For the First Time

by Lolaless92

There's a first for everything. First kiss, first fight, first kid. Each first is unique. [Slice of life]

1. Chapter 1

The First Time

Ranma heard the sound of windchimes clicking delicately together. The smell in the air was fresh like flowers. He could hear the birds chirping. He peeked open an eye and immediately shut it, groaning. The sun was so harsh and far too bright. Now that the room felt like it was spinning, he supposed the perfume smell of flowers was a bit too much, and the birds chirping sounded like when Shampoo shrieked in excitement.

He groaned as he placed his palm against his head. He felt what seemed like tingles of broken glass shards slither down his forehead and into his eyes. Ranma had gotten drunk a couple of times by accident, but last night, he had gotten drunk. Manly, teeth barring, knuckles clashing against skin drunk.

Ranma Saotome was experiencing his first hangover. He felt nauseous as he turned on his side.

—

"C'mon! Don't be shy, now!" Soun had said as he pushed the sake further into Ranma's open hand.

"I've already had enough," Ranma grumbled. His cheeks were tinted red as the previous three glasses of sake fought inside his stomach.

"You too, Akane! It's time to celebrate!" Akane looked away, embarrassed at her father and Genma. "Soon enough, you'll be married and make our schools one!" Genma and Soun spun around, dancing drunkenly in circles as they waved fans around. Genma, seemingly forgetting he wasn't in his panda form, held up a sign that read [As one! As one!] But Ranma had noticed the handwriting had gotten sloppier.

"It's just graduation, Daddy," Akane replied, a slight slur to her words. "And I'm not marrying a perv, okay?" She stood up in anger, but her feet shuffled unsurely beneath her. As a goody-two-shoes, Akane had never had an adult drink before now. She had only had two glasses thus far, but the booze had quickly made its way to her head. Ranma could see it in her eyes. It was kind of cute.

"Don't get them too drunk before guests have arrived!" Nabiki warned as she entered the room with a beer of her own. She sat down at the table and shot a look at Soun and Genma. "You said you would be gone tonight, by the way. Graduation gift, remember?"

Soun looked at her, hurt and annoyed. "Have you no shame? Trying to kick out your Papa." He sniffed. "Don't you want to party with your Papa?"

Nabiki rolled her eyes and said, "This was your idea, remember?"

"Yes!" Soun decreed, clenching his fists. "Nothing makes two strong-headed people express their feelings better than alcohol!"

"Daddy!" Akane cried.

Ranma scoffed. "What feelings?"

Genma quickly smacked Ranma on the back of the head. He grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him upward, and in a flash, he was outside of the living room and had Ranma pressed fully against the wall. "Listen, boy," he said with a serious glint in his eyes, "this may be your one and only chance to finish this!"

Ranma looked at him with confusion but felt unnerved by his father's sudden seriousness. "What are you talking about?"

Genma sighed, and his head dropped for a moment. Finally, he looked back up and said, "There are only so many ways a man can tame a woman like Akane, and alcohol is the best remedy." He leaned closer and whispered in Ranma's ear, "If you can get a woman drunk, they're like putty in your hand."

Ranma gritted his teeth and asked incredulously, "Are you telling me to take advantage of Akane?"

Genma shoved him again and, with a look of disgust, said, "Of course not! That would be against a martial artist's code." He released Ranma. "But alcohol has a way of making people more honest, and you should use that honesty to your advantage."

Ranma rolled his eyes and said with exasperation, "Oh yeah? And what would I want her to be honest about."

Genma lowered his eyes and said, "You need to learn how to be a man and take responsibility. The dojo may not be going anywhere, but that doesn't mean Tendo won't lose his patience or that Akane won't move on. She's going to college soon. The men there won't be nearly as obnoxious and far more bold." Ranma swallowed abruptly at his father's words, and he felt an anger nestle in his stomach at the idea of some guy trying to put the moves on his fiance.

Away from him.

Ranma knew Akane was leaving for school. She had always been more studious than him and always seemed to pull good marks. They were nothing compared to some other students, but Ranma always assumed that the reason for Akane's poor scores had more to do with him and the numerous kidnappings that kept her from school. Akane had promised she would come home on the weekends and that her goal was to learn how to run a successful business to make the dojo flourish, but there was a part of him that was apprehensive and gnawed anxiously at his stomach.

Before Ranma could respond to his tipsy father, Soun emerged from the other side and quickly looped his arm around his old friend's shoulder. "We're getting kicked out, dear friend."

Working as a flipped switch, Genma laughed boisterously and wrapped his arm around Soun's shoulder. "Oh, how I pine for my youth!" For the briefest second, Genma shot Ranma a look of seriousness and then turned back and started walking towards the exit of the dojo.

Ranma could feel a rumbling of discomfort in his stomach. He couldn't decipher if it was from the Sake or the conversation with his father. He turned to join the group inside.

From there, classmates started to pool into the Tendo home, bringing food and drinks that they had begged their college siblings to buy for them. Shampoo arrived at some point with bowls of ramen. Ranma wearily eyed her, aware that his weakened state could be an excuse for Shampoo to take advantage. It turned out there was no need to worry with Akane there, staring daggers in Shampoo's direction and hitting Ranma into the stratosphere whenever the cat-girl got too close.

The night continued to grow blearier, and Ranma vaguely recalled his friends splashing him with water and laughing raucously as they watched him change from man to woman to man again. He remembered at one point that Ryoga had somehow found his way to the dojo and seemed thrilled to find Akane affectionately sloshed. Ranma also remembered at one point him punching Ryoga when Ranma saw him snuggle a little too closely to his fiance.

There was laughing, food, dancing, jokes, and bickering. Then, all of a sudden, it was just the family again, with a few suitors who were passed out on the floor. Kasumi had returned from her date with Tofu a while back and had promptly gone to bed, stating it wasn't very fun to watch teenagers get drunk. Nabiki was busy filming as Ranma was showing Akane that he most certainly could do a handstand while he was intoxicated.

As the night continued, Akane drunkenly challenged Ranma to a duel as she stated being drunk meant she wouldn't hold back, meaning she would be much stronger. Ranma had taken her up on the challenge, but after some lazy punches and mismanaged dodges, the two had quickly come to a draw and sat on the wooden porch. They had chatted for a while about nothing that would have made sense to sober minds, and Ranma recalled he had pointed at a passed-out Ryoga and had said, "If that guy tries to buddy up with you again, I'll kill him."

Akane, he remembered, had seemed very interested in this, and even with the blurry memories, Ranma could still clearly feel her hand resting on his thigh and her beer-addled breath hitting his ear as she leaned over him and asked just what he was going to do about it.

Then everything went a mile a second in his mind. Little snapshots began to fill the space. Lips and tongue, slippery feet tripping on steps, bodies falling heavily on a twin bed, hands on skin, and lips landing kisses on places that weren't another's lips.

—

Ranma's eyes snapped open at the memory, and he realized the ceiling he stared at wasn't his own. He steered a careful glance to his right and was met with Akane staring at him. He dropped his gaze to see she was covered tightly in her blankets, but from what he could see, it looked like she was stark naked.

Ranma toppled out from under the sheets and realized quickly just how bare he was. He gave a little squeak and looked over to Akane's bed. "A…Akane?" He asked hesitantly. Akane was staring at him, but Ranma realized it was more like she was staring through him. Ranma was alarmed by her serious stare and, after covering himself with the pillow that had dropped with him, he shimmied on his knees to her bed. "Akane?"

He was waiting for her to call him a pervert or to hit him or beat him until he was nothing but one big bruise. "I don't even remember it…" she murmured. Upon closer inspection, he could see she had been crying. On instinct, he pushed her bangs from her face, and he watched as her eyes weld up with fresh tears. A clawing entered his throat, and he frowned. She met his gaze, and she asked, "Do you?"

Slowly, he shook his head no and Akane buried herself further into her blankets. Between Akane being distraught, the pounding headache, and his feelings whirring around him, Ranma thought he was going to puke.

No - scratch that - he did need to puke.

He was up off the floor and ran to the bathroom. He expelled yellow liquid and felt the back of his throat tear in red hot heat. When everything had been purged from his stomach, Ranma rested his head against the lid. He was grateful for the cool porcelain. He heard the door slide open and the gentle padding of bare feet. Nabiki.

Ranma leaned forward again and expelled more sludge. Nabiki's low chuckle resonated behind him. "Feeling a little rough there, Saotome?" Ranma groaned in response, "I've heard being naked when you're hungover helps. Never heard of being naked in the bathroom, though." She tossed him a towel, which he quickly wrapped around his waist.

"Shut up, Nabiki," Ranma begged in annoyance. He had never noticed that Nabiki's voice was so grating.

"Hmm, but maybe your upset tummy isn't the reason you're naked. Maybe you just got hot last night? Maybe a little hot and heavy?"

Ranma's sickness subsided at that moment, and he looked at Nabiki with dread. Nabiki smirked back with eyes that answered, 'I know.' "You can't say anything," Ranma growled, "Akane's upset, I don't even know what happened last night, and our dads-"

Nabiki chortled, "Well, of course she is. Who wants to forget their first time fooling around?" She placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Truth be told, it's not worth remembering, so it's sort of a good thing that you got it out of the way." She raised a brow and asked, "Do you really not remember?"

Ranma sat back and readjusted the towel Nabiki had tossed him. He remembered Akane's hands scrunched in his hair and his hands reaching up to touch her skin. He remembered the gentle pressing of her lips to his chest and then his stomach and then…

He blushed and twiddled his thumbs together. "I remember some stuff," he whispered. Like the feel of her breasts against his bare chest or the taste of her lips and salty cheeks. How her breasts felt in his hands as his fingers idly flicked the nubs of her chest, and her throwing her head back, illiciting sweet little sounds.

Ranma suddenly felt the stirring in his loins, and he looked back at Nabiki. "Seriously, Nabiki. If you care about Akane - and I think you do - you won't say anything." He stood now and adjusted his towel once more as he turned from her. "I'm going to take a bath."

"It'll cost you, you know." Nabiki cooed.

"Yeah, yeah, I figured."

—

After his bath, Ranma came into the living room and immediately sensed a heavy aura in the air. Soun and Genma sat at the table, and Ranma jumped in surprise as his mom rounded the corner and sat down next to his dad. "M…mom?" He asked in trepidation.

"Son," his mother replied curtly.

"Ranma," Genma boomed, "sit." Ranma surprised himself and did as he was told. Soun was looking at him with a deathly glare. Ranma shifted his gaze from his father to his soon-to-be Father-In-Law. "It's time to be a man." Genma continued. "It's time to marry Akane and join our schools."

"This again?" Ranma asked in annoyance as he temporarily forgot his current predicament. His throbbing head was kept as a reminder. "I told you, I ain't getting married. Especially when I still got this curse."

"But you have to!" Nodoka cried. "After what you did - you must keep upholding your fiance's honor! It's the manly thing to do!"

Ranma stiffened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I came home last night," Soun said sharply. Ranma had never seen Soun so serious, "what I heard can not be unheard."

Ranma blushed as he shouted, "S… so what? Isn't that what you two creeps wanted?"

"I wanted you to express your love for each other - not deflower my little girl!" The words hung in the air, and Ranma shuffled on his knees. He bowed his head and felt like a little boy who had gotten caught coloring on the wall.

"Akane wouldn't want to marry me, anyway." He mumbled.

"As her father, and with her as the heir to my dojo, I am telling you now that this is no longer a discussion."

Ranma turned to his mom, looking for help. "You know Akane wouldn't go for something like this! Don't you think Akane has a choice?"

Nodoka sighed and reached out to touch the top of his hand. "I am a warrior's wife, as will be Akane. There are things we women must do to uphold our honor. One of these things is to keep our husband honor bound." As if it had heard her words, the katana next to Nodoka's side slid down against the wall. Ranma and Genma both shuddered.

"I'll give you a choice," Soun continued, seemingly unbothered, "you can choose to forfeit your engagement to Akane and leave our dojo." Ranma looked into Soun's eyes to see if there was any dishonesty in them. When he found them to ring true, he swallowed. "My daughter has no problems finding a suitor. It's no secret she's beautiful - I know that Ryoga fellow likes her. He could help her with the dojo."

"Ryoga?" Ranma hissed. "You'd want the lost boy to be responsible for this place?" Now that he thought about it, he wondered when Ryoga and Shampoo had left. The last time he had seen them, they were passed out on the floor. Had they heard them that night?

"I'll leave that up to you - but know if you break the engagement, you will never be allowed into our home again."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Akane asked as she bounded around the corner. Ranma wondered how long she had been there and how he hadn't sensed her. Perhaps he had been too wrapped up in his thoughts.

Soun sighed and looked over to Akane, who was completely red. Her hair was still a wild mess of tangles, and her face was still blotchy. "No, Akane, I believe we're well past that."

—

The day of the wedding was upon them, and Ranma was busy fiddling with his bowtie as his mother smoothed down his tux. "You look very handsome," she mused.

They were nowhere near Nerima. Soun wasn't willing to risk any faux fiances or suitors arriving and throwing a wrench into the plan. Nabiki had also promised her father up and down that she wouldn't spread the word. They weren't allowed to invite anyone, and instead, it remained a family affair.

It was very lonely.

Ranma had wanted to find Akane and talk to her to see how she was doing. Soun had fought this and did everything in his power to keep her separated from him - not that it seemed she wanted to talk to Ranma anyway. He wondered if this was because the family was nervous that if they had the chance to see each other, the already fragile plans would shatter. Ranma had asked that day if he could see her, if only for a moment, but Nodoka had shut him down, citing a Western tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding - something about bad luck. "That's why the last wedding went so poorly," she stated.

At one point, Ranma was allowed to walk around the inn. He didn't know why they had allowed that - surely the thought had crossed their minds that he would escape. His father had told him to get some air and clear his head - "something I wish I had done" - he chortled. Perhaps the idiot panda was offering a chance to make his own decision.

As much as Ranma wanted to run, he wasn't willing to risk it. He certainly didn't want to get married under these circumstances, but he wasn't willing to see if what Soun had said was true. He couldn't bear the idea of never stepping foot in the Tendo home again.

As he turned the corner, he saw Nabiki exit a room. He knew it was going to be the wedding suite, but it was currently acting as Akane's dressing room. Nabiki met his eyes and smiled, "Well don't you look handsome?" She asked with a teasing edge to her tone.

"Yeah, yeah," he answered flippantly with a wave of his hand. He looked at the door and asked, "Is Akane in there?"

Nabiki turned her head to the door and nodded. "But don't ask me if you can see her - daddy forbids it."

Ranma rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah." He looked at the door again and before he could stop himself, he asked, "Can I talk to her? Through the door?"

Nabiki looked at him in pleasant surprise. She smiled and said, "Knock yourself out, Romeo."

"Is it just her in there?"

Nabiki nodded. "She's all yours." And then she continued to walk down the hall, most likely to her room to get herself ready.

Ranma walked to the door. He could feel an overwhelming nervousness hit his bones. He knocked and asked imploringly, "Akane?"

In the quietest voice so unlike her own, he heard her croak out, "Yes?"

Ranma's hands fell to his side. 'Now what?' He thought. He quickly brought his hands together again and stared at them as he fidgeted with his fingers. "How are you?" He asked lamely.

"I'm okay," came her response, "How are you?"

"Okay," He replied.

Silence.

After a minute, Ranma continued, "Are you nervous?"

"Yes." Another bout of silence followed. He could hear her clear her throat. "Are you?"

He blushed. "Of course, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid! Stupid!" He heard a strange shuffling come from her room. "You're the reason we're in this mess in the first place!"

"Oh, yeah?" Ranma asked as his brows knitted themselves together. "From what I remember, you were the one crawling on top of me and doing the kissing! Any guy would follow through on that - it's nature! Even with a macho chick like you!" He felt a bit bad for saying that as he knew that A.) that was untrue in his case, he had always wanted her even if he couldn't admit it out loud; and B.) you probably shouldn't call your bride-to-be a macho chick an hour before your wedding.

Ranma waited for her to reply in anger and found himself shocked as he heard her whisper, "I see…" He pressed his face to the door like he was trying to see through it.

"I… I didn't mean that." He chocked. "I… I liked… that… with… with you." The overbearing heat of embarrassment struck his entire body, and he noticed even his hands had turned red as they trembled.

"You don't even remember it! How can you say you liked it!" Akane cried.

"I… I remember some of it…" he admitted as his shoulders slumped in embarrassment. "A lot of it… actually…" Like her half-lidded eyes as she stared down at him between her legs as he feasted upon her

There was another bout of silence between them. Ranma was about to walk away, figuring this was a waste of time. What did it matter anyway? Until he heard Akane reply, "Me too…" His ears pricked at the confession, and he pressed himself closer to the door.

"You do?" He asked in amazement.

"Not everything… but a lot of things." He could hear her blushing even with a piece of wood between them.

"Like what?" Ranma was trying to swallow but found he had no more saliva left.

"I don't want to say," Akane replied abruptly. Then she asked, "What do you remember?"

Ranma blushed this time and stammered out, "I… I d…don't want to s…say either."

"So I guess it will remain a mystery," came Akane's dry reply. Another silence swept over them. Ranma continued to stand there, and he told himself he needed to leave. As he turned to walk away, he heard her ask hesitantly, "Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"If we didn't have to… I mean… If it didn't have to be today, but when we would have chosen, would you have…" he could hear her swallow between the shaky breaths that slinked between each word. Ranma looked at the door and thought for a moment that it would be wonderful to be able to tear a hinge off its handle without lifting a finger. "Would you have still chosen me? Eventually? One day…" Her voice was so meek that Ranma thought his heart might explode. "Would you have chosen to marry me?"

The question made him almost fall over, and every part of his childish psyche was telling him to start calling her names and spouting awful things that he knew he couldn't take back. Instead, he took a deep, calming breath and only uttered one word, "Yes."

Silence again. "Oh…" Akane had breathed. It was such a gentle sound that had Ranma's heart hammering. 'Oh,' she had said. It was such a nice word.

"S…So don't come crying to me, tomboy!" He started stomping away but could hear the unmistakable giggles coming out of her room. There were two sets of giggles: hers and Kasumi's. 'Damn it, Nabiki!' Ranma thought.

Oh well. Too late now.

—

The door slid shut behind him and Ranma turned to his bride.

His wife.

He could barely remember the wedding with the buzzing that had swirled his head during the ceremony. He remembered they hadn't even kissed, which was embarrassing in its own right, and he remembered mindlessly picking at his meal. Something he very much regretted now with his stomach rumbling. He also remembered how beautiful Akane had looked.

It was nauseating.

It was nauseating in a good way. No Shampoo, no Ukyo, no Kodachi, no random flavor of the week could compare to Akane in his eyes. Not at that moment. She had worn a kimono. It was white and cinched tightly at the waist with a large black sash tied behind her, clinging to her as the sleeves stood long. The embroidery on it was sakura flowers flicked with gold, and her face was painted up while still retaining her usual girlish charms. She had looked so beautiful that he had thought of scooping her up and escaping from there so that no other man could dare look at her.

And now she stood in front of him: in front of their bed - which was a trip enough for Ranma with it being their bed. She looked at him nervously, and her fingers fiddled with the end of the sleeve of her kimono. Her eyes met his, and she had a nervous look on her face. She dropped the sleeve slowly, raised her arm to her shoulder, and went to push down her left sleeve to expose a bit of her pale skin. Without realizing it, Ranma was in front of her and quickly pulled the garment up. "W…What do you think you're doing?" He asked with embarrassment.

Akane winced at his tone and looked to the ground. "I just thought… since we're married…"

'Oh. Right.'

Ranma's hand stayed on her shoulder as he looked down at her. She was trembling slightly. He brought his other hand to her opposite shoulder so he could hold her. She looked up at him with watery eyes, and he brought her to him so her head was pressed firmly to his chest. He held her there for a while as he felt her hands draped across him. They were both trembling. Ranma glanced up at the ceiling as if hoping for an answer to be scrawled on there.

To his surprise, there was.

[BE A MAN] It read in his father's terrible scrawl. When the hell had he snuck in there without notice?

Ranma remembered his conversation with his father earlier that day. "You'll need to be the man in the bedroom, you understand." Genma had said curtly as Nodoka pulled on his montsuki to straighten it out. Ranma had never seen his dad in any remotely appropriate garb. He was hardly recognizable.

"What're you talking about?" Ranma had asked with his legs crossed.

"It's unladylike to approach your husband first," Nodoka replied without looking at him. She dusted off the top of Genma's bald head as Genma nodded.

"Your mother is correct. It's not a woman's way to lead in the bedroom. A woman needs a strong man who can hold her and make her whimper! You must be a-"

Genma was now in his panda form as Ranma looked at him bored. The pail he had used to toss the water towards his father rolled around on the ground. "Quite the speech for a wild animal to make, old man!"

"Ranma! You ruined your father's clothing!" Nodoka scolded, and Ranma winced. "Your father may be boorish, and fat, and bald and-"

[Can't you say one nice thing about me?]

"But he's correct! It's up to you to show Akane how manly you are!"

'So much for showing her what a man I am first.' Ranma thought dryly as he lowered his gaze to the top of Akane's head. 'Well, no time like the present, I guess. And besides, it isn't like this would be the first time.'

With a new resolve, Ranma pulled himself away from Akane, extending her an arms-length away. She looked at him, confused, and then he brought her to him again and mashed their lips together. Or tried to, anyway.

"Ow!" She shouted as his forehead bucked against her mouth. He pulled away from her and looked into her annoyed chestnut-brown eyes. "'Zat hur yew jerk!" She said through slightly swelling lips.

"Sorry!" he quickly spat. He considered running out the window but knew that wasn't the correct "manly" move. She rubbed her lips softly, and Ranma nervously tried to figure out what to do next.

He couldn't bear the thought of actually trying to seduce her after that snafu! So he took the cheater's way out and suggested, "Why don't you show me what you remember." He was trying to stay cool and not blush. He was trying to seem cocky. He wonder if she bought it. Probably not. Then again, Akane had a way of being completely oblivious to body language. She still hadn't even figured out who P-Chan was! Then again, he had to admit he was pretty obtuse, too.

Akane tensed, "huh?"

Not willing to be vulnerable and admit he didn't know what he was doing, he replied, "You need to show me what you remember what we did." Akane stiffened, and he watched her fingers twitch. When he stayed there, standing, his anticipation growing, he ruined it by saying, "That's what I thought! End of the day, you're still just a sexless tomboy!"

Akane slowly brought her chin to her chest and Ranma could sense her angry energy. "Lay down," she commanded through gritted teeth.

Ranma twisted away in shock and asked, "W..What do you mean?"

Akane locked her eyes with him and angrily spat, "What? You scared now that I called your bluff?"

"I wasn't bluffin' nothin'!"

"Prove it!"

"Nu-uh, you!"

"You!"

"Youuuu!"

"Yooouuuu!"

The two continued to stare at each other, huffing. It was clear to Ranma that if neither committed right then, no one ever would. He could do this. He had fought so many tough battles, won so many wars - won her even if it was against her will - but this seemed like something he couldn't win.

"Lay down," Ranma finally commanded as he looked away from her with cheeks puffed up.

"Ranma?" She asked questioningly as the anger exited her in one breathless word.

"You want me to show you, or don't you?" Akane looked at him bewildered but very quickly turned her back to him.

"I need help undoing my sash." Ranma blushed but brought nervous fingers to her back and shakily undid the sash. It fell to the ground and he saw the kimono unravel slightly. She turned back to him and kept the kimono wrapped around her as she sat her bottom firmly on the bed and shifted her knees apart to grant him access to her. He looked into her eyes hesitantly and saw a subtle sign of excitement shining back at him. If Ranma were the slightest bit aware of the world, he would have been able to suss out that Akane was just as acutely aware of what took place that fateful night as himself. What started as pieces of vague memory had now come back crystal clear for both of them - minus some remaining foggy details.

Nervously, he walked towards the bed. One knee pressed into the mattress, and he almost fell over. He wasn't used to beds. He could hardly remember the last time he had slept on something that wasn't on the floor that wasn't due to some kidnapping. He leaned on his hands as his other knee joined. He kneeled in between her thighs. Akane's kimono shifted and showed silken panties with a little bow at the front. He reached over and hesitantly touched the bow. Akane hit him in the back of the head as her legs snapped shut. "What the hell?" He asked as he quickly removed himself from under her dressings.

"Sorry!" She squeaked, "Habit!"

"Do you want me to do this or don't you?" He asked in a feeble cry. Akane looked at him and shifted her legs sheepishly before looking away.

"I want you to." She answered honestly with a cautious tone. "I just react when I'm nervous."

The answer hit Ranma like the softball that had cracked into his cheek all those years ago. 'She wants me! She wants me! She wants me!' Was all he could think. Instead, all he could get out was, "What're you so nervous about?"

"Don't make me explain, dummy." She spat out and suddenly it all clicked into place.

Akane wanted him. She was exposed to him. Her most intimate self was exposed to him, and she had said, "I want you." The feeling was so overwhelming. His brain flipped through every moment he had spent with her. Every time he had felt some insatiable need for her. Not just for her body, but for her. He had wanted her so terribly for so long. He wanted to call her his girlfriend, to tell his other "fiances" to buzz off, but the fear inside had always stopped him.

What If she hadn't liked him back? What if she had laughed in his face or called him stupid?

No - Akane would have never done that. She was quick to react in anger, but any matters of the heart were taken sincerely and gently. At this moment, with her beneath him, legs spread, he could be honest with himself. He was afraid she would have looked at him with pity and told him she was sorry, but she could only look at him as the boy in her house her dad was forcing her to marry or, worse - a friend. A boy in the house could turn into something more; a friend was dead in the water.

"Do you want to be friends?" Ranma asked suddenly as he looked up into her eyes.

"W… what?"

"When I met you… That's what you first asked me: 'Do you want to be friends?'."

Akane squirmed uncomfortably with Ranma so close to her pelvis. "Did I?" She gasped, her face flushed.

"I had never had anyone ask me that," he said in a word vomit sandwich. "You were the first person who asked that."

Akane continued to stare at him with a face so red it had almost turned blue at one point. She tucked her hair behind her ear, seemingly choosing to forget he was at the crest of her womanhood, and said, "I didn't know you were a boy."

"I know," he conceded, and something possessed him to lean down and kiss the inside of her leg, "but I knew then that I liked you."

"You what?" Her anger came in a wave of rage as she moved away from him and sat up, as she made sure to keep herself covered. "Then why did you let Ukyo and Shampoo keep jerking you around? Why did you make me have to feel like the backup?" She asked, exasperated.

Ranma knew the answer: too shy or too cowardly.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say back as he moved closer to her again. She winced, but he could see her legs tremble in anticipation as they cautiously came apart. It almost seemed like she hadn't even realized. He bent down and gave a soft kiss to her neck. "I was afraid you didn't like me."

"How is that possible?" Akane groaned as she covered her eyes with her palm in exasperation. "I practically threw myself at you - like how normal girls do it." She concluded, referring to Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi's wild desperation. He chuckled at her jealousy.

"You might have thrown yourself at me, but you literally threw me. Several times, actually."

Akane looked away from him, but he could see her whole body had flushed red. "I don't have to say it's okay," she grumbled.

"I know," he replied and kissed her neck again.

"You're cute when you smile," she muttered. He moved away to see she was still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Me?" He asked in confusion.

"It's what you said to me," she finally met his gaze, "and I realized I liked you."

His eyes grew wide as he said breathlessly, "I thought you liked Dr. Tofu, then."

"I did," she conceded, "but I realized I liked you, and suddenly Dr. Tofu left my heart." He felt his heart swell at her quiet words. He was about to reach out to kiss her She pulled the kimono to her like a protective blanket. "Since we're being honest, can I ask you something?" Ranma deflated but nodded his head, and she took in a deep breath before she spouted, "You said you loved me in Jusenkyo, didn't you? I didn't make it up?"

Ranma thought for a moment that he was going to blurt out something stupid. He swallowed the words and tried to find some strength within him. He sighed to calm his nerves. He met her eyes and said with sincerity he didn't know he had, "I loved you the moment I saw you. I just didn't know it, then." She gasped at his boldness, and before Ranma knew what he was doing, he found his hand cupping her cheek, and he leaned in close to her. His lips were inches away, and he kept his eyes on her to suss out her reaction.

Akane's eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned closer to him. Seeing this as an invitation, Ranma bridged the gap and pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and hesitant. He felt her sigh against him. Ranma went to move away but felt Akane grab his suit and pull him towards her.

Ranma's arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer still. He lowered her to the bed and felt her gasp. His tongue cautiously poked out and investigated her mouth. Testing the boundaries, he moved his palm from her cheek and dragged it slowly to her neck. His hand hit the V in her kimono, and he paused. He felt her freeze and wondered if he had gone too far. Surely, that couldn't be the case. They had already had sex before, so this shouldn't be any big deal, but being in a sober mind made him hesitate. He was worried about scaring her or making her feel pressured.

To his surprise, he felt as Akane shifted and pushed the sleeve on her right side down, then the left one. He didn't stop her this time. His anticipation had grown within him, and when she brought her hands back to behind his neck, he pulled away from her and stared down at her now-exposed chest. She had a simple white bra on. It was nothing fancy, but it made Ranma's throat clench tight, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He was so caught up in looking at her, wondering what his next move would be, that he almost didn't notice Akane's hands leave him until he saw her arms making to cover herself.

He grabbed them to stop her. "Don't you dare cover yourself," he ordered, his voice coming out husky, "I want to see." She bit her lip but did as he said. She brought her hands to her side, and Ranma could see she had stiffened. He felt nervousness settle back into his stomach, and he asked, "Is this okay? We don't have to…"

"I want to," she whispered back, "I'm nervous."

He smiled and hummed, "Me too." He bent down and kissed her again, and his hand hesitantly reached out and cupped her breast. The material in her bra was padded, and he frowned and asked, "How do you get these off?" He had worn a bra before as a girl, but his mind had gone blank in Akane's presence. She giggled nervously but leaned forward. He watched as her hands went behind her back and heard the fabric shuffle. He could see the back of her bra's clasps poke out from either side and before she could move down the straps, he stopped her and stated, "I want to do that." She nodded and moved so she was lying back on the bed.

Ranma loomed over her and cautiously pulled down one strap, then the next. He went to pull the material, and Akane lifted her arms to concede. He was left looking at her bare breasts. He thought for a moment that he had forgotten how to breathe. "I… I know it's not exciting," Akane stuttered. He looked at her in surprise, "Since you can see them at any time."

"Akane," he growled as his hand cupped her now naked breast, "this is very exciting." He felt her shiver, and he met her lips again. He kissed her lips and drew himself downward, placing kisses from her cheek to her clavicle. His hand that lay on her chest pawed it cautiously. He felt that her nipple was firm and peaked in his palm. He sucked on her neck lightly and breathed against her. She shivered as his mouth continued to trail downward. He got to her other breast, unoccupied, while his thumb questioningly moved across her nipple. He felt her twitch and smiled before his hand grabbed her lone tit and gave it a gentle lick.

She moaned his name out pleasantly, and Ranma felt the throbbing below him grow almost unbearable. He dropped his hand from her breast, content with his mouth doing the lion's share of the work. He felt her legs squirm below him, and his hand drifted down her body. It moved down the dip in her stomach, and he thought of pushing the garment from her completely and throwing it to the floor before he stopped himself, lifted himself slightly, and stared down at her.

Akane looked so sweet with the kimono draped around her. The kimono reminded him that she was his now, and he groaned. They'd have plenty of time to be naked together, right? He could enjoy her in her wedding gown this once. And besides, her best assets were easily accessible. She looked at him imploringly at his halted movement. "Ranma?" She asked cutely.

He snapped out of his thoughts and bent down to kiss her. She met his lips with hers, and he felt her sigh again. His hand on her stomach continued its movement downward. His hands brushed against her hip bone, and he continued to move until his hand had slipped past the dressings of the kimono still wrapped around her thighs. Her breath hitched as his thumb moved to the top of her underwear. He touched the bow again, waiting to see if he would get smacked again. When she opened her legs wider, he understood the invitation.

His hands moved under the silken fabric, and he pressed his thumb hesitantly to her lips. He could feel that her panties were soaked, and from pure delight, his head dropped to her shoulder as his breathing grew labored. He wanted to skip this part so badly and just take his prize. The pressure in his groin was almost painful. He knew, however, that he had to move slowly. He wanted to be selfish in his eagerness and focus on her after, but he didn't want to hurt her.

They may have already done this before, but he remembered it had been fun but lackluster at best, as both were too drunk to feel much. Whiskey dick, he had heard it called. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall there being any penetration. He had been sure they had to have and that this was the part his brain had decided to stop recording. Still nervous this wasn't the case, he figured it was all the more reason to take things slow.

She whimpered in his ear as her legs lifted gingerly to help her mound meet his hand. Ranma shuddered as his lips moved to her neck. He brought his finger to her slit and swiped up and down it, pressing the lips slightly apart at his slow action. Akane gasped as her hips now bucked into him. He pressed a little firmer but tried not to make it too firm. He had experimented with his female body before (what curious teen wouldn't when given the chance?) and knew going too hard or too fast at first could be too painful or too stimulating, so he went slowly, drawing a hand up and down her. His fingers moved to split her further open, allowing him to give more attention to her button. She gasped again, and her legs moved upward and wrapped loosely around his mid-section to give him further access.

His now dormant hand removed itself from her breast and worked its way to meet the other. His finger pushed into her opening, and he felt her tightness grip him firmer. He shivered at the thought of entering but told himself that could wait. They had plenty of time.

The rest of their lives now.

He moved his finger in and out of her intentionally slow as his other hand continued to work her clit. Akane was panting harder now. Her eyes were screwed closed, and her lips were pursed tightly together. She had raised her lower body so high it almost looked like it was levitating.

"Stop," she whispered. Ranma froze as her undulating hips ceased movement, and her legs dropped to either side of him.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked worriedly. What he was doing to her had certainly felt good to him when he had done so in his female form, but maybe it felt different to her.

"No," she cooed, "but I don't want to cum yet." Then she said in a hushed tone. "I want you."

The soft words made everything in Ranma's ears go radio silent as a gentle whirring was all he could make out. He removed his fingers and shakily brought his hands to his black slacks. He fidgeted with the buttons and zippers, his hands shook too hard for him to get a proper grip. God, how pathetic.

Ranma watched her hand lower onto his, and he glanced up at her. She was sitting up and smiling softly, seemingly pleased with his nervousness. She pushed his hand away and brought her other hand to join as she delicately unhooked the buttons of his dress pants and pulled the zipper down, then her thumbs hooked on either side of his waist and pushed his pants and boxers down in one go. His penis popped out, and she giggled. He felt himself blush and was worried she found him tiny. He had been in plenty of bathhouses and seen hundreds of guys naked. He had always thought he was average, if not a little bigger, but maybe he was wrong. It wasn't exactly like the old men all stood around rock-hard.

But then she grabbed it gingerly, questioningly, and when he looked into her eyes, he could tell she was nervous. She stroked him up and down slowly, and he watched as she stared in amazement. He looked down at her tiny hands, so soft and slightly calloused from years of hard work, and her thumb gently grazed the tip of his penis, causing the pre-cum at the tip to smear across it. He shivered and grabbed her wrists. He kept his gaze down to his lap and panted, "I won't be able to keep going if you keep doing that." He peeked over at her to see she was blushing but giggling.

He pushed her down gently again, hooked his fingers on either side of her panties, and pulled down. She lifted her legs to assist him, and he threw the garment aside and positioned himself between her legs. He thought of removing his clothing, but some stranger in his head - a hopeless romantic perhaps - had thought it was sweet for them to both remain in their wedding clothes. For this time, at least. He pressed himself to her folds and cautiously moved it up and down, hearing her moan. He was looking for the opening, having difficulty finding it, but found something give, a little lower on her body than he realized. Which made no sense, he had just been there.

He pushed softly and hissed as his head threw back. He was staring at the ceiling but saw his father's scrawl again and quickly looked back down, afraid his erection would wither if he thought about his dad for too long.

Ranma focused on Akane's face and saw it twisted in pain. Maybe they hadn't gone all the way? Maybe they had, but she still wasn't used to it. She had never confirmed or denied if there had been any pain between her legs the day they had fooled around, and her hymen had probably broken years ago due to training. He would ask her later, he supposed, but right now, he practiced breathing as he tried to get her used to it. He bent down and sweetly kissed her forehead. She whimpered again as his member had shifted slightly inside her, stretching her.

His hand went down between them again, and he pressed his thumb into her fold, seeking her clit. He knew he had met it when she gasped and moved against him, forcing him into her so he was flush against her. Akane gasped again from the pain, and Ranma moved to her lips and kissed her for a temporary distraction. He waited a moment before he started moving his thumb again. Akane stayed still as Ranma continued to rub circles into her. He could feel her walls clench tightly against him and he shivered again. He didn't know how much longer he could hold back.

Then her hands draped behind his back, her palms pressed hotly against the back of his neck as she held his face closer to her and kissed him deeply as she moaned against his lips. Her legs once again wrapped around his lower back, opening her slightly. Ranma figured this meant she had adjusted enough and he pulled out of her until his head was dangerously close to exiting her before slamming back in.

She yipped in pain again and hissed, "Slower."

"I got too excited," he replied sheepishly as though he was in trouble.

"Just, go slower. For now."

He nodded and did as she commanded. He moved his hips against hers, tantalizingly slow. He tried to resist his urge to go quicker and harder and reminded himself this was just temporary. In his excitement, he thrust into her a little harder, but before he could apologize he heard her grunt out, "Oh!"

He rose his head to look at her again. Her eyes were closed but her face was red in flushed excitement. He tested that movement again to see her throw her head back further into the pillow. He looked at her in amazement.

Figuring those gentle mewls were from enjoyment with her now fully comfortable, Ranma picked up his speed in excitement, careful not to go too hard too fast. "Touch me again," Akane requested, and he brought his thumb back to her mound and rubbed her harder. She was nearly screaming as her hips began to meet his, and Ranma heard his guttural moans leaving him. He almost thought his spirit had left his body, and now it was just some mindless zombie that had completely given itself over to lust.

Ranma wasn't sure if he could last much longer but heard Akane say in an almost shrieking tone, "Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop!" He began to hammer into her now. His excitement was thick in the air, his breath ragged and desperate. She gave a final cry, her hips meeting him one last time as he felt her walls pulsate against him and watched her back arch up possessed. He lasted only a few pumps longer and pressed his face back into the crook of her neck. His jaws bit into her as he tried to muffle his scream.

They lay there for a few minutes with him on top of her, both of them panting. Eventually, Ranma rolled over to his side and pulled her with him. He leaned over to kiss her passionately, and she seemed to melt into him.

They continued to stare for a while longer before Akane finally blurted, "I can't be the only one naked!"

He chuckled and sat back up. "Why are you in a hurry to get me out of this?"

"Because the night's not over yet," she replied and he swallowed, "and we have a lot of years to make up for." He blushed but was overall thrilled with her sudden boldness, and he brought her to him again to kiss her.

—

A/N: This is continuing to be a fun exercise for me, but I would like to make this story more of a long form of their lives past the teenage years or the "They finally got together" plot, maybe going as far as 10 years in the future or longer. I suppose one could see this as a series of one-shots that are loosely tied together as they progressively age. I want to keep this from being a drama, as writing too many of those can be kind of depressing. I'm sure there will be some stories that will have elements of that. Overall, though, I want to write a nice, fun, sometimes funny, sometimes sweet, sometimes dramatic story that allows us to get a glimpse of their slice of life.