The Nikholas F. Toledo Zu
presents
Ranma 1/2: The Setting Moon
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
by
Nikholas 'Rain Man' F. Toledo
---
"So ya got the lead, Akane? That's really great!
Her eyes widened a little in surprise. She had never quite seen
him so openly happy for her before... She had at least suspected some
sort of snide commentary. Nabiki was right - he HAD been acting
differently these past few weeks. "Wh-why... Um, thanks, Ranma...
Um... You will watch on opening night, right?" She looked at her index
fingers, sliding them together a little uncertainly.
She was surprised when she felt his hand squeezing her shoulder,
gently. And she glanced up at him, and he was smiling...
"Hey, don't be nervous, I'm sure you're gonna knock 'em dead!"
Akane couldn't keep a slight trace of a foolish grin off of her
face... "W-well... and... um, maybe we could go out for... ah, dinner...
afterwards?"
Ranma blurted out, "Sure! We'll celebrate! I'll get Ryoga and
Ukyo and the rest of 'em, and... what is it, Akane?" He'd noticed the
expression on her face.
"Ah..." She fought the blush creeping up her cheeks, and the
desire to take his hand in hers. "Ah, I meant... I meant... dinner for
just us, Ranma."
"Oh."
His hand dropped away, and he leaned his elbows on the railing
along the roof of Furinkan High as he gazed at the sky. He mumbled,
"Unh. Sure, Akane..."
"Ranma, why have you been acting... I don't know... different?
Lately..."
He looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"
"We-eell... you haven't insulted me within the past several
weeks... um... I mean, it's nice, but kinda unsettling, you know? What
brought this on? Why are you being nice to me?" She pushed her bangs
back self-consciously.
"Oh, that's what you mean." He lazily watched a group of freshmen
dueling on the field below them.
---
"You shouldn't fight so much, Ranma... Akane does try... She
tries very hard, in fact."
"B-but... what about... I don't like hurting her, but..."
"Please, Ranma. Try... for me. It's difficult enough as it is...
when the day finally comes, and you tell her... tell her everything...
well, it will be easier if you're friends, don't you see?"
He sighed. "This isn't gonna be easy..." He closed his eyes when
she reached out, and her hand cradled his cheek. "I'll try, Kasumi..."
Her fingers were so very soft against his skin, despite calluses from
years of washing and cleaning, and he shivered at her touch, as he always
did these days.
"I know you'll do your best, Ranma..."
---
"Hmmm... 'Coz I never wanted to make ya mad at me... and I
thought, well... I could really do with fewer visits to Dr. Tofu's!" he
chuckled softly. "Dang, those freshmen look so young..." he whispered.
Ranma shook his head, "Anyway, I had a talk with someone... and she
convinced me that it was worth a try."
"And has it been, Ranma?"
"Worth a try?" He looked at her shy, somewhat embarrassed smile...
watched the highlights in her hair shift and dance as she dropped her
gaze to her feet. "'Sworth it just ta see ya smilin' more..." he said,
honestly.
"R-really?"
"I always liked seeyin' ya smile, Akane. It's been worth the
effort of watchin' my mouth..."
She peered up at him, curiously. He had grown taller in the past
two years... and he carried himself with a much more mature air than the
brash, insecure kid she first met so long ago... And the scar made him
look so much more dignified. But really, the way he acted and carried
himself had only changed a month ago... That was when he'd stopped
fighting with her... and that's when he'd started being... she didn't
know quite how to describe it.
She found herself stepping closer, and blushed even more brightly
when she twined her arm in his. "So, who convinced you?"
"Hmm? Ah... nobody."
"So, is that why you went and talked to Ukyo and Shampoo a week
ago?"
"Yeah. I needed to... It couldn'ta gone on the way it was..."
Akane felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't think that could
actually happen in real life outside of a heart attack. "So that's why
you've been so bummed the past few days... and why Shampoo and Ukyo
haven't turned up..."
He swallowed painfully as he nodded.
"That was... very brave of you, Ranma. Why didn't you tell me
about it? I... ah, I could've helped."
He pondered it for a while. "It was something that I had to do
myself."
"Oh, that's right!"
"Huh?"
She reached into her shoulder bag, and pulled out a carefully
wrapped box, covered in a somewhat garish display of orange and shocking
pink paper - with a silver ribbon. "Um... it's not much... but I made
it... um... Kasumi helped me lots with it, and we made sure, y'know...
that, ah... that it's edible..." She ground her teeth together. That
didn't really come out right, and she wanted it to be perfect today...
'Please, notice Ranma...' "Um, for you?"
He glanced at it, and for a moment, Akane wondered if he was going
to shoot his mouth of as usually and... but he hadn't done that lately,
right?
Ranma carefully tore off the wrapping and opened the box. "Thanks,
Akane... Ahh..." He closed his eyes, and paused only a moment before
picking up one of the brownies.
---
Kasumi watched closely, still smiling despite the strain from the
intense concentration she had to maintain. This was a battle... and the
stakes were high. If her strategy was good, and her eyes were
vigilant... Ah, hah! With almost blinding speed, her right hand reached
out, catching Akane's wrist. The younger girl turned her head towards
her, tension and mild annoyance and questioning written in the lines of
her brow, the tightness of her eyes loosening only slightly when she
remembered who it was.
Kasumi felt like sighing. Instead, she smiled just a little more
softly. "Akane-chan. Sister, dear... you said you were going to follow
the recipe this time, right?"
She would have snarled in response, but this was Kasumi. "Um, I
was, 'nee-chan!"
"Akane, what are you supposed to add now?"
"Sugar!"
Gently, Kasumi's fingers guided Akane's hand, bringing the
container closer to their eyes. "Akane, what does the label say?"
Again, if this were anyone else, Akane would have gotten more than
a touch violent. But Kasumi's voice was only helpful. It didn't mock
her, or tease her, unlike that of a certain pig-tailed boy she knew.
Come to think of it, even Ranma hadn't been doing much of that lately.
She glanced at the brown lettering on the dun yellow box, and her
shoulders sagged when she answered in a tired voice, "Baking soda."
Kasumi beamed. "Right, Akane. Now, reach for the sugar... and
please, dear, relax. This isn't a martial arts match or a competition...
Baking is supposed to be fun. Especially if it's for someone that you
love..."
The other's cheeks burned. "I don't love that hentai jerk," she
mumbled. She almost jumped when she heard his footsteps approaching.
She realized that she had been holding her breath when the sounds
passed... Well, she wouldn't have known what to say to him after all.
He was probably going to belittle her attempts at cooking again or
something... and then she'd get mad and mallet him... and that wouldn't
do at all, considering the time of relative peace that had descended upon
the Dojo recently. "Oh, 'nee-chan! I'm never going to get these
brownies right for Ranma... And there's only a couple of weeks left
before Valentine's. All the other fianc�es are going to bake things for
him... all kinds of fancy things..." She hung her head, whispering, "I
can't seem to do anything special for him without it turning out a
disaster."
This time Kasumi couldn't hold in the sigh. They had been at this
for two days now, and no matter how closely she watched her sister, she'd
always miss one crucial mistake that turned the end product of Akane's
labors into a brand new synthetic compound with remarkably unusual (and
inedible) qualities. Every time she'd catch Akane making a mistake,
Akane would always feel nothing less than a kind of depressed
hopelessness. And it was getting harder and harder to cheer her up after
each perceived failure... Everyone has limits to patience, and Kasumi
wondered how long it would be before her own ran out. Trying to help
Akane in this was tiring... and the emotional roller coaster Akane's
anxieties sent her on were also psychologically trying... Not to mention
the fact that Akane was trying to do this for HER Ranma and... Ranma...
Akane started to sniff, and Kasumi shook her head. This was her
sister, she reminded herself as she hugged Akane. "It's okay, Akane...
You're just trying too hard. Want to rest a while and try again this
afternoon?"
Her sister closed her eyes and let Kasumi's presence and comfort
soothe her for a few minutes before she stepped back a little and smiled.
"Thanks, 'nee-chan. With your help, I'm going to make Ranma the best
Valentine's day gift... I hope."
Kasumi brushed back a lock of hair that had gotten into her eyes
and hoped that Akane didn't notice the change in her smile... or her
voice... "Of course you will, Akane-chan."
"You're the best, Kasumi," Akane hugged her sister warmly, and
Kasumi felt so very guilty...
---
He blinked. It wasn't bad... a little dry... a little too sweet...
the fudge kind of on the bitter side... but otherwise... He grinned.
"It's great, Akane. Thanks. Listen, I've really gotta tell ya
something... it's about Kasumi..."
He'd been looking intently at the brownies before him, so when
Akane leaned in... he was too surprised to react. Her breath felt
strange against his cheek...
"Happy Valentine's, Ranma..." He closed his eyes and let it
happen...
---
The kiss was a surprise... it was soft and lingering, and the wet
feel of the tip of his tongue against hers was... exquisite. She seemed
to melt in his arms before eventually, they had to pause for breath. The
two of them drew in a few shuddering gasps before they could speak, both
of them blushing furiously. She felt that things had gotten out of hand,
that she should have walked away... but her fingers slid up and along his
firmly muscled back instead, tracing the excitingly hard curves and
finding the small, softer hollows between the muscles. They kissed once
more, and she moaned into his mouth when she felt one of his hands
hesitantly squeezing her hip and thigh, and then slipping beneath her
shirt to the warm curve of her belly. They gasped wetly again,
afterwards.
"R-Ranma... mmmmnhhh... not that I'm complaining, but what brought
that on?" she breathed into his ear, leaning heavily against him.
"Hmm. Dunno, actually. Ah, hah! I got it," he smiled, eyes
almost twinkling. "That was my advanced Valentine's Day gift to ya...
Ahem."
Abruptly, he felt her sag in his arms. "Kasumi?"
"Ranma..." she hid her face against his chest. "How long are we
going to hide this? What are we... going to do?"
Ranma's face fell, and he held her a little more tightly.
"Do you know that Akane's planning something special for you this
Valentine's? Are you going to get her anything?"
He looked up to the sky for answers, but there were no stars that
night.
---
Akane felt different... and he noticed... tasted and smelled
different... from her sister. And he sighed, allowing himself to kiss
back a little. But he made sure to withhold himself partially from it...
he just hoped that she wouldn't notice exactly why he was red in the
face.
She was smiling at him. "What was that about 'nee-chan, Ranma?"
"Ah..." 'Come on, COME ON, just say it!' he thought. "A...
Akane... um, the truth is... well, that Kasumi..."
She squeezed his hand encouragingly, and he felt what little
willpower he had left leaving him and pooling about his feet. "Ah...
Kasumi was the one who convinced me to be nicer to you..." He clamped
his mouth shut.
"That was nice of her..." He winced at the dreamy look in her
eyes... the dreamy sound in her voice.
He could only nod. "Yeah... it was nice of her... Ah... what's the
name of the play?" 'You coward!' he yelled at himself.
He was even interested in her play, Akane thought happily. He was
so much nicer these days... "It's called Orange Road... ah... Hiroshi
and Daisuke wrote it... it's about this love triangle that develops
between three friends. I play this girl named Hikaru, who's really
interested in this guy... Say, Ranma, you're not going to be jealous of
the actor I play opposite, are you?"
Ranma muttered quietly, "Why would I be?"
"Ah... there's a scene where he, um... where he kisses me."
He eyed her cautiously. "Who's the actor?"
"Um... This new student, Jinpachi? Well, ah... yeah, he's got the
part. Rumor has it that Hiroshi and Daisuke wanted him because Jinpachi
IS supposed to sorta be an ESPER. And so is the character he plays... so
the director thought it would make the special effects cheaper."
Akane was so enthusiastic that she didn't notice the way that Ranma
was almost staring through her, as though looking at someone or something
behind her on the roof...
"Hey, Earth to Ranma? So," she smiled playfully, "you're not gonna
get jealous of this Jinpachi guy, promise?"
Ranma shook his head to clear it. "Ah... yeah. It's just a play
anyway. I'll be cheering for ya."
"Thanks, Ranma... Oh, I've gotta go... there's a practice session
starting now. Wanna come?"
"Anh... Surprise me when I watch the real thing," he smiled wanly.
Akane turned, finally noticing where Ranma's eyes were looking.
She waved enthusiastically, "Hi, Kasumi! Do you have my costume for the
dream sequence?"
Kasumi nodded, her eyes a little reddish. "Here it is, Akane-
chan."
"Kasumi? Gee, I'm sorry for asking you to fix this outfit... you
look kinda tired." The short-haired girl glanced at her watch once
again. "Whoops! Hiroshi doesn't like it when we're late! Seeya later,
Kasumi, Ranma!" She squeezed Ranma's hand once more, took the packages
from Kasumi, and darted down the stairs.
Ranma sat, balancing himself on the rail carefully as he returned
to watching the new students sparring amongst themselves in front of the
school. He heard that there was a real heart-breaker of a girl student
who just started, and that the high school horde was again fighting for
her. Some green-haired girl with horns, he'd heard.
An arm wrapped itself around his waist, and he felt Kasumi leaning
her forehead against his back.
"You are coming to watch Akane's play, right, Ranma?" Her voice
was exceedingly frosty.
He bit his lip just hard enough to draw blood. "Dang. Yeah, I
guess so... Kasumi, I'm sorry. I was going to tell her, but she..."
His skin tingled as her fingers traced the line of the scar, and
made him turn his head to face her. She looked faintly bemused by the
red spots beading on his lower lip. She could tell that he really was
sorry. "It's okay, Ranma... I saw what happened." He felt that he could
lose himself in those eyes... And he almost jumped when she leaned
forward, and carefully licked the blood off of his lip. "Happy
Valentine's Day." Her heart was racing much too quickly for comfort.
'Oh, dear... I hope nobody saw that...' she thought. She hadn't really
meant to that time... and she wondered how much longer they could hide
this.
A powerful sense of urgency slammed into Ranma, and he groaned as
he brought his feet back over the railing, and stood with Kasumi on the
roof. "Kasumi... After the play. I promise. I'll tell her..." Very
seriously, he took Kasumi's hand and kissed her knuckles. "It is hard...
I never wanted to hurt her... or you."
It surprised him when she started to chuckle, and then to laugh.
She sat heavily on the roof. "Oh, oh, Ranma..." she giggled.
He looked rather perplexed, and that made Kasumi laugh even harder.
"I-it's just... it's just that kissing my hand... Oh!" she gasped,
smiling broadly. "It's exactly what that Kuno boy would do, isn't it?"
"Hey, are you comparing me to that jerk?" he cried indignantly,
hands on hips. His eyebrows arched in a curious expression, and he said,
"Ah, but how could I ever choose between the two - Akane, my fierce and
passionate tigress, and thee, oh kind and gentle angel... forsooth, it
would be criminal to deny either of thee of mine divine presence! I must
have thee both, for I am Ranma Saotome!" Ranma waved a fist in the air,
and thunder crashed in the distance.
Kasumi was laughing uncontrollably now, and Ranma started laughing
with her. He embraced her as he crouched down, and kissed her hair, he
couldn't help himself when she looked like this, the sun in her hair and
eyes and smile.
"After the play, Ranma?"
"Afterwards. My word."
---
Tatewaki Kuno glanced up at the sky. Did not the weather report
assure clear weather for the next week? Ah well...
--- end
Yes, that's supposed to be the end for this one. I don't mean for
this to be a series or anything. I just felt like writing it. I don't
know that I'm ever going to finish this particular train of thought...
we'll see when we get there. Hope you people like it. And if people are
acting differently from standard... well, Ranma and Co's gone through a
lot since he first came to Nerima, right? Things do change.
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