"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Luna12
Chapter 30: "DAFT"


Ranma and Akane stood side by side, excitement and nerves coursing through them as solidly as the rumble of bass from the sound system.

Tonight, at last, was the DAFT tournament.

Akane turned to look at Ranma, her heart thumping loudly in excitement for the tournament to begin. He turned and looked at her at the same time, a large grin spreading on his face.

After weeks of training, of running and hiding to meet up, all their hard work was about to pay off.

"Welcome to the 10th Annual Dance-and-Fight Tournament!" the announcer's voice boomed through the speaker system, followed by cheers and applause. A sizeable crowd surrounded the dance machine, which had been situated on top of a tall stage for the event, giving spectators a better view of the footwork, combat, and dances.

Nabiki was working the crowd, and most of Furinkan High was piled into the arcade. She had been setting up betting pools all month long, and last minute bets were still rolling in. Kasumi was also in attendance. She normally preferred to not watch any of Akane's fighting matches (violence, even in the controlled forms of tournaments, was really not her taste), but the dance element had her intrigued. She also knew the fighting rules were very restricted, and with little chance of actual injury or bloodshed, she was happy to cheer her baby sister on.

Daisuke, Hiroshi, Yuka, and Sayuri had made sure to get a good vantage point and were already cheering for their friends. Matsuda Mai and Fujita Genji had fans, too, wearing t-shirts signifying their loyalty and chanting "Dance Dance Dragons!"

Noticeably absent were Ranma's mother and Ukyo, and for that Ranma was immensely grateful. He couldn't afford to be distracted by his mother's hateful outbursts towards Akane. She was already upset with him for going through with the tournament still partnered with the Tendo heir. The only way he managed to calm her down was to remind his mother of how manly and important it was for him to follow through with an accepted challenge. Even then, she had demanded he promise on his honor to return home by 7 that evening.

Akane scanned the crowds and realized how odd it was for Ranma's only legitimate fiancée to be missing. Not wanting to have such an unknown element worrying her, she turned to Ranma. "Where's Ukyo?"

Ranma shrugged. "Oh, she said she had something to get ready for and would have to miss out. Can't believe she passed up an opportunity to set up her grill. She'd make a killing with this crowd."

Akane felt a wave of ill omen go through her. She didn't often get bad premonitions, but she had learned enough to trust her instincts. Not only was this the day of their big tournament, but it was also the last day of Ukyo's brokered courtship arrangement. Ukyo was absent now? That spelled trouble. Akane just couldn't explain it. She thought about saying something to Ranma, but what was there to say? 'I have some vague bad feeling?' He'd just laugh and tell her it was nerves before the match.

The referee, (who was also the arcade owner), stepped forward and summoned the two female opponents.

The first two events would be purely combative, with the ladies facing each other, followed by the men. The finale would consist of their dancing routines, and the judges were already in place with their scorecards.

The announcer's voice blared again on the speakers. "First up, the femme fatales! Tendo Akane of Anything Goes versus Matsuda Mai, of the Dancing Dragons!"

Ranma gave Akane an encouraging thumbs up while the referee began the coin toss. The match was best two out of three, but the winner of the coin toss had the advantage of selecting the first song-level.

Mai won the toss, and she eyed her opponent up lazily. Surprisingly, Mai picked a routine that required less speedy footwork and trotted confidently to her place on the stage. Akane could have sworn she heard a very metallic clink when Mai stepped onto the pad.

Ranma and Akane were wearing flexible, but thick rubbed soled flats. They had planned on needing lightweight gear for speed and agility, with just enough support to withstand the constant stomping on the metal dance pad. Mai and Genji however seemed to have favored laced up ankle-high shoes that were a cross between a boot and a sneaker.

The song began and Akane felt fairly confident. Kicks and hits above the knee were forbidden, but she and Ranma had worked tirelessly on simple trip and nudge maneuvers to get the opponent off of their rhythm while making sure to keep up with their own required strike pattern. A complicated maneuver went on the screen. Akane executed it easily, but that was when Mai struck out offensively. Her foot kicked out to Akane's end of the dance pad and slammed hard on Akane's toes. Akane held in a yell as sharp pain lanced through her foot. It took all her self control to keep from hopping about and ignoring the next set of maneuvers she needed to execute.

She spared a glance at Mai's feet. Those weren't ordinary shoes. Every step she made clanged on the metal pad. At one point, her soles caught the light and Akane was able to see it: they were steel lined bottoms!


Ranma shifted agitatedly as he watched Akane, seeing that Mai's blows seemed to have a greater impact than expected. Akane was usually a lot tougher than that, but it seemed each time Mai managed to land a hit, it cost Akane. In turn, it seemed every time Akane landed a stomp or kick at Mai's foot it hardly phased the girl. What was up? Despite the loud music, Ranma could faintly hear some unusual clink-clinking coming from the stage.

Genji was next to him, a broad smirk on his conceited face. He casually tousled his hair back and laughed. "Looks like Mai's gonna break your partner's foot before the song's over."

Ranma turned to glare at Genji, and then downward at the guy's shoes. Both he and Mai had steel-lined soles! Any stomp, kick, or trip on their part would be doubly painful and forceful. At the same time, their feet would be heavier and harder to shove off a dance square. The longer the match went on, the more beat up Akane's feet would become while Mai would be left unfazed.

Ranma went to the referee. "Hey, I thought no weapons allowed?"

The referee shrugged. "Nothing in the rule book against the type of footwear."

Begrudgingly, Ranma had to admit that was some pretty good out-of-the-box thinking. He turned his attention back to the stage. The song-level was over. The scores were close, but Mai had taken the lead and had won that round. Ranma watched Akane warily. Her face was set in grim determination. At least it was Akane's turn to pick the next number. She chose one in the highest rated difficulty level. There was a small gasp of surprise from some of the more knowledgeable members in the crowd.

Even Genji's eyebrows twisted in surprise. "Is she crazy? A Paranoia level's stepchart is insane, especially if you are playing it fight-style. There's no way to hit all the marks, block, and fight in time."

Ranma realized Akane's strategy and smiled knowingly. Go get her, tomboy.


Akane watched the scores tally, disappointed but not overly surprised that Mai had won the first round. The heir to the Tendo School desperately tried to think of any new defenses, or a different approach that would slow Mai down from taking advantage of her relatively unprotected feet against those steel-lined boots.

The ref turned to her and offered her the next choice of song-level. Normally Akane favored a brute force approach, but she was grossly out-geared for that. She had to dramatically shake up the game before Mai crippled her feet.

Akane told the referee her preference, and Mai scoffed. "You can't possibly want that level!"

Akane gave her a challenging smirk. "You want to forfeit then?"

Mai's face scrunched into distaste. "You wish." She waved dismissively. "Suit yourself. It'll be your heart attack."

Akane stiffened and tried to ignore the remark. It was simply an expression, and Mai likely knew nothing of what caused her father's death. Still, it temporarily distracted her. She looked out at the gathered crowd of spectators. Surprisingly, both her sisters were there to support her. Akane felt an emotional lump grow in her throat. She couldn't help but feel that her father should be right there next to them, and his absence felt like a knife at her heart. The announcer's voice boomed over the sound system and Akane nearly jumped, suddenly brought back to the present. Now wasn't a time for pointless regrets and wishes that could never be granted. It was time to win.

The song began at a tempo well over 300 beats per minute. The steps scrolled across the screen in a blur. There was no time for offensive work. There was only time to hit as many step combos as possible, nimbly and lightly, as many of the maneuvers required awkward stretches and reaches. Akane was also giving her feet a slight chance to recover, tumbling into rolls, somersaulting, and using her hands as much as possible to reach and hit the marks. With her lighter shoes, she could lithely move across the dance pad.

The heaviness of Mai's footwear was slowing her down, overworking already taxed muscles. She tried to strike out once, but Akane leaped over the foot and landed lightly on top of it - instead of trying to inflict damage or shove it out of her path, Akane just treated it like a stepping stone, not bothering to waste time or energy in moving it. Mai lost so many points in her offensive attempts that she floundered in trying to regain her rhythm.

The song seemed to never end, and Akane felt her lungs burn in protest, her sides aching from the aerobic strain. She spared a quick glance at Mai, and was pleased to note her opponent's face was flushed and near exhaustion.

At last, the song came to an end. Akane felt like collapsing in relief, but forced herself to look up at the scores. She hadn't hit all the steps - that was a near impossibility - but she still had surpassed Mai in this round.

She could make out the voices of her sisters cheering amongst others in the crowd, but she was even more attuned to one male voice shouting "YES!"

Mai was huffing and breathing heavily, sweat poured from her brow. She wasn't giving Akane that arrogant, conceited look anymore. It was replaced with a healthy competitive gleam in her eyes. "You won't be able to pull that same trick again. The computer chooses the next song."

Akane was also breathing heavily, and decided on a dismissive shrug instead of speaking. Trash talk was a waste of air for her lungs.

"Final round!" boomed the announcer, and the screen showed a roulette wheel of song-levels spin before one was selected. The bubblegum pop music started to blast away with a strong and regular beat. Not overly fast, but not trivial, either.

Akane knew she'd have to modify her strategy yet again, but at least this time she had a good idea of Mai's preferred moves, reach and maximum speed.

The pair began lashing kicks at each other, Akane aiming for Mai's unprotected spots below the knee and just above the feet and ankles, while Mai concentrated on repeating damage to Akane's vulnerable toes against her steel soles.

Mai got in an agonizing smash with her metal heel onto Akane's foot, but Akane managed to work through the abuse to finish executing her combo. She clenched her jaw in pain and frustration.

The rules were firm in preventing excessive force, but Akane longed to actually use a proper sparring throw. Mai thought she had her opponent on the run and made another offensive strike in a quick follow up. Akane sacrificed starting another point combo, choosing to leap remarkably high away from the oncoming attack. As Akane returned to the ground, she lashed out with a hooked kick and snagged Mai's legs behind the shins. The Dancing Dragon member flailed and landed flat on her rear, costing her precious time, points, and pride.

Akane brushed the hair from her brow and quickly resumed the necessary rhythm to continue hitting the next combo on the dance pad. She couldn't help but feel a momentary elation for achieving such an effective counterattack, but she also knew how very close it had been to her being the one on the ground.

Mai changed tactics, striking out with her hands to snatch at Akane's ankle and trip the girl off the mat. Akane tucked and rolled away just in time, springing up on her hands to just barely hit the corresponding squares.

Inspiration dawned, and Akane recalled Kai showing her his favorite low to the ground b-boying moves. She kept her center of gravity low, and spun around the dance pad, constantly feinting which limb she intended to use to make the correct hit. It cost Akane extra energy and exertion, but in return Mai couldn't anticipate where to best aim, and she couldn't afford the time to stomp around blindly and still execute her own pad combos. Even better, when Mai did land a hit, Akane could more quickly recover. She was already low to the ground, and unlike if she was upright on her two feet, she wasn't rendered off balance or made to trip off the mat. Now Akane could resume racking up more and more points with little disruption.

The level ended, and the opponents eagerly looked up to examine the scoreboard. It would be a tight finish. It was nearly all scored by the computer, but the human judges had the ability to take away points for any moves they considered to be 'excessive force' or against the rules.

"The newcomer, Tendo Akane wins!" the announcer cheerfully exclaimed.

Mai angrily unlaced her weaponized shoes and tossed them at Genji's head. "It was your stupid idea!" she yelled at him.

Akane limped off the dance pad, sore and bruised but victorious.

Ranma reached out his hand to help her down from the stage and reach a chair. He was flashing her a smile, but there was also concern in his eyes. "Your feet okay?"

Akane nodded. "Nothing's broken, I think, but watch out: those metal shoes hurt."

Doctor Tofu was also in attendance, and he stepped forward to examine Akane. Tsking slightly as he felt around at the damaged tendons and bruised bone, he hit a few pressure points and Akane felt a healing twinge of pain followed by immense relief. "Thank you, doctor!"

Tofu nodded appreciatively. "You should be fine enough to continue."

Akane turned to look at Ranma's face. "Stop worrying. You got your own fight to think about."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, but now that I know their strategy, it'll be easy."

Akane rolled her eyes. Ranma was always overconfident. Then again, he won so often it was almost justified. "You only saw how Mai fought. Genji might be different," she warned.

Ranma just flashed her a large smile and responded purposely loud enough for Genji to overhear. "I hope so. I don't want to be bored during the match."

Genji glared, but before he could retort the announcer began anew. "Gentleman, take your places. It's Saotome Ranma of Anything Goes against Fugita Genji of the Dancing Dragons!"

This time the coin toss was in Ranma's favor. Knowing his speed and accuracy was even better than Akane's, and eager to show off and prove it, he chose another Paranoia level song - one rated even more difficult than the one Akane chose.

Genji's eyebrows rose a notch. It was hard to believe these were the same noobs he encountered a little over a month ago. He wasn't going to repeat Mai's mistake, though. It had been his idea to use their steel enforced shoes for battle; he assumed traditional martial artists would rely too heavily on brute force. While Ranma got into position, Genji quickly swapped out his weaponized footwear for conventional dancing shoes.

The music began, the display screen was a psychedelic blur of lights and motion. It seemed impossible for the human eye to track. Ranma was hardly phased. He could pull off speed moves like this in his sleep, thanks to his mastery of kachu tenshin amaguriken.

Akane watched the fight intently, impressed despite herself. Ranma was amazing. She had known it for some time, had even warned Ryoga not to take Ranma lightly, but for once she could admit it to herself with less envy and more pride. This was her fiancée she was cheering on, and she could finally recognize that his accomplishments did not diminish hers.

Although Ranma made it look easy, (hardly breaking a sweat), Genji was keeping up with Ranma's pace - even if he had to pant hard to do it. However, Ranma could not only hit every mark perfectly, he had enough time and energy left to initiate an offensive. In a whirl, Ranma snuck out one hand and snatched at Genji's heel. The Dancing Dragon flailed and missed a series of steps, but at least he managed to stay upright and regain his footing. He attempted a few retaliatory trips and hits, but Ranma dodged and moved like flowing water.

Mai's mouth dropped open as she watched. Was that guy even human?

The music ended and the crowd cheered. Sweat was glistening on both of the men's brows, but only Genji was breathing heavily. The final score came in. Ranma was the winner, though it wasn't nearly as wide a point margin as when Akane had battled Mai.

It was Genji's turn, and he picked a song that Ranma considered utterly boring for a fight. It had a few awkwardly placed combos, but otherwise wasn't much of a challenge. Ranma vaguely recalled it utilized a large number of "freeze" steps. They required the user to keep a consistent pressure on a pad for prolonged periods of time. Lifting a foot - or whatever appendage used to strike the spot - would result in a loss of points and forfeit any combo bonuses. In general, it made the footwork slow and trivial. Reluctantly, Ranma realized Genji was making a pretty wise choice. This song's stepchart worked perfectly against Ranma's strengths of agility and speed.

Genji made a show of switching his shoes back to the heavier metal lined boots. "Hope you're made of sturdy stuff, Saotome. I'd hate to drown out the music with your crunching bones."

Ranma snorted derisively. "Doesn't matter what you put on your feet. I could dodge you in my sleep."

Any further banter was cut off by the start of the music. Instinctually from their practice sessions, Ranma nailed the required combination - but both his feet were then stuck in the same position.

It was exactly what Genji had waited for. He had chosen to use only one foot and one hand to execute his combination, leaving his dominant leg free to attack. Ranma saw the move coming, but knew he would have to suck it up and take it rather than dodge and forfeit points. Genji ground his metal lined boot into Ranma's foot at full force. Ranma gritted his teeth but refused to move or give his opponent the satisfaction of a cry of pain. He was suddenly very glad he had spent so much time suffering abuse from his Pop and Ryoga in training.

Akane winced in sympathy, glaring at the instructions on the screen that were downright torturous. Ranma's feet would have to remain in that vulnerable position for an agonizing amount of time, and yet his hands were also required to be fairly busy hitting other marks.

Finally there was a move that allowed Ranma to at least free up one of his hands. Just because he was forced to leave his foot in place didn't mean he was going to idly endure Genji's abuse. With his free left hand, Ranma grabbed the jerk by the ankle and flipped Genji upside down, holding the challenger up in the air while he squirmed like a worm on a hook.

The crowd was in an uproar. Some were laughing, some of the girls in the audience wolf-whistled at the sight of Ranma's handsomely flexed and straining bicep, while others booed him. This was not normally seen at DAFT!

The rules prohibited actual throws off the dance pad, and Ranma knew his maneuver was dangerously skirting the excessive force line. He didn't let go, though. Genji was technically still on top of the mat and his solution had incapacitated Genji's weaponized feet, leaving Ranma free to rack up points without danger of his immobilized feet becoming unguarded targets. Ranma had to hand it to the guy; even suspended in the air, Genji wasn't giving up and was now stretching out his hands to hit the marks on his area of the dance pad.

Soon as there was a slight lull in the required steps, Genji managed to twist his torso and backflip out of the hold, impressively landing on his feet in time to strike the proper squares. Ranma had to mentally acknowledge that Genji had earned his champion title at this sport.

The music came to an end. Ranma looked up confidently to view the final score and his eyes bulged. The judges had deeply docked Ranma for his earlier maneuver, giving Genji the win. Ranma cursed under his breath. Stupid restrictive combat rules. This was becoming even less fun than Martial Gymnastics limitations.

It was time for the computer to choose the song for the final round. Ranma never thought he'd have to go to round three, and it made him reevaluate the importance of adhering to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules. The judges held a great deal of sway over the final result and made it known when displeased. Subtlety would be key.

Genji eagerly awaited the result, formulating his best strategy for footwear.

At last the roulette wheel on the screen came to a stop, and the computer made its selection. The song-level for the finale would be challenging in a different aspect. It had a drastically varying tempo, making it distracting and hard to get into any set rhythm. Genji had only moments to decide what would be the best strategy. Speed and agility, or stronger defense and offense? He frowned and decided to try something unusual. His right foot would keep the metal shoe on, but his left would have the lighter dancewear.

Ranma saw what Genji was doing and made a note to be on guard for his opponents attacks on the weaponized side.

The music began. The tempo was slow, at first, and required awkward reaches across the dance pad. Genji launched an attack with his right, but Ranma easily dodged. The martial artist flipped to his hands, throwing Genji off completely. Then, to his utter surprise, Ranma continued with his hands. Genji recovered his senses quickly, recognizing an even better opportunity for attack. If Ranma thought a strike of metal against his foot hurt, then he would be in for double the damage on his exposed hands.

Genji launched at Ranma's hand, but the martial artist was too nimble and simply flipped back to his feet, landing hard on top of Genji's outward foot with both of his own feet and the full force of his entire body weight. Even with his protective boot, the impact bruised and Genji winced.

The tempo picked up, and Genji had to concentrate his efforts more on his own dance pad. That was when Ranma took the offensive, carefully restraining himself to avoid penalties, and with a free hand reached out. Genji expected it to snatch out to trip him. He was not expecting what came next.

"Sen Hiari no Sashi Kizu!" Ranma called out.

"Aah!" Genji cried out, slapping at his legs and encountering nothing. Ranma had improvised a new attack and retreated just as swiftly. Genji lost complete concentration on his footwork, rubbing his lower limbs. Although he couldn't see under his pants, the exposed skin near his ankle showed tiny red welts from Ranma pinching the skin, and from the feel of it, they went all the way to his knee. In less than a second, the martial artist had managed to pinch him a thousand times. The end result felt like being bitten by a slew of stinging insects, and it was well within the rules and spirit of DAFT: small force used with precision on the lower legs.

Genji forced himself to refocus and continue, but the point lead was severely skewed against him, now. The song ended, and Genji had to bow in defeat. The judges had fully approved and there were no penalty marks this time.

The crowd was clapping, and some were cheering while others remained puzzled. Few eyes in the room were skilled enough to see the attack that lead to Ranma's swift victory.

Ranma jumped off the stage to where Akane was waiting. She was smiling and shaking her head ruefully at him. "Sting of a Thousand Fire Ants?" Akane questioned, approvingly. "I take it you created a different version of Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire Fist?"

Ranma chuckled lightly. "Yeah, were you able to follow?"

Akane nodded. "Just barely. I imagine it feels a lot like what you named it."

Ranma shrugged. "The guy deserved it."

Akane took in Ranma's posture. He was favoring his left side that had taken some of the most severe blows from Genji. "Are you okay?" she asked, her face losing all mirth and becoming serious.

Ranma waved dismissively. "I'm more than tough enough to withstand some metal shoes, Akane."

She knew Ranma's bravado all too well and cocked an eyebrow at him. He was going to be all stubborn and macho, and she would just have to show him how wrong he was.

Quickly, she bent over and lightly poked the bridge of the offended foot. He winced and tears sprung to his eyes unbidden.

"Uh huh," her voice was heavy with sarcasm. "Let's let Tofu-sensei take a look anyway, okay 'tough' guy?"

No longer willing to deny it, Akane easily forced Ranma into a chair while Tofu tended to his foot much in the way he had to hers. They turned their attention back to the announcer. It was time for the couples dance portion to begin, and Genji and Mai had already changed their attire to accomodate.

Genji now wore a cross between a tuxedo and something a male flamenco dancer would wear, all in black but with his collar loose enough to show off his well formed pecs.

Mai's dress was a sultry black, with a diagonal cut that clung to her lithe body like a second skin. There was only a small strap on her right shoulder, the left was bare. Her collar was lined with shimmering sequins that trailed down to the skirt before ending in tasseled trim. Her long, elfin legs were displayed for the world to see and admire. The length of the dress at it's shortest point at her right hip was no more than what a bathing suit covered, and at it's longest it redefined the term mini-skirt. Her high heeled dance shoes sparkled with more sequins and miniature faux diamonds.

Akane was wearing the 'sexy' ensemble her sisters and Nodoka had picked out for her, but she felt drab and rough compared to the glamorous and sensual ballroom attire. Ranma was in his usual, casual street clothes: a red, sleeveless Chinese buttoned shirt, and loose pants. Although she knew their attire matched much better with the style of dancing they would perform, Akane felt herself doubting their approach.

Ranma looked at Akane and could almost read her mind, seeing some of Akane's self confidence drain away.

"Sparkles and glitter, huh? I guess she needs that to make up for any real skill."

Akane smiled at him. It was just the thing she needed to hear.

The Dancing Dragons began, the music a strange mixture of Latin and pop music. The pace was slower than anything chosen for the fight portions and with good reason - what mattered most this round was chemistry and artistry in dancing. Hitting the correct marks avoided penalty, but only by dancing beautifully and sensually would they gain any points from the staunch judges.

The crowd oohed and awed at the courtship dance. Unlike on a ballroom floor, the participants were limited to the much smaller dance platform, but Genji and Mai expertly used the limited space and turned, twirled, and made it feel exactly the perfect size.

Akane watched appreciately, knowing from experience how difficult that style of dance was for her and Ranma. The leader and follower remained connected chest-to-chest in full body contact throughout, and adding to the difficulty Mai's right toe was properly kept directly between the toes of her partner. There were intricate foot movements, turns, and dips, but unlike the rapid jumping and vertical lifts of the combat rounds, Mai and Genji kept their feet close to the floor, their bodies level, their ankles and knees brushing as one leg passed the other.

The crowd oohed and awed. The music came to an end, and they finished with a beautiful romantic flourish; Mai's lithe body dipped backward, as gracefully as any prima ballerina, over Genji's arm.

The crowd erupted with applause. Even the judges were standing and applauding. Their scores were high. They hadn't missed a single step on the dance pad, either.

Ranma and Akane held only a minor lead from the combative rounds. That was wiped away with the Dancing Dragons' performance. Now, it all hinged on the dance portion.

Instead of feeling deflated, Akane took stock of herself. Yes, the opponent's routine was good, but damnit, she and Ranma were not going to accept defeat now.

Ranma took in the high scores and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. The challenge was on. He looked at Akane, glad to see a fire burning in her eyes. "Ready, tomboy?"

Akane tilted her head and raised her eyebrows, a small, but confident smile gracing her lips. "Let's show them how it's done Anything Goes style."

In stark contrast, the music they choose was not slow or sedate. It had a heavy beat to it, the bass rumbling deep and making itself felt within the chests of every member of the audience. Kasumi and Nabiki began cheering, along with most of the students from Furinkan High.

To the surprise of most of the audience members, they reenacted, quite realistically, a fight of some sort. They were putting everything they had learned from Kyo and Kai to use in a stylized uprock battle. Yet it wasn't just a battle-turned-dance. There were longing gazes they gave each other, and times in which they would directly unite and dance together, rather than competitively at each other.

Akane's right hand grasped Ranma's shoulder when his back was turned. Her left hand gripped him just above his left wrist. Their bodies dipped and continued to dance for two beats before he spun around to face her, challengingly. Her arms answered, and crossed over, blocking his advance by placing her hands firmly on his chest. His hands grasped hers in retaliation - or was it in a teasing embrace? - and spun her. Akane's back was now pressed up against Ranma's chest, her arms crossed over her waist and his hands entwined with her own while their legs and feet moved in perfect unison across the dance pad.

Throughout the exchange, the sexual tension between the two was palpable. There was genuine longing in every touch, an exhilaration and vibrancy from their interactions that made the entire world - the stage, the crowd, even the music - narrow to encompass nothing but them.

At one point Akane's hands pushed Ranma at the chest hard, his body rolled gracefully into a backward somersault, to land lithely back on his feet to stalk her.

Then Akane's hands went down in front of herself, striking the necessary mark on the dance pad, and launched herself vertically into a handstand. But it wasn't merely a handstand. Ranma was right in front of her, and she wrapped her legs around Ranma's shoulders - reminiscent of a martial arts or wrestling throw - but instead of turning it into an attack, it became an embrace. Ranma's hands were on her exposed waist and he spotted her as she launched into the air in an artistic flip. Her arms replaced where her legs had been, entwined around Ranma's neck as she landed. Her feet landed on the correct dance pads, but that was hardly what anyone watching noticed. All eyes were on their embrace. Ranma's right arm wrapped around her back, his hand resting at the nape of her neck. Their torsos were tightly pressed together, Ranma's firm stance supporting them both, as Akane was draped over him from her landing. Their faces were only inches apart.

All of this took place in a matter of seconds. The crowd went wild, cheering. No one had ever seen anything like this.

For a split second the distance closed as they hugged fiercely, before they executed an intricate spinning turn, then separating - as if they had been pulled apart by the demands of the flashing lights of the dance pad.

Kasumi gasped. "Oh my. It's their relationship. It's their story told in miniature."

Nabiki cocked an eyebrow at her eldest sister. She was prone to overly romanticize. Skeptically, Nabiki returned her attention to the stage. Kasumi was right. It wasn't just a sensualized dance with some mixed martial arts thrown in. They were telling a story. It started off combative, but then turned playful with increasingly strong sexual overtones. Consciously or not, their dance routine was a play of their lives together. Beautifully chaotic and full of motion, filled with a passion that was for moving and feeling alive, often struggling with their desires to be both independent yet recognize the attraction pulling them together while other forces tried to yank them apart.

Nabiki glanced around quickly at the other spectators. There were tears in some of their eyes, and many of the men were slackjawed. Others were breathing more heavily, the sexual tension of their hip hop routine - and Akane's bare waisted hour glass figure - arousing their baser desires. Still, each member of the audience could feel and sense how this was not merely a show. These two thrilled to be moving in tandem, their competitive spirit able to play off each other and against their opponents. Mai and Genji had danced about passion. These two embodied it.

The music changed slightly, not exactly slowing down, but feeling less frantic in it's intensity. The required steps on the screen consisted heavily of the "freeze" positions punctuated by strong heavy beats in the music. Utilizing the need to remain locked into various positions, they faced each other in a series of artistic hip hop moves. Akane's back arched sensuously to strike one of the required pads, and Ranma's left arm caught her. Akane brought her right arm around his shoulders, and his free hand hovered over her breasts, close but not directly touching. The desire he felt was palpable, only held back with a will like steel. The crowd hooted and called.

Nabiki's eyes widened and she felt her own cheeks flush. Her romantically shy, prudish, defensive baby sister was unrecognizable. So was the usually bashful and skittish young man. Nabiki smirked, remembering her own chiding words to her sister. She had teased her to be a true practitioner of Anything Goes and flaunt it. Apparently, Akane was ready to take that advice. After knowing them for so long, Nabiki marveled at how they managed to ever rehearse such moves without Ranma being pummeled to Hokkaido.

The style of the dance changed in time to the music. There were fewer pops and stylized jerk movements. Instead, their movements became fluid and flowing from movement to movement. It was still utterly them, with martial arts inspired movements and a much more rough and tumble dance form than Genji and Mai's formal ballroom dancing. Yet, in its own way, it was just as elegant and romantic.

Nabiki nodded silently, impressed despite herself.

Even without knowing them or their background, the audience knew from watching what they were about. The struggle, the irresistible chemistry, the fighting against forces beyond their control, to finally, stubbornly, come together in harmony.

The music was coming to an end. In their finishing move, Ranma squarely hit two flashing dance pads with his feet and, showing off his amazing flexibility, effortlessly bent backwards to strike another grid with his right hand. His left arm had never left Akane's back, and he pulled her down into him. Her breasts were pressed lightly against his firm chest, with both her hands on his broad pecs. The last move was hers, and her right leg planted on the ground between his legs to hit the final pad, while her left leg was raised up into an artistic angle, as striking a pose as any gymnast or ballerina. Their faces were only a hairs breath apart, their eyes locked on each other as if nothing else in the room was taking place.

Cheers erupted from the crowd. All the judges, except for one (the same judge that gave the Dancing Dragons a perfect score), were standing and applauding. Mai and Genji were watching with bug eyes and open mouths. The final score flashed in large print on the screen. The announcer's voice confirmed it: "Anything Goes wins!"

Caught up in the moment, Akane threw her arms around Ranma's neck in celebration. As she shyly pulled back, their eyes met for a breathless moment. Heat surged through her and for a split second Akane's body warred between passion and the impulse to push away in embarrassment, remembering at the last moment that the dance was over and they were in public.

Before she could reach a conscious decision, Ranma's strong hands were around her waist and he brought her firmly toward him. His lips consumed hers; his kiss hard, possessive, demanding her response. All the pent up longing she had for him rushed to the surface, and she returned his kiss with a fierce hunger, losing herself in him.

His arms enclosed her tightly, making the breath come short in her tired lungs, making her knees watery.

I wonder if this is what lightning feels like? she vaguely wondered as her entire being tingled from their contact. Powerful awareness of all the places their bodies touched from his palms on her back, to her breasts, belly, and thighs crushed against his, made the blood pound in her veins.

Nothing in Ranma's life had ever felt so right. Sudden heat ignited in his blood, almost more than his mind could comprehend. For a timeless moment that might have been an eternity, he wasn't thinking, wasn't even feeling anything else; nothing existed for him except her. Her taste, her touch, her scent, overwhelming every sense he possessed.

Reluctantly, he finally released her from the kiss, their breathing ragged. Akane slowly opened her eyes and stared at him fixedly. Reality slowly started to crash around them, as he heard the catcalls and hooting from the crowd. Pleasingly, he noticed Akane didn't try to break out of his arms. Her face was glowing, her lips arousingly kiss-swollen, and the smile she gave him set his heart beating even faster.

Ranma saw the time on the clock and stiffened. He had to get running, now, or he'd be screwed.

He stepped back apologetically. "I gotta go!"

Akane eyed him in shock. "Wait?! You go and kiss me like *that* and you're now running away?!"

Ranma tugged at his bangs in frustration. "Trust me, I don't wanna leave, but I made a promise."

Akane sighed, recognizing the torn position Ranma was in, but still feeling entirely frustrated by his yoyo actions. She waved dismissively. "Fine. Go. But we should talk later, tonight, right?"

Ranma gave her a confident grin. "And maybe more than talk?"

"Oh, get going already!" Akane playfully pushed him out the door, her face blushing prettily.


Author's Note:

Writing about a rapid pace, visual, artistic medium is wicked hard. Please let me know if this made sense to you all. I can only hope the choreography in my head translated properly.

Remember: "Reviews nourish writer enthusiasm and make us think about what we are doing and learn from mistakes and grow and be better." - O'Donoghue

Original Publication Date: Nov. 20, 2014

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