"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Luna12
Chapter 29: "Insomnia"


Ucchan was still insisting on sleeping on Ranma's futon, provocatively dressed in lingerie, and each night Ranma headed up to the rooftop to escape. For a moment Ukyo doubted herself. Could it be he didn't find her attractive? But then she recalled the way his eyes bulged as he would stutter red faced at the sight of her. No, he was just overly skittish when it came to sex. Ukyo thought he was a bit insane to go to such lengths, but she figured even if he ignored his libido, the creature comforts of a mattress and warm room would lure him back eventually.

After the fifth night of this, Ranma was a sleep-deprived zombie on his way to school the following morning.

Akane and Ukyo were on the sidewalk below, while Ranma was up on the fence - but unlike his usual catlike grace, he stumbled and nearly tumbled into the canal twice.

Akane looked up to examine his baggy eyes with concern. "Honestly, Ranma, you should come down already. You're just going to hurt yourself."

Ranma sighed and agreed. He was already contemplating skipping class to get a long, undisturbed nap. Although he had thought ahead and set up his camping gear up on the rooftop (without his mother noticing, thank goodness) it didn't stop the pigeons from congregating. Although they couldn't reach him inside the tent, yesterday the dumb, slow, fat birds attracted the attention of an alleycat. All it took was one "meow", and he hadn't managed to sleep a wink for the rest of the night.

He hopped back down to the solid ground and yawned. They were nearly at the school gates, anyway.

Akane frowned. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah, uh…" Ranma flustered in worried mortification. It would not be a good idea to blurt out to Akane exactly why.

Ukyo saw a prime opportunity to drive a wedge between the two and took it. She tried to blush and placed a hand on her cheek to mimic shy embarrassment. "Oh, that's all my fault Akane-chan. I haven't let Ranchan get a wink of sleep while I've been in his futon."

Ranma felt the precursors to doom and face palmed. What Ukyo said was technically the truth, but the way she put it blew any chance he had to defuse the situation.

Akane's eyes couldn't have grown wider without surgery, the vein in her forehead pulsed and her cheek twitched. The fact that Ranma wasn't even bothering to deny it broke something in her brain. "WHAT?!"

Ukyo smirked triumphantly. "I am his one and only fiancée, I have a right to be there. Mother Saotome doesn't mind at all."

Ranma was waving his hands frantically in a negating gesture. "It's not like how it sounds, Akane!"

Akane glared daggers at both of them. The old urge to smack Ranma into the canal and call him a womanizing pervert was strong. Very strong. She would, however, give him a chance to explain - but it better be a good one. "And just what should it sound like, baka?" she challenged.

Ranma felt his tired mind struggle to come up with a good explanation. He was stuck with the brutal truth, and Ukyo was right next to them, eager to instigate a feud. "I've been sleeping on the roof!" he shouted in frustration, as if that could clear up the entire misunderstanding.

Akane stared at him in disbelief, and tried to see if she could read any tells from Ukyo, but she was smiling triumphantly, and Akane couldn't tell if it was because she had successfully seduced Ranma or if she was gloating over their fight. For all she knew, it could be both.

"So Ukyo's lying?" she questioned.

Ukyo put on a look of disdain. "Hey, I'm not lying to you, sugar. Tell her, Ranchan."

Ranma felt trapped. "Uh, not exactly…"

Akane felt her heart clench. Part of her felt terrified that she had lost...Ukyo was the only legitimate fiancée, Nodoka hated her and accepted Ukyo...what chance did she have now? Another part of her felt hurt and betrayed at Ranma. Why hadn't he mentioned this sooner? Could she really believe that he slept the night on his roof?

The final winner in the melee of emotion was anger: at herself, at Ranma, at Ukyo, at the Amazons' brainwashing, at the whole mess. Her anger turned icy cold instead of raging hot. She turned her back and marched towards the school, her hand clenched tightly on her satchel.

Ranma tried to stop her. "Akane! Don't be uncute now. I didn't sleep with Ukyo!"

Akane paused and turned to give him an icy stare. "Why should I believe you?"

Ranma crossed his arms in frustration. His head was pounding from the stress, and the lack of sleep was only making it worse. "Because you know me, tomboy. You know I wouldn't hurt you like that. Not now."

Akane stopped moving, her chest tightened at his words. She trusted him in so many ways to never hurt her, but in matters of the heart it always felt different. Now, after all they'd been through, after their romantic date, that moment under the blankets and the lantern light, after the True Love Mirror, and most of all...after Jusendo...Akane felt her heart open up a little more. Everytime she doubted him, he had managed to prove her wrong. He did end up in horrible situations that made any sane person believe he was a lying, cheating, Don Juan, but the reality was Ranma wasn't. She just had to put aside her insecurities long enough to remember that.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, but her shoulders had already softened from their defensive posture. "So you're really just sleeping on the roof and not, you know...with Ukyo?"

Ukyo stepped forward and her mouth opened, but before she could utter a word, Ranma glared at her. "Ucchan, I swear, if you're really my friend you will shut up right now…"

Ukyo took a step backwards as if slapped. The vehemence in Ranma's voice chilled her. Even Akane's eyes widened in surprise.

Ranma closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, doing his best to regain control of his temper. His usually patient demeanor had been stretched to the limit from exhaustion. "I'm usin' a tattered sleeping bag. Alone. Unless you wanna count the pigeons landing on my tent all morning and night?"

Akane heard the honesty in his voice and she nodded softly, her face relaxing subtly in relief.

Ukyo had got over her shock and breathed out heavily in frustration. She had wanted to goad Akane further, to tell her all about the lingerie she wore, but she knew better than to further provoke Ranchan. Her teasing had only seemed to backfire upon herself. She had to do something to prove to Ranma she cared about him more than just scoring points against her rival.

"Ranchan, honey, why don't you head home for a nap? I promise to take notes and bring you back any assignments."

Ranma's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the kind offer, and he almost felt guilty for his previous outburst. "Uh, thanks."

Ukyo's smile was wide and cute, and it only grew wider as she saw Akane's previous smile disappear. She was back on track with her Ranchan.


!PLINK! !KA-PLINKPLINK!

It was late in the evening when Akane was yanked from her slumber.

!PLINK!

She sat up groggily, but her heart was already racing and she grabbed her bokken. She'd had one too many unwelcome visitors in the night to just ignore a strange sound. What was that?

!PLINKPLINK!

Akane turned her head towards the high pitched clinking at her window and nearly jumped at the small object hurtling toward the glass. She forced herself to calm down and examine the window. Someone was throwing small pellets at her room. Feeling relieved that she wasn't under a real threat, she opened the window and stuck her head out to seek the perpetrator.

The yard was empty, and the night was still. Her senses came on alert and she deftly caught the next missile. It was a gingko nut, wrapped in scrap paper. She turned on her desk lamp and read the note.

"Meet me under the lamppost - Ranma"

Akane shook her head ruefully. She looked below her window, and in the moonlight could spot the mess of discarded nuts and paper below. The image of Ranma sitting down and penning a bunch of similar messages in the hopes she'd catch one made her want to laugh. Just what was he up to - she looked at her alarm clock - at 1 a.m.?!

She was half tempted to ignore him. Part of her was still hurt he hadn't told her earlier about Ukyo moving in with him, but she shook her head. Either way, it was time to get some answers. She closed the blinds, but kept the light on, and quickly donned on some street clothes.

Ranma was pacing back and forth under the lamppost nearest the Tendo home. When Akane closed the blinds on him, he was worried she would be too miffed to come out, but the light remained on and his hopes resurged. He could make out her silhouette moving about the room.

He heard the Tendo's front door quietly open and close, and he stopped pacing in time to see Akane jog up to him.

She had a hand on her hip, and looked up at him questionably with only a slight hint of irritation. "What's up? Is everything alright?"

Ranma swallowed hard, realizing this wasn't turning out the way he had daydreamed. Perhaps waking up someone in the middle of the night without notice was less romantic than he thought.

Ranma pointed at his camping gear strapped to his back for emphasis. "Talk's cheap. I wanted you to see, that, you know, I'm really not sleeping with Ukyo."

Of all things she expected to hear from Ranma, that seemed the farthest. Ranma really would rather sleep on a cold rooftop than be unfaithful to her. Akane felt her eyes water involuntarily, but she refused to let any tears show or make a scene at how touched and relieved she was by it. So instead, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks, Ranma."

Ranma felt his whole body warm from the gentle contact. "So, I was thinking, since we're both already up…"

Akane cocked her head, her heart pounding and mind racing at what he could possibly be suggesting. "...Yes?"

Ranma rubbed the back of his head as he got up the nerve to continue. "Maybe we could do some, uh, training? I could stop by here each night around now, and we could even go to the park or something…"

Akane was surprised Ranma would make such a bold offer. It was both a little frightening and exhilarating to sneak out late at night to see each other. It was such a strange reversal of their past situation, living together and having their fathers push them together in one zany situation after another. Now, they had to work at even being allowed to see each other.

Akane swallowed and found her voice. "I'd like that, too."

Ranma felt his heart give a little leap in his chest.

Despite the late hour, they headed off to the nearest park. Practice this time was shorter than usual, as both were a bit sluggish from lack of sleep. When it was over, Ranma and Akane found themselves stumbling to a park bench, the adrenaline from their training wearing off.

Ranma sprawled out, lying flat on his back, his pack carefully tucked away under the bench and Akane sitting next to him.

Despite the long nap he'd taken during the school day, Ranma felt the lack of sleep he had accumulated over the past week hit him all at once.

Akane yawned next to him and he followed suit. She chuckled lightly. "I think we both should head back to bed, Ranma."

Mentally, Ranma agreed, but he didn't have a bed to return to, and the quiet comfort of sitting next to Akane undisturbed was too sweet to let go. So instead he said, "Hey, I think I see Mars."

Akane followed his gaze upwards. At this late hour, there were fewer city lights to diminish the view. The orange red dot in the sky was bright and visible, a strange contrast to the bluish-white stars around it.

He lifted his head just enough to help point, and when he returned his head was resting on her lap. Both of them blushed, and Ranma stiffened, worried that Akane would react badly, but neither tried to move from their new positions. After a moment, Akane idly found her fingers tracing through Ranma's scalp as they stargazed, and he had to hold in a moan of pleasure from her ministrations. Even though this was the first time he could ever recall her doing this, the sensation felt comforting and familiar.

Akane giggled softly. "I haven't done this to you since the last time you went into the Neko-ken. Guess it works when you're fully human, too."

Ranma smiled lazily, the pleasing sensations helped to push aside the irrational jealousy that his cat-side had enjoyed these tender mercies so much sooner than his conscious self. He felt himself drifting, lulled by the soothing warmth of Akane's fingertips, the subtle sweet scent of her surrounding him, and the unmistakable feeling that - though he was under nothing but a canopy of trees and stars - he was safe and utterly home.

Akane continued to wind her fingertips against the grain of his hair, enjoying the feel of his silky and tousled locks. It was a familiar action for her - she'd lost count of the times Ranma had been spooked into the Neko-ken and come bounding into her lap - but it felt thrillingly different, too. Unlike all times before, Ranma would remember this, would be keenly aware of all her actions. It was a little nerveracking, but his pleasant smile and subtle sighs let her know he was enjoying this, and her insecurities soon vanished.

Akane felt Ranma's breathing even out as his body relaxed under her touch. A light snore greeted her ears and she had to hold in a small chuckle. She sobered quickly as she realized the awkwardness of their situation. It was past 2 a.m. on a school night, but now the handsome baka was asleep on her lap.

Akane didn't have the heart to wake him, though. He'd been so exhausted lately, and it wasn't as if he would be returning to more comfortable surroundings. The obvious solution made her frown; she didn't feel right leaving him alone on a park bench. What if it rained? What if someone tried to steal his pack? There were too many unknowns and she wasn't about to leave him unguarded in the dark park.

The skin on her arms goosebumped from a sudden breeze. Although her thighs were being kept pleasantly warm with Ranma's own body heat, the rest of her had thoroughly cooled down from their sparring, leaving her chilled. She carefully extracted herself from Ranma, lowering his head gently back onto the bench. She redonned her soft, fleece jacket and grabbed a blanket from Ranma's pack to drape over him. Minutes past as she alternated between stargazing and studying the sleeping man. His still form was such a sharp contrast to his usually antsy and active self. Unbidden, she let out another long yawn. Again, she contemplated waking him up so they could return to their respective homes. It was the middle of the night, scant hours until the start of another school day, but she didn't feel right waking him when he looked so peacefully at rest.

Akane mentally debated with herself. She could spare a few more minutes, right? He was bound to stir - it could hardly be comfortable on a hard bench - and then they'd part properly. In light of the extra sparring practice, she would just skip her morning jog and sleep in to make up for it.

Despite heavy eyelids, Akane resumed her seat next to Ranma. She'd, yawn, only wait...yawn...for a few...minutes...


The next thing Ranma knew, the light of dawn was peeking over the horizon. He was not much of a morning person, and his thoughts felt muddled and slow. Something felt different, and it wasn't just that he finally had some undisturbed sleep. Birds were chirping, not cooing. He was surrounded by trees and grass, but even more pressing on his senses was what...or actually who ... was wrapped tight within his arms.

Ranma couldn't remember falling asleep, let alone grabbing a blanket for himself...yet here he was, still on the hard wooden bench in the park, holding a slumbering Akane; her small back pressed pleasantly against his chest, and her head was tucked under his chin.

Ranma's eyes widened with the realization that this wasn't a dream. His arm was wrapped around her stomach, and his hand had found a soft, warm mound to hold onto. He blinked several times before he realized how close he was to ultimate peril; he was clutching Akane's breast in his hand!

His breath caught and he froze in place. By the gentle and rhythmic feel of her chest moving against him as she breathed, Akane was still asleep. He had a chance to escape unscathed.

He carefully extracted himself out from under her shirt and jacket, his hand mourning the loss of its soft warmth and intoxicating shape. Free, he finally managed to let out a breath in relief.

He sat up cautiously, taken in by the comforting sight of Akane so comfortably near him. The dawn light gently highlighted her face. Her cheeks were an attractive rosy hue from the brisk autumn air, and her raven hair fanned out cutely in a delicate halo.

It was not the first time he'd watched her sleep, marveling at how peaceful and unguarded she became. He'd often (very secretly) guarded her sleeping form from P-chan - not always successfully, he hated to admit - and for a full week after Jusendo, he'd found himself waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, where nothing would ease his nerves and chase away the traumatic memories turned torturous nightmares. Nothing, except sneaking into her room to watch her breathe. Only that steady, simple reminder that she was whole, safe, and wondrously alive could let him chase away the vivid image of her cold, unbreathing body lying unresponsive in his arms.

Akane stirred, smiled and mumbled a "hmm...nice dream", before her senses returned. She rolled over onto her back, and met the pools of his blue eyes.

"Eep!" Startled, she fell off the bench to land on her butt, clutching her heart in shocked surprise.

Ranma didn't know whether to laugh or panic. "I just woke up with us like this!" he defended weakly, gesturing wildly at the bench and blanket, hoping desperately that the warmth he felt spreading from ear to ear wasn't as deep a blush as it felt. He offered his hand to help her stand up and she accepted it.

Akane nodded as her own panic subsided enough to recall last night.

"You fell asleep on the bench..." She explained. "I got you the blanket...and then I fell asleep?" The last part was halfway between a question and an answer. Now that she was awake, she realized her bra had become askew in her sleep. Embarrassed, she brushed the wrinkles out of her clothes and discreetly readjusted her undergarment, running her fingers through her hair. She could only imagine how disheveled she must look!

Ranma took in the view appreciately, and couldn't help but think how utterly cute she looked, her cheeks flushed prettily and her hair wild and tousled.

A jogger went by and waved. Feeling more conspicuous, Ranma hastened to put away his blanket and get his pack back on.

Ranma turned shyly to face her. "Uh, thanks, Akane..."

She looked up, surprised. "For what?"

Ranma felt as if his tongue thickened in his mouth as he searched for the right words. "For letting me sleep," he decided to say, rather than the tumult of other true thoughts racing through his mind...for staying with me...for making me comfortable...for being you.

Akane smiled but it was interrupted by a yawn. She looked at her watch in dismay. "We have school in an hour!"

Ranma blanched.

Akane's face was in a mortified panic. "I gotta get back before anyone finds out I left!" She could only imagine the intense scrutiny and teasing she'd face from her older sisters if caught sneaking back into the house.

Ranma wanted to protest, but he had to agree. He needed to race back as well. There was no telling what hell he'd have to pay if his mother or Ucchan discovered he had snuck out of the house all evening. His eyes met Akane's brown ones, nearly amber in the rapidly increasing sunlight. "Tomorrow night, then? Same time, same place?"

Akane smiled brightly. "It's a date."


Author's Note:

As usual, Angela Jewell is a life-saver and really helped me fix up these scenes. She's a great writer in her own right, so check out her stories.

Original Publication Date: Nov. 14, 2011

Personal Note: I cannot begin to express my thanks and gratitude to the outpouring of warm wishes sent to me during such a rough time. I wish I could personally respond to all of you, but many posted without logging in (which was still welcome and appreciated!). Thank you so much, and God bless you.