"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Luna12
Chapter 20: "Date"
Author's Warning: This is a long chapter full of Ranma/Akane waffy goodness. Grab a pillow to squeeze. Special thanks to my talented beta-reader/editor/lifesaver/all-around-cool-person, Angela Jewell.
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Nabiki threw her magazine down in frustration. "Oh for crying out loud, Akane, stop moping here and go on a date with Ranma already."
Who said I wanted that baka to ask me out? Came to her lips, but died before coming out. She refused to admit it aloud, but Nabiki had a great idea. It had been two days since Ranma moved out, and Akane missed him. She wasn't about to let Nabiki know that, however. Akane huffed in petulance. "I'm not moping...and anyway... well, Ranma hasn't asked me out."
Nabiki's mouth quirked into a challenging smirk. "So?"
Akane frowned. "So, I'm not going to throw myself at him." Akane thought back to all the times Shampoo and Kodachi had done that. It always backfired. Ranma's ego enjoyed the flattering attention, but it never endeared himself to them. Akane was not going to chase after him. "If we're to go on a date, he needs to ask me."
Nabiki felt like throwing her hands into the air in frustration. Good grief, but Akane and Ranma were the two most stubborn, guarded, and romantically hopeless teenagers she had ever met! Thankfully, she enjoyed a challenge… sometimes. With extreme patience, Nabiki tried to lead her prideful and insecure sister in the right direction. "Did it ever occur to you that Saotome needs to know you'd say yes before he'll ask?"
Akane's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "When did you get so interested in our relationship?"
Nabiki shrugged. "I'm bored. Why not play matchmaker?"
Akane continued to study her sister, but Nabiki's mask never cracked.
"Besides," Nabiki continued, "I'm sure he's bored in that cramped apartment."
Kasumi chimed in from the kitchen, her soft voice providing the strongest argument. "I bet he misses you, too, little sis."
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Akane checked the written directions in her hand for a third time in nervous procrastination. A few months ago, her attempt at visiting Ranma in the previous Saotome home proved disastrous. Part of her expected to find all of Ranma's female admirers shamelessly draped over him. Again.
Akane frowned at the memory and tried to distract herself by studying the outside of Ranma's new residence. Nabiki had managed to find the Saotome family a very modest walk-up above a tea-shop. The outer building was a sad shade of gray and had the general air of being run down. The street wasn't as nicely swept and was puckered with more cracks than those near her home and school.
Akane smoothed the folds on her dress. For once, Akane had fretted about her clothing; wanting to impress without looking like she was trying to impress.
Just an hour ago, Nabiki and Kasumi had whispered conspiratorially together outside Akane's door before bursting in. Clearly, their earlier shopping trip with Auntie Nodoka had only made her sisters more enthused to treat her like a living fashion doll.
But Akane had had enough. "Honestly. I'm more than capable of picking out my own clothes, you two," she informed them, though her protests went ignored.
After pulling out various articles from Akane's closet, clucking tongues, shaking heads, and ignoring the irate expression on their baby sister's face, they unanimously agreed on a backless, butter-yellow sundress. Akane's slowly boiling annoyance evaporated once she saw the end result. The A-line cut of the simple linen highlighted her best features, clinging to her waist before flaring out gently around her hips and down her shapely legs. The small v-neck gave her top full coverage and the hemline came just past her fingertips, but the backless scoop gave the overall cute look an extra dimension.
Akane climbed the stairs then paused outside the Saotome apartment door, a million doubts and insecurities flooded her mind. What would Ranma's reaction to her visit be? Would he make fun of her for coming so soon uninvited? Would he be happy? Did he care about the small parting kiss she had given him, or was it just another notch on his metaphysical belt of women who had thrown themselves at him?
At the door, Akane could hear raised voices. Most unusual, it sounded like Auntie.
Screwing up her courage, Akane knocked firmly. The housewarming basket of homemade goodies (from Kasumi), was clutched tightly in her left hand.
The door opened and Genma was there, in human form. His face beamed with genuine pleasure. "Akane-chan! Come in, come in, the boy will want to see you. Get him out of his room, eh?"
In complete contrast to her husband, Nodoka was scowling fiercely. She placed her hand on the door preventing Genma from widening it, effectively blocking Akane's entrance.
"I'm sorry, but we're not receiving visitors now."
Akane tried to hold in her shock. Auntie Saotome had never acted unwelcoming to her, ever.
"Oh. Uh. Okay. Sorry to disturb you." Akane felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Was it her imagination, or was Nodoka mad at her for something?
Genma exited the door to join Akane, and Nodoka nearly slammed it in place.
Genma kept his voice at a conspiratorial low volume. "No-chan's been in a bit of a temper. But I know your fiancé could use a visit. His room is the third window on the left."
Akane's eyes widened and took on a mischievous gleam. Genma gave her an extra wink and a smile before closing the apartment door, Kasumi's goodies tucked happily away in his arms.
Outside in the waning sunlight, Akane mentally debated with herself. It wasn't as if Ranma hadn't come knocking on her bedroom window often enough...
Before long she was perched on the eave outside his bedroom window, albeit a bit precariously. Unlike her home, there was little room for her footing. Even from outside, Akane could hear Nodoka's and Genma's voices raised. Although still intelligible, it was clearly a heated argument.
Akane gripped the windowsill carefully and tried to get into a secure position to knock. If she klutzed out now she'd never hear the end of Ranma's teasing.
She held her breath and tapped lightly on the glass pane.
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Ranma was sitting in his stark room, cringing at the argument reverberating off the walls.
He thought he heard Akane's voice earlier, but when he stepped out, his mother had glared and told him no one was here. Not wanting to further disturb his mother's strange, foul mood, he retreated back to his room.
With the action and bustle of settling in over, Ranma's thoughts were left to spin and reflect on Akane's goodbye kiss on his cheek. Would it be too weird to leave and go visit her? Did she miss him, or was she happy to have a quieter home?
Ugh. It had been a measly two days since he's seen Akane and he...he...missed her.
Damn. Ranma reflected mildly. He had it bad.
He used to live so untied to others. Moving place to place with Pop, getting along with people only superficially, he never let anyone get too close. Life with his lying, sly father had taught him some harsh lessons.
Now he was missing Akane after only two days. And a half, he added ruefully.
He was even missing the arguments they had. If anything, they were a fun way to verbally spar. Akane was one of the few people to dish it out as good as he could. More often than not he would find himself turning to say something and look for her, only to remember she wasn't there. It was unsettling.
For the past two years they had been together. Much of it had been forced, but Akane had never let him down. When he had those recurring nightmares of the creepy old man and the plum blossoms, he'd come to Akane; she hadn't laughed, only helped. When that jerk-face Kumon Ryu caused trouble and he asked Akane for a favor, she agreed before he even told her what it was. That wasn't even counting the times she'd recklessly charged in without him asking. He shook his head at the various memories; Akane throwing herself into a tornado for the Moxibustion chart, lighting herself on fire to aid in his training of the Hiryü Shöten Ha, and charging into the raging mouth of the orochi dragon, were just a handful of examples. The latest incidents in China he stubbornly refused to recall.
Despite their disastrous introduction and mutual reluctance to their fathers' manipulations, Akane had become inseparable from his daily life. Whether it was sharing a meal, sparring, chatting or just provoking her easily stirred temper to get that passionate fire in her eyes - hell, just seeing her - it all made or broke his day.
It wasn't the first time Ranma felt this way...if he was truly honest with himself. The first time he moved into his mother's home, he had missed Akane, though he had strongly tried to hide it. He had raced to meet her at the door, only to be bombarded by Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyo. The memory made him cringe. So far, no one had paid any unexpected visits, but it was only a matter of time.
Ranma paced the few feet available in his room before dropping down to do a set of one handed pushups. The physical action barely managed to take the edge off his gloomy mood. He was already formulating an excuse to go to the dojo with the pretext of training Akane when he heard tapping on his window.
Ranma turned his head, shocked to see his true iinazuke wave her fingers at him.
Ranma pulled open the window, still not believing his eyesight. "Akane?"
Now that she was here, Akane felt embarrassed. "Uh, hi." It was too late to back out. "Can I come in?"
Instinctively Ranma grabbed her waist to steady her climb inside. The physical contact - solid, familiar yet also shockingly different (he had never held her around the waist quite like this before) - was like a balm to his troubled mood.
Akane didn't attempt to move his hands away, but Ranma knew better than to let them linger so conspicuously, so he reluctantly brought them back to his sides.
Ranma was surprised by more than her unexpected entrance. Akane looked simply stunning. Although her dress was casual, the fit perfectly highlighted her petite hourglass shape. When she turned to quickly slip off her sandals, his eyes glued onto the sight of her mostly exposed back.
He felt his mind stutter at a loss for words. It was hard to believe he had ever called her "unfeminine". Akane had looked beautiful and radiant in the Western style wedding dress two months ago, and she had given him a huge shock with her sexy D.A.F.T. competition attire last week, but today she managed to merge cute and sexy into one sensational combo that truly suited her.
Akane caught him staring, but instead of accusing him of being a pervert, she seemed to glow with added confidence and a dainty blush began to bloom across her cheeks.
"So you like my dress?"
Ranma gulped again. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. "It's, uh, wow. You look...wow."
Akane beamed. She knew an inarticulate Ranma was the best compliment she could receive. The sweet moment was ruined by the voices of Nodoka and Gemma ringing from outside the room.
"He needs to be a real man, not like you!"
Ranma's face clouded over, embarrassed. He knew full well that his mother was arguing about him. Again.
Akane felt equally uncomfortable. Her hands twitched nervously at her sides. She was seriously regretting her stubborn determination to see Ranma again.
"Auntie didn't want visitors, but your dad said it was okay to stop by. I could go, though."
"Don't," Ranma rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "I mean, ya just got here."
He gestured at his room, desperately trying to generate conversation.
It was small and modest. There was just enough room for a rolled futon and a beat up dresser. The beige paint was old and peeling off the walls. Ranma shrugged. "No where near as nice as your place, but at least I don't have to put up with Pop snoring."
As much as Ranma tried to act casually, Akane could see how tightly he held himself.
More shouting could be heard as Nodoka chided Gemma. "How could you shame us all? You raided our rainy day fund!"
Ranma's jaw clenched.
Akane kept her voice low. "Did you know the bank tried to take away our home once?" She confided, hoping to ease his tension. "The house and dojo have been in our family for generations, but there's still property tax. Daddy never had a good head for numbers and the bills were out of control."
Ranma's head shot up in surprise, both from the revelation as well as the trust she put in him to make such a private confession.
"What happened?"
Akane smiled ruefully. "He took on an extra job, and managed to get an extension on the debt. It was tough going, but he learned and made it work."
Akane's eyes misted over as she remembered her father. He was completely helpless at running a household, but she found herself fondly remembering his loving, goofy, and overly emotional ways. Akane quickly wiped away at her eyes, hoping Ranma hadn't noticed her grief. She was here to help him, not the other way around!
Ranma leaned against the window frame, his arms crossed against his chest. "At least your dad didn't purposely try to mooch off others."
"Maybe your dad had a good reason?"
Ranma scoffed. "Other than his own greed?"
Akane didn't know how to dispute that. "Your parents haven't really lived together in over ten years. Some arguments are bound to happen. I'm sure it'll all blow over in the morning. "
As if in direct dispute, the marital fight escalated in volume again. Bits and pieces of the argument could be made out.
"He needs to be a man among men!"
"Tendos this, Tendos that... is Ranma a Saotome or a Tendo?"
"What does it matter?"
"I won't have him coddled and dependent on others like you!"
Ranma winced and his worries suddenly tumbled out like spilled sand. "They never fought like this before. Mom used to just give Pop the silent treatment if pissed. Now, she's always furious, and back to questionin' my manliness. She seems mad at your family, too. Like you're not helping me be manly."
Ranma was a picture of misery. It was a hard enough transition leaving the Tendo home. Now he had to hear his parents argue day and night, and nearly always about himself. Why couldn't he make his mom happy? Was it the curse, or worse, just himself that wasn't man enough for her to be proud?
Ranma no longer wanted to face Akane, and tried to distract himself by cloud watching out the window.
"Ranma…" Akane reached out to touch him, but stopped herself inches away from making contact.
"Ranma," she began again. "What do you think of yourself? You're always so cocky, so arrogant and over-confident - except when your mother is around. Don't you believe yourself manly enough?"
Ranma scoffed. "Maybe you forgot my problem with cold water?"
Akane shook her head. "Your curse doesn't make you less of a man, idiot. You still act like a man when in a girl's body, you know."
There was contemplative silence as Ranma let her words penetrate. "And what do you think?" He tried to play the question off casually, but his eyes watched her reaction intently.
Akane swallowed hard. Revealing their true feelings was always difficult terrain. She took a deep breath and hoped she could manage to say enough of the truth, without over inflating his ego. "I know my temper's gotten the best of me in the past, and I've said some rude things about your curse...but you've always been manly to me."
Ranma's entire countenance changed, as if he had been jolted with electricity. His face lit up. "I guess that means double coming from an unfeminine tomboy, huh?"
"Ranma!" Akane's battle aura flared and she swung at him.
He barely dodged and held up his hands placatingly. "I was joking! Joking!" There was no way anyone could seriously believe Akane unfeminine in her current dress, but his old teasing habits were deeply ingrained. It was too much fun to see the fire in her eyes.
Akane huffed but let the matter drop. "So are you done moping in your room?" she prodded.
"Hey, I wasn't moping!" Akane snorted at him, secretly amused. "...much…" he admitted.
Nabiki's suggestion from before still buzzed in her mind. "It's a nice day outside..." She waited to gauge Ranma's reaction. He only blinked at her, totally clueless. Leading a wild horse to water didn't mean he'd take a drink.
"We could get those parfaits you like."
Ranma raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then started to look down again. "I prob'ly shouldn't. Those parfaits ain't manly enough, and I'm in no mood to change into a girl."
Akane let out a puff of air in frustration. He could get the weirdest notions of what was and wasn't manly. Especially when his mother eroded his confidence.
"Well, is it manly to take a girl out on a date?" She challenged.
"Uh yeah, of course." Ranma responded automatically.
Akane's eyes held a touch of mischief. "Fine. Then you take me on a date to the ice cream parlor. That's the manly way to eat parfaits, right?"
Ranma's confidence soared. "Heh, you want me to ask you out?"
*The baka.* she thought. How Ranma could change from super low self esteem to cocky arrogance faster than his Jusenkyou curse baffled her. Akane took a deep breath to both steady her nerves and control her temper. She turned to look out the window, not trusting herself if she made eye contact with him. "I wouldn't say no… if you had the guts to ask me..." she managed to get out. There was cautious hope in her voice along with the defiant challenge.
Ranma felt a fuzzy warmth spreading from his stomach to his chest. Akane's unique mixture of temper and shyness was part of her tomboyish charm. Despite her attempts to hide it, Ranma could tell Akane was trying to watch his reaction out of the corner of her eyes.
Knowing he was being set up didn't stop him from smiling ear to ear. His usual overconfidence filled him, for once fully knowing Akane wouldn't reject him. "Of course I got the guts. Let's go."
Akane's mouth dropped open at his sudden yet calm turnaround. At the same time, she felt a bit miffed at his nonchalant attitude. It had taken her so much courage and a mountain of stress to come here and even approach the idea, yet he had the nerve to be flippant. She turned to face him. "That's how you ask a girl out on a date?" she sputtered, halfway between disbelief and anger.
Ranma was indignant. "What? You already said you wanted to go. You want me to spout poetry like Kuno or something?"
Akane made a sour face at the thought, but in the end didn't know whether to strangle him or laugh. "Honestly, Ranma, can we try to act like a normal couple?"
Ranma's eyes rolled mockingly. "We were set up in an outdated arranged engagement. You're a violent tomboy, and I'm under a magical gender changing curse. How are we normal?"
Akane shrugged lightly at that summary. "Okay, so we've never been a normal couple, but..." Akane geared up her courage to continue, her voice getting unconsciously quieter, "...sometimes a girl needs to hear the words."
Akane's velvet brown eyes were bright and vulnerable. Staring into them, Ranma couldn't refuse or tease. He knew she was feeling insecure about their relationship, especially after the incident with Ukyo. For once he was at no risk; he already knew her response. He couldn't blow this chance.
"Akane...wanna go on a date with me?" His voice was quiet, but firm and sincere.
Akane's cute smile beamed at him. Her voice was soft, but equally sincere. "Yes."
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There was an added sense of adventure, sneaking out Ranma's window together. Ranma even offered to carry her down. "You don't wanna give anyone a show up your dress, right?"
Akane had blushed, and accepted the offer.
Now seated with their respective frozen treats, Ranma's mood perked up tremendously.
There was the usual small talk about dojo lesson plans and the start of the new school semester. Tomorrow would begin their final year at Furinkan High School. It was both an exciting and daunting thought; they would be graduating. Akane realized how little opportunity they'd had to talk seriously about the future. Their future.
Akane swallowed the last spoonful of her vanilla confection. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do after graduation?"
Ranma shrugged. "Not much. I mean, everything always seemed so...prearranged."
Akane nodded. "Yeah...the same for me. I've never been that interested in going to university, and I always looked forward to carrying on the family legacy. Even before I met you…" Akane paused, unsure how to properly phrase what was in her heart and fears. "But, well, I don't want you to feel trapped."
Akane fiddled with her spoon, nervously avoiding Ranma's eyes. She hoped he would be happy teaching and carrying on the Anything Goes legacy at the dojo...but what if he hated teaching? She knew it frustrated him. Or what if he wanted to go back to traveling around the world, never setting down ties? She was not going to repeat history and be like Ranma's mother, left behind in a sham of a marriage.
Ranma sensed her nervousness. He wasn't entirely sure where it was coming from, but he knew Akane was waiting for him to respond. More so, he could hear her sincerity in not wanting to force a particular destiny upon him. It was so refreshing to hear someone genuinely care about him choosing his own path. Pop had never given him any options, Shampoo wanted him as a trophy, and even Ukyo had her own determined notions of him being the homemaker while she ran her restaurant.
Ranma realized he had nothing to lose by giving Akane his honest answer. "I love the Art and our Anything Goes school. I don't think I'd be happy doing anything else." Akane stopped fiddling, her eyes intent on him. "Though I gotta admit I'm much happier leaving the beginner students to you." Ranma gave a good natured smile. "Going at a slow pace drives me nuts!"
Akane laughed, her eyes brightening and the nervousness from before vanished.
It felt good to finally say the right thing, and the reward of Akane's smile and gentle laughter made Ranma's heart warm.
Akane's jubilant face vanished as she glanced out the ice cream shop's window. "Oh no..."
"What's wrong?" Ranma felt a flush of resentment towards whatever had ruined Akane's joyful smile.
Akane pointed and the single word was enough: "Kuno."
Ranma grimaced. Their pain-in-the-ass former senpai looked fiercely intent, his bokken at the ready, as he marched straight toward the ice cream parlor.
Akane groaned and face palmed. The date had gone so well. She should have known trouble would follow them eventually.
Ranma cracked his knuckles gleefully. "He's a pain, but you know I can handle him."
Akane gave a tight smile. Although she knew it wouldn't take much effort to render the unwanted stalker unconscious, she didn't want the confrontation to taint their date.
Inspiration hit. "How about we try the Saotome Special Technique this time?" Akane gestured toward the back door.
Ranma nodded in the affirmative, and they were off. Just as the back door closed behind them, they could make out a familiar voice full of annoying bravado.
"Unhand her, devilish fiend! Wait. Where has that scoundrel taken the fair and lovely Tendo Akane?!"
Kuno had burst into the ice cream parlor, but his prey had escaped.
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Akane and Ranma sped away. They were in a fairly congested area of Nerima, in the heart of the shopping center. Akane kept glancing behind her, nervously watching her back for another sudden appearance by Kuno.
Ranma spotted a photobooth kiosk and his face lit up with inspiration. "I know how to lose him." Ranma pointed and Akane grinned in return.
The inside of the booth was a tight fit, as neither of the teens wanted to expose their presence and had their legs tucked up off the floor.
Suddenly, Akane felt herself lifted and deposited on Ranma's lap, his warm chest pressed up against her back.
"W-what?" She stammered out, unsure how to react and caught completely off guard.
Ranma gulped. He was talking a big chance. "I, uh, thought it'd be more comfortable. We were kinda squished, you know?"
Akane felt her heart race, and it had nothing to do with outrunning Kuno. She forced herself to take in a calm breath. Ranma wasn't trying to do anything perverted...and even if he did...well, this time she wasn't even sure how she'd react! This was a date. A real date, and some physical transgressions were expected, right?
Ranma held in his breath, waiting for what possible reaction his tomboy would make. Her immediate reaction was to stiffen, but she seemed willing enough to give Ranma a chance to prove his intentions weren't perverted. Ranma focused his attention on keeping his hands in the carefully placed noman's land below her bust and above her navel. He felt her take in a shaky breath and slowly let it go. Her muscles slowly loosened and she allowed herself to lean gently against his chest. It wasn't the first time Ranma held Akane in his arms, but he hadn't had her in his lap quite this way since the dougi incident. It was even better this time, as there was no wet paint to make him want to squirm in discomfort.
Akane felt her face glow warm with unbidden thoughts of where else Ranma might place his hands. They were currently encircled around her waist, his gentle strength radiating warmth and comfort. None of the scenarios in her mind included mallets.
Akane noticed she could feel the tenseness leave his muscles as he cautiously decided she wasn't going to pound him. She smiled to herself and commented slyly, "We're still squished, baka...but you're right; this is much more comfortable."
Ranma smiled back, hearing the playfulness in her tone. "When are you going to learn I'm always right?" he teased.
Akane's soft hair tickled his chin as she shook her head, in what he could only hope was amusement. She then reached her hand over her head and flicked a finger at Ranma's forehead in retort. "Oh please," Ranma could practically hear Akane roll her eyes, but she seemed to take the joke in the same manner it was intended, as she nestled herself back into a more relaxed position against his back. "But I wouldn't mind you being right more often…" she trailed off.
Slowly, Akane brought her hands to lay on top of Ranma's. Her slim fingers wrapped around his.
Her words and the simple, yet intimate gesture made Ranma's breath catch in his throat. The warmth of her body and the sweet scent of her flooded his senses. He regained a shaky and fragile control of himself, enough to drag air into his lungs once more. It was taking everything he had just to suppress any trembling, and he was acutely aware of his body beginning to respond to her closeness.
Akane tried to remain relaxed - it was pleasant and warm being wrapped in Ranma's arms - but it was becoming increasingly difficult to think clearly with Ranma's masculine spicy scent filling her senses. She stubbornly tried to ignore the sexual tension. "I think we lost him, Ranma."
Instead of feeling relieved, Ranma was surprised to feel disappointed. It meant leaving their position. "Yeah...you're probably right."
Reluctantly, Akane began to pull away. She then turned to face Ranma, a mischievous grin on her face. "Since we're here, it couldn't hurt to take some pictures, right?"
Ranma smiled at the thought. He had few family photos, and he'd like to have some that weren't from embarrassing escapades of his early childhood.
Ranma shrugged casually. "Sure."
The first few were shy, and somewhat serious. They were sitting side by side, when Akane decided to playfully ruffle his hair for the next pose. When she reached over, Akane's breath on his neck tickled and stimulated at the same time. Ranma shivered and tried to hide his reaction. "Hey, that tickles!"
Akane put on a mock surprised tone. "It does?"
Before Ranma could recognize the threat, Akane turned to purposely tickle him. Her nimble fingers knew just where to aim: underneath his arm, darting up and down.
"H-hey" he protested, eyes bulging before he was consumed with uncontrolled laughter. Akane crowed triumphantly as she continued to tickle him, all the while the camera was flashing.
At the mercy of Akane's ministrations, Ranma floundered and squirmed. The tight confines of the photobooth and Akane's own cunning counterattacks thwarted his attempts to slip free. He needed to escape her teasing touch, and that meant getting serious.
"It's your turn," he managed to gasp out between laughs. His own hands blurred with motion as he reciprocated her tickles, improvising with a gentler version of kachü tenshin amaguriken. Akane squirmed, a hysterical, happy squeal escaping her lips. Her laughter was easily twice as intense as his.
It soon became a raucous competition complete with sparing moves in order to reach a vital tickle zone. Both were out of breath and flushed, but neither were willing to concede defeat. Akane resumed the offensive, but Ranma managed an intricate maneuver of flipping over in the tight space, giving himself the advantage while repositioning Akane flat on her back of the photo booth seat. In the heat of the moment, Ranma's fingers rapidly danced up her bare leg and started to tickle under her knee. His actions earned him her loudest, squealing laugh….and more. Her leg jerked automatically and instinctively kicked, landing a direct hit into Ranma's unsuspecting jaw. The blow sent him tumbling out of the photobooth curtain.
Akane gasped, quickly rising and running out to check on him. He was sitting upright on the cement, shaking his head and rubbing his jaw.
"Ranma! Are you okay? I...I didn't mean..." she stuttered out, ready for him to spew out some well deserved diatribe about her gorilla-strength. He opened his mouth to yell something about clumsy tomboys, but then stopped himself. He had asked for it, in a way. He cautiously moved his jaw before speaking. "That's what I get for training you?" he teased, before chuckling. Akane let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, glad that her klutz move hadn't ruined the fun for the evening.
They cheerfully looked over the printed strip of photos. The end result was truly them - playfully competitive, a collage of motion and laughter. Ranma's favorite was the one where Akane's eyes burned with intensity and stubbornness after he invoked the Soul of Ice to stop reacting.
Akane practically glowed with happiness as she examined the photographs. "These are pretty good! It'll replace the old one I have of you, since -" Akane abruptly stopped herself, blushing at her admission. She knew Ranma had carried a photo of her at Mount Phoenix. Kiima had shown Akane, and it was that evidence that led to her kidnapping. Still, it was another matter entirely to tell Ranma she had kept a photo of him since early on in their relationship.
Not surprisingly, Ranma was not about to let Akane's partial admission go without further prodding. His chest filled with growing confidence to know Akane had kept a photograph of him. "Oh real-ly?" he teased, his voice drawn out in an infuriating sing-song.
Akane tried to ignore the annoying tone. "It doesn't count, so nevermind."
Ranma's curiosity only peaked. "Why doesn't it count? Is it in my cursed form?"
Akane shook her head fervently, stubbornly walking faster so he would drop the subject. "No, so just forget it."
Ranma was not about to accept defeat. "Ha! You've had the hots for me all along, huh?" He teased, full of confident bravado.
Akane glared and stuck out her tongue. "Only in your lonely and pathetic dreams, Ranma."
Ranma frowned and quickened his pace to keep up. Akane was being awfully coy about this. "But you have a photo of me doing...what?"
Akane's cheeks pinked. "Would you shut it?! It was nothing."
Ranma leaped effortlessly in front of her, stopping her from moving. His face was filled with cheeky determination. Her blush was not to be ignored. "Too embarrassed to tell me?" he teased.
Akane contemplated punching him out of her way, but life had forced her to painfully mature the past few months. She had faced death to save him on Mount Phoenix. She had become an orphan with the recent loss of her father. Surely she could face up to a mildly embarrassing fact. Her eyes blazed with a strengthened resolve to be forthright. "Ugh, fine! It's when you were in the Neko-ken."
Ranma was slightly mollified yet also embarrassed. "Oh...was I doing something weird?"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Besides acting like a cat?"
Ranma nodded, unsure how to keep a mounting anxiety at bay. He had no memory of what he did while in the cat-fist. From Akane's blush, though, he had to know.
Her voice was soft and low. He had to strain to hear it. "You...kissed me. I know it doesn't count, though." Akane let out a breath in annoyance. He'd have kissed anybody….or would he have? From all the times she'd witnessed Ranma enter the Neko-ken state, he never went towards anyone else with affection. Only her.
Ranma's eyes widened. Oh...that photo. His back relaxed in relief that it hadn't been anything worse. Ranma wasn't sure how Akane got ahold of it, but the fact that she had kept it all this time made his face warm with pleasure.
At the same time, he felt emboldened. He remembered how upset Akane had been that he wasn't in conscious control of his actions. Despite her protests, it seemed she really would have welcomed a kiss from him.
Ranma didn't realize he'd been standing in stunned silence until Akane called out ahead of him.
"Are you coming, baka?"
Ranma grinned sheepishly.
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Akane watched the confident, jubilant energy quickly drain away from Ranma as they approached the building to his apartment. His shoulders managed to tense and sag at the same time.
Akane felt a surge of defiant courage. She was fed up with all the recent tragedy and stress, from her father's death to Ranma's relocation and deteriorating home life. Overwhelming negative elements had intruded on their lives outside of their control. How they ended their date was not going to end on a depressed note if Akane could help it.
Even if returning to Ranma's stressful home environment was inevitable, she could at least seize this moment, and dare to give him some welcome procrastination.
"It's getting late...would you mind walking me home?"
Akane had to swallow some pride to get the request out. She knew she didn't strictly need an escort. She could take care of herself. Asking put her at risk of sounding weak, as if saying she needed some form of protection for the evening. She desperately hoped Ranma wouldn't made some stupid wisecrack.
Ranma's face lit up at the perfect excuse to avoid returning home. Still, old habits die hard and Ranma's mouth quirked into a playful smirk. "Really? A brutal, macho tomboy like you wants an escort?"
Akane scowled and stepped away as his words scalded. She was trying so hard, but her pride wouldn't bend any farther. "Honestly, Ranma. If you don't want to, then just say so!" Ugh. Why had she even bothered to be open herself up to the insensitive jerk?
As she stormed away, Ranma followed. "Hey, don't be uncute now! Just 'cause I know you can take on any pervert or mugger doesn't mean you should." Akane paused, upset at the all too familiar 'uncute' barb while also surprised at the (albeit very clumsy) compliment that she could handle herself.
Ranma continued, "You know I'd never let anyone even try to hurt you, right?"
Akane felt her breath taken away. He said it so matter-of-fact. Granted, he had been acting as her protector for so long she almost took it for granted. Yet, it was incredibly different to hear him say it rather than just do it. Akane mentally laughed to herself at the irony. Often it was the desire to make someone's actions live up to their words, not the other way around.
Ranma was hopelessly trying to gauge Akane's mood. He was all too aware that he'd had a relapse of his chronic foot-in-the-mouth when his joke ended up hurting her feelings.
Akane felt his eyes studying her, and she felt herself warm at his concerned and honest gaze. She nodded briefly in answer to his previous statement, while she scrambled to think of the proper response.
Ranma realized the next move was his. He couldn't take the risk of saying the wrong thing again, so he gathered his courage and gently reached out to hold her hand.
Ranma felt her warm, small hand embrace his. For a moment he felt lost in the simple touch. The outside of her hand was surprisingly soft, an interesting contrast to her spitfire personality and calloused palms, nearly as calloused as his own from the same devoted practice of the Art. It struck him that her hand was a reflection of herself; sensitive and small, yet tough and hardworking.
Ranma returned the delicate contact nervously. His thumb swept a soft caress back and forth across her hand before he cleared his throat. "So, uh...thanks for tonight. The date was a good idea."
Akane beamed at him, feeling a giddiness in her chest and a fluttering in her stomach. "I had a great time, too." The devastatingly cute smile she gave him made him flush, and he managed to return the smile while wisely keeping his mouth shut.
They continued their walk back to the Tendo home in companionable silence.
Ranma felt an odd mixture of being unsettled and relaxed at the same time. It was reminiscent of the time they left Higo forest. He had held Akane's hand the entire trip home, and had tried (and failed) to get the guts to say how he felt: that he was happiest when he was with her like this. With the sudden move and his parents fighting, it lately felt like he was forced to march across sand dunes. He was slipping, sliding, and getting stuck in the midst of his mother's sudden change in attitude and actions.
Being with Akane tonight felt more than right; the comfortable familiarity and their usual undercurrent of playful banter was like gentle rain on parched earth. He couldn't remember ever feeling so content. After the tumult of the past month, peacefully holding Akane's hand grounded his metaphorical footing.
They reached the Tendo gate sooner than they realized, catching them both by surprise. They stood frozen for a moment, staring at one another in complete silence. It felt odd to have to part, rather than go in together.
Akane reflected how it seemed like a scene out of a cheesy movie - complete with moonlight and a warm breeze - where the couple kiss before parting farewell. The thought brought a hot flush to Akane's cheeks, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from him. Her brown eyes swept over his dark gray ones and lingered on his lips.
She'd never felt this before— this urge to touch another being so strong she felt as if she was burning from the inside out. She felt her pulse quicken and forced herself to breathe deeply.
Unbeknownst to her, Ranma's heart pounded and he struggled with the identical urge. His past insecurities of rejection had been broken, and all excuses for resisting their attraction fell silent in his mind.
Ranma's free hand reached up, trembling slightly, and brushed a stray hair behind Akane's ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek, warm and unbelievably soft under the roughness of his own skin.
Ranma's mind caught up with his instincts, and he began to pull his hand away, but Akane caught it and held it in place. For a brief moment she thought he would resist, or pull away, and this would all fall apart around them; but he yielded to the slight pressure of her hand and kept the delicate physical connection.
Encouraged, Ranma lowered his head to her raised chin, and their lips met. Tentative and nervous, he held himself still for an extra beat before Akane felt the whisper of his breath against her cheek.
It was sweet awkwardness for the first few moments until they found the right angle. Ranma could taste the lingering remains of vanilla on her lips, but the pleasing flavor was nothing compared to the sensations of heat that flowed through him.
He felt an excitement that bordered on giddiness, a surge that far surpassed anything he'd ever felt before. Akane wasn't pulling away or fighting him, she was... oh... she was kissing him back, her lips parting beneath his own. The joy and rush from discovering his moko takabashi technique was a mere trickle compared to this flood of both emotion and physical sensation.
Breathless, he reluctantly broke the kiss, pleased to note Akane's pink cheeks and rapid breathing. For a moment, time seemed to cease as he gazed into golden brown eyes dilated by much more than the waning light.
"Akane…." He breathed her name, savoring the feel of his hand on her bare back, and the perfect harmony of their shared moment.
Akane's pulse sped away with abandon. It was the largest physical step taken in their relationship, and it both frightened and thrilled her. Nevertheless, she wanted nothing more than to have another kiss.
"Ranma..." Her voice was a husky whisper.
Ranma waited for a protest that didn't come. Placing her free hand against his chest, Akane felt his racing heart, his breathing quick and ragged. Ranma was still cradling her cheek, but he slowly released it.
Unbidden, Akane mourned the loss of contact. Guided by instinct, her hands cupped either side of his face and pulled him into her. She kissed him fiercely, all of her suppressed desire swarming to the surface. Wave after wave of tingling ecstasy washed over her. Suddenly startled by her own forwardness and intensity, Akane broke contact and retreated.
Ranma shook his head; pulling her back with his arm firmly encircled around her back, he pressed his body to hers. He'd been suppressing his desire for her for so long. Much too long. Now, the floodgate had burst open. Euphoria and lust intermingled and he kissed her again, hard, all past doubts drowned away by overwhelming need.
Akane gave a small cry of surprise against his mouth as he brushed his hand across her collarbone, his finger running softly along the small indentation above it. In the space of a minute, Ranma had gone from inexperienced and hesitant to a masterful kisser. Not that it was much of a surprise, a small part of Akane reflected. When it came to anything physical, Ranma was an unnaturally fast learner. And just like her, he was utterly obsessive, determined to perfect anything undertaken. The thought dissolved as she concentrated on the sensations of the kiss, losing herself in the intoxicating feel of him while determined to keep up with his talented pace.
Suddenly, there was a deafening crash of a heavy object hitting the cement sidewalk.
They broke contact, instantly alert. Ranma and Akane's eyes took in the fallen umbrella on the ground. They responded in surprised unison at the intruder.
"Ryoga?!"
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Author's Note:
Unconsciously, (as I wrote bits and pieces of this chapter over years) I borrowed heavily from Jeremy Harper's great work "Your Touch." Please read it. His work is so much better than mine.
An additional special thanks goes to my husband, who - although neither a fanfiction or Ranma 1/2 fan - helped me brainstorm. The photobooth idea came from him. :-)
Original Publication Date: Sept. 12, 2014.
And yes, I did purposely quote Firefly. Bonus points to anyone who recognized it.
FANART! Go here martina-g dot deviantart dot com / art/ Commission-diademchi-2-2-486105580 (my profile has the direct link) to see some from this date.
Also, if anyone draws me fanart, you get a sneak preview of a chapter emailed or PM'ed to you.
