Well, I'm sure this is cliched and OOC, but I really wanted to do a holiday
fic (I'm surprised there haven't been more. But maybe there was and I just
missed them. Oh, never mind.) So, I hope it isn't too bad. Anyway, have a
Merry Christmas or happy whichever holiday it is you celebrate. Flames, C&C,
any feedback at all, public or private, is appreciated GREATLY. (BTW This is
my first attempt at WAFF... Hope i didn't screw up too badly. ^_^)
Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters, but hey, I've been a good
boy all year so maybe Santa will bring me the copyrights to them and leave
them in my stocking! Hmmm... Then again... Probably not gonna happen. Oh,
well.
Ranma looked at the small package he held in his hands. The ragged red
and green wrapping, gold ribbons and small green bow seemed pitiful to him.
He sighed wishing he could have gotten Akane something nicer then some
necklace he had found out in the forest. Something bigger. More. *Why do I
bother? I know she won't like it...* Ranma frowned and sighed. Then he
scowled, "Aww, forget it. I bet she wouldn't even thank me. Prolly just find
some reason ta hit me."
Ranma tossed the present into the trash can and left his room through the
window to take a walk. Unbeknownst to him the door to his room was cracked
open ever so slightly and Kasumi, who had been putting away laundry, saw the
whole seen. A slight frown creased her features.
Kasumi looked into the room making sure the coast was clear before
crouching down next to the rounded metal can. She carefully reached in and
lifted the package out of the can. She gently brushed the pencil shavings the
had found their way atop the package off back into the trash can. She looked
at the card on the top that read, simply, in extremely neat and carefully
written handwriting, "Akane."
Kasumi sighed, "How sweet. Poor Ranma probably lost his nerve..."
A smiles lit up Kasumi's features as a small gasp escaped her lips. *I
know! I'll get it too Akane for Ranma!*
Kasumi scurried off to her room a plan formulating in her head already,
the package carefully tucked under her arm.
Under The Mistletoe
By: Mike Malaspina
It was Christmas morning and the Tendo family was busy exchanging gifts.
Genma was off somewhere in the house with Soun playing Go with a brand new
hand carved board and set that Genma had gotten Soun and drinking the sake
Soun had gotten Genma. Nabiki carefully analyzed each of her presents for
estimated value; currently she was examining the craftsmanship of the sweater
she had gotten from Kasumi. It was a pale blue cashmere. Nabiki smiled and
carefully put it with the good gifts. (The other pile she would sell at a
price inflated over her estimates by ten percent.) Akane tore through the
wrapping of her packages like a small child, making quite a mess in the mean
time. She smiled gleefully as she unwrapped each thing, lovingly exploring
every facet of each present and thanking the giver of each with a hug or
another appropriate gesture. Nodoka sat, polishing her katana and admiring
the gorgeous sword stand she had received from everyone, occasionally sending
worried glances Ranma's way. Ranma for his part just sat, a few brightly
wrapped packages sitting around him, watching Akane wistfully.
*Why didn't I just give her the presant?* he bemoaned himself.
*She even sounded sincere thanking Pops for that dumb wedding dress
brochure he gave her. And she's so... nice... looking when she smiles like
that.*
Ranma's heart fluttered at the thought of her looking at him like that
and expressing gratitude over the gift he should have given her. After a
seconds hesitation he hopped to his feet, the gift from Kodachi that was
sitting in his lap tumbling to the floor, and announced that he'd be right
back before bounding upstairs; hoping that no one had emptied the trash can
in the room he shared with Genma.
--------------------
Akane came to her last present. It was wrapped in a red and green paper
was creased and faded in places as if someone had been saving it for a long
time. The green bow and gold ribbons looked brand new though and something
about this one seemed special. She looked at the card and not being able to
figure out who it was from she glanced up at Kasumi questioningly.
"Onee-chan, do you know who this is from?" asked Akane holding the
package up for Kasumi to look at.
Kasumi smiled, "Ranma, I believe."
"Ranma?"
"Mm hmm. Why don't you open it and see what he got you? I'm sure whatever
it is that he meant well," said Kasumi; deciding to be safe before being
sorry and start on damage control early. After all, she hated having a mess
to clean up even though she didn't mind the cleaning part. It was the fact
that she didn't like any part of her house to be messy at any time.
Akane, nodded absentmindedly to Kasumi's suggestion too engrossed with
her internal thoughts over what it could be to truly pay attention. If Kasumi
noticed she didn't show it. *What could it be?* she wondered. A whole slew of
scenarios running through her head.
A SD Akane opens the package to find a set of weights. A thought bubble of a
SD Ranma picking them out while imagining a gorilla version of SD Akane using
them as he runs off to flirt with a SD Shampoo, SD Kodachi and SD Ukyou pops
into existence above SD Akane's head. The thought bubble pops from the heat
caused by SD Akane's righteously angry aura flaring. She picks up the weights
and brains SD Ranma with them causing a pair of X's to replace his eyes and
the rest of the Tendo/Saotome families to fall to her feet praising her
superior Martial Arts skill.
SD Akane opens the package to find a wedding ring inside only to be mauled by
a gaggle of SD fiancees and wannabe suitors all trying to get the ring for
one reason or another while SD Ranma, Kasumi, Nabiki, Nodoka Soun and Genma
watch on. SD Akane suddenly punches all the interlopers away and the combined
Tendo/Saotome families fall to her feet worshiping her greatness and praising
her superior Martial Arts skill. SD Akane soaks in the compliments for a
minute before lifting the chin of a love sick SD Ranma with her finger to
look into her eyes and then leading him upstairs to her room on a leash which
has suddenly appeared around his neck and in her hand.
SD Akane opens the package to find a wedding ring inside. A gaggle of angry
(and of course SD) fiancees and wannabe suitors attack Ranma and he's
overwhelmed. But Akane, being the superior Martial Artist, beats them all up
in a flash. The combined Tendo/Saotome families fall to her feet worshiping
her greatness and praising her superior Martial Arts skill. SD Ranma can't
stop thanking her or apologizing for being such a baka hentai all this time
and begs her to marry him. SD Akane says yes, but that he must first be
punished. Suddenly SD Akane and SD Ranma are alone in her room. He's tied to
her bed in his underwear and she stands above him with a whip and in tight
leather.
"Akane, aren't you going to open your present?" asked Kasumi.
Suddenly startled out of her fantasies Akane blushed and replies, "Oh,
yes."
--------------------
Ranma dumped the trash can's contents out on the floor thankful it hadn't
been emptied. However, he searched and searched through the pile of papers
and pencil shavings and other assorted junk to no avail. The present was no
where to be found.
*Damn'it, where the hell could it have gone? Did Pops take it?* he
thought.
*Nah,* he dismissed the thought quickly. *Pops is a thief and all but I
don't think he'd go rooting through garbage for something.*
As the image of a SD Panda rooting through a trash can and coming up with
a piece of meat popped into Ranma's head he hesitated but then shook his
head; to clear it. *Naaaaaaah,* he reiterated to himself.
He sighed and got up to go back downstairs, completely ignoring the large
mess he had made, "Oh, well... Dumb, Akane, she'd probably get pissed at me
for some reason or another today anyway. Might as well be over me not getting
her a Christmas present."
--------------------
As Ranma entered the room he saw Akane carefully beginning to undo the
tape that held the wrapping paper around the package. He panicked and instead
of continuing on into the room he ducked around the corner and peeked in too
watch. *How'd my present get down here!?*
--------------------
Akane, for some reason, couldn't bring herself to simply tear into the
wrapping and get to the present. Instead she opened it with extreme caution,
doing her best not to tear the paper. She meticulously lifted each strip of
tape (And there was a LOT of tape) away from the paper, ssss'ing when it
caught and tore or mentally sighing in relief when it didn't. Strip by strip
the tape came off and now it was time to untie the ribbons. Again she was
meticulous in undoing the complicated knot at the center after working
through the intricate green bow that had been tied into the ribbons where
they met at the top center of the small rectangular package.
--------------------
Ranma nervously fidgeted as Akane opened the present.
*What's taking her so long? Why doesn't she just open the damn thing and
get it over with?!*
--------------------
Akane finally finished the knot in the ribbons and they fell away from
the package. She hesitantly began to unfold the paper away from the package,
suddenly nervous and a little queasy. She licked her lips as the slim black
box appeared from under the red and green. She looked it over, top to bottom,
left to right, before setting it down in her lap and staring at it. She took
the carefully folded ribbons, bow and paper and slid them into her pocket. As
she did so Nabiki, who had taken a naggingly more and more obsessive interest
in the package, burst.
"Open the damn thing already, Akane! I wanna know what he got you!"
Nabiki exclaimed.
Akane nearly jumped out of her skin and looked up confused, "Huh?"
"The box! Open it! I wanna know what Ranma got you! I'm sure he didn't
just get you an empty jewelry box,"
Kasumi sat patiently watching, her ever present smile looking more...
pleasant then ever, as Akane mumbled something about Nabiki.
Akane lifted the jewelry box from her lap and slowly lifted the lid open
just a crack. She peeked inside trying to see what it was before opening it
all the way but couldn't get enough light to see.
--------------------
"What is she doing now?" whispered Ranma out loud. He clasped a hand over
his mouth and looked around to make sure no one heard him. As Akane looked
towards where he was standing he flung himself backwards out of view. After a
few seconds he peeked back to make sure the coast was clear before taking his
spot peering out on Akane again.
--------------------
Akane peered over to the left, "What was that?"
"What was what?" Asked Kasumi.
Nabiki grated her teeth, "Nothing Akane! Just open the box!"
Akane scowled at her sister, "Nabiki, would you shut up! It's my present!
I'll open it when I want to open it."
Nabiki narrowed her eyes muttering under her breath.
Akane had that
"I'm-going-to-do-what-you-say-but-only-because-it's-my-choice-and-it-has-nothi
ng-to-do-with-you" look on her face as she said, "And it just so happens I
want to open it now."
Nabiki rolled her eyes as Akane put her right thumb to the lip of the
lid. She paused for a second then casually flicked it open with her thumb.
She looked down in the box and stared, enchanted, at the silver necklace with
the blue crystal at the center. As she looked closer, and she saw the kanji
for her name were floating in the middle of the aqua blue stone, she gasped.
Placing a hand over her mouth and fighting back tears she asked, "Kasumi,
where's Ranma?"
"I think he went upstairs Akane," supplied Kasumi helpfully.
Nabiki was looking over Akane's shoulder in amazement. *That... that...
that must be worth a small _fortune_! How did _RANMA_ get the money for
that?! I bleed him dry of all his money that I know of! He must have a secret
hiding place somewhere, where he keeps money!*
Nabiki raced off to the backyard with a shovel.
--------------------
*Huh? What's going on here?* puzzled Ranma.
--------------------
Akane sat for a moment looking at Nabiki, *Where'd that shovel come from?*
Forgetting her own question Akane looked at the necklace again. She
looked up to see Kasumi and Auntie Nodoka looking at her. She blushed a
little at the attention and stood up. She clasped the jewelry case in her
hands protectively and got up to go find Ranma.
--------------------
*Oh, no! If she catches me spying on her I'm sure to get pounded on!*
Ranma quickly scrambled backwards and then began walking nonchalantly towards
the living room; trying to hide his nervousness, but not doing to well.
Akane entered the hall way and saw Ranma walking towards her from the
end. She, not noticing the sweat that lightly covered his forehead, quickly
tried to act as casual as possible. She too failed miserably, but like Akane
did to his act Ranma bought into hers.
"Oh, uh, hi, Akane. What's, uh, that you got there?" he asked, while
pointing to the jewelry box.
"It's the, uh... necklace you gave me," Akane replied hesitantly.
"Oh," Ranma's voice cracked. "I hope you like it. I, uh, know it's not
much or nothin', but like they say it's the, uh, thought that counts, right
Akane?"
"Err... Yeah, Ranma... But really, I, uh," Akane paused trying to thing
of the right word. "I... love it, Ranma. It's gorgeous."
Ranma gulped and blushed looking up at the ceiling. "Really?"
"Really," said Akane, blushing and looking down at her shoes; fidgeting
nervously.
Akane and Ranma simultaneously looked down/up and their eyes locked
together. Both were mesmerized by the other. They unconsciously moved closer
to one another until they were almost, but not quite, touching.
"Would... You, uh, like me to help you, uh, put it on?" asked Ranma, a
figurative ball of nerves.
"Ye-than...," Akane stumbled over her words and took a deep breath. "Yes,
please. Thank you."
"Ah... No, uh, problem, Akane," Ranma gulped as Akane handed him the box
and turned her back to him. As she swept her hair away from her neck they,
again unconsciously, moved closer together till they were lightly leaning
into one another. Ranma swallowed again and carefully removed the necklace
from the box, slipping the empty case into his pocket he cautiously began to
put it around her neck. Fumbling with the clasp for a second Ranma took a
deep breath that did nothing calm himself as it simply pushed him closer to
Akane.
"O-o-okay," he whispered once done.
Akane turned around and right into Ranma, tripping them both. Ranma
countered their spin ensuring that Akane would land on top of him. As they
hit the floor with a mutual grunt their eyes locked together once more. Akane
licked her lips, but otherwise didn't move.
Ranma's bottom lip quivered as he slowly began to move his face up
towards Akane's. She matched his slow jerky movements centimeter for
centimeter and inch for inch.
A ragged 'sorry' escaped Akane's lips just before they brushed up against
Ranma's lightly erasing all rhyme and reason from the head of either teen.
The position, place, time, day, family in the other room, fiancees,
would-be-suitors, the world even, disappeared as the two deepened the kiss.
So engrossed were they that they didn't even notice the small branch of
mistletoe that they lay under.