Disclaimer: As in the previous chapters, I do not own any of the characters in this story. In case I haven't mentioned it before, and I hope to God I did, The song, "Oppenheimer" belongs to the Old 97s. I got the lyrics directly from their website as is.
This magic moment
"Hey, Ranma. What's that?" Before he could be stopped, Akito snatched the postcard out of Ranma's hand. "A postcard for Akane, eh? Dear Akane, It's nice here. Blah, blah, blabbity blah. You're quite the writer, aren't you Saotome? I hope it heats up at the end, at least." Akito's eyes studied the other boy's scribbled message.
Ranma attempted to pluck the postcard out of Akito's firm grip, but embarrassment slowed him down. "Give it back, Hayama."
Akito shook his head. "I'm disappointed, Saotome," he commented as he handed the postcard back to his friend. "That postcard was not very sexy at all."
Ranma snorted. "As if I'd write something like that on the back of a postcard. Anyone could read it. Who in their right mind would send a smutty postcard to someone else?"
"I do. I send Sana that kind of stuff all the time." He grinned cheetahishly. "She hates it."
"Why am I not surprised?" Ranma dropped the postcard into the mailbox. "You are warped, man."
Akito shrugged. As the pair continued to stroll down the street, he glanced at the young man next to him. "I'm kinda' glad we came here for this tournament. As much as I love Sana, I'm beginning to take on some of her most annoying traits." He sighed with an air of exaggerated tragedy. "I've become nosy….extremely nosy, as a matter of fact." He could sense Ranma's defenses rise, silently applauded him for seeing the way the conversation was headed.
"You see, I noticed that you did not end the note you wrote Akane with a sappy 'I love you' of any kind." When Ranma slowed down Akito slowed his pace as well. "I just wanted to point out that, having been around the two of you, I've seen cooing that puts the loviest of dovies to shame. So I just thought it was interesting that I didn't see anything resembling an 'I love you' anywhere."
"I don't think that's any of your business, Hayama," Ranma snarled through teeth clenched so tightly one could almost hear the enamel wearing off of them.
"You're right, it's not," Akito replied airily. "I just thought I'd point it out, seeing as how I'm feeling all Sanaish and all. Call it food for thought, if you will." When Ranma's face looked like it was wound up so tight it would implode, Akito quickened his step. "Anyway, I'm going to go over there, very far away. Maybe I'll see you at dinner tonight."
As his companion wandered purposefully away, Ranma simmered. Stupid Akito. What business is it of his what I write to Akane? He continued to move along the sidewalk, menacingly reflective. When Akito once again fell into step beside him, Ranma shot him a barking look of warning.
The light-haired martial artist acknowledged Ranma's scowl with a nod. "Look Ranma, I know I overstepped my bounds earlier, but I DID have a reason for it." They walked along in silence for a time before he spoke again, "It took a long time for me to tell Sana how I felt about her. We were only kids at the time, but somehow even then, holding those words back from her caused us both a lot of trouble and a lot of other people a lot of grief.
"The way you feel about Akane is obvious. The way Akane feels about you is obvious. You both probably know how you feel about each other, but you haven't said it out loud yet, have you?" Ranma nodded stiffly. "They're just words, Saotome. I know that. But sometimes, as dumb as it may sound, hearing those three words can change a lot of things.
"Being the huge Casanova that you are, you're probably waiting for the right moment to say them, aren't you? He stopped walking, waited until Ranma's eyes met his. "Sometimes Saotome, the right moment is the moment you're in." He yawned hugely. "Man, giving advice wears a guy out. I'll see you back at the dojo."
***
After Akito took off, Ranma continued to roam in and out of shops, distractedly. In a cocksure roundabout way, the guy made a lot of sense. He loved Akane, of that Ranma was positive. Although he knew it was terribly typical to think it, let alone say it, Ranma also knew that he loved her more and more with every pulse of his heart. He had shown Akane how he felt time and time again with the heat of a glance, the passion of a touch, the breathing of a kiss. He was able to use his mouth, his lips, his tongue to SHOW his love, but completely unable to use these tools to TELL her how he felt. And Akane was the same way, he knew all this, knew too much about her not to know it.
It was as if they had some kind of unspoken agreement to express themselves in other ways. It was as if they both understood that vocalizing their feelings would take their relationship to a whole new plane. They would ascend past the betrothal arranged by their parents, past the attraction they had felt since their first meeting, past the passionate companionship they shared in on a moonlit roof. Because they were who they were, saying the words aloud would mean making all kinds of other promises. Were they ready for that?
Something inside made Ranma pause in his ramblings. His eyes alit upon a telephone not too far away. Something in him made him want to call Akane, to tell her everything. Something in him wanted to speak the words he had held bumpily in his heart for so long.
Well, why the hell not? he thought. He walked toward the phone purposefully. I mean, we're both mature adults, aren't we? We're lovers, for heaven's sake. If the feelings are all there, then the words should be easy to say once I put my mind to it. Right. Okay, then. Ranma dialed Akane's number with determination, his normally steady hand shaking just a little.
"Akane? It's me."
"Oh no, nothing's wrong. I just…I just wanted to hear your voice." He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face."
"Of course I kicked ass! You do remember who you're talking to, don't you?"
"Yeah, we'll be here for a few more days. We start training tomorrow. I guess the place is pretty remote because the Master says there won't be any phones out there. That's part of the reason I called you."
"You see 'Kane, I just wanted to tell you that…well, that…" Ranma cursed inwardly when his tongue tied with nervousness. Wait a second, the voice inside his head cautioned. Isn't this supposed to be some big romantic moment? Should I really be telling her that I love her over the phone? Do I really want to be doing it in the street for just anyone to hear?
"What's that?"
"I'm still here, Akane. I just got distracted for a second, heh heh." Think of something fast, Saotome. "Actually, I just wanted to tell you that I wanted to take you out when I get back."
"Yeah, I know we go out all the time but I wanted to, you know, take you someplace fancy. Somewhere you can wear that dress you wore to Miki and Yuu's party." His chuckle was deep and his voice a little hoarse when he spoke again. "Yeah, that too. So…is it a go?
"Great."
"I can't wait to see you again, Akane."
"Yeah, me too. Have fun studying, okay? 'Bye."
When Ranma hung up the phone, his life was bright with new purpose. He turned into the next shop and surveyed its contents with clear eyes.
"Can I help you sir?" the shopkeeper asked politely.
Ranma couldn't seem to stop his goofy grin. "Yeah, I'm looking for something for my girlfriend. A souvenir."
"Oh, I see. Well then, can I interest you in this then? It's handmade by local artisans…the perfect gift for the one you love."
"Really? Tell me more."
***
Akane rubbed at exhausted eyes. Her temple was throbbing, an unfortunate result of ingraining the musculature of the human arm into memory. Body burning from study, she gulped down yet another glass of water.
"I need a nap," she told the empty room. Glances at the clock then her notes told her that a nap was out of the question. No way you can take a break Tendo, she chastised herself. Not after you spent the first half hour of study time missing Ranma and doodling his name anywhere. Like a high school girl, she thought with disgust.
I miss him, she thought to herself. "I miss him," she said out loud.
I love him, she thought to herself. "I love him," she said out loud.
See? That wasn't so bad was it? Should I have told him before he left? Would it have completely freaked him out? Is he mad because I didn't say it? Damn you, Sana. Damn you for putting stupid thoughts in my head.
Akane imagined herself beating her friend over the head. She thought mournfully back to the night before when what seemed like a seemingly innocent coffee break with Sana turned into a sharing of confusing yet meaningful advice.
"So Akane," the actress asked her friend as they sat down with their drinks. "Did you and Ranma have an overwhelming night of monkey sex before he left?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "None of your business, Sana."
"Did you cry for hours and beg him not to go?"
"Still none of your business."
"Aw, come on. At least tell me what you guys talked about before you left. Did you tell him that you love him so much you can't bear to be apart from him? That you'd mourn his absence and count the seconds until his return."
"Not telling. And besides," Akane took a sip of her drink. "We haven't exchanged 'I love you's' yet."
"EXCUSE ME?" Sana sputtered, spraying double cappuccino everywhere. "You haven't told him you love him yet?"
Akane raised her eyebrows. "Not that it's any of your business, but…no."
"Of course it's my business! I'm your friend, aren't I? If you can't tell me this stuff, then you shouldn't tell anyone."
"Sana, I don't know what that means. Besides, what difference does it make if I haven't said it yet? Ranma knows that I care about him. He probably even knows that I DO love him. What difference do a few words make?"
"They make every difference!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "For all you know he could be ripping his hair out, wondering how you feel about him."
Akane snorted. "Somehow, I doubt that."
"Akane?" Sana whispered confidingly. "Do you know how clueless boys are? If you don't anchor him to you with an 'I love you' he'll think he has free reign to run around and do all kinds of monkey things with anyone but you! If I didn't tell Akito that I love him before he left, who knows what he'd be doing!"
"First of all, Ranma would never ever have monkey anything with anybody but me. He values his life too much. Secondly, I didn't exactly hear YOU screaming your love for Akito at the train station. As a matter of fact, I seem to recall you bashing him over the head when he leaned in to kiss you. Which is beside the point since he would never cheat on you anyway. Finally, if I remember the stories correctly, YOU were the one who was pretty clueless about your feelings for Akito."
Sana rolled her eyes. "Which is exactly why you should listen to me, Akane." She was suddenly the picture of seriousness. "I was clueless, and Akito was…well, not the best with words. He showed me how much he cared for me in so many ways. Twisted ways, yes, but the love was definitely there and I completely missed it. If he had said the words, had actually spoke them out, it may have saved us a whole lot of heartache."
Akane fidgeted at Sana's almost rueful look. "It's not that I've not wanted to say it. It's just that saying it, actually saying it changes a lot of things."
"And who said that these are bad changes? Saying it doesn't always make it forever, Akane. Couples upon couples have said those words to one another, only to break up a month later. But if you feel those words, if you really truly feel them, don't you want the experience of sharing them with the person you feel that way about? The feeling that comes with giving someone that kind of gift is such a special kind of joy. You're one of my dearest friends, Akane. I want that kind of joy for you."
While Akane had been truly touched by her friend's words at the time, she was now ruing the fact that she let them get to her. If I spend half my study time wondering if I should have told Ranma that I love him, like I have been, I'm going to fail this test big time. Akane attempted to brush aside the headache that was slowly pounding in her ears. She makes it sound so easy. The phone made her jump. The shrillness of the second ring made her wince. The voice on the other end made her smile.
"Hello?"
"Ranma? You sound funny. Is anything wrong?"
"Oh, that's so sweet! How did you do in the tournament? Did you kick ass like you said you would?"
"You're so modest. Are you going to be out there much longer?"
Akane gripped the phone tightly in uneasy anticipation. She frowned as the stammer on the other end seemed to sputter out. "Ranma? Are you still there?"
Was that disappointment she felt? Or relief? "Of course we'll go out when you get back. We go out all the time, silly."
Akane eyes curved sexily. "Just the dress? How about the…stuff I wore underneath it?" She flushed at his throaty laugh. "When you put it that way, of course it is."
This is it, Akane. This is your chance. Tell him now. Okay. Here it goes. As Sana would say, no prisoners, no regrets. "I can't wait to see you either. Ranma…I…" Akane cursed inwardly when her tongue tied with nervousness. Wait a second, the voice inside her head cautioned. Isn't this supposed to be some big romantic moment? Should I really be telling him that I love him over the phone? Could someone be listening in somewhere somehow? "I miss you. Take care of yourself, okay?"
Akane stared at the quiet on the other end of the phone. "Bye."
***
And the days gonna be today
And the times gonna be right now
No I'm never gone fall for anyone else but her
And the place is gonna be right here
On a road called Oppenheimer Oppenheimer
Ranma checked the restaurant's clock again to ensure that he was running on schedule. I still have lots of time. Now that she's done with exams Akane is going to be spending longer days at work. If I get to her apartment within the next half hour or so, I should beat her home. He hurriedly paid for his order and started for home, congratulating himself once again on the picture perfection of his plan.
As they trained in what Akito called the "not quite so wilds of Japan," Ranma had wolfishly determined that a romantic evening out was nothing compared to an amorous evening IN. He had recalled the way Akane looked in the dress she wore to a certain party just long enough ago.
Although she had shown it to him beforehand, he had not been quite prepared for the way it would look once she actually had it on. The dress, pretty enough when hanging on a hanger, looked completely different on Akane. It brought out…well, the Akaneness of her. The minute he saw her wearing it, it became his favorite dress. And the dress, Ranma had thought back lasciviously, had been nothing compared to what his Akane had worn under it. Despite the glazing over of his mind, Ranma began set a different stage for the moment when he would reveal his feelings to Akane. Why share this momentous occasion with the garishness of the outside world when the privacy of Akane's cozy apartment would do just as well, if not better?
He had a key to Akane's apartment. (Since he spent the night there so often, they had decided that he might as well have his own key.) His plan involved ordering carry out from Akane's favorite restaurant, then letting himself into her apartment so that he could set up a candlelit picnic for two. The dinner would be followed by a little dancing and would culminate in the hushed exchanges of 'I love yous.' After that, well…Akito had shook his head in disgust at Ranma's nosebleed as he thought of the 'after that.' Every detail was planned with intense care. It was destined to be an evening of perfection.
***
By the time Ranma arrived at Akane's apartment, his grin was a hundred miles wide. I can't believe how much I missed her, he thought as he put his key in the door. He turned the key, but the door refused to move. That's funny. He double-checked to make sure he was indeed using the key to Akane's apartment and not the key to his own. He tried again. The door remained locked. Ranma frowned. On the inside of the apartment was a dead bolt, which could only be locked and unlocked from the inside. If the dead bolt was thrown, then Akane must be home. But even when Akane was home, the only time the dead bolt actually stayed locked was right before bedtime. Why would she dead bolt the door so early in the evening?
Ranma shrugged off his questions and raised his hand to the door. Knocking lightly, he called out, "Akane? It's me…Ranma. I'm home." He waited a beat, then two. When she didn't answer, he knocked a little louder, called out to her a little louder. He waited another beat, then two more. When she still didn't answer, he tried to quell the quickly thickening thread of panic that was slowly invading him. Maybe she was too engrossed in her studies to hear him. Maybe she had her headphones on. Ranma knocked again, even louder, called out to her even louder. He waited one beat, then another. His blood swirled with alarm. Why didn't she answer? Was something wrong? He pounded on the door, yelled her name. Still no answer. Immense worry, fear and anxiousness thrashing through him, Ranma prepared to beat in the door to get to her when the turning of the dead bolt set relief flooding through his system. The door opened and there, in the darkness of the apartment stood a rumpled, disoriented Akane. Ranma rushed inside, slamming the door closed in the process. She looked so adorable, wrinkled from sleep, that he wanted to snatch her up, hold her tight.
Akane stared at him in obvious confusion. It was understandable; he was home a day early. He had planned it that way. "Ranma?"
He grinned at her. "I'm home."
To his consternation, Akane began backing away, making warding gestures with her hands. "Don't come any closer. Stay away." Her voice, slightly muffled, was scratchy with alarm. "Get out of here. Don't come near me."
"Akane?" Ranma moved toward her, growing frustrated as she moved away. The evening, once bright with hopeful starriness, was slowly fading with the darkness of disaster.
***
Akane flipped over to her other side. She grimaced at the clogged uppedness of her sinuses, the dull ache in her throat.
Miki's gentle reprimand the day before resounded in her sore ears, "It's your own fault, Akane. You pushed yourself too hard—staying up until all hours studying, working yourself to the bone—it's no surprise that you got sick." She handed Akane a glass of orange juice and a pill. "Here, take this. And yes, I know Ranma is going to be home soon, which is all the more reason why you need to get some rest. The more rest you get, the sooner you'll be better. Don't you want that romantic evening he promised?" When Akane nodded mournfully, she laughed. "So, forget about exams. You're all done anyway. Forget about work, they wouldn't want you contaminating all the patients anyway. Just sleep…if you can. I'll call you tomorrow to see how you are doing."
Akane had followed Miki to the door despite the other girl's protestations. After thanking her friend, she threw the dead bolt on the door and buried herself in bed. When sleep finally came, it was fitful, at best. The covers were too warm. But, when she kicked them off, she was too cold. As soon as her eyelids drifted close and her body relaxed, she'd be overcome by a coughing fit that forced her to sit up. I hate this, her body moaned. She flipped over again and, soothed herself by thinking about Ranma's return and the tender way she would tell him she loved him. In her drug-induced haze, she crafted scene after passionate scene, each lifted out of a black and white movie. After long minutes, sleep finally came.
A light tapping pressed her out of her light dreaming. Akane opened her eyes. She sighed and tried to go back to sleep. The tapping continued, growing a decibel louder. Was someone knocking at the door? It couldn't be Miki. She said she'd call first. Must be a salesman. If I just ignore it, maybe the jerk will go away. Burrowing under the covers did nothing to quiet the sound. If anything, the banging grew louder. Ignoring it was impossible. Whoever the person was, he or she really wanted something. Tossing the covers back artlessly, annoyance fueled Akane enough to send her stomping to the door. What does a person have to do to get some REST around here? She threw open the dead bolt and yanked the door open. Flabbergasted to see Ranma standing before her, she stopped, frozen in her pajamas.
"Ranma?" Although it killed her to talk, she couldn't stop his name from slipping past her lips. When he grinned, when his eyes sparkled, when he said, "I'm home," she wanted to fling herself into his arms. She wanted to cover him with kisses. She wanted to…but wait, what about this sickness thing. The last thing she wanted to do was get Ranma sick too. Fear made her back away, urged him to leave. When he said her name, her happiness at his return, her misery at not being able to give him the welcome she wanted to, her supreme tiredness, became too much for her. She collapsed and, despite herself, began to cry. "I'm sick!" she wailed and didn't try to stop Ranma when he pulled her close and carried her to bed.
***
When Akane pathetically announced that she was sick, Ranma relaxed with relief. Was that all? He scooped her up and carried her back to bed. Although she argued against it, mumbling something about germs and being contagious, he ignored her. After settling her back in bed, he brushed a kiss against the top of her head.
"I'm all gross with travel dust. I'm going to shower and stuff, okay? After I get out, we'll talk, okay?" Akane sniffled, then yawned, then began to cough so profusely Ranma was convinced essential internal organs were being knocked loose.
He showered and dressed quickly. Thankful that he remembered to order some soup with their dinner, he carefully prepared a tray of food for Akane. He retrieved something from his backpack then, tray in hand, made his way back into her bedroom.
"Here you go, Akane. I have some nice soup for you. It's your favorite."
"I'm really not that hungry, Ranma."
"Hmph. Do you have a sore throat?" She nodded. "Well then, the hot soup will be nice for it. So eat up like a good little girl. Here, I'll even feed you."
"Oh Ranma, you don't have to…MRMPH!" Akane nearly gagged when Ranma shoved the spoon into her mouth. She swallowed. The heat coating her sore throat did feel nice. And besides, how could she resist him when he looked so adorable with concern?
She finished the rest of the soup without protest and afterwards reached for a tissue. She blew her nose inelegantly and raised red-rimmed eyes to Ranma. "What? I know, it's pretty disgusting."
Ranma smiled. "No, it's not that. Not completely at least. Hey, quit that! I thought you were sick! No, I was just thinking about how perfect your present is." He reached for her hand, placed in it a piece of cloth.
Akane gasped at the simple beauty of the handkerchief Ranma handed her. The cloth itself was delicately strong and trimmed with a border of ruby red, obviously hand embroidered. In one of the corners was a beautifully detailed red poppy. Just below the poppy, in the same ruby thread, were her initials.
Akane traced the details with awed fingers. When she looked up at Ranma again, the tears in her eyes were not from her cold. "Thank you, Ranma. It's wonderful."
Ranma's heart thudded as he watched Akane study his gift. It twisted when she ran her fingers over the A and T in the corner of his present. When she looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears and illness, he couldn't help the words that cartwheeled out of his mouth. "I love you, Akane."
Akane stiffened. Horror displaced the gladsome wetness in her eyes. "No, this is all wrong!" She pushed at Ranma, knocking the empty bowl of soup to the floor.
Ranma held her hands fast. "Akane? What's wrong?" Dread filled his belly, began squeezing on his lungs. "Are you mad? Don't you…" Don't you feel the same way?
Akane continued to squirm in Ranma's firm hold. "It's wrong, it's all wrong. It wasn't supposed to be this way! There were supposed to be candles and flowers and music and…I was supposed to look beautiful!" It was supposed to be perfect.
The sheer absurdity of Akane's outburst stamped down any feelings of doubt Ranma had. He gently forced her to look up at him. "You look beautiful."
Akane regarded him sulkily. "Ranma, in case you haven't noticed, my face is all swollen up with congestion, my eyes are bloodshot, and snot is running down my nose. You just told me that you love me. This was supposed to be this overwhelmingly romantic moment and look at me! I am uncuteness personified." She stared at the handkerchief that now rested in her lap.
Once again, Ranma took hold of her chin. "You, Akane are beautiful. No matter what condition you're in, you are beauty and everything beyond it.
"Believe me, I had big plans for this moment too. But," he shushed her, "those don't matter anymore. Everything we need to make this moment perfect is right here: you and me. I don't need candlelight, music, or flowers to make an overwhelmingly romantic moment. All I need is you. All I'll ever need is you.
"I love you, Akane Tendo. The words, they've been in me the whole time. I know saying them out loud changes a lot of things, but I don't care. The world can get as complicated as it wants. I can take on all kinds of complications as long as I can keep telling you that I love you."
Akane's mouth trembled, her body burst into sobs. Ranma wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. When her tears subsided, he attempted to ease her back into her bed. He smiled when she refused to let go and settled himself in beside her. He stroked her hair as she buried her face in her chest.
Sleep slowly began to overtake her. She fought the drowsiness one last time. "Ranma?" she mumbled sluggishly.
"Yeah, Akane?"
"I…" in a surprising wave of tiredness, her strength drained out of her.
His chuckle was soft. "I know, Akane. I love you, too." He continued to lie there, holding her tight, basking in the perfection of it all.
Author notes: Wow, I got this chapter out a lot sooner than I thought I would! Did you enjoy? Was it too long and rambly?
Thanks for the reviews. The end is drawing closer. I hope you'll stay tuned!
