Well, I appreciate all the comments. Remember, if it sounds dirty it most
certainly is. The rating gets more mature every chapter I add.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were mine, I feel like such a voyeur writing them like this.. . . and yet I write it anyway.
Chapter 3
"Let's think through this logically," Akane sighed, spreading her hands wide in a gesture of acquiescence. Ranma took a deep, steadying breath and watched her expectantly. She had a point. It was his grudge, it was his trip to China, he was the reason she was getting puked on all the time. He DID need to find a job, but she DIDN'T have to yell at him about it. And she had been. All bloody morning.
"Why not?" he asked, flopping back onto his back. He could almost hear her counting to ten before she spoke.
"Okay, where have you gone looking for a job?" she asked.
"Every freaking restaurant in Nerima, and a few in the outlying towns," he answered, irritably.
"Just restaurants?" she asked, somewhat incredulous. He sat up and regarded her for a moment.
"Yes, why?"
"There are other places you could work, you know," she said dryly. He blinked, then resisted the urge to put his head through a wall. He actually hadn't thought of it. "Let's see. What are you good at?"
"Martial arts," he answered immediately.
"THAT won't help. Hey, I know. One of the women working with the older kids is going to be out for the next three months. She just had a baby, and they aren't allowed to take them to Omitawa until they're three months old. You could take over her shifts until she got back!" Akane smiled, pleased with herself. Ranma grimaced.
"I'm really not all that good with kids," he admitted. Akane smirked at him for a long moment. "WHAT?"
"Well, we're going down to the courthouse on Thursday, remember? And when we get home, in order to consummate it we'll have to. . ." she looked away, blushing. Ranma's eyes widened. He hadn't quite thought of that as something which would have to be immediately done. . . Suddenly his stomach flipped inside him, and crushed itself.
"Anyway, what if I get pregnant? I'm sure I will eventually. You'll have to deal with kids then," she added, to justify the former statement. Ranma looked out the door of the dojo and tried to be less aware of the air hanging heavy on his shoulders and the floor hard and cold beneath his thighs.
"Well, when that far-off day comes, we'll just have to see, won't we?" he answered. Of course, it wasn't an answer at all.
"Okay, so no kids. Well, you could be a lifeguard, maybe. Or maybe you could get some odd job with a landscaping company or something," she suggested, dropping the former topic of conversation. Ranma looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged.
"I guess. I'll look around, I suppose," he said, nonchalantly. He stood, lazily, and sauntered to the door of the dojo. As he reached it, he turned to glace at Akane.
"I'll go out and continue the search, I guess. See you later," he said lightly. With that, he was off, running across the yard and leaping up onto rooftops, across rooftops, as far and fast as he could get.
When he finally felt he'd gone far enough, he plopped himself down on a roof and buried his head in his hands. It was Tuesday. In two days, Akane would expect him to . . . kissing was one thing. Losing himself in their somewhat frantic embraces was one thing. But actual sex. . . that was something else entirely. Where did one even begin such a thing? And just what would be expected of him? He knew how that scenario played out in his head, but what about in Akane's?
There was another problem, too. Sure, she'd seen him naked. And he'd seen her. But never with THAT hanging over them. What if he got nervous and his nether regions retracted into his body? What if at the last second she got terrified of him and ran away, leaving him exposed and. . . oh, hell. He wasn't he was up for this. Fighting to the death is all fine and well, admitting love calls for courage, but to let someone see you lose control, vulnerable and naked and gooey. . . he shuddered. He really, really wasn't sure he could handle it.
___________________----------------------__________________
"I don't know, I don't feel like it's any different," Ranma frowned, walking down the steps of the courthouse. Akane looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Her husband, her actual honest-to-God husband. A part of he didn't quite believe it.
"Well, all we really did was sign a few forms. I mean, really, it wasn't like it was a big ceremony," she said sadly. He looked down at her sharply and stopped, his hands falling from their usual place behind his head.
"I'm sorry, Akane," he said.
"For what?"
"You aren't going to get a big wedding. Hell, you aren't going to get a wedding at all. I know girls think a lot of that stuff," he told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, feh. We did have a big wedding, remember? Shampoo and Ukyou thought it would be nice to set off some celebratory explosives before the ceremony. Remember? I think this is much better," she informed him. An idea occurred to her, and she looked up at Ranma speculatively.
"We could still have a sort of ceremony," she said slowly. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she continued. "My mother is probably the only relative we have who knows we weren't married before. We could go visit her, have a little ceremony there," she smiled. Ranma blinked.
"Akane, your mother is . . ."
"I know, silly. That's why she's the only one who knows about our fake elopement," she giggled.
Several hours later, kneeling in front of her mother's grave, Akane realized it might not have been such a great idea after all. She couldn't think of anything to say. Ranma, apparently, was similarly tongue tied. It felt so odd, to kneel in front of a tombstone with three glasses and a bottle of sake.*
In silence, Ranma poured the first cup of sake, and took three sips from it. Grimacing a bit, he handed it to Akane, who also took three sips. She poured the rest over her mother's grave, and he handed her the second cup, grimacing again. The third cup wasn't quite as full as the others, and Akane realized with a small smile that Ranma had gulped it down. She wondered if he were nervous about something.
"Goodbye for now, mother. I hope you approve," she said softly. It was all she could think to say. In silence, they stood, bowed to the silent stone, and walked out of the graveyard. Ranma smiled down at her as he threw away the empty sake bottle and three plastic cups, as they left the graveyard.
"That feels more different," he announced. She nodded, and a quiet descended more uncomfortable than any that had ever passed between them After what seemed an eternity, just outside the dojo Ranma cleared his throat loudly, and began to speak.
"I found a job, by the way," he announced. Akane looked up at him in surprise. He continued, carefully not looking at her. "I looked all over, you know, and there didn't seem to be anybody hiring for a position I could fill . . . except there was this lifegaurding position open at one of the community pools. I'll have to get certified and everything, but it'll be a good summer job," he said.
"Ranma, that's wonderful!" Akane smiled. He glanced down at her, a mischievous grin on his face.
"You don't mind me watching all those pretty girls play in their bikinis?" he teased. She smiled at him, a beatific smile.
"Oh, I'm not worried. As your wife I have the right to beat the crap out of every girl you look at," she said sweetly. "And you, of course, for looking. According to Amara, they make some very fun devices to prevent philandering. But you'd never do that," she smiled. She batted her eyes at him and walked on, through the gates of the Tendo Dojo. He stared after her, his left eyebrow twitching.
"This may have been a bad idea."
___________________-------------------_______________
"Ummmm hi," Akane smiled shyly. Ranma, froze in the doorway to her room, his hand still on the towel he'd been using to dry his hair. The cold water beaded on his shoulders, making his tank top and boxers damp. What caused him to freeze was Akane, sitting on the bed. Sitting on the bed in a bra, underwear, and some lacy robe thing he didn't have a word for.
So she expected him to do that NOW? But he hadn't prepared himself mentally for this sort if thing! He supposed he should have, it was technically their wedding night. . . but hell, he hadn't thought that she'd want him to . . . right away. . .
"Well, come in and close the door," she said, a bit crossly. He shook himself as if waking from a dream and did as he was asked. Once the door was closed behind him, he simply stood there, unsure of where to move.
"Ranma? Are you all right?" Akane asked, frowning. He nodded, his head jerking unsteadily. She sat back against the headboard and motioned for him to join her. Somewhat unsteady on his feet, he complied, kneeling in front of her. He was reminded of a time in the dojo, back when they barely knew each other. . . but this time, he wasn't afraid to lean in and kiss her. Even though they were both on her bed, in their underwear, he WASN'T afraid to kiss her, damnit!
Their lips touched, and a shudder passed through him. He leaned closer to her, and her hands slipped into his wet hair, playing with the tender skin of his scalp and neck. Closer, and he could feel the edge of her lacy robe brushing his arm. This was Akane, Akane half naked on her bed, just inches away. She pulled him closer, close enough to know her robe had fallen open and her skin, warm and inviting, stretched out bare beneath his chest.
She expected him to . . . but he couldn't think about that part just yet. His nerves were taut as fishing lines already. He slid a hand around her waist, under her robe. Since they began their training, she'd gained a lot of muscle mass. He loved to watch her move, but he'd never been able to feel them moving under her soft skin as she pulled him closer still, whispering nonsense and biting his lip gently. . .
His shoulders shuddered and he pulled away from her, a horrified expression on his face. Without a word, he jumped up from her arms and ran out of the room.
His feet carried him all the way to the laundry room outside the bathroom. He was extremely grateful for the set-up of the Tendo Dojo, especially now that he needed a washer and a bathroom in close proximity. He couldn't, after all, go back to Akane's bed with that mess in his shorts.
__________________-----------------------_______________
"Uncute tomboy. Built like a brick," his voice echoed in her mind. She stared out at the door hanging open, her mouth gaping. He hadn't just run from her in terror, had he? She slid off the bed and walked slowly to the door, shutting it softly. As if in a trance, she returned to the bed. She slid the lacy robe off her shoulders and put on an oversized t-shirt and some shorts, keeping the bra. She felt very naked, very exposed.
"Why would he. . ." she whispered, and then lay her head on the cold pillow. Was he so. . . disgusted by her? So afraid of her? So terrified that on their wedding night, he couldn't even. . . stay with her?
She curled into a ball and cried until her eyes felt hollow.
______________________-------------------------_________________
By the time Ranma returned to Akane's room, he could hear her breathing heavy and slow. He paused in the doorway again, frowning. At last he closed the door and crept across the floor, stopping in front of Akane's bed. Akane's bed. One would think that after a year it would have become THEIR bed.
"Akane? Are you awake?" he whispered. He touched the lump on the bed lightly, and received no response. With a sigh of relief, he slid under the covers. He lay awake for a while, just listening to her breathe.
::I just hope she isn't mad in the morning,:: he thought, staring at the shadowy ceiling. ::Hell, I'd be mad if I were her. Oh, man, tomorrow is going to blow. And why not? Tonight did.::
*Author's Note: In a traditional Shinto wedding, the bride and groom each take three sips of sake from three cups, and then pass the rest to their families. Since there were a lot of arranged marriages, I think the sake was sort of "liquid courage" for wedding nights.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were mine, I feel like such a voyeur writing them like this.. . . and yet I write it anyway.
Chapter 3
"Let's think through this logically," Akane sighed, spreading her hands wide in a gesture of acquiescence. Ranma took a deep, steadying breath and watched her expectantly. She had a point. It was his grudge, it was his trip to China, he was the reason she was getting puked on all the time. He DID need to find a job, but she DIDN'T have to yell at him about it. And she had been. All bloody morning.
"Why not?" he asked, flopping back onto his back. He could almost hear her counting to ten before she spoke.
"Okay, where have you gone looking for a job?" she asked.
"Every freaking restaurant in Nerima, and a few in the outlying towns," he answered, irritably.
"Just restaurants?" she asked, somewhat incredulous. He sat up and regarded her for a moment.
"Yes, why?"
"There are other places you could work, you know," she said dryly. He blinked, then resisted the urge to put his head through a wall. He actually hadn't thought of it. "Let's see. What are you good at?"
"Martial arts," he answered immediately.
"THAT won't help. Hey, I know. One of the women working with the older kids is going to be out for the next three months. She just had a baby, and they aren't allowed to take them to Omitawa until they're three months old. You could take over her shifts until she got back!" Akane smiled, pleased with herself. Ranma grimaced.
"I'm really not all that good with kids," he admitted. Akane smirked at him for a long moment. "WHAT?"
"Well, we're going down to the courthouse on Thursday, remember? And when we get home, in order to consummate it we'll have to. . ." she looked away, blushing. Ranma's eyes widened. He hadn't quite thought of that as something which would have to be immediately done. . . Suddenly his stomach flipped inside him, and crushed itself.
"Anyway, what if I get pregnant? I'm sure I will eventually. You'll have to deal with kids then," she added, to justify the former statement. Ranma looked out the door of the dojo and tried to be less aware of the air hanging heavy on his shoulders and the floor hard and cold beneath his thighs.
"Well, when that far-off day comes, we'll just have to see, won't we?" he answered. Of course, it wasn't an answer at all.
"Okay, so no kids. Well, you could be a lifeguard, maybe. Or maybe you could get some odd job with a landscaping company or something," she suggested, dropping the former topic of conversation. Ranma looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged.
"I guess. I'll look around, I suppose," he said, nonchalantly. He stood, lazily, and sauntered to the door of the dojo. As he reached it, he turned to glace at Akane.
"I'll go out and continue the search, I guess. See you later," he said lightly. With that, he was off, running across the yard and leaping up onto rooftops, across rooftops, as far and fast as he could get.
When he finally felt he'd gone far enough, he plopped himself down on a roof and buried his head in his hands. It was Tuesday. In two days, Akane would expect him to . . . kissing was one thing. Losing himself in their somewhat frantic embraces was one thing. But actual sex. . . that was something else entirely. Where did one even begin such a thing? And just what would be expected of him? He knew how that scenario played out in his head, but what about in Akane's?
There was another problem, too. Sure, she'd seen him naked. And he'd seen her. But never with THAT hanging over them. What if he got nervous and his nether regions retracted into his body? What if at the last second she got terrified of him and ran away, leaving him exposed and. . . oh, hell. He wasn't he was up for this. Fighting to the death is all fine and well, admitting love calls for courage, but to let someone see you lose control, vulnerable and naked and gooey. . . he shuddered. He really, really wasn't sure he could handle it.
___________________----------------------__________________
"I don't know, I don't feel like it's any different," Ranma frowned, walking down the steps of the courthouse. Akane looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Her husband, her actual honest-to-God husband. A part of he didn't quite believe it.
"Well, all we really did was sign a few forms. I mean, really, it wasn't like it was a big ceremony," she said sadly. He looked down at her sharply and stopped, his hands falling from their usual place behind his head.
"I'm sorry, Akane," he said.
"For what?"
"You aren't going to get a big wedding. Hell, you aren't going to get a wedding at all. I know girls think a lot of that stuff," he told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, feh. We did have a big wedding, remember? Shampoo and Ukyou thought it would be nice to set off some celebratory explosives before the ceremony. Remember? I think this is much better," she informed him. An idea occurred to her, and she looked up at Ranma speculatively.
"We could still have a sort of ceremony," she said slowly. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she continued. "My mother is probably the only relative we have who knows we weren't married before. We could go visit her, have a little ceremony there," she smiled. Ranma blinked.
"Akane, your mother is . . ."
"I know, silly. That's why she's the only one who knows about our fake elopement," she giggled.
Several hours later, kneeling in front of her mother's grave, Akane realized it might not have been such a great idea after all. She couldn't think of anything to say. Ranma, apparently, was similarly tongue tied. It felt so odd, to kneel in front of a tombstone with three glasses and a bottle of sake.*
In silence, Ranma poured the first cup of sake, and took three sips from it. Grimacing a bit, he handed it to Akane, who also took three sips. She poured the rest over her mother's grave, and he handed her the second cup, grimacing again. The third cup wasn't quite as full as the others, and Akane realized with a small smile that Ranma had gulped it down. She wondered if he were nervous about something.
"Goodbye for now, mother. I hope you approve," she said softly. It was all she could think to say. In silence, they stood, bowed to the silent stone, and walked out of the graveyard. Ranma smiled down at her as he threw away the empty sake bottle and three plastic cups, as they left the graveyard.
"That feels more different," he announced. She nodded, and a quiet descended more uncomfortable than any that had ever passed between them After what seemed an eternity, just outside the dojo Ranma cleared his throat loudly, and began to speak.
"I found a job, by the way," he announced. Akane looked up at him in surprise. He continued, carefully not looking at her. "I looked all over, you know, and there didn't seem to be anybody hiring for a position I could fill . . . except there was this lifegaurding position open at one of the community pools. I'll have to get certified and everything, but it'll be a good summer job," he said.
"Ranma, that's wonderful!" Akane smiled. He glanced down at her, a mischievous grin on his face.
"You don't mind me watching all those pretty girls play in their bikinis?" he teased. She smiled at him, a beatific smile.
"Oh, I'm not worried. As your wife I have the right to beat the crap out of every girl you look at," she said sweetly. "And you, of course, for looking. According to Amara, they make some very fun devices to prevent philandering. But you'd never do that," she smiled. She batted her eyes at him and walked on, through the gates of the Tendo Dojo. He stared after her, his left eyebrow twitching.
"This may have been a bad idea."
___________________-------------------_______________
"Ummmm hi," Akane smiled shyly. Ranma, froze in the doorway to her room, his hand still on the towel he'd been using to dry his hair. The cold water beaded on his shoulders, making his tank top and boxers damp. What caused him to freeze was Akane, sitting on the bed. Sitting on the bed in a bra, underwear, and some lacy robe thing he didn't have a word for.
So she expected him to do that NOW? But he hadn't prepared himself mentally for this sort if thing! He supposed he should have, it was technically their wedding night. . . but hell, he hadn't thought that she'd want him to . . . right away. . .
"Well, come in and close the door," she said, a bit crossly. He shook himself as if waking from a dream and did as he was asked. Once the door was closed behind him, he simply stood there, unsure of where to move.
"Ranma? Are you all right?" Akane asked, frowning. He nodded, his head jerking unsteadily. She sat back against the headboard and motioned for him to join her. Somewhat unsteady on his feet, he complied, kneeling in front of her. He was reminded of a time in the dojo, back when they barely knew each other. . . but this time, he wasn't afraid to lean in and kiss her. Even though they were both on her bed, in their underwear, he WASN'T afraid to kiss her, damnit!
Their lips touched, and a shudder passed through him. He leaned closer to her, and her hands slipped into his wet hair, playing with the tender skin of his scalp and neck. Closer, and he could feel the edge of her lacy robe brushing his arm. This was Akane, Akane half naked on her bed, just inches away. She pulled him closer, close enough to know her robe had fallen open and her skin, warm and inviting, stretched out bare beneath his chest.
She expected him to . . . but he couldn't think about that part just yet. His nerves were taut as fishing lines already. He slid a hand around her waist, under her robe. Since they began their training, she'd gained a lot of muscle mass. He loved to watch her move, but he'd never been able to feel them moving under her soft skin as she pulled him closer still, whispering nonsense and biting his lip gently. . .
His shoulders shuddered and he pulled away from her, a horrified expression on his face. Without a word, he jumped up from her arms and ran out of the room.
His feet carried him all the way to the laundry room outside the bathroom. He was extremely grateful for the set-up of the Tendo Dojo, especially now that he needed a washer and a bathroom in close proximity. He couldn't, after all, go back to Akane's bed with that mess in his shorts.
__________________-----------------------_______________
"Uncute tomboy. Built like a brick," his voice echoed in her mind. She stared out at the door hanging open, her mouth gaping. He hadn't just run from her in terror, had he? She slid off the bed and walked slowly to the door, shutting it softly. As if in a trance, she returned to the bed. She slid the lacy robe off her shoulders and put on an oversized t-shirt and some shorts, keeping the bra. She felt very naked, very exposed.
"Why would he. . ." she whispered, and then lay her head on the cold pillow. Was he so. . . disgusted by her? So afraid of her? So terrified that on their wedding night, he couldn't even. . . stay with her?
She curled into a ball and cried until her eyes felt hollow.
______________________-------------------------_________________
By the time Ranma returned to Akane's room, he could hear her breathing heavy and slow. He paused in the doorway again, frowning. At last he closed the door and crept across the floor, stopping in front of Akane's bed. Akane's bed. One would think that after a year it would have become THEIR bed.
"Akane? Are you awake?" he whispered. He touched the lump on the bed lightly, and received no response. With a sigh of relief, he slid under the covers. He lay awake for a while, just listening to her breathe.
::I just hope she isn't mad in the morning,:: he thought, staring at the shadowy ceiling. ::Hell, I'd be mad if I were her. Oh, man, tomorrow is going to blow. And why not? Tonight did.::
*Author's Note: In a traditional Shinto wedding, the bride and groom each take three sips of sake from three cups, and then pass the rest to their families. Since there were a lot of arranged marriages, I think the sake was sort of "liquid courage" for wedding nights.