You won't believe it, right? Hehe… I'm updating the story even though I had said that I would finish the other one first (Of Loose Gi's and Lost Focuses, if you perhaps want to know). I guess I decided that I was being unfair to all the people that liked this story and asked me to continue it, so I changed my mind.
Oh, and sorry to all you America people reading me out there. As I have said I'm not English nor American, but I was taught the British version of English and you might find some British words in my stories. Like Maths, for example. Yes, it is a word, it simply is the British version to what you Americans would call Math. I checked a couple of dictionaries, so I'm positive about it. Deal with it. If there's anything else bothering you, though, I'd gladly hear about it. I accept criticism when I deserve it.
Ok, enough ranting, onto the story. And thanks again to all the people that read so far. Hope you'll like the rest of it too.
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Studying – Chapter 4
Akane returned to her room with the cookies Kasumi had baked earlier and some lemonade, as she had promised. She was smiling to herself, happy about how things had turned out.
After putting the tray down on her desk, she noticed she was still wearing her school uniform. She had been so angry at her fiancé when she had got home that she forgot to change.
Remembering her own feelings of the day before, she wandered briefly if she should wear the same outfit again (or rather a similar one), but decided against it. Just thinking about it made her cheeks burn. She chose a simple knee-long yellow skirt and a T-shirt of the same shade. Not that he would notice the difference, she thought with a sigh.
Just when she finished dressing, a knock was heard at her door.
"Can I come in?" She heard Ranma's voice.
"Sure."
He entered the room glancing at her quickly, carrying his books and notebooks. He settled at her desk, in the same position he had assumed the day before.
"Yellow is definitely more like you than the uniform", he said matter-of-factly, not even looking at her.
Akane blushed. He had noticed? Was he mocking her? She started to get angry, not knowing how to react any other way.
"Ranma!" she growled in a low threatening voice.
"What?" he said, looking up blankly.
Akane stared at him, trying to understand. Was he…? She finally decided to let it go.
"Never mind", she said, looking away.
He shrugged, grabbed a cookie and asked: "So, what do we do today?"
'Whew, that was close', he thought.
She sat down on her chair, which was close to his, but not too close, and poured some lemonade in the green glasses. The ice cracked with little noises. She took a deep breath, calming herself.
"I guess the best thing would be to pick up from where we had stopped yesterday. Starting with Maths again. You can't do any good at Physics if you don't know a thing about Maths."
"Ok," he mumbled, munching the cookie.
The first exercises were easy for Ranma, they were pretty similar to the ones he had managed to solve the day before. So he got bored.
"I already know this stuff. Why are we doing it again?" he protested after a couple of solved exercises.
"You know Ranma, for someone who is in Martial arts, you don't really understand that much about practise," Akane teased.
"What do you mean, practise? Of course I know…" He was interrupted by a smirking Akane.
"Even a beginner knows you have to do some warm up exercises before getting to the hard stuff," she pointed out.
"Oh yeah?" He blurted out sarcastically, but then he started thinking about it.
"So you are really treating this like some kind of Martial Arts training," he finally stated.
"It is, actually. You said so yourself yesterday. A new technique, you could call it The Anything Goes Solving of Maths Exercises," she laughed a her own stupid invention.
Ranma didn't laugh though. He thought about it seriously.
"How can it be Anything Goes? I mean, Maths is all rules, rules, rules, no creativity involved, no space to do the real Anything Goes…"
Akane was surprised at the fact that he had taken her so seriously. Then again, she was glad, since it was the first time she saw him thinking about something connected with school seriously. She considered his words for a moment.
"That's not completely true. I mean, there are rules, of course, but there is also some freedom. As in Martial Arts, you often can choose your own path to the goal. In our case, the goal is to solve the exercise correctly."
"But I don't see any other way to do this exercise", he pointed to the one he had just finished, "than the one you explained to me yesterday. I mean, it's just some curve I have to draw, and it has to look exactly this way, you told me."
"Sure, but the way you find out how the curve should look may vary."
She proceeded explaining her logic to him. He listened attentively, and she enjoyed his attention, as well as the unusual peaceful sensation that was floating between them. She showed him an alternative way to come up with the same curve.
"I get it!" he exclaimed. "It's like when you want to hop on a roof, and you can jump on different objects to get to it!"
Akane smiled inwardly at his rather simple paragon, but agreed.
"Ok, now what?" he said, eager to learn something new. Akane smiled more broadly. She knew comparing studying to the Art would do the trick.
They went on with other exercises and she tried to explain what the sensei had been talking about at school. Ranma stared at her blankly.
"You see, the problem is", Akane finally said, "that you don't know anything about the principles on which this whole thing is based. So we'll have to go a step back."
Ranma sighed in frustration.
"But it'll take ages! And I have to improve my grades soon!"
"I know. Don't worry too much, you'll make it. You always can do what you set your mind on."
Ranma turned to look at her face, a bit surprised.
"Yeah, I do", he said out loud, and inside his head, he continued, 'but I didn't know you believed in me too".
Akane noticed the strange look on his face and turned away, blushing.
"What? Everybody knows that there's nothing the great Ranma can't do", she said, half mocking him.
"I.." he started, still looking at her strangely. "Well, yeah… but… I thought…"
"That I didn't notice? What, with all the techniques you've learned since you've come to Nerima, and all the enemies you've beaten, and all the times you've saved me, you really think I could not notice?" She looked up.
"Oh, and by the way, thanks for all the times you've saved me. I guess I never said that."
Ranma would have face-faulted if we hadn't been to stunned to even move.
Akane knew she was probably as red as his Chinese shirt, but for once she didn't care.
After a long moment of the two staring into each other eyes in silence, Ranma finally found his voice (and his brain) again.
"Akane, … you don't have to… thank me…" he stuttered a little. "I'd never let anything happen to you. I told you yesterday, I'll always be here for you, and I meant it, no matter what I might say…"
Akane leaned a bit towards him, raised her hand and caressed his cheek, not really aware what she was doing. His skin felt warm under her cold fingers. Ranma instinctively caught her hand in his, holding it against his face. They stood there, motionless, lost in each other's eyes and in each own's thoughts, for the longest moment. In that moment they felt a strange force pulling their bodies towards each other, inch by inch. There was nothing in this world that existed for the two, except the other's eyes and her cold fingers between his palm and cheek.
Suddenly the mood changed. They didn't know what it was, whether a sound from the rest of the house or a bird outside Akane's open window. They just felt something break and they snapped apart, just a split second after realizing how close they had actually been.
Akane felt her face burning, her fingers tingling, remembering the sensation of his skin. Funny how she reacted so strongly to a simple touch as that one, when she had touched him a million times before. She stared pointedly at the desk, not saying a word, trying to calm herself.
Ranma, on the other hand, wondered just what had really happened there. Actually, the little part of his mind that was still working, wondered about that. The rest was on vacation and not expected to return any time soon. Not knowing what else to do, the little part of his brain that had decided to stay around, suggested that he take a cookie and eat it. So he did. And another one. And another.
Akane's brain wasn't completely back either, so she copied the actions he was doing, munching the cookies in silence, and washing them down with the lemonade.
They could have gone on like that forever. If there had been enough cookies.
The last cookie lay alone on the plate when two hands reached for it at once.
Fingers touched and sparks went up both arms. Ranma and Akane looked up simultaneously and blushed once again.
"You take it", they said in unison.
They stared at each other for a second.
"No, you do", they both said again.
Finally, the funny side of the situation kicked in with Akane's brain and she chuckled.
"Look, you take this one, and I'll go down to get some more. We deserve a break after all."
"Ok", Ranma said, not sure if he was more relieved or sorry to see her retreat towards the door with the plate in her hands.
What was that? What was happening with him? Just a touch and he was in turmoil. He somehow admitted to himself (well, not really, but sort of half admitted…) that he… cared…for that tomboy… But this… this burning feeling on his skin where she touched him... what was this?
How could those hands, those same hands that have hit him countless times before, bring up such emotions in him by just barely touching his fingers? His face?
He touched his cheek, remembering Akane's emotion-filled eyes after she had thanked him. They had been so close. They had almost…
He blushed.
Nah, it couldn't possibly…
They'd never…
And he'd never want to… that tomboy…
Oh, yes he would. By kami, he would have loved to.
Even the thought made his heart start racing again.
But what about her?
He was sure he'd be flying through the roof to LEO the second after…
But she had seemed affected by the strange mood too. And she had caressed his cheek. And leaned against him. And…
Maybe there was hope yet.
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Oooohhhh, enough for today. I'm off to Prague tomorrow, for a couple of days. It's a lovely city, if you haven't seen it yet. Prague in the Czech Republic of course. And no, I'm not Czech. I just go there on a holiday. As if you care… But if you have the chance, do go there, it really is worth it. The golden city, it is called. Want to know why? ^_^
Anyway, this chapter might have some humorous bits here and there. Well, they seemed funny to me. And I didn't do it intentionally, I swear. I know the previous chapters weren't funny at all (if anyone disagrees, I'd appreciate if they told me…). But I couldn't do it any other way. So if you hate it, or if it's not funny at all, or if it made you wonder if I've gone insane*, just tell me. Thanks. Love you all!!!
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*No, I haven't . I've been insane all along. Kept the secret well, ne? ~_^