** I do not own Ranma 1/2. That masterpiece is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. **
** Sorry for the long wait for the update! Work got extremely crazy (congregate care during a staffing crisis) and then I had some technical issues. Thanks for your patience! **
"Hey guys!" Akane said as she answered the door to Ukyo and Ryoga.
"Hey there, Akane." Ryoga said.
"Akane! Did Ranma bring the baby over like he said? I am dying for some baby time!" Ukyo said, excited.
Ryoga rolled his eyes. "Don't get any ideas. We are too young." he reminded her as Ukyo turned and stuck her tongue out at him.
"He did bring her, but he and Kaze left on a bit of a mission," Akane explained.
Ryoga's face dropped. "Are you telling me I'm stuck here with a bunch of girls and a baby?" he asked.
Akane and Ukyo laughed. Akane motioned for them to come inside.
"Megami! Sweet girl, I've missed you!" Ukyo cried as she approached the baby who was sitting in front of Kasumi on a blanket.
Megami let out a happy squeal then started bouncing while she raised her hands implying she would like Ukyo to pick her up. Ukyo was happy to oblige, and lifted the infant above her head and brought their noses close to rub them together. "How has my favourite girl been?" Megami flailed her legs and arms with excitement, making several different sounds to tell Ukyo a story.
Akane and Kasumi laughed. "Hello Ukyo and Ryoga. Lovely to see you. I will make us some tea," Kasumi said as she stood up and left for the kitchen.
"Thank you, Kasumi," Ukyo called after her.
"So, where did you say Ranma and Kaze went? A mission?" Ryoga asked, curious.
Akane nodded. "We heard something on the news that sounded like there was potentially another Jusenkyo cursed person in Canada that may have needed some help." Akane explained.
"Canada? They went to CANADA?" Ryoga's jaw dropped.
"Yeah, Kaze flew them so they shouldn't be that long, as he's very fast. Although, I have no idea how long that would mean." Akane said.
"You're getting pretty cozy with Kaze these days, aren't you Akane?" Ukyo smirked.
Akane blushed. "Yeah. I don't know about all of that, though. We haven't kissed or anything. I feel a little more like a friend than someone he's dating," Akane sighed.
"You know how to deal with that?" Ukyo asked.
"How?" Akane cocked her head to the side.
"Make the first move! If he's too shy and nervous, then you do it! If he doesn't respond, then at least you know where you stand instead of this limbo you seem to be caught up in," Ukyo suggested.
"That's not a horrible idea, although it sounds nerve wracking." Akane said.
"That's dating for you," Ukyo laughed. Akane smiled at her friend.
Kaze landed downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada near Trinity Bellwoods Park. The Park was beautiful and quite large. He placed down a very frazzled looking Ranma, who started adjusting his wind blown hair and clothes.
"Man, that was wild. No amount of warning could have prepared me for that. I'm pretty sure that I ate a few bugs on the way." Ranma said with a chuckle. He started looking around the area in awe. "So, this is Canada, eh? I think I see tents in that large park over there. Is that what we are looking for?"
"Probably a good place to start. The news said there were sketches of the man and woman forms on their website. We should probably head somewhere where we can access those," Kaze suggested.
Ranma and Kaze started walking up the road until they saw a small, run down internet café. They looked at each other before nodding and entering the café.
Kaze walked up to the attendant. "Hello. We would like to use the internet for just a few minutes." Kaze told them in perfect English.
Ranma's face dropped. "You speak English?" Ranma asked.
Kaze chuckled. "I know every language, Ranma. It's part of the job of being a tennin," Kaze told Ranma in Japanese.
"That's impressive, man. I was a little worried about how we were going to manage this trip without a translator," Ranma told him.
The attendant looked bored and barely paid them any attention. "Two dollars for 10 minutes," he told them, in native English.
Kaze's eyes widened. "Money? Oh, right." Kaze turned to Ranma and scratched the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. "We forgot we would need Canadian currency," he said to Ranma in Japanese.
Ranma's face dropped. "Well, I have a few yen. Is there somewhere we can exchange it?"
Kaze asked the attendant if there was a currency exchange nearby. The attendant directed them to a small building with bars on the windows and security at the front doors. After exchanging their yen for Canadian dollars, they returned to the café.
"Well, that was a waste of time. We definitely need to be less impulsive with these trips." Ranma laughed.
Kaze paid the attendant, then sat in front of the computer and powered it on. After a few keystrokes, he had the police sketches on the screen.
"They look kind of familiar," Ranma said.
"They really do," Kaze eyed the sketch suspiciously, "but, the sketches not very well drawn."
"Let's go. Back to that park?" Ranma asked.
Kaze thought for a moment. "Yeah, let's go back to that park and, I guess I will ask the people around there if they know anything while you watch without understanding what we are saying," Kaze said with a chuckle. Kaze then printed both photos and paid the printing fee to the attendant. Kaze thanked the attendant and the pair left the café.
Ukyo sat on the couch with Megami passed out in her arms. She looked up at Ryoga with puppy dog eyes.
"Not happening." Ryoga reiterated.
"She's so cute, though!" Ukyo protested.
"Maybe in a few more years," Ryoga smiled at her.
Ukyo's jaw dropped. "Really? You think about us actually having children together one day?"
Ryoga nodded. "Of course. You're the one, Ukyo. I'm not letting you go if I get a choice in the matter. You make my life better." Ryoga looked into her eyes as he told her. He then tilted her chin up and planted a quick kiss on her lips. Ukyo's eyes flooded with love.
"That is the cutest thing I have ever heard." They heard Akane say behind them. Kasumi stood next to her.
Ryoga and Ukyo blushed profusely.
Akane chuckled at her friends. Then, her eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, is Megami okay?" she said, looking over Ryoga into Ukyo's baby filled arms.
"What do you mean?" Ukyo looked down. Megami was still sleeping soundly, but her cheeks were very rosy. Ukyo put her wrist up Megami's forehead. "Oh wow. She's burning up. Maybe we should call Dr. Tofu?" Ukyo looked at Akane.
Kasumi grabbed a baby thermometer from the diaper bag, handed it to Ukyo then headed over to the phone. "Hello, Dr Tofu? It's Kasumi. How are you? Aw, thank you so much! I'm calling because Megami seems to be running a fever and we want to make sure she's okay. What temperature?" Kasumi looked over to Ukyo.
Ukyo read the thermometer. "38.9 degrees." Ukyo told her with worry in her voice.
"38.9" Kasumi told the doctor. "Okay, thank you doctor." Kasumi hung up the phone. She turned to her friends and said, "Dr. Tofu will be here shortly to check on her," she told them as she walked over to look at the baby again with concern.
A wind started to blow through the house, knocking over a stack of papers and a few other items from the table.
"They're back," Akane said with a smirk as she watched the paper swirl across the room.
Kaze appeared behind Akane. "We're back!" He announced as he put Ranma down.
Akane turned and smiled at Kaze. She pulled him into a hug. "Welcome back! Did you find them?"
Kaze shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Akane's waist. "Not yet, but Ranma could only stay away from Megami for so long so we had to come back. We will make another trip out in about a week when I've been able to recharge. It takes longer when I'm down on Earth full time," he explained.
Ranma finished putting himself back together then quickly walked over to where Ukyo was holding his daughter. "Hey, Ukyo. Is she sleeping?" he asked. Ukyo nodded. "Yes, but Ranma we have something to tell you," she started, "Megami is running a pretty high fever."
"Dr. Tofu is already on his way over," Akane added.
Ranma's eyes widened. He took Megami from Ukyo's arms and checked her over with worry in his eyes. "She's burning up. Did you take her temperature?" he asked.
Akane nodded. "38.9," she told him.
"Can someone get a cool, damp cloth for her?" Ranma asked, transitioning into overprotective parent mode.
"I'll get it," Kasumi said as she left for the kitchen to get a cloth.
Ranma looked his daughter over and loosened the blanket she was wrapped in to let her cool down. He sat down with her, never taking his eyes off of her sweet face.
"I'm sure she will be okay, Ranma." Akane said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"She needs to be." Ranma said softly. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to her. She's the most important thing in my world."
Knock, knock, knock.
Kasumi walked over to the door and let Dr. Tofu enter. Dr. Tofu and Kasumi had been dating for a while now, but the family didn't know about it. The family figured that Dr. Tofu was slowly getting over his craziness when he saw Kasumi, but they didn't know the reason for this change was calculated. He smiled at Kasumi. "Hello, Kasumi. Where is the patient?" he asked.
Kasumi led him to where Ranma now stood with Megami. Dr. Tofu placed his medical bag on the table and then pulled out a stethoscope. He approached Megami, while getting the stethoscope prepared and warmed. "Ranma, could you turn her over and expose her back so I can take a listen?" he asked Ranma. Ranma did as he was told.
After a short examination, Dr. Tofu concluded that it's likely that Megami just caught a bug, but she was to be monitored and to contact Dr. Tofu if the condition worsened or did not improve. Dr. Tofu pulled out a tincture. "Here, Ranma. Give her this three times a day until the fever subsides. It's my own herbal remedy. It's less harsh on her system than anything pharmaceutical." Dr. Tofu handed the tincture to Ranma.
Ranma nodded. "Thank you, Doc."
Dr. Tofu smiled at him. "You're doing a good job, Ranma. I know you're young, but you are taking good care of her." he told Ranma.
Ranma smiled. "Thanks again, Doc. It's good to know I'm not completely messing it up."
Dr. Tofu looked over at Kasumi. "I need to be leaving now. Could you please walk me to the door?" he asked her.
Kasumi smiled and nodded.
Ranma walked over to Megami's stroller and placed her inside. "I need to bring her home to her own bed. Thank you so much everyone. We will see you later." Ranma started pushing the stroller out of the house.
Ranma sat in his daughter's room, asleep on the rocking chair while Megami snoozed in her crib, his head to the side with a dribble of drool making it's way out of the corner of his mouth. The lights were off, but clouds and angels danced around Megami's room from a night light Nodoka had bought for her. There was a cool mist humidifier in the corner of the room, with a little eucalyptus oil inside that was filling the room with its healing scent.
There was a light tapping at the door.
Ranma's eyes shot open quickly as he looked at the door and wiped the drool from his mouth. "Akane. What are you doing here?" he asked.
Akane smiled at how endearing it was to see Ranma at his sick daughter's bedside. "I came to check on you two. I was a little worried that we hadn't heard from you."
Ranma looked confused for a moment, then checked the time on the little clock radio on the nightstand, beside Miyuki's picture. "Oh. I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep," he apologized.
"It's okay, Ranma. How is she doing?" Akane asked.
Ranma half smiled. "Well, her fever has come down, but she is sleeping a lot, eating less and definitely more fussy than usual." He looked over at her. "I don't like this one bit."
Akane smiled at him. "Of course not, Ranma." Akane sat next to him, on a stool beside the rocking chair and rested her hand on his arm. "It's just a bug, though, right? She will get better in no time," she reassured him.
"Thanks, Akane. I know," Ranma smiled, turning to look into Akane's eyes.
Akane smiled back, their eyes locking together. His eyes are so sincere and dreamy. Dreamy? Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Come on, Akane. What are you doing?
Ranma noticed the train of thought running through Akane's head. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Akane nodded. "Yeah, sorry," Akane blushed lightly as she answered. She knew Ranma was handsome, but she never let herself think about it. Especially not these days.
Ranma chuckled. "Nothing to be sorry about," he said as he continued staring into her eyes. She's always so kind and forgiving. She's always there for me, and now Megami, when we need her. Man, she's beautiful.
Akane raised an eyebrow at Ranma. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Ranma laughed. "Yeah, sorry," he parroted her response.
Akane laughed, too. Megami stirred and both teenagers looked over to the crib and saw that the baby was still sound asleep.
"Akane," Ranma started, as their eyes locked again.
"Yes?" Akane asked.
Ranma's head got a little close to Akane's. "I.. I really appreciate how you've always been there for me, even when I very clearly did not deserve it." Ranma continued. "I was such a mess for a really long time. Your forgiveness and your kindness meant so much to me during all that. Megami loves you, too."
Akane's eyebrow raised again. "Too?" she asked.
Ranma looked away and chuckled lightly. "Sorry. I'm an idiot. I should have told you a long time ago. I did tell you at Jusendo, but I couldn't admit it after. I never stopped loving you, even through everything that happened with Miyuki. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump all this on you tonight," he explained.
Akane put her other hand on his arm. "Thank you for telling me, Ranma," she smiled brightly at him in an attempt to reassure him.
Ranma turned to look at her again, a little shocked at her response. I thought for sure she would hit me or at least yell at me for being such an idiot. "Akane.." he started again.
"Yes?" Akane asked.
Ranma kept staring as he drew a little closer. Akane started to stiffen. Wait. What is he doing?
Ranma closed the gap and pressed his lips against Akane's. Akane sat shocked for a moment as her eyes widened. She pushed Ranma away. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.
Megami woke up, startled from Akane's outburst. She started to lightly cry.
Ranma pulled back and looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Akane. I thought.. It doesn't matter. I'm sorry." He stood up, took a step to Megami's crib and lifted the infant out and into his arms. He rocked Megami in his arms while talking to his daughter, "Shhh.. sweet pea. You're okay. Daddy's here."
Akane sat in stunned silence for a moment. She watched Ranma as she lifted her hand and placed her index and middle finger to her lips. What just happened? "Ranma, I think I should go," she told Ranma.
Ranma quickly turned to look at Akane. "Akane, I'm sorry. Please don't leave." he pleaded with her.
Akane looked at Ranma. "I.. think I need to go right now, Ranma. I'll see you tomorrow." Akane told him as she got up and left the room. Ranma looked after her. Shit. I really am an idiot.
Akane walked into the Tendo residence, still in some sort of state of shock. What just happened? Why would he kiss me after everything that's happened? I thought we were friends.. Akane heard laughing coming from the back porch. Nabiki, Kasumi and Kaze were sitting in front of the koi pond, drinking tea and talking. Akane approached the group. "Hey, guys. What's going on out here?"
"Akane! We were just waiting for you to get back. I thought you'd be a lot longer. Is Megami alright? How is Ranma?" Kaze asked.
"Megami is on the mend. Father and child are going to be alright, I think." Akane half smiled at Kaze.
"Marvelous! Poor little half human child plagued with human illnesses." Kaze looked a little sad at the thought, a little worried that one day he would be affected in his human state.
"Hey Kaze, I was wondering if I could talk to you in private for a few minutes," Akane asked as she eyed her sisters, making her desire for them to give them space crystal clear.
Nabiki and Kasumi looked at each other, then silently picked up their tea and wandered back into the house. Nabiki rolled her eyes at Akane as she walked past her into the house.
Kaze watched the scene unfold and then looked at Akane with curiosity. "What's going on, Akane?" he asked.
Akane smiled at Kaze. She reached her hands around his neck and pulled him down to plant a kiss on him. Kaze stiffened and stopped Akane by placing his finger on her mouth. "Akane, what's going on?" Kaze asked.
Akane's eyes widened. "We've been dating for a little now, Kaze. I just wanted to kiss you. Is that so weird?" Akane asked, a little frustrated and removing her hands from around Kaze's neck. Damn Ukyo's advice!
"No, I guess not. I just feel this.. tension? Am I wrong?" Kaze stood up and looked at Akane with curiosity.
Akane huffed. "Kaze. How long should someone wait to be kissed by a person they are dating?" Akane asked.
"Something is definitely going on, isn't it? What happened at Ranma's?" Kaze asked.
"Nothing!" Akane said defensively.
"Ok, fine. I believe you. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm sorry." Kaze lowered his head. "Do you want to try again?" he asked.
Akane looked up at Kaze. "Try what again?"
Kaze smiled. "Kissing me. I am ready this time. I promise. I'm sorry I doubted you," he said.
Akane thought about it for a moment. No, this wouldn't be fair. I am using Kaze to sort out my feelings about what just happened with Ranma. Kaze deserves better than that.
Kaze's smile dropped. "Akane?"
Akane snapped back to reality and smiled sweetly at Kaze. "You're right, Kaze. It should be a little more special. Maybe we should wait, but only a little longer," she told him as she turned on her heel and walked back into the house, leaving a slightly confused Kaze behind her.
"Akane, wait up!" Ranma ran up behind Akane, who was on her way to school. Ranma was carrying a school bag.
"Ranma? Are you coming back to school?" Akane asked, surprised.
Ranma nodded. "Megami is doing much better today and Mom thought it was important that I finish with the class this year. I'm only going for half the day for now, but it's going to be nice to have something to do again other than take care of Megami and school work at home." Ranma smiled.
"You're happy about going back to school? Are you feeling well?" Akane asked, laughing lightly.
"Seems I'm growing up a little bit," he chuckled as the pair started to walk their usual route to school.
Ranma and Akane walked in awkward silence for a short while. "Akane, can we talk about what happened?" Ranma asked.
"Nothing happened," Akane said sternly.
"Nothing? I'm pretty sure I kissed you and you pushed me away," Ranma raised an eyebrow.
"Ranma, can we just forget it? I'm dating Kaze right now," Akane pleaded.
"I don't know if I can, Akane. I've thought a lot about everything and the one thing I keep circling back to is that I love you, you're my best friend, and I can't imagine life without you. I understand if you don't feel the same, but I've realized that our relationship is important and should be so much more than it is right now." Ranma admitted.
Akane stopped and looked at Ranma. "Ranma.. "
Ranma sighed. "I know I've really messed things up. I have a child now, too. I hope to make it all up to you and prove to you that my feelings are real," he told her.
"Ranma, Megami isn't the issue," Akane corrected.
"I know. I am. I'm going to fix this. I won't push you, but I will prove this to you somehow," Ranma said with confidence.
"What about Kaze?" Akane asked.
"Kaze will be fine. He's a great guy, any girl would be lucky to be his girlfriend," Ranma insisted.
"What about Miyuki?" Akane asked.
"What about her? She's gone, Akane." Ranma reminded her.
"Would you still be saying these things to me if she wasn't?" Akane asked.
"You know I can't answer that, Akane. She is Megami's mother and I can't begin to guess where we would all be today if she was still with us." Ranma grabbed Akane's hands, "None of that changes how I've always felt about you. You have always been very important to me and I was just too stupid and self centered to truly see it."
"I didn't feel very important to you after Jusendo," Akane let go of Ranma's hands.
Ranma sighed, "I know. I was so messed up that I completely lost sight of how amazing you are. You didn't deserve that and I will make this up to you. That's a promise. We should have been together after Jusendo, but I screwed up badly," Ranma declared.
Akane took a deep breath and started walking again. "We will be late for your first day back. Let's go. We can talk later."
Kaze walked along the streets of Nerima, quietly pondering the situation he found himself in. In human form, his instincts weren't quite as sharp as when he was a tennin, but he definitely had a gut feeling that something was going on with Akane. She was just seemed so different when she got back from Ranma's. She was so anxious and carried an intensity he had never seen from her before. What happened? Why couldn't she just tell me?
"Kaze!" Kaze looked up to see Nabiki approaching him, smiling and with an ice cream cone in her hand.
"Hello, Nabiki." Kaze bowed. "How are you doing on this beautiful afternoon?" Kaze asked.
"I'm well, thanks. Why are you looking so glum?" Nabiki asked.
"Not glum, just.." Kaze paused to find the word he was looking for, "confused?"
"What are you confused about? Can I help?" Nabiki asked. "Did my sister do something?" Nabiki liked Kaze and thought he treated her sister well. It may not have been what their parents had planned for Akane, but Nabiki was all for it. Kaze and Nabiki had become friends over the months he has been hanging around regularly.
Kaze shook his head. "I don't think so. She was just acting a little off last night when she got back from Ranma's and I'm trying to figure out why." he explained.
Nabiki looked thoughtful. "Maybe they got into another fight. You know they have always been pretty intense like that," she said.
"Intense is definitely the right word. She felt very intense when she returned last night," Kaze agreed.
Nabiki looked thoughtful as she licked her ice cream. "Let me talk to my sister and get to the bottom of this."