Sushi
by Darth Wraith

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not mine.

' ' - thoughts | " " - speaking

"Well, I guess our engagement can't be called off then?" Akane flashed a cute smile and hobbled back home.

'...' Ranma just stared at Akane, P-chan on his arms. 'Ya know...she's kinda cute...Oh well time to go back home.' Ranma, noticing that Akane was gone, placed P-chan down on some random place and hurriedly ran off. Poor Ryoga was lost once again.

On the way back, Ranma noticed an odd looking stall. Even more weird was the seller. It seems he was selling what looked like sushi. 'Gosunkugi's relation?' he thought. Curious, he walked over to the stall. "Yo, what do you sell?"

The shady seller looked up. "Sushi."

"I can see that," Ranma said, with a hint of irritation, "but please don't take offence to this, but you uh...look freaky."

"Hehe...yes I have my reasons for that."

"You don't happen to be related to Gosunkugi right?"

"Who?" The seller had a geniune look of confusion.

"Er...never mind. So what's the reason for setting such a cultish stall?"

"Ah yes. Here I sell love-predicting sushi. In other words, I will implant a spell to the sushi with your information and whichever girl or heaven forbid, boy eats it and receives cherry blossoms will be your destined wife...or husband. If there's a big X then he/she's not destined for you." Ranma twitched his eyebrows each time the seller mentioned 'he/she' 'wife/husband'.

"You idiot! I'm not gay!"

The seller chuckled. "You never know...so do you want them?"

"Sure." Ranma took a box of sushi and left. "Now...let me see who's destined for me. Who would I want?" Pictures flashed across his mind. Like a slot machine, each set of pictures landed on one particular girl. Dark, short hair, tomboyish yet beautiful looks. 'Oh geez! Akane?!' Ranma sighed.

"Hi I'm back!" Ranma waved to no one in particular.

"Ah Ranma-kun. Dinner's ready." Ranma drooled at the sight. "Wow...that looks really good!" The dinner was surprisingly peaceful. There wasn't any fight between Genma and Ranma. Well, that's because Akane was feeding Ranma like a loving wife. "Ahhh..." she mouthed.

Ranma opened his mouth meekly and ate the food. "What's with you 'Kane?"

"Oh I mean, if we're engaged, we should treat each other nicer."

"Ah...then what about Ryoga?" To his dismay, Akane stopped feeding Ranma.

"I dunno...he's a friend and all, and he's nice...*cough* unlike you *cough*," Ranma rolled his eyes. "...but I just don't think he really is the destined one. Besides, you had more cherry blossom marks." Akane smiled at Ranma, who suddenly felt giddy. 'Akane...'

"Saotome! Can you believe this?!" Soun suddenly shouted, making Ranma jump. He looked at Akane and blushed. Akane blushed as well in response.

"My boy is in love with-"

"Gee, where did you get such an idea?" Ranma's foot-in-mouth kicked in. "You must be crazy for me to think I'd marry that tomboy...Hey! I'm flying! I've reached Nirvana!" He looked down and saw Akane's mallet. 'Or maybe it's just Mallet Airways...'

Ranma was fence-walking while Akane was walking on the sidewalk as usual. Usual events apply, but Akane noticed Ranma holding a plastic bag full of sushi. Curious, she asked, "What's with the sushi?"

"What? Oh the sushi? Nothing special. It's for a science experiment." Akane just looked at him weirdly, but decided to say nothing more about it.

As lunchtime came, Ranma retreated into the bathroom. He took a bit of sushi and stuffed it into his mouth, just to test if the magic really worked. "Mmm...not bad..." He looked in the mirror and saw a big black X on his face. "Hehe...I ain't gonna be a loner..." He washed the X off his face and went off. Right at the precise moment, Ranma noticed that a wall was destroyed, black roses rained down, and the tantalizing smell of okonomiyaki was strong. Although he'd usually panick, he was surprisingly calm this time. Unfortuanately, Akane was witnessing the scene, and did not like it at all.

"Airen!"

"Ranma-sama!"

"Ran-chan!"

"LET'S GO ON A DATE!" The three (well, Shampoo said some incoherent words but still had the general idea), all flung themselves at Ranma. Ranma shrugged and jumped over them, causing the three to bump into each other.

"Watch where you go spatula girl!"

"Ohohohoh! Such peasant-like behavior!"

"Get away from my Ran-chan!"

"Girls, girls!" Ranma advanced towards them. The three stopped, rather surprised at Ranma's sudden change of behavior. Akane found the picture of herself nailing down Ranma quite pleasing. She stomped towards the unaware Ranma, ready to make that picture reality.

"You should try this sushi I bought yesterday. It's really good...ikura as well and real cheap!" The three girls looked incredulous. Ranma sighed, "You can trust me...after all..." Immediately the three fiancées took a sushi each and chomped onto them, evidently enjoying it. Akane then watched in shock as three big Xs appeared on their faces. Ranma grinned. "How was it?"

"Great!" they all said.

"I'd knew you make such great sushi for us! How sweet of you! Now let me plant my noble lips on your gallant ones! OHHOHOHOHO..." But she ended up kissing metal. Ukyo held out her combat spatula.

"You aren't going to kiss Ranchan anytime, psycho!"

Shampoo looked at Kodachi and Ukyo haughitly. "That's right! I am" The three girls soon started fighting. Thanking the kami inwardly, Ranma left the scene, ginning all the while. Akane rushed back towards the cafeteria. Suddenly her rather normal day became a great and estatic day.

*Knock knock*

"Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me, Ranma."

"Come in." Ranma opened the door and noticed Akane studying Japanese literature. Ranma never found any interest on such mediocrity. 'Hrm...how should I say this...urm...' He fidgeted. Akane closed her book and turned around to face Ranma. Ranma suddenly lost balance and fell on Akane's bed. Red was flashing across his face. 'Dang...I get so clumsy when I'm around her!' Akane giggled nervously. She swore her insides felt like it was melting.

"So Akane...I have some sushi. The same one this morning. Wanna try one?"

"Uh..."

"Don't worry! It still tastes fine. It's not spoiled, I assure you!" Ranma handed out a piece a sushi and held it out for Akane to grab.

"Ikura eh? I like that." Ranma smiled. Akane took the sushi. No, actually she took the sushi but held on to Ranma's hand for quite a while before actually removing the sushi. Both of them felt like they were being electrocuted. Akane plopped it down quickly. Because she knew that these were like the sakura-mochi she had, she didn't really want to know what her face was showing in fear of the dreaded X. She looked at Ranma and her spirits felt down when he saw an unreadable expression to his face.

"Uh...uh...y-y-you should look in a...mirror..." Ranma spluttered. Akane went to the bathroom, with Ranma following behind her.

Akane touched her face. "Cherry blossoms..." The cheeks were heating up once again. "I'm really destined for Ranma..." But then she thought about the arranged marriage. 'Oh yeah..duh..of course, we HAVE to get married...' She sighed dejectedly. A tear was about to leak from her face but she felt arms wrapped around her waist. Looking at the mirror she saw Ranma's serene expression.

"Ah, Akane. I knew it all along we were going to be together."

Akane felt numb. She couldn't say anything.

"Er..earth to Akane?"

"Huh! What? Oh..." She turned around to face Ranma. That placid expression was enough to clear all doubts that the cherry blossom marks appeared because of arranged marriages. "You were destined for me. I was destined for you. What does that mean?"

"Mmm...love is such a beautiful thing, just like you Akane..." He lifted her face and planted a deep, natural kiss. Akane returned the favor. They stayed that way for as long as they could hold their breath.

Akane sighed dreamily. "What an insensitive lover," she joked.

"I feel hurt." Ranma mock pouted. Akane kissed him again.

"Just kidding." Ranma sighed. Akane could sense something was wrong. 'Does he not love me?' She hung her shoulders.

"Akane, we can't do this...I mean...if our parents see this, you'll be Akane Saotome before you know it. Besides...don't you want to wait a bit?"

Akane looked at Ranma. 'He's been thinking hasn't he?' "I do actually. Hey, you thought WISELY!"

Ranma laughed. "Heh. Trust me, public displays of affection would mean a death sentence for us. But private on the other hand..." Akane chuckled and closed the furo door and lost themselves to the world of passion.

NOTES: Not much to say. Idea inspired from the sakura-mochi story. R & R! ONESHOT!