Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
Chapter 4
Akane opened her eyes slowly to the feel of a warm body next to hers, draped over her. She jolted awake, sitting up abruptly to stare down at the possessor of the warm body. He was still sleeping, his forehead furrows as if he were having bad dreams. She felt as though she was made of lead, every limb too heavy to move, when she realized he was, in all probability, dreaming about her.
Her mind flashed on the image of his face just before he ran out of the room, shocked and terrified. Was she so horrible? She felt like crying, staring down at him and knowing, now, that something was horribly wrong. Perhaps he'd felt trapped into marriage, felt he'd compromised her or something with the fake elopement? Or maybe he just hadn't actually thought about it. But obviously, if the look on his face were any indication. . . the thought of spending his life with her was unbearable.
And yet he's come back to sleep with her. Why? She stifled a sob, sliding off the end of the bed so as not to wake him. She couldn't face him yet, not until she had better control of herself. Why sleep with her?
::The floor is too cold and hard,:: a little voice shouted, maliciously, in her mind.
::Oh hell,:: the rest of her thought, looking at the man she'd just married. She fled from the room, feeling like she was bleeding inside.
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************************************************************************
"Hey Ranma, look what the stork brought!" a familiar voice cried, happily. Ranma, walking along the fencepost, turned to see Akane on the sidewalk, holding a baby in a blanket. He hopped down, a big smile on his face.
"Is that ours?" he asked, looking into her big brown eyes. She sort of shrugged.
"Mine, at least. Here, do you want to see?" she asked. He nodded, and she pulled back the cloth for him to see. In the blanket was a chubby, sleeping child with a tuft of bright red hair. Ranma grinned proudly.
"Looks a lot like me, for not really having any bones yet. Can I hold him?" he asked. Akane looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"No, you can't. And SHE doesn't look a thing like you, why should she?" she asked, frowning in confusion. Ranma blinked at her.
"Well, it's my kid, right? I mean, if it's your kid. . ."
"Don't be silly!" she said, a sweet smile on her face. "She isn't yours. You couldn't manage to go through with it, remember? Mr. Nervous?" ************************************************************************
Ranma woke from the dream in a cold sweat, alone in a big, messy bed. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. Ten A.M. Akane would be at work already. What a dream. . . He wasn't sure he wanted to be at home when she got back. What if she laughed at him? Mocked him? What if all they could do was blush and avoid each other's eyes?
He stumbled out of the bedroom, mumbling and rubbing his head. As he was about to walk into the bathroom, Kasumi, standing in the hallway with a basket of laundry on her hip, stopped him.
"Ranma, is everything all right with you and Akane?" she asked. He took a step back, blushing fiercely. Akane hadn't. . . TOLD Kasumi, had she? She wouldn't. . .
"Well, I guess," he said lamely. "Why do you ask?"
"She left so early this morning, and she looked as though she'd been crying. . ." Kasumi fixed Ranma with a stern glare. He shrank back from her, afraid merely because her glares were so rare.
"Did you do something to my sister, Ranma-kun?" she asked. He shook his head fervently.
::At least, I don't think I did anything to her,:: he thought. Kasumi nodded, apparently satisfied, and walked down the stairs. He stood outside the bathroom door trying to think of why Akane would be crying. Surely not because she was married to such a loser? No, he dismissed that thought right away. Akane was the type to let you know what she thought of you.
::You jerked away from her, looked at her in sheer horror, and ran out of the room. On your wedding night,:: he realized. If he'd been holding anything, it would have clattered to the floor. Heaven only knew WHAT she thought of him now.
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"Dream deep, and leave the world's cares far behind. Dream deep, sleep soundly, sleep, faraway as. . ." Akane stopped, her voice shaking. "Faraway as a lover's lies, farther than the nearest part of you."
She'd taken one of the particularly fussy children outside. The baby's name was Riko, and she had the lung capacity to scream for a solid hour. Recently, she'd seen fit to demonstrate that ability. It was soothing in a way, to calm Riko, but Akane felt like her insides were caving in upon themselves. She watched her feet move through the grass as she sang. The world was collapsing around her, and the only solid thing she could feel was the hot, sniveling little mound of flesh clutching at her shirt. . .
"Akane?" a deep voice asked, and she froze. Riko stirred and whimpered as the singing stopped, and she hummed a bit to soothe her. She could not turn to face him. Not now.
"Akane, Kasumi said you were crying. Are you. . . all right?" he asked slowly. She took a deep breath. Here it was, the moment of her life when she'd require every particle of courage she ever possessed. She'd thought admitting she loved Ranma was hard, but it was nothing. Giving him an out, giving him a way to leave her. . . that was harder. But she couldn't manage to do it right. She couldn't manage to convince him she'd never wanted him anyway, she wasn't a good enough actress for that. All she could do was offer.
And NOT CRY.
"I'm all right, Ranma. Listen, it's all right if you can't go through with this," she said slowly, pitching her voice low so he wouldn't hear it trembling.
"It is?" he said, in absolute shock. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued.
"Yeah, I mean. . . even if you do love me, if the thought of living with me for the rest of your life scares you that much, you don't have to. You really don't, we can get the marriage annulled and. . ."
"You want to anull it?" he said, sounding very hurt. She finally turned to look at him, and was surprised to see a real pain in his eyes. ::Well, if he's going to leave me, it ought to hurt,:: she thought.
"I don't want a husband who can't stand me," she informed him. He just stared at her in astonishment.
"What are you talking about, can't stand you?" he said defensively.
"What else could it be? You had such a look of horror on your face. . ." she said softly, tears coming to her eyes. Seeing them, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms loosely around her, with Riko on her shoulder.
"Akane, I wasn't looking at you like that because of you. I looked like that because of something I did," he said softly. How to explain. . . without dying of embarrassment?
"But you hadn't done anything!" she cried. Riko stirred in her arms, beginning to fuss again.
"Well, actually. . ." Ranma said slowly. There was no help for it. He's thought she knew enough about . . . sex to have figured out what happened. How could she not, working in a place where they laid out plans about seducing him? "I was so nervous, and we've never been in a situation like that. . . I sort of made a mess of my shorts."
She pulled away from him in disgust.
"Honestly, Ranma, you can't expect me to believe that. First off, I change diapers for money and I sure as hell would have recognized the smell," she announced, glaring at him. He blushed furiously.
"NOT THAT KIND OF MESS!" he shouted. Riko woke up and began screaming just as realization dawned on Akane's face.
"Oh," she said, in a very small voice. She looked down at the screaming baby and then glared back up at Ranma.
"You woke her up, YOU take her," she said sternly, thrusting the baby at him. He took Riko from Akane, holding the baby out as if it smelled horrible. Which, as Akane had just changed her diaper, she didn't. Akane raised an eyebrow at him.
"You have to hold her against your chest. There you go, like that. And make soothing noises. Soothing, not grating. There you are. She'll quiet down eventually," Akane pointed out.
"Why am I doing this if you're getting paid for it?" Ranma asked.
"Because you woke her up, of course. So," Akane looked up at him, suddenly shy. "It isn't that you can't stand me at all, is it? It was sort of the opposite problem."
"You might say that," Ranma grimaced, decidedly uncomfortable with this topic of conversation. "I'm sorry you thought. . . "
"Shh. Concentrate on getting her to stop making that horrible, horrible noise."
Chapter 4
Akane opened her eyes slowly to the feel of a warm body next to hers, draped over her. She jolted awake, sitting up abruptly to stare down at the possessor of the warm body. He was still sleeping, his forehead furrows as if he were having bad dreams. She felt as though she was made of lead, every limb too heavy to move, when she realized he was, in all probability, dreaming about her.
Her mind flashed on the image of his face just before he ran out of the room, shocked and terrified. Was she so horrible? She felt like crying, staring down at him and knowing, now, that something was horribly wrong. Perhaps he'd felt trapped into marriage, felt he'd compromised her or something with the fake elopement? Or maybe he just hadn't actually thought about it. But obviously, if the look on his face were any indication. . . the thought of spending his life with her was unbearable.
And yet he's come back to sleep with her. Why? She stifled a sob, sliding off the end of the bed so as not to wake him. She couldn't face him yet, not until she had better control of herself. Why sleep with her?
::The floor is too cold and hard,:: a little voice shouted, maliciously, in her mind.
::Oh hell,:: the rest of her thought, looking at the man she'd just married. She fled from the room, feeling like she was bleeding inside.
_______________----------------------______________
************************************************************************
"Hey Ranma, look what the stork brought!" a familiar voice cried, happily. Ranma, walking along the fencepost, turned to see Akane on the sidewalk, holding a baby in a blanket. He hopped down, a big smile on his face.
"Is that ours?" he asked, looking into her big brown eyes. She sort of shrugged.
"Mine, at least. Here, do you want to see?" she asked. He nodded, and she pulled back the cloth for him to see. In the blanket was a chubby, sleeping child with a tuft of bright red hair. Ranma grinned proudly.
"Looks a lot like me, for not really having any bones yet. Can I hold him?" he asked. Akane looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"No, you can't. And SHE doesn't look a thing like you, why should she?" she asked, frowning in confusion. Ranma blinked at her.
"Well, it's my kid, right? I mean, if it's your kid. . ."
"Don't be silly!" she said, a sweet smile on her face. "She isn't yours. You couldn't manage to go through with it, remember? Mr. Nervous?" ************************************************************************
Ranma woke from the dream in a cold sweat, alone in a big, messy bed. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. Ten A.M. Akane would be at work already. What a dream. . . He wasn't sure he wanted to be at home when she got back. What if she laughed at him? Mocked him? What if all they could do was blush and avoid each other's eyes?
He stumbled out of the bedroom, mumbling and rubbing his head. As he was about to walk into the bathroom, Kasumi, standing in the hallway with a basket of laundry on her hip, stopped him.
"Ranma, is everything all right with you and Akane?" she asked. He took a step back, blushing fiercely. Akane hadn't. . . TOLD Kasumi, had she? She wouldn't. . .
"Well, I guess," he said lamely. "Why do you ask?"
"She left so early this morning, and she looked as though she'd been crying. . ." Kasumi fixed Ranma with a stern glare. He shrank back from her, afraid merely because her glares were so rare.
"Did you do something to my sister, Ranma-kun?" she asked. He shook his head fervently.
::At least, I don't think I did anything to her,:: he thought. Kasumi nodded, apparently satisfied, and walked down the stairs. He stood outside the bathroom door trying to think of why Akane would be crying. Surely not because she was married to such a loser? No, he dismissed that thought right away. Akane was the type to let you know what she thought of you.
::You jerked away from her, looked at her in sheer horror, and ran out of the room. On your wedding night,:: he realized. If he'd been holding anything, it would have clattered to the floor. Heaven only knew WHAT she thought of him now.
________________--------------------______________
"Dream deep, and leave the world's cares far behind. Dream deep, sleep soundly, sleep, faraway as. . ." Akane stopped, her voice shaking. "Faraway as a lover's lies, farther than the nearest part of you."
She'd taken one of the particularly fussy children outside. The baby's name was Riko, and she had the lung capacity to scream for a solid hour. Recently, she'd seen fit to demonstrate that ability. It was soothing in a way, to calm Riko, but Akane felt like her insides were caving in upon themselves. She watched her feet move through the grass as she sang. The world was collapsing around her, and the only solid thing she could feel was the hot, sniveling little mound of flesh clutching at her shirt. . .
"Akane?" a deep voice asked, and she froze. Riko stirred and whimpered as the singing stopped, and she hummed a bit to soothe her. She could not turn to face him. Not now.
"Akane, Kasumi said you were crying. Are you. . . all right?" he asked slowly. She took a deep breath. Here it was, the moment of her life when she'd require every particle of courage she ever possessed. She'd thought admitting she loved Ranma was hard, but it was nothing. Giving him an out, giving him a way to leave her. . . that was harder. But she couldn't manage to do it right. She couldn't manage to convince him she'd never wanted him anyway, she wasn't a good enough actress for that. All she could do was offer.
And NOT CRY.
"I'm all right, Ranma. Listen, it's all right if you can't go through with this," she said slowly, pitching her voice low so he wouldn't hear it trembling.
"It is?" he said, in absolute shock. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued.
"Yeah, I mean. . . even if you do love me, if the thought of living with me for the rest of your life scares you that much, you don't have to. You really don't, we can get the marriage annulled and. . ."
"You want to anull it?" he said, sounding very hurt. She finally turned to look at him, and was surprised to see a real pain in his eyes. ::Well, if he's going to leave me, it ought to hurt,:: she thought.
"I don't want a husband who can't stand me," she informed him. He just stared at her in astonishment.
"What are you talking about, can't stand you?" he said defensively.
"What else could it be? You had such a look of horror on your face. . ." she said softly, tears coming to her eyes. Seeing them, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms loosely around her, with Riko on her shoulder.
"Akane, I wasn't looking at you like that because of you. I looked like that because of something I did," he said softly. How to explain. . . without dying of embarrassment?
"But you hadn't done anything!" she cried. Riko stirred in her arms, beginning to fuss again.
"Well, actually. . ." Ranma said slowly. There was no help for it. He's thought she knew enough about . . . sex to have figured out what happened. How could she not, working in a place where they laid out plans about seducing him? "I was so nervous, and we've never been in a situation like that. . . I sort of made a mess of my shorts."
She pulled away from him in disgust.
"Honestly, Ranma, you can't expect me to believe that. First off, I change diapers for money and I sure as hell would have recognized the smell," she announced, glaring at him. He blushed furiously.
"NOT THAT KIND OF MESS!" he shouted. Riko woke up and began screaming just as realization dawned on Akane's face.
"Oh," she said, in a very small voice. She looked down at the screaming baby and then glared back up at Ranma.
"You woke her up, YOU take her," she said sternly, thrusting the baby at him. He took Riko from Akane, holding the baby out as if it smelled horrible. Which, as Akane had just changed her diaper, she didn't. Akane raised an eyebrow at him.
"You have to hold her against your chest. There you go, like that. And make soothing noises. Soothing, not grating. There you are. She'll quiet down eventually," Akane pointed out.
"Why am I doing this if you're getting paid for it?" Ranma asked.
"Because you woke her up, of course. So," Akane looked up at him, suddenly shy. "It isn't that you can't stand me at all, is it? It was sort of the opposite problem."
"You might say that," Ranma grimaced, decidedly uncomfortable with this topic of conversation. "I'm sorry you thought. . . "
"Shh. Concentrate on getting her to stop making that horrible, horrible noise."