Chapter 7
Akane sat in her room, staring out of her window. She had started writing in her journal, well her journal that she had decided to start recently. She never really was one to write down her thoughts and feelings. She was rather one to take her thoughts and feelings out on practice dummies and Ranma.
Ranma.
She didn't know what to think or do about him. The way he looked when she broke the news to him tore at her heart. She didn't know what to think of the expression that he gave her. Was he mad? Shocked? Hurt? Disgusted? What?
She hadn't seen or heard from him all day. After she got done chucking up last night's dinner, she went to see if Ranma was still on the floor of the dojo like she had left him, but instead found that he was, well, nowhere to be found. She had looked all over the house for him, and when he was nowhere to be found she stopped searching. Kasumi had said that he probably was down by the river, that he probably needed time to breathe and think about what she had just told him. After all, becoming a parent was a big thing.
After talking with her sister she had decided that she would retreat to her room. She knew Ranma, when he was ready to talk to her he would come find her, he always knew where find her. "Uh…" She let out a small groan as she reached for her head. Suddenly she felt nauseated, plus her head was spinning. She needed to lay down, hopefully by doing that she'd feel better, plus she was feeling tired anyways.
Boy this was going to be a long seven months.
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There was a slight tapping noise on her window, soft but loud enough to wake her from her sleep. Slowly she opened her eyes only to find that she was staring at the wall which was a dark gray in color thanks to the lack of light outside. Dark? When did it get dark? She looked at the clock on her nightstand which read a little after eight. When did she fall asleep? She had only planned on laying down for a little bit, not sleeping for eight hours.
The sound of tapping reached her ears again and she turned towards her window only to see a shadow of a figure there. Any other girl would be frightened out of her mind at a sight like this, but Akane wasn't any other girl. In fact this was common thing that she would see any given night. She wasn't afraid, she knew exactly who it was, and that pigtail gave it all away.
Deftly she rose from her lying position and walked softly over to the window, unlocking it and then moving back into place on her bed. Instantly she started to fidget with her hands as she heard him enter her room. There was silence, then a very shy tenor "hey". She smiled to herself in the darkness. "So… uh… where have you been?" her eyes widened a bit when he sat next to her on the bed instead of on her desk like he usually did. "I've been out thinking…"
There was silence once again, but this time it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Akane continued to look at her hands while Ranma stared straight ahead at her closet. It was always awkward like this when he would come talk to her late at night, but after a couple of minutes (or hour depending on how or what the topic of conversation was) the air would lighten around them and they would talk like they had been friends all their lives.
"So what were you thinking about?"
He sighed heavily and she inwardly winced. Then again this wasn't every other night and the topic was something that she would have thought they wouldn't be having anytime soon. "I've been thinking about our child." She stopped her hand fidgeting immediately as his words reached her ears, and her spit caught in her throat. "Oh, uh… so…" Her words died off before she could even express what was on her mind. Then again, nothing was really on her mind. She was scared what he was going to say, would he want it or would he….
"Is this what you really want?"
She felt tears burning her eyes. Oh Kami, this was it. This was when he was going to tell her that he didn't want it, that either she was going to get rid of it or he was going to have nothing to do with her, not that they were involved romantically like that anyways. "Akane…" She shut her eyes tightly and willed herself not to cry. This was it… this was really it…
"If this is what you really want… then I'm here for you. I'll be here to help you with whatever you want me to."
Before she knew it, her head had snapped in his direction, searching his face for any sign of truth, but it was too dark to see anything. Was he for real? Was this what he really wanted too? "Yes Ranma, this is what I really want, but… if it's not what you want you don't have to be here if you don't want to."
Ranma couldn't believe what he was hearing, were her ears glued shut? He had just said that he was going to be there for her no matter what she decided to do, and now she was telling him that he didn't have to be there for her and their child? Damn, he knew that she was stubborn but this? This is unbelievable. "Akane! Did you not hear what I just said?" She sighed and leaned backwards in the bed until her back rested against the wall, then scratched her stomach, for some reason it had been itching a lot lately.
"Ranma, did you just hear what I said? If you don't want to be here you don't have to. I don't want you to feel that you're obligated to be here if you don't want to. I know how you are about feeling honor bound and what not, but I'm telling you to forget all about that. I'm telling you that you can let all of that go and be honest with yourself and me for once. If this is something that you really don't want, you can tell me, and I won't be angry about it. This is my decision; I don't want to make you do something you don't want to."
He stared at her in the darkness, watched her as she spoke, and literally felt his heart break with each word that fell from her lips. Did she know what she was suggesting? She was telling him that he didn't have to be in their child's life, something that no matter how unprepared for it as he was, he wouldn't do. "Akane, I'm not my father…"
Her mouth snapped shut. He wasn't like his father? What was that supposed to mean? He sensed her confusion and not wanting to explain anything just waved it off. "Look, never mind that, just… just understand that I will be here, no if and's or but's about it. This is my kid too right? I'm not going to leave this to you to handle all by yourself. What kind of man would I be?" She kept herself quiet, deciding that there was no way this was going to go her way. But then again as she sat there she realized that she really did want him to be saying the things that he currently was.
"Okay Ranma, if you're really serious about this then… okay. I won't keep second guessing you." Pleased with how this conversation ended, Ranma settled himself in her bed in the same position she was in, eyeing her stomach the whole time. He couldn't believe what he was informed about today. Akane was pregnant, with his child. It was like his dream had come true, just a little earlier than he had imagined. Wait, scratch that, make that WAY earlier than he had imagined.
As soon as he finished his breakfast in record time that morning, he had ventured out in the streets of Nerima, trying to get his thoughts and feelings together. Luck seemed to be on his side today, seeing as nobody had bothered him. After wandering for a while he had found a bench that was oddly familiar to him. He had observed it for a while and finally it clicked in his head why it seemed like he knew the bench pretty well. It was the bench that he had held Akane on after he had managed to get her out of that stupid armor. He smiled slightly, seeing the mark that his body had left in the bench when its paint was wet.
That's where he had sat and thought about everything. What they could do, what the others would try to do, how they could possibly avoid drama, how he would get rid of all the fiancées, and finally how he would confess his feelings to Akane. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't regret what happened between them. The only thing he regretted was that he couldn't remember anything save for a couple of flashes here and there.
As he thought about his little adventure this morning, he suddenly remembered the couple of questions that he had for her. "Akane, who all knows about this?"
Akane stopped scratching her stomach for a moment and looked at him, trying to read his facial expression. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark now so it was a bit easier to read his face. He seemed concerned and she knew exactly why. "Don't worry about it Ranma, only a few people." He wasn't too pleased with that answer so he decided to pry further. "A few people like who?" Akane sighed and shifted slightly. "Kasumi, Dr. Tofu, and Kohana. Don't worry; it's nobody that's going to spill the beans without me wanting them to."
Ranma made a face slightly at the mention of Kohana's name and Akane sighed. She thought that he got along with her, even if Kohana didn't really approve of him yet. "Look, Kohana was with me when I went in to see Tofu, and well, seeing as she's one of my best friends I felt like I could tell her what he had told me." Ranma really made a face at that comment and Akane had suddenly found herself trying to hold in her anger. What did he have against Kohana anyways?
"One of your best friends? So you mean that Yuka and Sayuri also know too then?" She gave him a confused glance then. What was he trying to say? Oh. "Ranma, Sayuri and Yuka aren't my best friends…" Ranma was suddenly silent. Akane had said best friends, as in plural, meaning more than one. If those two weren't her other best friends then who was it? "Uh, 'Kane? Who uh…" She could tell that he was uncomfortable with the question he wanted an answer to. Didn't he know already? She giggled slightly at him. Sometimes he really could be cute.
"Believe it or not, it's you Ranma… you are my best friend."
Ranma didn't know why, but suddenly he was smiling, and smiling widely for that matter. She considered him her best friend. He glanced at her exposed stomach lit up by the moonlight just outside her window and suddenly was overcome with the extreme want to touch it. Hesitantly he reached a hand out and slowly placed it on the creamy skin, marveling at how soft and hot the skin was, marveling at the fact that there was life growing in there.
Akane's eyes widened at the sudden and affectionate motion that Ranma had made, but she made no move to stop him. After a minute or so she placed her hand on top of his, smiling at how warm it was. She glanced at his face and that's when she saw it, unshed tears in his eyes and concern etched all over his face. It was so unlike him to look like that. Something must have really been bothering him. Maybe later she would ask him about it. "Don't worry Akane; I think we're going to be okay. In fact, I know we will." He blinked a couple of times; to get rid of the tears is what she guessed. A thought however popped into her head. "What… what about the others?" She didn't want to voice the question, but it fell from her lips before she could do anything about it.
He rubbed her stomach gently, his hand smoothing over the growing bump as slowly as possible. "We'll just have to see." He looked in her eyes suddenly, the intensity of them surprising her slightly. "Akane, whatever happens, I promise that I'll keep you safe, I won't let them or anybody else do anything to you." She smiled at his words, her thumb rubbing against the back of his hand in small circles. "I know you won't." Suddenly she wanted to kiss him, but she held back. Things were going so nice between them, she didn't want to go and do something that would freak him out.
Trying to distract herself so that she wouldn't be tempted to give in to her desires, she glanced at the clock on her desk. "Ranma, it's getting pretty late. Maybe you should get going to bed?" He considered her suggestion for a second then shook his head. "Actually, for some reason I'm not that tired. Do you… uh… do you wanna watch some TV or something?" Akane found herself smiling again for the second time that night. "Sure Ranma, let me change into something a little more comfortable and then I'll meet you downstairs."
Nodding, he stood and exited her room quietly, but not before answering her unvoiced concern. "If you're wondering, everyone went out the movies and dinner. Kasumi was going to ask you if you wanted to go too but you were out cold so she decided to let you rest. Something about you probably being stressed out. Anyways, she said that they probably wouldn't be back till late." Akane sighed in relief and nodded, signaling Ranma out of the room.
A few minutes later, Akane made her way down the stairs and into the family room where Ranma sat clicking away through the channels. She caught his attention as she sat down next to him, or rather her new attire did. She was wearing a pair of her running shorts and a plain white t-shirt. His eyes wandered over her figure and he noticed how much she was actually showing (not to mention how big her chest was getting), and it was obvious that they wouldn't be able to keep this secret for long. She let out a sigh as she stretched her legs out underneath the table. "Anything good on?"
He shrugged and handed her the remote. Instantly she started flipping through the channels trying to find anything interesting. Settling on an old kung-fu movie she set the remote down and leaned forward on the table, resting her head on her arms. They sat in silence as they watched the movie a bit, until Ranma decided to break the silence. "Hey 'Kane?" She grunted in response, not taking her eyes off the screen for a second. "I don't regret a thing." Her head snapped up in his direction only to see him heading off in the direction of the kitchen.
She watched his broad-shouldered figure as he walked away, his words finally making sense to her. Her face broke out into a smile so wide she was sure that her face was going to split in half.
"Neither do I Ranma, neither do I."
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KTKG says: Okay. I know that you guys probably have a couple of questions… well….maybe more than that. For those of you who are wondering, yes, Akane is indeed showing for being three months. If you think about it, Akane is a rather small girl. I thought about my cousin when I was writing this, seeing as she was small and when she was three months preggie she looked like she had swallowed a ball.
SO! With that said, I would love it if you would review and let me know if you liked it or not… also I'm up for any suggestions or ideas that you guys might have!
Take care!!!!
