"The Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling is based upon
one revered precept. `Keep your mind open, your body ready, and
no enemy can overcome you'. Do you understand, Kentaro?",
Ranma had said when she paced around him.
"Yes, Sensei....oooof!"
Sensei had tripped him with a leg sweep so fast that one moment
he was standing, the next he was sitting on his butt.
"Never let your guard down, Kentaro."
"Yes, Sensei."
The remainder of that day was spent on teaching Kentaro the
first punch, the most basic of all attacks. He was taught how to
breathe, how to position his body, and how to gain the maximum
amount of power for the least amount of effort. Sensei had practiced
alongside him, correcting his errors as he had made them. He prided
himself on making a total of three errors that day, then his technique
had been perfect thereafter.
Sensei nodded in approval but had given him no words of
encouragement. At the end of the day, she had pronounced him
`barely adequate' - but Kentaro had detected a hint of pride and joy in
that statement.
Ranma's voice snapped Kentaro's thoughts back to the present,
which was Wednesday - the appointed day of their first date.
"The Art is a powerful thing, yet it is not the power of the
unyielding oak, but that of a willow. The storm may rage and the
winds may blow, but the willow never snaps. It is pliant, and very
tough. The oak, on the other hand, is rigid and firm but it breaks
beneath the power of the storm. Do you know what the oak
represents, Kentaro?"
"Yes." <Today is Wednesday!! Oh, happy day!>, he thought
excitedly.
"Good. Now, the Art must be learnt but then it must become
instinctual. Do you need to think on how to balance yourself when
you get on a bicycle? No, you just do it out of instinct. It is the
same with the Art. Do you understand?"
"Yes." He wondered how beautiful Ranma would look on their
date. <Too bad she had said she wasn't going to wear a dress..>,
he thought.
"The Art is not a means to an end. One does not learn the Art
to accomplish a desired goal, Kentaro. One does not USE the Art to
one's own ends." Ranma gave Kentaro a piercing, knowing glare as
she said those words. Kentaro blushed under her scrutiny and Ranma
relented, turning her gaze away from him.
"Ok, that's all for today. I...I'll see you at seven-thirty.
Outside my room." With that, Ranma strode away quickly. Kentaro
stretched out his hand, as if to pull her back, but she was already
halfway to the door. He let his hand fall to his side and he went to
shower and change.
- - - - -
An hour later, dressed in his best shirt and best pants, Kentaro
showed up outside Ranma's room and knocked lightly on it.
There was no answer in return. Kentaro moved to knock again.
"Wait." came Ranma's muffled voice from behind her door, and
Kentaro desisted.
A full twenty minutes passed by before door 121 opened, and
Ranma stepped out.
Kentaro's heart almost stopped beating.
She was wearing a daring, burgundy and blue Chinese silk dress
cut low over the bosom, and slit at the sides to show off her legs.
Her hair was not done up in any style, it flowed freely down her
back, but a red flower graced her hair just over her left ear. A pair
of jade earrings enhanced the beauty of her face while a matching set
of high-heeled shoes completed the overall effect. She wore no
lipstick nor used any makeup, but Kentaro didn't think she needed to
paint herself to look beautiful.
Ranma looked up at Kentaro, but she looked away just as
quickly in embarrassment, her face already turning red. She didn't
look anything like she did in the gym; It was as if she had changed
into a whole different person. A stunningly beautiful *woman* at
that.
"Ranma. You're looking beautiful, tonight. But..."
"But what? I-Is something wrong?", she asked in an uncertain
voice.
"No....it's just that you said, that night, you were going to wear
your normal clothing....?"
Ranma stepped ahead of him, her high heels clicking on the
floor, so that he couldn't see her face. <God, she looks as beautiful
behind as she does from the front...>, thought Kentaro. The dress
really did hug her curves, like a glove, and Kentaro's heart sped up.
"I want to remind myself that I am a girl, for today. Every
time I begin thinking of how disgusting it is for me to date a guy, I
need only look down and I would regain control of myself."
She took a deep breath and let it out.
"Like I said, I'm gonna to hold my breath waiting for the
damned kettle to show up. And like A-Akane said, it is time to get
on with my life. This is the first step, Kentaro, so please forgive me
if I falter or if I should stumble on the path."
Kentaro held out an arm in reply to her words. Ranma
considered his arm for a long moment, his fist resting on his hip and
his elbow pointing at her - then she slowly put her own arm inside the
crook of his arm and held on to him tentatively. Her grip was
tenuous at best, like she was liable to bolt at any moment and leave
him dateless.
Kentaro instinctively tightened his hold on Ranma's arm, and
she visibly relaxed, almost leaning into him for support as they
flowed past jealous-looking males and females on their way
downtown.
Their first stop was the movies, where they bought tickets and
sat down to watch an American film.
It was about fifteen minutes through the film when Kentaro had
worked up enough courage to try and put an arm about her. The
action film had everyone entranced, including Ranma, but the
suspense and special effects were wasted on Kentaro. Ranma lay
back in her seat, her arms folded on her lap, eyes glued to the screen.
Kentaro's arm crept up from his side and snaked along the back
of Ranma's seat. Ranma didn't notice as his arm snuck closer and
closer to her, until, with a deep breath and a prayer, Kentaro slowly
let his arm drape itself over her slim shoulders.
* * *
One moment Ranma was enjoying the movie, the next moment
she froze as Kentaro's arm fell about her shoulders.
The touch of his arm felt almost possessive, as if he was
declaring that she was his and no one else's. The hair on it tickled
the back of her neck and she gritted her teeth.
<How's a girl supposed to react to this?>, she asked herself.
She wondered if she was supposed to sigh and lean in close to
him.....Ranma quickly looked down at herself and the feeling of
revulsion quickly passed. No. She was Ranma, and she was NOT
going to play on his terms.
She couldn't have Kentaro thinking he had gained favor in her
eyes. She....she just wasn't ready for that yet.
Conversely, she didn't want to attack Kentaro's feelings by
removing his arm, forcefully or tactfully - the end result would still
be the same for him.
So Ranma just swallowed and kept staring ahead, trying to
ignore his arm, caught in a position that she had been dreading the
moment she had stepped out of her dorm room.
* * *
It was as if she had turned to stone, so tensed up and stock still
did she become. One moment she was a desirable woman, the next
she was a statue. At least, that was the image Kentaro had gotten
from her body language.
Her hands, which had been absently arranging her dress,
suddenly clenched into fists. In the half-light from the screen,
Kentaro could see that her teeth were gritted and her eyes were
staring straight ahead, as if enduring a willpower test of some sort.
Something in his heart told Kentaro that while she was not
openly objecting to his touching her, he had better move his arm
anyways - for her sake if not his own.
Kentaro let out a long, painful sigh, born from the sensation of
being brought down from upon high, and he started to retract his arm
but Ranma caught it halfway.
* * *
She held his arm and turned her head so that she was looking
into Kentaro's eyes. It had taken an instant too long for her brain to
react to his sigh, otherwise she would have caught his arm before it
had even started to move.
Kentaro had a surprised look on his face, clearly not expecting
her to grab his arm.
Ranma steeled herself, calling upon every bit of willpower in
every fibre of her being, and she slowly, deliberately, pulled his arm
back over her like she was pulling on a scarf. Then, while still
holding his arm, she clamped it tightly over herself.
She changed her earlier thoughts. She may not be ready for a
serious relationship but it wouldn't become one unless something was
done. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and she settled down
to watch the movie.
A half hour passed.
All of her training and discipline, until now, had kept her from
thinking of his touch, but as she tried to relax, her determination not
to think about his arm started to crack.
* * *
Kentaro had been, and still was, pleasantly surprised when she
had pulled his arm back to her.
He was not surprised when, after a full half hour, she began to
act uneasy and fidget under his touch.
Kentaro realized, in that instant, that she had done it all for his
sake. She certainly wasn't feeling as comfortable as he did with this
little foray deeper into the physical aspects of their relationship.
"Ranma...?"
"Yes?" Her reply was quick, instantaneous. It was as if she
had been waiting for him to speak. Then she narrowed her eyes and
looked away, as if berating herself inwardly.
"It's okay. Here, I can see that you're not...umm...ready."
Kentaro quickly moved his arm back to his side before Ranma could
react and immobilize it. <Oh well, another failed venture....>, he
thought disconsolately to himself. Ranma turned back to him.
"Kentaro?" Ranma's voice was slightly uncertain, but it was
backed up by an emotion or feeling that he couldn't quite pin down at
the moment.
"Yes?" Kentaro furiously chided himself for replying so fast to
her. It made him sound like he was hanging upon her every word
and gesture. <Then again, it is true, isn't it?>, he thought. Then
there was no time to think as Ranma replied.
"Thank you." Her reply was full of meaning, and the unnamed
feeling burst out of the dam of her words and enfolded him in its
gentle embrace. It turned out to be...gratitude. Ranma's reply
washed away every bit of doubt from his soul, along with all his
misgivings about the date. It was as near to an apology as he could
tell.
"No problem, Ranma." And the rest of the movie was passed
in silence.
After the movie, unlike the couples who were talking excitedly
about the movie, Ranma and Kentaro spoke no words as they walked
arm in arm to a nearby restaurant. They got in and found themselves
a booth far from the madding crowd of chattering people sitting at
tables and noisily celebrating. In short order, with no words spoken
between the two of them, Kentaro and Ranma ordered their dinners.
At last, the silence threatened to crush his heart in a grip of iron
and Kentaro abandoned all pretence of quietness.
"S-So. Ranma, how do you like it so far?"
* * *
Ranma's head snapped up in surprise. Until he had spoken, she
had been chafing under the pressure of silence while she was absently
arranging her dress and the flower in her hair.
"It's been good so far, Kentaro. Thank you." She started
thinking of how he had removed his arm the second time around,
sensing how uncomfortable it had been for her.
"No need to thank me, Ranma. I know you've still a long ways
to go before..."
"Don't say it, Kentaro. Remember, no promises. And remember
how I
told you to keep your hands to yourself?"
Ranma saw Kentaro flinch at that and she quickly put a hand on
his in a reassuring gesture.
"Don't worry, I'm not mad. I just want to say that I forgive
you. You don't have to keep your hands to yourself but I don't want
you...to go any further than just holding my hand or arm, not until
I'm ready and I say so. You got that?"
"Yes, Ranma. I understand."
"Thank you, Kentaro." She turned away and looked at the
painting on the wall to the left of her, inside their booth. "So cold
the winter gales blow, then the warming of spring melts the snow,
giving rise to a wondrous whirlwind of leaves, held aloft by the
autumn breezes, and starting to fly, up into the blazing glory of an
azure summer sky."
"Huh?"
"The painting. Read the words."
"Oh." He began to read the poem on the painting.
Then their dinners arrived and Ranma tore into hers with a
frenzy. Five large tempura prawns disappeared in short order even as
she made her rice bowl devoid of all rice.
Then it reminded herself of her old life, when she had wolfed
down a similar dinner in short order. Ranma slowed her pace and
began to eat more normally. Besides, others were watching. Kentaro
seemed to relax and he let out a sigh.
"Sorry, Kentaro. I used to eat like this a long time back and old
habits die hard." She peered up into his eyes. Kentaro began
protesting that he hadn't even noticed her eating habits, and all that,
but Ranma knew better. She grinned at him and he stopped his
babbling - and *that* look came onto his face. It was a look of
hopeful anticipation, mixed with a bit of lust and a healthy dose of
love. She narrowed her eyes, in experimentation, and his look
changed to that of chagrin. Then she favored him with a smile and
he immediately perked up. <This is so fun...>
* * *
It took Kentaro a minute to realize that Ranma was playing with
him and he narrowed his eyes, for the first time today, and Ranma
started laughing.
"Sorry, Kentaro. I was just teasing you, that's all!" She was
overcome by another fit of laughter, which she held in for as long as
she could. Then, while she was not paying attention, he snuck the
last tempura salmon piece from her dinner box and began to nibble on
it.
* * *
Ranma's laughter subsided and she moved to pick up her last
tempura salmon piece but her chopsticks encountered an empty spot.
Immediately suspicious, she looked up to see Kentaro nibbling on
something held near his mouth - with an overly exaggerated
innocuous look on his face. She narrowed her eyes again and
Kentaro started laughing, almost as hard as she was.
Before she knew what she was doing, her chopsticks shot out
and grabbed the half-eaten salmon piece - and she popped it into her
mouth and swallowed it. Then it hit her, like a ton of bricks. She
ate something that he had been eating!
* * *
Kentaro watched in fascination as Ranma swilled all the drinks
on their table, even going as far as to grab his own tea cup and throw
it back with a defiant toss of her hair, which swirled on her back. He
watched her drink.
Then, panting slightly, she set an emptied teapot on the table
and began to wipe her chopsticks off with her napkin.
"Ranma. Is it so bad? Do I have some sort of disease?"
"But I just ate something of yours! Yuck!"
"Look down at yourself."
Ranma looked down at herself and the look of disgust on her
face lessened significantly.
"It's okay for a dating couple to share food or drinks, Ranma."
"That's NOT what it was!"
But Kentaro knew better. He also knew better than to argue
THAT point with her so he gracefully let the subject drop. They ate
some more of their food in silence. Then Ranma cleared her throat
and looked up at Kentaro.
"Kentaro?"
"What is it?", replied Kentaro as he looked up from his dinner.
Ranma paused for a while, then she said, "What is it about me
that you like? I-I mean...why do you like me? Why not other girls?"
Kentaro put his chopsticks down and folded his hands before
him. This was going to be the crucial moment of the date and both
of them knew it. He took a while to compose his answer and Ranma
waited patiently. Kentaro unfolded his hands.
"It's...it's because you are strong willed...and stubborn. You
intrigue me somehow. You're...I don't know...different than other
girls. You are not afraid to speak your mind. But most important of
all, you're spirited. And always lively, never a dull moment to be
had with you. Other girls that I've known...."
"Other girls? You mean, before me?" Her voice had the
faintest tinge of jealousy, so unnoticeable that anybody but Kentaro
would have missed it.
"Come on, Ranma. I wasn't THAT much of a social nobody.
Anyways, to get back to what I was saying, those girls that I had
known were either shrinking violets or study freaks. I know that
there were other girls that I liked but they already had boyfriends."
Kentaro took a sip from his glass of cold water.
"Did you kiss any of those girls?"
Kentaro choked and spilt some water on his shirt. He dabbed it
up with his napkin and looked at Ranma.
"N-no. Except for Mikiyo."
"You kissed this Mikiyo girl?" Her voice was slightly
accusatory. While she looked at Kentaro with a neutral expression,
Kentaro knew better than to take Ranma at face value.
"Hey, at least I was honest!"
"Stupi....I mean, yeah. At least you're honest." Ranma motioned
for
Kentaro to continue.
"Anyways, I knew Mikiyo in high school. She was sweet, kind,
even-tempered and....I don't know...*doting*."
"In other words, the exact opposite of me."
"Ranma....!" Kentaro's voice had a pleading note to it. Ranma
again motioned for him to keep speaking as she kept eating.
"We dated once. At the end of that date...we kissed."
*CHOKK*
Ranma had stabbed deep into a tempura piece with her chopsticks.
She
had a fearful and disgusted look on her face. She started to lift her hand
and gesture at Kentaro but Kentaro beat her to it.
"She was not like you, Ranma. It is because of your very
qualities as a person that I...I like being with you. *Really* like."
*CHOKK*
Ranma shuddered slightly and withdrew her chopsticks from
another tempura piece. Kentaro decided to confront her.
"What's wrong, Ranma? Is it so bad for you to hear that
someone really likes being with you?"
"No. It's not that. I like to hear that someone likes to be with
me. It's just that when a guy says it...." Ranma shuddered again
and her chopsticks descended upon another unfortunate piece of food
but Kentaro grabbed her chopsticks out of her hands and placed them
on the table. Ranma didn't seem to notice.
"So, because I'm a guy, you don't like me." Kentaro knew he
was pushing it but he didn't want to give in to Ranma.
"No! I mean....no. I...I like being with you. Really, I do.
But what you're implying with your words is still too much for me to
bear, Kentaro."
"What am I implying?"
"That you want to...to kiss me some more, and all that. I...I
just can't. Not yet, I think."
Kentaro took the offensive.
"What is there about me that you *don't* like, Ranma?
"What?" Ranma sounded startled.
"What don't you like about me?"
Ranma fidgeted for a moment. She sat and said nothing for a
long moment. Then she looked down at her hands.
"You're going too fast, Kentaro. I'm not ready to answer
questions like that."
"Don't squirm out of it, Ranma."
"Why must you *always* put me on the spot, Kentaro? Why?", she
pleaded.
"Because I love you, Ranma."
Kentaro's statement hung in the air for a shocked moment.
"Y-you're going way too fast for me....! I-I can't! Not yet! I
can't! Not with a guy...!" Ranma was flustered, a rare occurance.
"That's okay, Ranma. I can wait. I will wait for you as long
as it takes."
"Why?", asked Ranma in a whisper. "What if I....?"
"Because I can love no other person than you, Ranma. I've
known you and...and I can't imagine loving any other." Kentaro
looked a moment longer into her eyes, to make sure that she fully
understood what he said, then he started to eat again.
The rest of the dinner was passed in silence.
After dinner, they quietly walked back, arm in arm, to Ranma's
room in the dormitory.
Ranma unlocked her door, which had no graffiti on it. There
was a little note beneath the room number and Ranma read it.
"What does it say?", he asked curiously.
"It says that my former roommate was sorry and she wanted to
move back in with me. It was all a misunderstanding and all that,
Kentaro."
Kentaro felt a warm, uplifting feeling. Ranma's social status
was improving. Ranma looked back at Kentaro and she gave him a
quick smile. Then she quickly opened her door and began to step
into her room, as if relieved to escape from him.
Kentaro, who had been working up all the willpower he could
since leaving the restaurant, put a hand on Ranma's shoulder and
gently turned her around. She had a frightened look on her face, as
if dreading this moment for a long time. Her chest was heaving and
Kentaro fancied that he could hear her heart pounding. Her forehead
was slightly damp with sweat and her lips were closed tightly, which
she licked every once in a while in nervousness.
"Ranma...can..can we have..a goodbye kiss?", stammered
Kentaro, all his self-composure and confidence crumbling as he spoke
those words. <Oh God, oh God, oh God!>, he thought furiously to
himself.
* * *
Ranma had been thinking about this ever since she had left the
restaurant arm in arm with Kentaro. It would be her second kiss with
him since the time she returned.
Not trusting herself to speak, she slowly nodded uncertainly and
tilted her head up at him, her eyes shut tight as her mouth was. She
could feel him coming closer, and closer, his head blocking out the
light and she imagined his lips opening wider, and wider, as if to
engulf her.
She called upon all her self-control to remain still and not to bolt
into her room, like a frightened rabbit, and lock him without. Then
she felt something brush her lips and fear, and loathing, exploded
throughout her body.
* * *
Kentaro kissed Ranma, slowly and gently, but Ranma didn't
respond. Her lips were too stiff and she didn't *move* with him.
He held the kiss, one-sided at best, for a while - to see if she would
change her mind and return it, but he broke it off when she didn't do
so much as twitch an eyelid.
It wasn't nearly as bad as when he had kissed her the first time
but he might as well have kissed the wall for all the response he had
gotten out of her.
Kentaro stepped back, and Ranma relaxed. She opened her eyes
and looked up at him.
"Kentaro, I'm sorry. Like I said before, I have to have some
time to get used to it. Please forgive me." Ranma bowed to him but
Kentaro quickly lifted her shoulders back up.
"Come now, Ranma. This is not like you at all. Don't
apologize because of yourself. Of course I forgive you - because I
can see your point of view and I understand it. Maybe in time...it
could change but I'm willing to wait."
"I-it could change, Kentaro. Thank you for being so
understanding." Ranma backed into her room and began to close the
door, her eyes never leaving his own. "G-Good night, Kentaro."
"Good night, Ranma. See you tomorrow." Then the door shut
and he heard the lock turn. Kentaro turned about and started to
shuffle back to his dorm room. <Ah well, at least it was a
start....>, he thought to himself.
He heard a lock being thrown back and a door opening. Then
he felt Ranma, it had to be her, holding on to him from behind.
"Good night, Kentaro. I'm sorry."
It was Ranma!
Kentaro slowly turned about and hugged her back. His
depression suddenly vanished. It might take a while for her to accept
a kiss and return it, but a hug would have to do for now. And she
was throwing all of herself into the hug; It was as if all the feelings
she had for him that she couldn't return in a kiss was suddenly
concentrated in that hug. They held each other for a long while,
Kentaro savoring the feeling, then Ranma let go and vanished back
into her room.
And this time he didn't hear the door lock.
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
- - -
Time passed, as it inevitably should, and the circle of seasons
spun twice and a half around. Winter gave way to spring and autumn
followed after, then summer set its first foothold on the world and
burnt away the chill air.
Ranma had loosened up a lot in the two and a half years since
their first date. She held onto his arm regularly, even pressing close
to him at times. Her social status had improved drastically as well.
She was involved in many extracurricular activities and had become
quite well known about the campus. She had even started giving
lessons in the Art, and Kentaro helped her with the organizational and
assistant tutor aspects of her venture. Her first class had been quite
small, but as her reputation grew, so did the number of students.
Kentaro had also gained quite a bit of status himself, but only a
small part of it was due to his association with Ranma. His marks
were in the top five of his classes, and he too was involved in many
extracurricular activites and he was seen as being second to Ranma in
fighting ability - although Ranma and Kentaro worked to discourage
that idea. Kentaro knew that he was better than the average student
but he didn't delude himself as to his actual strength compared to any
black belt martial artist.
Ranma told him that he had a long way to go but she would help
him every step of the way. His training didn't end when Ranma's
classes ended - they continued for long hours after. Kentaro threw
himself into the training, as he saw it as a way to improve his
physical condition, fighting skills and to be with Ranma - to keep up
with her, as it were. Besides, it was free of charge.
They had grown from being the "nobodies" of the campus to the
envy of many males and females, gender respective - that is. Ranma
was one of THE people to know for most of the girls, who try to
weasel tips for social status out of her. As for most of the guys they
would drool at the thought of her but they kept their hands and
thoughts to themselves, giving her the right of way at all times.
For Kentaro it was no different, save for his skill in the Art
when measured against Ranma's. His friends, all guys no less, try
their utmost to get Kentaro to tell them how to get dates. Most of the
girls now see him as a potential "catch of a lifetime" but the presence
of his girlfriend, namely Ranma, kept them from openly displaying
their affection for him.
They were an almost regular sight as they leave the campus on
their dates, to go downtown. They shared the same food and drinks.
She was now genuinely enjoying their thrice-a-week dates together,
and so was he. And their goodbye hugs had given way to semi-kisses,
with Ranma still holding a goodly portion of herself from Kentaro.
Then exam week came and the both of them sequestered
themselves to study, for their own good.
Kentaro found that he missed Ranma terribly as he turned back to
his textbook and flipped the page.
- - -
It was a time of drinking and it was a time of dancing, of
celebration and over-brimming emotions. Beer mugs ran over many
times in many bars across the nation, for exams were over.
It was the beginning of the summer of Japan's contented
students, whom were out in the streets in force. All except two.
- - -
Kentaro stepped into his room, pulling Ranma behind him. The
moment the door shut Kentaro drew Ranma to sit down on his bed, and
then he threw himself on Ranma, giving her one of the hardest hugs he
had ever given in his life, drawing all that he could of her into himself -
to fill that void in his heart caused by her absence for a week.
God, it felt *great* to hold her back in his arms. Ranma didn't
respond but he could feel her heart beating rapidly.
"I missed you, Ranma", Kentaro whispered hoarsely.
"I..I missed you, too...Kentaro." And she hugged him back.
Kentaro released Ranma and she did likewise, giving him a smile
as he did so.
"So, how did you think you did on your exams, Ranma?"
"Fine, I think. I don't wanna really think of them right now,
Kentaro."
"Okay. Did you know that not a day went by without me thinking
of you?" Kentaro looked into her eyes, searching for an answer.
"Yeah, I noticed." Ranma felt her sides and faked a wince, as if
Kentaro had hugged her too tightly. Kentaro chuckled. It would take
more than a passionate hug to hurt Ranma. Much more.
The two of them sit in awkward silence for long minutes. There
were no sounds to be heard anywhere, for virtually everyone was out
having fun, except for the clock on Kentaro's desk. Ranma turned away
from Kentaro.
"Kentaro, let's go out and celebrate. In a bar, or something.
Let's not just sit here and do nothing." She started to get up but
Kentaro laid a hand on her leg. She slowly sat back down and looked
at him with some consternation.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Kentaro gathered up his courage. He wanted more than just
another date. It has been over two years and Kentaro felt reasonably
sure that Ranma felt the same way about him as he did about her.
Bolstered by this hopeful thought, Kentaro inched his hand close to
Ranma's.
"Ranma. I'd rather...I'd rather celebrate. With you." Kentaro
put a hand on Ranma's, and pulled it close to him. Ranma did not
respond. "I don't want to go out and drink, Ranma. I'd much rather
be with you. Alone."
"Alone!? What are you implying here, Kentaro?" Her voice was
half-joking and half-serious, a mirror of the expression on her face.
Kentaro squeezed her hand lightly and her look dissolved into one
of confusion. Seeing that she made no move, Kentaro edged closer to
Ranma and put his other hand on her shoulder and turned her toward
him.
She looked up at him with that same frightened expression he had
come to expect from all their goodbye kisses, but Kentaro saw that it
was much more diminished in intensity this time.
Kentaro dipped his head closer to Ranma's, his lips parting for a
kiss. Ranma didn't pull away as he began to kiss her passionately, like
he always did after a date. Ranma didn't move for a heartbeat's span
of time. Then she kissed back with the same intensity as if she were on
a date.
Kentaro unclenched his right hand from Ranma's and put it on her
shoulder. She didn't object as he slowly pushed her down on the bed.
Then Kentaro slowly put a trembling hand on her shirt front, the
tips of his fingers brushing her breasts ever so lightly.
Ranma suddenly had an unreadable expression on her face but she
didn't object. Kentaro popped the first button but Ranma said not a
word. The second and third buttons came out and still Ranma didn't
react. He noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra. She was breathing
heavily and sweat beaded her forehead. Kentaro expected, at any
moment, to be slapped but Ranma took no action. Until the moment his
fingers moved to undo the fourth button.
Ranma put a hand on his and Kentaro stopped.
"K-Kentaro. I...I don't know if I can do this." She gulped and
looked away. "Please forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive, Ranma. I...I love you. If
you....don't want me to do this, then I won't. I will wait...until you're
ready. Remember our first date? I said that I'll wait for you for as
long as it takes." Kentaro started to move his hand away from the
button but Ranma stopped it.
"N-no. That's not what I mean. I don't know if I can do it, that's
all. If...if you want to do it, then....then I'll try." She released his
hand and settled back on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut and putting
her arms by her sides.
Kentaro looked at her hands. Ranma was gripping the bedsheet as
if her life depended on it. He looked back at her, and he was suddenly
reminded of how she had looked like when he had given her that kiss on
their first date.
He took his hands off her shoulders and he moved away from her.
Ranma's eyes snapped open and she slowly sat up, looking at Kentaro
with a strange look on her face.
"W-why did you stop, Kentaro? I said that I would try."
"No, Ranma. You didn't want to do it. I could see it plainly,
Ranma. You're...just not, umm, ready yet. I want you, Ranma, but I
will wait. I will wait because I love you and I respect your wishes,
Ranma." He took a deep breath.
"Until you say so, let it be so."
Kentaro put his hands back on Ranma's shirt and buttoned her shirt
back up. Ranma looked deep into Kentaro's eyes, and he suddenly
realized what that strange expression was on her face when he had
moved away from her. It was gratitude...and respect. And love.
Kentaro cupped her face in his hands and drew her close. She shut
her eyes but she didn't clench them tightly. His lips brushed hers, and
for a split second she didn't respond. Then he felt her kissing him with
an intensity that far surpassed anything he had ever known.
It was as if a barrier had been broken as she shared the same joy
in partaking of their kiss fully. It was as if a dam had broken within
Ranma and her feelings were rushing out of her and into Kentaro.
They broke the kiss. Ranma had her arms wrapped around
Kentaro and she reluctantly let him go. She got up.
"Kentaro. Do you remember that poem on that painting on our
first date? In that restaurant?"
"I have it memorized. `So cold the winter gales blow, then the
warming of spring melts the snow, giving rise to a wondrous
whirlwind of leaves, held aloft by the autumn breezes, and starting to
fly, up into the blazing glory of an azure summer sky'. Right?"
"I didn't point it out to you for nothing, Kentaro. Just
remember this....it is only the beginning of summer for us, Kentaro."
"The beginning of summer. I like that."
Ranma held out a hand to Kentaro, who accepted it and drew
himself to his feet.
"Now, can we go and get hammered?" Ranma was grinning at
him. Kentaro smiled back.
"I don't see why not."
With that, the two of them left the room and shut the door behind
them. The sound of their footsteps faded away as they made their way
out of the dormitory and onto the streets - to join in the celebration.
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Author's notes : C&C is welcome and will be replied to as deemed
appropriate.
- WebDragon