Children: Chapter 8
Ranma and his sister sat in his room, thinking. Ranma would occasionally speak up abruptly, asking if their parents were done talking, if they should go check, or if they should just wait. They also discussed what Ranma should wear to his date, and other things that they thought would help. Eventually, Akama got tired of waiting, and she left the room, storming out the door with an annoyed sigh. "That's it, I'm going to see what they're doing!" She said.
"Wait!" Ranma yelled, as Akama went out the door.
Despite her brother's protests, Akama kept going, back into the kitchen. She found only her mother sitting there at the table, obviously deep in thought. "Mom? Hey, mom?" Akama said, shaking her mom's shoulder lightly.
Akane blinked a bit, then turned to face her daughter. "Oh, Akama, I'm sorry... I must have been daydreaming." Akane said, blushing slightly at being caught like this.
Akama pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table. "Hey mom?" She asked, "So what was that all about? Where did Dad and his friend go?"
"Well, Akama..." Akane started, "Ryouga was one of your father's friends, back when we were growing up. He also had... a little bit of a crush on me."
Akama blinked, then smiled. "Oh, I think I understand now. But he always got lost, so he didn't see you a lot, right?"
"No, that wasn't it, Akama." Akane said, sighing.
Akama looked even more confused than before. Finally, she spoke up again. "So what happened, Mom?" Akama asked.
Sighing again, Akane looked into her daughter's eyes thoughtfully. "Akama, he used his cursed form to get close to me. I thought nothing of sleeping with my pet pig. He kept it from me for years, and when he told me... Well, lets just say that was the only time he *wanted* to get lost." Akane said.
"I can't believe that he could be that... that..." Akama was mumbling, boiling over with anger.
"I was pretty angry too. It's been a long time, though... I may not be able to forgive him, but he's important to your father." Akane said.
"Hey, speaking of Dad, where is he?" Akama asked.
"Out in the back, with Ryouga... I just wish he wouldn't keep training so much in his female form. I have to admit it makes me a little jealous. Your father is a very beautiful woman." Akane laughed.
Akama laughed as well, standing up and pushing her chair in. "Thanks, Mom." She said. Akama walked back to the bedroom and told her brother that he should go talk to their father about his date that evening. "You really should ask him what to do tonight, Ranma." Akama said.
"Alright, I'll go talk to him." Ranma said, walking out towards the back yard.
Out in the back, Ranma Sr. and Ryouga were sitting inside the dojo, resting after their intense-as-usual match. "You've gotten much better, Ryouga." Ranma said, still in his female form.
"And you've turned into a girl." Ryouga teased, a smirk drawing across his face.
"It was inevitable, you know. It's not like I changed completely, say, into a pig or something." Ranma teased right back, her lips drawing into a similar smirk. Just then, both of their heads turned, when Ranma slid the door open.
"Hey, Dad... I need to talk to you about something." Ranma said. Ryouga took this as a hint to leave the two of them alone, so he walked out of the dojo, and back into the house.
"Sure, Son, What do you need to talk to me about?" Ranma Sr. asked.
"Well, I... Sort of have a date tonight, with Taiiku. I'm just wondering what I should do, what I should wear, things like that." Ranma answered.
"Just dress nice, Ranma. Act like a gentleman. You know how to do that, Why'd you have to ask me?" Ranma Sr. responded.
"It's just... This is a big deal, right? I'm going on a date tonight. I'm really nervous, what if something happens?" Ranma said.
"Ranma, if something happens, it happens. I know you want it to be perfect, but hardly anything is ever perfect. Just have a good time, be a gentleman, and show her that Saotome charm. I know it'll go great." Ranma Sr. said, smiling.
"Alright, Dad. Thanks for talking to me." Ranma smiled brightly.
"Any time, Ranma." Ranma Sr. said. She laughed a bit, before catching the strong scent hanging in the air. Perhaps a bath would be useful. She walked out of the dojo, and into the house, and finally into the bathroom. A broad smile crossed Ranma's face when he saw the clothes that Akane had been wearing, sitting on the hamper. "Akane? Are you in here, honey?" Ranma called out.
"Come on in, Ranma... The water's nice and warm." Akane giggled, hearing the rustle of clothing being removed, and placed back on the hamper. Soon, Ranma's bare female form appeared in front of the tub where Akane was sitting. "Ryouga seemed to be worn out, so after he took a little bath himself, he went to lay down. It's great he's finally getting that directional sense of his under control." Akane said.
"I'm not exactly thinking of Ryouga right now, Akane." Ranma smiled broadly as she slid into the water, changing back into himself. He put his arm around Akane's shoulder, holding her close. "One guess." He said, placing a delicate kiss on his wife's cheek.
Akane's cheeks flushed red, as she felt the gentle kiss placed on one of them. Grinning slightly, she whispered, "If it's not me, then you're in trouble."
Ranma laughed loudly, and kissed Akane again. He stared into her eyes, and saw all of the things that had come before, all their fights and troubles, all their victories as well. Now that Ryouga had come back, Ranma couldn't help but feel a little of the old days slipping back into the picture. He trusted Akane with his life, and his heart, but the part of him that was still stuck in the behaviors of the past, cried out. Ranma knew the only thing he could do to suppress these irrational fears, was to remember all that they'd been through. "Akane, I love you..." Ranma said, as he stroked through her hair.
The blush in her cheeks only intensified, as she asked, "Ranma, What is this about?" Akane said.
"Nothing... I just looked into your eyes and couldn't help myself." Ranma said.
"Ranma, you are such a charmer." Akane giggled and kissed her husband on the lips.
A knock came on the door, and a male voice yelled in, "Mom? Dad? You in there?"
"Yes, Ranma. We are, but we're sort of busy." Akane yelled back.
Ranma Sr. nudged his wife, and whispered to her, "Ranma has a date tonight, I think he might need to use the bathroom. We can finish this when he leaves, hmm?" Another light kiss was placed on Akane's cheeks, before they both got out and dried off, putting on two of the robes that hung in the bathroom closet.
The door opened, and Ranma saw his parents holding onto each other, looking like they'd been having a rather nice time together. "Sorry to interrupt... I really have to get ready though." Ranma said. He slipped past his parents, and closed the door behind himself.
"We do need to go get dressed ourselves, Ranma." Akane said.
"Alright, let's go then." Ranma Sr. said. He had that look in his eyes that told Akane he was planning something more. They walked into their bedroom, and as soon as they reached the bed, Ranma playfully pushed Akane onto the bed.
"Ranmaaaaaa!" Akane shrieked. As Ranma stood there laughing, Akane reached up and pulled him down on top of her. She kissed her husband square on the lips, and laughed some herself. "You sure got in a romantic mood all of a sudden, Ranma... It's not because Ryouga showed up today, is it?" Akane asked.
"Well... Maybe seeing someone who could have very easily, under different circumstances, been right here in my place made me appreciate you even more." Ranma said.
Akane sat up, and kissed Ranma's cheek. "You know no one could ever replace you, Ranma. Don't worry so much."
"I won't, Akane, I won't." Ranma said, as he tugged at the fuzzy belt on Akane's robe.
"Oh... Ranma..." Akane said, blushing brightly. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her passionately. Their mood was broken when Akama knocked on the door.
"Mom! Dad! I can't find that Ryouga guy anywhere!" Akama said.
The two of them got up, and Akane re-tied her robe together, then they went to the door and opened it up. "Don't tell me, He got lost again?" Ranma asked.
"Seems that way, Dad... I'm sorry; I know you were happy about having your friend around. Hey, I thought he said that he found a way to fix that..." Akama said.
"Yeah, I did too, Akama. Thanks for telling us." Ranma said. Akama walked off, and Ranma and Akane went back into the bedroom.
Akane spoke up, after sighing deeply. "I guess he must have gotten scared of... Something, and ran off. I'm so sorry, Ranma."
"It's not your fault, Akane. Ryouga's a grown man. He can make his own decisions, and this time it seems he's decided to stay away from here." Ranma said. "Our son is still going on that date tonight, we need to worry about that instead of pig-boy."
"Maybe," Akane sighed again, "You're right."
Ranma Jr. had taken a moderately quick bath, although he made sure that he was clean, and smelled good, before he walked out of the bathroom and into his room. Scanning over his wardrobe, He pulled out the nicest outfit he could find. He pulled out a pair of black pants, similar to what his father wore, and a dark blue silk shirt. If certain things weren't a factor, like suddenly changing gender, Ranma would have dressed much nicer. Even including that, this was just a first date, so Ranma was fairly confident he looked nice enough. He checked over his appearance, after he'd slipped on the pants, and buttoned up the shirt, and smiled. "Hey, I think I look pretty nice.' Ranma said. He walked out of his room, and peeked into his parent's bedroom. "Mom, Dad?" He said.
"Oh, Ranma... You look so nice." Akane said.
"You look very handsome, Son." Ranma Sr. said.
"Thanks..." Ranma said, rubbing the back of his neck while a soft red blush broke out over his cheeks. "Well, I'm going to go pick up Taiiku now, for our date. When do you want me to be home?"
"Just whenever your date is over, dear. Try not to stay out too late though." Akane answered.
"Remember, It's not the end of the world if some water would happen to hit you tonight, Ranma." Ranma Sr. said.
"I'll remember, Dad. Thanks again. Bye!" Ranma said. He walked out the front door, and went to the address that Taiiku had given him. Amazingly to him, Ranma arrived at Taiiku's house completely dry, and still male. This encouraged him for the success of the rest of the evening, so he extended his hand and pressed the doorbell with no hesitation, upon reaching the front door of Taiiku's house.
"I'll get it!" Taiiku ran, or more appropriately, walked fast, to the door. It would have been hard for her to actually run, considering that she had put on a very nice purple floral printed dress that was a bit restricting for her legs, and shoes with a heel, that were a bit restricting for her feet. She opened the door and smiled widely. "Hi, Ranma. You look really handsome tonight."
Ranma looked at Taiiku and blinked. She was beautiful. Gorgeous. An angel. Unfortunately, all that Ranma managed to squeak out when he spoke was, "Hi, Taiiku."
Taiiku called back, "I'll be home after my date!" Then proceeded out the door, taking Ranma's hand. "I have a feeling this night is going to go great, Ranma." Taiiku said.
The two of them walked along the sidewalks to the restaurant, talking about school and miscellaneous other things. A flower merchant called out to Ranma, offering his product.
"A pretty flower for another of nature's beautiful creatures?" The merchant asked.
Ranma looked over to see Taiiku blush, before he purchased the pinkish flower. Ranma handed it to Taiiku shyly, smiling. "You do look very pretty tonight, Taiiku." Ranma said.
"Thank you, Ranma," Taiiku smiled, taking the flower and sniffing it. It had a wonderful sweet smell, and she held it in her hand gladly. "You're very sweet to buy me a flower, Ranma... Then again, you've always been sweet." Taiiku said. They then continued on to the restaurant, and had a very nice meal. Ranma pulled out Taiiku's chair for her, and for his effort, received a melodic giggle, and a slight tinge of color showing up on Taiiku's cheeks. The movie they saw was incredibly bad, even though all the big movie critics had praised it heavily. Halfway through the movie, Ranma and Taiiku were whispering little comments to each other and giggling hilariously. They received several annoyed shh-es, but they were enjoying themselves far too much to care. The movie finally ended, and the two of them walked outside, Ranma nearly avoiding a passing patron's thrown soda.
The date seemed to pass far too fast for Ranma, as he was very much enjoying Taiiku's company away from school and other distractions. He got an idea, and asked Taiiku if she'd allow him to take her somewhere secret. Taiiku nodded, enjoying the date as much as Ranma, and not wanting it to end just yet either. "Close your eyes, ok?" Ranma said, taking hold of Taiiku's hand securely.
"Where are we going?" Taiiku asked, gripping onto Ranma's hand, as they walked.
"I told you, it's a secret. I promise you'll enjoy it though." Ranma said. He had found this place a number of years ago, when he'd first recognized the curse and what effects it would have on his later life, through schoolmates teasing. It was a huge field, filled with wildflowers, and not a drop of water, or other civilization, for as far as they could have both seen. As one would imagine, it took quite a while to reach such a remote location. When Ranma and Taiiku finally arrived, they were both somewhat tired.
"We there yet, Ranma?" Taiiku asked, holding one hand over her eyes, her other hand holding tightly onto Ranma's.
"Yeah, we are. Take a look." Ranma said, releasing Taiiku's hand, and sitting down.
Taiiku opened her eyes, and gasped. "Oh, Ranma... This is beautiful. I've never seen so many flowers in one place before. They're everywhere..." She sat down beside him, and they both stared up into the star-filled sky.
'So this is it, Ranma. Your big romantic moment.' Ranma thought. 'What're you going to do? You can't just sit there. Ask her...' Ranma cleared his throat, and spoke, rather shakily at first. "Taiiku, I was wondering if maybe, well, since we're on a date and all, and I really like you... Man, you're so beautiful... I was just wondering if maybe... I could kiss you."
'This evening has been so nice... He bought me a beautiful flower, and dinner was really nice. That movie was terrible, but we had fun still... And here's the romantic part, Taiiku. Say yes! You like him, right? And you've already kissed *him* twice. It's only fair.' Taiiku thought. She looked over to Ranma, staring into his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes, after all, who wouldn't want to look at them? 'You're getting off track, Taiiku.' She thought. Another few seconds passed in silence, before she answered. "Y...yeah, I'd like that, I mean, if you kissed me."
Ranma's heart was screaming out to him, to kiss her overwhelmingly, and put all his emotion into it. His mind, however, only allowed him to place a delicate, brief kiss on her lips. Both of their eyes closed, as they leaned together, and their lips met. They stayed together for a moment, and when they both returned to sitting upright, they could see that he other's face was flushed fully with red. "That was... Nice." Ranma said, unable to come up with any other word.
"Yeah, it was." Taiiku said. "W-would you... Do it again, Ranma?"
Smiling, Ranma again pressed his lips to Taiiku's, communicating his feelings through the gentle kiss. As they broke apart again, Ranma turned his head upwards. "That was... Nice too." He said, staring into the star-filled heavens. Slowly, he lay down; the tall wild grasses and flowers almost hid him from view.
"Yeah. It was." Taiiku lay down as well, staring up into the same sparkling ceiling.
After several long moments of the two of them staring up into the sky, Ranma spoke up. "I think it's getting sort of late. Maybe we should head home."
"Yeah," Taiiku replied. "School tomorrow, and everything." The two rose to their feet, and Ranma took Taiiku's hand again, leading her back home to her front door.
As they stood on Taiiku's front steps, Ranma leaned in slowly, and kissed Taiiku's cheek once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose. At lunch, ok?" Ranma said.
"Yeah... I'll see you at lunch. I'll be there." Taiiku said, bringing a hand up to the cheek that Ranma had kissed.
Just as Ranma turned to leave, the sprinklers popped up and turned on. In the place of a handsome dark haired boy, a cute redheaded girl stood. "Thanks for waiting!" Ranma yelled, giggling cutely in that sweet female voice of hers. Ranma could hear Taiiku giggling loudly too, and when Ranma turned around, she smiled broadly. "Good night, Taiiku. Thanks for a wonderful evening." Ranma said.
"Goodnight to you too, Ranma. I had a really nice time." Taiiku said, before slipping into her house.
On the way home, I imagine it would have taken the force of many, many men to pry the smile off of Ranma's face. She was absolutely overjoyed about the way things had gone tonight, and the memories of those few kisses kept running through her mind. Everything about the night had been wonderful. Taiiku looked so beautiful, and that perfume she had on was absolutely intoxicating. The flower field had been a very romantic spot to end their evening, and Ranma guessed that they would be returning there on their next date. Finally, she came in through the front door of her own house, still somewhat cold, but no longer too wet, as the walk home had dried most of the water from her clothes. She made her way into the bathroom, after grabbing some cotton undies and a pair of light blue pajamas, she saw her sister's clothes sitting on the hamper, and tried to get out of the room, but she wasn't quite fast enough.
"Alright, Ranma. You know you have to tell me how it went." Akama was in the bathtub, leaning back so that the water covered her up to her neck.
Ranma undressed, wringing the remaining water out of the clothes, before putting them in the hamper, and changing into her pajamas. Setting herself on the sink, Ranma began to explain their night. "Well, on the way to dinner, I bought her a flower. She really seemed to like it. We went to dinner, and talked, I think we had a really good time. Then we went to the movies, you know, that new one everyone's talking about."
"Yeah, how'd that go?" Akama asked.
"Ugh, the movie was terrible, but we still had fun making comments about it and laughing. I think the other people got sort of upset at us though." Ranma said, grinning.
"After that?" Akama asked.
"Well... After that we went to this huge field. It was filled with wildflowers, and tall grass, and the stars were shining...." A bright red blush came over Ranma's face, as she trailed off.
"Ooh, romantic. So, you kissed, didn't you?" Akama asked, smiling a bit.
"Just... Twice." Ranma said, blushing brighter as she stared down, wiggling her feet nervously.
"My brother, the charmer." Akama chuckled, as she got out of the bath and slipped on a robe, after drying off. "You know Mom and Dad are going to want to hear all about this, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ranma said, swinging her feet still. Her toes were pitifully bare, she thought. There would have to be something done about this... But could she still act feminine, now that she had a girlfriend? "Akama... What am I going to do? I just thought how my toenails look so blank, and that I should paint them, but I don't know if I'm going to have to give up that part of me, now that I'm going out with Taiiku." Ranma said.
"I never noticed it bother her that you were a girl that whole time at the mall, Ranma. Why would it now?'' Akama answered. "Just because you two kissed, doesn't mean she hates your girl side now. She just likes your guy side more. And anyway, you're the same person... I think she sees just you."
"Thanks, Sis. I know you're right.. i'm just nervous about the whole thing." Ranma said, as Akama went by her sister, back to her room.
"I know you are. But you'll deal with it fine." Akama said, turning back. "It's one.. of the things i admire about you, sis."
Ranma smiled.
Ranma and his sister sat in his room, thinking. Ranma would occasionally speak up abruptly, asking if their parents were done talking, if they should go check, or if they should just wait. They also discussed what Ranma should wear to his date, and other things that they thought would help. Eventually, Akama got tired of waiting, and she left the room, storming out the door with an annoyed sigh. "That's it, I'm going to see what they're doing!" She said.
"Wait!" Ranma yelled, as Akama went out the door.
Despite her brother's protests, Akama kept going, back into the kitchen. She found only her mother sitting there at the table, obviously deep in thought. "Mom? Hey, mom?" Akama said, shaking her mom's shoulder lightly.
Akane blinked a bit, then turned to face her daughter. "Oh, Akama, I'm sorry... I must have been daydreaming." Akane said, blushing slightly at being caught like this.
Akama pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table. "Hey mom?" She asked, "So what was that all about? Where did Dad and his friend go?"
"Well, Akama..." Akane started, "Ryouga was one of your father's friends, back when we were growing up. He also had... a little bit of a crush on me."
Akama blinked, then smiled. "Oh, I think I understand now. But he always got lost, so he didn't see you a lot, right?"
"No, that wasn't it, Akama." Akane said, sighing.
Akama looked even more confused than before. Finally, she spoke up again. "So what happened, Mom?" Akama asked.
Sighing again, Akane looked into her daughter's eyes thoughtfully. "Akama, he used his cursed form to get close to me. I thought nothing of sleeping with my pet pig. He kept it from me for years, and when he told me... Well, lets just say that was the only time he *wanted* to get lost." Akane said.
"I can't believe that he could be that... that..." Akama was mumbling, boiling over with anger.
"I was pretty angry too. It's been a long time, though... I may not be able to forgive him, but he's important to your father." Akane said.
"Hey, speaking of Dad, where is he?" Akama asked.
"Out in the back, with Ryouga... I just wish he wouldn't keep training so much in his female form. I have to admit it makes me a little jealous. Your father is a very beautiful woman." Akane laughed.
Akama laughed as well, standing up and pushing her chair in. "Thanks, Mom." She said. Akama walked back to the bedroom and told her brother that he should go talk to their father about his date that evening. "You really should ask him what to do tonight, Ranma." Akama said.
"Alright, I'll go talk to him." Ranma said, walking out towards the back yard.
Out in the back, Ranma Sr. and Ryouga were sitting inside the dojo, resting after their intense-as-usual match. "You've gotten much better, Ryouga." Ranma said, still in his female form.
"And you've turned into a girl." Ryouga teased, a smirk drawing across his face.
"It was inevitable, you know. It's not like I changed completely, say, into a pig or something." Ranma teased right back, her lips drawing into a similar smirk. Just then, both of their heads turned, when Ranma slid the door open.
"Hey, Dad... I need to talk to you about something." Ranma said. Ryouga took this as a hint to leave the two of them alone, so he walked out of the dojo, and back into the house.
"Sure, Son, What do you need to talk to me about?" Ranma Sr. asked.
"Well, I... Sort of have a date tonight, with Taiiku. I'm just wondering what I should do, what I should wear, things like that." Ranma answered.
"Just dress nice, Ranma. Act like a gentleman. You know how to do that, Why'd you have to ask me?" Ranma Sr. responded.
"It's just... This is a big deal, right? I'm going on a date tonight. I'm really nervous, what if something happens?" Ranma said.
"Ranma, if something happens, it happens. I know you want it to be perfect, but hardly anything is ever perfect. Just have a good time, be a gentleman, and show her that Saotome charm. I know it'll go great." Ranma Sr. said, smiling.
"Alright, Dad. Thanks for talking to me." Ranma smiled brightly.
"Any time, Ranma." Ranma Sr. said. She laughed a bit, before catching the strong scent hanging in the air. Perhaps a bath would be useful. She walked out of the dojo, and into the house, and finally into the bathroom. A broad smile crossed Ranma's face when he saw the clothes that Akane had been wearing, sitting on the hamper. "Akane? Are you in here, honey?" Ranma called out.
"Come on in, Ranma... The water's nice and warm." Akane giggled, hearing the rustle of clothing being removed, and placed back on the hamper. Soon, Ranma's bare female form appeared in front of the tub where Akane was sitting. "Ryouga seemed to be worn out, so after he took a little bath himself, he went to lay down. It's great he's finally getting that directional sense of his under control." Akane said.
"I'm not exactly thinking of Ryouga right now, Akane." Ranma smiled broadly as she slid into the water, changing back into himself. He put his arm around Akane's shoulder, holding her close. "One guess." He said, placing a delicate kiss on his wife's cheek.
Akane's cheeks flushed red, as she felt the gentle kiss placed on one of them. Grinning slightly, she whispered, "If it's not me, then you're in trouble."
Ranma laughed loudly, and kissed Akane again. He stared into her eyes, and saw all of the things that had come before, all their fights and troubles, all their victories as well. Now that Ryouga had come back, Ranma couldn't help but feel a little of the old days slipping back into the picture. He trusted Akane with his life, and his heart, but the part of him that was still stuck in the behaviors of the past, cried out. Ranma knew the only thing he could do to suppress these irrational fears, was to remember all that they'd been through. "Akane, I love you..." Ranma said, as he stroked through her hair.
The blush in her cheeks only intensified, as she asked, "Ranma, What is this about?" Akane said.
"Nothing... I just looked into your eyes and couldn't help myself." Ranma said.
"Ranma, you are such a charmer." Akane giggled and kissed her husband on the lips.
A knock came on the door, and a male voice yelled in, "Mom? Dad? You in there?"
"Yes, Ranma. We are, but we're sort of busy." Akane yelled back.
Ranma Sr. nudged his wife, and whispered to her, "Ranma has a date tonight, I think he might need to use the bathroom. We can finish this when he leaves, hmm?" Another light kiss was placed on Akane's cheeks, before they both got out and dried off, putting on two of the robes that hung in the bathroom closet.
The door opened, and Ranma saw his parents holding onto each other, looking like they'd been having a rather nice time together. "Sorry to interrupt... I really have to get ready though." Ranma said. He slipped past his parents, and closed the door behind himself.
"We do need to go get dressed ourselves, Ranma." Akane said.
"Alright, let's go then." Ranma Sr. said. He had that look in his eyes that told Akane he was planning something more. They walked into their bedroom, and as soon as they reached the bed, Ranma playfully pushed Akane onto the bed.
"Ranmaaaaaa!" Akane shrieked. As Ranma stood there laughing, Akane reached up and pulled him down on top of her. She kissed her husband square on the lips, and laughed some herself. "You sure got in a romantic mood all of a sudden, Ranma... It's not because Ryouga showed up today, is it?" Akane asked.
"Well... Maybe seeing someone who could have very easily, under different circumstances, been right here in my place made me appreciate you even more." Ranma said.
Akane sat up, and kissed Ranma's cheek. "You know no one could ever replace you, Ranma. Don't worry so much."
"I won't, Akane, I won't." Ranma said, as he tugged at the fuzzy belt on Akane's robe.
"Oh... Ranma..." Akane said, blushing brightly. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her passionately. Their mood was broken when Akama knocked on the door.
"Mom! Dad! I can't find that Ryouga guy anywhere!" Akama said.
The two of them got up, and Akane re-tied her robe together, then they went to the door and opened it up. "Don't tell me, He got lost again?" Ranma asked.
"Seems that way, Dad... I'm sorry; I know you were happy about having your friend around. Hey, I thought he said that he found a way to fix that..." Akama said.
"Yeah, I did too, Akama. Thanks for telling us." Ranma said. Akama walked off, and Ranma and Akane went back into the bedroom.
Akane spoke up, after sighing deeply. "I guess he must have gotten scared of... Something, and ran off. I'm so sorry, Ranma."
"It's not your fault, Akane. Ryouga's a grown man. He can make his own decisions, and this time it seems he's decided to stay away from here." Ranma said. "Our son is still going on that date tonight, we need to worry about that instead of pig-boy."
"Maybe," Akane sighed again, "You're right."
Ranma Jr. had taken a moderately quick bath, although he made sure that he was clean, and smelled good, before he walked out of the bathroom and into his room. Scanning over his wardrobe, He pulled out the nicest outfit he could find. He pulled out a pair of black pants, similar to what his father wore, and a dark blue silk shirt. If certain things weren't a factor, like suddenly changing gender, Ranma would have dressed much nicer. Even including that, this was just a first date, so Ranma was fairly confident he looked nice enough. He checked over his appearance, after he'd slipped on the pants, and buttoned up the shirt, and smiled. "Hey, I think I look pretty nice.' Ranma said. He walked out of his room, and peeked into his parent's bedroom. "Mom, Dad?" He said.
"Oh, Ranma... You look so nice." Akane said.
"You look very handsome, Son." Ranma Sr. said.
"Thanks..." Ranma said, rubbing the back of his neck while a soft red blush broke out over his cheeks. "Well, I'm going to go pick up Taiiku now, for our date. When do you want me to be home?"
"Just whenever your date is over, dear. Try not to stay out too late though." Akane answered.
"Remember, It's not the end of the world if some water would happen to hit you tonight, Ranma." Ranma Sr. said.
"I'll remember, Dad. Thanks again. Bye!" Ranma said. He walked out the front door, and went to the address that Taiiku had given him. Amazingly to him, Ranma arrived at Taiiku's house completely dry, and still male. This encouraged him for the success of the rest of the evening, so he extended his hand and pressed the doorbell with no hesitation, upon reaching the front door of Taiiku's house.
"I'll get it!" Taiiku ran, or more appropriately, walked fast, to the door. It would have been hard for her to actually run, considering that she had put on a very nice purple floral printed dress that was a bit restricting for her legs, and shoes with a heel, that were a bit restricting for her feet. She opened the door and smiled widely. "Hi, Ranma. You look really handsome tonight."
Ranma looked at Taiiku and blinked. She was beautiful. Gorgeous. An angel. Unfortunately, all that Ranma managed to squeak out when he spoke was, "Hi, Taiiku."
Taiiku called back, "I'll be home after my date!" Then proceeded out the door, taking Ranma's hand. "I have a feeling this night is going to go great, Ranma." Taiiku said.
The two of them walked along the sidewalks to the restaurant, talking about school and miscellaneous other things. A flower merchant called out to Ranma, offering his product.
"A pretty flower for another of nature's beautiful creatures?" The merchant asked.
Ranma looked over to see Taiiku blush, before he purchased the pinkish flower. Ranma handed it to Taiiku shyly, smiling. "You do look very pretty tonight, Taiiku." Ranma said.
"Thank you, Ranma," Taiiku smiled, taking the flower and sniffing it. It had a wonderful sweet smell, and she held it in her hand gladly. "You're very sweet to buy me a flower, Ranma... Then again, you've always been sweet." Taiiku said. They then continued on to the restaurant, and had a very nice meal. Ranma pulled out Taiiku's chair for her, and for his effort, received a melodic giggle, and a slight tinge of color showing up on Taiiku's cheeks. The movie they saw was incredibly bad, even though all the big movie critics had praised it heavily. Halfway through the movie, Ranma and Taiiku were whispering little comments to each other and giggling hilariously. They received several annoyed shh-es, but they were enjoying themselves far too much to care. The movie finally ended, and the two of them walked outside, Ranma nearly avoiding a passing patron's thrown soda.
The date seemed to pass far too fast for Ranma, as he was very much enjoying Taiiku's company away from school and other distractions. He got an idea, and asked Taiiku if she'd allow him to take her somewhere secret. Taiiku nodded, enjoying the date as much as Ranma, and not wanting it to end just yet either. "Close your eyes, ok?" Ranma said, taking hold of Taiiku's hand securely.
"Where are we going?" Taiiku asked, gripping onto Ranma's hand, as they walked.
"I told you, it's a secret. I promise you'll enjoy it though." Ranma said. He had found this place a number of years ago, when he'd first recognized the curse and what effects it would have on his later life, through schoolmates teasing. It was a huge field, filled with wildflowers, and not a drop of water, or other civilization, for as far as they could have both seen. As one would imagine, it took quite a while to reach such a remote location. When Ranma and Taiiku finally arrived, they were both somewhat tired.
"We there yet, Ranma?" Taiiku asked, holding one hand over her eyes, her other hand holding tightly onto Ranma's.
"Yeah, we are. Take a look." Ranma said, releasing Taiiku's hand, and sitting down.
Taiiku opened her eyes, and gasped. "Oh, Ranma... This is beautiful. I've never seen so many flowers in one place before. They're everywhere..." She sat down beside him, and they both stared up into the star-filled sky.
'So this is it, Ranma. Your big romantic moment.' Ranma thought. 'What're you going to do? You can't just sit there. Ask her...' Ranma cleared his throat, and spoke, rather shakily at first. "Taiiku, I was wondering if maybe, well, since we're on a date and all, and I really like you... Man, you're so beautiful... I was just wondering if maybe... I could kiss you."
'This evening has been so nice... He bought me a beautiful flower, and dinner was really nice. That movie was terrible, but we had fun still... And here's the romantic part, Taiiku. Say yes! You like him, right? And you've already kissed *him* twice. It's only fair.' Taiiku thought. She looked over to Ranma, staring into his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes, after all, who wouldn't want to look at them? 'You're getting off track, Taiiku.' She thought. Another few seconds passed in silence, before she answered. "Y...yeah, I'd like that, I mean, if you kissed me."
Ranma's heart was screaming out to him, to kiss her overwhelmingly, and put all his emotion into it. His mind, however, only allowed him to place a delicate, brief kiss on her lips. Both of their eyes closed, as they leaned together, and their lips met. They stayed together for a moment, and when they both returned to sitting upright, they could see that he other's face was flushed fully with red. "That was... Nice." Ranma said, unable to come up with any other word.
"Yeah, it was." Taiiku said. "W-would you... Do it again, Ranma?"
Smiling, Ranma again pressed his lips to Taiiku's, communicating his feelings through the gentle kiss. As they broke apart again, Ranma turned his head upwards. "That was... Nice too." He said, staring into the star-filled heavens. Slowly, he lay down; the tall wild grasses and flowers almost hid him from view.
"Yeah. It was." Taiiku lay down as well, staring up into the same sparkling ceiling.
After several long moments of the two of them staring up into the sky, Ranma spoke up. "I think it's getting sort of late. Maybe we should head home."
"Yeah," Taiiku replied. "School tomorrow, and everything." The two rose to their feet, and Ranma took Taiiku's hand again, leading her back home to her front door.
As they stood on Taiiku's front steps, Ranma leaned in slowly, and kissed Taiiku's cheek once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose. At lunch, ok?" Ranma said.
"Yeah... I'll see you at lunch. I'll be there." Taiiku said, bringing a hand up to the cheek that Ranma had kissed.
Just as Ranma turned to leave, the sprinklers popped up and turned on. In the place of a handsome dark haired boy, a cute redheaded girl stood. "Thanks for waiting!" Ranma yelled, giggling cutely in that sweet female voice of hers. Ranma could hear Taiiku giggling loudly too, and when Ranma turned around, she smiled broadly. "Good night, Taiiku. Thanks for a wonderful evening." Ranma said.
"Goodnight to you too, Ranma. I had a really nice time." Taiiku said, before slipping into her house.
On the way home, I imagine it would have taken the force of many, many men to pry the smile off of Ranma's face. She was absolutely overjoyed about the way things had gone tonight, and the memories of those few kisses kept running through her mind. Everything about the night had been wonderful. Taiiku looked so beautiful, and that perfume she had on was absolutely intoxicating. The flower field had been a very romantic spot to end their evening, and Ranma guessed that they would be returning there on their next date. Finally, she came in through the front door of her own house, still somewhat cold, but no longer too wet, as the walk home had dried most of the water from her clothes. She made her way into the bathroom, after grabbing some cotton undies and a pair of light blue pajamas, she saw her sister's clothes sitting on the hamper, and tried to get out of the room, but she wasn't quite fast enough.
"Alright, Ranma. You know you have to tell me how it went." Akama was in the bathtub, leaning back so that the water covered her up to her neck.
Ranma undressed, wringing the remaining water out of the clothes, before putting them in the hamper, and changing into her pajamas. Setting herself on the sink, Ranma began to explain their night. "Well, on the way to dinner, I bought her a flower. She really seemed to like it. We went to dinner, and talked, I think we had a really good time. Then we went to the movies, you know, that new one everyone's talking about."
"Yeah, how'd that go?" Akama asked.
"Ugh, the movie was terrible, but we still had fun making comments about it and laughing. I think the other people got sort of upset at us though." Ranma said, grinning.
"After that?" Akama asked.
"Well... After that we went to this huge field. It was filled with wildflowers, and tall grass, and the stars were shining...." A bright red blush came over Ranma's face, as she trailed off.
"Ooh, romantic. So, you kissed, didn't you?" Akama asked, smiling a bit.
"Just... Twice." Ranma said, blushing brighter as she stared down, wiggling her feet nervously.
"My brother, the charmer." Akama chuckled, as she got out of the bath and slipped on a robe, after drying off. "You know Mom and Dad are going to want to hear all about this, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ranma said, swinging her feet still. Her toes were pitifully bare, she thought. There would have to be something done about this... But could she still act feminine, now that she had a girlfriend? "Akama... What am I going to do? I just thought how my toenails look so blank, and that I should paint them, but I don't know if I'm going to have to give up that part of me, now that I'm going out with Taiiku." Ranma said.
"I never noticed it bother her that you were a girl that whole time at the mall, Ranma. Why would it now?'' Akama answered. "Just because you two kissed, doesn't mean she hates your girl side now. She just likes your guy side more. And anyway, you're the same person... I think she sees just you."
"Thanks, Sis. I know you're right.. i'm just nervous about the whole thing." Ranma said, as Akama went by her sister, back to her room.
"I know you are. But you'll deal with it fine." Akama said, turning back. "It's one.. of the things i admire about you, sis."
Ranma smiled.
