Hi all. Sorry for the LOOONG wait. You can thank those stupid computers
for that. *Gets ready to bash her computer*
Hopefully you all didn't go out of your minds waiting so long. For the long wait here, I'm going to update quicker than normal. You can expect the next chapter to be up in a couple days (if not thank the stupid computer for that again).
Anyways, as always, thank you for all of your reviews. I'm glad to hear from you about comments, criticisms, and such. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any of its characters, and any coincidences of names with the characters are merely coincidental. I did not take names out of a phone book, okay? These names came from my head
(that's a scary thought).
Chapter 5
Kasumi and Dr. Tofu stared into each other's eyes as the minister spoke through the ceremony. "And do you, Kasumi Tendo, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?"
"I do," Kasumi said almost immediately after the minister.
He smiled. "Now I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." He looked on as the two kissed, and as the crowd of family and friends cheered.
Dr. Tofu spoke after they ended the kiss. "Everyone, thank you for coming. We're having a reception, which will be held at the Tendo dojo. It'll start in about an hour. We hope to see you there."
With that, the procession started down the isle from the altar, led by Jina, who was the flower girl, followed by Ranma, the Best Man, who was escorting Akane, the Maid of Honor. Ryoga, Kuno, and Mousse, the groomsmen, were escorting the bridesmaids, Ukyo, Nabiki, and Shampoo down the isle after them, with the bride and groom following.
As they walked out, Jina turned around and leapt into her mother's arms. "Momma! Did I do good? Did they like me?"
"Oh, they loved you, Baby!" Akane held Jina tightly. "I am so proud of you!"
Ranma caught up to them both. "You know, I think Kasumi really liked the Western concepts of the wedding. The only thing she kept traditional was the kimono."
"Yeah," Akane agreed. "But it's perfect for her."
"Ranma! Ranma!" Jina jumped from Akane's arms into Ranma's.
"Well, aren't you the little jumping bean," Akane remarked.
Jina giggled. Then, really softly, Jina said, "Arigato."
"Did she just thank me?" Ranma gasped.
Puzzled, Akane stared at her daughter. "Jina, you just thanked Ranma in Japanese. Did you know that?"
The little girl nodded. "Yes, Momma. Ryoga taught it to me. And I had to thank him for when we first got here."
"Oh," Akane said. "Ranma, she was thanking you for helping her at the airport."
He smiled. "Tell her it's no problem." He patted the girl on the head.
She told Jina what Ranma had said. "Now let's get ready for the reception." She took Ranma's hand and squeezed it. "We're going to get ready. Just a quick make-up and hair touch-up. Meet you here!"
* * *
"'Meet me out here,' she says," Ranma grumbled to himself. "Stupid tomboy takes forever in there!" He stopped when Akane and Jina appeared in the doorway. Jina looked adorable, and Akane looked just plain beautiful. His heart sipped a beat. "A-Akane, what'd you do?"
"I just fixed us up a bit. Do you think it was too much?" Akane lifted a self-conscious hand up to her long hair in back, which hung in ringlets, as did her daughter's. "Will it be okay, do you think?"
He gulped. "Uh, Akane, it's lovely. Y-you look incredible," he stuttered. Those feelings arose in him again. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her, kiss her! Ranma's cheeks flushed pink, which Akane noticed, and blushed, too.
As she looked back and forth between Ranma and Akane, Jina wondered why they were giving each other those strange looks. 'Is that what people do when they love each other?' She wondered. "Momma, are we going?"
The moment was broken. Akane tore her gaze away from Ranma. "Um, yes Jina. We're leaving now." She took Jina's hand and motioned to Ranma.
They entered the dojo, only to find Dr. Tofu, Kasumi, Soun, Genma, and Nabiki. Akane wondered where Ranma's mother was. "The others should be arriving anytime now," Nabiki said. "Kuno-baby said he had a surprise for me."
"I return!" Kuno's voice echoed in through the door. "Before the festivities start, my Nabiki, I have something for you. Of course, it doesn't do your beauty justice, but I do hope you'll accept it as a token of my affections." He held out a box about the size of a ring box.
She took it, giving Kuno a sweet smile as she opened it. It revealed a precious golden necklace with delicately small cut diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. They were all cut in tiny pieces and connected together in a geometric fashion. Nabiki allowed Kuno to put it on around her neck. "Oh, Kuno-baby, I love it!" She rewarded him with a kiss.
Akane watched them and smiled. "Ranma, I just know tonight's going to be wonderful!"
"Yeah," he echoed. "Wonderful."
Mousse and Shampoo entered next. Mousse led Shampoo over to a chair. "You can sit if you like."
"You tell SHAMPOO what to do now?" She argued.
Ranma sighed. "I guess she's got to get a little more used to the idea of being engaged to Mousse."
"Really?" Akane glanced over at them both. "Maybe she's just being stubborn."
"Kinda like you, huh?" Ranma snickered.
*WHAM* "Raanmaa! I'm not stubborn!"
"Stubborn as a donkey and strong as an ox," he teased. "So it STILL gets to you, eh?" Ranma rubbed the top of his head where a chair had just been slammed down on.
More people came in, interrupting Akane's angry reflex. She greeted them. "Hello! Thank you for coming."
"Akane!" She looked over to see who called. Ukyo walked in with a small black pig in her arms. "Did we make it in time?"
She smiled a bright smile. "Just in time."
"Good," Ukyo sighed. "Ryoga got lost and I spent all this time looking for him. He tripped and fell in the river on the way here. I'm going to heat some water for him."
"Where on earth were you guys?" Akane asked.
Ukyo called back to Akane from over her shoulder. "I couldn't tell you. I hope Ryoga's not rubbing off that way on me. At least ONE of us needs to know where we're going!"
As they both headed outside to get some hot water, Akane glanced at Jina. Her daughter spun around in circles on the dance floor, watching her dress spin out from the rest of her body. Finally, becoming dizzy, Jina fell to the floor. "Jina! Are you all right?"
Jina bobbed her head up and down. "Yep, Momma!" She stood up, dusted herself off, and began prancing around.
Ranma watched Akane's daughter intensely. "You're Akane's, all right," he whispered.
The child caught Ranma's stare and gave him a beaming smile. It was obvious that the girl adored him. She must have been incredibly lonely. Ranma knew that the good-for-nothing bastard had left Akane pregnant. No matter if Akane had cheated on Ranma, she didn't deserve the pain of having to go through parenthood all by herself. He was seriously considering asking Akane if she wanted him to rack down the father for her. 'I'll ask her tonight, if we're alone,' he thought.
"Hey everybody! It's a western tradition! The 'Dollar Dance' as it's called." Nabiki's announcement interrupted Ranma's thoughts. "We changed it to the Five-hundred Yen Dance. You pay me five hundred yen and get to dance with the bride and groom. Stand in line and we'll begin."
Lines had already begun to form in front of the bride and groom. Ranma decided to participate. He stepped in line, and noticed that Akane did the same in the line next to him. "Hey, Akane, I thought you said you gave up on the doc," he teased.
"Well, look at you! Aren't you ashamed? Imagine, slow-dancing with a married woman," she teased back.
"Why? You jealous?" There was a mischievous twinkle in Ranma's eye.
She smirked. "Are you?"
"And here I was gonna dance with you, Akane Tendo," he sighed in a pretend- exasperated tone.
"Well, Ranma Saotome, if you really want to dance with me, just go find me," Akane replied. "I'd love to dance with you tonight. Ask me anytime."
He caught her gaze for a moment. "All right."
"Hey Ranma," Nabiki said. "Are you going to hold up the line any longer? People are waiting to dance with Kasumi!"
"Uh, here," Ranma said, handing her the money.
"Thanks," she said sweetly. "You know, the proceeds go to a very nice cause."
"I'll bet they do," he muttered to himself. Nabiki was charging well more than a dollar's worth. Probably so she could get a cut of the money as well, he figured. He walked up to Kasumi. "Hey there. May I have this dance?"
Kasumi smiled and took his arm. "Of course, Ranma."
He pulled Kasumi closer to him to dance. Only now did he realize how much he'd grown. He was even taller than Kasumi now. His girl form was about her size. 'And Akane has stayed the same.'
"So are you enjoying yourself tonight, Ranma?" Kasumi asked. "I'm glad you came to dance with me."
""Yeah," Ranma answered. "It's a blast."
She giggled. "Are you going to dance with Akane?"
He blushed. "Maybe," he admitted.
"Well you have fun, then," Kasumi said as the song ended. "Arigato, for the dance." She then walked over and took the next guy's arm.
Ranma watched as Akane paid Nabiki the money and went over to Dr. Tofu. Then, he turned away when she glanced at him.
Akane glanced at Ranma, and saw him turn away.
"Is someone jealous, Akane?" Dr. Tofu laughed.
She laughed, too. "Ranma may be."
"Of course he is. I'm dancing with a lovely young lady tonight," he said. "Ranma wishes he was me."
"If he wants he can dance with me after," Akane said.
The chiropractor nodded. "He'll dance with you."
"Doctor?" Akane asked.
"Hmm?" He looked down at her.
She glanced over at Kasumi. "I wish you both the best of luck," Akane said finally. "And I wish you happiness."
"Arigato. We are happy," Dr. Tofu said as he kissed Akane's hand. "I'm glad we danced."
Another girl came up to him for a dance, and Akane left the floor to sit down. She scanned the floor, searching for Jina. Satisfied when she found Jina chasing around another young child, Akane settled back.
"Is this seat taken, Akane Tendo?" Kuno sat down next to her.
She looked at him for a long moment. "Kuno."
"And how are you doing, my lady?" He smiled as he looked at her.
"I'm well. Both Jina and I," Akane said.
Kuno was silent for a moment. "She is a Tendo. Her beauty will overshadow all but another Tendo."
"Is that your way of telling me that I have a cute little girl?" Akane couldn't help but smile.
He gave a slight nod. "And to say that all of you of the Tendo family are like the Venus of love, who casts her spells among the men they fancy." He leaned forward. "I must ask of you, Akane Tendo, a favor."
"Yes?" Akane leaned toward Kuno.
He took a small box out of his picket. "Tell me, Akane Tendo, what do you suppose," he opened it, revealing a beautiful and delicately cut ring, "your sister would say to this?"
She gasped. "Why, I think she would love the ring! I know Nabiki loves you. But with everything going on right now, with Kasumi's wedding, and Dad not feeling the best, you should wait for a little while and let Nabiki sort things through."
"I am much in your debt. I thank you," he stood, bowed politely, then left.
By this time, the Dollar Dance was over, and there was more upbeat music playing. Akane went to the refreshment area to get a drink. There, she met Shampoo. "I'll have some tea," she ordered. "Hello, Shampoo."
"Nihao, Akane," Shampoo replied. "I have tea, also," she called to the bartender. "You come Japan for long?"
"No, in a couple days I'm going back," Akane answered.
"Is too bad," Shampoo said softly. "Shampoo hoped to see you more before you leave."
"You've changed, Shampoo," Akane said, hardly believing it. "Are you all right?"
The Chinese Amazon nodded. "Hai. I. . . believe I will be fine."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "You're improving little by little on your Japanese."
"Hai," Shampoo said. "Mousse begin teach me not long ago."
"Are you happy, Shampoo?" Akane asked softly.
Shampoo was silent for a long while, either working out the sentence in her head or deciding whether or not she was happy. "I suppose. . . yes, I have become very content being with Mousse.
Besides being impressed by Shampoo's progress in the language, Akane was also baffled by her words. "I'm happy for you, Shampoo."
"You and Ranma?" Shampoo asked weakly.
"I don't think so. I live so far away," Akane answered.
The purple-haired girl sighed. "Akane. What we to do with you?" You love Ranma, yes? He love you, yes?"
"Um. . ." Akane was blushing. "I don't know. . ."
"You make a mistake if you let him go," Shampoo warned. "You both be unhappy. Remember that, Akane. Shampoo say it for Ranma's sake, and. . . you Shampoo's friend."
"Arigato, Shampoo," Akane said. "It means a lot to me."
She smiled. "Shampoo. . . I. . . will see you later," Shampoo corrected herself. "Ja ne, Akane."
"Yep, 'til then, Shampoo." Akane parted with the Amazon. As she was about to sit, another slow song came on. She saw Shampoo take Mousse's arm and lead him to the dance floor. She smiled, wishing that it could have been like that for her.
"May I have this dance, Akane?" Ryoga's voice startled her out of her thoughts.
She nodded and took his hand. "Where's Ukyo?"
He waved her over in Ranma's direction. "Ranma asked her to dance." He caught Akane's dangerous glare in Ranma's way and chuckled. "I'm sure he'll ask you to dance. Watch this." Ryoga glanced in Ranma's direction to make sure he was looking in Akane's direction. "He'll work up the nerve to ask you to dance after this." Ryoga rested his hands on Akane's lower back and pulled her closer.
"Ryoga! What are-!"
"Shh. . . Akane, Ukyo and I sort of planned this. She's going to make sure Ranma sees it," Ryoga answered.
Sure enough, Ranma politely excused himself from Ukyo and stalked over to where Akane and Ryoga were. "Excuse me, P-CHAN, but Akane and I were leaving!"
Akane was startled for a moment. "R-Ranma?"
"Why the hell were you letting Ryoga put his hands on you and junk?!" He demanded as he led Akane away.
"Oh, so you WERE jealous," Akane shot back. "Well, I'm glad you danced with just about every girl in the room but me!"
"Who would be jealous of YOU?" Ranma stuck his tongue out.
Taking a cup of water from a nearby table, Akane splashed Ranma with it. "FINE! Why didn't you just say it in the first place that you didn't want to dance with me!" She stomped away from the now dripping wet female Ranma.
The redhead stood there for a moment, then turned away and muttered," Stupid tomboy." She left the dojo and headed for the house to find some hot water.
"Momma!" Jina saw her mother standing out by the doorway. "I saw Ranko! Aren't you going to say 'hi' to her?"
Smiling weakly down at Jina, Akane answered, "I'll see Ranko later, Baby. Say, it's bed time. Let's go in."
* * *
Ranma had found some hot water left in a kettle and turned himself back into a boy. "Stupid Akane!" He softened when he remembered that hurt expression she'd had. He stopped short when he heard her voice. He listened hard, but realized that she was speaking English. Ranma peered through the doorway and saw Akane carrying Jina up the stairs. He followed her quietly and watched as she removed the fancy dress from her daughter and dressed her child in a nightgown. He saw as she tickled her daughter and received squeals of delight back from the child. What touched him the most was hearing her voice, so soft and soothing, as she sang a lullaby to her daughter. Not making a noise, he left them alone, heading back to the dojo. Ranma waited for a half hour and finally, saw Akane enter the dojo. As if on cue, the lights dimmed and the last song of the night came on. It was a slow song. She seemed lost and alone in the crowd of couples. He reached her and bowed slightly. "May I have this dance?"
"Ranma?" Akane looked at him for a moment. "Yes," she said, taking his hand. She wrapped her arms up around his neck, and he reached trembling hands down her hold her by the waist.
He tilted his head closer to Akane's. "I'm sorry, Akane," he whispered into her ear. "I didn't mean it to be this way tonight. I was just not brave enough to ask you to dance right away."
Her head rested on his shoulder for awhile. Then, she looked up at him and smiled. "It's all right, Ranma," she said. "You saved the last dance for me, and that's special. I'll never forget this night."
"Neither will I," Ranma replied. They were both silent as they held each other close and lost their thoughts to the melody of the music. At the end of the song, Akane hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. Ranma blushed, and kissed her hand. "Thanks for dancing, Akane," he mumbled.
"Arigato, Ranma," she said. They watched everyone leave. Kuno and Nabiki were going to a late-night party, Kasumi and her new husband were going to their new house, and Genma and Soun were already sound asleep, meaning Ranma and Akane had the house to themselves. "Are you hungry?"
'Oh, no,' Ranma thought desperately. His stomach chose the wrong time to growl. "I-I. . . am sorta hungry," he mumbled, knowing he had no choice but to tell the truth.
She smelled softly. "I'll go make some cinnamon rolls! Jina loves those." She went into the kitchen. Soon, a delicious aroma filled the air. Akane appeared minutes later with a plate of cinnamon rolls. She set it down on the table and took one, biting into it like it was nothing.
He watched her for any signs of food poisoning and then reached out warily for a roll himself. Ranma cautiously took a bite and gasped. "Th-this is. . . the best I've ever eaten! It's like. . . Mom's cooking!"
She blinked. "Well, I guess I am a mom," she said, smiling.
"So, then you can cook?" Ranma asked.
"You don't have to sound so surprised," she answered.
Ranma excitedly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Can you make miso soup tonight? I'm still hungry."
"Now?" Akane sighed. "If you want." She left the room and was in the kitchen for a short while. Then, she came out with two bowls of miso soup. "Here." She handed Ranma a bowl. "Try it."
He took the bowl and sipped some of the soup. It was delicious. Ranma gobbled the rest of it down. "More, please?" He looked so much like a little child, Akane had to laugh.
She rose and went into the kitchen, getting some more for Ranma. "here. I gave you most of what was left in the pan. I only took a little bit."
"Mmm. . ." Ranma devoured it in two gulps. "That was awesome, Akane!"
Akane couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks," she said.
It was quiet for awhile. Ranma looked down at the bowl in his lap. He was alone with Akane now. He thought now to be a good time to ask Akane about Jina's father. "A-Akane?"
"Hmm?"
He raised his eyes to hers for a brief moment, then broke eye-contact. "Jina is really an adorable girl."
"Thank you, Ranma," Akane said. "You know, she really admires you."
"Really?" Ranma stared. "Well, she seems so lonely at times, thought."
She finished sipping the soup from her bowl and set it down. "It'll be better for her once she gets back home."
Setting his bowl down next to him, Ranma looked back at her. "Wouldn't it be good for Jina to know a father?" He asked. "It would help her greatly."
"Of course it would." Akane shifted uncomfortably. She looked away from Ranma. "She wants a father badly. However, that's something that I can't give to her."
"If I could find her father-"
"NO!" Akane shouted. She lowered her voice, as to not wake the others. "As far as Jina and I are concerned, he is dead, and better off left that way."
He was taken aback. Akane had felt that strongly about this man? He had left her that way when she truly loved him. It wasn't fair! Ranma wanted this chance! HE could be Jina's father! If Akane felt as strongly about Jina's father as she seemingly did, Ranma had no chance to start over with Akane. His heart wrenched painfully. "Akane. . . I didn't know you felt that way. . ."
From the hurt look on his face, Akane knew he'd taken it the wrong way. "No, Ranma! It wasn't like that!"
"Then how exactly was it?" He turned back to look at her, but the soft blue-gray eyes he had seemed to turn to steel before her.
"I-I. . ." Akane felt tears threaten. "I can't tell you," Akane said softly, knowing that Ranma could hear the pain in her voice. "I-I'm tired. Good night, Ranma." She ran up the stairs, leaving behind a very confused Ranma.
* * *
Author's note: YES! I'M FINALLY DONE! It's sad, really, that I'm so sick of this chapter, because in reality, this chapter should be a favorite of mine. I mean, there's lots of cute scenes of Ranma and Akane. They're bickering, dancing, and just having a whole lot of fun. Normally, when I read a Ranma/Akane fanfic, this is the kind of stuff I look for in it. Yeah. . . I liked this chapter. . . Until I had to type the damn thing over and over for hours! LOL.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I DIDN'T enjoy typing it up over and over because of my stupid computer. Let me know how you liked it. Review, e-mail me if you want. But no flames, 'cuz as always, they'll be deleted. I do not respect the opinions of people who only put others down. I'll be updating soon. See y'all later! --halliegirl
Arigato- Thank you
Nihao- Chinese for hello
Hai- Yes
Ja ne- Good evening or see you later (I got confused on that, if someone could set me straight.)
Hopefully you all didn't go out of your minds waiting so long. For the long wait here, I'm going to update quicker than normal. You can expect the next chapter to be up in a couple days (if not thank the stupid computer for that again).
Anyways, as always, thank you for all of your reviews. I'm glad to hear from you about comments, criticisms, and such. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or any of its characters, and any coincidences of names with the characters are merely coincidental. I did not take names out of a phone book, okay? These names came from my head
(that's a scary thought).
Chapter 5
Kasumi and Dr. Tofu stared into each other's eyes as the minister spoke through the ceremony. "And do you, Kasumi Tendo, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?"
"I do," Kasumi said almost immediately after the minister.
He smiled. "Now I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." He looked on as the two kissed, and as the crowd of family and friends cheered.
Dr. Tofu spoke after they ended the kiss. "Everyone, thank you for coming. We're having a reception, which will be held at the Tendo dojo. It'll start in about an hour. We hope to see you there."
With that, the procession started down the isle from the altar, led by Jina, who was the flower girl, followed by Ranma, the Best Man, who was escorting Akane, the Maid of Honor. Ryoga, Kuno, and Mousse, the groomsmen, were escorting the bridesmaids, Ukyo, Nabiki, and Shampoo down the isle after them, with the bride and groom following.
As they walked out, Jina turned around and leapt into her mother's arms. "Momma! Did I do good? Did they like me?"
"Oh, they loved you, Baby!" Akane held Jina tightly. "I am so proud of you!"
Ranma caught up to them both. "You know, I think Kasumi really liked the Western concepts of the wedding. The only thing she kept traditional was the kimono."
"Yeah," Akane agreed. "But it's perfect for her."
"Ranma! Ranma!" Jina jumped from Akane's arms into Ranma's.
"Well, aren't you the little jumping bean," Akane remarked.
Jina giggled. Then, really softly, Jina said, "Arigato."
"Did she just thank me?" Ranma gasped.
Puzzled, Akane stared at her daughter. "Jina, you just thanked Ranma in Japanese. Did you know that?"
The little girl nodded. "Yes, Momma. Ryoga taught it to me. And I had to thank him for when we first got here."
"Oh," Akane said. "Ranma, she was thanking you for helping her at the airport."
He smiled. "Tell her it's no problem." He patted the girl on the head.
She told Jina what Ranma had said. "Now let's get ready for the reception." She took Ranma's hand and squeezed it. "We're going to get ready. Just a quick make-up and hair touch-up. Meet you here!"
* * *
"'Meet me out here,' she says," Ranma grumbled to himself. "Stupid tomboy takes forever in there!" He stopped when Akane and Jina appeared in the doorway. Jina looked adorable, and Akane looked just plain beautiful. His heart sipped a beat. "A-Akane, what'd you do?"
"I just fixed us up a bit. Do you think it was too much?" Akane lifted a self-conscious hand up to her long hair in back, which hung in ringlets, as did her daughter's. "Will it be okay, do you think?"
He gulped. "Uh, Akane, it's lovely. Y-you look incredible," he stuttered. Those feelings arose in him again. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her, kiss her! Ranma's cheeks flushed pink, which Akane noticed, and blushed, too.
As she looked back and forth between Ranma and Akane, Jina wondered why they were giving each other those strange looks. 'Is that what people do when they love each other?' She wondered. "Momma, are we going?"
The moment was broken. Akane tore her gaze away from Ranma. "Um, yes Jina. We're leaving now." She took Jina's hand and motioned to Ranma.
They entered the dojo, only to find Dr. Tofu, Kasumi, Soun, Genma, and Nabiki. Akane wondered where Ranma's mother was. "The others should be arriving anytime now," Nabiki said. "Kuno-baby said he had a surprise for me."
"I return!" Kuno's voice echoed in through the door. "Before the festivities start, my Nabiki, I have something for you. Of course, it doesn't do your beauty justice, but I do hope you'll accept it as a token of my affections." He held out a box about the size of a ring box.
She took it, giving Kuno a sweet smile as she opened it. It revealed a precious golden necklace with delicately small cut diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. They were all cut in tiny pieces and connected together in a geometric fashion. Nabiki allowed Kuno to put it on around her neck. "Oh, Kuno-baby, I love it!" She rewarded him with a kiss.
Akane watched them and smiled. "Ranma, I just know tonight's going to be wonderful!"
"Yeah," he echoed. "Wonderful."
Mousse and Shampoo entered next. Mousse led Shampoo over to a chair. "You can sit if you like."
"You tell SHAMPOO what to do now?" She argued.
Ranma sighed. "I guess she's got to get a little more used to the idea of being engaged to Mousse."
"Really?" Akane glanced over at them both. "Maybe she's just being stubborn."
"Kinda like you, huh?" Ranma snickered.
*WHAM* "Raanmaa! I'm not stubborn!"
"Stubborn as a donkey and strong as an ox," he teased. "So it STILL gets to you, eh?" Ranma rubbed the top of his head where a chair had just been slammed down on.
More people came in, interrupting Akane's angry reflex. She greeted them. "Hello! Thank you for coming."
"Akane!" She looked over to see who called. Ukyo walked in with a small black pig in her arms. "Did we make it in time?"
She smiled a bright smile. "Just in time."
"Good," Ukyo sighed. "Ryoga got lost and I spent all this time looking for him. He tripped and fell in the river on the way here. I'm going to heat some water for him."
"Where on earth were you guys?" Akane asked.
Ukyo called back to Akane from over her shoulder. "I couldn't tell you. I hope Ryoga's not rubbing off that way on me. At least ONE of us needs to know where we're going!"
As they both headed outside to get some hot water, Akane glanced at Jina. Her daughter spun around in circles on the dance floor, watching her dress spin out from the rest of her body. Finally, becoming dizzy, Jina fell to the floor. "Jina! Are you all right?"
Jina bobbed her head up and down. "Yep, Momma!" She stood up, dusted herself off, and began prancing around.
Ranma watched Akane's daughter intensely. "You're Akane's, all right," he whispered.
The child caught Ranma's stare and gave him a beaming smile. It was obvious that the girl adored him. She must have been incredibly lonely. Ranma knew that the good-for-nothing bastard had left Akane pregnant. No matter if Akane had cheated on Ranma, she didn't deserve the pain of having to go through parenthood all by herself. He was seriously considering asking Akane if she wanted him to rack down the father for her. 'I'll ask her tonight, if we're alone,' he thought.
"Hey everybody! It's a western tradition! The 'Dollar Dance' as it's called." Nabiki's announcement interrupted Ranma's thoughts. "We changed it to the Five-hundred Yen Dance. You pay me five hundred yen and get to dance with the bride and groom. Stand in line and we'll begin."
Lines had already begun to form in front of the bride and groom. Ranma decided to participate. He stepped in line, and noticed that Akane did the same in the line next to him. "Hey, Akane, I thought you said you gave up on the doc," he teased.
"Well, look at you! Aren't you ashamed? Imagine, slow-dancing with a married woman," she teased back.
"Why? You jealous?" There was a mischievous twinkle in Ranma's eye.
She smirked. "Are you?"
"And here I was gonna dance with you, Akane Tendo," he sighed in a pretend- exasperated tone.
"Well, Ranma Saotome, if you really want to dance with me, just go find me," Akane replied. "I'd love to dance with you tonight. Ask me anytime."
He caught her gaze for a moment. "All right."
"Hey Ranma," Nabiki said. "Are you going to hold up the line any longer? People are waiting to dance with Kasumi!"
"Uh, here," Ranma said, handing her the money.
"Thanks," she said sweetly. "You know, the proceeds go to a very nice cause."
"I'll bet they do," he muttered to himself. Nabiki was charging well more than a dollar's worth. Probably so she could get a cut of the money as well, he figured. He walked up to Kasumi. "Hey there. May I have this dance?"
Kasumi smiled and took his arm. "Of course, Ranma."
He pulled Kasumi closer to him to dance. Only now did he realize how much he'd grown. He was even taller than Kasumi now. His girl form was about her size. 'And Akane has stayed the same.'
"So are you enjoying yourself tonight, Ranma?" Kasumi asked. "I'm glad you came to dance with me."
""Yeah," Ranma answered. "It's a blast."
She giggled. "Are you going to dance with Akane?"
He blushed. "Maybe," he admitted.
"Well you have fun, then," Kasumi said as the song ended. "Arigato, for the dance." She then walked over and took the next guy's arm.
Ranma watched as Akane paid Nabiki the money and went over to Dr. Tofu. Then, he turned away when she glanced at him.
Akane glanced at Ranma, and saw him turn away.
"Is someone jealous, Akane?" Dr. Tofu laughed.
She laughed, too. "Ranma may be."
"Of course he is. I'm dancing with a lovely young lady tonight," he said. "Ranma wishes he was me."
"If he wants he can dance with me after," Akane said.
The chiropractor nodded. "He'll dance with you."
"Doctor?" Akane asked.
"Hmm?" He looked down at her.
She glanced over at Kasumi. "I wish you both the best of luck," Akane said finally. "And I wish you happiness."
"Arigato. We are happy," Dr. Tofu said as he kissed Akane's hand. "I'm glad we danced."
Another girl came up to him for a dance, and Akane left the floor to sit down. She scanned the floor, searching for Jina. Satisfied when she found Jina chasing around another young child, Akane settled back.
"Is this seat taken, Akane Tendo?" Kuno sat down next to her.
She looked at him for a long moment. "Kuno."
"And how are you doing, my lady?" He smiled as he looked at her.
"I'm well. Both Jina and I," Akane said.
Kuno was silent for a moment. "She is a Tendo. Her beauty will overshadow all but another Tendo."
"Is that your way of telling me that I have a cute little girl?" Akane couldn't help but smile.
He gave a slight nod. "And to say that all of you of the Tendo family are like the Venus of love, who casts her spells among the men they fancy." He leaned forward. "I must ask of you, Akane Tendo, a favor."
"Yes?" Akane leaned toward Kuno.
He took a small box out of his picket. "Tell me, Akane Tendo, what do you suppose," he opened it, revealing a beautiful and delicately cut ring, "your sister would say to this?"
She gasped. "Why, I think she would love the ring! I know Nabiki loves you. But with everything going on right now, with Kasumi's wedding, and Dad not feeling the best, you should wait for a little while and let Nabiki sort things through."
"I am much in your debt. I thank you," he stood, bowed politely, then left.
By this time, the Dollar Dance was over, and there was more upbeat music playing. Akane went to the refreshment area to get a drink. There, she met Shampoo. "I'll have some tea," she ordered. "Hello, Shampoo."
"Nihao, Akane," Shampoo replied. "I have tea, also," she called to the bartender. "You come Japan for long?"
"No, in a couple days I'm going back," Akane answered.
"Is too bad," Shampoo said softly. "Shampoo hoped to see you more before you leave."
"You've changed, Shampoo," Akane said, hardly believing it. "Are you all right?"
The Chinese Amazon nodded. "Hai. I. . . believe I will be fine."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "You're improving little by little on your Japanese."
"Hai," Shampoo said. "Mousse begin teach me not long ago."
"Are you happy, Shampoo?" Akane asked softly.
Shampoo was silent for a long while, either working out the sentence in her head or deciding whether or not she was happy. "I suppose. . . yes, I have become very content being with Mousse.
Besides being impressed by Shampoo's progress in the language, Akane was also baffled by her words. "I'm happy for you, Shampoo."
"You and Ranma?" Shampoo asked weakly.
"I don't think so. I live so far away," Akane answered.
The purple-haired girl sighed. "Akane. What we to do with you?" You love Ranma, yes? He love you, yes?"
"Um. . ." Akane was blushing. "I don't know. . ."
"You make a mistake if you let him go," Shampoo warned. "You both be unhappy. Remember that, Akane. Shampoo say it for Ranma's sake, and. . . you Shampoo's friend."
"Arigato, Shampoo," Akane said. "It means a lot to me."
She smiled. "Shampoo. . . I. . . will see you later," Shampoo corrected herself. "Ja ne, Akane."
"Yep, 'til then, Shampoo." Akane parted with the Amazon. As she was about to sit, another slow song came on. She saw Shampoo take Mousse's arm and lead him to the dance floor. She smiled, wishing that it could have been like that for her.
"May I have this dance, Akane?" Ryoga's voice startled her out of her thoughts.
She nodded and took his hand. "Where's Ukyo?"
He waved her over in Ranma's direction. "Ranma asked her to dance." He caught Akane's dangerous glare in Ranma's way and chuckled. "I'm sure he'll ask you to dance. Watch this." Ryoga glanced in Ranma's direction to make sure he was looking in Akane's direction. "He'll work up the nerve to ask you to dance after this." Ryoga rested his hands on Akane's lower back and pulled her closer.
"Ryoga! What are-!"
"Shh. . . Akane, Ukyo and I sort of planned this. She's going to make sure Ranma sees it," Ryoga answered.
Sure enough, Ranma politely excused himself from Ukyo and stalked over to where Akane and Ryoga were. "Excuse me, P-CHAN, but Akane and I were leaving!"
Akane was startled for a moment. "R-Ranma?"
"Why the hell were you letting Ryoga put his hands on you and junk?!" He demanded as he led Akane away.
"Oh, so you WERE jealous," Akane shot back. "Well, I'm glad you danced with just about every girl in the room but me!"
"Who would be jealous of YOU?" Ranma stuck his tongue out.
Taking a cup of water from a nearby table, Akane splashed Ranma with it. "FINE! Why didn't you just say it in the first place that you didn't want to dance with me!" She stomped away from the now dripping wet female Ranma.
The redhead stood there for a moment, then turned away and muttered," Stupid tomboy." She left the dojo and headed for the house to find some hot water.
"Momma!" Jina saw her mother standing out by the doorway. "I saw Ranko! Aren't you going to say 'hi' to her?"
Smiling weakly down at Jina, Akane answered, "I'll see Ranko later, Baby. Say, it's bed time. Let's go in."
* * *
Ranma had found some hot water left in a kettle and turned himself back into a boy. "Stupid Akane!" He softened when he remembered that hurt expression she'd had. He stopped short when he heard her voice. He listened hard, but realized that she was speaking English. Ranma peered through the doorway and saw Akane carrying Jina up the stairs. He followed her quietly and watched as she removed the fancy dress from her daughter and dressed her child in a nightgown. He saw as she tickled her daughter and received squeals of delight back from the child. What touched him the most was hearing her voice, so soft and soothing, as she sang a lullaby to her daughter. Not making a noise, he left them alone, heading back to the dojo. Ranma waited for a half hour and finally, saw Akane enter the dojo. As if on cue, the lights dimmed and the last song of the night came on. It was a slow song. She seemed lost and alone in the crowd of couples. He reached her and bowed slightly. "May I have this dance?"
"Ranma?" Akane looked at him for a moment. "Yes," she said, taking his hand. She wrapped her arms up around his neck, and he reached trembling hands down her hold her by the waist.
He tilted his head closer to Akane's. "I'm sorry, Akane," he whispered into her ear. "I didn't mean it to be this way tonight. I was just not brave enough to ask you to dance right away."
Her head rested on his shoulder for awhile. Then, she looked up at him and smiled. "It's all right, Ranma," she said. "You saved the last dance for me, and that's special. I'll never forget this night."
"Neither will I," Ranma replied. They were both silent as they held each other close and lost their thoughts to the melody of the music. At the end of the song, Akane hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. Ranma blushed, and kissed her hand. "Thanks for dancing, Akane," he mumbled.
"Arigato, Ranma," she said. They watched everyone leave. Kuno and Nabiki were going to a late-night party, Kasumi and her new husband were going to their new house, and Genma and Soun were already sound asleep, meaning Ranma and Akane had the house to themselves. "Are you hungry?"
'Oh, no,' Ranma thought desperately. His stomach chose the wrong time to growl. "I-I. . . am sorta hungry," he mumbled, knowing he had no choice but to tell the truth.
She smelled softly. "I'll go make some cinnamon rolls! Jina loves those." She went into the kitchen. Soon, a delicious aroma filled the air. Akane appeared minutes later with a plate of cinnamon rolls. She set it down on the table and took one, biting into it like it was nothing.
He watched her for any signs of food poisoning and then reached out warily for a roll himself. Ranma cautiously took a bite and gasped. "Th-this is. . . the best I've ever eaten! It's like. . . Mom's cooking!"
She blinked. "Well, I guess I am a mom," she said, smiling.
"So, then you can cook?" Ranma asked.
"You don't have to sound so surprised," she answered.
Ranma excitedly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Can you make miso soup tonight? I'm still hungry."
"Now?" Akane sighed. "If you want." She left the room and was in the kitchen for a short while. Then, she came out with two bowls of miso soup. "Here." She handed Ranma a bowl. "Try it."
He took the bowl and sipped some of the soup. It was delicious. Ranma gobbled the rest of it down. "More, please?" He looked so much like a little child, Akane had to laugh.
She rose and went into the kitchen, getting some more for Ranma. "here. I gave you most of what was left in the pan. I only took a little bit."
"Mmm. . ." Ranma devoured it in two gulps. "That was awesome, Akane!"
Akane couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks," she said.
It was quiet for awhile. Ranma looked down at the bowl in his lap. He was alone with Akane now. He thought now to be a good time to ask Akane about Jina's father. "A-Akane?"
"Hmm?"
He raised his eyes to hers for a brief moment, then broke eye-contact. "Jina is really an adorable girl."
"Thank you, Ranma," Akane said. "You know, she really admires you."
"Really?" Ranma stared. "Well, she seems so lonely at times, thought."
She finished sipping the soup from her bowl and set it down. "It'll be better for her once she gets back home."
Setting his bowl down next to him, Ranma looked back at her. "Wouldn't it be good for Jina to know a father?" He asked. "It would help her greatly."
"Of course it would." Akane shifted uncomfortably. She looked away from Ranma. "She wants a father badly. However, that's something that I can't give to her."
"If I could find her father-"
"NO!" Akane shouted. She lowered her voice, as to not wake the others. "As far as Jina and I are concerned, he is dead, and better off left that way."
He was taken aback. Akane had felt that strongly about this man? He had left her that way when she truly loved him. It wasn't fair! Ranma wanted this chance! HE could be Jina's father! If Akane felt as strongly about Jina's father as she seemingly did, Ranma had no chance to start over with Akane. His heart wrenched painfully. "Akane. . . I didn't know you felt that way. . ."
From the hurt look on his face, Akane knew he'd taken it the wrong way. "No, Ranma! It wasn't like that!"
"Then how exactly was it?" He turned back to look at her, but the soft blue-gray eyes he had seemed to turn to steel before her.
"I-I. . ." Akane felt tears threaten. "I can't tell you," Akane said softly, knowing that Ranma could hear the pain in her voice. "I-I'm tired. Good night, Ranma." She ran up the stairs, leaving behind a very confused Ranma.
* * *
Author's note: YES! I'M FINALLY DONE! It's sad, really, that I'm so sick of this chapter, because in reality, this chapter should be a favorite of mine. I mean, there's lots of cute scenes of Ranma and Akane. They're bickering, dancing, and just having a whole lot of fun. Normally, when I read a Ranma/Akane fanfic, this is the kind of stuff I look for in it. Yeah. . . I liked this chapter. . . Until I had to type the damn thing over and over for hours! LOL.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I DIDN'T enjoy typing it up over and over because of my stupid computer. Let me know how you liked it. Review, e-mail me if you want. But no flames, 'cuz as always, they'll be deleted. I do not respect the opinions of people who only put others down. I'll be updating soon. See y'all later! --halliegirl
Arigato- Thank you
Nihao- Chinese for hello
Hai- Yes
Ja ne- Good evening or see you later (I got confused on that, if someone could set me straight.)
