Fighting Chance
By M. Zephyr
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.
Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons choose to fight for Ranma, will Akane be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?
This chapter is posted in honor of the Emperor's Birthday (Dec 23).
Chapter 11. The Prize
A short time after being released from the seat beside the broken challenge log, two hours after the surprise announcement of their imminent nuptials, the two Japanese teenagers were sitting at a table in Lotion's house, speaking to Lotion and two other elders. Or at least, Akane was speaking, hanging on to a veneer of calm. Her fiancé on the other hand ...
"You don't understand!" Ranma said forcefully, almost shouting. "We can't get married here! The idea is crazy!"
"Whatever makes you say that?" Lotion asked inquisitively, arching her eyebrows. Internally, she was enjoying herself immensely. Now that she knew she'd be getting rid of the troublesome boy in front of her, she didn't mind twisting his tail a little.
"We're from Japan," Akane said plaintively, trying to retain control, to make them see reason. "We should get married back home."
"You are now an honorary member of the Joketsuzoku," one of the other elders replied. "You will get married here, where all of your new kin may witness your bonding."
"Besides," Lotion told them through the grin which had been on her face since Akane won, "the whole point of that tournament was to decide who would marry Ranma in that wedding tomorrow. If the wedding isn't held, someone might raise the question of whether your victory was valid. I don't think you need me to spell out where that might lead."
The two young martial artists fell silent on hearing this, digesting the implications. The threat was clear, and if Lotion was highly amused by their situation she was nonetheless not the ultimate source of that threat, and her words carried a worrying ring of truth.
From off to the side Konatsu looked from one of her friends to the other. Very innocently, she asked, "Don't you wish to get married? Ranma-sama? Akane-sama?"
The two turned their attention on the ninja, but found no words to answer her. Slowly they turned and looked into each other's eyes, as though trying to commune telepathically. Unfortunately they found no answers there either.
Genma was not present. After the announcement that they were to be married tomorrow, he had walked off, beaming brightly, wisely deciding to keep some distance from his son for a time. Herb had been one of the first to congratulate the fiancés, although his congratulations had broken down into a fit of coughing. Or at least Akane was trying to be charitable and regard it as coughing instead of suppressed laughter.
"I'll tell you what," Lotion said cheerfully. "Why don't the rest of us leave the two of you here to talk it over. After all, there's no reason not to leave you alone any longer." She smiled quite happily at them. "Just remember, we're not going to let you get out of this."
She got up and started shooing everyone else out. Ranma called after her retreating back, "Hey! Can you at least take these blasted weights off of me now?"
The elder turned and regarded him carefully, head cocked to one side. "No," she drawled slowly, after a moment. "I think on the whole it would be best to keep them on you until tomorrow." Giving a firm nod of her head, she turned and quickly walked through the doorway.
Akane let herself fall backward in her seat, dropping her head to rest on the back of the chair. Staring up at the ceiling, she whispered, "Now what?"
"I got no idea," Ranma groaned. "I mean, I want to marry you. Really. I'm even, well," he squirmed slightly, "kinda looking forward to it. But I figured we'd do it in Japan. A normal wedding. Maybe you could, uh, wear the same dress you had last time." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I really liked the way you looked in that dress."
Akane smiled. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Slowly, thoughtfully, she suggested, "On the other hand, do you think we're fated to have a 'normal' wedding? I think Ukyo might leave us in peace this time. But we can only be sure about Shampoo if we go through with it tomorrow, at least if everything they've told us is true. If we wait until we're back in Japan, can we be sure she won't interfere? And how about the Kuno creeps? Happosai? Ryoga?"
"I think you're being unfair to Ryoga."
"Hmmph." Akane tossed her head, looking away from him. A moment later she said. "Maybe. I'm not ready to forgive him yet. But ... I suppose you're right that he's not likely to interfere. Okay, forget Ryoga. Are you going to tell me we don't have to worry about the others?"
"No." Ranma sighed. "The Kuno's may have gotten the message by now, but I sure wouldn't count on that. So, are you saying that you do want to get married here? Tomorrow?"
Akane ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure it's a question of what we want. Are they going to give us any choice? Besides ..."
She paused, looking off into space. Ranma started to say something, but Akane took her hand from his and placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. She was obviously chewing on some thought, and Ranma leaned back in his own chair, watching her.
"You know," Akane started, then hesitated again. She turned and looked at him. "If we go through with this ceremony, it would satisfy them. It would keep Cologne and Shampoo, and any of the others here, from causing any more trouble. But it wouldn't be legal. It's not like they'll have a marriage certificate from Japan for us to sign. For that matter we're not twenty yet. We both need our parents' permission to marry. Your dad would probably jump to agree, but my father is still back in Japan. Think they could get his signed permission by tomorrow?"
Ranma grinned. "Not likely is it?" His expression turned thoughtful. "So what you're suggesting is we go through with their ceremony. Make 'em happy. But it's just an empty ceremony. We won't really be married till we do it back home, with all the right paperwork."
Akane gave him a tender smile in return. "Yes, that's right. Who knows? It might even be fun. It's bound to be interesting, anyway. We'll just chalk it up as one more crazy event in our lives."
He squeezed her hand. "Okay. We'll do it. Of course, knowing me, I'll probably freeze up when it comes time to say the vows. Or whatever they do here. You may have to give me a swift kick."
Her eyes glittered. "Oh, I think you can count on that."
Ranma's face suddenly went blank, his thoughts turned inward. After a minute he leered at Akane, one eyebrow raised. "So, uh, what about tomorrow night? You know? Our, uh, wedding night?"
Akane's face immediately turned red. She gave her fiancé a shove, sending his chair toppling over, causing him to hit the floor with a thud. "Just what are you thinking, you pervert? You can just keep your pants on until the real wedding."
The young man looked up at her from the floor, grinning, his eyes dancing. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help it. You're beautiful when your face turns red and that fire lights behind your eyes." He held his hands up when a low growl came from her throat. "I'll be good. I promise. But, um, ..."
Ranma held a finger up, asking her to give him a moment. He pulled himself off of the floor and sat in his chair again, then reached out and took both of her hands in his, overriding her token resistance.
When Ranma spoke, his voice was light but still serious. "Forget how I put that. But the question's still important. All of these people here are going to think it's a real wedding. We want them to. Don't you think there might be a problem if we go to separate houses that night?"
"Oh." Akane straightened up, flustered. "Ah ... hadn't thought of that. Yep, that'd be a problem." She thought some more. Her face twisted. "In fact, can we count on them not to look in on us? I mean, I'm sure they'd give us privacy when we first, uh, you know, uh, when we go to bed." Her voice shook slightly, and her face was turning red again. "But if they checked up on us later - well, hopefully they wouldn't do that either - but if they came to wake us the next morning and found us in separate beds ..." She trailed off.
"The jig would be up," Ranma finished for her. He sighed, looking down. When he looked back up, he was biting at his lower lip, nervous, struggling with the shyness that usually caused him to overreact and bluster when it came to anything involving their relationship.
"Look," he said, "you can trust me. I mean, you got to know that by now, right? Would it be so terrible, really, for me and you to sleep in the same bed? Just till we leave here? I give you my word I won't try nothing."
Akane's reply was shaky, also fighting nervousness. "I'd feel a lot better about that promise if you hadn't used a double negative."
"Huh?"
"Forget it." She took a deep breath, then another. "I suppose we'll have to. And yes, I do trust you. If you want to know the truth, what worries me ..." She lowered her eyes, and her voice dropped almost to the point of inaudibility. "What worries me is the temptation. Not just for you. For me too."
Ranma gripped her hands tighter. "It'll be okay. I wouldn't hurt you. Not like that, anyway. I ... I love you. see? I ain't afraid to say it anymore. And maybe it'll even be good for us. I mean, we are gonna get married soon, even if tomorrow won't be for real. Besides ..."
He paused until Akane looked up at him, then continued. "After today, I think you, we, can do anything we set our minds to."
"Thanks." Her voice was almost normal again. After a moment she added, "I'm glad I won today."
Ranma gave a soft chuckle. "I'm glad you won today, too. Now, let's just try to get through the next couple of days, and then get out of here. Who knows? If we're unlucky enough, maybe we'll be back home before school starts."
With their decisions made, they were finally free to relax. Except Akane found herself doing anything but relaxing. She kept replaying in her mind the events of the day, and all the ways things could have gone wrong. Against her will, she began to tremble, as the possibilities forced their way into her thoughts now that she was no longer so tightly focused on winning.
"Akane ...?" Ranma inquired softly, feeling the tremor in her fingers.
"Could you ... hold me, please," Akane said, just as softly. "I think I need to have a good cry. It's been a hell of a day."
He said nothing, just opened his arms and took her into them. She settled herself into his lap, tucked her head under his chin, gripped the cloth of his shirt at the shoulder, drinking in the comfort of his presence. The tears started to spill out, uncontrollably. Nor did Akane make any effort to control them. She had won, defeated all comers, and no one was here to see except Ranma. She could afford the luxury of tears now, and welcomed the catharsis they would bring.
Shampoo wandered around the village in a daze, trying desperately to think of nothing. She had no particular destination in mind, nowhere to go except to keep walking. To keep walking and to avoid the places where preparations for tomorrow's wedding were taking place. One corner of her mind was crying out that this had to be a nightmare, that soon she would wake up, but she knew all too well that it was real. That there would be no waking up from this horror.
A few weeks ago she had beaten Akane Tendo. Had her helpless on the ground at her feet while she kicked her. She could have killed the Japanese girl easily then, and her people would have approved. Except that Ranma would not have. She had known that Ranma would never forgive her for that, would probably kill her in turn, and she had still hoped to win his heart. Somehow. If she could just get him back to China.
And now. Everything had changed. Horribly so. She, the previous champion, had lost, lost to Akane Tendo. Lost not just a fight, she had lost all claim to Ranma, forever. It was Akane he would marry, not her. Nor could she ever pursue any form of vengeance. Akane was an honorary Joketsuzoku now, a ... a sister warrior. Any suggestion that she might seek vengeance would bring the village elders crashing down on Shampoo herself like an avalanche.
Just to pour salt on the wounds, she would have to be present at the wedding tomorrow. Her great-grandmother would never let her get away with the insult of not attending. Shampoo had spent days dreaming of that situation, but with the roles reversed - herself marrying Ranma with Akane in the audience, looking on in agonized defeat. Instead, it was she who would be watching, and Akane who would cast the gloating glance in her direction.
There was nothing, nothing at all she could do. Those had practically been Cologne's exact words to her, when she had hunted her down after the tournament. In an incredibly fierce voice she had said, "There is nothing that you can do about this. Nothing, do you understand me? Don't you dare think about shaming our family by making some stupid, useless gesture." She had promised her great-grandmother, knowing that she had no choice, that she had to bear this like the warrior she was.
Shampoo came around a corner and froze. She was facing a field, and two people were fighting there! Mousse! What was he doing? And Meifen, the girl they had traveled with, the one she had worried might have gotten too close to Ranma in their cell. No, wait, they weren't fighting. They were sparring.
She watched in growing pique as Mousse called a halt and stepped up closer to Meifen, taking her arm in his and moving it while talking to her. He demonstrated the same move at greater speed and asked her to repeat it. After a few more repetitions Shampoo recognized it as a move she had seen Ranma use. Mousse must have picked it up from fighting the other boy. Of course, this did nothing to answer the question uppermost in Shampoo's mind. Why was he teaching it to Meifen?
When Mousse was satisfied, Meifen thanked him. She smiled at him. Smiled warmly. Shampoo discovered that her teeth were grinding together, although she had no idea why. Why should she care? Mousse was dead to her, she had seen to it that everyone knew she had shunned him. She should just turn around and go, quickly. Why were her feet taking her closer?
The other two teenagers finally noticed her presence, looking around at Shampoo's approach. Mousse dropped his eyes almost immediately, knowing that he could not speak to her, and finding it much too painful to look at his former love. Meifen of course was under no such restriction.
"Hello Shampoo," the young woman said, cordially. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Shampoo ignored the other girl. She felt irrational anger burning in her gut, a fury that pushed itself into her mouth and forced her to speak. "Stupid duck boy! What are you doing? Do you honestly think anyone could believe that you would prefer ... her?"
Meifen's expression closed down instantly at the insult, turning to stone. Mousse clenched his fists. For years he had poured his soul into trying to gain Shampoo's notice. It seemed that the answer he had sought for so long was as simple as giving his attention to another girl. An answer which came far too late. Her notice was now beyond his reach, by her word, by law. A law she herself was violating by speaking to him.
He also discovered that he was absolutely furious at the insult to Meifen.
Mousse slowly turned to Shampoo. He looked her directly in the eyes, and Shampoo took an involuntary step backward. The bumbling fool she had always known was no longer present behind his glasses.
"I'm sorry," Mousse said coldly, sounding honestly puzzled. "Do I know you?"
Shampoo jerked as if she'd been slapped. She was totally speechless, and belatedly realized her own breach of custom and law in addressing him. Confused, not knowing what to do or say, she turned on her heel and marched off.
Mousse immediately turned back to Meifen, feeling stiff and unnatural, but with all coldness gone from his voice. "Okay. Let's see if you can use that counter while we're sparring." Meifen wanted to say something, but nothing presented itself to her. He was waiting, patiently, so she took up the position. Both of them returned their concentration to their martial arts practice, and soon forgot the interruption.
Lotion was generous enough to give Akane and Ranma an entire hour to themselves. At the end of that hour she marched in and whisked Akane away, saying that they had to finish the preparations now that they knew who the bride was to be. Akane barely had time for one last peck on Ranma's lips and a grip of his fingers before she was gone.
A little while later a panda bear wandered in. Spying Ranma, he held up a sign with the question, "Hello boy. Is it safe for me to be here?"
His son snorted. "As long as you don't say anything stupid about this wedding, it is. Knowing you, that means it's probably not safe."
The panda wandered over to a sink and poured himself some hot water, which he immediately poured over his head. Grabbing a gi, Genma quickly garbed himself. "So you're going through with it?" the man asked as he sat in a chair. After Ranma nodded, his father continued with, "You want any advice about your wedding night?"
Ranma promptly buried his face in both hands. "Oh God! No, no, no, no! The last person I want any advice about that is from you."
Genma chortled. "Count your blessings. The night before my wedding, the person who asked me that was your mother's father. Not mine. The old man was holding a katana when he asked it. Unsheathed."
Both men settled back in their chairs. Genma was wondering once again whether he ought to reveal to Ranma that he could disable his son's weights, and decided against it as he had before. Ranma was obviously managing fine with them on, and the man really did want him to go through with the wedding tomorrow. Legal or not, Ranma would feel much more bound by honor to marry Akane afterward, so why risk the boy choosing to run off beforehand?
After a period of silence Genma piped up, "Has it occurred to you that this ceremony won't be legal? The bride's father is back in Nerima. Kind of hard to give his stamp of approval from there."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, we already figured that out. Akane suggested we go through with it anyway. Keep the people here happy, so they don't try to cause no more trouble. Maybe it'll be good practice for when we do it for real."
His father sighed. "Pity we're not someplace big enough to have a Japanese embassy. They'd have all the right paperwork. Could probably work out something about Tendo-kun's permission too. Something involving fax machines maybe."
Ranma scowled. "Well, we're not, so forget about it. Jeez, what's your problem, pop? I've agreed to marry Akane. Mom's agreed I'm manly enough, so she ain't gonna make you slit your belly. Is it that tough to wait a few more months?"
"I've been waiting a long time already, boy."
"You can wait a little longer," his son replied grumpily. "Hell, we're only eighteen. It's not like we can open the dojo for business before we graduate."
Ranma stared out the window moodily. Darkness was already creeping across the village, thanks to the mountain's shadow. He wondered if Akane would be free to join him for dinner. For that matter he wondered if they'd let him have a chance to see her at all before the wedding tomorrow. Noticing his father draw breath to speak, Ranma cut across his attempt with a change of subject before the old man could say anything else irritating.
"Got any idea where Konatsu is? I haven't seen much of her today, just a bit a while back when Akane and I were arguing with Lotion about tomorrow."
Genma followed the conversational swerve. "I saw him heading off with people carrying a bunch of fabric. I guess the little, er, I guess he's helping out with the wedding garments. Or something."
"She, pop," Ranma said wearily.
The man's face twisted unpleasantly. "He's a boy. No damn curse is gonna change that. You lot can treat him like a girl all you want, but that don't change the facts. Or do you want people to start thinking you're a girl, too?"
Ranma's eyes gazed off into the distance. "I don't know exactly what I am anymore." Seeing his father's incipient explosion, the boy held up a hand, saying, "Let me explain. Yes, I'm a guy. I'm male. Unlike Konatsu, that's how I think of myself, so that's what I am. I'm a guy and I'm gonna be Akane's husband, not her wife or any other damn thing."
He leaned his head back, trying to say things he'd been thinking over since the trip to Jusenkyo and Konatsu's transformation. When he'd been forced to accept that he really was stuck with this curse for longer than he'd already been alive. At the least.
"All that's true. But I can't just ignore the curse. I'm not just a guy anymore. For God knows how many more years I'm gonna be spending a good bit of time as a girl. I've got to accept that, learn to live with it. I've already gotten into too damn much trouble from not accepting it."
"We'll find some cure ..."
"No pop," Ranma interrupted. "No more. I won't risk any more disasters. I'll find my cure when Jusenkyo is willing to let me, and not before. So ... what does that mean? What am I really?"
Genma was silent. Ranma continued speaking after a moment.
"I've been thinking about it a lot, lately. The one thing I've decided is that I'm not some half boy, half girl. For that matter I'm not eighty percent boy and twenty percent girl. I'm a hundred percent man, male, 'cause that's what I am inside, where it matters.
"But I'm more than that now. I'm, oh, let's say I'm a hundred twenty percent human. A hundred percent male plus an extra twenty percent female on top o'that. I'm not some partial male. I'm a whole male plus something extra. Something no other man gets to experience. Well, 'cept for Prince Herb, of course."
Ranma sighed, his head still resting on the back of the chair. "So stop worrying about it pop. I'm all guy. Just like Konatsu's a girl, 'cause that's what she always believed she was. Treating her the way she wants ain't gonna change what I am."
"Hmmph!" was Genma's only reply. He crossed his arms and said nothing more.
Ranma welcomed the silence as preferable to the alternative. Besides, he had a lot to think about.
As it turned out, Ranma was wrong to worry that he and Akane might not be able to have dinner together. On the other hand, it wasn't exactly a private dinner. In fact, it seemed like practically the whole village was present in the large room, at a feast which simultaneously celebrated Akane's victory in the tournament, welcomed her to honorary membership among them, and cheered her brand new - so far as they were concerned - engagement.
Ranma was sitting beside Akane, at her left side. On her right sat Lotion. On Ranma's left, making both of them uncomfortable, sat Cologne. A scattering of other withered old crones occupied the remaining seats at the table. They were on a raised dais, making them easily visible to the several hundred people sitting at the other tables.
As he thought about those numbers, Ranma realized that this could not, after all, be anywhere close to all of the people who lived in the village. In fact, it could only be a representative fraction. He was rather surprised by his realization - apparently he had learned something in his math classes after all.
Ranma mostly ate in silence. Cologne made no attempt to strike up a conversation, and neither did he. Akane mostly talked to Lotion. Ranma wasn't sure what to say to his fiancée. He had no idea what you were supposed to talk about to the girl whom you were going to marry tomorrow, except not really. They did manage to talk a little bit about some of the matches earlier that day, but on the whole he'd rather have done so somewhere by themselves.
When the elaborate meal finally drew to a close, Akane was immediately dragged off again. Ranma was left to his own devices and wandered around a little, more or less in the direction of the guest house where he, Genma and Konatsu had been staying. As he strolled down a street looking at the stars, someone fell into step alongside. Ranma dragged his eyes down and looked over to see Jade's husband Gel walking beside him.
The young man groaned, his face turning red. "Please tell me you're not here to give me another lesson for tomorrow night."
The man chuckled. "What, I didn't teach you enough last time? You reckon you need to learn more?"
"No," Ranma answered emphatically and a little wildly, before continuing with strained politeness. "Thank you, but, uh, I think I'll take it from here."
"Okay," he answered with a devilish grin. "Not why I stopped by anyway."
Ranma sighed. "Okay, let's get this over with. So why are you here?"
An eyebrow quirked up, and there was a trace of amusement present when he responded. "Womenfolk around here, they can get really caught up in things like weddings. Though from what I hear, that's true everywhere. But they often think of us men as just ornaments for these things, meaning they don't necessarily give us much thought at all. I was thinking to myself, I wonder if anyone bothered to tell that boy what to expect at the wedding tomorrow? What would happen, what he'd be expected to do?"
The boy in question missed a step, but recovered quickly. "Uh, no. No they didn't."
"That's what I figured," the older man said with a heartfelt sigh. "Listen, I happen to have a little something to relax you here." He lifted his other hand, showing a bottle containing some dark liquid. "Not that I'm gonna let you get drunk, mind, but I reckon about now you could probably use something to help you calm your nerves. Why don't we go to your place, let me pour you a drink, and I'll tell you all about it?"
Ranma didn't take long to think it over. He wasn't too interested in the contents of the bottle, not being one to drink even socially. Though truth to tell he was just a bit on edge. More importantly, he did need to know what would happen tomorrow.
"Okay," he said. "So long as you stick to telling me about tomorrow and not tomorrow night. Come on."
Gel smiled but said nothing, falling in beside the boy. They hadn't gone far when they met four people coming down the road in the other direction. For a moment Ranma considered swinging wide around the Musk contingent, but then decided he could just pass by without saying anything. This was not to be, however.
Before they even met, Prince Herb called out with an unconcealed smile, "Where away, Saotome? Are you not spending the evening with your bride-to-be?"
Ranma sighed, but answered civilly enough, "The women dragged her away. I think they're taking care of some more details about the wedding."
Before Herb could respond, his wife Jasmine frowned prettily before she turned in her husband's direction and remarked, "I believe I would also like a word or two with today's victor, before tomorrow's ceremony. Would you excuse me, my lord?"
Herb frowned as well, although in his case it was due to confusion. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "As you like. I'll see you in our quarters later." He looked back over his shoulder and added, "Lime, please escort my wife wherever she wishes to go. You are not to intrude on any meetings she has with other women. Stand your post at a distance, or outside the house they are in. I trust there will be no further incident such as that during dinner."
Lime reddened, but stepped up beside Jasmine. As they walked off he mumbled under his breath, "How was I supposed to know she was talking about the chicken when she asked if I wanted a breast or thigh?"
Before the prince could walk off, Gel spoke up to suggest, "Ranma and I were just heading back to his house to discuss the wedding, and share a little drink. Would you care to join us?"
Herb was about to make his excuses when he caught sight of the bottle in the man's hand. His eyebrows lifting fractionally. "Do you know, I believe I will," he replied instead. He turned around and started walking with Ranma and Gel back the way he had come. Mint trailed behind.
Ranma decided he might as well try to make conversation, although it would be best to keep to inconsequential, and therefore safe, subjects. So he mentioned, "I don't believe I saw you at the dinner tonight."
Herb shook his head. "You wouldn't have. Today was more wearing than I expected. As you know, we had to make a quick march to arrive in time. In any case I did not wish to expend energy on an elaborate function and all of the underlying diplomacy involved." He sighed. "Though it proved impossible to escape after all. A couple of elders insisted on joining us for dinner in our quarters, together with some of their younger relatives." He winced at the memory of one of those young relatives trying to make conversation with Lime, and the fast talking he had needed to do afterward to mend the breach.
They reached the house and stepped inside, to find a panda bear sprawled on the couch, eating some cakes he had apparently smuggled from the feast earlier. Genma quickly stood up on seeing that the Musk prince accompanied his son. A layer of crumbs slid off of his belly onto the floor.
Ranma just rolled his eyes upward. "Would you get some hot water and change? And maybe pretend for a while that you're civilized?"
The bear growled and wandered off, followed by Gel. A few seconds later they returned, Genma in human form, and Gel carrying glasses. The latter poured a small amount of liquid in each glass from the bottle he carried, then passed them around. Ranma looked down at his dubiously.
"So," Herb drawled as he lightly swirled the drink in his glass, "are you looking forward to the wedding?" He lifted the glass and took a small sip.
Ranma's lips turned down. "Don't start," he said with a hint of menace. He continued to stare at the drink for a few more seconds, trying to discern the color in the dim light of the room. "I ain't happy about being forced into this so soon, but Akane's the girl I want to marry and I'm ready to face it."
Herb's eyebrows lifted. "You make it sound like a fight."
The groom-to-be shrugged his shoulders. "It's about the only way I know how to deal with things."
He looked up to see his father and Gel lifting their glasses to their lips. Mint was standing over by the door, no drink visible in his hands. Apparently he considered himself on guard duty. Figuring 'what the hell,' Ranma lifted his own glass to his mouth and let a small amount slide down his throat. Despite having prepared himself for the expected alcoholic content it burned all the way down and left him choking, requiring a huge effort to disguise this with a cough and to prevent himself from pounding his chest with a fist. Ranma opened his watering eyes to see the others grinning at him.
Taking sympathy on the boy's discomfort, Gel began speaking. "Well now, I did promise to tell you what to expect tomorrow. For the most part you only need to follow directions, doing what others tell you to do. It starts with a bath followed by the wedding breakfast. Nothing particularly special about either, except that attendants will help you bathe and you'll be given special clothes to wear to the breakfast. After that ..."
He proceeded to outline the events through the end of the ceremony, while Ranma gave him his careful attention. The others listened with only half an ear, giving more of their attention to the golden nectar from which they continued to sip. The description didn't truly take very long.
"And that's it?" Ranma asked when the older man seemed to be finished. The man nodded, forgoing words to lift his glass again.
"Huh," Ranma added. He lifted his own glass for a second time and took a cautious sip, fighting to keep his face expressionless as it went down. "I guess I was expecting a lot more. I mean, well ... from what I've heard of weddings back home, they can be a hell of a lot more complex."
Gel responded with a smile, "What can I say? We are a simple folk."
Ranma snorted, but said nothing. Privately he reflected that 'simple' was not the word he would have used to describe Amazon culture, but perhaps he shouldn't have expected overly elaborate rituals from a culture which thought a kiss was sufficient ceremony for an engagement. Not that tomorrow would be anywhere near that simple, but it did sound fairly straightforward.
"Now that we've covered the wedding day," Herb remarked, "would you care for any further advice concerning the wedding night?" His smile was entirely too innocent.
"Bugger off," Ranma said with a half-hearted scowl, thankful that his pop was keeping his own mouth shut. He took another small sip, swallowing with a little less trouble this time, while thinking that maybe this stuff the old man had given him wasn't all that bad after all.
"Although," Ranma mused, as if having second thoughts, "if you really wanna talk about it, how did you manage? On your wedding night? Given that you didn't have a lot of experience with girls and all."
Herb scowled and looked aside. Finally, reluctantly, he chose to reply. "It was ... awkward. Neither of us ... to be frank, neither of us really knew what we were doing." He turned his scowl on his drink, as he realized he was speaking openly about a subject on which he was unlikely to have spoken under other circumstances. He leaned his head back and sighed. "We did not have the advantage of a courtship, at least not of the usual sort. We had never even kissed before our wedding." His mouth twisted. "I suppose you're better off than I was, in that regard, having been courting your fiancée for a couple of years."
Ranma shook his head. "Not really. I only kissed her for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Well, the first time I meant to." He frowned, remembering the photograph he had seen of himself kissing Akane while in the neko-ken. "We sure ain't done any more'n that. Hell, Lotion ain't even been letting us kiss."
The young prince felt an unexpected rush of sympathy for his companion, and frowned suspiciously at his drink again, placing the blame thereon. Haltingly he said, "Then I suppose it will be as awkward for you. I would suggest ... take it slowly. Be gentle. Pay attention to her - don't think only of yourself. Don't expect to be an expert right away."
Gel nodded, eyes half closed. "Sage advice. It's a pity you didn't have time to grow more comfortable with the initial movements of the dance, before the command performance. Though I suppose it would be impolite for me to point out wasted opportunities. Still, I daresay you will survive your first time, however much you blunder about at it. If people did not, there would be far fewer people."
Ranma knew his face was glowing, although he hoped the lighting was low enough that it would not be obvious. "Could we change the subject? I'm sure Akane and I'll manage, one way or another. Did you see that move Akane used on, uh, what's her name, oh yeah, Mascara? That was something, wasn't it?"
The talk moved on to other things, but before long Ranma found himself unable to keep his eyelids open, and wondered if it might be due to the empty glass in his hands. Once Gel realized this he made noises about needing to get to his own bed. Ranma saw Herb and Gel to the door, noticed that his pop was lightly snoring on the couch where he lay, and stumbled off to his own room. There he yanked off his clothes and flopped back onto the bed. He had time for one sleepy thought, wondering what Akane was up to right then, before his eyes closed and he started snoring.
Over in Jade's house, Jasmine had shown up and been invited in to join Akane, Jade, Lotion and, surprisingly, Konatsu. Lime was left to stand outside at the door, pondering what the Amazon elder had meant at dinner about removing the head which seemed to be doing his thinking.
Inside the house, the conversation had flowed along similar lines as that among the men, as they sipped from glasses poured out of a bottle identical to the one Gel had carried. There was a brief interruption to their talk as Jade pounded on Akane's back after her first tentative swallow of the fiery liquid. Jasmine managed to force it down without such exuberant assistance. Konatsu took a small sip, nodded thoughtfully, and put the rest aside.
After her host returned to her seat, Akane scowled down into her glass, then looked up to where Jade was taking a slow sip and Lotion a rather larger one. Setting herself to the task grimly, Akane continued to sip from the glass until it was empty. It became easier with each additional swallow.
As she drank, Jade and Lotion continued to instruct Akane in the various rituals which would take place the next day, and Jade tried to get Akane to open up about any reservations she might have concerning the wedding night. Jasmine assisted the older woman in this by relating a little information about her own first time. She told Akane more than her husband had been willing to share with Ranma, although she assured Akane that her 'dragon' had slowly learned how to please her very well indeed.
Jade was glad that the Musk princess was so forthcoming. She did not feel that she herself could contribute much in the way of reassurance to the young bride on such points. After all, her own wedding night had been special primarily in that she and Gel hadn't needed to worry about getting caught.
Even less accustomed to liquor than Ranma, Akane soon found herself nodding, unable to follow the conversation. Jade helped her to her room, where Akane somehow managed to change into pajamas before simply collapsing onto her bed, barely able to pull the covers over herself. She was amazed that such a small glass could affect her so greatly, and warned herself to be even more cautious in future. Her last sleepy thought was to hope that Ranma was all right, wherever he was.
The day dawned bright and early for Ranma. Much too early in fact, when several Amazon males pulled him from his warm and comfortable bed. Going on automatic, the boy immediately attacked the unsuspecting men, injuring several before he was seized in an iron grip.
"Enough boy!" Genma bellowed, as he held his son's arms pinned to his sides. "Don't you want to get married?"
At the reminder, Ranma's brain caught up with his body and he stopped struggling. "Uh. Yeah. Married. I'm supposed to get married today." He relaxed further as the arms released him, then put a hand to his head as he realized how it was throbbing. Reflecting on what had set it off, Ranma spun without warning and kicked his father away, wincing severely at the crash when Genma struck the wall. Trying not to speak more loudly than necessary, the young man said, "Pop, you shout in my ear again and I'll take your head off. I got a hell of a headache."
The male attendants timidly approached, escorting him out of the house, gradually growing more relaxed and confident as their charge showed no further sign of violence. By the time they reached the baths the men were sufficiently reassured that they ignored Ranma's sleepy protests as they stripped him and scrubbed him down briskly. Although annoyed at being treated so peremptorily at a task he was perfectly capable of doing himself, Ranma resigned himself to their efforts, thankful that at least they were using hot water. Afterward they attacked him from all sides with towels, not even giving him a chance to dry himself. Finally the attendants forced him into clothing reminiscent of the robes Mousse usually wore, although quite a bit fancier.
After studying the garments Ranma looked up at one of the men who had helped to dress him and said, "I seem to remember that I'm supposed to have an escort in today's ceremonies. That right?"
The man he had addressed answered without hesitation, "That is so. These ..." He waved his arm to indicate the others. "... are the ones who were selected. Together with your father."
Ranma looked him in the eye, put on a serious expression, and told him, "I'd like Mousse to be with me today. Sort of as ... never mind. But I'd like him to be there. Okay?"
The man looked puzzled, then walked over to the others and spoke, too rapidly for Ranma to easily follow. One of the men walked off. The first attendant turned back with a shrug and said, "We have no objection. We will ask Mousse if he wishes to do this."
Apparently deciding that they had already delayed long enough, Ranma was quickly pulled down the road to the community hall, where they had held the feast the previous evening. He was trailed by his father and Konatsu, the former thankfully human, the latter in cursed form. Both were also in new clothes, Joketsuzoku style robes brightly colored but of less ornate cut. Ranma was shown to a place at the front table where he stood until someone pushed him into his seat. There he was joined a minute later by Akane. The boy finally got his sleepy brain in gear and remembered that the day was to start with a wedding breakfast.
As Akane's sponsor into the tribe, Lotion had a seat of honor beside Ranma. Jasmine had the other seat of honor, beside Akane, with her husband Prince Herb on her other side. The knowledge that this was the first major ritual of their supposed wedding day left the two teenagers tongue-tied with one another. Luckily, the burden of conversation was taken up by the people seated near them. Even more fortuitous, Cologne was seated too far down the high table to talk to either of them and Shampoo was at a much lower table.
When the meal was done and, more significantly, after the overly long speeches which followed drew to a close, the couple were expected to pray for the blessings of the ancestors on their union. For this purpose, they were escorted by a small party to the first of two shrines. Ordinarily the shrine in question would belong to the family of the bride. In this circumstance, they went instead to the shrine devoted to Lotion's ancestors. Following instructions Akane and Ranma lit incense and burned paper offerings, then prayed for the next hour, until their guides indicated that they were done.
After this they were taken to another shrine, a special one reserved for outsiders who married into their people, since the husband in such a case would have no ancestors there. Here they repeated the entire ritual, spending yet another hour in prayer. Mousse showed up halfway through, dressed like the other male attendants. He gave Ranma a puzzled look, then stood silently until the end.
When it was over, Mousse asked quietly, "Why ...?"
Ranma shrugged. "I didn't want you there at the beginning. I was wrong. Figured you had a right to be there at the end."
His old rival gave Ranma a long look, sighed, and finally responded with a small nod. Nothing more was said.
By the time Akane and Ranma left the second shrine the sun was perhaps two thirds of the way up the sky toward its zenith. They were taken in separate directions to undergo ritual purification, to which Genma accompanied his son but Konatsu did not. This event involved multiple dips in cold and hot pools in alternation, during which Ranma could not escape his transformation. He decided to be amused by the intense blushes on the faces of his male attendants. Mousse hung back, mindful of his own curse.
This stage of the formalities was completed as the clock neared noon, the time set for the main ceremony. Ranma's clothing was already laid out, and the men started helping him into it. Their help was necessary. There was some similarity in appearance to the robes he had worn to the breakfast, but these were far more elaborate. Not to mention much, much heavier. When added to the weights which were still strapped to his wrists and ankles, the young man was surprised he didn't sink into the ground.
When the group exited the building, they were confronted by Lotion, who stood in their path.
Ranma sighed heavily, not wanting to admit that the weight was killing him. "What now?" he asked resignedly.
The elder looked him up and down. "Well, I must admit, you do cut a fine figure. Akane should be pleased. As to why I'm here ... will you give me your oath, on your honor, that you will go through with the coming ceremony?"
Ranma thought that one over, wondering why she was asking. Finally he shrugged. "Sure. I already planned to. Uh, so, I swear on my honor that I will go through with ... uh, hang on. I swear that I'll go through with my wedding with Akane." Ranma felt perspiration dotting his brow that he had almost sworn to go through with any ceremony he might have found himself in, even a wedding to Shampoo.
Lotion nodded. "Fine. Then I'll remove the weights from you and your father. Stand still please."
The old woman touched her staff to the harness on Ranma's left wrist while he watched closely. As she moved to the right one, he pulled his hand back and held out his left arm to stop her. Bringing his right hand back in front of him, he examined the weight closely, put his left hand over it for a moment and then smiled while voicing a light "Ahh" of satisfaction and relief. He squatted and put his hands over both ankle weights before standing and grinning at the elder, almost bouncing in place with happiness over the removal of the burden he'd borne.
For her part the flabbergasted woman touched her staff to the weights in disbelief, confirming that they were deactivated. Lotion stepped back absentmindedly, trying to wrap her mind around his latest accomplishment, while motioning a couple of men forward. She watched them unbuckle and remove the weights, without saying a word, before shaking herself and stepping over to Genma.
When her staff touched the older man's weights she froze in shock, then began cursing foully, finding them already deactivated. She vented her feelings by whacking him across the head with her staff. Feeling unsatisfied, she whacked him twice more for good measure. As the elder marched off, they heard her grumbling, "I pray to all the ancestors that I never again meet a male by the name of Saotome!"
"Hear, hear," muttered Mousse meaningfully.
Ranma cocked a curious eyebrow at his father, who was rubbing the lumps on the back of his head and muttering under his breath. When Genma finally noticed his son's regard, Ranma said, quite calmly, "Pop, I'm guessing that meant you already figured out how to turn those things off. And you kept it to yourself." He cracked his knuckles menacingly. "You and I are gonna have a long talk about that later, if you know the kind of talk I mean."
Genma swallowed nervously as the men finished removing his weights, but decided silence was the safest course of action on his part. Ranma turned to continue up the road, with a couple of attendants in the lead, and everyone else fell in behind.
The party approached a circular structure which Ranma had not previously visited. When they entered, he found it was an amphitheater, filled with the residents of the village. He and his male attendants walked down an aisle on one side, whereupon the young man saw his bride approaching them down an opposite aisle, accompanied by a group of female attendants.
Ranma's eyes locked on Akane. She was wearing a flowing white dress, not at all similar to a western wedding dress, but which nonetheless made her look absolutely beautiful. The sword hanging at her side somehow emphasized the effect rather than detracting from it. There was some sort of tiara on her head, gold bracelets spiraling around her wrists, and a jeweled necklace on her throat which must have been worth a fortune.
The attendants walking on either side were quick to catch Ranma when his foot missed the next step. After Ranma was steady once more, Mousse released his grip, chuckling, then whispered, "Feeling eager?" He ignored the return glare.
As they neared the center Ranma finally managed to glance at the women who were with Akane. Lotion he identified immediately, and Konatsu a moment later, standing behind Akane wearing a lavender dress. The others puzzled him for a minute before he finally identified them as the guards who had kept watch over the group for the last couple of weeks. It was the long dresses and elaborate hairstyles which confused him. He realized that they represented Akane's closest female companions among the villagers. With these identifications made to his satisfaction, Ranma's eyes returned happily to Akane, reveling in the sight of her.
An Amazon elder named Mist stood in the center where both groups met. She would be the one to perform the wedding. Mist was the eldest of the elders, much older and far more wizened than either Cologne or Lotion, although neither Ranma nor Akane would have believed this if not for the evidence of their own eyes. She spoke at length in an old dialect which neither the bride nor groom could understand, but the gist of it had been explained to both beforehand. Stuff about how everyone was gathered there to witness the marriage of the couple before them, what marriage meant, and so forth. There was nothing particularly unexpected, at least considering the culture. Ranma remembered how his lip had curled on first hearing the bit about how the man was expected to submit to his wife's will.
Finally the elder turned her attention to Ranma and spoke in modern Chinese. "Do you, Ranma Saotome, promise before all those here gathered to be a faithful husband to Akane Tendo, to love her always, to stand with her no matter what the winds may bring, from this day forth to the end of time?"
Ranma had to clear his throat first. Looking directly into Akane's eyes he whispered, "I do."
Mist turned her attention to Akane, who suppressed a wince as she remembered what she had been told of the vows, emphasizing as they did the cultural gender roles and the hope for the tribe's future.
"Do you, Akane Tendo, promise before all those here gathered that you shall henceforth be the wife of Ranma Saotome, to give him your love, to provide him a home, from this day forth to the end of time, and through him to secure for the future of your people through the bearing of strong children?"
Akane's voice wavered a little, but she got out a fairly strong, "I do." As she spoke she was staring into the sapphire pools of Ranma's eyes, wondering if she might fall and drown in them.
The elder took their hands in hers and brought them together, then tied a braided gold string around them. "You who were two are now bound as one, everlasting. What has been joined, let none ever part." She paused, then added with a smile, "Congratulations. You're now husband and wife. It is traditional to finalize a marriage with a kiss. Given your history with us, I'm sure that comes as no surprise."
Extremely self-conscious, Akane and Ranma leaned together and kissed. There was applause from a considerable portion of the audience, although notable exceptions existed. When they parted, both pairs of eyes were shining.
"If you'll follow me, there's one last thing to do," Mist said.
Puzzled, the newlywed couple followed the ancient crone over to a table on which lay a wide, shallow box. She untied the string around their hands and set it aside. Mist then lifted the lid on the box, revealing its contents. Akane and Ranma stared, slowly realizing what they were looking at, and both felt fingers of ice crawling down their spines.
Lying innocently inside were a handful of items. An official Japanese marriage certificate, needing only the bride's and groom's stamps. Two official permission forms for the marriage of Japanese minors, one already filled out with Akane's name and bearing the stamp of Soun Tendo. Three hankos. Two gold rings.
"Where ..." Ranma choked, recovered. "Where did you get that?"
Lotion answered, sounding for all the world as if she didn't understand the nature of his question. "From Japan, of course. Where did you think?"
Akane turned to face the old woman at her side. She was starting to hyperventilate, and her voice came out squeaky. "You know what he meant. How? How did those things come to be here? Today?"
Lotion was losing the battle with the grin that wanted to escape. "Oh that. I wrote to your father on the same day I entered you in the tournament. Told him that if everything worked out right, that you'd be marrying Ranma, and would he please send me everything we'd need to make it legal. Promised I'd send it back if you didn't win. He sent it by express mail and I got it a few days ago, along with his regrets at not being able to be here in time to attend."
Akane and Ranma turned to stare at each other, their faces studies in discombobulation. Slowly they turned their heads to look around at the thousands of eyes gazing down upon them. Both teens swallowed heavily.
Genma rubbed his hands briskly with a chortle, his eyes alight. He stepped up to the table quickly, took the other permission form, and filled it out for his son. Taking his hanko from the box, he affixed his stamp then placed the form back with the others.
"Well?" Mist inquired, narrowed eyes pinning the two nervous teenagers. Her tone conveyed both impatience and iron determination.
The pair's eyes swept around again, sensing the weight of expectation emanating from the assembled masses. They turned to regard one another again, both looks imploring.
"Uh, you know, it is what we wanted. Isn't it?" Akane asked in a whisper.
Ranma swallowed, then whispered back. "Yeah. Not exactly when we expected, maybe, but ... I guess I'm willing, if you are."
Akane gave the slightest of nods, looking more than a bit scared. Ranma stepped up to the table and pulled out the marriage certificate. It was already entirely filled out. With one last pause to gather his courage he picked up his hanko and applied his stamp to the form. Akane instantly repeated his action, almost as if she were afraid to hesitate.
"Congratulations again," Mist said.
Lotion reached into the box and picked up the two rings. "Akane's father sent these along as well. He said they were the rings that were supposed to be used the last time he and Genma tried to get the two of you 'hitched.' He figured you could use them now."
Ranma picked up one of the rings and lifted Akane's left hand in his. He took a deep breath and seemed to stand straighter. "Interesting day, eh? It's not what we planned, but, well, that's okay. I'm glad, I think. Um, I don't remember too much about what usually happens in weddings, but ..." His voice became more serious, as he intoned, "With this ring, I thee wed." He slipped the ring on Akane's finger.
Tears were leaking out of Akane's eyes. She picked up the other ring and whispered, "With this ring, I thee wed." With a bit of effort she forced the ring onto Ranma's finger.
The two of them suddenly grabbed each other in a tight hug, kissing again. There were scattered cheers from the crowd. When they came up for air they were led to an aisle perpendicular to the ones from which they had entered. They climbed the steps along this one together. As they neared the top Akane caught a glimpse of Shampoo for the first time that day.
Shampoo had watched the proceedings stoically, telling herself repeatedly that it would be over soon. At the last minute, as the new bride and groom were leaving, her eye and Akane's met. Shampoo was prepared to see her rival gloating, and had steeled herself against it. What she hadn't prepared herself for was pity. It lanced through her with the pain of a sword thrust, nearly making her cry out, as she wished desperately that Akane had chosen to gloat instead. Shampoo's legs trembled but did not fail her, and she turned her face away to stare at the bottom of the amphitheater.
Akane wished that there was something she could do for Shampoo, but knew that only time could heal the girl's wound. With an effort she cast aside the gloomy thought. Against all expectation she and Ranma were married, really and truly married, and Akane set aside her doubts, worries and fears, and gave herself over to the happiness which was filling her.
From beside her, Akane's new husband suddenly said, "I just realized. I got no idea what happens next. I mean, it's still pretty early in the afternoon."
Akane turned her face to him. "You haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. Aren't you hungry?"
Ranma stared at her, amazed that recent events had taken his mind completely off of his stomach. "Well, uh, yeah. Now that you mention it."
Akane smiled at him. "Then what do you say we attend the reception that's been prepared? Not that you have a choice, of course. There'll be plenty of food."
"Sounds good," he said, smiling in return. Hand in hand, they walked down the road together.
The afternoon was one, long, extended party. Food was present in abundance, much to Ranma's and Genma's delight. There was dancing, which Ranma and Akane, both the jealous sorts, mostly did with each other. Mousse did take one dance with Akane, and Lotion and another elder insisted on a dance apiece with Ranma. The groom returned from his dance with the latter blushing furiously, and refused to tell Akane why.
There were several interminable speeches. Before Genma was finished with his numerous people were murmuring threats to kill him in order to get him to shut up and sit back down. A group of children sang a song to the new wife and her husband, beautiful to hear but hard to follow given their level of fluency in the language. Which was just as well as it went on at some length with wishes for their fertility. Numerous contests were held, with prizes. Mousse defeated several other people to win at knife throwing.
The festivities wound down when they gathered indoors once again for the evening meal. Several dishes were brought specifically to Ranma, containing foods reputed to enhance virility, a point which Akane did not miss and which caused her considerable embarrassment. Ranma failed to pick up on their nature and no one saw fit to enlighten him, least of all his new wife, so he simply ate in blissful ignorance.
At the end of the feast Akane was suddenly and unexpectedly whisked away. Several men grabbed Ranma and lifted him in their arms, laughing merrily. They carted him off to a different building and dumped him into a tub of water, steaming hot in deference to his curse instead of the ice cold it would normally be on such occasions. His braid was untied and his hair brushed until it shone and fell in waves around his shoulders. The men laughingly refused to allow Ranma to tie it back once more. Freshly scrubbed, they presented him with a set of silk pajamas to wear, and a robe to wear for the walk outside. Then they escorted him to Jade's house.
They were met at the door by Jade herself, who was just stepping out together with Lotion. Both gave Ranma lascivious grins, which he could not help but find disturbing, particularly on a face as wrinkled and leathery as the elder's. With a chuckle Jade told him, "Enjoy yourself, little stud. I'm staying the night with a friend. You and Akane have the house all to yourselves." She gathered up the escort and they all marched away, leaving Ranma standing outside the door by himself.
He almost ran off in panic. From somewhere he found the courage to walk forward and into the house. He carefully locked the door behind himself. The interior was fairly dark, the only light that which came in through the windows.
"Akane?" he called tentatively.
"In here," a tremulous voice answered.
Ranma followed the sound, giving a low curse as his shin bumped into something. He found a doorway and stepped through, where he could just make out Akane's silhouette kneeling on a bed facing him. Her back was near a wall at the side of the bed, and the light coming in through the window did little to illuminate her. Without thinking, Ranma flipped the light switch on the wall, but nothing happened.
"What the hell?" he said.
"I removed all the light bulbs," came the quiet answer.
Ranma blinked. "Uh, why?"
Her voice sounded shaky, but whether from anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell. "You wouldn't believe what they gave me to wear. They took away everything else. Said they'd bring my clothes back in the morning."
Ranma swallowed heavily. Twice. "Oh," he squeaked.
Akane sighed, then patted the bed beside her. "Come over here and sit down, Ranma. I'd like to ... talk to you. Before ... before ... anything else."
Ranma nervously stepped forward and sat down beside her. A little more boldly, he reached out and took Akane's hand in his. In the dim light he was just able to make out the smile she gave him. The smile he had come to know and love so well. Akane's smile. His wife's smile.
Akane looked at the dim figure of Ranma sitting beside her in the dark room. "So, we're really married, huh?"
"Seems that way," Ranma replied carefully. "Not something we'd planned on, but ... I'm okay with it. I think. If you are."
"It's okay," she told him reassuringly. "I am happy. We were planning to get married anyway, we just thought we'd have more time to get used to the idea."
"Yeah." Ranma ran a hand through his long hair nervously. "It's been a pretty crazy day."
Akane gave a light snort. "It's been a pretty crazy few weeks, I'd say." She paused, then with a hitch in her throat said, "Ranma, what do you want to do tonight? Honestly?"
The young man holding her hand stiffened, sensing a trap. "You got to be kidding me! You expect me to give an honest answer to a question like that? Any answer I gave would scare me to death."
"Yes, I want you to give me an honest answer." Akane licked her dry lips before she went on. "Look, we're married. We've got to stop acting like children. Most importantly, we've got to learn, some way, how to talk to each other. About anything, everything, we need to talk about. I promise, I really and truly promise, I won't hit you or get angry no matter what you say."
Ranma said nothing right away. Akane kept quiet, allowing the silence to build, waiting, hoping that he could find words to fill it. Several minutes passed.
Finally Ranma burst out, "Dammit! The honest answer is I ain't sure what I want!"
Akane patted his hand. "That's all right. I'm feeling confused too. I know what's supposed to happen on a wedding night. Part of me even wants it. A small part. Most of me is terrified of the idea."
Ranma squeezed her hand tighter. "I'd never hurt you, Akane. You know that."
She leaned her arm against his, rested her head on his shoulder. "I know. We talked about this just a couple of nights ago. About how we expected to take months to prepare ourselves. So tell me. Do you think that we're ready to, uh, you know, um ..." The young woman paused and sighed. "Look at me. I can't even say it. So much for talking honestly about anything." There was a touch of bitterness at the end, frustration at her own hesitation. Akane's expression grew stern and she forced the words outs, "Do you really think that we're ready to ... m-make love?"
Her husband turned toward her and stroked a fingertip gently along her cheek, as he remembered the conversation with Prince Herb the previous evening. "Honestly? I can't think of anything I want more. At the same time, no, I don't think we're ready. Like you said, we talked about this. You, me, we both need more time. Hell, we've barely kissed! I kinda expected to do some more of that, before we got married." Greatly daring, he added, "Maybe a few other things, too."
Akane lifted her free arm and pressed her hand against his chest. "Thank you," she whispered. "That's how I feel. I'm just not ready yet. I need time to get used to this, to acting like this with you. I promise, I won't make you wait until we graduate."
Ranma gave a shaky laugh. "That would be a bit rough."
Akane leaned over and rested her cheek against him. "So, tonight." She hesitated. "Maybe ... maybe we could go to bed and spend some time ... kissing? I kind of liked the kissing." Another hesitation. "Maybe even ... just a little bit more?"
"I'd like that," Ranma said huskily. "But I don't want you feeling you need to do anything you ain't comfortable with. Kissing's enough for me right now. A little more might be nice too, as long as we both want it."
"Okay," Akane croaked, her throat suddenly dry. "Then I suppose we should ... get in bed."
As Akane started to get up, Ranma's hand holding hers pulled back, stopping her. "What is it?" she asked.
"Do you think ...?" He hesitated. "Do you think, maybe, we could put the light bulb back? So I could see my wife while I kiss her?"
Akane felt her face flame. "Oh God! But this thing is so ... so ..."
The dark hid her blush, but it came through clearly in her voice. Ranma's lips found hers, kissed them gently. "You're beautiful Akane, despite anything I've said in the past. I want to see you, while I kiss you. If you're really that uncomfortable, I'll give you my pajama top. But, you know, we've seen each other before."
Akane hesitated, responded, "I suppose ... it is our wedding night. I ... okay."
She stood up, pulled open a drawer and took something out of it. She fiddled with a lamp for a minute, then Ranma heard her take a deep breath. With a click, light filled the small room.
Akane had her back to him. She was wearing a powder blue gown which flowed down along her body and stopped just above the floor. It was so sheer as to be practically transparent. Her bare back and legs were easily visible, as was the treasure in between, clad in a brief pair of slightly more opaque panties.
When she slowly turned around, face bright red and eyes fixed on her feet, Ranma saw that the degree of transparency in front varied, following a design which he shortly deciphered as a sinuous dragon. It left the eye wondering just what was part of the design and what one might be seeing underneath. The effect was intriguing. More than that, it quite successfully stole his breath away.
After a few moments he managed to choke out, "You, uh ... you look ... fantastic!"
Akane blushed even harder, but also smiled at her feet. She came back over to the bed slowly. Ranma took her hands in his and she sat down beside him, then gasped as she finally looked at him.
"Wh-what is it?" he asked nervously.
"Your ... hair," Akane said slowly. "I don't think I've seen it like that since that dragon's whisker incident."
Ranma ran a hand through the long locks, worried. "Yeah, the guys insisted. Wouldn't let me tie it back. Is it ... is it okay?"
Akane nodded slowly, then smiled, reaching up and running her own hand through his hair. She bit her lip softly, then closed her eyes and leaned in for a brief kiss. They allowed their bodies to gradually recline until they were lying side by side, facing one another. For a while they just looked deep into each other's eyes, the hands of their uppermost arms clasped once more. Slowly, Ranma moved his face forward, Akane closed her eyes, and they kissed again.
For the next couple of hours the young couple held each other close, whispering soft words, gently kissing.
And a little bit more.
Author's note:
And so, they are married. I could end it here. But instead there will be one more chapter, titled "Life Goes On." It's mostly an epilogue, in which the newlyweds return to Japan and things are wrapped up.
It's almost Christmas. If you're in the mood for a Christmas story, and have not previously read it, I'd like to suggest my story The Wanderer's Gift, written for Christmas 2006. It's a waffy but not sickeningly sweet tale which takes place several years after Akane and Ranma are married.
Related sites on the web: Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or Ranma 1/2 in general.