[Ranma][FanFic] Sand Between the Toes
Gie
by Gie (pho...@cs.com)
Ranma and his familiars are not mine. But I can braid my hair into an
all-too-familiar pigtail, soooo I claim that! *grin*
Timeline? Who needs a steenkin' timeline? If you want one, you can
put it after the series is over, and everything. *shrug* This story
came to me during a nice long heatwave--actually, several
heatwaves...lucky me, ne? But I'm not complainin'! It's summer, ne?
Anyway, let's continue!
Gie-chan
Heavenly smells greeted the slowly-awakening Tendo
household, but it was not a willing action from all. High humidity hung
like a thick blanket for the past several days, making everyone feel
uncomfortable and irritable, and when the meterologist said that it
would last through the rest of the week, a quick unaminous decision
to trek to the shore was voted upon. Although the tempting call of
the salty, refreshing breezes was beckoning, it fell on deaf ears for
one member of the household.
Akane was the last to arrive at the table and was dressed in a
similar manner as everyone else: as light and airy as possible. Or as
scantily, in some cases. Falling into her normal spot, she threw the
bare-chested boy next to her a dirty look. "Must be nice to run
around naked."
Ranma tossed back a questioning look and continued to inhale
the bowl of rice. "Uh...yup."
She snorted and took a long sip of the rapidly melting
ice-water in front of her. "What time are we leaving?"
"As soon as the breakfast table is cleaned up," Kasumi replied
to her.
Nabiki threw her sister a measured glance. "So what side of
Hell did you wake up, Akane-chan?"
"The side that will rip out your spleen and feed it to the koi,"
she spat back.
"Nabiki! Akane!" Kasumi admonished her younger siblings,
"That is no way to talk to each other."
"You're right, Kasumi, I'm sorry." Akane stood up roughly and
leveled an evil glare to her accuser. "Next time I'll follow through
with my actions rather than just toss empty threats." She turned
away from the table and Kasumi's horrified gasp and stormed out of
the room. A house-shaking slam informed all at the table that she
locked herself away in her room.
The sound of Genma and Ranma stuffing their faces were the
only sign that others were in the room. Nabiki blinked, her cool
exterior once again reforming after the hellish lashing given by
Akane. "Well, isn't she little miss Mary Sunshine this morning."
Kasumi waved a hand in front of her face, her cheeks red
from more than the heat. "I have never seen her in this bad of a
mood. The heat must be affecting her more than normal."
"Nah, she's just actin' like an uncute tomboy, nothin' to be
worried about. Ya know, normal." Ranma eyed the still full bowl of
rice and miso soup next to him. "Do ya think she's gonna come back
down?" He glanced back up to Kasumi, who shook her head. "Great!
Then I'll take her share." He quickly switched his empty bowl for
her full one.
"Aren't you in the least bit worried about her, Ranma?"
"Why? Should I be?" He raised a curious eyebrow to the
middle Tendo daughter.
"Well," she rolled her eyes and twirled a chopstick around her
fingers. "You'll have to be the one to deal with her temper at the
beach, ne? Wasn't the term of your bet to teach her to swim the
next time we went to the beach? Or did you forget about that?"
A funny look came over the young male's face as he finally
remembered what Nabiki was talking about. Him and his ego had bet
Akane that he would be able to master some technique or...something
before she did. If he won, she'd have to stay out of the kitchen for
a month. If she won, she'd have to teach her how to swim. It was
awhile ago, and he had comepletely forgotten about it. Looks like
Akane remembered...
He swallowed and grimaced. "Does she really expect me to
teach that brick how to float? You can only do so much...youch!
What in the hell was that for, Oyaiji!" He glared at his father, who
had conked him over the head with his elbow.
"Don't insult your intended in such a horrid manner, Ranma!
It's your responsibility to take up on any hole in her training, if you
want her to stand by your side! Mold her into the proper martial
artist her potenial is craving for!" Genma crossed his arms and
nodded his head wisely. "Of course, you'll have to start at the
beginning. I hear Jusenkyo is lovely this time of year..."
"Saotome! You dare suggest that horrid place to train my
daughter! And are you saying that her training is insufficent? That
is an insult against me, friend." Soun glared daggers at the larger
man.
"No insult to you, Tendo. Just stating the obvious."
"Saotome! How could you!"
Nabiki turned away from the bickering fathers with a sigh.
"They're almost as bad as Ranma and Akane. Hey, Kasumi," she fixed
her brown eyes on the blue ones of her sister, "which beach are we
going to this time?"
"Well, Point Beach is closed to visitors due to a graduation
ceremony taking place. So I thought, since the weather is going to be
this way for several days, we could rent a cottage at Southshore."
Kasumi stood up and started to clear away the dishes.
"Kon'wa, minna!" Ukyou entered the room, a large box clutched
to her side. "Hope you don't mind that I just came in, Kasumi."
She shook her head. "Not at all, Ukyou-chan. We're just
finishing up with breakfast, then we were going to head for the
beach, since it is so hot."
Ukyou's face lit up as she sat down next to Ranma, placing the
okynomiyaki in front of him. He quickly dug in. Genma quickly tried
to take his 'share'. "Really? That sounds so refreshing! Mind if I tag
along? It gets extremely hot sitting in front of a grill all day long."
"Oh, you poor dear! Of course, you're more than welcome."
Kasumi smiled and left to go into the kitchen.
Nabiki stood up from her spot. "We're going to be leaving in a
few minutes, Ukyou. Why don't you meet us there? We'll be at Point
Beach; the same one as before."
Ukyou nodded and stood as well, giving Ranma a quick hug.
"That sounds like a plan. See you later, Ranchan!" He grunted,
snatching the last bite from his father's fingers. She waved to the
others and left.
Kasumi came back in the room. "Ukyou? Oh, I thought she
was going to come with us?"
"I told her to meet us there." Nabiki grinned and left the
room to get ready.
"Ranma, you better go get ready; we'll be leaving in a few
minutes. Your swimsuits are in your top drawer."
"Thanks, Kasumi." He stood up and gave her a quick smile,
leaving the room, Genma following behind him.
"Father, yours is on your bed. I am going to get dressed and
coax Akane out of her bad mood." Kasumi left, leaving Soun in the
room by himself.
He blinked a few times, and then got up to change, as well.
*******
Half hour later, the four Tendos and the two Saotomes were
on their way to find some cooling refreshment in the refreshing
breezes of Southshore.
Akane stared out the window, watching the rapidly moving
scenery as it flashed by her, mere blurry blobs of color to her
unfocused eyes. I really don't want to go to the beach... She glanced
at the reflection of her fiancée in the window, who sat across from
her. Their fathers were in another seat farther up, and Kasumi and
Nabiki sat across the aisle. He had thrown a skimpy white tanktop
over his once naked torso, and was wearing a pair of black swimming
trunks with a bolt of white lightning zigzagging across the front. His
eyes were closed as he took advantage of the lulling rhythm of the
train's movements and the quietness of the ride. He probably doesn't
even remember.
She broke her gaze from him and turned it to the other
occupants of the room. There weren't many other passengers in their
car, only a few scattered groups, since the commuter rush was just
about over. But most had the same idea as they, and were dressed in
a similar fashion; they wanted to escape the hot city for the cool
shores of the beach, as well. She sighed and turned her brown eyes
back to Ranma, and was startled by the concerned look in his smoky
blue ones. She frowned and turned back to the window. "What?"
"Hey, is somethin' botherin' you? Not that I care, or nothin'."
He stole a glance to the pair of females across the aisle, but they
were both engrossed in magazines. And a quick glance over his
shoulder let him know that their fathers were well out of hearing
range. He turned back to Akane, who was still looking out the window.
"Nothing is wrong."
He hesitated. "Uh, you sure? You weren't actin' normal at the
breakfast table."
She let a sigh escape her lips and turned back to him, her
brows furrowed in frustration. "You won't leave me alone until I tell
you, will you?"
"Uh, well, if you want me to, I will." He blinked a few times,
confused by her mood. As of late, they had been getting along fairly
well; the fights had gone down to a few spats here and there, and he
hadn't taken a shortcut home via LEO in quite some time. And several
times, they've stayed up through the wee hours of the morning,
talking and laughing, and enjoying the other's presence. You could say
that the level of chaos around him had dimimished to tolerable levels.
Not that I'm complainin'. The peace is actually nice. After a few
moments of silence, he cleared his throat. "So, are you gonna tell
me?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I was just grouchy this
morning, that's all. I haven't been sleeping very well in this heat, and
I really didn't want to go to the beach today."
"Well, I can understand the not sleepin', but I thought you
liked the beach. At least you didn't mind the last time we went."
"You mean when we shipwrecked on Prince Toma's Island?"
Her eyebrow raised as a blush lit up the bridge of his nose. "Oh,
yeah, I had a blast and a half." Ranma started to sputter out a reply,
but she shook her head. "That's not what I mean, Ranma. I just..."
she shrugged again. "It's kind of hard to get full enjoyment out of
the sea if you can't enjoy it to the fullest, you know what I mean?"
He blinked a few times. "Actually, I completely understand
what you mean." Akane cocked her head to the side and he explained.
"What do you think is in this bag?" He held up the backpack sitting
next to him.
"Towels?"
He rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, but this is also in there." He
reached in and pulled out a deep green and black striped swimsuit. A
female-cut suit.
"Ahh..."
"Yeah," he nodded with her, and put it back inside. "I have
some waterproof soap I bribed off the old ghoul, so I'll be able to go
swimmin' as a guy, but once that wears off, I'm gonna haveta change."
"But at least you can enjoy the water in either form." She
pointed out.
"Well, yeah," he scratched his head, "but it's not the same, ya
know? And besides, you're gonna be able to enjoy it just as much as
me by the end of the day."
"How will I be able to do that?" She scoffed at him, crinkling
her nose.
"Because I'm gonna show ya how to swim." He crossed his
arms smugly. "Didya forget our bet?"
"Nani?" She yelled, standing up. But she quickly sat back
down, her face red with embarrassment when everyone turned her
way. "What? You remembered?"
He looked insulted. "Of course I did. Saotome Ranma never
forgets a promise."
"What about the time..."
He held up a hand. "Don't even start, Akane." He narrowed his
eyes. "Unless you don't want to learn?"
"I do, I do! It's just that so many people have tried..." she
sighed, slumping in her seat.
"Well, that's because I haven't tried yet. And I never lose,
ne?" He flashed her a confident smile. Slowly, she nodded,
straightening up, her own smile spreading across her face. "All right!
Now, that's what I like to see. If you think you're gonna lose before
you start, you already lost, ne?"
She nodded again. "Right."
"Train 392, destination, Southshore Beach has arrived. Please
wait until the train has come to a complete stop before debarking.
Before you leave, please make sure you have all your belongings.
Thank you and have a wonderful day."
"Oh, we're here." She stood up, making sure she grabbed her
bag. She held out a hand to Ranma. "Coming?"
He glanced at the offered hand for a moment, and slowly,
reached for it, clasping his long fingers around hers and pulled
himself up. "Hai." He smiled and gave it a squeeze before letting go.
She smiled back and left the car, him following directly behind her.
Unbeknownst to them, Kasumi and Nabiki gave each other a
meaningful glance before they followed in their path.
******
After settling into the two-bedroom cottage they would be
spending the night in, everyone who needed to changed into beach
wear, and headed for the main attraction of the day.
The beach was fairly crowded, as they had expected, since
this was a popular spot for swimming, and the Tendo-ke searched for
some time to find a decent spot to set up camp. After claiming their
own section of the beach and setting up the chairs, unbrellas, and
towels, a loud sigh of relief echoed from each of them.
"Ah, this is the life," Ranma quickly ripped off his tank top
and fell face down onto the large towel. "I feel better already."
"The air is definitely nice. That breeze is refreshing." Ranma
peeked open one eye to see Akane settle down beside him on the
towel. His gaze wandered over her small frame and the even smaller
swimsuit she wore. It was a two piece outfit, deep blue with white
blotches scattered throughout. He intently followed the motion of
her hands as she rubbed sun lotion on her legs. He smiled to himself
and reclosed his eye quickly, in case she caught him looking. "This is
definitely better than drowning in our sweat in Nerima."
"Most definitely. Last one in the water is a wet panda, ne,
Saotome?"
"I resemble that remark, Tendo!"
Akane smiled as she watched the fathers' race to the edge of
the water. She blinked as she watched Genma enter the water and
not change into his cursed form. "Did you give your father some of
the waterproof soap, Ranma?"
"Yeah, I couldn't bear to see him sweat in the thick coat of
his." At Akane's giggle, he looked up, confused. "What's so funny?"
"You know, bear, bear..." She sighed at his still confused look.
"Oh, never mind." She flopped down, face-up, on the towel and put a
pair of sunglasses on.
He shook his head, not getting the joke, but couldn't help
himself from talking a quick view of the flesh laid out next to him.
He glanced up when Nabiki cleared her throat, blushing hotly at the
knowing smirk spread across her features. "Um, I uh, oh never mind."
He grunted and buried his face in his arms.
"So easy." Nabiki shook her head. "Well, I'm going to check
out the local scenery. Wanna come along, Kasumi?" She pulled the
t-shirt off over her head and revealed to the public the golden
bronze leaflet that covered her svelte frame.
"I guess I could. Are you going to go into the water?"
"Probably, but not very far out."
"All right. Akane, are you going to go out soon?"
She shook her head, not sitting up from her flat position.
"Not for a bit. I want to soak up some sun first."
"Then I can leave our belongings out?"
"Of course. I'll be here for awhile. Have fun." The warm rays
of the sun and the cooling breezes off the sea countered each other
for a perfect day at the beach, and the pair of suntanning martial
artists absorbed it all happily.
After a few minutes, Ranma flipped over, gasping. "It's too
hot to breathe that way." He grabbed a towel and wiped off the
river of sweat from his face. He sat up, shielding his hands from the
glare of the sun and looked into the water. He picked out the
fathers jumping in the waves and the pair of sisters wading about
knee deep in the water, several children surrounding them. He
turned to the motionless figure next to him. "Hey, Akane, do you
wanna go out into the water?"
She shook her head slightly. "You can, if you want. I'm going
to stay here and watch our stuff." She held her head up a bit. "You
better put on some sunscreen, Ranma, or you're going to burn."
"Nah, I'll be fine. I've never burned before."
"Ranma," she sat up, frowning. "you'll be in a lot of pain later
on." She patted the towel in front of her open legs. "Come here, and
I'll do your back." He hesitated but sat down in front of her. "Give
me your hand." He held it up and she squirted a generous amount of
the warm cream into his palm. "Here, do your front."
Carefully, she spread the burn blocker onto his back, making
sure she got his shoulders, upper arms and the back of his neck.
Several times she had to move his pigtail out of the way. She tried
not to pay attention to the muscles that rippled under her fingers as
she kneaded the cream into his smooth skin, but it was hard. Plus, it
didn't help that she felt him stop moving, and unconsciously lean into
her the longer she massaged the wiry cords. A blush, not from the
sun, spread across her nose when she heard him let out a satisfied
moan when she worked out a large knot. Slowly she ran her hands
back up to his shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. With some
hesitation she announced, "I'm done."
"Already?" A small whine surprised her. "That felt really
good, Akane. You give good back rubs." He shifted slightly and held
up greasy white palms. "I still have some left. Turn around, and I'll
do your back."
She blinked, her blush darkening. "Ranma..." He smiled and
made a circling motion. "O...okay." Quickly, she turned around, her
spine stiff, baring her back to him.
She closed her eyes tightly and choked back a gasp when his
rough fingers sent electric tingles up and down her spine. Her head
unconsciously fell forward when the nimble digits brushed away her
hair and massaged her neck and shoulders. "That feel good?" His
murmur against her ear tickled her insides, turning her into jelly.
She felt his fingers tug at the strap that held her top closed and she
sat back up, her spine once again a steel rod. She was about to lash
out at him for his blunt motion, but he murmured again, his baritone
making her stop mid-word. "Relax, Akane, I'm just making sure I get
everywhere. I'm not doin' anything perverted." She closed her mouth
and nodded. She felt his fingers dance up her spine and rested
heavily on her slim shoulders. His breath against her ear told them
how close their heads were. "I'm done."
She nodded weakly. "Okay, thank you."
The pair didn't move from the position they were in, but she
felt his fingers flexing against her shoulders, and it sent wonderful
chills up and down her spine. "Are you sure you don't wanna come out
in the water with me?"
She turned her head slightly, meeting his blue eyes, intense
with an emotion she didn't want to name. "Are you going to give me
my lessons now?"
He shook his head slightly, and backed up, putting some space
between them. "Not now. I'd rather do that when there are less
people around ta laugh at your flailing." He winked at her, and
immediately bolted down the beach, sand flying up behind him.
"Ranma!" She cried out, but all she got in response was his
laughter carried back on the sea winds. Akane watched as he dove
into the water, emerging next to their fathers, still male, and
immediately dunked his dad under the next rising wave. "Honestly!"
She fell back down on the towel with a huff, but soon a silly smile
creeped across her face as she remembered the feel of her hands on
his skin, the soft moan echoing in her ears. And the blush returned
full-kilter when her tummy tingled with his touch on her. She let out
a sigh and closed her eyes.
*****
The rest of the morning and afternoon passed with lots of
laughter and smiles from everyone. After the lunch of sandwiches
and fruit that Kasumi had packed to bring along, Ranma finally
convinced Akane to go into the water. They only waded out to chest
deep, but the splashing and dunking quickly soaked them both from
head to toe. After the drowning session, Ranma and Akane settled
down in a fairly deserted spot of the beach to build one of the
largest sandcastles ever seen. Their activity quickly gained them an
audience of small children, and with their help, the empty spot
became a small town of towers with shallow moats winding throughout
the expanse of the sand.
A growling sound echoed and Ranma covered up his noisemaker
with a sheepish smile. He stood up, brushing off the layer of sand
from his moist skin. "I'm gonna go get somethin' ta eat. Want
anything?"
Akane shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks." She nodded her
head at the deep hole she was digging with the help of two young
girls and their shovels. "I'm going to stay here and help finish Lake
Toadie." She scrunched up her nose at the name one of the small
girls insisted on calling the large puddle they were digging.
"Gotcha." He smiled and jogged up the large beach to where
the rest of the family was sitting. The pair of fathers had a travel
set of Go, and were currently arguing about a legal play one of them
made. He fell down next to Kasumi and started to riffle through the
large basket.
"Having fun, Ranma?" the elder female asked.
He emerged with an apple in his mouth and a vine of grapes in
his hands. "Yeah! We're really turnin' the beach into its own little
town." He scratched his back and made a face at all the sand that
fell off.
Kasumi chuckled. "That's what happens when you get buried in
the sand, Ranma."
"Yeah, yeah. But they all teamed up on me," he tried to
defend himself. "Didn't help that Akane did nothin' ta stop 'em." He
turned his gaze to where she was still digging out 'Lake Toadie,' and
he let a smile play upon his features as he watched her show one of
the little girls the best way to dig.
Both Kasumi and Nabiki saw that smile and they shared
another meaningful glance between each other. "So, are you going to
give Akane those swimming lessons sometime?"
He nodded absently, not taking his eyes of the figure in blue
and white. "Uh, yeah, later on." He quickly polished off the fruit and
stood back up. "Thanks, Kasumi." The pair of females watched as he
trotted down the beach to where the showers and rest rooms were.
Kasumi smiled and turned her gaze back to Akane, who was
now getting pelted by buckets of water that were supposed to be
filling Lake Toadie. She laughed along with all the little children at
Akane's feeble protests. "I'm glad she's feeling better. She really
didn't want to go today."
Nabiki shrugged and leaned back in her chair, pushed her
sunglasses back over her nose. "I didn't think she was all too keen on
coming, either, especially after that comment this morning." A
shadow fell over her and she pushed her glasses down slightly to see
the figure of a dark-haired male, his hands behind his back and a
slightly nervous look on his tanned face. "Yes?"
"Hi, I was standing over there and wondering if you wanted to
go get an ice with me since you looked like you needed one."
She turned to Kasumi, who was wisely ignoring her nervous
guest as she had her nose in a book and sipping from a cool drink.
She turned back to the guy and looked him up and down appraisingly.
She smiled at the sweat that broke out on his forehead. "I suppose."
She stood, sliding on a pair of sandals. "Your name is...?"
"Oh, yeah, um, it's Seijitsu." He bowed slightly.
She raised an eybrow. "Nabiki." She nodded back, ignoring
the giggle behind the book. "Well, Seijitsu, now that you mentioned
it, I am thirsty."
He nodded. "Okay, let's go." The pair left.
A few minutes later, Akane came back up to where Kasumi was
sitting. She glanced around. "I thought Ranma was up here?" She
sat down next to her sister and took a sip of her drink.
"He was, but he left again." She pointed off to the right. "He
went off in that direction. More than likely to wash off all the sand
from earlier."
She stood back up. "Okay, thanks, Kasumi."
"Wait, Akane," the blue-haired sister turned a questioning look
to long-haired one. "You might want to take along his things." She
pointed to the knapsack. "He might need a change of clothing."
Akane stared confusedly at Kasumi, but shrugged. "If you say
so." She grabbed the bag and headed for the shower area.
The eldest Tendo female smiled as she watched the youngest
search for her fiancée. Her attention was diverted when a familiar
growl was heard. "Saotome, have a heart! You smell like wet fur!"
She shook her head at the sign the large, wet panda produced.
*It's not my fault!* She turned back to her book with a smile.
****
Akane kept her eyes open for the familiar tall male with black
hair braided into a pigtail as she roamed around. "Ranma? Where
are you? Ranma!" A hissing sound caght her attention as she passed
the door for the men's showers. "Ranma?"
"Akane! Man, I'm glad to see you! Come over here!" The door
opened slightly and Ranma stuck his head out of the door. His
redhaired, female head.
"What are you doing female? Did the soap wear off? Why
didn't you change back?" She hissed as she crept over to the door.
Ranma spotted the bag in her hand, and his eye lit up with
relief. "All right, you brought my stuff!" She opened the door up a
little wider. "Here, hand it over."
She tossed him the bag and he disappeared behind the door
again. "Are you okay in there?"
"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec." Akane quickly moved away from the
door, ignoring the questioning looks the other people were giving her.
She made sure she was in spotting distance from the door and
waiting for Ranma to emerge.
After a few moments, and a few male exclamations of 'There's
a girl in here!' Akane sighed when Ranma came out dressed in the
dark green one-piece suit he flashed her earlier on the train.
"Thanks, Akane, you're a life saver."
Akane crossed her arms. "Why didn't you just change back?"
"The showers are all cold water," he explained, his frustration
evident. "And I didn't think the soap was going to wear off this soon,
so I didn't bring any clothes. If you didn't come along then, I was
just gonna make a run for it."
"Well, can you use the soap again?" she asked, a small amount
of hope in her words. She had been enjoying the day immensely with
his male form.
"Yeah," he nodded, shouldering the pack, "but I'm gonna wait a
bit, so it'll last for longer." he glanced around and spotted the ice
cream booth. "Wanna get some ice cream?"
"Sure." After they ordered their dessert, they walked along
the path, looking in the different shops and restaurants they had to
offer. They followed another path that led down to the edge of the
water, and quietly walked along the shore. Not many people were
around, since this part was not part of the public beach. Akane sat
down on a large rock that jutted over the water, dangling her legs
over the edge. She closed her eyes as the breezes played with her
bangs. "It's nice here; quiet."
"Hn." Ranma sat down next to her, leaning over his knees to
stare into the water below. After a few moments of peace, he spoke
quietly. "Akane, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Ranma." She turned her gaze to look at him. He still
was hunched over, staring into the water.
"We're friends, right?"
She blinked. "I hope so." She wondered where this was
leading.
"I consider us friends. Have for a long time, actually." He
paused, wrapping his arms around his dangling legs so he was bent
completely over. "Have you ever wanted to," he paused and she could
see that he was wrestling with what he wanted to say by the play of
emotions on his face. "Have you ever wanted to be more? More than
just...friends?" He turned his head slightly, his ocean blue eyes wide
with questions, and that same emotion she didn't want recognize
earlier.
"Ranma, I, uh..." she closed her mouth and turned away, to
stare into the depths of the water below. "I've thought about it, yes,
but I also thought about what everyone else would do and say if we
did become more than...just friends." She sighed and traced a
pattern in the air with her toes. "Have you?"
He turned back to the water as well. "Yeah, I have."
The quiet surrounded them once again, as they feel deep into
their own thoughts about the delicate subject matter brought up.
And when Akane spoke again, she finally voiced the question both
were mulling over: "Do you want to become more than friends?"
He glanced over at her, her brown eyes searching his own for
the unvoiced answer, as he delved deep into hers. He swallowed hard,
but nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Her smile melted the hard lump in his throat, and his ears
rang with her reply. "So do I. I've really enjoyed the past couple of
months, Ranma. The talking, the not-fighting; it's been nice."
The tension rolled off his face. "I thought so, too. An' I've
been having a lot of fun, today, too. It's nice to just, well, play, with
ya, ya know?" Akane nodded. "And, I've actually been thinking
about...this...for some time, but I wasn't sure what you'd think of it."
"Well, we are engaged, Ranma," she said and rolled her eyes at
his snort. "It's not like if we forget about it and it'll go away. But, I
am glad," her red cheeks got a little redder, "that you brought it up.
I've been thinking about it for awhile, too." Her face got serious as
she brought up another topic. "What about everyone else?"
"What about them?"
"What about our fathers? And the other fiancees? They'll
flip out if they find out." She snorted. "Actually, I'm surprised that
they hadn't shown up today to ruin our fun."
He smirked. "Actually, after you stormed upstairs during
breakfast, Ucchan showed up, and Nabiki sent her to Point Beach.
An' Shampoo and the others are there, too. They were hired to
cover the graduation party bein' held there. So I wasn't expectin' any
of them to show up. And the fathers agreed to knock off the
marrying crap for awhile." Akane's eyes widened and he nodded, his
cheeks tinting pink at the thought. "Yeah, I sorta told them I was
gonna talk to you soon about this stuff, and so they agreed to stop
pushin'."
"I was wondering why they haven't been in our faces about
getting married lately." She pulled her knees up to her chin, and
wrapped her arms around them. "But what are we gonna tell them?
If we say anything resembling dating, they're gonna start insisting on
a wedding."
Ranma sat up as well, but turned to face Akane. "Well, we'll
just see how it goes. I really want ta do this, Akane, I..." he blushed
and turned his head away. "I really like you, Akane, a lot."
"I really like you too, Ranma." Akane reached out and took his
hand. His small fingers curled around hers and squeezed. She stood
up, pulling him up with her. "Come on, the others are probably ready
to eat dinner."
"Okay." They started back down the path, but Ranma stopped
after a few steps. Akane stopped a few steps ahead, their entwined
fingers held out between each other. "Ya know, Akane, we're both
girls, now." He glanced at their hands, blushing.
Akane blinked and blushed as well, but firmly held onto his
hand. "I don't mind, if you don't." Ranma shook his head hard. She
grinned and squeezed his hand again. "You're Ranma, no matter what
form you're in. And I like holding Ranma's hand." She smiled and
turned forward again. "Come on, let's go." And the pair left, hand in
hand.
*****
After a quick stop at a booth for some hot water, then the
showers once again, the pair met up with their families under the
shade of a large tree. "It's about time you got back," Nabiki sat
next to an unidentified male, her arms crossed impatiently. "Where
have you two lovebirds been? We looked up and down the beach for
you."
"We were just walking," Akane frowned. "Who's your friend?"
She made introductions. "Seijitsu, this is my younger sister,
Akane, and her fiancé, Saotome Ranma. He's going to be joining us
for supper."
"Nice to meet you," Seijitsu smiled. The newly-arrived pair
smiled back in greeting, Akane going over to Kasumi, who held a pair
of shorts and a shirt to throw over her suit. Ranma grabbed the tank
top from earlier and quickly pulled it over his head.
"Did you see Ukyou anywhere? I thought she was going to join
us, but I haven't seen her at all." Everyone shook their heads, and
Nabiki threw Ranma a knowing grin. He shook his head again. "Oh
well, but now that the wanderers are back, we can go eat. Does
anyone have any place in mind?" Kasumi asked, shouldering a small
purse.
Akane ran a brush through her hair. "Well, there was an
Italian place on the boardwalk that sounded good." She glanced at
Ranma. "It had an all-you-can-eat pasta bar." He lit up.
Genma brightened up as well. "Sounds like a plan to me!" The
seven of them headed for the restaurant.
***
As they were eating, Kasumi asked Akane a question, "So, did
Ranma get to teach you to swim, yet?"
She shook her head. "No, not yet." She turned to him. "Are
you going to?"
But before he could answer, Seijitsu spoke. "If you want,
Akane, I can show you. I'm a certified lifeguard." He quickly glanced
concernedly at the choking Ranma. "Are you okay? I know the
Heimlich maneuver, as well." Ranma just waved him off. He frowned
down at his plate.
"Really, a lifeguard?" Kasumi said, surprised. "That's hard to
do. You must be a very good swimmer."
"Well, I like to think I am. Today's my day off, but I normally
lifeguard at this beach." He turned back to Akane. "Do you want me
to show you? It's no problem."
"I was gonna show her after supper, right, Akane?" Ranma
narrowed his eyes at the wide-eyed Seijitsu.
Akane rolled her eyes, but let a smile escape. "Thank you for
the offer, Seijitsu, but I think I'll take Ranma up on his. It was
actually part of a bet between him and I." She turned to look at
Ranma, a smug smile on his face as he returned to inhaling his pasta.
"But if he fails, I'll take you up on your offer tomorrow, okay?" She
smirked inwardly when he started choking again.
The new young man nodded, glancing warily at the red-faced
Ranma. "Sure, Akane." The rest of the meal continued with no
further events, save for some caught side-glances here and there.
****
After dinner, Kasumi and the fathers retired to the cottage
for the rest of the night; Seijitsu and Nabiki decided to hit the hot
spots of the evening. And Ranma and Akane headed for the beach to
start on her dreaded, but highly anticipated, swimming lesson.
The sun was on its way to setting, but there was still enough
light to see comfortably. There weren't many people on the sand, and
even fewer in the water. Ranma started by pulling off his tank top.
Akane began to get undressed as well. "Okay, now whatever I show
you out here, or tell ya, I wantcha to promise me, Akane, that you're
not gonna haul off and hit me, okay?" He rolled his eyes at her frown.
"I'm just sayin' that because I know you and your temper. You're
gonna have to trust me, Akane, otherwise this isn't gonna work out.
We'll start off in fairly shallow water, so you don't have to worry
about anything like that." He crossed his arms and stared at her.
"Do ya promise to trust me?"
She sighed and nodded. "I promise. But if you get me really
mad, or you do something stupid, I can't promise not to."
He frowned and nodded his head. "I guess that'll work." He
waded into the water until it came to just below his waist, and on
Akane, just above hers. "Okay, the first thing we're gonna do is
float. He moved over to her and put an hand on her back, in between
her shoulder blades. "Now I want you to relax. I'll be holdin' you at
first, and when I think you got it, I'll slowly let go, okay?" She
nodded. "All right now, lean back, and let my hands support you." She
did, slowly, and Ranma's other hand came under her to push up on the
back of her upper thighs. He could feel that her muscles were stiff
as a board. "Relax, Akane, I'm not gonna let you go under."
"It's hard, okay!" She frowned, her eyes focused upwards as
she concentrated.
He shook his head. "You're thinkin' too hard. Floatin' is one of
the easiest parts of swimmin'. Also the least energy-consuming.
Hmm, okay. I want you to start recitin' the English alphabet. Don't
think about floatin', just say it."
She blinked and mentally shrugged. "Okay." She let out a
breath. "A, B, C, D, E, F, G..." Slowly, Ranma felt the tension go out
of Akane's legs, and he moved his hands down them, and completely
off.
"H, I, J, K, L M, N, O, P..." He moved his free hand and pushed
up her rear, but quickly removed it when she jumped. When she
relaxed once again, he pushed on it again, alternating between her
legs and the small of her back.
"Q, R, S, T, U, V..." Gradually, he lowered his first hand so all
he was supporting has the small of her back. "W, X, Y and Z." Akane
blinked as she realized the only spot his hands were resting was
above her rear. "Am I doing it, Ranma?" She glanced at him, her
eyes wide.
He nodded, a smile lighting up his face. "Yup, you are. Spread
out your arms." She did and slowly he started to move her over the
water. Her eyes widned even further, and he quickly explained what
he was doing. "It's easier to float if you move with the water,
instead of trying to resist it an' stay in one place." She nodded and
closed her eyes.
For several minutes he moved her over the top of the water, a
smile lighting his face as he watched the expression on hers get
brighter and brighter, and more peaceful as she floated. Soon, he let
go of her completely, and watched her float upon the waves, rocking
with the natural movements of the current. "Akane, open your eyes."
She did, and realized he wasn't by her side anymore. "Ranma?"
she started to panic, and she sunk under the water, but immediately
came back up, for the water was only up to her knees. "I was doing
it, wasn't I? I was floating all by myself!" She fell to her knees in
the water.
"Yeah, you were. You're a natural!" He smiled and moved in
front of her. "I told ya you could do it, ne?"
"Oh, Ranma! Thank you!" She leapt into his lap, throwing her
arms around his neck. "You don't know...urk!" Her momentum sent
them under the water, and both came up within a few moments,
sputtering, but laughing.
Ranma had an arm curled around her tight, holding her to his
chest as they emerged from the once calm waters. He gazed into her
face, pushing away a few clumps of dripping bangs from her smooth
forehead. "I do know, Akane."
She swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat as that
intense emotion burned bright in his eyes again. "Are...are you going
to kiss me now, Ranma?"
He blinked a few times, and then smiled. "Do you want me to?"
She nodded, and licked her lips, tasting the salty water on
them. Her eyes wandered over his face, until they were drawn once
again to his eyes, the churning pools of raw emotion, so full of...
"Yes."
He ducked his head closer, his eyelids slowly falling shut, his
voice a harsh whisper, "Then, I will." Their salty lips met, a light
brush of flesh on flesh, tentative in their first true meeting. The
contact was brief, but the intent was ever-lasting.
They separated, both having their eyes closed for several
moments after the inital contact was over. Akane blinked a few
times rapidly, trying to reorient her cloudy mind. She finally focused
on the male in front of her, and smiled at the blush spreading over
his nose and cheekbones. She ducked her head, nestling it in the
crook of his shoulder. "That was nice, Ranma."
His arms automatically tightened around her, and he leaned his
forehead against the crown of her head. "Yeah, it was. I wanted to
do that for a long time." His voice was husky in his throat.
They knelt in the chest-deep water, wrapped in each other's
arms, content to let the waves rock against their still forms. Akane
was the one to break the embrace as she backed out of his arms.
"Um, can we try floating, again?"
"Do you want me to support you again?"
She nodded shyly. "Until I get my balance." He nodded back
and put an arm behind her and she slowly leaned against it until she
was parallel with the water. She felt his hands gently push up her
legs and hold them there. She closed her eyes and mentally tried to
relax, counting to herself to help find her center. Gradually, she felt
his hands leave her, and she doing it on her own again. She opened
her eyes and saw that he was not next to her again. Her eyes darted
around and found that he was on his back as well, floating next to her
as the waves rocked them both. She sighed and let her arms drift
away from her sides, and soon felt one of his hands clasp around
hers. She wound her fingers around his own long ones and let the
current carry them where they needed to be.
******
Do you want another chapter? Or is it best left alone? Let me know what
you think!
Gie-chan
Gie-chan
"She walks around on brass rings that never touch her feet.
She speaks in conversations that never are complete.
And looking back on past things that she has never done
She calls herself St. Matthew, and she is on the run.
--'St. Matthew,' Michael Nesmith"