Arc IV: Homecoming
Chapter: The King and Queen
Ranma was sitting on the bleachers when his attention was drawn to a light that suddenly came from the side wall. He watched as two figures burst out of what could only have been a closet. He soon realized that it was the Kuno siblings and wonder what had happened to them as they both looked like they were going to be sick. The pig-tailed boy chuckled as he watched the pair run into each other before turning around and running out of the opposite ends of the gym.
His attention was diverted to the stage when a spot light had come on and the principal walked out. He had on what looked like a more formal version of his normal attire. His jacket was cobalt blue with red roses, rhinestones outlining each rose petal that caused it to sparkle underneath the light. Underneath the jacket was a white sequin shirt, a red and blue lei wrapped around his neck, the usual palm tree topped his head, and even though it was night, he still had his sunglasses on. His pants were the same color as the red roses and had a blue sequin stripe down the sides.
Ranma's eyes began to bleed at the sight.
"We be annoucin' the king and queen soon. Can all da nominees come to da stage?"
Set up on the middle of the stage was a small table with two crowns sitting on small plush pillows. Ms. Hinako, now in her adult form, was almost spilling out of the top of her little black dress, the bottom barely covering her behind, was standing next to the table and looked like a prize girl on some television game show.
Ranma looked at the blue-haired girl standing next to him and smiled.
"I guess we're up."
She smiled back and said, "Yup. You ready?"
With a small nod they headed to the stage with the rest of the nominees. The boys were shepherded onto the left side of the stage and the girls on the right side, both groups standing in straight lines.
Once everyone was ready, Principal Kuno nodded to Ms. Hinako who pulled an envelope from between her cleavage and handed it to him before stepping back. The Kuno patriarch opened the envelope and looked at the paper, a grin formed on his face.
"Your new Homecoming Queen is ..."
The students all leaned forward in anticipation as the principal stretched the moment out, enjoying the attention.
"...Tendo, Akane!"
Akane couldn't believe it. The principal has called her name, she won. She stood there shocked, not sure of what to do.
Ranma looked over and smiled at the expression on his fiancée's face. She looked absolutely stunned. The applause started off slowly before it turned thunderous as the students clapped, stomped their feet, and wolf whistled at the announcement. He could have lived without the last reaction but shrugged it off. Akane seemed to be universally loved, which wasn't a surprise to him.
The principal beckoned her forward and she walked slowly to stand next to him, a blush forming on her face, as she clasped her hands demurely in front of her. The other nominees for queen clapped politely, clearly disappointed they didn't win.
Once the applause died down, the elder Kuno continued, "Your new Homecoming King is..."
The principal tried the same stalling tactic, this time to annoy the students for his amusement, only he stalled for too long and one of the students in the crowd threw a shoe at him.
Dodging the footwear, he cleared his throat and said, "...Saotome, Ranma!"
The pig-tailed boy smiled and walked forward. He was a little surprised when he found out he had been nominated but had gotten over it quickly. When he compared himself to the other nominees, he realized it really wasn't a contest. With his chest puffed out, he walked forward with a swagger in his step towards the front of the stage, a big smirk on his face. When he reached Akane he stood next to her and crossed his arms over his chest.
Behind them Ms. Hinako grabbed the smaller crown and Principal Kuno grabbed the larger crown and walked forward. They reached the pair at the same time and raised the crowns over their heads.
Suddenly Ranma sensed danger and quickly leaned to the right as a pair of clippers swung down where his head was seconds ago. He did a handless body flip, landing on his feet a few feet away just as the principal ran after him brandishing his clippers. Ranma quickly jumped over his head again.
When he couldn't get his hands on the newly announced Homecoming King, Principal Kuno went after the other nominees. The boys scattered and the principal turned to chase after the girls when suddenly he went flying and crashed through the ceiling, leaving a big hole in his wake.
When Ranma had jumped away Akane turned to look at the scene, confused. She only rolled her eyes when she saw the clipper and realized the entire dance was a set-up to try to cut off the winner's hair. She had watched in annoyance as the principal chased after the other boys and failed.
But she got angry when she realized that he was chasing after the girls - who were wearing high heels no less! - leaving most of them vulnerable and unable to run from the crazy principal. She moved forward and punted him with all her strength. She crossed her arms in annoyance as she watched him disappear from sight.
Damn it!
He had been so close to fulfilling his ultimate goal! If he could get to Saotome and cut that stupid ponytail off, he knew that the rest of the student body wouldn't stand a chance in defending themselves from his sheers.
All he had to do was think of some situation where he could get close to the boy. So he planned the dance, made sure that Ranma was on the ballot and that he won. He was so close to his goal only to have been thwarted at the last moment!
He sighed in defeat as he splashed down into the canal.
When Principal Kuno had disappeared from sight, Akane brought her gaze back down and realized her fellow students were clapping for her. She smiled back shyly and she looked over to find Ranma was also clapping and she began to blush.
The pig-tailed boy had stood back for a moment and shook his head as he watched the principal make a fool of himself chasing after the other boys on stage. He had only started forward when he saw the elder Kuno turn his attention on the girls on the other side. He had taken only a step before Akane had rushed forward and took care of the problem.
He had stared at her as she made her kick, enthralled by the sight. Her dress flowed with her movements, the bottom seemed to stretch out like a fan as her leg kicked out in front of her, and when she brought her leg down, her dress swayed back and forth against the floor as it settled. His eyes followed up her body and landed on her chest, which was heaving, whether from exertion or annoyance, he didn't know. And frankly, he didn't care. His eyes widened as he watched her cross her arms under her breasts, pushing them further up. He groaned at the sight.
Once the rest of the students on the stage came out of hiding they had started applauding Akane. He joined in but he wasn't sure if he was clapping for her kick or the sight she provided. He watched as she realized what was happening and looked over his way. The blush on her cheeks was oddly enticing and he tore his gaze away.
If things continued the way they were he was going to have a very embarrassing, very visible problem soon.
Ms. Hinako had watched the entire proceeding with a mixture of annoyance and boredom. It had not surprised her that Principal had planned something so utterly stupid. She should have intervened but it was honestly quite amusing watching his pathetic attempts at shaving the students' hair. She shook her head at the idiocy that was the Principal Kuno's main goal in life.
Stepping towards the microphone still in the middle of the stage, she said, "Everyone please quiet down."
She gave the students a moment to do as she asked before she got annoyed at their slow response. Whipping out a five yen piece, she placed it between her index and middle finger and pointed it at the crowd that quieted immediately at the threat. She smiled at the students. Worked every time.
"That's better, thank you. Will Mr. Saotome and Ms. Tendo please come to the center of the stage? You still need to be crowned."
The pair walked up and stood next to each other as Ms. Hinako first placed the large crown on Ranma's head before placing the smaller one on Akane's. She stepped back to allow the students to give them another round of applause before speaking again.
"Now your Homecoming King and Queen will participate in the spotlight dance."
It seemed the term was a literal one as all the lights in the gym turned off and a split second later a spotlight had turned on, shining directly onto Ranma and Akane, revealing their shocked faces.
No one had told him he would have to slow dance - and by the sound of the music, there was no mistaking it would be a slow dance - if he had won. Why had no one told him?
It would have been easier if the female who won was anyone but Akane. While he desperately wanted the chance to hold her in his arms, he didn't know if he could do it without being completely self-conscious about it with the spotlight, not to mention the gossip and speculation that was sure to spread amongst the crowd. He had the unfortunate experience of being the center of the gossip mill when he declared his love to her, while not knowing it was her, during the cheerleading competition. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat. If he danced with someone else, he could have easily done it and not been embarrassed by it.
He wouldn't have wanted to dance with anyone else, though. And this was his opportunity to dance with her without the embarrassment of having to ask her himself. He would have to resist the overwhelming urge to pull her closely into him, though.
Akane was just so glad that Ranma won and not one of the other boys that had been nominated. She didn't want to dance with any of them; she had only wanted to be held by her fiancé. She had been hoping all night he would ask her to dance but it never happened and it looked like she was finally getting her chance.
On top of it, there were no real repercussions for it. The other students couldn't tease her about it and their parents couldn't make a big deal about it because they had to do it.
She would have smiled but she suddenly felt every eye in the room fixed on her.
Did they really have to use a spotlight?
The middle Tendo sister rolled her eyes at the awkward pair on stage. Nabiki snorted at the look on her sister's and Ranma's faces when the spotlight hit them. They looked like deer in headlights.
She sighed as she watched Ms. Hinako give them both a gentle push to get them walking towards the stairs. Ranma had stiffened up completely, his arms and legs were stiff as he walked and he looked like a toy soldier when he moved. Akane's face was so red that she was no longer in need of the blush that she had applied so expertly on her earlier.
This is just embarrassing, the middle sister thought.
She knew the problem was the two of them were just so stupid when it came to each other. Especially when it came to showing affection.
Next to her Taro snickered.
Ranma walked along with Akane as the crowd parted for them and they reached the center of the dance floor.
This was it. He was finally going to dance with his fiancée!
He watched as Akane turned to face him and smiled at him shyly. He wiped his now sweaty hands on the front of his pants before he reached out and put them gently on her hips.
Keeping her eyes locked on her fiancé, Akane saw him step forward and then a small shiver ran through her as she felt his large, warm hands on her hips. She reached up and put her hands on his shoulders and they began to sway with the music…
while standing two feet apart.
Watching from the sidelines, Ukyo rolled her eyes when the winners were announced. While she was happy that Ranma won, she had mixed feelings about Akane winning. She had watched in amusement as the principal chased them around and cheered along with the rest of the students when he was punted through the roof.
However, she clenched her fists when Ms. Hinako announced that the King and Queen would have to dance together. It had taken everything in her power to stop herself from trying to stop them but it had been worth it.
A grin spread across her face as she watched the two dance together like they were in middle school. A sense of relief washed through her when she realized it wasn't just her Ranma was uncomfortable with when it came to physical affection. It seemed he didn't like being touched by Akane either!
She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, fully enjoying their discomfort.
"Pathetic," Nabiki drawled as she continued to watch them. Next to her Taro had face faulted; not even he expected a scene that stupid. All of the students making up the dance circle had sweat dropped.
She watched for a moment more before deciding to give the pair a break.
"Come on, let's show them how it's done."
Grabbing his hand, she led him to the center of the dance floor and turned towards him. He wrapped his hands around her waist, one hand going up to touch the smooth skin of her lower back exposed by her dress, which allowed him to move his thumb in small circles, the other hand rested firmly on her hip, and pulled her in close to him as possible. She placed her arms on his shoulders and clasped them behind his neck. They swayed together closely as she subtly rubbed her breasts against his chest. She smirked when he pulled her firmly against him so she could feel the large effect she was having on him.
"How about we get out of here?" he whispered huskily into her ear.
Nabiki looked around and noticed that other couples had followed their lead and joined the dance floor.
"Soon," she purred at him.
"Why wait?"
"I just want to see how everything goes." When he didn't respond, she added, "If you're a good boy, when we get to the hotel, I'll be a bad girl and do that thing you like."
Taro pulled back and quirked his eyebrow at her.
"Yeah?"
She only smirked at him in response - he didn't need to know that she liked it too - and he pulled her against him again. He wanted to run his hands over her luscious bottom, but he knew that in Japan, they considered public displays of affection inappropriate. He personally didn't care but he didn't want to cause Nabiki any problems. Instead he took a subtle sniff of her hair as he let himself fantasize about their future activities.
When the winners were announced Gosunkugi groaned and clasped his hands to the sides of his face.
Damn Saotome! Why? Why is it always him? Now he got to dance with Akane!
He put on his head piece with candles and pulled out his voo doo doll, spike, and mallet. He walked towards the trees on back of the stage and started nailing them, chanting, "Curse you, Saotome!"
As weak as he was, it took a couple of swings for him to impale the doll to the tree. Only the tree was made of paper and toppled over from the force and he pitched forward and fell off the stage, getting entwined in pull cables that lifted him off the floor while lowering the stage curtains. Trying to find something to grab onto he swatted his hands around blindly, hitting the light switch which turned on the disco ball before he found himself dangling ten feet off the floor.
Watching from the ceiling, Konatsu had cheered Akane on when she punted the elder Kuno through the roof. He was thankful that Akane had been facing the other direction and had not kicked the principal in his direction.
From the rafters he giggled as he watched his friends awkwardly dance together. After watching for a few moments - because it really was humorous - he decided to help them out. Crawling along the rafters he went to the spotlight and unplugged the unit just after someone had turned on the disco ball.
Ranma felt himself relax a little as the dance floor slowly filled with students and the spotlight was no longer directed at them. Across from him, Akane was still smiling and he wished he had pulled her in closer when they started dancing. He was just so nervous with everyone staring at them like that! But now he regretted it as he longed to have her close to him.
Suddenly Akane lurched forward unsteadily and he opened his arms wide to catch her.
"What's wrong?" Ranma asked, alarmed as he wrapped his arms around her to help her steady herself.
Hands now placed on his chest, Akane's face was pressed against his neck and she took a moment to take a whiff of his cologne and suppressed a sigh. The scent was so utterly masculine, so essentially Ranma, that all she wanted to do was rest her head on his shoulder. She forced herself to pull back a little and smiled up at him.
"Sorry, someone bumped into me and I lost my footing."
Ranma frowned for a moment. It would have taken a pretty violent motion to move her like that and his first instinct was to find the perpetrator and beat the crap out of them. But when he realized the position they were in, he let it go. She was obviously unhurt.
They both stayed there motionless, wondering if the other was going to pull back. When it became obvious that neither would, they began to sway again, forming a small circle as they danced.
Nabiki smirked at Akane and Ranma. She knew it would only take a little nudge to get them dancing with each other like that. Well, it was more than a little nudge, more like a hip check. But hey, it worked.
She grabbed Taro's hand and led him towards the DJ. She needed to make sure the man would keep playing slow songs for a while. And if she couldn't convince him with words, she was sure that Taro would be willing to help.
"So, you havin' fun?" Ranma asked Akane as they danced.
"Yeah. I really am." Akane said with a small smile. She looked around the gym and laughed. "I can't believe he went to all that trouble just to cut off someone's hair."
"Someone's? I think you mean mine."
"But how could he know you would win?"
Ranma only gave her a patronizing look in response.
"Oh...you think he rigged the entire thing."
"Bingo."
"...oh."
Ranma watched as a sad look came over her face.
"What's the matter?"
She gave him small smile and shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing, it was just nice thinking I won."
While she tried to play it off, Ranma could tell it bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
"You know, I think he only rigged it for the guys. It looked as if Ms. Hinako was always going to crown the girls, so he wouldn't bother tampering with the girls' ballots."
"You think?"
"Yup. Besides, I've heard people talking this week, everyone likes you."
Akane smiled, feeling a bit better at his words.
"Oh really? Everyone, huh?" she said sarcastically before her eyes widened a little as she realized how her comment could be taken.
Ranma knew that she was being dismissive and before he would have pretended to ignore the comment. Or reacted by insulting her, not wanting to be emotionally vulnerable. But now, after her little confession the other night, he thought that it was time that he too made a small declaration of his own.
"Yeah, everyone," Ranma said softly, causing her to look down and blush.
Ukyo clenched her hands as she watched Ranma and Akane dance. She had watched as Nabiki bumped Akane into Ranma. She had assumed that they would jump apart. But they didn't! They hadn't even noticed that the first song had ended!
She seethed and reached into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out two mini-spatulas that she had tucked inside just in case she needed them. She marched a few feet forward when she heard a shout.
"Happōgoensatsu!"
Suddenly, Ukyo was completely drained of all her energy, quite literally. She felt herself become paper thin and she started floating to the floor.
She wanted to scream! This had been the most frustrating and confusing night of her life! She had spent all that time primping, trying to get Ranma to notice her, and she had completely forgotten about him when she saw Konatsu.
Then she tried to get Ranma's attention and he had once again ignored her. She fumed at that but then felt joy when she saw him dancing with Akane like he was nauseated by her touch. That had lasted only a short while before she became angry at how close they were. And rightfully so!
And now, now she was stuck unable to move. It was embarrassing, she should have at least been able to sense the attack before it came, but she was too focused on the pair in front of her.
Ukyo grumbled to herself, still falling, when suddenly she felt a pair of arms slide underneath her, carrying her limp body bridal style.
"Oh, Miss Ukyo, it'll be okay."
Staring down at her was Konatsu, a kind smile on his face and she felt her stomach flip. He was once again wearing that suit she had seen him in earlier. She found herself looking over him in greater detail and found that she really liked what she saw. She was so used to seeing him in a kimono or gi that she never noticed his broad shoulders, emphasized by the cut of his suit. Or the way his muscular arms bulged a little, even under all those layers, and she had definitely never noticed the strong line of his jaw.
"How about we go home, okay?"
Ukyo would have nodded if she could but it seemed he didn't need her confirmation as he carried her out of the gym.
Konatsu had watched the entire encounter from the rafters above. He had been sad but unsurprised by her need to attack Ranma and Akane. He had no illusions that she was in love with the pigtail boy, but after hanging out with the pair, he knew she had no chance with him. It was obvious how much Ranma cared for his blue-haired fiancée but there was nothing he could or would do about it. He knew from personal experience that you couldn't help who you loved.
He was still very loyal to the chef but Akane had shown him a level of acceptance he had never expected. She had offered him friendship when he felt down and gave him help when he had needed it. He could no longer just blindly follow along with what Ukyo planned when it came to Ranma and Akane but he found that he could not go against her either. So he had decided to observe and only intervene if someone was really going to get hurt.
He looked at the girl in his arms and smiled. She looked absolutely stunning. She stood out beautifully from the rest of the girls in her choice of outfit and color. Plus she had perfectly accessorized herself!
Ms. Hinako had been walking through the crowd making sure that everyone was on their best behavior when she suddenly felt a battle aura. She walked quickly to the source and had seen a known delinquent head towards the newly crowned couple with malicious intent.
She drained the girl without a second thought and headed towards a couple in the corner of the gym who seemed to have forgotten they were in public.
She glanced over at Ranma and Akane and smiled. Although the two had often caused trouble, she really liked them both. She was glad to see them working out their relationship and was happy to help.
And not because she thought it would earn her points with the handsome, mustachioed, Tendo patriarch.
Still dancing, Ranma and Akane had gone through three slow songs without realizing it. Looking over Ranma's shoulder, she noticed Daisuke, Yuka, and Hiroshi sitting in that order on the bleachers.
She leaned back a little, and before really thinking about it, said, "So you think those two are ever going to get together?"
"Who?" Ranma asked.
Her eyes widened when she realized her slip; she hadn't meant to reveal her friend's secret. She hadn't even known she had spoken out loud. When she looked up she realized that Ranma was staring at her curiously and she worried her bottom lip. She could try to back out of the comment but she knew that she could trust Ranma with a secret. With a sigh she gestured with her head in the direction of the bleachers.
The pigtail boy had almost forgotten what they were talking about, he had been so focused on her mouth. It was fascinating the way her plump bottom lip would fold underneath her pearly teeth. When he glimpsed at the tip of her pink, wet tongue, he had unconsciously licked his lips. He suddenly realized that she was moving her head and Ranma looked over in the direction she indicated and snorted.
"Nah, Dai is never gonna get up the courage to ask her out."
"Dai? You mean Hiroshi, right?"
"No, I meant Dai."
Ranma looked at her suddenly concerned face before he looked back to the bleachers. He saw Yuka looking at Hiroshi without trying to look like she was looking at him and the pig-tail boy figured it out. Turning his attention back to Akane he saw her once again chewing her bottom lip as she stared at the bleachers.
"Do you think we should..." she began before Ranma's laughter interrupted her. She quirked her eyebrow at him and asked, "What's so funny?"
"It's just...this is the first time there is...relationship drama that doesn't involve either of us! I shouldn't be laughing it just makes me feel...kinda normal," he explained as he continued to laugh.
A smile formed on her face as she figured out what he was trying to say. Their lives were so bizarre at times that it felt a little alienating. She always felt so different from her friends, and from what he said, it seemed that Ranma did too. Having something in common with them, even if it was a love triangle, was a little comforting.
"So, should we say anything? Or do something?"
"No. Definitely not." When Akane continued to look conflicted he added, "Has it ever turned out well when someone has tried to 'help' us?"
A series of disasters flashed through her mind and she shook her head.
"Point taken."
A little while later, the dance had wound down and the group had decided to leave. They walked out the gym doors and Akane took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, crisp air after spending so much time in the increasingly stuffy gym.
"That was a lot of fun!" Yuka exclaimed as she did a little twirl.
"Yeah, it was!" Akane agreed.
Reaching the gate, Yuka pointed to the right and said, "Well, I'm headed that way."
"Me too," Daisuke said, completely lying. "It's getting late, I'll walk you home."
Yuka gave him a small grateful smile that had his heart beating faster and said, "Thanks."
"You live that way too, right Hiroshi? Why don't you go with them," Sayuri said with a grin.
Yuka blushed slightly and looked at the floor. Hiroshi looked at Daisuke, unsure of what to do. He did live near Yuka and he had planned on taking the long way home to give his friend some privacy. Daisuke just shrugged slightly, knowing there was nothing they could do, trying to get out of it would just make things awkward.
Akane gave Ranma another questioning look and he just shook his head slightly.
"Sure, okay," Hiroshi finally said, resigned to be the third wheel.
The trio headed off, leaving a grinning Sayuri, a concerned Akane, an unconcerned Ranma and an oblivious Mousse behind.
"Well, I guess I'll head off too," Sayuri said a moment later.
"It really is getting late. Mousse, would you mind walking Sayuri home? I'd feel better if you were there to keep her safe," Akane said sweetly, a mischievous grin on her face.
Sayuri kept a blank look on her face. She couldn't get mad at her friend, since she literally just did the same thing to Yuka. Secretly, she had a little thrill from getting to be alone with Mousse, even if it were for the short duration to her house.
It was a strange situation for Mousse, being asked to protect a female. But he knew Japan was very different from the Amazon village and that Sayuri, while not weak, was no martial artist.
"Of course. Good night, Akane, thank you for including me. I had...fun," Mousse said.
He really did end up enjoying himself. He had spent the entire night chatting with students he had met at the Neko Hanten. He enjoyed the music and found the crowning and the spotlight dance hysterical. He openly laughed at Ranma (not Akane). He had even been asked to dance by several young women but he politely declined them all. When he looked at them, he couldn't help but compare them to Shampoo and found them all sadly lacking.
Akane beamed at him and said, "You're welcome. Good night."
Mousse turned and gave Ranma a small nod and said, "Saotome."
Ranma gave him a small nod back and said, "Night."
The pair watched the two leave and Ranma wondered slightly about the twinkle in Akane's eyes as she watched them. He quickly forgot about it when he realized how pretty she looked under the moonlight. But he knew that he always found her attractive, whether she was in her school uniform, her old comfortable gi, one of her many dresses, or the lovely gown she was currently in.
"Ready?" she asked once she could no longer see her friend.
"Hmm," he said distractedly before he registered what she said. "Oh, yeah sure."
They walked slowly, enjoying the evening and the company, the conversation casual and light. When they reached the Tendo home, they turned to face each other.
Akane looked up and gazed into Ranma's eyes. She had noticed over the years that they seemed to change color slightly with his mood, going from a bright blue when he was happy to a dark blue when he was angry. Tonight they seemed to be a sapphire and she couldn't help but be enthralled. She stepped forward without realizing it, wanting to be closer to him.
Ranma was staring at his fiancée and he couldn't help but inch closer as he remembered them dancing together, wanting to have her in his arms again. All night he had watched her, either while he was standing next to her or while she was across the room. He knew that they had crossed some invisible line tonight. He couldn't explain it but he felt somehow...more connected to her.
As they moved together, Ranma realized it was time to stop overthinking things and just go with his gut. He reached out and gently put his hand on the back of her head, giving her a chance to move away from his touch. She tilted her head up in acceptance and he lowered his as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Everything else seemed to disappear for him, the only thing that mattered was the girl in front of him. He was a few centimeters away from her lips when a loud crash sounded.
Surprised, they pulled back and instantly got into defensive positions. Quickly scanning the area they noticed nothing amiss before they heard the sound of two dogs barking and running away in the alley behind the house. They both laughed as they straightened from their stances and looked at each other.
Akane couldn't believe it. They were so close! Now the mood was completely ruined. She looked at Ranma and tried to smile encouragingly. She wished she knew how to get the mood back, but she was just horrible at things like this!
Ranma smiled back as disappointment washed through him. He just stared at her, not knowing what to do. The missed opportunity remained unspoken and made the once comfortable silence awkward.
After a few more moments the awkwardness became unbearable and Akane said, "Well, I guess we better go in."
Disappointed, Ranma didn't know how to respond, so he only nodded his head.
She turned and took a step towards the door and put her hand on the knob when she stopped. I'm not ending the night like this, she thought as she steeled herself. She quickly turned around and stepped forward. Going to her tippy toes, she leaned forward, pressed her lips together, and kissed his right cheek.
Pulling back, Akane tried to keep the smile on her face but she was mentally kicking herself. She had been so determined but she had simply lost her nerve at the last moment. She turned towards the door when she felt a hand grab her wrist and yank her around and she found herself pressed against Ranma. Her eyes widened as she saw him lean quickly into her.
"Oww," she cried out a moment later.
Ranma had misjudged and accidentally head butted her in his enthusiastic attempt to kiss her.
When she had turned around to go inside Ranma cursed himself. He had been pleasantly surprised and excited when Akane had turned around and leaned up to kiss him and had been slightly disappointed when it landed on his cheek. She had gathered enough courage to do what he couldn't and it was his turn to step up. He was a man, dammit! Fortifying himself, he had reached out and pulled her towards him before he could change his mind, only to miss! He was completely embarrassed and felt idiotic.
"I'm sorry!" he said, waving his hands in a warding fashion in front of himself.
Akane was rubbing her forehead slightly as she looked at him and suddenly started to giggle.
"We are really bad at this," she said as she shook her head.
"Yeah we are," Ranma said as a small smile reached his face. He felt slightly relieved that she found humor in the situation.
He reached up and put his hand on her head, rubbing his thumb over her forehead to soothe the pain.
"You okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. You know me, built like a brick," she answered with a smile.
The pig-tailed boy looked into her beautiful eyes and thought, Fuck it.
He leaned down and pressed his lips gently onto her still smiling mouth. She was shocked for a second, remaining motionless before she returned the kiss. It was light and gentle and sweet. She found herself melting into him, enjoying the wonderful warm feeling that started to course through her body.
Ranma had been about to pull away, thinking he messed up - again - when he felt her respond. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt her soft plump lips move on his. Her lips tasted like vanilla and he wanted more. He tilted his head to the side as he continued to kiss her, enjoying the sensation, when he was surprised by the feeling of her warm wet tongue brushing against him. He moaned and opened his mouth to her request.
Akane had no idea what she was doing, and for once, she didn't care. She had completely let go and went with instinct. All she knew was that she didn't want to stop. His firm lips felt so good against hers and all she wanted to know was what he tasted like. Before she knew what she was doing, she found her tongue licking his full upper lip. When he opened his lips to her, she slipped her tongue in and began to explore his warm mouth. She started off slowly, licking the inside of his lips and then brushing her tongue against the bottom of his teeth. But when she grazed the tip of his tongue, the warmth that had been growing throughout her body seemed to turn white hot. As their tongues danced, she moved closer to him and put her hands on the back of his head pulling him further down towards her as her other hand began to play with his pigtail.
Feeling her tongue on his, Ranma lost what little control he had left and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her as close to him as he could, but that still wasn't close enough. His hands were clasped at her lower back and the left began rubbing up and down until he went higher and felt the soft, smooth skin exposed by her dress and he moaned again. He had been absolutely fascinated by the sensual sight all night and feeling her warm skin underneath his fingers without a barrier between them caused a fire to grow in his belly as his blood began to pool into the lower part of his body.
She moaned a little as she suddenly felt something hard pressed between them and she instinctively rubbed herself against him. Suddenly, a tingling sensation she had never felt before started in her lower body, causing her to squeeze her legs together. She had the overwhelming need to rub her thighs together as she wriggled against him, trying to pull herself as close to him as possible. Somehow, pressed against his body as she was, it still didn't feel like enough. She felt her core began to throb with need as her panties dampened. For the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to truly want someone.
Ranma wanted to keep going, to keep her pressed against him. This had been the most enjoyable experience of his life and he knew it could only get better. His right hand had moved from her waist upward until he was lightly touching the swell of her breast. Realizing he might have gone too far, he started to pull back but she surprised him by turning her body into his touch so that he was fully cupping her in his hand. His stilled for a moment before he began to massage her lightly, feeling the soft skin of the top of her breast with his fingertips. He loved the heavy feel of her breast in his hands and her soft moans of pleasure were the most arousing thing he had ever heard and they stroked his male ego.
She thought she was going to explode. She never thought her body could feel this good. His hands were so large and calloused, she assumed he would be rough with her but he wasn't. He was being so careful with her and she found she loved the way his fingers moved against her skin. Shivers ran through her body at the way his hands were firmly squeezing her. He had always been good with his hands and she wondered what else his hands could do to her body. She suddenly wanted more. Wanted him to stop being so careful with her. To see the pleasure he could bring her if she snapped the last vestiges of his control.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be kissing Akane like this. That she not only allowed him to touch her but she'd be so willing in his arms. But as she continued rubbing herself against his manhood, he knew, in the back of his head that they were going too far too fast. He never, ever wanted her to regret what they did because they got lost in the moment. He gave himself a moment more to enjoy the feeling of her rubbing herself against him, the feel of her skin against one hand, her firm breast in the other, as he continued to explore her mouth.
It took everything in his power to pull back but he knew it was the right thing to do. He looked down and her eyes were closed, her long lashes lying on her cheeks and her lips swollen from their kissing. She was breathing unsteadily, as she tried to catch her breath from their activities. When her eyes fluttered open, he could see that she looked slightly dazed and his ego swelled at the thought that he was the one who made her feel that way.
He wondered if this was what she would look like if she were lying underneath him. Panting with desire, her cheeks flushed pink in pleasure. Her legs wrapped around him, her nails clawing down his back. Their hot sweaty bodies writhing together in pleasure as he thrust himself into her, over and over. Her screaming his name.
The image was so erotic that he almost lost his resolve. He wanted nothing more than to pull her against him once more until he turned fantasy into reality. Instead he rested his forehead on hers as he tried to calm himself down.
Akane took another breath as she closed her eyes. It took her a moment to wonder why Ranma pulled back but she understood that they needed it. For heaven's sake, they were still standing on the front step! When her breathing calmed, she said in a whisper, "I'm gonna...," still unable to form a coherent thought, she waved vaguely at the door to indicate she was going inside.
"'K...I'll be in in a sec," he replied in a husky tone that she had not heard before.
His voice caused her already excited body to tremble slightly and she wanted desperately to pull him down for another kiss. Instead, she nodded dumbly at him before turning around. Putting her hand on the door knob, she twisted it and pulled on the door but it wouldn't open. Confused, she tried a couple more times before she realized that the door swung in and she had to push. Finally getting the door open, she turned back, embarrassed by her mistake and checked to see if Ranma was laughing at her only to find him still smiling at her dazedly. She sent him a smile as she walked forward, only to hit the doorjamb with her shoulder. Now feeling downright mortified she hurried in and closed the door behind her. She turned towards the hall but leaned back against the door instead. She brought a hand up to touch her smiling mouth as she remembered the sensation of his firm lips on hers and the intoxicating taste of him.
On the other side of the door, Ranma had placed his forehead against the door. He would have found Akane's troubles with the door funny but he was having a hard time standing himself. Besides, it was so cute the affect he had on her. His legs felt like jelly and he now understood the term, weak in the knees.
He had wanted for so long to kiss Akane - ever since they were training for the ice skating competition and she dared him to kiss her - and it was totally worth the wait. The kiss was better than anything he dared to dream of. His only regret was he should have done it sooner.
A/N: About damn time! I hope it was worth the wait. Just so you know, the kissing scene was not supposed to go this way. I planned a short sweet kiss but when I wrote it out, it felt flat and I had a mini Akane and Ranma glaring at me in my head, demanding that I heat it up. These two write themselves.
Big thanks to alwaysZutarian for her beta help. She added to the heat asking me to go into Akane's reaction some more.
Shout out to Flameraven1 who guesses Prinicpal Kuno's plan and to BiGDeal for guessing Ms. Hinako would drain Ukyo.
Original Publication Date: October 27, 2014
Revised: May 29, 2015