DISCLAIMER: All characters in this fanfiction belong to their rightful creators and are all used without permission.************************************************************ Together Forever
Chapter 4by: Kimagure Angel
Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Flames will be returned in kind. ^_^x
The next morning Kasumi came in early and woke up Akane.
"If you two want to get out of here before anyone else wakes up, you'd better get going soon. While you're getting Ranma up and getting ready, I'll make something for the two of you to take with you on your trip."
As Kasumi was leaving, Akane told her, "Thanks for everything onee-chan. You'll never know how much this means to us."
When Kasumi left, Akane quietly made her way down the hall to Ranma's bedroom. Knowing he wouldn't be awake yet, she went in, silently closing the door behind her. For a minute she stood by Ranma's sleeping figure on the floor, trying to figure a way of waking him up. First, she tried shaking him awake. Then, she tried calling his name. Neither of which worked.
"Ranma, I bet you'd sleep through the next world war if you had a mind to," Akane silently said to herself.
Finally, Akane tried one more thing. Hopefully this would work; she didn't want to wake the whole house trying to get him up. From where Akane was kneeling next to him, she leaned over and started kissing him softly on the lips. Right when she was about to pull away from him, Ranma started to wake up and return Akane's kiss gently. When they parted Akane said, "Ohayou, sleepyhead. If you want to get going before anyone else wakes up, we need to hurry up. Kasumi's downstairs making us something to take with us. So hurry up and get dressed. That's what I'm going to go do right now."
Before Ranma could say anything, Akane was off. "Well, I guess I'd better get ready then," Ranma said to himself as he quickly dressed and got his bag packed for their trip. He made sure he packed everything they'd need for the weekend. He also made sure he grabbed both of their sleeping bags and both of the tents like he'd promised Kasumi the night before. He didn't think they'd be needing the second tent, though.
When Ranma finally headed out of his room, he found Akane waiting for him outside his door. To him she looked beautiful. For a change, she was wearing clothes that showed off her body more. Ranma started to wonder, Has Akane always been this well built? He'd have more time this weekend to think about that. At the moment, Akane interrupted his thoughts.
"Sugoi, you look different. I like it when you wear normal clothes. They suit you," Akane said while thinking, The other girls were right. He really is well defined. I wonder why he's staring at me though? His girl form is better built than I am.
"Well, I think I've got everything I need, with some room left over for what Kasumi's going to give us. By the way, how'd you like your wake-up call this morning?"
"I loved it. I just wish I was woken up every morning with such a pleasurable sight. By the way, you look wonderful. I've never noticed how good you look when you wear clothes that are a bit more feminine," Ranma told Akane as he took her in his arms. Right before he kissed her, he saw that wonderful smile of her's, and his heart melted.
As they parted, Akane picked up her things and said, "at the rate we're going, everyone in this house will be awake before we leave."
"You're right. Let's go and see what Kasumi's made us, and get a move on. We've got a long way to go before we set up camp for tonight."
With that, they headed on their way, first stopping in the kitchen to pack the delicious food that Kasumi had made them and to reassure her they'd be okay. When they left the house, they headed towards Taka's apartment. When they had called last night to ask for his and Miaka's help. Taka said yes, but only if they came over and told him and Miaka what was going on before they left.
When Ranma and Akane got to Taka's, they were kind of surprised to see Miaka answer the door in what looked like one of Taka's shirts, and Taka right behind her with no shirt on.
"Ohayou. Um, did we, um, come at a bad time?" Akane asked, somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, hi, you two. We didn't expect you to come so early. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Come in, come in," Miaka said eagerly as she ushered the couple in. "Taka, why don't you and Ranma go to the other room and talk. I've some things to ask Akane."
Taka seemed to know what Miaka meant even though Ranma and Akane didn't have a clue. "Hey, Saotome, let's leave the girls alone for a bit. Besides, I want to know what's going on from you myself."
As the guys wandered off into the other room, Miaka looked Akane in the eyes and asked, "Okay, what's going on between you two, and why do you need us to cover for you?"
Akane told Miaka what had happened the last couple of days between her and Ranma. "I guess it just took us a while longer than you two, to figure out that we really love each other. With both of our dad's pushing us to get married, I guess we didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing us happy together."
In the other room, the conversation was about the same. Ranma explained to Taka why he and Akane needed the couple to cover for them.
"You wouldn't believe how many people have death wishes for us. My other
‘fiancée's’ would try to kill Akane, and Ryoga and Kuno would try to kill me if they found out about us." After talking a few more minutes, Ranma said they'd better be going.Heading back into the other room where Miaka and Akane were, Ranma overheard Akane telling Miaka about how long she had waited for him to propose to her. Taka saw the look of total shock in Ranma's eyes. Thinking to himself that they had definitely waited too long to admit their feelings to each other, remembering how he and Miaka were in the beginning.
"Akane, we'd better be going if we want to get to the campsite before dark," Ranma said. Akane nodded and they said their good-bye's to their friends. Taka told Ranma and Akane when they were at the door that he and Miaka would gladly cover for them, and that they were happy to finally see the two together.
Leaving Taka's apartment, Ranma and Akane decided to try and think of ways to get rid of Ryoga and Ukyo.
"Ranma," Akane said after they'd been walking for awhile. "Know what's starting to bother me? We haven't seen any of them, you know, in the last few days."
"I know. It's starting to get kind of eerie," Ranma said. "Now it's not unusual to have Ryoga missing for weeks on end. But for the rest of them not to try something on a daily basis…It's just plain scary!"
"You don't have to tell me. Oh well, let's enjoy it while it lasts. Hey, why don't we drop this subject, it's starting to get way too weird to think about, especially when this is supposed to be our weekend. Oh, yeah, I think I've just come up with the perfect way to get both Ukyo and Ryoga out our hair. Remember when they dragged us to the Haunted cave that was supposed to break up happy couples? They were with each other-well, almost always. And remember how it took them hours to get out after everyone else did? I just wonder what was going on between the two of them," Akane said with a mischievous grin.
Ranma knew just what she'd been talking about. "You know, they would probably make a good couple. Maybe she could even keep him from getting lost so often," he added.
At that, Akane gave a soft laugh. When Ranma looked down, he saw that beautiful smile of hers, the one he loved so much.
"Now that's what I've been waiting to see," he said as he bent down to give her a soft kiss.
"Ranma, let's wait till we get to a place that's not so public," Akane said as they both noticed people starting to stare at them.
"Sorry, Akane, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Ranma said with a bit of a blush starting to appear on his face. "I guess that when I'm with you, I don't notice what's going on around us."
"Don't worry Ranma. Hey, I'll race you to the campsite!"
"I haven't told you where we’re goin’ yet. How could you possible know?"
"Well, if it's the same place you usually go, I know it well. I used to follow you up there and just watch you work out," Akane said. As she started running, she yelled back at Ranma "Hey, slowpoke, if you don't hurry up, you don't know what you might miss."
After thinking for a second—"Hey, whaddya mean by that?" he yelled as he started running after her.
When the two finally arrived at the campsite, they were worn out.
"Akane," Ranma started hesitantly. "Why, if you followed me here, didn't you ever say nuthin'? I woulda loved to have some company."
"I'm not sure," Akane said, slightly embarrassed. "I guess I thought that if you knew I was here, oh…I don't know."
"I guess I understand," Ranma said, seeing that Akane was having the same difficulty with words that he usually had. "Hey, let's get the tent set-up and get dinner going. I'm starved. We'll do a little training after dinner. If ya feel up to it."
"Sure. I was wondering if you could teach me one of your ki attacks?" Akane asked nervously. "If you don't want to, or don't think I'm ready for it, that's okay."
"We'll see, Akane. First, I want to see how far along you are in your training. But I have a feeling that you're far enough along to start learning basic ki attacks. First though, I need to teach you how to control your ki."
"I understand, I think. Well, what are we waiting for? Don't think you're the only one that's hungry. I haven't ate anything since this morning either."
As the couple went about their tasks, they realized just how much the other meant to them. Ranma wished he hadn't tormented Akane as much as he did over the last few years. Akane wished that she had let Ranma get closer to her instead of always malletting him when he tried.
A few times while he was setting up the tent, Ranma would get distracted by Akane. He kept wondering how he let her slip by him for the last two years. When Ranma started remembering everything that had happened between them, the kidnappings, the battles, the failed wedding, everything, he started to think, Maybe I have loved her from the beginning. I hated anyone who did anything to hurt her and everytime I thought I would loose her, it just tore me apart inside.
"Ranma, what are you doing? I sure hope you don't think that tent's going to set itself up," Akane said, interrupting Ranma's thoughts. "If you don't hurry up, we won't be able to do any training before it gets too dark to see."
"Okay, Akane-chan. I'm finishing up right now." With that, he had the tent finished. "Now let's see what Kasumi made us. I'm starved."
"You're not the only one."
As the two ate, they sat quietly thinking of the other. Ranma, for a change, wasn't inhaling his food, mainly because his father wasn't there to steal it. Akane was paying more attention to Ranma than her food, thinking to herself how wonderful it was to finally be alone with him.
As they finished eating, Ranma woke Akane out of her daze. "Akane, I'll clean up here. Why don't you go get into your gi and we'll start training a little?"
"Okay. I won't take long," Akane said as she made her way over to the tent.
Ranma couldn't help but watch her silhouette as she changed. I still can't believe we're finally alone together.
When Akane came out of the tent, she walked over to Ranma, gave him a quick kiss and said "It's all yours. Just don't take too long. You do and I might think you're doing something perverted."
Ranma quickly changed and met Akane near the lake. "Ready, Akane? We'll start with the katas first, then I'll explain how ki is used."
As they started doing their katas, Akane started thinking. I hope he doesn't notice that I don't have a bra on. I can't believe I forgot to bring a sports bra with me!
It didn't take Ranma long to notice. Should I tell her I know she's not wearing a bra? If I did she'd probably notice how much it's turning me on. Then she'd mallet me!
No sooner had Ranma thought that than Akane noticed. "Ranma no hentai!" I can't believe that I'm actually turning him on. I think I'll torture him a bit more.
"But…but, Akane, it's not my fault. I can explain, really I—"
Before Ranma could finish, Akane took his face in her hands, pulled him close, and kissed him with all her might. It didn't take long for Ranma to get into the kiss. He put his arms around her and held her as tight as he could without crushing her. Akane moved her hands from his face and put her arms around his neck. Soon their hands started roaming over the other's body.
After awhile, things started heating up even more and Akane started to sense how far it might go. Pushing away slightly, breaking the kiss, Akane started, "Ranma, I don't think we should go any further. I don't know how much more we'd be able to stand before doing something that might hurt our relationship."
Still holding Akane, Ranma looked down into her eyes. Softly whispering into her ear, he said, "I understand, don't worry about a thing. Why don't we end the training now and get ready to bed down for the night? We need to talk about what's happening between us. It's all new for both of us."
"Okay, Ranma. I'll meet you in the tent in a little bit. I want to take a quick dip in the lake to freshen up a bit first," Akane said as she headed towards the water's edge.
While waiting for Akane, Ranma stripped out of his gi and tried to calm down a bit. Sitting there in his usual muscle shirt and boxers, Ranma marveled at how great it was just to be alone with Akane.
When Akane came back to the tent, she thought, This is the first night Ranma and I have ever spent alone together. I hope he doesn't try anything, but I'd be kind of disappointed if he didn't. As she entered the tent, she saw Ranma on the floor leaning against their sleeping bags.
"Ranma could you hand me my backpack. I need to get out of this thing. Oh, and could you turn your back? I really don't need to give you any more perverted ideas."
Ranma looked up and was about to say something, but as soon as he saw her mischievous grin, he lost all will to comment. He turned his back and started thinking. How can she do this to me? Doesn't she know she's driving me wild? I just wish I knew what she has on her mind. That grin of her's makes me worry.
Before Ranma's mind had a chance to run away with him, Akane spoke. "Okay, Ranma-kun, you can turn back around now."
As Ranma turned to face her, he noticed she was wearing a new pair of silk pajamas that clung to her body a bit. He started wondering when she had turned into this beautiful woman standing in front of him. As his mind went in circles, Akane went up to him, wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her head near his shoulder. When Ranma looked down at her, he saw a look of pure contentment on her face. He took her chin and brought her lips to his. As they kissed, the air around them became electrically charged by their love for one another. When their kiss finally broke, they continued holding each other.
Soon, Akane broke the silence between them. "We came here to learn more about each other. Why don't we sit down and talk for awhile? Besides, I'd like to know what you were like when you were little."
"All right, Akane," Ranma said as he led her back to where he'd been sitting earlier. Before he started, Akane leaned back against him. Ranma, without thinking about it, put his arms around her. He needed the feel of her to reassure him. He had never told anyone about this part of his life before, not even Ukyo. Almost everyone knew something about his life before his dad dragged him off to China. What nobody knew was how deeply what had happened there affected him.
After a few minutes of silence, Akane started to get worried. "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. I'll understand."
"No, Akane. What I need to say has to be said sooner or later. You need to hear this in order to understand me." Why can't I ever say something without getting all tongue tied? Slowly, Ranma started. If they were going to have any kind of life together, she had to know about his past. Slowly, Ranma started. "Everyone knows about before my trip. Life was relatively normal. I even went to an all-boys school and did pretty well, grade-wise. Everything changed once my old man dragged me off to China and those damn cursed springs in Jusenkyou. In the beginning, before the curse, the worst part was being away from Mother. Later, it was the thought of not being able to confront her with the truth because of the old man. I don't know if you noticed how I was whenever Mother came to visit before she found out. It tore me apart not being able to be her son around her." Ranma paused a minute, before going on. "Most of the rest of my life you already know about. Now it's your turn," Ranma finished.
"Okay, Ranma, I'll try. But promise me one thing. Promise me you'll keep holding me. I might need some of your strength." Akane took a deep breath before telling him about her life. "The one thing that you need to know about my life is how my mother's death has affected me. In a way you were lucky. You had a mother around, and even when she wasn't, you knew there was a chance you'd see her again. As you know, my mother died when I was only three. There are times when I resent Kasumi and Nabiki. They have more memories of her. There are times when I can't even remember what she looked like. When Father started training me, I started focusing all my energy on the martial arts. It was the only thing I was good at. I learned to hide my feelings behind that damn mallet of mine. I just couldn't bear loosing anyone else, so I wouldn't let anyone get close to me. That's probably the main reason I was so cool towards you in the beginning," Akane said in almost a whisper, before breaking down and crying. As her tears subsided, she looked up into Ranma's eyes and saw sympathy and understanding. "Ranma, do you mind if we talk about something else?"
"Hey, no problem, Akane. What would you like to talk about?"
"How about when we first met. I'm just curious as to what you remember as being the best memory of that time. I bet I can guess."
"Before I tell you what I think, I want to hear yours." Mainly so I can't be accused of being a hentai.
"Okay, but you might be a bit shocked. My favorite memory is when I walked in on you in the bathroom. Right when I opened the door, you were stepping out of the furo. I can still picture how your body looked…" Akane trailed off, starting to redden with embarrassment.
"Man, Akane. And here you've been calling me a pervert for the last two years," Ranma said as he gave her a kind of mischievous grin. "But to tell you the truth, that's my favorite memory, too, along with being my most embarrassing. You were so beautiful, I couldn't help but stare."
As the night went on, the couple talked about their likes and dislikes, their plans and dreams for the future. Before long, both started getting rather tired.
"Akane, why don't we pick this up in the morning? It's late and we've had a long day."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I can hardly keep my eyes open as it is." Suddenly, in a shy voice, she decided to ask. "Ranma, could you just hold me like this until I fall asleep? I like the feel of your arms around me."
With the same shyness, Ranma answered. "Anything for you, Akane. Let me just unroll the sleeping bags first."
As they laid down, Akane moved closer to Ranma. Using one of his arms as a pillow and holding onto the arm that was around her waist. Akane soon fell asleep. For awhile, Ranma just laid there watching her sleep, not wanting to disturb her. Soon, however, sleep overtook him. Throughout the night, the two were in each other's embrace.
