and dug into her book bag.
Akane pulled out her English book and began to read the chapters the teacher went over in class. Ms. Hinako had warned the students of the coming exam at the start of class, and Akane was a bit distressed that she was choosing now to get distracted.
The end of the term was only a week away, and the exams were sure to be difficult. Akane's sister, Nabiki, had spun wild tales of how difficult final exams were when she was going through the second year at Furinkan. She had talked about how important they were, as a gauge for the final year and college entrance exams. Basically, she gave the impression that if you did poorly, it was time to abandon all hope.
The thought made Akane glance back over to Ranma. He was in a bad situation, skipping school during final exams, but Akane knew there would be no convincing him to change his mind this time. She had already had to discuss Ranma's absence with the teachers, and they made it clear that they would need to speak with his father before deciding on how to handle his exams.
Akane sighed and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She had her own exams to deal with right now, and would have to worry about Ranma's later. She looked down at her English book and clenched her fist with a nod. She steeled herself for what would be a long study sessions and began to scribble notes.
- x -
It was the early evening when Ranma finally came to. She awoke slowly and blinked heavy eyes at the unfamiliar ceiling. With a sore groan, the girl sat up.
"Where am I?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.
Ranma took a look around and immediately recognized Akane's room. She wondered what she was doing there, and then noticed she was also in her fiancée's bed. "What the," Ranma stammered. She panicked, fearing what Akane would do if she was caught and tried to leap out of the bed. Her body, however, was still tired from the days training, and she ended up tumbling off of the mattress with a grunt.
"Man…" Ranma groaned while rubbing her back where she had landed. "It's been a while since I've felt like this."
The door to the room suddenly opened and Akane walked in with a tray of tea in her hands. Ranma felt like steel spikes had punctured her spine when she heard the click of the door, and again tried to jump for an escape. Just like the previous attempt, Ranma found her body unable to make the effort, and fell flat on her face.
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed after seeing the girl tumble to the ground. She set down the tea on her bed and ran over to help the other girl up.
Ranma accepted Akane's help nervously, expecting the pain to come at any moment. This is it… I am so busted! She thought to herself, trying her best to brace for what would surely be a vicious she was standing with the support of the taller girl, she was surprised that she hadn't been hit yet. Ranma had to blink a few times before actually accepting it as reality.
"Th-thanks, Akane," she said nervously, still not quite sure if it was safe to be where she was. She eyed the girl helping her stand and noticed that she was wearing a dress she hadn't seen before.
It was a simple yellow sundress that seemed to accentuate Akane's figure. It was just a tad longer than knee length, with the bottom of the skirt actually paling gradually into white. The top ended just over her chest, showing no cleavage, but that was okay with Ranma. It's not that she wasn't interested in seeing, but she always felt Akane was meant for the more innocent style of clothing. One thing that did take her by surprise was that it was held up by spaghetti straps.
That's a cute look, Ranma thought. She glanced at Akane from head to toe before quickly snapping her eyes away. Now was not the right time to get caught staring.
Akane smiled warmly at Ranma and helped her sit down on her bed. She thought she noticed her eyeing here dress, but chalked it up to her just being too weak to keep her head up. She never really believed Ranma would take interest in what she wore, although she always hoped he would at least notice.
Akane sat down next to Ranma after steadying her. Keeping one hand on Ranma's shoulder, she reached over to the tray of tea and poured a cup. She carefully lifted it and handed it to the red head.
"Are you sure you should be getting out of bed just yet?" Akane asked. She watched the girl gulp down the tea, pleased that she hadn't managed to screw that up.
Ranma gulped down the hot tea without thinking about who could have made it. She noticed a strange bitter taste, but at the moment, was too worn out to care. She stared blankly into the cup and sighed. "How long was I out?" she asked.
"About six hours," Akane answered. She took the cup from Ranma's hands and placed it back onto the tray.
"I missed dinner then, huh?" Ranma asked, although she already knew the answer. At just mentioning the last meal of the day, Ranma felt her hunger rise to the surface, and her stomach growled loudly.
"Afraid so," Akane answered, ignoring the loud growls coming from the smaller girl's stomach. She had taken to staring at her feet from where she was sitting on her bed, a little nervous with her fiancé next to her like this. "I tried to save some food for you, but you know how your father is when it comes to food."
"Heh, yeah," Ranma grimaced. She was also staring at her feet blankly, still feeling the impending doom that this situation usually implied. She didn't want to risk even looking at Akane now.
The next few minutes were spent in relative silence. Ranma and Akane had run out of material to talk about. The only noise that could be heard was the hum of Akane's desk lamp and the occasional growl from Ranma's stomach. The silence between them as they both stared down at their feet was even more unsettling for Ranma. She felt like she was trapped, and any wrong move would result in her untimely demise by way of mallet.
"Well, thanks anyways," she said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. She wanted desperately to leave, if only to get some time alone to think about what it was she was feeling right now. The pain, she understood. The fear; that was easily explained. But there was also this very strange warm feeling that was barely pushing against the other two. Ranma wanted to believe she was just delirious, but somehow knew that wasn't it.
Akane smiled, but didn't look at Ranma. She felt herself float a little when Ranma had voiced her thanks, but she didn't know why. She could feel herself blushing slightly, and hoped the other girl wasn't watching her. She was about to say something when a rather loud growl from Ranma's stomach reminded her of something that she had received earlier that day.
"Oh," Akane exclaimed. She got up from the bed and lifted the take out box Ukyo had given to her. "I forgot, Ukyo made this for you," she said while brining the box to Ranma.
Ranma saw the box and immediately knew what it was. Food! She shouted in her head. Ranma snatched the box from Akane's hands without a word. She tipped it over and opened it, dropping the contents into her mouth and chewed vigorously for a second before swallowing it whole.
Akane watched Ranma eat, amazed at how quickly she had taken care of the okonomiyaki. That food must have been ice cold, she thought to herself. When the girl was done swallowing the food, Akane took back the box and set it down.
"Thanks," Ranma managed to say while smacking her lips. She didn't know if it was because the food was cold, but it tasted unusual for okonomiyaki. Ranma pondered what could have given it that strange sweet taste when her stomach growled again; telling her the single item was far too feeble to satisfy it.
Akane giggled when she heard Ranma's stomach growl, even after consuming the food she had given her. "I guess you're gonna need a little more than that," she said.
Ranma tried to laugh with Akane, but ended up groaning as her stomach continued to complain. She tried to stand up in order to make her way to the kitchen, but quickly collapsed back onto the bed. Damn! She cursed to herself. I'm so weak right now, I can't even stand!
Akane caught Ranma as she fell onto her bed, keeping the girl from bumping her head. She was amazed that Ranma's training had drained her so much, and was more than a little worried what it would do in the long run. Oh Ranma…
"We'd better get you something to eat," Akane said.
"I'll say," Ranma agreed with a sheepish smile.
Akane helped Ranma up and escorted her downstairs. The red head couldn't help but notice how quiet the house was, and also that no one else even appeared to be around.
"Where is everyone?" she asked. They had just turned from the bottom of the steps, finalizing the fact that no one was home when Ranma saw the family room was empty.
Akane felt a lump fall in her chest when the question was asked. She remembered the scene at the end of dinner. Everyone was overjoyed, and being more than supportive of her decision to take care of Ranma while he was recovering from training. That good feeling was soon turned to dread, however, when she said she was going to fix some tea for him. At that, everyone ran for it, babbling out any excuse they could come up with to vacate the house. While she showed anger when that happened, she was really hurt that no one even trusted her to boil water and toss in some leaves.
"They all left," Akane said, trying to hide the fresh pain in her chest.
"What for?" Ranma asked, curious as to what could get even Kasumi to leave.
"I don't know!" Akane answered, a little harsher than she intended. "They just all ran off when I said I was going to make you some tea!" Akane didn't realize it, but she was now tense and breathing a tad hard.
Ranma felt a chill run up her spine when she heard that. That explains the bitter taste, she thought, remembering the cup she had earlier. Still, it was the most edible thing Akane had ever prepared, and Ranma decided that was worth something.
"Well, they missed out," Ranma said matter-of-factly. "More tea for me," she added with a genuine smile.
Akane calmed down significantly at hearing Ranma's declaration. It was the first time Ranma, or anyone, for that matter, had actually praised the food she had prepared. Sure, it was just tea, but just hearing that she hadn't screwed something up in the kitchen for the first time made her happy. Akane returned Ranma's smile while they continued to walk.
When they reached the kitchen Akane left Ranma leaning on the counter while she searched through the fridge for something to snack on. "Let's see." she mumbled while digging through the fridge full of uncooked food items. She wanted to find something that wouldn't require any cooking, but Kasumi didn't stock up on much of that stuff. Her older sister would always talk about how unhealthy those types of snacks were whenever anyone asked why there weren't any in the house.
Ranma watched Akane dig through the fridge and felt something warm in her chest. She couldn't help but smile a little as the other girl tried to help her, despite what had happened the previous night. At remembering that argument, Ranma felt the weight of guilt land on her shoulders.
Guess I better find a way to apologize while we're alone. Ranma thought to herself, figuring it would be the best time; no interference, and no pressure.
"Here we go," Akane said. She handed a box of soy milk and some pickled cucumber slices. "It's not much, but with it being so late, we can't cook anything," she said, her tone apologetic.
Ranma accepted the food given to her and smiled her thanks before wolfing it down, just as fast as she had the okonomiyaki. When she was finished, she decided it was now or never to man up and apologize.
"Uh, listen," she began to say but was cut off by the other girl.
"Let's go get some take out for you," Akane said quickly. She wasn't sure what Ranma was about to say, but didn't want to risk her ruining the moment. Not just yet, anyways. Akane felt like she was floating on air, and wanted it to last as long as possible.
Ranma blinked at Akane, surprised by her behavior. She noticed that Akane wouldn't look her in the eyes, but decided she'd go along with Akane's suggestion. She was still hungry, after all. "Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders to convey her lack of an alternative activity. She stopped leaning against the counter and turned to walk out of the kitchen when her weakened body gave way.
Akane caught Ranma quickly, managing to prevent her from hitting the ground. "I think you'd better let me help you walk for now," she said.
"I guess so," Ranma agreed weakly. She was a little embarrassed that she needed to be helped like this, but Akane being the one helping was the worst part for her; or the best.
- x -
Ranma and Akane sat silently in the small noodle shop they had decided on. Akane had a small bowl of soba noodles sitting in front of her, but all she was doing was watching Ranma.
The red haired girl had successfully constructed the leaning tower of soba, having stacked over twenty large bowls after emptying each one into her vast belly. She was now more cheerful than when they had arrived, signaling that the food was giving back her energy.
Akane was marveled by Ranma's soba onslaught. It had started innocently enough, with Ranma weakly reaching for her first bowl and sucking in the noodles before gulping down the soup. The second bowl went pretty much the same way, but by the third bowl, Ranma was breathing new life. What transpired after that could barely be described in words. It was like seeing trash being emptied into a dumpster, only much quicker. It was the first time Akane had seen Ranma acting somewhat normal since he was stuck in his girl form, and it made her feel better about the situation.
"Man, that really hit the spot," Ranma declared. She was twirling her twenty-fourth empty bowl on her index finger like a ball.
Akane chuckled at hearing Ranma finally voice her satisfaction. "And here I thought you were hungry," she said, poking fun at the tower of dishes sitting on the table.
Ranma didn't respond to Akane's comment, although she did found it amusing. Rather than speak, Ranma let her actions speak for themselves, showing her contentment. She leaned back and placed her right foot on the table while stretching her left arm on the back of the booth bench she was sitting on. Content with her meal, she began to clean her teeth with a toothpick. It was the sort of position one would expect to see a boy in, but with Ranma sporting her female form, it looked out of place.
Akane thought about that, and felt a slight giggle begin to sneak out, but managed to suppress it. It had really dawned on her, just then, that even as a girl, Ranma was still Ranma. This fact seemed to give Akane a sense of ease, like there was at least some stability surrounding Ranma amongst the chaos that was happening.
Ranma eyed the girl sitting across from her while she cleaned her teeth. This was the first time she had really looked at Akane since they had gotten to the restaurant, and she noticed something strange about her. Ranma couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she definitely thought something strange was going on.
Akane couldn't help but notice Ranma's studying gaze, and began to feel bashful. She broke eye contact with the other girl and stared down at her half eaten bowl of noodles while twiddling her fingers nervously.
This act of bashfulness did not go unnoticed by Ranma. Usually she was oblivious when Akane acted this way, but her full concentration was on her at the moment. Ranma wanted to say something just then, but couldn't think of anything. She decided to go with what came first; her natural instincts.
"You gonna finish that?" Ranma asked, pointing at the unfinished bowl in front of Akane.
Real genius words there, Ranma thought to herself.
Akane eyed the bowl and then pushed it towards Ranma without a word. She did not look up at the other girl while she ate, and sat with her hands in her lap.
Ranma accepted the small bowl and ate the remaining soba, although more slowly this time. She was still chastising herself for saying something so stupid, when she had meant to break the ice that had suddenly settled on their conversation. So, her mind was not on eating.
Akane watched Ranma eat her soba silently, trying to think of something to say. To say the least, her mind was a cluster of confusion. It was filled with scattered memories of the past three days, and the emotions they produced. Through the haze in her mind, however, Akane knew that clearing things with Ranma would fix everything. She just knew it. Words, however, would not formulate in her mind, and when Ranma set down the bowl, revealing her face, Akane quickly averted her eyes to the table.
Ranma finished the small bowl of soba and placed the bowl next to her tower. She was still trying desperately to think of a way to start the conversation that had to happen, but was coming up dry. Still, the game of cat and mouse they were playing with their eyes was wearing thin. Ranma decided it was time to leave, and dug into her pocket for money for the bill. When she felt nothing inside, her eyes went wide. Now panicking, she dug into both pockets at the same time. She drove her hands in deep and felt around frantically, as if they would conjure the money she thought she had.
Akane had glanced up when Ranma began to panic and wondered what was wrong. She watched the girl dig into her pockets while her eyes became wider and wider. When Ranma began to nervously glance back and forth, Akane decided she had seen enough.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Ranma didn't look at Akane when the question was asked. She dug into her pockets one last time, but the money still wasn't there. When she finally did answer Akane's question, her voice was higher pitched than usual, almost like a squeal.
"I don't have any money!" she said weakly. The look of dread in her eyes gave the impression that there was impending doom.
Akane blinked when she heard Ranma's panicked reply. She didn't understand at first, but quickly figured out what Ranma was so worried about.
"Don't worry," she said while digging into her purse. "I'll pay for it."
Ranma looked at Akane, eyes still wide. Her panic had been replaced with shock.
"You will?" she asked.
Akane nodded and put the money for the bill on the table.
"Just this once," she said. Her tone was serious, as if to emphasize this was a one time deal.
Ranma looked down at the money on the table, and then at the tower of dishes next to her. She felt a pain in her chest and a weight fall down on her shoulders. The guilt of what she had just done was pounding on her as hard as any mallet Akane had ever swung on her head.
"Thanks, Akane," she said, trying to hide her guilt.
"Just remember," Akane replied, "you owe me one."
Ranma knew she did, and was about to voice her acknowledgement when something else creeped into her mind. It moved in quick, and Ranma said the words before she even realized.
"Heh… trying to weasel a date out of me?" she said. She cocked an eyebrow at the other girl and curled her lips into a mischievous smile.
"Excuse me!?" Akane asked. She couldn't believe what Ranma had just said, and didn't even try to hide her anger at the comment.
Ranma knew she was treading into a minefield, but at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. It was like her mind had narrowed into a tunnel; leading down this single path of self destruction, and it fed her mouth more words.
"Don't get mad just because you got caught," she said, waving a hand like the matter wasn't a big deal. "It's no big deal," she teased. "You'll get your date," she finished in a tone that was on the edge of mockery.
Akane's mind may have been a web of confusion before, but that was then, and this was now. In an instant, her look of anger turned to shock, and then back to anger; furious anger. Every thread of the web of thoughts had been broken by the freight train that ran from her brain to her right hand. She blinked once as the instinctual whisper told her what to do, and then she complied. Without a word, she slapped Ranma across the face, wiping the grin away.
Ranma felt her senses get knocked back into her when Akane's hand struck her face. It was like getting splashed with cold water, producing a transformation, only this one was mental. The reality of her actions was now clear, and she didn't know what had caused them, only that she had.
Akane glared at the other girl with her hand still held up after the slap. She was far beyond angry at what Ranma had said, but it was more of an emotional upset, than hatred. So great was the feeling of hurt, she could feel tears welling at the lower rims of her eyes, despite her efforts to remain under control.
Ranma was rubbing her cheek when she worked up the courage to glance at Akane again. If the feeling of guilt had been heavy before, it was crushing her now. The sight of Akane on the verge of tears was heartbreaking for the redhead, but she was at a loss for words. Still, Ranma knew she had to at least try to apologize.
"Akane," she said cautiously. She reached her hand to try to hold the other girl's, but it was swatted away.
"Keep your stupid date!" Akane yelled, almost crying. She had lowered her right hand to her chest and was clenching it in a fist by her heart. "You don't have to keep reminding me how little you care about me!"
Akane's words dug deep. Ranma felt like a spike was being driven into her chest. She didn't understand why she kept screwing up like this, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Things were falling apart fast, and Ranma knew she had to work fast.
"Akane, that's not true!" Ranma protested.
Akane heard Ranma speak, but refused to listen. She was too upset to care, and could feel the last barrier before her tears breaking. She needed to get out of the restaurant. Not wanting Ranma to try to stop her, she grabbed the small bowl Ranma had set on the table and threw it in her face.
Ranma had not been expecting Akane to do that. So shocked with the fact that she had thrown the bowl and run off, it didn't even register that it was still full of hot soup. The collision caused Ranma to transform back into a man, but that didn't matter to Ranma. What mattered was that he had to catch up to Akane before she ran too far. He quickly jumped out of the booth they had been sitting at and ran out of the restaurant after her.
"Akane, wait!" he shouted.
Akane heard Ranma's cries, but refused to listen. Ranma, you jerk! I was only trying to be nice!
Damn it, why was I so stupid? Ranma wondered to himself while he chased after Akane. She was only trying to be nice, and I went and threw it in her face.
"Akane, stop!" Ranma shouted.
Every time Akane heard Ranma's voice behind her, her heart ached. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to run back to him, but something kept her running away instead. She couldn't understand it, but it felt a lot like fear. Not wanting to face anything right now, she shut her eyes to try to shut out the world and just ran faster.
Ranma noticed Akane picking up speed, and doubled his efforts to catch up. Akane was fast, but he was faster. Still, at the speed she was running, it took him some time to reach her, and even then, it was only because she had stopped in her usual spot.
Akane had stopped running in the small playground near where they lived, just like she always did when she wanted to be alone. It was silly to come here, and she knew it. She knew Ranma would come here to find her, because it always went that way. Maybe, deep down inside, that's what she wanted. Maybe, it made her feel wanted.
Ranma halted his pursuit at the entrance of the playground. He watched Akane standing there, with her back to him. He knew she knew he was there. That's why she was standing there, instead of sitting on a swing. This was it. She was standing her ground, waiting for him.
Akane could sense Ranma standing behind her. What was taking him so long, she wondered? It felt like an eternity was passing by while they stood there, waiting, but for what? What were they waiting for? What was she waiting for?
Ranma gulped down the lump in his throat. He had been watching Akane for quite some time, hoping she would at least acknowledge him, but she did not. He would have to make the first move, and he knew it would be a long time before he got another chance to speak to her if he screwed this up.
"Akane, I'm sorry," he said. His voice was stern, but warm. It conveyed his determination and his genuine guilt.
Akane didn't turn around, no matter how much she wanted to when she heard those words. It was rare for Ranma to apologize, especially with that tone. For once, he wasn't graveling, or saying sorry for the sake of saying sorry. He was saying sorry, because he meant it. Still, Akane wasn't ready to speak just yet.
Ranma felt his heart sink when Akane remained with her back to him. Still, she hadn't yelled back a harsh response, so this was promising, at least. He decided to walk a bit closer before continuing, feeling uncomfortable speaking to her from so far away.
"Look, that was really stupid of me," Ranma said while rubbing his neck. He was swallowing his pride, and he knew it.
"Which part?" Akane asked coldly. She kept her back to him, and was trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. "The part where you threw my generosity in my face, or the part where you insulted me?"
As if the feeling of guilt hadn't been heavy enough, it was monumental now. Ranma could have sworn it felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen on him, because his whole body was aching. He couldn't let this blow to his pride stop him though, so he remained strong.
"Both parts," he admitted. "And everything last night," he added.
Akane listened closely as Ranma spoke. She had completely forgotten about the previous night, having been too wound up in what had just happened. She was surprised Ranma brought it up. The shock actually washed a little of her sadness away, and she could feel a measure of control returning to her.
Ranma had been walking closer to Akane each time he spoke, and was now directly behind her. Not knowing what more he could say, he placed his hands on her bare shoulders slowly and repeated his first apology.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Akane…" he spoke her name with a pleading tone, wishing she would just turn around and look him in the eyes.
Akane felt a chill run through her body when she felt Ranma's hands on her shoulders. It was different than the chills she felt when she was snuck up on. This one was tingly, and left a warm feeling in its wake. She heard the pleading in his voice, and finally gave in. She turned around to face him, not even caring that she was still fighting away her tears.
Ranma could feel his heart breaking when he saw Akane's tear stricken face. He had seen that look on more than just a few occasions, usually by his own dimwitted doing, and it had done nothing to dull the pain he felt each time. Still, there was nothing more he could think of to say. Silently, he brought his hands up from Akane's shoulders and wiped her tears with his thumbs.
Akane closed her eyes when she felt Ranma's thumbs brush her cheeks. His hands were rough from his hard life of traveling and martial arts training, but his touch was so gentle. She didn't know why, but she tilted her face upwards into Ranma's touch, sniffling as her tears were wiped way.
Ranma finished wiping Akane's tears and cradled her face in his hands. He had to admit, she looked adorable like that, and he felt some of his guilt lift now that she wasn't crying. He gazed at her pinkish face, marveling at how soft her skin was, despite her rather rough persona.
Akane sighed as Ranma cradled her face. His touch felt so hot to her, yet it made her body cold with tingly chills. She felt like she was floating, when not too long ago it felt like she was sinking into misery. It was this kind of effect that scared Akane. No one had ever had this kind of power over her feelings, and she didn't understand it. The unknown frightened her, yet, it was also so exciting she could feel herself ready to burst.
Ranma heard Akane sigh, and felt his own body loosen along with it. It seemed that the situation had been repaired. It was a quick fix, and he would have to definitely make this up to her, but he at least avoided a complete disaster. Now, however, he found himself in a rather sticky situation. Should he continue on the unknown path he had stumbled upon; one that was rather intimate? Or, should he find a way to gracefully escape, if there was one?
Ranma quickly rationalized that with his tact, a graceful escape would only mean a smooth launch into space from Akane's mallet. So, he decided to continue, but the prospect of actually doing something intimate with Akane wasn't just exciting, it was terrifying. His whole body tensed suddenly, and his legs felt like lead. An all too familiar heat suddenly filled his face, and Ranma was overcome by his anxiety.
Akane felt Ranma's body tense through his hands on her face and opened her eyes slowly. She was gazing into his eyes, seeing the strangest mixture of emotions. His brow was slightly furrowed in what could only be described as determination, but his eyes portrayed some kind of anxiety. His cheeks had turned bright red, a sharp contrast to his dark blue eyes. Those eyes locked with hers, and grew wide, magnifying each separate emotion on his face before softening into a warm gaze.
Ranma found himself gazing back into Akane's eyes. Her brown eyes were slightly shiny from her tears, but they were not sad. While her eyes were indeed slanted like she was sad, they were more hopeful than anything else. This look surprised Ranma, but he quickly recovered his resolve, and allowed it to calm his own nerves. He now found himself drawn to her, and slowly let himself get pulled in towards her face.
Akane could see Ranma's face leaning down towards her. The gravity between them was so strong, she couldn't possibly fight it, but did she want to? Would he actually do what it looked like he was going to do? Akane could feel her mind swarming with her emotions and the wonder at Ranma's current actions. Was it possible, that after all that had happened, he would actually kiss her? The idea of it was too much for her to bear, and she slowly closed her eyes, willing Ranma to make his choice.
Ranma felt an intense heat as his face drew closer to hers. This heat became hotter as the gravity between them seemed to grow stronger, pulling him closer still. Ranma did not fight it, but being so close was making him tense up again. He was expecting this dream to end at any moment and return him to a more jolting reality, but it did not. Akane was still standing there, waiting for him, while he cradled her face and leaned down until their noses literally brushed against each other. This small amount of contact is where Ranma paused.
Akane felt sparks fly as their noses rubbed together. It was the softest of touches manageable, and yet it was so powerful. Her once sniffling nose was now clear as could be, and she drew in a sharp breath, like she had just broken the surface of water. Indeed, it was like she had been swimming in an ocean of turmoil emotions, and now she was breaking out, finding her way. Still, she did not close the last inch between their lips. This was Ranma's choice t make, and she wanted desperately for him to make it.
Ranma didn't just hear Akane draw in a sharp breath, he felt. So close was he now to kissing her, he felt a cool breeze on his lips as hers drew in air. The sensation sent shivers down his body, and made him aware of his other senses for the first time. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair; a sort of lavender. While his body was hot, he could still feel the heat coming from Akane. It was a warm embrace that pulled him towards her.
Everything was now escalated to a focal point. It was now or never; Ranma had to make his move. He gazed down at Akane's closed eyes, looking for an answer. The truth was, as much as he wanted to do this, he was hoping Akane would make the last move for him. Ranma could sense that she would not, however, having seen the patient look on her face. He knew this was all on him.
Ranma gave himself a mental push and moved in. He gulped down his fears, and leaned in for the end of this tense moment. Ranma, however, let his fear get the best of him, and at the last possible split second, moved his head aside. The move caused his cheek to brush against Akane's, and brought his chin down on her bare shoulder. Not wanting to look like a complete idiot, Ranma moved his hands from Akane's face and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
Akane could feel Ranma's lips drawing closer. She pursed her lips in anticipation, bracing her body for what would surely be an explosive moment. That moment, however, never came. All Akane felt was a warm cheek rub against hers and then Ranma's arms hugging her softly. So high had her anticipations been; so strong her hopes; so long the wait; so fast the sudden switch, she wasn't quite sure what had just happened.
The lack of reception to his hug was not lost on Ranma. Compared to what every step was leading up to, he had to admit the end result was a real let down. He felt not only Akane's warmth, but his own leaving his body. Everything had reached a fever pitch, crying for the kiss, but now that the chance had passed, it was like his entire body was emptying its existence. He felt hollow to the core. Still, he remained standing there, hugging Akane. Holding her close to him.
Akane felt cold. To say she was disappointed was an understatement. Compared to what she was expecting, this was like losing a fierce battle, and maybe she had. Still, this moment had been something special all the same, and she would remember it forever. Taking it for what it was worth, she returned the hug, snuggling ever so slightly into Ranma's chest.
Ranma felt Akane return the hug, and the tension from his body finally lifted. He firmed his embrace and rubbed the small of her back. He could feel the warmth of her skin through the thin sundress. That warmth spread through him, breathing new life where he had felt empty before. It reminded him that while it wasn't what he had wanted, this moment was still something to remember.
Akane felt Ranma's hands on her back, rubbing it softly. It was the most intimate she had ever allowed someone to touch her, and it felt nice. It was almost as if he was rubbing away her own doubts about Ranma. She sighed into the embrace and tightened her own hug, pressing herself into Ranma.
This was good, Ranma thought. While it was far from a groundbreaking admittance to his feelings, of which he was still unsure about, it was a step in the right direction. If anything, this was a good time to finish his apology.
"I'm sorry, Akane," he said, almost a whisper into her ear.
Akane heard the sincerity in Ranma's voice and would not deny him any longer. She wouldn't ruin this moment by allowing herself to be stubborn.
"I know," she replied. "It's okay."
"No its not," Ranma said. He broke their embrace and held Akane by the shoulders. He gazed into her eyes and continued. "I will make this up to you."
Akane felt strange when their hug ended. It felt like more than just physical contact was broken. She had felt so safe, so full, in Ranma's arms, and now there was a void where he had just been. She wanted to fall back into his arms, feel that warmth again, but Ranma's hold on her was firm. She was almost afraid he was pushing her away again, but his words told her otherwise.
"I know you will," she said.
Ranma smiled warmly at Akane. This is what he considered a booming success. He was about to pull her towards himself for another hug, when a sudden chill shot through him.
The chill was ice cold, and very familiar. It was his sixth sense alerting him to danger, but from where?
Akane saw Ranma's face turn suddenly pale and alarmed. She wondered what had happened to cause it when she too felt a strange presence nearby. She could not pinpoint where it was, but the ice cold aura that fell upon them was all too familiar.
"Such a powerful aura," a voice echoed. It was that mysterious ninja that had attacked their home two days ago.
Ranma felt his whole body lock up when he heard the voice. He was suddenly aware of his folly, swearing at himself for not noticing until now. Not only had he turned back into a guy, but by allowing his emotions to come out so strongly, he had radiated his aura freely, allowing the ninja to track him down from who knows how far away.
Akane recognized the voice too, and gave Ranma a worried look. This was the one thing she wanted to avoid beyond all else. The thought of watching Ranma fight this opponent was terrifying to her, and it froze her in place to think that it was going to happen now.
The voice laughed, echoing all around them. Ranma tried to spot the ninja, but couldn't see anything in the trees surrounding them. Suddenly, he felt a very cold concentration of chi behind him and turned slowly, afraid of what he might see.
The ninja was standing by some trees with his arms crossed. His face was still completely masked, but Ranma could almost feel the grin that must have been on it.
"No more running," he said, almost like he was amused.
Ranma wanted to run, but knew that what the ninja said was true. He had been caught, and there would be no escape now, especially with Akane present. He would have to fight, and had no intention of disappointing the man standing before him.
Ranma clenched his hands into fists and got into a fighting stance while putting on his best game face. This fight was premature, but he was going to give it his all.
The ninja also lowered into a fighting stance, stretching his arms and rotating them before hunching down and raising them in a defensive pose.
Akane watched the two men prepare to fight, right there in the playground. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She wanted, no, she needed to stop it. She knew there could only be one outcome from this fight, and she could barely take thinking it, let alone seeing it unfold in front of her.
The vision of Ranma's dead body had been haunting her nightmares for two nights now, and the images were flooding her mind as she witnessed the scene before her. Akane would only have this one chance to prevent that nightmare from becoming a reality, but now, at the brink, she was too scared to move.
Author's notes: Sorry for the delay with this update. I tried to finish it before I went out of town for my birthday, but that didn't work out at all. This one is particularly long, and to be honest, it was a lot longer in its original draft. Any comments on the length would be helpful, because I'm trying to pace things as well as possible.