Heart of Fire, Soul of Ice
By: DemonSaya
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me. I've merely kidnapped them and am holding them for a large sum of money. Rumiko Takahashi gets her characters back on weekends and holidays only. Other than that, I am in possession. If you would like to borrow one, please e-mail me.
Flame Policy: Trust me, just don't do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 15: The Missing Martial Artist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Akane woke to blissful calm. The breeze blew sweet smelling air through the window and there was the sound of birds twittering outside the room. It made her relax for the first time in what had been a VERY long time. A tiny smile turned up her lips, but her eyes remained shut.
Rather than open her eyes, she snuggled closer to her fiancee, enjoying the warmth and security of being in his arms. Then, slowly, the reality of the day crept upon her and her face became solemn. Today...there would be another fight and someone else would die...Without saying a word, she tried to burrow into Ranma's chest, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.
Ranma lay awake beside her, his eyes open, but serious. He knew his fiancee was awake without even looking at her. He could tell by the way she shifted against him in ways different to when she was asleep. Gently, he put his arms tighter around her when she tried to burrow into his chest. "Hi..." He said gently, kissing the top of her head.
"Tell me it's not morning..." She whispered, her eyes opening, staring at his black tank.
He understood her fear. She didn't want to go down today anymore than he himself did. "Don't worry. You can sleep some more..." He said gently, staring across the room. She's been through enough...he thought, his eyes becoming somewhat sad. She deserves a break.
She fisted her hand against his chest. "Arigatou..." She murmered, snuggling her face against his neck. He's so careful with me...she thought, smiling. He treats me so well...She felt his hand on her hair still and heard the gong signaling the beginning of the fights for the day. Dread filled her and she sat, looking out the window. She didn't want to go down there! Not again! It was bad enough knowing she may die, but to have to go down there and watch people she cared for die...she couldn't handle it.
Ranma sat as well, putting his arms around her and holding her gently. "You don't have to go down..." He said softly. "I'll stay with you. I wont make you come down..." He felt her trembling in his arms and smiled painfully. "I don't want to go down either..." He admitted.
She looked up at him in surprise. "R-ranma..."
"It's okay...let's stay here..." He put his arms around her, then pulled her down beside him on the bed. He felt her tiny hands fist in his tank and smiled sadly, resting his cheek against her hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart...I'm here..." He murmered, his thumb stroking the skin at her waist. "I'll protect you..."
She rested her ear against his heart, listening to the strong, steady pulse, her own quickly matching it's tempo. "I know..." She murmered. "I know..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The crowd today was somewhat smaller than the croud from the previous day, having lost many more participants. Each person wore a grim expression, but none more grim than the four who were closest to the ring, each pair's eyes showing sadness and determination. They were Ryouga, Ukyou, Mousse, and Shampoo, who'd returned to watch the day's fight. They'd looked around for Ranma and Akane for awhile, but Nabiki explained they weren't going to be coming down today.
That made them even more serious.
As the two girls none of them recognized stepped into the ring, one wearing a wakizashi at her waist, the other holding a sword. Both of them looked serious, and somewhat frightened. They had seen the carnage from the previous two days and knew that one of them wouldn't leave the ring alive. Yet, the prize drove them on.
"I am Taki..." The Japanese girl said, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry, but I must win this battle..."
The other girl, who had long blonde hair nodded in agreement. "I'm Sophitia, but I'm afraid you wont win...because I must..."
The fight began quickly, a few testing strikes and blocks from the opponents, then, their moves accelerated to speed that only seasoned martial artists could mimic. Ryouga could see each movement clearly as he had seen Ranma's Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken technique. They were fluid, and well-trained, obviously, but soon, the blonde, Sophitia, began to show her true skill, which was throws. She would block the sword, then jump, wrap her shins around the girls neck and a moment later, SNAP!
The girl Taki felt to the ground in a boneless heep. Sophitia stood, her face solemn and sad. Without a word, she made a christian cross over her chest, then said a silent prayer over the dead girl's body.
Taki stared lifelessly into up at the girl.
Sophitia opened her eyes, which were now filled with tears and carried the girl from the ring, not noticing or caring that the girl's soul was merging with her.
Ryouga looked towards Ukyou and noticed she looked extremely sick. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her press her face into his chest and begin crying. He didn't speak as a man stepped up into the ring, clad in a black cape and shirt and pants. He carried no weapon. His opponent joined him in the ring.
"I'm truely sorry that I'm late in arriving at the match...I had a few new deaths to sign in..." The man in black smiled sinisterly, his crimson eyes glowing with bloodlust. "I am the God of Death...you opponent will be me..." He pointed at the boy who stood across the ring from him, shaking from head to toe.
Shampoo covered her mouth in horror as realization filled her. She hadn't truely believed that they would be fighting a real god, but there was deffinately an unearthly feel about this man. He made shivers run up and down her spine. A feeling of complete cold washed over her and she grabbed Mousse's hand.
He looked down at her, noting her palms were sweating and her face was pale. Without a word, he put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her away from the ring. When Ryouga asked where he was going, he merely said he was taking Shampoo to get something to eat. Once they had cleared the wall around the Tendo's property, he stopped, looking at Shampoo. "Are you okay?"
She put her face against his shoulder. "No..." She replied, her body shaking, her eyes wide and frightened like a rabbits. "I...I'm..." She swallowed her amazon pride and fisted her free hand in his shirt. "I'm frightened..." She whispered, biting her lip hard.
Mousse looked at her in surprise. "Shampoo..." He whispered, his eyes wide, his entire body frozen. Then, finally, as heat rushed through him, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Don't worry...Ranma will beat him...who else is strong enough to defeat that monster?" He kissed the top of her hair. "But I have a feeling that we were supposed to try...even if we die...so no matter what, we keep Ranma for last, okay?"
She lifted her face, her eyes determined. With a nod, she smiled, pushing herself onto her tiptoes and bussing his lips with a light kiss.
He smiled, brushing his nose against hers. "Come on, let's see if we can find something for you to eat that will warm you back up...that guy was sucking up your warmth..."
She nodded shly, smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shampoo and Mousse spent the rest of the day far away from the Tendo Dojo, in Nerima's Shopping district, where Shampoo & Mousse planned, obviously behind Cologne's back, how they wanted their wedding. Cologne would have wanted a ceremony that would be fit for an Amazon, yet Shampoo remembered with almost frightening clarity the beauty of Akane's western wedding dress and how handsome Ranma had looked in a tux.
She knew Mousse would look equally as handsome.
Even though she hated to admit it, she knew that because of her newly discovered friendship with Akane and Ukyou (both of whom she'd begun to shakily call by name, although sometimes it was slightly mispronounced), had caused her to put aside some of her pride and her fear. She wasn't as afraid to go against tradition because of them.
She'd also learned that sometimes...depending on someone else can be a relief. Yet her loyalty to her tribe lurked under the surface, but there was no doubt she was being pulled towards the Japanese culture more and more. She was even forcing herself to get a more solid grasp on the language, listening carefully and occasionally asking Mousse and Cologne for help.
When Cologne asked her why she needed help, Shampoo simply said, "As long as we living in country, may as well know language." Cologne had let the matter drop.
So, as they walked down the street, she spoke in slightly less broken Japanese, not getting upset when Mousse gently corrected word usage or grammar. Yet, she also never gave up. She picked her wedding dress out, and smiling, hid it before Mousse could see it, although she let the cashier see the price tag.
Meanwhile, Mousse was walking on cloud nine. He'd always loved Shampoo, but he'd never dreamed that she would ever truely care for him. Sure, he'd fully expected her to turn to him when she was finally rejected outright by Ranma, but he never expected this. Her actions reminded him very much of the girls from their village when they first fell in love for real-a certain hesitance and shy sweetness which never failed to make his heart hammer at twice it's normal speed.
He'd been surprised that she'd suggested a western ceremony, especially since they were both Amazon's, and knew that when they returned to China, there would be another ceremony, traditional to their own culture. He honestly didn't care, he would have danced naked in covered in green Jello if she'd asked him to.
They had the entire day to themselves, since neither of them really wanted to return to the fight today. They were too anxious for each other, and for their newly found friends and ex-rivals. After they finished the shopping, he took her by the Kawaii Cafe, and let her pick out anything she wanted. He merely ordered a cup of tea and watched as she delicately ate her sundae. "Um..." He said softly, finally setting down his cup. So much had happened in this place. And now one more thing would. "I want to marry you...tomorrow." He said softly, looking down into the cup, not daring to look up at her, for fear of what he might see.
Shampoo felt her entire arm go numb as she dropped the spoon into the dish of ice cream. Had her ears decieved her? She felt a ugly red blush color her face and looked down as well, then slowly reached out, putting her hand over his. There was no denying it, just as there was no denying him. She was happy, happy that he'd asked the question she'd been trying to drudge up the nerve to ask herself. It wasn't in Amazon tradition for the man to ask such a question of the woman, but she didn't care.
Without a word, she stood, moved around the table and sat down on his lap. A sweet smile turned up her lips as she pressed her hand against his cheek, coaxing him to look at her face.
Dread had steadily filled him as he heard her move. His shoulders had begun to slump, but then he was drawn tighter than a wire when she sat down on his lap and forced him to look at her. He stared up into bright, tearfilled purple eyes and a smiling face. He knew her answer before she even spoke it.
"Yes..." She whispered softly.
He embraced her tighter and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
They were so lost in their own world that they didn't notice another couple across the cafe, watching them, both of them smiling a bit.
Akane reached over and put her hand on Ranma's. "They deserve to be happy, they've been so lost for so long..." She looked towards her fiancee and saw sadness in his eyes. "Ranma?"
He looked down, still smiling. "Yeah, I guess they do... Ya know, Ryouga and Ukyou probably wont be far behind them...but it makes me a little sad..." He admitted, putting his other hand over hers and letting his thumb brush against the back of her hand.
'I...Akane...will you...that is...would you...'
'Ranma? What's wrong?'
'Akane...Marry me?'
Akane lowered her head a bit, sighing. It was true, she wasn't ready, yet. After all, Ukyou and Shampoo hadn't been lied to by the boy they liked, and their relationship was alot newer. All their lives it'd been one power struggle after another. Ranma fighting to be better and stronger than everyone else, and her always in his shadow, wishing just once she had a chance to shine. "Ranma, I-"
"It's okay..." He said, looking towards her and smiling, his eyes winking shut. "I would do anything to make you happy...even if it's giving you the time you need to get ready...even if..." He bit his lip. "I would stop time if you wanted it." He said softly.
She blushed, lowering her face so he couldn't see the pink on her cheeks. "You know, Ranma...for someone who managed to put his foot in his mouth most of the time I've known him...sometimes you surprise me..." She gave his hand a tender squeeze.
He looked down, reminded of his failures again. "I kinda suck at expressing myself..." He admitted. "Hell...it ain't no big surprise considering who raised me...but I guess being around someone who mallets me through the roof for saying the wrong things made me a little more cautious..." He teased, looking at her from under his bangs and giving her a tiny smirk.
And without meaning to managed to look incredibly sexy.
She blushed again, looking down quickly. "I've been getting better, though, right? I haven't been beating you up too much..." She saw the gentleness in his eyes and blushed darker.
He reached over and put his hand on top of hers. "Akane, I don't care if you mallet me to the moon, because it's who you are. I fell in love with you for who you are inside, not the front that you put up for everyone else. The person who's been sleeping in my arms these past few nights..." He finished softly, then reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He saw the tears in her eyes and smiled gently. Without a word, he used his thumb and wiped away one of the tears.
She caught his hand and held it to her face, smiling gently. "Thank you..." She murmered softly.
"No problem..." He replied, giving her a cute wink.
"Ranma, Akane..." Shampoo said softly from just beside their table.
Both of them blushed furiously and put as much space between them as possible. "Ch-chigau!" Both gasped.
Shampoo giggled. "No need for big show in front of Shampoo. Mousse and Shampoo...we wondered if Ranma and Akane would be best man and lady of honor..." She asked shyly, blushing. "Wedding will be tomorrow, it be nice break from stupid competition."
Ranma looked towards Akane and they nodded, smiling up at the purple haired Chinese girl. "That's a wonderful idea, Shampoo..." Akane said with a smile. "It would be an honor to be your maid of honor."
When Shampoo walked away, Ranma felt a cold hand reach in and grab his heart, squeezing it harshly. He knew the bitter taste and the heartwrenching feeling well. Jealousy and depression. Jealousy and depression because Mousse was getting what Mousse had always wanted, while Ranma...was struggling to get Akane to marry him. He looked at the table in sad silence, partially wishing he'd just went ahead and gone to the fight today.
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me. I've merely kidnapped them and am holding them for a large sum of money. Rumiko Takahashi gets her characters back on weekends and holidays only. Other than that, I am in possession. If you would like to borrow one, please e-mail me.
Flame Policy: Trust me, just don't do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 15: The Missing Martial Artist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Akane woke to blissful calm. The breeze blew sweet smelling air through the window and there was the sound of birds twittering outside the room. It made her relax for the first time in what had been a VERY long time. A tiny smile turned up her lips, but her eyes remained shut.
Rather than open her eyes, she snuggled closer to her fiancee, enjoying the warmth and security of being in his arms. Then, slowly, the reality of the day crept upon her and her face became solemn. Today...there would be another fight and someone else would die...Without saying a word, she tried to burrow into Ranma's chest, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.
Ranma lay awake beside her, his eyes open, but serious. He knew his fiancee was awake without even looking at her. He could tell by the way she shifted against him in ways different to when she was asleep. Gently, he put his arms tighter around her when she tried to burrow into his chest. "Hi..." He said gently, kissing the top of her head.
"Tell me it's not morning..." She whispered, her eyes opening, staring at his black tank.
He understood her fear. She didn't want to go down today anymore than he himself did. "Don't worry. You can sleep some more..." He said gently, staring across the room. She's been through enough...he thought, his eyes becoming somewhat sad. She deserves a break.
She fisted her hand against his chest. "Arigatou..." She murmered, snuggling her face against his neck. He's so careful with me...she thought, smiling. He treats me so well...She felt his hand on her hair still and heard the gong signaling the beginning of the fights for the day. Dread filled her and she sat, looking out the window. She didn't want to go down there! Not again! It was bad enough knowing she may die, but to have to go down there and watch people she cared for die...she couldn't handle it.
Ranma sat as well, putting his arms around her and holding her gently. "You don't have to go down..." He said softly. "I'll stay with you. I wont make you come down..." He felt her trembling in his arms and smiled painfully. "I don't want to go down either..." He admitted.
She looked up at him in surprise. "R-ranma..."
"It's okay...let's stay here..." He put his arms around her, then pulled her down beside him on the bed. He felt her tiny hands fist in his tank and smiled sadly, resting his cheek against her hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart...I'm here..." He murmered, his thumb stroking the skin at her waist. "I'll protect you..."
She rested her ear against his heart, listening to the strong, steady pulse, her own quickly matching it's tempo. "I know..." She murmered. "I know..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The crowd today was somewhat smaller than the croud from the previous day, having lost many more participants. Each person wore a grim expression, but none more grim than the four who were closest to the ring, each pair's eyes showing sadness and determination. They were Ryouga, Ukyou, Mousse, and Shampoo, who'd returned to watch the day's fight. They'd looked around for Ranma and Akane for awhile, but Nabiki explained they weren't going to be coming down today.
That made them even more serious.
As the two girls none of them recognized stepped into the ring, one wearing a wakizashi at her waist, the other holding a sword. Both of them looked serious, and somewhat frightened. They had seen the carnage from the previous two days and knew that one of them wouldn't leave the ring alive. Yet, the prize drove them on.
"I am Taki..." The Japanese girl said, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry, but I must win this battle..."
The other girl, who had long blonde hair nodded in agreement. "I'm Sophitia, but I'm afraid you wont win...because I must..."
The fight began quickly, a few testing strikes and blocks from the opponents, then, their moves accelerated to speed that only seasoned martial artists could mimic. Ryouga could see each movement clearly as he had seen Ranma's Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken technique. They were fluid, and well-trained, obviously, but soon, the blonde, Sophitia, began to show her true skill, which was throws. She would block the sword, then jump, wrap her shins around the girls neck and a moment later, SNAP!
The girl Taki felt to the ground in a boneless heep. Sophitia stood, her face solemn and sad. Without a word, she made a christian cross over her chest, then said a silent prayer over the dead girl's body.
Taki stared lifelessly into up at the girl.
Sophitia opened her eyes, which were now filled with tears and carried the girl from the ring, not noticing or caring that the girl's soul was merging with her.
Ryouga looked towards Ukyou and noticed she looked extremely sick. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her press her face into his chest and begin crying. He didn't speak as a man stepped up into the ring, clad in a black cape and shirt and pants. He carried no weapon. His opponent joined him in the ring.
"I'm truely sorry that I'm late in arriving at the match...I had a few new deaths to sign in..." The man in black smiled sinisterly, his crimson eyes glowing with bloodlust. "I am the God of Death...you opponent will be me..." He pointed at the boy who stood across the ring from him, shaking from head to toe.
Shampoo covered her mouth in horror as realization filled her. She hadn't truely believed that they would be fighting a real god, but there was deffinately an unearthly feel about this man. He made shivers run up and down her spine. A feeling of complete cold washed over her and she grabbed Mousse's hand.
He looked down at her, noting her palms were sweating and her face was pale. Without a word, he put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her away from the ring. When Ryouga asked where he was going, he merely said he was taking Shampoo to get something to eat. Once they had cleared the wall around the Tendo's property, he stopped, looking at Shampoo. "Are you okay?"
She put her face against his shoulder. "No..." She replied, her body shaking, her eyes wide and frightened like a rabbits. "I...I'm..." She swallowed her amazon pride and fisted her free hand in his shirt. "I'm frightened..." She whispered, biting her lip hard.
Mousse looked at her in surprise. "Shampoo..." He whispered, his eyes wide, his entire body frozen. Then, finally, as heat rushed through him, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Don't worry...Ranma will beat him...who else is strong enough to defeat that monster?" He kissed the top of her hair. "But I have a feeling that we were supposed to try...even if we die...so no matter what, we keep Ranma for last, okay?"
She lifted her face, her eyes determined. With a nod, she smiled, pushing herself onto her tiptoes and bussing his lips with a light kiss.
He smiled, brushing his nose against hers. "Come on, let's see if we can find something for you to eat that will warm you back up...that guy was sucking up your warmth..."
She nodded shly, smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shampoo and Mousse spent the rest of the day far away from the Tendo Dojo, in Nerima's Shopping district, where Shampoo & Mousse planned, obviously behind Cologne's back, how they wanted their wedding. Cologne would have wanted a ceremony that would be fit for an Amazon, yet Shampoo remembered with almost frightening clarity the beauty of Akane's western wedding dress and how handsome Ranma had looked in a tux.
She knew Mousse would look equally as handsome.
Even though she hated to admit it, she knew that because of her newly discovered friendship with Akane and Ukyou (both of whom she'd begun to shakily call by name, although sometimes it was slightly mispronounced), had caused her to put aside some of her pride and her fear. She wasn't as afraid to go against tradition because of them.
She'd also learned that sometimes...depending on someone else can be a relief. Yet her loyalty to her tribe lurked under the surface, but there was no doubt she was being pulled towards the Japanese culture more and more. She was even forcing herself to get a more solid grasp on the language, listening carefully and occasionally asking Mousse and Cologne for help.
When Cologne asked her why she needed help, Shampoo simply said, "As long as we living in country, may as well know language." Cologne had let the matter drop.
So, as they walked down the street, she spoke in slightly less broken Japanese, not getting upset when Mousse gently corrected word usage or grammar. Yet, she also never gave up. She picked her wedding dress out, and smiling, hid it before Mousse could see it, although she let the cashier see the price tag.
Meanwhile, Mousse was walking on cloud nine. He'd always loved Shampoo, but he'd never dreamed that she would ever truely care for him. Sure, he'd fully expected her to turn to him when she was finally rejected outright by Ranma, but he never expected this. Her actions reminded him very much of the girls from their village when they first fell in love for real-a certain hesitance and shy sweetness which never failed to make his heart hammer at twice it's normal speed.
He'd been surprised that she'd suggested a western ceremony, especially since they were both Amazon's, and knew that when they returned to China, there would be another ceremony, traditional to their own culture. He honestly didn't care, he would have danced naked in covered in green Jello if she'd asked him to.
They had the entire day to themselves, since neither of them really wanted to return to the fight today. They were too anxious for each other, and for their newly found friends and ex-rivals. After they finished the shopping, he took her by the Kawaii Cafe, and let her pick out anything she wanted. He merely ordered a cup of tea and watched as she delicately ate her sundae. "Um..." He said softly, finally setting down his cup. So much had happened in this place. And now one more thing would. "I want to marry you...tomorrow." He said softly, looking down into the cup, not daring to look up at her, for fear of what he might see.
Shampoo felt her entire arm go numb as she dropped the spoon into the dish of ice cream. Had her ears decieved her? She felt a ugly red blush color her face and looked down as well, then slowly reached out, putting her hand over his. There was no denying it, just as there was no denying him. She was happy, happy that he'd asked the question she'd been trying to drudge up the nerve to ask herself. It wasn't in Amazon tradition for the man to ask such a question of the woman, but she didn't care.
Without a word, she stood, moved around the table and sat down on his lap. A sweet smile turned up her lips as she pressed her hand against his cheek, coaxing him to look at her face.
Dread had steadily filled him as he heard her move. His shoulders had begun to slump, but then he was drawn tighter than a wire when she sat down on his lap and forced him to look at her. He stared up into bright, tearfilled purple eyes and a smiling face. He knew her answer before she even spoke it.
"Yes..." She whispered softly.
He embraced her tighter and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
They were so lost in their own world that they didn't notice another couple across the cafe, watching them, both of them smiling a bit.
Akane reached over and put her hand on Ranma's. "They deserve to be happy, they've been so lost for so long..." She looked towards her fiancee and saw sadness in his eyes. "Ranma?"
He looked down, still smiling. "Yeah, I guess they do... Ya know, Ryouga and Ukyou probably wont be far behind them...but it makes me a little sad..." He admitted, putting his other hand over hers and letting his thumb brush against the back of her hand.
'I...Akane...will you...that is...would you...'
'Ranma? What's wrong?'
'Akane...Marry me?'
Akane lowered her head a bit, sighing. It was true, she wasn't ready, yet. After all, Ukyou and Shampoo hadn't been lied to by the boy they liked, and their relationship was alot newer. All their lives it'd been one power struggle after another. Ranma fighting to be better and stronger than everyone else, and her always in his shadow, wishing just once she had a chance to shine. "Ranma, I-"
"It's okay..." He said, looking towards her and smiling, his eyes winking shut. "I would do anything to make you happy...even if it's giving you the time you need to get ready...even if..." He bit his lip. "I would stop time if you wanted it." He said softly.
She blushed, lowering her face so he couldn't see the pink on her cheeks. "You know, Ranma...for someone who managed to put his foot in his mouth most of the time I've known him...sometimes you surprise me..." She gave his hand a tender squeeze.
He looked down, reminded of his failures again. "I kinda suck at expressing myself..." He admitted. "Hell...it ain't no big surprise considering who raised me...but I guess being around someone who mallets me through the roof for saying the wrong things made me a little more cautious..." He teased, looking at her from under his bangs and giving her a tiny smirk.
And without meaning to managed to look incredibly sexy.
She blushed again, looking down quickly. "I've been getting better, though, right? I haven't been beating you up too much..." She saw the gentleness in his eyes and blushed darker.
He reached over and put his hand on top of hers. "Akane, I don't care if you mallet me to the moon, because it's who you are. I fell in love with you for who you are inside, not the front that you put up for everyone else. The person who's been sleeping in my arms these past few nights..." He finished softly, then reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He saw the tears in her eyes and smiled gently. Without a word, he used his thumb and wiped away one of the tears.
She caught his hand and held it to her face, smiling gently. "Thank you..." She murmered softly.
"No problem..." He replied, giving her a cute wink.
"Ranma, Akane..." Shampoo said softly from just beside their table.
Both of them blushed furiously and put as much space between them as possible. "Ch-chigau!" Both gasped.
Shampoo giggled. "No need for big show in front of Shampoo. Mousse and Shampoo...we wondered if Ranma and Akane would be best man and lady of honor..." She asked shyly, blushing. "Wedding will be tomorrow, it be nice break from stupid competition."
Ranma looked towards Akane and they nodded, smiling up at the purple haired Chinese girl. "That's a wonderful idea, Shampoo..." Akane said with a smile. "It would be an honor to be your maid of honor."
When Shampoo walked away, Ranma felt a cold hand reach in and grab his heart, squeezing it harshly. He knew the bitter taste and the heartwrenching feeling well. Jealousy and depression. Jealousy and depression because Mousse was getting what Mousse had always wanted, while Ranma...was struggling to get Akane to marry him. He looked at the table in sad silence, partially wishing he'd just went ahead and gone to the fight today.