[Ranma][Fanfic] The 4th Anniversary

[G.L. Sandborn]

The 4th Anniversary
By G.L. Sandborn

Akane smiled nervously to herself as she carefully removed the tiny
plate of appetizers from the microwave. They *looked* done. With some
anticipation, she leaned extra close to the baked morsels and sniffed. A
large smile spread across her face as she straightened up. They not only
looked perfect, they also smelled perfect. She'd done it. She'd finally
made something that looked and smelled like real food. Tanaga-sensei, her
new cooking teacher, would be proud. Of course, the final sauce topping
was whipped up by sensei herself, but the rest of the job - the cutting of
the meats, the arrangement of the crackers on the plate, and the placement
of the meats on the crackers - was all Akane. Carefully, she set the hot
plate on the counter and smiled to herself. With pride, she removed the
oven gloves she remembered to wear. This time, there would be no smashed
plate on the floor, no mashed crackers, smashed meats, or any other messes
to clean up.
"This time," Akane chuckled, "Everything will be perfect." Akane had
been planning this afternoon for weeks. It was their 4 year anniversary -
sort of. Exactly four years ago, her father announced she was to be
engaged to young Ranma Saotome. Ranma came to live with them as a head-
strong, blunt, and socially unacceptable *boy*. Over the last four years,
he'd grown into a head-strong, blunt, but socially passable young *man*.
Their first anniversary passed with barely a notice. Akane brought
the subject up, Ranma made some careless remark, and Akane finished with a
mallet to his head. Their second went somewhat the same. And the third...
well, let's just say they were consistent.
Still, over the years, they fought, argued, hated, made up, looked out
for each other, and, in the end, love finally bloomed. Well, perhaps
'bloomed' is not the right word. Ranma *almost* loved Akane and Akane kept
trying to love Ranma. It was more like they became 'comfortable' around
each other.
But time was passing quickly for them both. They were growing older
and soon would have to seriously consider the possibilities of marriage.
Akane, with no other prospects (No, Kuno was NOT an option), began to
consider a lifetime with one she had, at least, become 'comfortable' with.
Besides, because his other fiancees were becoming increasingly aggressive,
Akane had to move fast or risk losing him to one of her rivals. She still
*hated* to lose, even in this contest.
Akane quickly finished topping off the appetizers with the whipped
sauce and carried the plate into the main room. It joined the others on
the table with their store-bought or Kasumi-made treats. Akane carefully
arranged everything so they looked exactly right.
She was in no real hurry. She had all afternoon for her little plan.
Kasumi had seen to that. Thinking Akane just wanted some time alone with
Ranma to talk, Kasumi arranged for herself to spend the day helping Tofu-
sensei clean out his files and the fathers to visit Mr. Miyagi's bar.
Nabiki was nowhere to be found. Akane snorted with the thought that her
sister was probably stringing audio cable or rigging hidden cameras.
Satisfied with the food, Akane hurried to change. The clothes were
'phase 2' of her plan.
She had picked out her outfit carefully, depending totally on the
advice of her more worldly wise sister. In fact, Nabiki helped her plan
just about every part of this afternoon's activities... for a reasonable
price, of course.
Nervously, Akane pulled off her everyday clothes and picked out a
bulky, loose fitting top with an oversized neck opening. Slipping it over
her head, she checked herself in the mirror. As Nabiki said, it did a good
job of effectively concealing her figure. That is, until she bent over.
Akane leaned forward to check.
<Just right,> she thought as she straightened up again.
Pulling on the special nylon panties Nabiki gave her, Akane held up
the bottom edge of her top to see how they looked in the mirror. Pink,
thin, and really sexy, Akane blushed slightly when she considered how
little of her they actually covered. As she turned this way and that, she
had to admit, they made her look pretty good, even for a tomboy. Still,
these were certainly not something she would wear outside the house.
Someone might notice.
She giggled nervously at the thought as her fingers traced lightly
over her small, tight posterior. Something stirred inside her and awoke as
her fingertips tickled her firm mounds through the slippery fabric. For
several minutes, Akane stood in front of her mirror, caressing her nylon-
encased body, relishing the sensations that shot through her with every
feather-like stroke of her fingers. Carefully, Akane harnessed the
feeling, remembering every sensation and replaying it over and over in her
mind. She would need it in the coming hours to follow through with her
plans. For now, she would have to wait. Swallowing hard, she forced her
hands from her body.
A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she crossed her arms and hugged
herself while the last of the sensations reverberated through her tight,
young form. It was followed by the first twinges of regret that she had to
experience such feelings alone. That was replaced by a tiny smile as she
considered the possibility that she might soon have someone to share those
feelings with.
A loose fitting pair of red lounge pants that gathered at the ankles
finished off her ensemble. A few minutes with her hair, some dabs of
perfume strategically placed per Nabiki's instructions, and Akane was
ready.
She admired herself in the mirror a few moments longer. Even *she*
had to admit, she looked good. All those years of martial arts training
had paid off. As her body matured, the constant 'tuning' of her training
contributed greatly to her present figure. As attractive as she was in
high school, her 20 year-old body looked even better now. She giggled
behind her hand when she thought of what Ranma's reaction would be to
everything she had planned.
Over the past year, Ranma had begun to show signs of actually being
interested in Akane. It started slow enough, listening to college friends
talk about dating and girls in general. At first, he continued his
indifference to females, content with being with 'the guys'. But they
spent most of their time talking about girls... and dating... and... other
things. Such talk finally convinced the younger Saotome that female
companionship was the 'manly' thing to aspire to. His only problem was to
pick one from the many who had shown interest in *him*.
Akane, however, was determined that she would have rights of first
refusal. It had become a serious 'game' to her, a game she was determined
*not* to lose. This little party was just her way of reminding Ranma she
had 'first call' on him. At least, that's how *she* saw it.

Back downstairs, Akane finished setting the mood. A few candles, some
soft lights, and a special CD rented from Nabiki to play on the family's
small stereo system produced the proper atmosphere.
As Akane was making her final check, she heard Ranma coming in the
front door.
"In here," she called lightly while she assumed her position on a low
pillow off to the side of the table.
As Ranma entered, he paused, like a fighter expecting a trap. The
darkened room, the soft music, and all the food on the table was odd
enough, but the sight of Akane, kneeling on a pillow, a happy smile gracing
her face, was enough to make him *really* nervous.
"Surprise," she chirped lightly. "Happy Anniversary, Ranma."
"Anniversary?" His mind raced to find some logical association
between the word and the current date. As hard as he tried, he couldn't
figure out what Akane was talking about. In desperation, he tried to bluff
his way.
"Oh... yeah... I kinda forgot." Ranma grimaced and rubbed the back of
his head in embarrassment.
Akane's smile only quivered slightly to show her irritation at his
forgetfulness. Nabiki had tried to warn her what men were like. Akane just
never associated such behavior with Ranma. Not that he was any better,
mind you.
With a silent sigh, Akane gathered herself to continue.
"I've prepared some things for you." She nervously gestured towards
the table with its many goodies spread across its shiny surface.
Ranma hesitated, looking quickly between Akane and the table. If this
was Akane's food, his life was in danger. Either he'd eat some to be
polite and get sick or he'd refuse and Akane would react in the predictable
manner. Ranma swallowed hard and started to sweat. Akane knew right away
what the hesitation was about.
"It's okay. They're not mine," Akane said softly as she looked at the
floor. She added under her breath so Ranma couldn't hear: "Most of it,
anyway."
With an almost audible sigh of relief, Ranma plopped himself down on
the nearest pillow and started to wolf down the food. Akane's grimace
caused him to pause.
"You really don't need to eat so fast, Ranma." Akane sounded almost
irritated. It was getting hard to keep the mood romantic. "The food's not
going anywhere."
Ranma paused long enough for Akane's words to sink in. As if under a
great pressure to behave, he slowed his eating to a more respectable pace.
Akane nodded approvingly and filled his glass with soft drink from Kasumi's
best pitcher.
Ranma reached for an appetizer.
"What're these things?" he asked with a full mouth of rice.
"Something special...," Akane replied with a blush as she watched her
fiance carefully.
Ranma popped one of the appetizers into his mouth and began to chew
happily.
"... that I made."
Ranma froze in fear, his jaw paused in mid-chew. Sweat broke out all
over his forehead as his eyes slowly rolled towards Akane. He quickly
evaluated his options. They didn't look good.
He could spit out the offending food and risk the wrath of Akane.
He could tough it out and finish eating the one small appetizer while
making sure to avoid the rest of its companions, thereby limiting the
damage to his system without offending his fiancee.
Of course, he could also miscalculate the whole situation and die
instantly from 'Akane food poisoning'.
As his fiancee eyed him coldly, he decided to run a few more tests on
the offending foodstuff prior taking any action.
Mouth? Tastes okay. Nothing offensive here.
Throat? No detectable impulse to gag detected.
Stomach? Current contents should not be affected by inclusion of this
bit of food.
Head? No dizziness or burning detected.
With all 'damage control' stations reporting positive, he felt
confident enough to resume eating.
Cautiously, Ranma began chewing again. That alone had the effect of
lessening the tension in the room. And as he chewed, a remarkable thing
happened.
<Tastes okay.> He chewed some more. <Actually, it tastes pretty good.>
"You made these?" he asked between chews.
"Hai." Akane looked his way hopefully. "Do you really like them?"
Ranma swallowed and took a moment to savor the aftertaste.
"Yeah, not bad." Ranma ran his tongue around his mouth to gather the
last bits of the appetizer. "Not bad at all."
Akane giggled and held her hands together in front of her face. She
had actually done it. She had made something even Ranma liked. She was
now a cook.
Ranma, as if to confirm his claim, snatched a couple more of the
little appetizers and quickly gobbled them down while making 'yummy'
sounds. Akane, giddy with delight, feasted on the approval.
Refilling Ranma's glass with more soft drink, Akane felt a warmth and
happiness unlike anything she'd felt before. It was as if she and Ranma
were 'playing house', but with a definite goal in mind. Someday, perhaps
they would actually play out these roles as husband and wife. Akane
shivered slightly at the thought. It gave her goose bumps just thinking
about the prospects. To be married was every Japanese girl's dream.
Ranma quickly finished everything on the table and looked towards
Akane for what to do next.
"Wanna watch some TV?" he asked between gulps of soda.
Akane fidgeted slightly on her pillow. Nabiki had said there was only
one way to gain an edge over the other 'fiancees' for Ranma's affections.
It involved something Nabiki had shown herself to be very good at - at
least, in her stories. It was something Akane had never openly considered
before.
She shifted her position slightly, feeling the nylon panties as they
slid across the inside of her lounge pants. The feeling relit the fire she
experienced earlier in her room. Closing her eyes, and flexing the muscles
under those panties, Akane took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
"There.... there are other things we can do." Her voice was barely
above a whisper, her eyes darting from her pillow to Ranma's face.
Oddly, he looked like a man who didn't have a clue.
"Yeah? Like what? Shoghi?"
"No... something... better." Akane hid her irritation over the board
game suggestion as she scissored her knees together, stoking the fire she
felt.
"Well, we would have to turn off that mushy music..." Ranma paused
when he considered that such an offer might just be inappropriate at the
moment. Maybe that music was there for a purpose. He swallowed hard while
nervously contemplating what she must be thinking.
"Ranma, do you think I'm kawaii?" Akane's voice was still little more
than a squeak.
"Yeah... sure... sometimes..."
"Do you think I'm attractive?" Akane began to lean towards Ranma;
just as she was leaning over the line and timidly venturing into the adult
world of personal relations. She was scared, nervous, and totally on her
own now. Having eclipsed Nabiki's advice, all she could remember was that
her sister had been somewhat vague at this point. Akane could only recall
something about 'riding a wild stallion', whatever *that* meant.

"Do you think I'm attractive?" Akane began to lean towards Ranma.
She was flying totally blind here, completely out of all personal frames of
reference. She was also about to do something totally radical, something
Kasumi would *never* have cleared the residence for had she known about,
something Nabiki said would guarantee Ranma would marry her. Akane started
with 'just a peek', like Nabiki taught her. As usual, Akane misjudged...
more than a little bit.
"Yeah.... attractive...." Ranma's voice cracked slightly as Akane
continued to lean over towards him. The light from the candles behind him
seemed to crawl down her chin... her throat... her.... Ranma gasped
lightly at the scene unfolding before him.
"Do you think I'm...," Akane swallowed hard and licked her lips
nervously, "sexy?"
She was all the way over on her hands and knees now, gravity having
long since done its job pulling her loose top away from her body. The
illumination of the candles behind Ranma did the rest. He began to pant
anxiously as Akane slowly worked her way over to him, crawling on her hands
and knees, her top hanging down almost a foot from her body. Whether she
was aware of it or not, it was all too obvious to Ranma she wasn't wearing
a bra.
With great effort, he tore his eyes away from that usually covered by
her shirt to look at her face. He had seen that expression before. All
the times she had come to his aid, all the times she had fought by his
side, she wore the same expression - scared but determined. Whatever she
had in mind, the food and the 'personal exposure' was only a beginning.
By the time Akane reached him, he was beginning to feel faint. Her
loose top rubbing against his arm reminded him that a part of her usually
completely out of bounds was now easily within arms reach. He fought the
natural urge to do what his hormones were screaming for him to do, the
thing she appeared to be asking of him. His ragged breathing screamed like
a full gale force wind in his ears. He could feel his heart pounding, like
it did when faced with a dangerous foe, only this time, the desire to flee
was tempered by something else, something that caused his kneeling position
to become suddenly uncomfortable.
"You're... you're...," Ranma finally gasped, his eyes, once more,
locked on what her top refused to hide.
He felt something he was only used to feeling in the mornings or late
at night, when he was certain his father couldn't see; something that felt
like a tingling between his legs. It was something he constantly denied
himself, refusing to even acknowledge when it demanded attention. He
closed his eyes and fought its temptation now. His body, however,
overruled his mind.
Rolling his head back and panting in fear and excitement, he almost
jumped off the pillow as Akane's hot breath caressed his neck, sending
jolts of electricity up and down his spine. She switched to blowing
lightly, teasing the sweat on his throat and tickling his libido. Nabiki
had taught her well.
Her lips were close behind, gently nuzzling their way up his throat,
under his jaw, and finally to his ear. With a groan of surrender, Ranma
collapsed onto his back.
Akane seemed to be moving in time with the slow, romantic music now.
She had the rhythm perfect as she sat up on her knees, hooked her thumbs in
the elastic waistband of her silky red pants and seductively slid them down
her thighs. The sound her pants made as they slid past her nylon panties
caused Ranma to whimper slightly. The sight of those panties caused him to
almost cry in frustration.
He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. But most of all, he wanted to
see what came next.
Unconsciously, he moved his hands to cover his reaction to her body.
It bothered him that Akane could cause this kind of response. It
established a sort of power she could hold over him. A power that, like
every other male, scared and thrilled him at the same time.
It wasn't as if he had never seen her naked before, he had that
pleasure twice on the day he first arrived at the Tendos. It was just that
he never considered he'd have this kind of reaction to seeing her
undressed. Perhaps it was the music.
Akane, scared, nervous, but willing to go through with anything to
make sure *she* was the one he would marry, moved on to the part Nabiki had
her rehearse over and over again. With a nervous smile, Akane sat back on
her heels, crossed her arms and grasped the bottom of her pull-over shirt.
Ranma's eyes went huge, his mouth dropped open and his face twisted
into astonishment. Surely, she wasn't intending to...
"I love you Ranma. Love you lots." Akane closed her eyes and quickly
pulled her top off over her head, sensually shaking her hair back into
place. Shivering as a tiny gust of cool air caressed her body, she smiled
painfully. To her, this was humiliating, exciting, daring, but most of
all, highly erotic. It was like some romantic movie where she was playing
the part of the beautiful girl willingly giving herself to her lover. It
was all so perfect.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was Ranma's shocked
expression. If she could have said anything, she would have announced that
all he saw was his for the taking.
Instead of grabbing the moment, Ranma froze, staring at the scene
before him, gasping for air.
Akane, lost as to what comes next, decided to tease some more.
Following Nabiki's instructions, she ran her hands behind her hair and
quickly raised them, causing everything to bounce seductively.
Ranma's mind screamed its surrender.
Akane, totally lost in her part now, tossed the top behind her,
duplicating what she saw in a movie once. It was playful, sexy, and
totally ill-advised.
A sudden crash announced her mistake as her discarded top collided
with the pitcher of soda which smashed into one of Kasumi's best serving
bowls. Both broke as they plunged to the matted floor. Akane quickly
turned in horror, her seduction of Ranma forgotten, only to slam her elbow
into the unyielding wood of the table. As her arm went numb from the
impact, she grabbed her elbow and whined in pain. The evening was ruined,
the spell broken. She couldn't believe this was happening. Not now - not
here - not to her. In embarrassment, she tried to stand up to escape the
humiliation. Unfortunately, she had neglected to remove her pants
entirely. Both ankles were still securely held by the silk-tie cuffs. Her
tangled feet refused to function properly, causing her to painfully topple
to the floor in a most undignified manner.
For several seconds, the only sounds in the room were Akane's soft
sobbing and the, now out of place, romantic music playing on the stereo.
She'd tried to be feminine and romantic, she really did. She followed
everything Nabiki told her to do. She was even willing to try and seduce
Ranma.
As she hid behind her hands, her arms covering her exposed chest and
her legs slowly scissoring back and forth in frustration, she cried out of
embarrassment, shame, and disappointment. This wasn't the romantic evening
she envisioned. This was a disaster - the *worst* anniversary ever.
She didn't hear Ranma get up. She only noticed him when he covered
her torso with her previously discarded top. Instinctively, she tried to
use the bit of clothing to cover everything from her exposed panties to her
chest. She didn't even feel Ranma gently untying the cuffs of her pants
and easing them off. She was still sobbing when he helped her to her feet
and led her towards the stairs.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." she kept repeating all the way up the stairs.
Ranma remained silent as he guided her towards her room. "I'm such a
clumsy,... uncute,... tomboy."
In front of Akane's door, Ranma released his fiancee and stood
uncomfortably a few feet away. Akane pressed her forehead against the cool
wood of the door and started to whimper again. She'd lost her dignity with
this attempt. Worse yet, she once again appeared the clumsy tomboy that
she had come to loathe. It also probably cost her any chance she had with
Ranma.
"It really was... a nice evening," Ranma nervously said as he looked
at just about everything but Akane's semi-clothed state.
"It was terrible!" She blubbered between sniffs.
"No-No... the food was good. The music was okay,... I guess." Ranma
fumbled with trying to sound polite. He had little experience at being
polite.
Warily, Akane peeked over at the young man forced upon her by her
father. His uncomfortable posture and shy-looking eyes reminded her he
still wasn't ready. It was then that she realized she'd moved too fast,
tried to go too far with him. Inwardly, she questioned if even *she* was
ready for what they almost did this evening.
"Good night, Ranma." Akane softly opened the door to her room.
"Akane...." Ranma's voice caused Akane to pause apprehensively in the
doorway. Her head slowly turned to look his way, her trepidation clear.
"Would you really have.... you know." Ranma, unwilling to even look
at his fiancee while asking such a personal question, nervously fiddled
with his fingers. He'd heard guys at school talking about certain
intimacies with girls. It confused him at first. But the thought of how
close he might have just come....
Slowly, Akane's face grew a small smile, her eyes twinkling in the
subdued light of the hallway. Not hearing her response caused Ranma to
look up anxiously only to lose himself in the soft brown pools looking back
at him.
Tonight's events failed to follow the plan. But then, that was not so
unusual for their relationship. Little in their world went according to
plan or could.
Nothing more was said. The two clung to each other with their eyes
for several uncomfortably long moments, only inches from each other but
miles apart, each wanting to say more but frightened by the prospects of
what they wished to say... or do.
Akane's enigmatic smile deepened as she slowly disappeared into her
room and softly closed the door.
As a final click announced the door's latching, two voices whispered,
each unheard by the other.
"I love you."