Disclaimer: Naturally I don't own Ranma 1/2. I don't think I own it, I don't wish to own it, I only want to write non-profitable stories for it. So there.
Author's notes: A bit out of season, I'm sure, but I felt creative. I think I started to write this around New Years but it never got fully finished. Please review if you can, and enjoy reading! - Yuka

New Years ponderings

The door silently slid open, basking the deck in a glow of warmth and light for a second. A bluish shadow slipped swiftly from the room into the freezing night air, temporarily blocking the light.

Making sure that not even a creak was heard, Akane closed the sliding door behind her. With a soft and happy sigh, she sat down, her legs dangling above the ground as she hugged herself to get more accustomed to the cold. She should've put on her coat, instead of just grabbing a scarf and mittens.

It was New Years eve, and like last year's Christmas bash, Kasumi had invited everyone. And while it wasn't exactly fun to see Ukyou, Kodachi and Shampoo fight over Ranma, it was certainly nice to have everyone she cared about here.

There was only one thing that had made her slip outside like this: on New Years eve, according to western traditions, couples were supposed to kiss. Sadly enough, -everyone- in the room she had just left seemed to know this tradition too.

While her father and Mr Saotome were awful enough on their own, now they had Auntie Nodoka, a slightly drunk Nabiki and a jolly Kasumi behind them. "Now now, Ranma-kun, you know I'm not in favour of you two going to fast… but you've been engaged for two years now, a little kiss is appropriate," or so Kasumi's explanation was after Ranma complained about them pushing too hard.

To add to the coupling chaos, she'd noticed Kunou and even Ryoga cast glances at her – although those of Ryoga were a bit shier and nicer then those of Kunou. She'd been trying to avoid him all night, eventually just giving up and begging Nabiki to get rid of him. Heck, if anyone had a hold of the guy, it was Nabiki, even through blackmail.

Akane's tongue darted out and wetted her dry lips, her fingers fiddling with the woolly ends of her scarf. A blush graced her already rosy cheeks.

It wasn't that she was opposed to kissing Ranma. No, that wasn't the case at all.

"Hey 'kane, what'cha doing? Caught you off-guard!"

Akane's hands flew up to her mouth to stifle the scream she was about to utter as her fiancé poked her gently on the back of her shoulder. Then she remembered her train of thought and found a whole new reason to mutter, "Ranma no baka" under her breath.

She eyed him carefully, from the unruly black hair that made her want to reach out and ruffle it gently, the blue eyes with specks of violet in them that seemed to smile all the time, and the jolly grin on his face. Really, she could never stay mad at him.

He waited for her answer, but when she just stared at him and he saw that her lips were getting slightly blue, he frowned. "Akane…why are you outside without a coat? You'll freeze!" Taking off the brown jacket his mother had given him as a gift, he handed it to her.

She accepted it with a shy smile, "Thank you…" Shrugging it on, she looked up at him again and shrugged. "Just… thought I'd get out from all the chaos for a second. And I wanted to get away from Kunou." He chuckled at that and sat down next to her on the porch, his legs stretched as he lay back in a relaxed manner. "Yeah, I can't blame you for that. I swear, he gets more persistent by the day. I've really been trying my best not to get water on me tonight."

A silence fell over them, making the cheerful and happy sounds from inside seem a lot louder. And then… Akane started pondering, a question in her mind.

She'd thought a lot about numerous questions concerning Ranma and herself, but a lot of them started with "what if…". Now, 'what if' is a term that usually has a whole series of events or even more pondering as a result. And this time, it was no different.

Eventually Ranma couldn't take the uncomfortable silence anymore. "What'cha thinking 'bout?" Casting a glance at his fiancée, he propped up unto his shoulders to see her face. A tiny smile was on her lips, as she seemed miles away. Ranma blinked, "Um… 'kane?"

Hearing her name, the tiny brunette was pulled out of her musings. She turned slightly, now fully facing her companion, and intelligently answered, "Huh?"

The pigtailed martial artist shook his head lightly, "Dseesh Akane, you're so out of it today. I asked what you were thinking about." With a snort, she replied, "That'd be a first." He glared at her, but was smart enough not to make a rude retort. Just when they were being so… normal.

Another moment of silence followed, until Akane questioned with a soft, almost hesitant voice, "Ranma? Have you… have you ever wondered what it would be like if we were a normal couple? You know, like most kids our age?"

She was too occupied in her own fantasy to see that his expression had changed from curiosity to surprise, to a big blank. "Um…no? How do you mean, Akane?"

"Well… what if you and I were a normal boy and girl? Without all this pushing from our parents or persistent suitors? I've just been wondering lately what it would be like to just go out on a regular date, without painful interruptions or embarrassing hints from our fathers. You know?

Or what if would be like to be one of those couples you see on television, in those movies. Walking hand in hand, going Christmas shopping and sharing a kiss under the mistletoe…"

A blush finally emerged on her face as Akane realized what she was saying. "Um, I mean…" "Yeah… I've wondered that too," was his soft interruption of what was going to be an excuse. She stared at him, shell-shocked and slightly hopeful. "You…have? How…" she was almost afraid to ask, "How would you see… us… then?"

The blush rose from the back of his neck until it covered his entire face. "Um…well… I hadn't really thought about that specifically, but, ya know, more like what we would be like married." The surprised yet eager expression on her face encouraged him to go on.

"Well, ya know… I'd see you teaching one of our kids something to do with school or something, while I'd probably get another one of our kids to try a new martial arts move. You know, what they call family felicity." The blush on his face increased even more. "I read that in one of your books once…"

Akane could say nothing to that, her heart in her throat. In that moment the love that had already dwelled at the back of her mind, caused her heart to grow and look at him as the sweetest man in her universe.

Ranma looked up startled as he felt her cold hand on his warm cheek and was about to suggest going inside… that is, until she kissed him. It was more confident then she had ever thought their first real kiss to be, yet the trembling that was not only because of the cold, still made it a gentle, fragile, fluttering first kiss.

As she pulled away, he looked dumbstruck – mouth gaping, eyes wide and shining, and his hand hanging still in mid-air. The giddiness that had first struck her made way for worry, and suddenly the doubt came back. Biting her lower lip to strengthen her resolve, she looked away from him and stared up into the sky. "I… I'm sure you'd rather be with one of your cute fiancés right now."

For a moment he remained still, but then the wheels started to turn and he figured that she must've thought she'd done something wrong. Part of him didn't want this evening to end with him flying towards the other part of town so that part found it better to just leave. Yet the other part didn't want to leave her like this, wanted to stay by her side.

Tentatively reaching out to her, Ranma took Akane's hand and squeezed it gently, for once saying the right thing, "There's… no where I'd rather be… right now." His hand trembled as he wanted to reach for her chin, forcing her to look at him, but there was no need for that. Akane had turned to look at him from the moment he had spoken.

So in stead, the already lifted hand carefully touched her cheek as he drew her near, this time taking the lead in a soft kiss that soon become more pressing and passionate from all the pent up emotions.

-

Inside the house everyone was counting down to the New Year, the other fiancés having too much fun to think about Ranma at that moment. Least of all about kissing him.

Yet outside on the porch, a couple sat outside in the cold, kissing into the New Year.

-

The End