Ranma 1/2 - First Night
by James Stone
stoner@elycion.geology.ualberta.ca
(c) 1996 Stone Age Productions All Rights Reserved
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NOTE - This is a _finished_ fanfic. C&C are still welcome as always, but
don't expect to see another version with revisions posted anytime ever.
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Akane hesitated at the sliding door. She wasn't sure if she
could do this. After all, she'd never done anything like it before.
Fleetingly she wondered if he had? Shaking her head, she dismissed that
thought. There was no way he could ever have done something
this...this...bold.
She wouldn't be doing it herself, if it wasn't for Nabiki. She
had been in her room, griping about the day at school, with Ukyou fawning
all over him at lunch hour, and then Kodachi waiting for him outside of
the gates after classes. She'd been so upset she hadn't even waited for
him to escape from Kodachi...even though he truly disliked the
delinquient from St.Hebereke. So there'd she been in her sister's room,
going over everything that had happened, and the question had just
slipped out of her sister's mouth.
Akane had been floored. Partly becuase her sister had suggested
the idea FREE OF CHARGE, but mostly because its elegant simplicity had
never occured to her. This idea was so simple, it simply had to work.
No matter what Ranma answered, she'd at least _have_ an answer to the
question that had bothered her for months.
Alright, this was it. No point in reviewing the facts again.
Steeling herself, Akane rapped lightly on the ricepaper screen.
"Um?" Ranma's voice answered from within. Sounded distracted.
Nevermind that now, whatever it was could wait. She opened the door and
stepped in.
Ranma looked up from his futon, where he was lying on his
stomach. Papers and books were scattered all around him, and a pencil
was pinched between his upper lip and his nose. Seeing Akane, he sat up
quickly, pencil falling to the floor as his mouth turned upwards in a
relieved smile. "Akane! Ureshii na!" His face beamed openly as he
looked at her.
Blinking, Akane looked at him suspiciously. "You are? Why?"
Crossing the room, she knelt beside a stack of scribbled notes. Picking
the topmost sheet up, she studied it carefully, her brow wrinkling as she
deciphered the handwriting on it. "I don't believe it...homework?"
Ranma nodded, looking downcast. "Yeah. Hinako-sensei told me
that if I didn't get this makeup homeowrk done, I'd have to do extra
study hours over the summer." He shuddered for a moment. "At _her_ house."
Akane shuddered in sympathy, remembering the confusion at
Hinako-sensei's apartment. Taking another look at the paper, she asked,
"So, how much more do you have to do?"
Wordlessly, Ranma held a small notebook up to her face. Twenty
assignments were written down in the notebook, in Hinako-sensei's
handwriting. Beside 4 of those was a sloppy checkmark.
"Four?! You've only got 4 done??" Akane couldn't believe it.
"How long have you been working at this?"
Ranma looked sheepish. "Uh..since I got home...an hour ago."
"An hour..?" Quickly, Akane looked at her watch.
"Bu..but...it's already 8 o'clock! What were you doing out so late?"
Ranma seemed to shrink in front of her, an embarassed look
crawling onto his face. "You weren't...you couldn't have been with
Kodachi all that time?" Ranma shrunk down further, his face reddening as
he shook his head no. "So how long _were_ you with her?" Ranma held up
one finger.
"An hour?" A nod.
"Then what? Did you go out for dinner?" A slow shake of the
head. Not exactly...
"Shampoo found you?" A negative. "Ukyou?" Slow, reluctant yes.
"And how long there?" Two sheepish fingers rose into the air.
Akane blinked, confused and angry. "But that was an hour and a
half ago! What took you the rest of the time?"
Once again, Ranma remained wordless, but bowed his head in front
of her. There, on the back of his head she could just see the red,
fading lumps.
"You got in a fight? With who?" An unintelligible mutter.
"Who?" A slightly louder unintelligible mutter. Grabbing his
pigtail, Akane jerked his eyesup to meet hers. "WHO?"
Pouting, Ranma replied, his response cut off short as Akane let
his head drop to the floor again.
"Ryouga-kun AGAIN?! Is that all you two ever DO is fight?
Honestly Ranma, I don't know what you have against him...he's a nice guy!"
Ranma scowled. "Aw, what business is it of yours anyways, uncute
tomboy?"
Akane stood up, her skirt twitching angrily. "None, I guess! I
guess after the _busy day_ you've had you wouldn't be interested in going
on a date with me at all!"
Ranma nodded. "That's right! I DON'T want to go on any stupid
da--eh?" Ranma's mouth stopped as his brain caught up.
Blushing suddenly, Akane paused. "Um...a date. I was coming in
here to ask you if you wanted to go out tonight." She took another
breath. "But...you've got homework to do, so, I guess..."
Jumping to his feet, Ranma landed in front of Akane, putting his
hands on her shoulders urgently. "No! It can wait! I mean...." His
face suddenly went a bright shade of red. "Um...that is...sorta..."
Screwing up his eyes, he blurted it out. "Yes!"
He paused, looking surprised with himself, and pleased. "Yeah.
I mean...since you came and _asked_ me and all..." He paused, a frown
coming over his face. "Hey, wait a minute...aren't _I_ supposed to...?"
Hurriedly, Akane cut him off. "So, uh..here!" She thrust a
ticket into his hand. "I, um, got these from a classmate. It's the late
show, at the Nerima Bijou. Near the park, alright?" Ranma nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you there before the movie then! I've got to get
ready!" Quickly, she closed the door behind her and rushed off to her
own room. That had been too close. She couldn't have him thinking too
much about this, or it might get all screwed up.
The next 30 minutes passed in a daze as she rushed through her
closet, trying on outfits, tossing them onto the floor, selecting
another, and repeating. Ooooh, this was so frustrating. Didn't she have
_anything_ new to wear to the show? Well, alright, so she'd mix a bit.
Not that she really expected Ranma to notice anyways, but...maybe. Next
time she'd have something new though. She's make sure to knock his eyes
out!
For his part, Ranma just acted stunned, homework forgotten. He
was actually going on a date with Akane. Oh, this wasn't _really_ such a
big deal..he'd gone on dates before, with Shampoo, and Ukyou, and even
Akane, but none of those had really been planned. They'd just sorta
happened. Especially the ones with Akane. But still, he always had a
good time. He looked at the ticket in his hand. So, the new Jackie Chan
movie. He grinned. It was pretty good, having a fiancee with the same
tastes of movies that he did. Most girls, they'd want to see something
all sappy like. But not Akane. Tomboy. He smiled.
Well, okay, first to change his clothes. This shirt wouldn't
do. He'd been wearing it all day. Besides, it wasn't really a _nice_
shirt. He had better. Check the pants. Pretty scruffy too...have to
remember not to fight before a date in the future. Alright, change them
too. Five minutes later. Okay. Now what.
Glancing left and right suspiciously, Ranma lifted his arm, and
sniffed cautiously at his armpit. O-kay. Bath too. His hair could use
a bit of brushing, and his teeth. Didn't want okonomiyaki stains there.
Grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, Ranma headed off downstairs,
trying not to look too exicted.
Fourty-five minutes later, and it was time to go. Ranma wondered
why Akane had told him to meet him there. That was a bit odd, but, well,
nevermind. He shrugged. Maybe she had some idea in mind. He had heard
her leave a few minutes earlier, and a surreptitious check out the window
had told him that wherever it was, it wasn't on the way to the theatre.
Well, he'd find out from her when they met. Quickly slipping on his
shoes, he rushed out the door, and down the street.
He only made it a few blocks. Just three streets down from his
home, Ranma rounded a corner, running flat out, and caromed straight into
a delivery bicycle. Accompanied by a high-pitched cry, ramen noodles
splattered all over the street.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr...oh. Shampoo!" Ranma's
eyes widened at the sight of the Chinese delievery girl, currently lying
on her side, half-trapped under her bicycle. At the sound of his voice,
her eyes widened, and before he had finished his sentence, Ranma found
himself being possessed by two strong arms and an adoring purple-maned face.
"Aiya! Is no mention, Ranma! Shampoo was bringing special order
of Ranma, just for you! Tonight good night for eating delicious ramen
together, no?"
Depereately, Ranma tried to extricate himself from Shampoo's
clutches. "N...no! Tonight is not a good night! Tonight is a very bad
night!" Shampoo's gaze turned suspicious, angry, and, worst of all,
hurt. "Ack! Shampoo...don't look at me like that! I...I'm busy
tonight, is all!"
"Too busy to spend with wife?" Shampoo glared at him, eyes
flashing dangerously. "What you talking, Ranma?"
Freeing himself of the last of what seemed like 12 arms, Ranma
backed away slowly..."I...I...I..." He happened to glance upwards. "Oh
no! I'm late! I'll talk to you later, okay Shampoo?" Leaping skywards,
Ranma bounced off of a handy roof and vanished into the distance.
Raising her fist into the air, Shampoo screamed, "Ranma!! You
come back with Shampoo!!" Gathering herself, she too sprang into the air
and gave chase to the fleeing boy.
Ranma groaned as he heard the sound of pursuing Amazon. He was
going to be in a huge amount of trouble if he got to the theatre with
Shampoo in tow. He didn't want to screw this up. Not at all. Glancing
at another public clock, he let out a sigh of relief. Travelling like
this was much faster than walking, and he was making better time. He
could afford some diversionary tactics. So he started bounding around at
random, confident that he could lose the chasing girl in no time.
Some block away, closer to the theatre, Akane was trying vainly
to slow down the pounding of her heart. Telling herself that this wasn't
the first time they'd been alone together didn't help. Telling herself
that it wasn't really their first date didn't help. Her heart was
fluttering, she could feel that her cheeks were pink, and, although she
didn't want to check too carefully, she suspected she was grinning like
an idiot.
She had left early so that she could get Ranma some snacks for
the movie. The theatre foods were too expensive, and besides, they
didn't offer the steamed breads that he liked. After the movie, she
planned to take him to the ice cream parlour near their house, and treat
him there too. She didn't mind paying this time. Their allowance was
the same, but she didn't have hers suspended so much. Next time though,
she was sure, things would be the other way around. All Ranma needed was
a push in the right direction, and if she did it the right way, she could
keep her pride.
Glancing at her watch, she sped her pace up a bit. It was later
than she thought, and further from the store to the theatre too. She
wanted to be there first. Wanted to surprise him with the bread. They
could stand outside the gates and eat their treats while the stupid
commercials and previews played. Then they could go inside, and...
Abruptly, Akane stopped that. It was just a movie. Perfectly
innocent. Hardly at all datelike. But, her suspected grin grew just a
tiny bit more, and her pace sped up just a tiny bit as she rounded the
final corner and saw....
At first she didn't see it, in fact. Her eyes took in the
information, passed it to her brain, which processed it and then simply
ignored it, as being too unbelieveable. Then, as the images kept coming,
it started dismissing them as products of an overexicted imagination.
Imagination replied indignantly, explaining that, while it had been
active, its main activities were of pictures of Ranma in the soft light
of the movie screen. Certainly not of Ranma in the bright lights of the
marquee, with three women hanging off of him.
Horrified, Akane watched Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyou lead Ranma
across the park, past the entrance to the movie theatre. Ranma walked
stiffly, like all of his limbs were jointless. One arm was behind his
head, and on his face was a nervous laugh, looking vaguely in the
direction of Ukyou's open, laughing face.
Then she was running, the pavement doubling and trebling before
her eyes, water pattering on her face and hands although it wasn't
raining. The sound of her sobs in her ears, the rage burning through
her. She could almost feel her feet cracking the pavement, her feet
abused in the dress shoes, not at all suitable for running. Finding her
way home by memory, rounding the corner into the gates, throwing the
front door open hard enough to dislodge it from it's rails, and stamping
into the living room.
How could she have been so stupid? She KNEW what he was
like..the womanizing pervert! She should have known he couldn't even set
foot outside the gates without finding one of his women, and forgetting
about her, who was just his fiancee. Not even his REAL fiancee, just an
arranged one. He probably didn't even hate her, like she hated him. For
some reason that thought only made her angrier. How dare he not even
hate her? How dare he make her feel this way about him! It was all his
fault!
Akane's angry gaze fell on the cabinet opposite the television.
The cabinet that was always locked. Not that it mattered, she knew where
the key was, had known ever since she had paid Nabiki for the knowledge,
eight years ago. Then she hadn't understood why her dad would want to
lock up a bunch of old bottles. Now she understood why. And they said
that it could take the hurt away sometimes. They said that if you were
careful, that it wasn't really dangerous. That...
They weren't home. With that thought, and the image of Ranma's
nervous, grinning face in her mind, Akane quickly stole over to the TV
and recovered the key from it's hiding place. Her father wasn't the most
imaginative of men, that hiding place hadn't changed since she had found
out, and it probably never would. Hands shaking, she opened the cabinet
slowly. Carefully, as if some horrible creature had grown there in the
last eight years, she peered inside.
No creature. Just a collection of bottles, mostly brown, but a
few green, and one clear. She paused. She had no knowledge of
alcohol...what should she take? Fruitlessly, she stared at the bottles
for a bit longer, then with an exasperated sigh, grabbed a large
brownish bottle labeled 'Rum' off the shelf, and reclosed the door.
First, she replaced the key in it's hiding place. She wasn't too
sure when her father and sisters were getting back, but she didn't want
any suspicion when they did. She'd just take some, and replace the
bottle, and noone would be the wiser. Clutching it carefully, like a
thief, she stole up the stairs to her room, and closed the door behind
her. She considered locking it, then decided against it. She rarely did
that, and it might arouse suspicion. Best just to be quick.
She sat on the floor, and looked at the bottle in her hands. Now
that she had a bit more time to look at it, she saw that it wasn't a
brown bottle at all...the glass ws clear, and the liquid inside of it a
light brown. Carefully, she studied the label. There had to be some
sort of instructions for it. Frowning, she squinted at the words...her
English was the best in her class, but no match for the thin,
oddly-shaped squiggles covering the label. The only things in normal
printing on the bottle was the word 'Rum', and another notation, which
read '80 Proof'.
She tried to decipher that. 'Rum' was the name of the drink.
She had heard upperclassmen talking about drinks, and rum was one they
mentioned frequently. As for '80 Proof'...she seemed to remember
something about the strength of the alcohol. She reasoned to herself
that 80 probably meant the drink was quite strong. She'd have to be
careful.
Carefully, she worked the cap off the bottle. It was an older
one, that had been opened before, so she didn't have to worry about
explaining a broken seal. Lifting the bottle to her noes, she sniffed
cautiously at the liquid inside. The smell seemed to have physical
force, rushing up her nostrils, and assulting her sense of smell.
"Ugh!" How could people drink this stuff? With the bottle held
a bit further away from her, she sniffed again. This time, it wasn't so
bad. It was still a powerful aroma, but it wasn't overpowering. And
there was a dark undertone to the smell, a heavy fragrance.
Briefly, she wondered if she should have gotten a glass from the
kitchen. No, she thought, that would be more explaining. This stuff was
powerful enough to leave a smell on the glassware, probably even after
cleaning. She didn't want Kasumi noticing anything. Looking at the rim
of the bottle (and being careful not to breath through her nose as she
did so), she decided that it would be clean enough to drink out of.
Okay then. Hoisting the bottle up by it's neck, she thought of
Ranma. Of Ranma surrounded by Shampoo, Ukyou, and Kodachi. Of Ranma
laughing with them. A red haze crept over her vision. Her fingers
tightened on the neck of the bottle, and with a swift gesture, she lifted
the alcohol to her lips, and let a big splash of he liquid fall into her
mouth and down her throat.
"Wauh--!" She rocked forwards violently, slamming the bottle
against the floor, and coughing out heavily. She could feel the heavy
drolets of alcohol on her breath as she tried to get the taste from her
mouth. The rum burned, her tounge and the sides of her mouth tingling
unpleasantly, a burning sensation that plummeted straight down her throat,
and into her stomach, where it seemed to explode with a rush of warmth
that flushed her entire body. Coughing, choking on the heavy taste,
Akane tried to regain her breath. After a few moments, she rocked back
upright, still clutching the bottle by it's neck.
"Whoo! Powerful stuff!" she cried, then quickly shut her mouth
and looked around the room. Pretty loud, that. It couldn't be affecting
her already, could it? She checked her window, which was open. Better
close that. Didn't want the neighbours to hear anything.
Quickly, she got up and closed the window. That was neat, it was
like she hadn't moved at all. Wasn't that kinda funny? She wondered if
Ranma felt that way. She wondered if he got the same rush as she did when
they were alone together. This was almost like that, only without the
blush. She wondered if he felt that right now. She decided that maybe
she needed a bit more.
She dropped back to the floor, and lifted the bottle again. She
looked at it carefully. Looked pretty harmless, really, but boy...didn't
FEEL harmless. She ran her tongue over her lips. Still a bit tingly.
Well, she wouldn't need much more. With a grimace, she lifted the bottle
again, and took another slug off of it.
Instinctively, she rocked forwards again, but this time she
didn't cough. The rum had gone down a lot smoother this time. Still
burned,the taste still made her tongue quiver and twitch, but the warm
feeling in her belly spread out a lot further this time, making even her
skin tingle. She giggled. That was foolish. She'd just had a drink,
there was no way it could have gotten to her this quickly. Still, she
wondered if you built up some sort of resistance to it...got used to it,
maybe. Experimentally, she took a third shot.
"Aaahhhh...yup. That's it." She giggled out loud. Things
seemed to be just a little more in focus now. She could see edges and
colors she had never noticed before. But only in the center of her
vision. Things got fuzzy around the edges. Not at all like being with
him, when everything was bright and clear, everything smelled better,
sounded nicer, looked brighter. But close. She felt...almost happy
again. She took another drink.
Carelessly, she flopped backwards, and thumped heavily against the
side of her bed. Whoops! When did that get so close? A giggle. For
that matter, why was she lying down? Tsk tsk tsk. Lying down on the
job, Akane. Grinning stupidly, she rolled her head from side to side,
looking at the junction of the wall and the ceiling. It was a bit
blurry, but that was okay. Didn't want to focus anyways. It was kinda
nice, all fuzzy, not hard and sharp.
Back and forth, back and forth. Watching the wall and roof
switch places, left, right, left, right. Where was she? Oh yeah, lying
down on the job. That was pretty silly, what job? She was in school,
silly, and didn't have any homework tonight. Ranma, no he had homework.
He had a lot of homework. But he was shirking it. Uh-huh. She nodded
her head in long, exaggerated strokes, thumping it softly against her
mattress each time. Shirking it with other women, he was! Yup. And she
wasn't gonna help him get out of it. No siree...not her. She had meant
to..woulda stayed up all night to help him if she had to. Cause she
wanted this evening, and she wanted him, and she lo--
Face was hot. Wet. She lifted her hand to her cheek, and found
her nose. Carefully, she slid it over to the side, found her cheeks were
all wet and sticky. Tears? This..this wouldn't do at all! Pull yourself
together! Here. Have another drink. How many is that? Four? Three?
Doesn't matter. Here you go.
Her hand lifted the bottle to her lips shakily, tilting it up
just a bit to soon. Amber liquid spilled over the rim, and dribbled onto
her blouse. Hastily, she readjusted the angle of the bottle, and brought
it to her lips, then she tilted it back. Carefully, carefully...tilting
the bottle down, she swallowed the liquid again, an expression of dazed
peace crossing her face as the tears continued to flow. She set the
bottle down, unsteadily, hastily trying to balance the bottle on it's
base, splashing the rum around inside the bottle. The girl's head rolled
back on the bed, her eyes wide open as she contemplated the ceiling
tiles, feeling so...fuzzy, and....
Ranma groaned as she rushed through the streets of Nerima towards
the Tendo home. Akane was going to be royally ticked off. He had come
so close, too. His perfect plan of escape and diversion would have
worked too, if Ukyou hadn't been visiting a fellow okonomiyaki chef
that night. Getting delayed by her had allowed Shampoo to catch up. He
had _almost_ escaped in the confusion there, when a busload of Rythmic
Gymnastic students rolled past. He had just had a brief instant of
ice-cold shock before the ribbon curled out of the night and wrapped
around him. And before he had known it the three girls had kidnapped him,
and hauled him through the city, each one trying to get the other's
share of attention. He had had one last chance to escape, at the Nerima
Bijou, but as they passed in frount of it, Ukyou had begun to mention an
embarassing moment from his childhood, and he'd been forced to distract
her and the other two girls from that particular line of questioning.
Now it was an hour too late. He didn't feel good about it, but
he had tricked the girls into thinking he'd meet them at a soda shop
while he went and got flowers for them. Not at all honorable, but...he'd
feel worse if he totally abandoned Akane. And not just because she'd be
the one to do the most damage to him.
He had checked the theatre, but, to no surprise, she was gone.
There had been a narrow escape as the three wronged challengers had
rushed through the park, intent on dating him, whether he was dead or
alive. Not wanting to find out the result, he had jumped into the
Bijou's sign, and hidden there. Another 20 minutes wasted. Finally the
girls had given up, with dark, unspecified threats about his future, and
gone home. And so he too, headed home, to his fate.
Reaching the Tendo home, he steped in carefully. "I'm back..."
he called out, hesitantly. No answer. Taking his shoes off, he noticed
Akane's scattered over the entranceway. She had come home angry. Sighing
unhappily to himself, he carefully arranged her shoes beside his own, and
went into the home.
First, he checked the living room. If she was out, that would be
a good sign. It would mean she wan't _too_ angry anymore. Empty. She
had been here though, the cushions were disarrayed. Kasumi wouldn't have
left the house for the evening without straightening up first.
Okay...maybe she was in the bathroom. A quick check down the hall ended
that notion. Not there either.
He sighed. That meant her room. That meant she was really
angry. Boy was he in trouble. Normally he'd get angry about this, but
tonight...just disappointed. He could imagine what she felt like.
Quietly climbing the stair, he hesitated outside her door. He
couldn't hear any crying...maybe she had cried herself to sleep. She had
done so before. He wondered if she knew how cute she looked sleeping
that way. He wondered if she knew that he had seen her like
that..vulnerable, unguarded. He had spent quite awhile looking at her
like that, in fact, and had lain awake for a long time afterwards. He
wondered if he was going to get ambushed when he opened the door.
He put his and on the knob, and turned carefully. Well, it wasn't
locked. That was good, no coming in through the window. He held the
door shut, with the knob turned open. Okay. Take it like a man.
Quickly, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
At first, his mind was as hopeless to deal with the situation as
Akane's had been earlier. There was no context in it for the sight of
Akane, wearing what was a new combination outfit, sprawled out against
her bed, her mouth turned up in a big grin, and her eyes dribbling a
steady stream of tears. There was some sort of brown stain on her
blouse. And there was a bottle in her hand. It took several moments for
the bottle, the stains, and the posture all to connect.
"Oh my god, Akane!" Ranma dropped to his knees beside the girl.
She couldn't have...she couldn't be....
Akane's eyes cracked open, and despite himself, Ranma's chest
loosened considerably. She was awake, at least. Confusion flickered
across her face for a few moments, then her smile grew even wider and
tighter as recognition showed in her eyes. "Oooooooooohh..." she began.
She didn't seen to know how to stop though. Finally, she ran out of
breath on the vowel, and let her head drop to her collarbones. She
tilted her eyes up at him, an absurdly coquetish look. "If it isn't
_Ranma_" She drew out his name, turning it into an insult.
Ranma was stunned. He couldn't believe this. What on earth had
she done this for? "A...Akane? Wh...what are you doing?" he asked,
trying his best to sound casual, and failing miserably.
She let go of the bottle to gesture carelessly in the air.
"Oh...nothing much." Her voice dripped with cheery acid. "I was
supposed to have a date tonight, but I got stood up." Ranma winced as
she went on. "So, I had a little party alllll of my own. He-heh..."
She giggled as she looked at the bottle again, her hand slowly returning
to grasp it.
Reflexively, Ranma grabbed the bottle away from her, and
inspected it. "Rum?" He checked the level of the bottle: Half-full.
"Oh geez, Akane, you didn't drink all of _this_, did you?"
Akane looked offended. "Co..co..course not!" Ranma let out a
sigh. "N...N....NECK!! See? I'm not too drunk to talk. An...nn...oh,
whatever. Nnnneck was empty."
Ranma winced. She hadn't started the bottle, but she had by far
put the biggest dent in it. How was he supposed to deal with this? He'd
never had a drink in his life, although he apparently knew more about it
than Akane. Stupid girl. She could get herself hurt doing things like...
He stopped himself. This was not the time to let his pride get
in the way. He stood, and put the bottle on the top of her wardrobe.
"I..I think you've had enough...um..party, for one evening, Akane. What's
say we put you to bed, oka..." He dodged as a dumbbell crashed off the
wall a foot to his side.
"Pervert! Peeper! Lech!" Akane called out, joysously furious.
"Cross-dresser! Playboy!" she continued.
"He...hey! Stoppit, Akane! I just mean you have to sleep now!
Sleep!"
Akane stopped yelling, and glared sullenly at him. "Doan wanna,"
she pouted.
Ranma sighed in exasperation. "Akane...really. I mean it.
You'll be really sick if you don't sleep!" To himself, Ranma noted that
with the amount she had drunk, sleeping wasn't going to help all that
much, but it would at least take the edge off.
Akane's eyes flared again. "Why do you care?! You don't care
about me! You just wanna take care of me quick so you can run off with
your girlfriends again!!" She quickly pulled herself into a ball to cry,
and fell over onto her side as her balance shifted.
"Akane, no! That's not true!" Ranma began, looking helplessly
at the girl. "I don't...I don't WANT to be with them! I want..." He
stopped. This was hopeless. She wasn't listening to him...worse still,
he thought she didn't _want_ to listen to him. The he noticed that her
crying had tapered off.
"I want to take care of you," he finished.
Akane lifted her head up to look at him. Something about his
voice, about the way he was standing, slumped over a bit, not on guard,
something in the way his eyes were so regretful. "To make up for
tonight," he continued. "This is all my fault, ok? So...let me make it
up to you. Please."
Her mind suddenly much clearer than before, Akane nodded,
slowly. "I...I'd like that." Who had said that? It couldn't have been
her, could it? Silence. Ranma smiled, and her confusion retreated. It
must have been her.
"Alright then. Let's get you into bed." Walking over to the
bed, Ranma turned back the covers. Bending over, he scooped the girl up
into his arms, ignoring her faint squeak of protest, and put her gently
in the bed. He pulled the covers up over her, and smiled. "Now, you go
to sleep. I'll take care of..." he guestured to the top of the wardrobe,
"and then I'll bring you some water." He walked to the door, collecting
the bottle on the way. "And I'll see you in the morning." Smiling, he
turned the light off, and steped into the hallway.
Her thoughts spinning almost as fast as it seemed her bed was,
Akane's eyes were pulled shut by the weights attached to them, and she
plummeted into sleep, a smile on her face.
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Well, another fanfic done, and another one that isn't Fall of the
Eagle. Oops. But when you get a good idea, sometimes, you just have to
go with it. Too bad these flashes of inspiritation don't seem to his as
often for the other 4 fics I'm working on. (2 FotE, and two originals).
Anyways, this fic was written in a 3.5-hour fit of milkshake
induced frenzy, and might not be as polished as it should be. I probably
could have done more with it...the original concept included Akane's
family too, but I decided to shorten it and make it a 2-character story.
And as for the idea of Akane deciding to get drunk...it's a
common urge, even in Japan, for teens to experiment, and it seemed
logical to me that Akane would be most likely to experiment after a major
disaaster with Ranma. Aside from ceremonial sake at celebrations and
such, I doubt many of the people in this story have much experience with
alcohol, but being healthy, active people, there has to be some curiousity.
Anyways, that last paragraph was just rambling to cover my butt,
sorta. Coming before December, FotE 8 and 9, guarenteed. ^_^ I
promise. Really. I mean it...
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James Stone - stoner@elycion.geology.ualberta.ca
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http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner
http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner/amuck/amuck.html
http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner/fotw/flags
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Akane@Anime, Ukyou@Ranma, Stoner@Baka, Nabiki@Furtoonia, Geobaldi@Furry,
Mendo@AMUSH, Kylania@Delusions, Mousse@Avalon, Nanami@Fiction,
Noa@DahlingMUCK, Baradagi@ElseMUCK, Miki@ShojoMUCK, Karin@PikuMUCK
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