With a terrified cry, he reached forward and caught her in his arms. For a single passing moment as his eyes turned to gaze at her angelic, unmoving face, his vision blurred as he felt hot, burning tears form in his eyes, but then that moment passed away quickly as his eyes was then filled with hate and a blinded rage. He gingerly held her close to his body, feeling her chest heave slowly up and down--the only thing assuring him of her existence--as he raced to bring her to safety. In his mind, aside from the thought of bringing her home to where she belonged with her family, he cursed the boy that threatened Akane's life.
~
Dark rain clouds filled the sky as Ranma Saotome stepped onto the worn patio of the Tendo household. He had stepped onto this porch many times, before, after, even during many of his battles. He always did manage to come back here, sooner or later. The dark door loomed in front of him, closed. Yet even still, the house looked warm and inviting. He considered this building to be his home, even if it wasn't his own. He stepped forward and placed a hand gingerly on one of the old, wooden posts that held the roof up over the patio. Tracing a finger over the rough wood, he closed his eyes and listened as the heavens finally opened up and let loose all of the water that it had been holding.
For once in his life, rain had waited until after he was done with his fight to spill on to the earth. To him, it was a miracle. It had simply never happened before. Rain, constantly coming at a unfortunate time in his life, had been like another curse added on to him, added along with the Curse of the Spring of the Drowned Girl. But nevertheless, despite his shock, he was glad that the rain didn't come sooner, that it had waited patiently until after he got his revenge on the boy that hurt Akane. It had been a very rough battle, and his tough body ached in a million places after this fight. Fighting Tarou had not been easy, for the boy was incredibly strong, and even stronger in his cursed form. But Ranma had walked away victorious, while Tarou was somewhere else, beaten and deserted on the side of the road.
Ranma swallowed, wondering what would greet him first when he stepped through that door that he considered home. Would it be Akane's father? threatening his life because he hadn't paid attention? Would Soun point out that because of Ranma's careless mistake, Akane had paid the price? Or would Nabiki appear and scold him for the damages that he made? as well as charge him for the cost of Akane's health bill? He swallowed, thinking that he would be lucky if Kasumi greeted him, to give him a nice, warm, comforting smile... and perhaps a bed to rest his aching body in.
His blue eyes were unfocused for the moment, and he was trying to hold on dearly to consciousness at least until he saw Akane, until he assured himself that she was safe and well. His grip on the wooden post tightened as he felt his surroundings begin to spin. 'This isn't good,' he thought wryly. His legs were beginning to give out underneath the weight of his body, and his whole being yearned for rest after a battle well fought.
He heard the door slowly creak open. He forced his eyes to focus upon the figure that appeared in the doorway. A small smile found a way onto his lips as he recognized the person, and he took a step forward to greet her, one arm extended as if to reach out and touch her. "Akane," he whispered, his whole soul and being relieved at her presence. Yet just as soon as her name left his lips, his strength vanished from his body and he lost his balance, his body tumbling down to the ground.
"Ranma!" he heard her call out his name, the tone of her voice frantic and filled with worry. Before he closed his eyes, he saw her dash towards him and then there was nothing.
~
His eyes slowly began to open; the very first thing he noticed was a dim light glowing from the side of his head. Then he felt the gentle ministrations of soft, light fingers on his skin. Ranma was vaguely aware that his body was in pain, but he choose to ignore it. For the moment, for now, his eyes focused on the girl sitting beside him, her brow furrowed in concentration as she gently washed away the stained blood from his bare chest. His heart slowly began to quicken as he took note of every movement that she made--the way her fingers moved quickly, yet tenderly, across his skin; the smooth, natural movement to brush short strands of hair away from her eyes; the soft sigh escaping her lips as she exhaled--he was completely mesmerized by this girl.
His breath caught in his throat as she became aware that he was watching her, and that he had been watching her for quite a while now. A tint of rose found its way to her cheeks as one of his strong hands brushed against her hand, the hand that was washing away his tale-tell signs of battle. His other hand moved to gingerly brush his fingertips against her smooth cheek. "You're alright," he murmured as his eyes glazed over from the brief moment of pleasure that she, just by touching her, gave him. His hand dropped just as he touched her face with a feather's touch of his fingers, the pain taking over his body again, and again, there was nothing.
~
He awoke this time to the sound of gentle voices. Two ladies were discussing something, and it sounded rather important, so he kept his eyes closed and relished the feeling of her fingers' absentminded touch against his arm. He recognized her voice immediately, although her voice was soft as she was trying to keep quiet,
"I'm going to finish cleaning him up, Kasumi."
"Akane," he heard the older girl protest. "You've been in here for two hours already. I don't think there's anything left for you to do for him, short of giving him a bath yourself."
He almost protested out loud as her touch left his arm rather abruptly.
"Kasumi, you know that I wouldn..."
"I know, Akane. I just wish you'd come inside and eat something. He's not going to go anywhere in this condition. He wouldn't leave you, imouto, you know that, ne?" Kasumi stated, her voice comforting and soothing.
"Hai," she answered, a bit exasperated. "And I will go eat, soon, 'neechan. It's just..." her voice trailed off a bit, as if she was uncertain. "I'd rather be here." His heart fluttered with an indescribable amount of contentment as her hand settled on his arm. "With him."
Pleased, he allowed a small smile to creep up onto his face. He tried to keep up with the conversation, finding that there would be no one home that night except for him and Akane. He wanted to know why, but before he knew it, wariness snuck up on him and he drifted back into his land of dreams.
~
He waited patiently with his eyes closed, waited until she had finished cleaning him up and left him. His pain had gradually ceased after she had finished, but the pain in his mind would not stop bothering him. Though he wanted dreams, sweet dreams of contentment--of her--silent whispers of guilt and shame nagged at him in his head, not allowing him to have the same peace in his sleep that unconsciousness brought him. Instead, voices whispered to him of his unworthiness of her. They told him how he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near such a rare and precious angel. They scolded and reprimanded him for not being a good enough protector for this gift from heaven.
His body tensed as he admitted that they were right, whoever they were. He didn't deserve to be near her, to touch her, or even see her. He couldn't even do a simple enough job of keeping her safe and unharmed. No, he thought dejectedly. He wasn't good enough. Making up his mind, he made a decision that he knew would forever scar his life.
~
After getting rest for another hour, Ranma finally got up from the futon and closed his eyes, setting the thought deep into his mind. He would not cry, he told himself sternly. He wouldn't. He opened his eyes and took a look around. With a glance he noticed immediately where he was: the dojo. 'No wonder it was so quiet,' he mused. Getting to his feet, he found that his limbs were stiff and he stretched a bit. The voices scolded him, telling him that he was only delaying the inevitable. Reluctantly, he stopped the stretches and silently left the dojo, stealing quietly away to his room.
Even though it was late into the night, it wasn't so late that it was morning already. The darkness from the night covered his movements and he tried to keep as quiet as possible so he wouldn't startle Akane in any way. He knew the girl was probably in her room surrounded by weapons just in case a burglar tried to come into the house. Sneaking up the stairs, he entered the hallway and he continued his brief journey into his room. As he walked, he couldn't help but stop in front of a certain door with a cute wooden duck figurine hanging on it. He smiled and touched the smile of the duck gently, thinking of the treasure that slept inside the room.
Sighing, he let his hand drop and walked to the room that he shared with his father. He slipped inside the door and shut it quietly yet firmly behind him. Walking to the closet, he pulled out a large backpack and started packing some things inside; clothes, shoes, gear... the necessities for a trip. But it wasn't just a trip, one of the voices whispered to him in his mind. It wasn't just another training session that he would go on. No, he knew. This time would be much different. This time, he wasn't coming back. Ever.
A small choke arose in the depths of his throat, and he tried to swallow it, tried to keep it from sounding. He managed to do so, just barely, but it hurt from the effort. His throat burned; he brought his hand up to his chest and applied pressure, trying to relieve the pain. Opening his mouth, he allowed himself to take in deep breaths of air.
His packing was almost finished. After all, he hadn't brought many things to begin with. But surely, he did gain a lot by living here at the Tendo Dojo. And his most valuable possessions of all: his memories. With that reminder, he got up, walked to his desk and pulled open a drawer. Reaching inside, he took out a very thin book, then he walked back to his sack and sat down.
Sitting beside the bag, he gingerly caressed the book cover, looking over it as if it were some kind of precious treasure that had taken him his whole lifetime to obtain. The book was old and worn, and a single string was wrapped around it several times to keep its pages inside the binding. With a sigh, he began to unwrap the book from its string. He let the string drop like a feather to the ground. Then, gingerly, very carefully, he opened the first page. Inside the book, there was a photo of her. A picture of her. Seemingly, it was as if she was looking right at him. He smiled as he gently and lovingly traced a finger over the contours of her face.
He had often wished, while looking at this picture, that he had another of her. A picture of when she was smiling, when it seemed like everything in the world was put aside and there was nothing but her and her smile. He smiled as he pictured the way her smile would appear, the way dimples on her face showed. He thought of the way her eyes lit up while she did so, making all of his fears and worries, all his thoughts and the very last of his sanity fade away. And the very thought of leaving her...
He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, the ache and foreboding sense that continued to grow in him. Already, he was at a lost, he felt so very lonely and he hadn't even left yet! His eyes were shimmering now, and his hands had begun to shake. The was a pain in his chest that he couldn't describe but he knew that it was worse, much worse than the pain that he experienced earlier that evening. 'Kami-sama,' he thought, despairingly, as he closed his eyes, clenching tightly onto the photo. 'I'm in love.'
'Kami-sama,' he thought numbly as he envisioned her beautiful face, complete with her heart-warming smile. 'Please, don't let me lose her... Don't make me move.' He closed his eyes and begged for his right to stay. But a part of him denied his wish, telling him of his unworthiness. 'I know I can do better...' he protested. 'I'll protect her next time, and I'll never leave her side.' He drew in a breath and continued his vow, 'She'll never get hurt again, I promise this. Just please,' he tried to find the words to say, to tell them, whoever they were, that she was everything to him. 'Don't make me move. I need her... She's a part of me. I love her.'
It was then that he felt a small source of pressure on his right shoulder, a pressure that no matter how slight it was, sent a hot, searing, burning sensation pleasantly throughout his entire body. He opened his eyes and found a small photo almost floating in front of his face. A photograph of him and her... And she was looking at him, smiling as he presented a flower to her. He tilted his head back to find her face hovering over his. "Why don't you take this one," she said softly, trying to place a smile on her face. A smile did appear, small, and forced. He hurt inside as he felt guilty for forcing her to smile just to comfort him.
Nevertheless, he reached out and took the photo with his free hand and stared at it, lovingly, in the exact same way that he had stared at his own picture.
"It's my favorite," she continued, placing both of her hands on his shoulders. A small chuckle left her lips as she explained, "Nabiki took it for me, without me knowing. It was my birthday when she gave it to me... She almost made me pay for it too."
'Your... favorite?' he thought numbly.
As if answering him, she said, "I've other pictures, with the both of us in them. But we're always on opposite sides of the photo... or we look upset at each other. This is my favorite because... Because this is the way I see you."
Her hands left his shoulders suddenly and his body felt the chill of the cold night air. She no longer stood behind him, and he wanted to know why. He turned around to look at her, to see her face, her smile... her. But when he turned around, he saw her back, her arms clasped in front of her body, her face away from him. She stood before him in a night shirt, not just any shirt, but a shirt that was a little too big for her, passing past her hips and ending half-way down her thighs. He could smell the clean fragrance of her shampoo and there was a sudden impulse to reach out and touch her, smell her hair, just to make her smile again.
"When are you coming back?" she asked, her voice small.
He choked up then, not knowing what to tell her. Surely, he couldn't tell her what he had planned to do, could he? No, of course not. He would break his heart in doing so. It would hurt... just too much.
A moment of silence had passed by but that was all she needed, saying, "I... see." Her hands dropped to her side, fists clenched angrily. "... why?" she whispered.
"Akane," he breathed, and stood up, reaching forward for her, but stopping short. "Akane," he choked out. "How could I stay?"
Her hands unclenched as she told him honestly, "Onegai, I don't understand."
He looked away bitterly and set the photos gently into the book, but he left the book open to look at them. "How could I? After today? Like any other day, you're always gonna be in trouble... because of me. You're going to get hurt, just like today." He tightened his hands into fists angrily. "How could I stay here, and watch you get hurt, just because someone wants to get revenge on me, for my past?"
"And so you've made a decision to leave," she asked, her voice rising above a whisper. From these words he could tell she was speaking through clenched teeth. "Without me... Of course, without me." She snorted, continuing, more to herself than to him, "Of course, it's not like you've ever made a decision with me anyway."
His heart began to tear slowly, aggravatingly. He hadn't wanted it to be this way.
"Decided to leave... and not even tell me?" she accused hoarsely.
"Yes." How could he lie to her? That was how he wanted it to be. No goodbyes, nothing like this. No heated words, just the memory of her smile. Of her being happy with him. Tears stung his eyes. He would be happy with just those memories, he knew. But he could never be happy knowing that Akane was hurt because of him.
"Yes?" she asked, astounded. "Yes?" Akane could feel her own heart hurting, a pain far worse than what she had experienced this afternoon. Was he trying to hurt her purposefully? She choked on her words, wanting to say something hurtful, something to spite him and his decision. But she couldn't. She could only feel the mind-numbing pain that throbbed in her chest. She would leave him now... so he could leave her. Raising a hand to her face, she tried to stop the tears from coming, but couldn't. So instead, she just hid her face. She turned, ready to leave the room, to leave him and his damned decision, but she found she couldn't move her legs. She still wanted to say... She just wanted to tell him... Finally, gathering up the courage, she whispered through her tears, "Then..." she said. "Is it too much... to ask you to stay?"
Ranma watched in bitter sadness as she slowly brought a hand to her face, and then turned. He saw the tears streaming down her face, and marveled briefly if he had caused those tears. Had she felt something for him that he effected her that greatly? He pushed the thought away as he saw her intentions to leave. She would leave, he thought, she was going to abandon him in his pain. But she stopped, her beautiful face marred by tears of sorrow and his heart began to break once more as he heard the words that escaped her lips.
He couldn't stop himself, he knew, even if he tried. He came to her and enveloped her into his arms, pulling her close in a intimate embrace. Tears stung his eyes and he couldn't see clearly, but he didn't care. He buried his face into her hair and whispered for her ears alone, "I'll stay Akane... I'll stay if you want me to."
With a surprised sob, she tangled her fingers into his shirt and pulled herself even closer than he had and cried into his shirt, letting all of her emotions free. He was going to stay... for her, because she asked him to. "Don't leave me," she told him sternly, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Please, don't."
"Never," he huskily, his voice filled with emotion as he cupped her face with his hands, forcing her to look up at him. There were still tears in his eyes as he gazed into hers; he knew it was unmanly, since he was taught that by birth. But he hadn't cared, he was going to stay, she wanted him to stay. His heart soared knowing that he was never going to leave her again.
Surprising him and sending him into a state of shock, she lifted her face and pressed her lips against his, sending hot, burning fire throughout his body. He was sensuously aware of all the place their bodies touched, from her hand on his chest, to her other hand on his face; they way their bodies matched perfectly was engraved in his mind. His lips trembled under hers as he felt their hips pressed hard against each other, her chest pressed against his. Slowly, her hand moved to the back of his neck, bringing his face lower to hers.
He marveled in this simple yet magically wonderful kiss; it was a beautiful gift she gave him. The lips matched perfectly and he felt his face burn warmly as he enjoyed her as he had never enjoyed anyone else that had tried to kiss him--not Ukyou, nor Shampoo. Slowly her lips parted and he felt her breathe in, allowing oxygen to fill her lungs. Taking the opportunity, he pressed his lips against hers again, much more roughly and filled with passion than their first kiss had been. Setting one hand on her back and the other on her hip, he pushed her forward into the kiss, giving her all that he had to offer her. Reluctantly, he released her and found her smiling, her eyes slightly glazed over with passion. He held on to her, placing both hands on her hips, sensing that she was about to collapse on the floor if he didn't hold her up. He smiled, filled with pride for having made her feel that way.
He leaned in again, his lips slightly brushing against hers as he whispered, "Are you hurt still?"
"Iie," she murmured, enjoying the way his lips barely brushed against hers. He surprised her again by scooping her off her feet.
"Let's get you to bed then."
"Ranma!" she protested loudly, surprised that he would suggested such a thing.
He chuckled, his voice warm as he pressed his lips against hers again, slightly lingering to suck gently on her bottom lip. "I wasn't thinking of that, iinazuke," he told her calmly. "Hentai."
She pouted in his arms and tugged on his ponytail, pulling his face down for another kiss, which he pleasantly obliged. "Wouldn't you wish," she retorted as soon as she was satiated. "Baka."
"Kawaikune," he muttered, trying to keep the smile off of his face, and failing.
"Urusei!" Akane pouted at him, perfectly happy with the way things turned out. She smiled as she found herself being placed in her own bed. He knelt beside her bed, pulling the sheets around her body and kissed her affectionately. Brushing away the strands of hair from her face, he watched as her eyes slowly drooped and then closed, falling fast asleep.
"Arigato, Kami-sama," he whispered. "for letting me stay." And to his fiancée, "Aishiteru."
----------
Imouto - little sister
Ne - no, isn't that right
Oneechan - older sister
Hai - yes
Kami-sama - gods
Onegai - please
Iie - no
Iinazuke - fiancée
Hentai - pervert
Baka - stupid, idiot
Kawaikune - uncute, unattractive
Urusei - shut up
Arigato - thank you
Ashiteru - I love you
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Notes: Written especially for Anne (Cheer up sweetie! You still have me! I'm the -bestest- soulmate there is! *~LOL~*) and for those who reviewed my first FanFic "Catch" on FanFiction.net (especially Azurite, who wanted Akane and Ranma to get together... this is good enough, ne? *~smiles~* Sorry it's not as long, but perhaps, maybe next Fic!)
I know that the ending is totally off its theme (since I started out dramatic, had a sappy semi-ending... and then something sort of humorous) but I like it, because this way Akane and Ranma are still in character *~beams happily~* Well, do your job: write a review! *~wink~*
~Princess Faux~
Here
By: iamruthesque