12. LIGHT ….
"Oh !"
Nabiki turned her head to the back.
"What is it, Kasumi ?"
"I was just taking a look at the calendar, to check how many days had passed since Ryoga got missing, and I just noticed that the day of his disappearance was the 13th… Friday the 13th."
Akane's eyes opened wide.
"What ? Really ?"
"Yes. You can take a look if you want."
"No no, it's ok. But it's… it's kind of creepy that it happened on that precise day."
"I'm not superstitious or anything…" remarked Nabiki "…but I concur with Akane : it's creepy indeed. Out of all days, that drama took place on that special day. There's something evil about all this. I do hope it's not a bad omen regarding Ryoga's life…"
"He won't die !" exclaimed the third daughter. "Ryoga won't die ! I'm sure they'll save him !"
"I do hope they will, of course, but…"
"Please, Nabiki !" scolded Kasumi.
"She's right, you know…" said a new voice.
They all turned to the door, and couldn't repress their shock when they saw how bad Ranma looked : bags under her eyes, with the latter half-closed, dishevelled hair, round-shouldered… she had become the shadow of her former self.
"My God, Ranma, you look…" started Kasumi, hands on her cheeks, but she didn't dare to finish, because the poor Saotome certainly didn't need to hear such words as "terrible" or "awful" in her condition.
"Horrible, I know… My pain is still there, but less intense now, since it's almost over… but I wish the medicine had been more efficient these past days. And I barely slept lately. Insomnia has become my daily… my nightly companion. (1) But I can't imagine sleeping, knowing that the man I love could die. Because, as I just said, Nabiki is right : he could die. I dearly hope he won't, but… but I know he might… and if he did…"
Tears started to silently trace their way down her cheeks.
"If he did… if he… left me… I don't know… what I would do… how I could… live on… I… I can't… imagine… my life… wi-… without… him…"
She broke down, strength leaving her and making her slowly fall to her knees, as she wept with more intensity, the spectre of a life devoid of Ryoga haunting her mind…
The three sisters surrounded her, patting her back, holding her hand, squeezing her arm, whispering comforting words… but while this warmed her heart, it still wasn't enough to offset her distress.
"Don't worry, Ranma, Ryoga will be saved. I promise you he will be !" Akane told her, staring right into her blue eyes.
But she wasn't certain herself…
They helped their sad friend up and brought them to the table, where Kasumi served her a cup of tea.
"We are all here for you, Ranma !" Nabiki firmly yet comfortingly said, her look expressing the strongest support.
The redhead nodded, wiping her tears again.
"Thank you, each of you ! Your help is precious. I treasure you all, your kindness, your friendship, your support… notably your support of our love. I had no idea you would understand and accept it, and be solidary of our couple in front of our fathers."
Then something struck her, and she voiced it :
"I hope that Soun is not…"
"Not what, Ranma ?" said a voice in her back.
The four of them turned around…
… to see the girls' father by the door.
"I wasn't listening to you : I just entered when you were uttering my name, Ranma. So, what am I not, tell me ?"
He walked to the table and sat down with them, one man surrounded by four women.
"Well… what I wanted to say is that… I hope you're not disappointed by your three daughters, since they… uh… sided with Ryoga and me, against you and my father. Or rather : against your will to marry Akane and me. But you shouldn't be disappointed by them, because –"
But she couldn't pursue, as he had put his hand up to make her stop.
"Ranma, you have to know that I'm not disappointed at all by my daughters. I was surprised by their decision, yes, just as I was by your love relationship with Ryoga, and I must admit that I didn't understand their choice… but I wasn't actually disappointed. And certainly not angry. I respect them and love them too much for that, and I wouldn't even blame them."
"Thanks, Dad !" reacted Nabiki.
"Thank you, Father !" gently said Kasumi.
"You have our gratitude !" concluded Akane.
He smiled as he looked at each in turn, then back at his friend's daughter.
"Ranma… I have been pondering these days. Very regularly. I put things in balance, considered the good and bad aspects, questioned the facts. I had to see it all more clearly, to try to understand."
She didn't see what was his point, what he was getting at, so she merely gazed at him and waited.
"I know you're wondering what I mean exactly. So here it is : I've been thinking a lot… about you and Ryoga being together. Being a couple. I've also been thinking about what you said : you and Akane taking over our martial arts school… but as friends, instead of spouses."
Ranma gulped.
Could he… could he by chance… have concluded…
His next words confirmed what she suspected :
"I think it's possible. I don't see any reason that it wouldn't work. As long as Akane and you remain close friends, and remain dedicated to the Anything Goes school… then there's no reason why it couldn't become a reality. So, to sum it up, I accept that our two daughters, Akane and you, take over the school, as friends and not as a married couple. As long as our martial legacy can continue down to the next generations, on and on, I'm happy."
Wide blue eyes incredulously stared at him… well, incredulously at first… but them with sheer gratitude.
"Soun… I… I don't know how to properly thank you…"
He smiled at her.
"Oh, a simple 'thank you' is enough. And you have just uttered these two words, so… it's fine."
Akane threw her arms around her father.
"Oh Dad, thank you so much ! Thank you for not forcing us to marry ! You have no idea how I'm relieved… happy… and grateful to you !"
He caressed her hair.
"If you are happy, then so am I." He looked at Nabiki and Kasumi. "If you ALL are happy, then so am I, should I say."
"You are the best dad one can dream of…" complimented Nabiki.
"Yes, you are !" seconded Kasumi.
His smile widened.
Then he turned again to Ranma.
"And while your decision to remain a woman, and your falling in love with Ryoga, both surprised me… I decided to accept that as well. I don't see any reason to condemn your love, and your choice to live as a woman rather than as a man. I know you did because you want to be with Ryoga, and I have nothing against it. He has become a fine young man, reasonable, helpful, kind, hard-working. He has matured, just like you, and like my daughters as well. So I do wish you and Ryoga to be happy together."
Ranma bent forward, caught his hand and placed it on her forehead.
"Mr. Tendo –"
"Soun. No more formal ways between us, Ranma."
"Sorry. I don't know why I said that. Soun… I'm beyond grateful for your accepting both our love and the decision we made, Akane and me, to run the school together as friends. It means so much to us… you have no idea… Thank you, thank you with all my heart !"
He nodded, smiling, and added :
"Now I'll have a discussion with Saotome… maybe even several discussions… and I'll do my best to convince him that it's possible that way, that marriage isn't an obligation. After such a long friendship as ours, I know the old man "by heart", so to speak, and I'm well aware how stubborn he can be. But I have good arguments, and if all he has his the importance of manliness and the necessity of a marital bond… I'm pretty sure I'll manage to persuade him over time."
"Thank you so very much… Soun !" Ranma warmly told him, to which he nodded again.
"Finally some positive, after all these dark days…!" remarked Nabiki with a grin.
Some of them sighed, feeling a weigh being lifted off them… but what they all did was… smile wide !
/
Ranma was staring at the sunny blue sky that all had missed, after that terrible storm which lasted a few days, wondering how Ryoga was, if his condition had been improving at all, if his chances were better, after those five days of waiting…
…when the phone rang !
The four women gathered in the living room, who all had been extremely quiet and silent lately, suddenly came back to life and rushed out of the room.
"You want to answer it, Ranma ?" gently asked Kasumi.
The pigtailed woman gave a small nod and seized the receiver.
"Residence Tendo… Yes, that's me…"
A short silence, then the three sisters were delighted to see Ranma's face light up, her mouth open wide, her eyes become shiny.
"Yes ! Of course, yes ! …Really ? He said that ? Oh thank you, thank you so much ! …Yes, we're on our way ! Thank you again, thank you ! …Yes, see you later ! Goodbye !"
She joined both hands over her nose and mouth as she wept, her eyes lost in the vague… but these were no longer tears of sadness !
Removing her hands from her face and lifting her head, she quickly looked at all sisters before coming back to Akane.
"Ryoga is awake…and his condition is stable. He's still weak, but less than before. And he wants to see us. And the nurse on the phone told me that he had said that he missed me and needed me, and asked her to tell me that he loved me more than anyone in his life."
The tears of joy were good, so good… and while she dearly wanted the tears of pain and sadness to stop, days ago, she now wouldn't have minded to keep on "happily crying" for several more minutes !
About 45 minutes later, four women and one man were eagerly walking in the hospital hall, hurrying to the room of last week's missing man.
The doctor was waiting for them right in front of the door.
"Good afternoon ! I'm pleased to announce you that your friend is now safe and that he will most certainly recover, if no unexpected complication arises. We removed the "breathing tube" from his trachea, as he can now breathe properly, but left the intravenous drip. He still needs medicine, but he'll make it : I had noticed he was more resistant than other patients, who most likely would have died if they had gone through a similar misadventure, and that resistance is what helped him to survive. That, and probably his will to live. He said earlier that he had to live on for the love of Ranma."
She gazed at the blue-eyed beauty at the front of the group, who was literally hanging on to her every word.
"I presume that you are Ranma."
"I am. And Ryoga has become my reason to live. Thank you so much for saving him, Doctor ! I wish I could do something meaningful to express you all my gratitude !"
The practitioner smiled.
"My patients' happiness, and their loved ones' happiness, is my greatest reward. I don't want or need any other. If all are happy, then so am I. I now let you spend some time with him, but given that he's still weak, I'm afraid I have to ask you to not make it too long, because talking also tire patients. I hope you understand."
"Naturally. We will make sure to be reasonable." Soun replied.
The doctor stepped aside, smiling, and let the red-haired female walk to the door and grab the handle.
She took a deep breath and entered the white room.
Ryoga's eyes didn't open at the sound of either the handle turning, or at their footsteps as they approached from the bed or at the closure of the door.
They all stood there, watching in silence the poor victim… who had been so close to death the past Friday.
That damn Friday 13th…
Finally, his girlfriend, who had suffered a lot from experiencing two different pains during the past week, slowly made her way to the head of the bed and quietly sat on the visitors' chair.
She extended her arm and her soft hand gently caressed her beloved's cheek.
His eyes moved a tad, and as the caress continued, they gradually opened…
… and Ryoga could see the full family Tendo gathered at the foot of his bed.
He smiled at them, but his attention quickly turned to the one who was showing him so much tenderness and love in that moment.
"Ranma… my Love… you are here… how happy I am…"
"I know you are… but I can ensure you I'm even happier than you are !" she answered, continuing her soft caress on his cheek. "And relieved like you have no idea. I was worried sick for you, Darling… so damn worried. I missed you terribly, as if part of my heart and mind were missing. I felt… incomplete, yes. Fractured."
He put his arms apart with some effort, inviting her in for a tender embrace.
"Come here…"
She bit her lip.
"Darling, I'm not sure it's a good idea… You're still weak, and –"
"Please, Dearie… come to me…"
She hesitated a few more seconds… but when she gazed into his eyes… his pleading eyes…
"Alright. But tell me if you suffer, if I put my weight on a painful part of your body."
"Yes, but you won't… make me suffer… my sweet Ranma… even on the contrary…"
She cautiously nestled against him, careful not to let her weight rest on him, and delicately put her arms around him, while he slowly did the same.
"I've… missed that… missed you… my Soulmate…" he breathed out, ignoring the slight pain in his chest.
"So have I, my Beloved. I can't imagine my life without you by my side. I feel so much better now. I will always feel better in your arms."
They hugged for long, long seconds, contented sighs rising from their reunited couple.
The Tendo's didn't dare to utter a single word, to avoid disturbing the silent magic of this beautiful, very moving moment, and instead discreetly admired the intensity and emotional power of sincere love.
After a while that seemed timeless to all, the lovebirds finally parted and Ryoga's eyes suddenly caught sight of the motionless huddle at the other end of the bed, who were observing them with nice smiles… and, for Kasumi, with shiny eyes.
"Oh… I'm sorry…guys… I was so happy… to be together again… with Ranma… that I forgot… about you…"
"You don't need to apologize or justify yourself, Ryoga : we totally understand and respect it. It's normal to be worried sick for… your soulmate, as you said, so you don't have to feel sorry. We're all very happy for you, and moved by your reunion. It's fine." Nabiki replied.
"And you have to know that I accept your relationship, as well as Akane's and Ranma's taking over the Anything Goes school of martial arts, but as friends and not as spouses !" Soun added. "Now to convince that stubborn four-eyes…" (2)
He raised his eyes to the ceiling in a How the hell will I do that…? funny expression that made his daughters and the couple chuckle.
This alas made the patient moan, because it intensified the slight pain he had felt previously during the hug.
"Are you in pain ?" immediately asked the girlfriend, concerned.
"Not really. Only a little bit, but it's really light, don't worry…" answered the boyfriend, reassuring.
"Ranma… Ryoga… I hate being a killjoy or stuff, but I think we should let Ryoga get some rest now. He's still very weak after all, and we told the doctor we wouldn't be too long."Akane reminded them. "But perhaps we can come back tomorrow… or in two days, if the doctor tells us every day is too demanding for him."
The pigtailed female was reluctant about leaving her Love so soon, but she knew that it was the right thing to do : he did need time to rest and recover the earliest possible.
"Can I just tell him one more thing in private before we go ?" she asked.
"Of course you can. We'll be waiting for you at the entrance hall." said the bob cut sister, and with that they all took their leave from Ryoga, wishing him a pleasant day, a good rest and, most of all, the quickest recovery possible.
Once there were alone…
"I'm sad I have to leave you alone. I'll sure miss your comforting arms, your lovely face and those gorgeous eyes of yours. But be sure I'll come back as soon as I'm able to. I was delighted to spend this short time with you, and to know you were out of the woods. You'll tell us what happened once you're out of here, back in top form or close to that. But until we hug each other again, here's a little present to remind you of me and help you wait until my return…"
Leaning forward, she delivered a tender kiss that lasted for quite a while and ended up by their tongues briefly brushing against each other before she reluctantly left his lips.
"I'll take care of you, darling… Great care !" she told him.
"And it will be reciprocal…" he replied, lovingly caressing her fiery hair.
/
It took another week for Ryoga to almost fully recover, and be allowed out of hospital, back home.
The close relatives – the Tendo's and Ranma – could come visit him every day, provided they didn't remain too long with him, to leave him enough resting time overall.
And at last he was back where he belonged : in the Tendo residence…
… and in the redhead's arms !
Earlier that day, the four ladies had all worked together in the kitchen to cook a delicious and lavish dinner for the return of the young cook, and a banner had been hung in the living room :
"WELCOME BACK, WE MISSED YOU !"
When he saw all this, he was really touched by all these attentions and the time and efforts it had taken them to craft.
"You're part of the family somehow, so it's our duty to treat you like one of our children and make you feel at home again !" exclaimed Soun with a large, generous smile.
In fact, even Genma had a small smile that evening. Not as cheerful, yes, but a smile nevertheless.
As if he no longer held a grudge against the young man (for leading astray his son and making her permanently stay a woman).
"And now, let's all sit down and eat together with our dear Ryoga !" announced Kasumi.
They took great pleasure in savouring all the dishes the female group had taken so long to prepare, and the host of honour complimented and thanked them several times.
Ranma was particularly happy and often looked at him, enjoying his happiness, and he regularly gazed at her as well, filling in eyes with her charming presence which he had missed so much, all those days alone in a hospital room.
Once they had cleared away all dishes…
"I owe you explanations regarding the events that took place on Friday 13th…"
Some of them voiced their surprise at the latter, not having noticed that fateful coincidence.
"Yes; I'm not superstitious, but I couldn't help making the connecting between that issue and the date on which it happened. In fact, I had noted that "bad luck date" from the very start of the day. Anyway…
_ What a horrible weather ! Yesterday was already terrible, with all the bad things that happened to all of us, but today doesn't promise to be that much better… And since this is Friday the 13th, God knows what might take place…
Ryoga felt bad for Ranma, because she had told him that her monthly burden was back, and now that he knew what it implied for her, he felt even worse.
He was brooding over all this as he was walking to work that morning, struggling against the violent wind and rain, the whole atmosphere making his thoughts even darker.
He reached the fountain place and continued straight ahead to the next crossroad, where he would turn left. The raging gusts were shaking the umbrella he tightened in his hand.
If only she didn't have to endure all that… if only all women didn't have to bear with those… how does she call them again ? … ah yes, those P ! And to think it comes back every mo-
But he was cut short by the sight of a very young boy running after a fleeing cat.
They boy wore a bright yellow oilskin and red boots. He was laughing like crazy as he chased the calico cat.
What's a little boy like him doing all alone in this stormy weather ? Where are his parents ?
He quickly looked to the left, where the child had come from, but saw no one running after the kid, calling him or even looking in his direction…
… as if no one cared about that isolated boy.
Ryoga swiftly turned his head back to the right and saw the two "runaways" moving away in no time.
He took off under the driving rain and immediately gained speed, trained as he was.
"HEY KID !"
He noticed that the boy was taking the direction of the river…
A brisk surge of cold sweat overwhelmed him, making him colder than he already was.
I must catch up with him !
"LITTLE BOY ! HEY ! WAIT !"
But the child was so focused on the cat that he didn't hear or didn't realize that this call was directed at him.
The river was in sight now…
…and the two fugitives were heading that way !
Ryoga redoublde his efforts under the chilly rain and through the icy gusts of wind.
I HAVE TO STOP HIM !
The river was completely wild, flowing with frightening fury and velocity. Its volume had probably tripled and its level had risen almost to the bank level, making it way dangerous to walk on the riverside.
But paradoxically enough, the cat was running towards that chaos… with the little boy on its heels !
"DON'T GO THERE !"
But still to no avail.
The elements of the drama were in place.
Everything was ready for the worst.
One more action and…
The cat ran under the metallic bar of the rudimentary fence following the river and stopped in front of the river.
The little boy stopped running and walked towards the cat, who hesitated, his head turning back and forth between this crazy water and that closing-in human.
Ryoga forced himself to continue a bit more… and at last reached the boy, who had gone under the metallic bar and was now walking after the cat, very close to that rising water…
"GET AWAY FROM THE RIVER !" screamed Ryoga as he jumped over the bar.
The child's head turned in his direction…
…so did the cat's…
… the man landed right on the grass, beside the water…
…the spot he had set foot on, weakened by the driving rain and erosion over decades, collapsed under his weight…
…making Ryoga lose his balance…
…and land right into the unbridled river !
He immediately turned around to check on the boy, hoping he was still on the bank… and seeing that he fortunately was ! (in fact, the boy had been so afraid by the whole accident that he would turn around and quickly run away from here, getting back to safety, and even managing to find his way back to where he had come from).
But it was just a fleeting glimpse, and the boy was out of sight in no time, as Ryoga was carried away at a frantic pace.
He desperately tried to swim towards the riverside, but given the force of the water rushing down, he barely progressed and it took him much more time to make it to the bank.
But bit by bit, he slowly progressed in the raging flow…
He had been struggling during roughly two kilometres when he spotted something on the side, ahead : the "pole" of a former sign that had been twisted to the side… and was now leaning down towards the river…
… within his grasp !
I must catch this ! I MUST !
His arms shot up, freeing themselves from the cold moving mass they were trapped in…
…and clung to the rusty metal pole !
He dreaded his wet hands would start to slip, but his grip on the metal was so firm, so desperately firm that he was able to hold on, and moving his hands little by little, he pulled himself closer to the bank, and once he was close enough, he gathered his remaining strength and contracted his arms.
One leg emerged from the rushing water, and he managed to put the foot behind the pole. Then he pulled again, as hard as he could.
The second leg finally escaped the wet and cold embracing of the crazy waterway.
Using the last remnants of strength still available in his body, he was at last able to reach and lie down on the bank, chest first, trying to catch his breath, exhaustion soon claiming his spent organism and making him black out… _
"… and the next time I saw the light of day is when I woke up in the hospital bed, a few days ago."
"My poor Darling !" sympathized Ranma, as she held his hand. "You've been through hell and back ! I'm so relieved that you're still alive and survived that awful experience !"
She spontaneously threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, closing her arms as she was so grateful that her beloved was still here with her.
His eyes were also shut as he relished her warm, comforting presence, caressing her hair.
She sighed contentedly as she felt his hand move again and again on her red hair.
When they parted, they intensely gazed at each other, smiling with as much tenderness as was possible.
Then, turning around, they faced the Tendo's and Genma, who were almost all smiling at them.
Saotome senior wasn't frowning, scowling or any other negative expressions, his face was neutral, as if he was pondering something.
Ranma briefly looked at him, as she continued to gently squeeze her soulmate's hand in hers, then quickly directed her gaze at the three daughters, who were all radiant, obviously happy for the couple.
But the sound of throat clearing brought her blue eyes back on her father.
"Son… I mean, daughter…"
His acceptance to call her that way, to acknowledge her female identity for the first time, alerted the pigtailed woman and raised her attention level.
"I had a long discussion with Tendo yesterday. And the day before as well. I had my arguments, he had his. We disagreed with each other… at first."
Those last two words made everyone focus intensely on him.
Could it mean…? wondered Ranma.
"My dream is that our martial arts school would continue through the next generations, as long as can be, if possible forever… although that may sound a "big word". But durability was my aim, and of course the unfailing quality of that noble fighting art of ours. I was convinced that a married couple was what would cement that durability and ensure the future of our school. Only a married couple. Tendo advocated that two very close friends, lifelong friends, could also ensure this and that this was another possible solution. I had refused that perspective for days… but eventually… he convinced me."
Silence welcomed those words, no one daring to believe what they implied.
"I had another motive of anger, of rejection : I was proud of you as my son, of your manhood and fighting qualities. To me, a man was meant to remain a man and marry a woman. That's… how it always was. Well, until very recently at least. And a man's choice to become AND remain a woman was… like a disgrace to me. I was ashamed of it. But for this as well, Tendo managed to find the pertinent arguments : he reminded me that what mattered the most was our children's happiness, well-being, safety, success in life. As long as this was preserved, the rest was secondary. In other words, a happy woman is preferable to an unhappy man. Had I insisted for you to remain male and marry Akane, while it seems you both consider yourselves very good friends now, I would have made you unhappy, disappointed… and angry at me. And that would be a failure. I would have reached my goal… but by damaging other people's lives. Which I refuse. That's why…"
He walked over to Ranma and put his large hands on her frail shoulders.
"… I have no choice but accept your will to live as woman, with the man you love…" He turned to Ryoga. "…and who has become a very good person, as we could judge once again by his story, in which he tried and managed to save an endangered child… at the risk of losing his own life. "
His eyes came back on the blue ones.
"I will need time to adapt and be comfortable about… my son now being a daughter and showing love to a man, as well as behaving with femininity… but I guess I don't have any other choice than making do with it. Accepting it, for better or for worse. It's… not easy for me, but… my child's happiness is the essential in all this, as Tendo said. So… I will make that sacrifice and learn to live with it."
He gently put a hand on her head.
"You were never a disgrace, Ranma, and you haven't become one. I'm just… old school, I guess, with traditional principles and fixed rules. But only fools never change their minds, as the wise saying goes… and that's why I decided to resolve to change my mind and give you… give us a chance, as father and… daughter."
His eyes were watering as he stared at her.
"I never meant to hurt you, Ranma. Never meant to make you suffer. Please forgive me… and be happy. For you and… for me."
Tears were now slowly rolling down his cheek, and the same was happening with his daughter.
"Oh Pops… Pops… there's nothing to forgive… really… and thank you…thank you so much."
They embraced each other and remained motionless for a long time, silently crying… and by one of those elegant end wonderful miracles of life, there wasn't anyone in the room, in that moment, who wasn't shedding tears…
/
Their meditation session, that evening, was longer than usual, but it did them so much good… probably even more than the previous sessions. They felt close to ecstatic and their level of inner focus had certainly never been that high.
Given that the temperature was now sinking, and that staying outside for a long time wasn't recommended, they had been meditating inside for the first time, in Ryoga's room.
Once they were done, the brown-eyed boy leaned against a wall and Ranma leaned… against him.
"Ranma… I know that you experiencing twice more pain this week… and I want to tell you how sorry and sad I am that you had to go through this. I wish I had been the one suffering instead of you."
"Thanks, my Love, but I prefer suffering and you being spared. But when you say 'twice more pain', you mean…"
"You had your… hum, your P, since Thursday, no ? And given that they last around a week, you told me, well… you experienced physical pain in addition to psychological pain because of my absence."
She was grateful to him for not using the hated word and remembering about the shortcut 'P'.
"That's true. But it was nothing compared to what you went through. You were so weak that you were close to dying. So you lived much worse than I did. And I'm beyond thankful to… to God, or fate, or I don't know what, for allowing you to live on and for us to be happy together."
"So am I. I'm glad and relieved to know your father accepts us… or is in the process of accepting us, I don't know of to put it. He's… well… learning to accept it, we could say. And that's most welcome !"
Ranma nodded.
"He's not a bad man at all, just… very stubborn at times. As he said, he's old school, sooooooo…"
They looked at each other… and guffawed.
And the sound of their laughs made a very pleasant music…
/
"Ryoga… do you mind if I… if I sleep with you ? I… I mean…"
She felt herself blushing, and blushing as a female was something she wouldn't have thought possible even last year.
"Just sleeping side by side, huddled against each other, warming up each other. Nothing more."
"I had understood, Dearie. And yes, with the greatest pleasure. I guess you need my presence more than anything else, after all those days of absence…"
She grinned.
"Yes, that's the reason why I asked you this."
He grinned back.
Later that evening, they were lying against each other in the dark, and for the first time in days, the wind wasn't howling outside… and there was no other sound around.
Everything was quiet in the house.
"Silence ruled the land." (3)
They caressed each other's face, again and again and again.
They kissed tenderly, again and again and again.
They French-kissed sensuously, again and again and again.
Then…
"Ranma, I… I was wondering if… if you'd allow me to… uh… well… I've… I've been willing to… uh.. to caress your chest… but gently, softly… just to know… how it feels… I'm… curious to find out… if that's okay with you… and just that, nothing more, I swear !"
Her lips bent upwards in the dark.
"Don't be so embarrassed. We're boyfriend and girlfriend, and as a loving couple, we will gradually make new discoveries. And I know you'll be very gentle, I trust you, so… go ahead."
He gulped.
"Are you sure ?"
"I'm sure."
She closed her eyes, discreetly took a deep breath and waited.
Soon she felt her body arch under the pleasure of his touch, of his skin on hers, his fingers on her globes, and those two tiny mounds stiffened as she experienced unspeakable delight, her breath getting deeper, soft and discrete moans becoming another very pleasant music… to his ears, and even to hers.
And once they were sated, once they felt like their happiness level couldn't get any higher that day, they finally surrendered to Sleep, her head on his chest, with her left hand resting nearby, and their even breathing matching each other, another delightful music on that blessed day…
/
Author's Notes :
Ranma's insomnia : I can only empathize with her, suffering from the same
"thing" myself. My sympathy goes out to all those who also have to endure that regular evil, which disturbs our natural living cycle.
Stubborn four-eyes : I found that "four-eyes" refers to a person wearing glasses. I also dug up the word "speccy/specky", which means the same… but in UK English, so I guess you guys wouldn't have got it… right ?
Silence ruled the land : that's like a little saying that I made up. Or perhaps it
does exist in English, and I read it somewhere and can't remember where ? Anyway, I like that expression… and I love silence. Some are kinda uneasy or bored when everything is silent, but I find it appeasing, relaxing… and you ? ;)
After darkness comes light, at some point… and life itself is an alternation of bad and good moments, of sombre and bright. If life were a painting, it would be one of those amazing chiaroscuro, where darkness and light coexist.
So Ryoga acted heroically here, doing his best to save a little boy… and risking no less than death by hypothermia, with the breathing complication that also followed. He is so far away from the impulsive boy we once knew, always aggressive and ready to fight, counting on his strength to defeat Ranma : he became someone respectable, and even praiseworthy, as we can see here. Maturing does a lot of good to human heart and mind, and has such a positive effect on overall behaviour.
I also wanted Genma to finally accept Ranma as she is, and accept the couple she now officially forms with Ryoga. He represent those old traditionalists, those conservative dudes, all about customs, ancient rules, "normal behaviour", manhood and such… exactly the kind of person I dislike and totally disagree with. I mean, traditions and customs aren't necessarily bad, mind you, but they tend to blind our hearts and minds, and makes us deaf to anything else, any other behaviours/natures, any other changes of mentality, changes in society… Progress / change is a necessity, it has always been that way in history, and old conservatives won't be able to prevent it. Period.
Long live open-mindedness and tolerance. Period (bis).
As for the final scene… it's still not M-rated, as you can see, but I wanted to show the gradual evolution of their love relationship, the discoveries of their bodies, slowly but surely. One day, they will get the most intimate two can get, of course… but you won't read about it in this fic' ! ^.^ It's only somewhat implied, no more. But I wanted to conclude that very positive chapter on a very high note, like a… climax. ;)
As is now customary, I express my gratitude to all those of you who have been showing support of this story, one way or another. Thanks for the kind reviews, they're most heart-warming (and brain-warming… yeah, a neologism of mine, duh !)
Oh, and I've just finished volume 3 of the manga, and God is it good ! Ah, and dashing news lately : my brother will offer me his RANMA ½ dvd collection ! Seriously, how can life get any better, sometimes, eh ? :DDDD
TaKare, B happy, and read U soon in no time !
( LEO )