Chapter 11  

     The warm morning sunlight shone in through the open window. A gentle 
breeze
blew in, the curtains gently fluttering to and fro. The streets were mild
with traffic, most of the people still home with their families. The birds
were chirping, a delightful song for Akane to hear after having been awaken
by the monotone beep of her alarm.
  It was six-thirty in the morning when Akane woke up, shutting her alarm
clock immediately.
  She stretched out her arms out. She then yawned aloud while simultaneously
rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She sat upright and she threw the
blankets off to the side, her legs falling over the side of the bed, feet
touching the ground.
  She got up out of her bed, heading straight for the bathroom for her
morning shower. She was lusting for the feeling of warm water all over her
body. She didn't even care that she was still in her nightgown, which was
quite revealing. She had gotten used to living alone so she never needed a
sense of modesty when at home. It wasn't like someone was going to see her.
  After the shower, she got dressed in her usual jogging her outfit,
consisting of jogging shorts, which showed a lot of leg, and a short-sleeved
shirt.
  Once dressed, she headed out of her house, beginning her usual morning
jog.

  Ranma was on his way to work when he accidentally bumped into Akane. They
met in the same fashion as in the park a few days ago, literally bumping
into each other.
  "We've got to stop meeting like this," Ranma joked, helping Akane to her
feet. His hands sending electricity through her body upon its touch, as hers
did his.
  "You're right," Akane agreed, although a bit reluctantly. Aside from the
time Ranma accidentally placed his hands on her shoulder, bumping into him
was the only physical contact she ever had with him, and she wanted it.
  "Hey, isn't today beautiful?" Ranma commented, taking in a lungful of the
crisp morning air. He always loved good weather, loved it more than the
next person. It was because good weather allowed him the opportunity to
spend time with his daughters at the park or some other outdoor place.
  "Yes," Akane said, now in step next to him. They were walking side by side,
so close that she close wrap her arms around his arm. But she didn't.
  "Man, I wish my kids don't have school," Ranma said, paying no particular
attention to anything, just enjoying the weather.
  "How come?" she asked, a bit curious. She wanted to know more about him,
and if this was the way, to let him open up, then she would gladly listen.
  "So we can go to the park or something," came the reply.
  "Why not go tomorrow?" Akane suggested, "It's going be very nice out, and
it'll be the weekend"
  "Yeah, but by the time I get off of work, it'll be a bit late in the day," 
he said, a bit crestfallen. He wanted to spend quality time with his kids so
bad.
  "No you won't," Akane said, a smile on her lips "You don't need to work
over the weekends. The dojo'll be closed"
  "Really?" he said, happiness in his voice.
  "Yeah," she replied, liking Ranma's reaction to finding out he has the
weekend of to spend it with his kids. She liked seeing him smile, which was
a bit rare. Afterall, aside from raising his kids, he had lived a terrible
life.
  "Thanks," Ranma said, little more affectionate that she expected.
  Before Akane knew what had happened, she was in his arms, her head pressed
up against his broad chest. She could feel his strong arms around her, his
hands on her back, pressing her tightly close to his body. Her face was so
close to his that she could smell his aftershave, which made her a bit
light-headed. But before she could enjoy the embrace entirely, Ranma
released her.
  "I'm so sorry," Ranma said, releasing his embrace. He didn't know what came
over him, couldn't explain it. He had always been an affectionate person,
which was quite odd considering he grew up in a house where there was no
affection for him, save for his mother.
  Ranma was blushing terribly, his cheeks a rosy-red. He couldn't believe
what he had just done. Why did he do that?
  "D-don't worry about it," Akane said, every bit as embarrassed as him. She
had enjoyed that short embrace far too much. Her heart was beating rapidly,
her hands sweaty, her breathing a bit heavier. She felt so nervous when she
was with him, and that little incident made her even more nervous. She had
to use everything in her power to keep from kissing him passionately. She
wanted him so bad. She loved the way it felt to be held by him. It just felt
right. But she couldn't do it. 
  "I'm sorry," Ranma said. God, he wanted Akane so bad. He could almost taste 
her lips on his. He wanted to make love to her right there, and he had to use 
all his will power to keep himself from ripping her clothes off and taking her 
right there, in the streets. And he was barely succeeding with that. But he 
couldn't do that. She didn't want him. She viewed him as nothing more than her 
employee, and why should she be interested in him, he had a lot of baggage, 
baggage a twenty-eight year old woman should not be
tied to. She, like him, was still too young to take care of children.
  As Akane stood there, gazing into Ranma's eyes, she realized that he was
taken....by Ukyo. She swore silently to herself, wishing he was available,
wishing he didn't have Ukyo.
  "Hey, what's that?" Akane said, changing the subject. She knew it was best
that they ignored the incident. It was purely accidentally. Yet, Akane knew
that she would forever remember it.
  "What?" Ranma asked. He had no idea what she was referring to. He followed
her gaze, resting on a large crowd that had formed around something just in
the near off distance "What's going on there? You wanna check it out?"
  "Yeah, we still have a half hour before the first class starts," Akane
said, looking at her watch. She remembered her teaching schedule by heart.
  "Let's go then," Ranma said, already a few steps ahead of her. He seemed
thoroughly curious about what the crowd was there for. He had the curiosity
of a young kid, which made him seem a lot younger than he really was.
  Ranma and Akane was mixed in with the crowd shortly, the two of them
gently making their way toward the middle, where the crowd was centered
around.
  Ranma was the first one to make his way through the crowd. He was
surprised to see exactly what the crowd was centered around. He should have
known when he realized that the crowd was made up mostly of males. In the
middle of the gathering, there was this beautiful woman posing for a
cameraman, who was taking rapid pictures of her.
  She was a beautiful woman, her mane of hair glistening in the morning sun.
She moved with such grace that she seemed like a ballerina as she went
through her poses. She was wearing a short skirt, her long slender legs 
seeming to reach the heavens. She must have been the most beautiful woman 
anybody in Nerima had ever seen. She must have been a supermodel. 
  Everybody was staring at her, their jaws practically on the ground. Some
of the males could be seen drooling, hentai thoughts entering their
perverted little minds. There was only one guy from the entire male crowd
whom was unaffected by her beauty, Ranma.
  "Oh," Ranma said to himself, "it's just a model shoot. I better head back"
  Before Ranma had a chance to get away, he managed to trip on his own feet,
falling forward, right into the supermodel. The two were sent sprawling onto
the ground, the supermodel falling on top of Ranma, her face buried into his
chest.
  "What the hell's your problem, bub," the supermodel snapped, her voice
vicious, a look of shear anger in her eyes "Didn't I tell you guys to say at
least five meters away..."
  But the supermodel never finished her sentence, her eyes gazing into
Ranma's. She had never seen someone so immaculate in her entire life, and
she had been around many, many male models over her career. 
  By now, Akane had made her way through the crowd, just in time to see
this wickedly beautiful girl sprawled out on top of Ranma and was there just
in time to hear...
  "Hello there," she said, getting to her feet "Where have you've been all
my life"
  "Uh, hello Shampoo?" Ranma said in a meek little voice.
  
  "Why're you here?" Ranma asked the beautiful purple-haired woman. He,
Akane, and Shampoo were all in a local coffee shop, drinking a cup of
morning coffee while dozens of jealous guys peeked in through the window on
Shampoo, envious of how close Ranma was to their beloved Shampoo.
  "I'm here doing a model shoot," Shampoo answered in perfect Japanese. She
always had a problem speaking Japanese, her native language being Chinese,
but over there years, since Ranma had last seen her, her Japanese had
improved dramatically.
  Akane watched as Ranma and Shampoo indulged themselves in conversation, a
bit of anger welting up. She couldn't believe Ranma had the audacity to hit
on another girl while she watched. She couldn't do anything though but
watch and listen. She wanted to leave, but where would that get her.
  "This is Akane," Ranma told Shampoo, his gaze on Akane, whom was sitting
next to her, noticing that a slight hue of red coming across her cheeks.
  "Hello, Akane, nice to meet you," Shampoo greeted warmly. 
  "Same here," Akane said, forced politeness. She felt threatened by this
beautiful lady sitting before her, and it bothered her considerably. She had
nothing on Shampoo, except her beauty made her jealous. She knew that she
could probably get any man she wanted just on her great looks, even Ranma.
  "So, how's Mousse?" Ranma said casually, turning his attention away from
Akane and onto Shampoo again. He wanted to get the conversation away from
him and onto someone else. He had noticed that Akane seemed to be getting
the wrong idea, that he and Ranma had once been lovers.
  "He's doing great," Shampoo said, a smile on her lips "He and I married a
short time ago"
  "You did?" Ranma said a bit surprised. He wasn't expecting to hear about
Shampoo having married Mousse. He remembered many years ago, when he was
visiting China on a business trip and coming across Shampoo's village. He
remembered meeting Shampoo, whom he met at a local food store, and then
meeting this man with thick glasses whom was named Mousse. He remembered
even being challenged in a duel by the man when he thought he was taking his
Shampoo away from him. He never did challenge him though. When he found out
Ranma told him he had no intention of stealing his Shampoo from him, Mousse
seemed to lighten up and become friendly. They eventually became friends,
only spending a very little time with him, Ranma having to back home at the
conclusion of his business trip.
  "We got married last year," Shampoo said, taking a sip of her coffee before
continuing on, "I always knew I was going to get married to Mousse, but I
just loved playing hard-to-get. Because he never gave up, I knew just how
much he loved me"
  "What's Mousse up to nowadays?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
  "He's a police officer," Shampoo said, her voice filled with pride. She was
proud of the what Mousse had become over the years.
  "Who's Mousse?" Akane asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She no
longer felt threatened by the Shampoo because she had just found out that
she was married. She was wondering who this Mousse was to have stolen her
heart.
  "You should meet him, Akane," Ranma said brightly "He's a very nice guy. He
used to have an extreme vision problem. He wears these somewhat thick glasses. 
Whenever he takes them off, he's as blind as a bat. He is so blind he once 
thought I was Shampoo"
  "Hey, don't you go making fun of my husband," Shampoo said, a bit
defensively. She didn't like anyone bad mouthing her husband's vision
problem, even if it was Ranma, a guy she came close to falling in love with
when they first met "Besides, he now wears contacts"
  "That's good to hear," Ranma joked "Now I won't have to worry about him
hitting on me" He actually had nothing to worry about. He and Mousse had
become good friends just prior to his departure for Japan at the end of his
business trip.
  Akane watched as Shampoo and Ranma broke out in laughter. She felt this
fluttering feeling in her heart upon hearing him laugh. She had never seen
him laughing like that. He looked carefree, as if there were no worries. She
liked that, liked the way he looked when he laughed, and she wanted to 
continue seeing him laugh, perhaps for the rest of her life.
  "Oh, we better get going," Ranma said, noticing the time. He gently scooted
out of the seat, reaching into his back pocket, producing his wallet. He took
out a five hundred yen bill and left it on the table.
  "It was nice seeing you again, Shampoo," Ranma said warmly "If we meet
again, I'd like to introduce you to my kids. You haven't seen them yet"
  "Same here," Shampoo said "Same here"
  With all that had been said, Ranma and Akane left the coffee shop.

  Work went relatively quickly, half ending before Akane and Ranma knew it. 
It was exactly two-thirty when the last student bowed and left the dojo.
Ranma began sweeping the mats as Akane went into her little office to work
on the forms of some new students wanting to join. She smiled to herself,
knowing that ever since Ranma started working for her, the amount of new
students had increased dramatically. Even though the majority  of the new 
students that joined were female, she was still happy about having more 
students. Because so many females came to this dojo, eventually, the males 
would find out and they, too, would start flooding in.
  "Hey Akane," Ranma called out, finished with his sweeping. He was now
leaning up against the side of the door, his arms crossed over his chest.
  "Yes, Ranma?" Akane asked, looking up from the paperwork. She liked the
way Ranma looked as he stood up against the doorway, his chest heaving from
teaching before. His lapel of his dogi was slightly open, exposing the
cleavage of his muscular chest.
  "What say I bring my kids over here after school?" Ranma suggested, his
head leaning up against the doorway "So they could see where I work,"
  Akane wasn't too sure what to say. She wasn't too sure what his children
could do while they both worked. Sure, they could watch, but they would get 
bored in a matter of minutes. Then what? She didn't have any toys for them to 
play with.
  "But there's nothing here for them to play with," Akane said, paying full
attention to Ranma, a bit more attention to his chest than she would like.
She was wondering how it would feel to have her head resting up against it,
after a passionate night with him, hearing the steady beat of his heart.
  "They could play with you," Ranma said, a smile on his lips "while I take
over for you in the dojo"
  "What?" she said, her eyes widening. She had no experience with children.
She had no idea how to keep his children busy. She never really been with
children, except for yesterday when she and Ranma went to pick Meggie and
Jessie up after school.
  "They really like you, you know," Ranma said, entering the small office,
sitting down in front of her, which was so very close that she felt a bit
uncomfortable. She was so close to him that she could smell the scent of his
perspiration mixed in with the smell of wood from the bokkens he was
teaching with.
  "They do?" Akane said, a bit surprised. She was aware that she had only
met his children a few days ago, and already, they liked her.
  "Yeah, they told me last night," he said, not mentioning the exact words
that they wanted her to be their Mommy "When I was tucking them in,"
  "Well, then how can I refuse?" Akane said, feeling a bit confident, not
as reluctant now that she was aware that they liked her. She, too, liked
Ranma's girls, and she would very much like to get to know them at a much more 
personal level, as she Ranma at an intimate level.
  "Great," said Ranma, getting back up out of his seat, noticing the lapel
having been open and fixing it, much to Akane's disappointment "I'll be back
with them in a short while"
  Ranma left the office, heading toward the male lockerroom. After several
moments, she could hear the sound of a shower hissing throughout the entire
dojo.
  Akane couldn't help but fantasize about Ranma in the shower, fantasizing
about the warm water flowing down his naked body. She wondered how it would
feel to be in the shower with him, helping him lather that beautiful body of
his, soaping him from his head to toes, stopping to pay particular attention
to his....
  "What am I thinking of?!" Akane said to herself, blushing an unbelievable
shade of red. Her cheeks were so red it could make a rose jealous. 
  She placed her hands on her cheeks, noticing how hot it felt to her touch. 
She could even feel her heart beating rapidly within her chest.
  She tried to distract herself by turning her attention back onto the
paperwork, but it was useless, the sounds of the shower running was far more
a distraction to her than anything she could possible think of. She was
unable to focus for a split second, Ranma's shower in her mind. The best
thing she could come up with was to bury her hands in her face and wait,
wait for Ranma to be finished with his shower, trying desperately not to
think of those erotic images of him.
  Then, as if on cue, when Akane was about to rush into the male lockerroom
to take Ranma, the shower was cut off.
  "Thank god it's over," Akane said, breathing heavily. She could barely hold
out all those urges that were flooding her senses. She felt like she was
about to explode from the strange sensations, sensations she had never felt
before in her entire life.
  "I'll be back later," Ranma called out, finished with his shower.
  "Bye," he heard from the office.
  Ranma, now dressed in his street clothes, which consisted of jeans and a
button-up short-sleeve shirt, left the dojo, heading straight towards his
daughters' elementary school.
  Ranma had to get out of that dojo and fast. His was still slightly damp
from his shower, his cold shower. He needed that shower. When he was in that
little office, with Akane, him being so very close to her, so close he
smelled her own perspiration as she did his. He wanted her so bad as he
stood at the doorway, looking in on her. When he entered the office, he had
noticed that her lapel was slightly open, exposing far more cleavage than he
preferred to see, which would have been obvious if her gaze had went south
when he was standing there. Luckily for him, he managed to sit down before
she noticed his aroused state.
  "God, that was close," Ranma said to himself as he headed for his
daughter's school.

   Ranma waited patiently in front of the elementary school. He paced back
and forth, paying no attention to anything in particular. Ranma was the only
male there waiting to pick up his kids. The rest were mothers, ranging from
young twenties to the middle-aged forties. Most of the young mothers stayed
in one group while the elder ones stayed in another. Ranma busy was the
pacing back and forth in between both groups. He wasn't paying any
particular attention to either groups, while the group full of young mothers
were paying a lot of attention to him, much to his unawareness. 
  They were keenly aware that he was the only male there. They talked about 
how all the other males, their males, were too busy doing other things rather 
than to come pick up their own kids. Some of those young mothers were single, 
very single, and they took advantage of that.
  "Hi," one of the mothers said, stepping away from the group.
  "G'afternoon," Ranma said, bowing respectfully, like a gentleman. He
regarded the young mother intently. She was around her mid twenties and
was very beautiful.
  "Are you here for your kids?" she asked. She felt like a school girl
again, trying to make conversation with a boy she liked. But at her age,
and her marital status, it was considered making conversation with someone
she desired. And besides, he wasn't wearing a wedding ring, meaning he was
up for grabs.
  "Uh huh," he replied, not really paying much attention to her. His gaze was
on the front gate. He was patiently waiting for his two daughters to emerge
through those double doors and come running up to him.
  "How about you? Same thing?" he added.
  He just wanted to have a conversation with her, to pass the time.
  "Yeah," she said, "She's seven"
  "She's seven? That's the same age as my daughters," Ranma said, now a bit
more interested. It wasn't that he was interested in the girl, but was more
interested if their kids could be friends.
  "Maybe our daughters can be friends," the young mother said. She figured
she might be able to get closer to Ranma if she had an excuse to be near
him...because they're daughters are friends.
  "Yeah," Ranma said "I'd like that"
  "I'm Mai," the mother said, extending her hand forward to shake Ranma's
hand. It was an old custom she had gotten used to. Although she was
originally born in Japan, she lived in America just a few years back, and she
had only been in Japan for a short time now.
  Ranma, unaware that he was supposed to shake the hand, did the closest
thing he thought was reasonable. He took her hand and kissed it "I'm Ranma"
  Mai blushed, her cheeks turning a rosy hue. She had never met someone
as friendly and mannered as this Ranma she was talking to. She gave him a
warm smile and continued the conversation.
  After a short time, the sound of a bell could be heard as it tolled
through the school, signaling the end of the school day. Upon hearing the
bell, Ranma stopped the conversation abruptly, his gaze intent on the double
doors, his heart racing, dying to see his daughters.
  "Well, I guess I better get going now," Mai said, giving Ranma a friendly
wink. She actually thought she was getting somewhere with him.
  "I'll see you tomorrow then," Ranma said politely, not even noticing that
Mai was interest in him, and not their daughters becoming friends.
  Mai headed back towards her group, disappearing as all the young mothers
swarmed around her. Ranma didn't pay much attention, for he was regarding
the front doors more than the group. If he had listened intently, he could
have heard the young mothers talking about him.
  "What's his name?"
  "Ranma"
  "Is he married?"
  "I don't think so, I didn't see a wedding ring"
  "Give me the details. What did you two talk about?"
  "Nothin' much. It turns out he has two daughters. They're both seven"
  "You mean twins?"
  "I think so"
  "Anything else?"
  "Yeah, he'll be here tomorrow"
  After that, giggling could be heard. Ranma didn't pay attention to what
was going on around him. He wasn't even aware that the group of young
mothers were talking about him. He assumed they were talking about what
all mothers talked about, recipe swapping or something similar.

  "Ranma?" came a voice, startling Ranma for a second. Ranma was daydreaming
at the time. Otherwise, no one would have gotten anywhere near him without
him noticing.
  Ranma turned his attention to where the voice came from, and much to his
surprise, it was Ukyo Kuonji.
  "Ukyo, what're you doin' here?" Ranma asked, a bit perplexed. Why should
she be there? Not unless she was there to meet him. At first, Ranma felt a
bit embarrassed that Ukyo would go through so much trouble to see him, but
then he realized that there was no way Ukyo could have known that he was
going to be here.
  "I came here pick up Miki," Ukyo said.
  "Miki?" Ranma asked. He never heard of this Miki before. 
  "She's my daughter," came the reply.
  "You have a daughter?" Ranma asked, a look of shock in his eyes. He
never suspected Ukyo would have a child. She looked absolutely beautiful,
slim, fit, as if she never had one to begin with.
  He gave her a good look up and down, admiring how Ukyo managed to keep in
shape. His wife had gotten a bit overweight right after the twins were born,
and he knew that it was a very hard task to lose that excess weight. 
Eventually, his wife had lost the weight.
  "When did this happen? How old is she?" he added, interested. He truly
thought he knew Ukyo real well, but now that he just found out that she had
a daughter, there was a whole different side to her that he was unaware of,
a side he wanted to get to know.
  "I had her about half a year after you left. She's eight" Ukyo said, a bit
reluctant to tell him. It was as if she was nervous about telling him for
some unexplainable reason.
  "Half a year? You don't mean..." Ranma said, his words dying before they
left his mouth. He didn't want to believe what he was thinking. His heart
started pounding quicker, his adrenaline pumping. He was not ready for this.
He didn't want to hear what she was about to say.
  "Yes......she's your daughter."



Chapter 12

     "You're joking," Ranma said, desperation in his eyes. He didn't want to
believe what he had just heard. He couldn't fathom the thought that he and
Ukyo had a child together.
  "No," Ukyo said matter-of-factly. She wanted to say she was joking because
Ranma looked like he was in such turmoil. He looked like he was full of
conflicts. His visage showed that he was still in shock over finding out he
had another daughter.
  "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ranma said, placing his hands over Ukyo's
shoulders. Ukyo realized that he was holding her to steady himself, to keep
his buckling knees from giving out under him. Even though he looked pale,
she could still feel warmth from his fingertips. He seemed to always have
that effect on her.
  "I didn't know I was pregnant," Ukyo said, not looking directly into
Ranma's liquid eyes "I found out shortly after you left me"
  Ranma didn't know what to say. He just stood there, holding onto Ukyo's
shoulders. Thoughts raced through his mind as a mile a minute, thoughts of
how his life could have been if he had found out sooner, if he had stayed
with Ukyo, if he never met Shori, his wife, after so long.
  "Oh god," Ranma said "I never knew. I'm so sorry"
  Ranma was ashamed he never took responsibility for Miki. He would have
stayed with Ukyo if he had known sooner. If Shori, his first love, hadn't
walked back into his life, he would have stayed with Ukyo, and would have
found out she was pregnant.
  "Don't worry about it," Ukyo said "It's water under the bridge. I knew I
couldn't compete with Shori. Afterall, you had fallen in love with her
way before you and I met. It was just bad timing I guess"
  Yes, Ranma thought to himself, very bad timing. If Shori hadn't walked
back into his life, he would have stayed with Ukyo, and his life could have
been totally different. He was too naive to believe Shori had changed, had
changed for the better, that she wouldn't leave him again. If he hadn't met
Shori after all those years, he could have been married to Ukyo, happily
married. But then again, Jessie and Meggie would never have been born.
  "Ranma?" Ukyo said after a few moments. She noticed Ranma seemed to be
deep in thought.
  "Yes?" Ranma asked, turning his attention towards her.
  "I was wondering," she said, a bit nervously "Now that you and Shori are no
longer together, is there any chance we can continue where we left off?"
  Ranma looked up into Ukyo's eyes, truly flattered that she would want him
back in her life, even after he had left her for Shori. He wanted to say
yes, but he'd be lying. There was no way they could pick up where they left
off, for Ranma now had two daughters.....more like three.
  "Ukyo," Ranma said "I can't"
  "Why not?" Ukyo asked, a bit crestfallen. She was expecting him to say
this, but she wished in her heart that he wouldn't.
  "Because I'm in love with someone else," he said clearly.
  "Is it that Akane girl?" she asked, recalling the woman's name he was with
when she and Ranma met in the restaurant.
  "Yes," came the straight reply.
  "Well, if you won't love me," Ukyo said, tears forming in her eyes. She
wanted him so bad. She had loved him even after she had left him "Can you
please play a role in my life?"
  "I'd love to," Ranma said, sincerity in his husky voice "We'll have to get
used to it. Our daughters will become great friends"
  "Daddy," came two voices in unison, causing Ukyo and Ranma to turn their
attention from each other and onto somewhere else.
  Ranma's heart leapt as he spotted his two precious daughters emerging
from the school, running towards him, their arms extended, ready to hug him.
Ranma knelt down and extended his own arms, embracing both his daughters
tightly.
  "Who's she?" Meggie asked curiously, gesturing towards Ukyo, noticing
Ukyo watching them with an almost tearful expression.
  "This is Ukyo" Ranma replied, releasing his two daughters. 
  "You can call me Ucchan," Ukyo said, kneeling low, her head level with
Ranma's daughters.
  "Hello, Ucchan," the two daughters bowed politely.
  "Hello, Meggie. Hello, Jessie" Ukyo said, bowing in return "I remember you
from when you were very little. You probably don't remember me. You two were
only one at the time"
  "Mommy," came a voice in the far off distance, causing the four to turn
their attention toward where it came from.
  Their gaze rested on a little girl brown-haired girl who had just emerged
from the double doors of the front entrance. The little girl looked every
bit as beautiful as Ranma's twin daughters. She was dressed in a frilly
pink, a pink scrungie holding her short hair in a small topknot.
  Ranma and his two daughters watched as Ukyo hugged Miki fiercely, sweeping
the little girl off her feet, swinging her in the air for a few moments.
When she placed Miki down, Ukyo turned her attention toward Ranma, her
visage solemn.
  "This is Miki," Ukyo said "your other daughter"
  Ranma bowed toward Miki, smiling as sweetly as possible. He was caught off
guard at the response Miki gave to him. He, a natural with children, wasn't
prepared to see Miki cringe back, like a timid creature, hiding behind
Ukyo's legs.
  "She's a little shy" Ukyo commented, giving the little girl a pat on the
head. She didn't say anything to Miki, knowing that it was perfectly
understandable that someone as shy as Miki was would cringe back like that.
  "Hi, I'm Meghan," Meggie said, bowing courteously "but you can call me
Meggie. And this is Jessica," she added, jerking a thumb toward behind her
back toward Jessie "but she prefers being called Jessie"
  "Hiya," Jessie said, bowing also, her bangs falling down over her face.
  Miki said nothing, just staring blankly at Jessie and Meggie, then turning
her head to stare blankly at Ranma.
  "C'mon," Ukyo said, a slight bit of exasperation in her voice "can't you
at least say something to 'em"
  "Don't worry about it," Ranma said, putting his hands up "No need to rush
her. She'll open up when she feels like it. Just give her time"
  "I'm Miki," Miki said hesitantly. She didn't want to upset her Mommy. But
aside from that, this Ranma fellow looked like a nice guy. She even
recognized his two daughters from the classroom adjacent to hers"
  "Hello, Miki," Ranma said, kneeling down, studying her "I'm Ranma"
  Ranma could help but admire how beautiful this child look. Her brown hair
looked like silk, her eyes a warm chocolate brown, and her features serene
and gentle. She looked like she was going to grow up to be a beautiful
woman. But there was one thing on her that bothered Ranma a bit, these
bruises on the child's arms, but he disregarded it. His little daughters had
a couple of bruises on their arms from playing with each other too hard.
  "Ranchan," Ukyo said, a bit surprised that her child had already opened up
to him at such a short time. She usually had to introduce someone to her
several times before she spoke up "I wish I can stay, but Miki and I have to 
get going now"
  "All right" Ranma said, turning his attention to Ukyo, which made her heart 
skip a beat. She always liked the way Ranma would pay full attention to her, 
unlike some of the jerks she had met overt the years "But I'd like to see you 
two again. So we get our kids to know each other"
  "What do you have in mind?" Ukyo said, interested. She was starting to
like having told Ranma about Miki, considering there was a chance to spend
some time with him, perhaps some quality time.
  "Well, how about you come by my mom's house tomorrow afternoon?" he said,
recalling the plans he wanted to do tomorrow "I'm thinking about painting
her house. After that," he added, looking at his two daughters "we can go to
the new amusement park that just opened up" 
  "Really?" the two asked in unison "Do you mean it?"
  "Yep," he replied, loving how much his daughters' faces just lit up. He
loved making them happy, no matter how inconvenient it was for him. He has
gone to such extremes as walking several miles in pouring rain to fetch his
daughters some food they craved for.
  Meggie and Jessie jumped for joy. They hadn't been to an amusement park in
a while. They were near the amusement park several days ago, when their dad
bumped into Akane, but they had spent most of their day in the playground
nearby that they didn't have time to check out the amusement park just a
block away. They loved going to amusement parks.
  "I'm not too sure we can make it," Ukyo said, going over her mental
schedule "But we'll try,"
  Ranma looked at Miki and noticed she was about to say something, but
stopped when she saw Ukyo giving her a sharp look. He noticed the child look
down toward the ground, kicking at some nearby stones, avoiding his gaze.
  What was Miki gonna say, Ranma thought to himself. And why did Ukyo give
her that strange look? 
  "Well, don't make yourself a stranger," Ranma said "I'd like to see you and
Miki again"
  Ukyo gave him a warm smile, reaching over an giving him a tight embrace.
She wanted to kiss him again like she did in the restaurant, but she
couldn't. He was in love with someone else. But she wasn't going to give up
yet. She was going to try her hardest to get Ranma back. And this time, she
had Miki to help her out.
  "We better get going," Ukyo commented, taking hold of Miki's tiny hand.
  "Bye," Ranma said, waving to Ukyo and Miki as they disappeared around a 
corner. He smiled warmly as Miki stole a glance back at him, noticing as if 
she didn't want to leave, at least not yet.
  "Would you like to come with me to see where I work?" Ranma said, once
Ukyo and Miki was out of sight. He had to keep himself distracted. He had
just found out that he had another daughter. He was struggling to think
straight.
  "Yeah," the two said together.
  "Then let's go" Ranma said. He smiled, the thoughts of his other daughter
disappearing from his mind for a moment. But they came racing back as fast
as they had disappeared. He started wondering about Miki.
  "Daddy, I'm hungry," Meggie said, tugging on Ranma's jeans.
  "Me too," Jessie agreed.
  "Would you like me to cook for you when we get to Akane's?" Ranma
suggested, holding both of his daughters' hands in each hands.
  "Yeah!" they said, jumping in joy. They loved it when their Daddy cooked
for them. They would rather eat Ranma's cooking over anything else. Several
years ago, they would have said no, but Ranma's cooking had improved
significantly as he continued to cook at home more and more often.
  
  Akane was eating her lunch, which consisted of a simple salad and a
sandwich, when the doorbell rang. Her heart leapt when she realized that it
must be Ranma with his children. She was starting to get worried for a little 
bit when he hadn't returned in a short while. It usually took him about thirty 
minutes to fetch his children and take them to Nodoka's. But
today, he wasn't taking his children to their grandma's, for he was heading 
straight to Akane's house, and that shouldn't had taken as long.
  She was caught by surprise when she opened the door and saw Ranma holding
a bag of groceries. She could see that him buying groceries must have been
what took him so long. She held the door open as he entered, smiling sweetly
to his daughters who were in tow.
  "Hi, Akane," Meggie said, followed by Jessie's greeting.
  "Hi, Meggie," she said, "Hi, Jessie"
  "Hey, Akane," Ranma called out from somewhere in the house "where's the
kitchen?"
  "It's the first door to your right," she said.
  Ranma entered the kitchen and placed the grocery bag on a nearby counter,
managing to catch the bag just before it tipped over. He then started to
take all the groceries out of the bag. Akane and the two girls entered the
kitchen as he did so.
  Akane watched as Ranma took out a whole assortment of groceries, ranging
from onions to peppers to eggs to sirloin steak. What ever he was making, it
looked like a complicated recipe.
  "I figured I'd make the kids something to eat" Ranma said, still taking
out the groceries. By the time everything was out, the entire table was
filled with food, all of them ready to be combined into a beautiful dish,
whatever it was.
  "Daddy's a great cook," Jessie commented, tugging at Akane's pants. She had
gotten into the habit of pulling on a person's pants to let them know
she was talking since she and Meggie spent most of their days with Nodoka.
It was just like Ranma placing his hands on someone's shoulder.
  "I bet he is," Akane said, giving the girl a gentle pat on her head.
  "Hey Akane, when does the next class start?" Ranma asked, fetching a pan
from a nearby cupboard. He didn't' have any trouble finding anything,
everything placed in the most practical and convenient of places. The sounds
of oil sizzling could already be heard, followed by the sounds of the fan to
keep the kitchen free of fumes.
  "Um, in a little more than an hour?" Akane replied, looking at her
watch. Class didn't start till five exactly "Why?"
  "Good, that gives me plenty of time," Ranma said, chopping some onions on
the cutting board. Akane couldn't help but wonder where he managed to find
a cutting board. She didn't even know she had one. She never really cooked
at home, she preferring to eat out. Besides, she wasn't that good of a cook.
Even though she couldn't cook too well, she could prepare a really mean
sandwich.
  "Hey Meggie, Jessie, you should stay outta the kitchen, I don't want any
oil to splatter on you," Ranma said, gently gesturing for them to go out
into the living room. He remembered once when a single drop of oil
splattered on Meggie's arm, causing the little girl to wail out in pain. He
did not want to go through that again. Afterall, the most painful burn was the 
one that could be prevented.
  "What do you want me to do?" Akane asked once the little girls were out of
the kitchen. She didn't know if she was suppose to follow them or stay
behind, so she decided to stay. She watched for a few moments as he cut the
onions with the speed of a master chef, his slices perfect and graceful.
  "I'd like you to help," Ranma said, handing her the knife. He smiled as he
tilted his head toward the half-chopped onions. 
  Akane froze for a second, not really knowing what to say. She was
flattered that he wanted her to help, but he had no idea just how bad a cook
she was. She gazed at him intently, noticing the muscularity in his arms as
he chopped away. She had to admit that she found something very appealing to
seeing a man as masculine and virile as Ranma showing competence in the
kitchen. By now, he had was blending some butter and sugar and eggs together
in a large steel bowl he had found in one of the cabinets. He could have
easily used the mixer on the counter he had forgone. 
  Instead, he chose the more traditional approach, beating the ingredients 
together in a bowl that was in the crook of his elbow, the muscles in his arms 
and forearms flexing as his arms moved in a blur of motion, turning the 
mixture into a creamy mass in a short time.
  "Um, I'm not that good of a cook," Akane said, looking at the knife in a
very meek fashion. She even held it oddly, which definitely meant she hadn't
held a knife in a long time.
  Ranma smiled sweetly, placing the bowl he was mixing onto the counter
"I'll help"
  He stepped up behind Akane, reaching around her sides and seizing her
hands with his own strong hands. He then started to chop the onions as
Akane's hands held onto the knife. With Ranma's body pressed up against
hers, she could feel the heat flow from him and into her, causing her knees
to feel weak. She noticed his hands were as soft as her own, yet they were
strong. Her heart raced as she felt his strong chest pressed against her
back. She could smell the scent of his shampoo from the shower he had taken
earlier. The smell of his shampoo caused images of his shower to come
flooding into her mind, causing this heat to rise up within her. Her nipples
were hard and were pressed up against the fabric of her shirt. 
  She was grateful that she was wearing a heavy shirt, otherwise Ranma would 
have noticed. She had to do something. Her body was lusting for his, every 
single one of her nerves ending telling her that they wanted to feel the soft 
touch of Ranma's hands brush over them. 
  "Can you please not stand so close?" Akane snapped, the first words coming
into her head, causing Ranma to immediately release his grip and take a step
back. She held her hands, the sensation of his hands on hers still very
noticeable to her.
  She couldn't have him so close to her. If he hadn't stepped back, she
would have turned around and kissed him fiercely, savoring his lips on hers.
She wanted him so badly that it was killing her that she couldn't have him.
She wanted to tell him that she was madly in love with him, and that she
wanted to marry him and be with him forever. But it would have destroyed her
because she would have heard him decline her offer. She didn't want to hear
those few, devastating words 'I'm sorry. I can't'. She had to distance
herself from him, so she wouldn't be that hurt when he finally went back
into Ukyo's arms. She knew she would be hurt, but she wanted it to hurt as
little as possible, and keeping her distance was the best thing she could
come up with.
  Ranma's visage became crestfallen upon hearing those words. He could do
nothing but take a step back. He was glad that Akane's back was to him,
otherwise she would have seen a very sullen and depressed visage. He wanted
to crawl under a rock and die. He had taken the initiative to let her know
that he wanted to be with her, to touch her, but she snapped at him, told
him to back off. It had taken all his courage to reach out and take her
hand. If she hadn't pulled away from him touch, he would have proclaimed
his love for her, told her that he had fallen in love with her. It had been
the most prefect time for that, the kids in the other room, him so close to
her that she could hear his faintest whisper. But reacted to his touch in
the same way he had dreaded, shrinking away. He had seen her hold her hands,
as if she didn't want his touch, as if his touch had hurt her.
  "I-I'm sorry," Ranma said, his expression neutral, hiding all the hurt
inside. He now knew that Akane didn't want him to be near her. At first he
didn't believe, didn't want to believe, that she only viewed him as an
employee 'It's not like the two of us are seeing each other anyway. He's
just working for me' Those words echoed in his mind. He wished she never
meant them, but because of how she shrank away from his touch, it must have
been true.
  Akane said nothing. She wanted to tell him she loved his touch, the way it
felt on her skin, but she couldn't. This was the best way to distance
herself from him. If she didn't she would be devastated when Ranma left her
for Ukyo. She remembered how Ranma didn't back away at all from the kiss
Ukyo had given him. It looked like he had thoroughly enjoyed it. How could
she compete with Ukyo? Ranma had known Ukyo from a long time ago, and they
had been more than just friends. 
  She's beautiful, much more than I am, Akane thought. She couldn't help
but get a bit angry because she knew it was true. Ukyo had a thick mane of
hair, much more beautiful and elegant that her own little boyish-type
haircut.
  As she continued to slice away at the onions, Akane turned her head and
stole herself a glance at Ranma, who was busy cutting some green peppers
into little, fine strips. She regarded him for a second, noticing how he
looked unbothered by her having told him not to be so close to her. And she
hated it. She wished he looked remotely depressed.
  Sighing inwardly to herself, Akane continued on chopping the onions.
  Ranma kept his visage neutral. He didn't want Akane to think that he was
madly in love with her. He didn't want her to see him looking depressed, even
though his insides were in turmoil. If she knew he was in love with her, it
would have put a serious strain on them working together. Akane would feel
odd about working with someone who was in love with her when she didn't have
the same mutual feeling in return. Even though she didn't want him, Ranma
wanted to do all that was in his power to be with her, to be near her. If he
couldn't have her, he was happy being with her.
  As he continued to think to himself, an image of Miki entered his mind,
blocking out everything else, even Akane. He began to wonder about this new
person who entered his life. He wondered if he was cut out to raise another
child. He wondered if Meggie and Jessie and Miki would become good friends.
Although he thought about Miki, he wasn't thinking about her enough. He
couldn't quite explain it. If someone were to find out they had had a
daughter with an previous lover, they would be plagued with thoughts,
thoughts of this child. But for some reason, Ranma wasn't too bothered by
this. Maybe it was his paternal instincts talking, but he was telling himself
he not worried about having to raise a another child. He wasn't worried
about getting to know the child, to get her to accept that he was her
father. 
  He would take everything nice and slowly, letting everything unravel 
naturally. There was nothing much else he could do until he met Miki again. 
All he had to do was be patient until the time was right.
  How will Akane feel about this, Ranma thought. How will she feel about my
having a child with Ukyo? I guess it'd be best to keep this secret until the
time is right.
  Sighing to himself, Ranma continued on with his own chopping.



Chapter 13

     Akane stole a glance toward Ranma as he taught the class, gazing toward
him out her small office window. She placed one arm on the desk, the elbow
on the surface, her head resting in her hand, watching him as he paid
careful attention toward each student, like helping them out with their kata
forms, telling several young women that he was not interested in dating them
right now, the latter unheard by Akane.
  She leaned back in her chair, still tasting the delicious meal she had had
earlier, it tasting better than anything she had ever had. She could recall
the atmosphere as she and Ranma and his daughters ate, a comfortable one,
one she could get quite used to. The conversation was casual, ranging from
what Meggie and Jessie did in school today to how Ranma had come across
Akane's sensei ad to how he had learned to cook that great meal. She
wondered how great it would be to eat like that all the time, to spend her
breakfast, lunches, and dinners with Ranma and his two daughters. It would
be great. She could prepare their meals together with him, learning to
cook better with each passing day. She pictured everyone sitting around the
diningroom table, eating together, conversing about their day or the day to
come, just like a family.
  "Akane, where does this piece go?" came a voice, causing her to snap out
of her reverie. She turned her attention toward Jessie, whom was showing her a 
small odd-shaped piece.
  Akane and the twins were busy trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle,
Akane having found the box hidden in a closet. The jigsaw puzzle was over
twenty years old, one that her father had bought her for her for her eighth
birthday. The box had brought back memories when she stumbled upon it, sweet
memories of when her father was alive, before that tragic accident that
ripped him out of her life.
  Akane regarded the piece for a second, then turning her attention onto
the box cover, which had a picture of several kittens in a basket peeking
their heads out over the top. She then looked back at the jigsaw piece, and
then back toward the box. After several more repetitions of this, she found
the spot where it belonged, the piece fitting in quite lovely.
  "Wow, you're good," Jessie commented,
  Akane didn't say anything. She just smiled. She was too caught up in
enjoying their company. She enjoyed being with Meggie and Jessie as much as
she enjoyed being with Ranma. It was strange. She felt this sense of need
that made her feel important. Sure, she had a students who needed her to
teach them the ways of bushido, but this need was different. She liked
caring for someone else. It gave this sense of meaning in her life. She only
had to care for herself ever since she had been alone, and she always felt
there was something missing. And now, with being near Meggie and Jessie,
that gap was filled.
  "Having fun?" Ranma said, stepping into the office. He had several minutes
of breaktime, him having told the class to go through several kata motions.
The sounds of everyone yelling as they performed their moves could be heard
echoing throughout the entire dojo.
  Akane's heart skipped a beat, for he was standing behind her, bent over,
his face right next to her as he looked down at the jigsaw puzzle box cover.
He was so close she could smell the slight scent of perspiration, his hot
breath brushing across her face, the heat from his body radiating into hers.
His presence made her keenly self-conscious. She wondered how she looked,
still in her casual clothes, her short hair probably ruffled.
  "We're almos' finished," Jessie said, placing a piece in the appropriate
location. The puzzle was more than half finished, the three of them having
worked on it for over an hour now. Most of work was due to Meggie and
Jessie, Akane not paying too much attention to the puzzle, her attention
intent on something else, or someone else. Although she didn't do much, she
did do her fair share of contributions to the project.
  "My, aren't those are cute looking kittens" Ranma said, sitting down, 
relaxed, carefree. He looked like he had all the time in the world. He was 
actually helping out, placing a few pieces in their place. Some of them didn't 
fit though. Akane could help but giggle when Ranma tried to smash a couple 
pieces in place, hammering it with his fist.
  "That looks like it fits," he said, smiling meekly. He knew it didn't fit,
but maybe his girls wouldn't realize.
  "That doesn't fit, Daddy" Jessie said, taking the piece out and placing
it in its proper place "It goes here"
  "Let's see you do better," Ranma joked, realizing that Akane was laughing
at him. Although she was laughing at him, he still liked hearing her laugh.
  Akane accepted his challenge, taking hold of a piece, studying the box
cover. After several moments, she found the right place and placed the piece
in it.
  "You were lucky," he said, taking a piece, placing it on the puzzle,
smashing it in with his fist again. It didn't fit. The piece had three
prongs, and he was trying to squeeze it into a place with two prongs.
  "That don't fit there," Meggie said, silent until now.
  "Looks like they're finished" Ranma said, noticing that everyone was now
waiting patiently for him to come back out of the office. They were all in
their seiza, proper sitting, position "Bye, honey"
  Akane bit her lip upon hearing those words. She actually thought he was
referring to her and not his daughters. She actually thought he had called
her 'honey'. She just sat there, mesmerized by that one word, even if it
wasn't meant for her.
  Ranma walked back up to the front of the dojo, where everybody was waiting
patiently for further instructions. A thought crossed his mind, causing him
to wonder if Akane thought he was using the word 'honey' for her.
  Nah, he thought. She wouldn't even think twice that it was for her, even
though it was. He had accidentally let that slip. He was about to say 'Bye,
girls' but when he looked at Akane for a split second, the word 'honey' came
out for no reason. He kind of wished he could call her that for real, and
he wished she wanted to be called that.
  Smiling inwardly, Ranma continued on teaching the class.

  Akane was reading a magazine in the livingroom when Ranma entered her
house, the teaching session having come to a close. She would have been in
the dojo when class had ended if Meggie and Jessie hadn't asked her to show
her around in her house, to give them a tour.
  She looked at her watch. It read 10:30pm. It was over an hour after the
scheduled time that class was supposed to end.
  "Some students wanted some extra help," Ranma said, reading her mind. He
knew that she wanted to know what took him so long.
  She said nothing, just nodding in acknowledgment. She sometimes kept the
dojo opened to help some fellow students out so she wasn't at all upset.
  "Um, Meggie and Jessie both fell asleep," Akane said, changing the subject.
She had to. She had regarded him for several moments and realized that he
was now in his own clothes, and his hair was slightly damp from his shower.
Upon realizing that he must have came straight from the shower caused her to
wonder, to dream, about the warm water falling down his muscular body,
turning her on. She couldn't have those thoughts. Not now. It would just
make the hurt so much deeper when he left.
  "They tend to do that," Ranma said, sitting down in a nearby chair. His
heart jumped when he noticed Akane's nipples pressed against the fabric of
her shirt. He could tell that she wasn't wearing a bra, the only thing
separating her naked top from his yearning hands was the thin fabric of her
shirt.
  It must be the cold, Ranma thought to himself, reluctantly turning his
gaze away. He didn't want Akane to think of him as a hentai if she caught
him staring at her well-developed chest.
  "Where are they sleeping?" he asked, particularly paying attention to a
nearby plant, which gave the room some color. He had to keep his gaze from
her. Afterall, she wasn't interested in him.
  "They fell asleep in my bedroom," she said, closing the magazine, placing
it down on the coffee table "You wanna go up and see them?"
  "Yeah. I better go wake them up so I can take them home tonight," he said,
already a few steps up the flight of stairs. Akane was in tow, secretly
stealing several glances at his backside. He had such a cute butt that she
couldn't help but look.
  "They could spend the night," Akane suggested. She had slept alone in this
house for several years that she was hoping that it wouldn't be empty
tonight, even if it is for one single night.
  "No, I better take them home," he continued. It wasn't his daughters he was
looking after but himself. How would he ever get any sleep, knowing that he
was under the same roof as Akane, that he would be nearby while she slept.
  "But they don't have school tomorrow," she said. She really wanted Ranma
and his two daughters to stay. She didn't want to be lonely. She had lead
such a solace life that she wanted a change. But she had no idea what she
was getting into. She would most likely have a sleepless night when she
realized that Ranma would be nearby. To realize just how virile and
masculine as he climbed those steps doomed her to wish she hadn't persisted
in him staying. She should have realized that Ranma was a man, afterall.
  But her mind was clouded with yearning. She wanted someone near here, to 
know that they were nearby. She was so lonely. Could one blame a girl for 
wanting a man nearby if she lived for years alone?
  "Fine, I'll leave them with you," he said, stopping at the top of the
stairway. He wanted to do all that was in his power to stay away from her.
He knew that there was no way for him to get a decent night's sleep if he
was aware that Akane was close by. Heck, he was a man, and there was no
telling what he would do under those circumstances.
  Akane walked ahead, showing him to her room. She was wondering why he
didn't want to stay. It was as if he was trying to avoid her. Ukyo popped
into her mind. Maybe he wanted to leave so he could spend some time with
Ukyo, now that he didn't have to worry about the kids for the night.
  "Besides," Ranma said "I have a date"
  Akane's heart practically shattered into a million pieces. How could he?
She felt angry toward herself, knowing that she could do nothing about it.
She wanted to tell him no to go, but then she's being a little
overprotective. And of who? Ranma was a full grown man. He could take care
of himself. She had no hold on him, let alone tell him what to do.
  "You do?" she asked. She just had to know. Was it Ukyo he was dating? Or
maybe it could have been of their students? She was aware that most of
the young women have taken a keen liking to him. Heck, she too, took a
liking to him, except it was secret. All the females in the dojo always
watched as Ranma did anything. Sure, one should pay attention to their
sensei, but this form of attention was different. Who knows what hentai
thoughts must have been running through those females' minds?
  "Yep," Ranma said with a smile "with the laundromat"
  Akane breathed a sigh of relief, catching it before Ranma had heard. That
means he isn't going to see another woman tonight, Akane thought. She could
feel this aching feeling in her heart starting to subside, going away.
  She lead him to the door to her bedroom. She couldn't help but feel like
she was leading him into her bedroom for a night of passion, as if sneaking
him into the house when her father is asleep. But she had never done this in
her entire life. She never even had a boy in her bedroom before. If it was
that scenario, then Ranma would be the first, her first.
  She blushed deep red upon that thought, grateful that her back was to him.
  "I usually do it right before I pick up the kids," he added, entering the
room. He could smell the faint smell of roses. He turned his attention onto
this vase of roses sitting at a nearby desk.
  That's probably from her secret admirers, Ranma thought sullenly. She
probably had a lot of them. He wondered who it was from. It was most likely
from one of her students. He recalled how they watched her do her kata
movements with starry-like eyes the other day.
  Akane noticed that Ranma was paying particular attention to her vase of
roses, unaware that he was thinking they were from one of her admirers. It
was nowhere near the fact. She had bought those roses to give the room some
color. Aside from several pictures that hung on the wall, her room was
pretty bland and colorless. She made it a habit to always buy a dozen roses
every other week, and she had always done this for several years.
  "They're nice, huh?" she asked. She wanted to turn on the lights to show
just how much the roses lit up the room, but she didn't want to wake the
kids up.
  "They're beautiful," he commented, turning his attention away and onto his
sleeping princesses. He wished he had thought of something like that, to
bring her roses. Maybe she might like him if he did that.
  Ranma looked at his two sleeping angels, they tiny legs falling over the
side of the bed "When did they fall asleep?"
  He gently gave them a kiss on their foreheads, Akane watching him
intently. The image of Ranma as he gently kissed his daughters made Akane
think back to the days when she was young, when her father used to do that,
tucking her in every night, doing that all the way up until the day he died.
  Akane watched for a second, wondering how long Ranma would continue to do
this. Then, he raised his head and looked at her, his countenance relaxed,
his features docile. He looked her right in her eyes, her heart melting as
she looked into those beautiful eyes of his. His eyes had this unexplainable
look to it. It always looked as if he were about to cry, stopping at the
last minute, fighting them back. They hid so much about his life. 
  She had only learned a fraction of his life. His eyes kept so many secrets, 
many secrets she wanted him to reveal to her. She noticed that every time she 
saw Ranma with his daughters, he looked very happy, yet his eyes contained 
nothing but sorrow. What was this sorrow for?
  "Well?" he asked after few moments. He looked at Akane, wanting to tell
her of his problems, but he didn't want her to carry his burden. All of this
he had to deal with. He coped with all these problems alone, and he knew no
other way.
  "What?" she asked. She was momentarily distracted from his gaze. She felt
light-headed, intoxicated by the shear closeness to Ranma. He was in her
bedroom, right next to her, at the foot of her bed. They were looking over
the sleeping twins. For a brief instant, Akane actually felt like this was
her family, that she was married to Ranma, and they were now tucking their
children in. It wasn't like she was just an observer, watching as he put
his daughters to sleep.
  "When did they fall asleep?" he repeated, his voice sounding patient.
  "Oh, at around ten," she replied.
  That was the usual time they fell asleep. They would be very active
throughout the day, but come ten 'o clock, they fall right asleep. It was
as if their internal clock tells them that it was bedtime.
  "I figured so," Ranma said, nodding "That's the usual time they go to
sleep. I don't know why, but they always fall asleep at around that time"
  That was good. That meant he never really had to go through the trouble
of getting them to fall asleep at the appropriate time. Of course, it gave
him a whole bunch of other problems, like getting them out of their own
clothes and into their pajamas, or perhaps getting them to take their baths.
  Ranma pulled the covers back, realizing that they were in pajamas already.
  "They said they were sleepy so I gave 'em my old pajamas" she said,
reading his mind. She could tell he was wondering why they were wearing
pajamas, this confused look on his face. He couldn't recall having brought
pajamas over, and pajamas that looked like that.
  "They also took a bath," she added proudly. She wasn't aware that Ranma
knew his daughters liked taking baths. She never helped anyone take a bath
before, and she was quite proud that she managed to get two people to take
a bath at the same time.
  "Man, and I always have trouble getting them to take a bath" Ranma said 
glibly. He noticed how proud Akane sounded when she declared that she got his 
daughters to take a bath. He figured it was best to let her feel good about 
herself.
  "Well, I guess I better get going now," he said, a bit reluctant "I have to 
go to the laundromat"  He didn't really want to leave, but it was for the 
best. Akane didn't want him, so he should get going now. There was no real 
reason for him to stay, aside from him wanting to make love to her. But since 
she wasn't interested in him, he should leave her be, even though it tore him 
apart in the inside.
  "Um, about the laundromat," Akane remembered. She figured he'd like to use 
her washing machine and dryer, which were in the basement "I have a washing 
machine and dryer downstairs in the basement. You're  welcome to use those if 
you'd like"
  Ranma thought about this for a second. It would be a lot more convenient.
When his daughters wake up the next morning, they would need a change of
clothes, and since Akane's house was closer than the laundromat, he could
do his laundry at her house and leave some clothes behind.
  "You know what?" Ranma said after a few moments of careful thinking "I
think I'll take you up on that offer"
  Akane smiled. She was grateful that it was dark in the room and at how it
concealed just how much she had wanted to hear him say those words. She
really wanted him to stay. Sure, it was for selfish reasons, she not wanting
to be alone, but it was a good enough reason for her.
  "Fine, I'll be back in a little while."



Chapter 14  

     "Wow, you're back early," Akane commented, holding the door open for
Ranma to enter. She noticed that Ranma's hands were full. He must have been
holding three or four loads of laundry. He was holding a laundry basket full
of clothes, the clothes extending high above the top of the basket.
  "Where should I put them?" Ranma asked, his head hidden behind the tower of
clothes. All Akane could see were his hands and arms as he held the basket,
the muscles in his arms flexing from holding all the weight. She noticed that 
most of the clothes were children's clothes, his daughters clothes, ranging 
from frilly dresses to panties with the days sewn into them to tiny socks to 
shirts with pictures of animals on them. Although most of the clothes belonged 
to his daughters, Akane noticed some of Ranma's clothes also, albeit few. 
There were only a few pair of jeans and a couple of short-sleeve shirts. That 
was all. She couldn't help but blush red and turn her head away when her gaze
came upon his jockeys.
  So that's what Ranma wears, Akane though, trying to steady her heartbeat.
She had never seen a man's unmentionables. A weird thought entered her mind,
a thought that all of Ranma's jockeys were on the pile of clothes, meaning
he wasn't wearing any underwear at all, leaving only those pairs of jeans
he was wearing the only thing separating her from his nakedness. But she
quickly banished the thought, she shouldn't be thinking such hentai
thoughts, even though she couldn't help it.
  "U-um...just take it down to the basement" she said. She placed her hand
on one of Ranma's hands to lead him toward the door leading to the basement.
The touch felt like electricity to her, making the hairs on the back of her
neck stand on end. She could feel the heat from his hands. She never felt
this kind of heat before, from anyone. The heat from his hands seemed to all
flow into her body, warming her heart, and then the warm feeling moving
south.
  She opened the basement door for him as he gingerly walked down the
stairs, feeling his way down to the next step with his feet. By the way he
walked down the stairs, it seemed like he was learning to walk down a flight
of stairs for the first time, scared of falling. But there was a good reason
why he was taking such cautions, he couldn't see anything in front of him.
  Once he was aware that he had reached the stable ground of the basement,
he placed the laundry basket down, sighing in relief, his back aching. He
placed his hands on the small of his back, rubbing it. He noticed his hands
felt hot, hot from Akane's touch.
  He turned around to see Akane descending the stairs. He stepped aside as
she walked by, smelling the faint smell of her shampoo, which seemed to turn
him on incredibly. He bent back over, picking the laundry basket again,
following her as she went to the back of the basement, grateful that he had
the laundry basket to hold in front of him. Otherwise, Akane would have seen
just how aroused he was.
  
  Akane sipped at her coffee as she tried to read the magazine she was
reading earlier, the magazine she started reading after Meggie and Jessie
fell asleep, before Ranma entered the house. As hard as she tried to read
it, she just couldn't. She was keenly aware that Ranma was in her basement,
her basement, just a flight of stairs below her.
  She placed the magazine down, her gaze resting on the coffee cup at the
other end of the table. The cup was full, the coffee inside now cold. The
coffee was meant for Ranma, Akane having expected him to come up from the
basement over an hour ago. She had made that cup for him, using these
special coffee beans that she used on special occasions. The last time
she used those coffee beans was for her father's birthday many years ago. It
was part of her present to him. Her birthday present was breakfast in bed
the entire breakfast cooked by her. The birthday turned out a disaster when
her father had actually tasted her cooking, nearly choking. It didn't help
any when she accidentally spilled her specially brewed coffee in her
father's lap. Although it came out in disaster, it was the thought that
counted.
  Akane wondered why Ranma never came up from the basement. It only took a
few minutes to put the clothes into the washing machine, and another few
minutes to put the clean clothes in the dryer. Why wasn't he coming up?
  Her heart sank as she continued to gaze at the unattended coffee cup. She
made that cup especially for him. She felt bad for having snapped at him
like that when he got too close to her when they were cooking. She wanted
to apologize for having said what she had said. She felt bad for indicating
to her that she didn't want him to come too close to her, even though she
actually liked, lusted it. She never felt these kind of feeling before,
never. In came Ranma into her life, evoking these strange feelings in
her.
  If he evoked these kind of feelings in me, Akane thought, then why don't I
pursue him. Why do I hold back? Maybe it's because I'm a coward. That's what
I am, a coward. Subconsciously, she was so scared of losing him that she
wanted nothing to do with him so the hurt would be much less when he left.
It was evident that he was going to leave her, Ukyo having walked back into
his life. That was a good reason why he never came up from the basement. Maybe 
it was because of her. Maybe he didn't want to be with her, didn't want to be 
near her.
  Akane folded her arms, placing them onto the table in front of her, her
head cradled in them. She was incredibly tired for some reason, quite odd
considering she slept a decent night's sleep last night. It felt as if the
energy had been drained from her, and she could do nothing to prevent it.
Maybe all her energy was being spent on keeping in control, keeping from
running into Ranma's arms, proclaiming her love for him. Afterall, he had
Ukyo, Akane kept telling herself.
  She closed her eyes, hoping to rest her eyes for a few moments. It felt
like her eyelids weighed a ton. She was in deep sleep within moments.

  Ranma paced back and forth as he waited for the dryer, dreading the
thought that it would be finished in a few more minutes. He knew that once
the dryer turned off, all his laundry was done. And once it was done, that
meant he'd have to go upstairs. He didn't want to go upstairs because he
knew Akane was up there. He had been aware that she was upstairs, and he
couldn't keep his thoughts on anything else but Akane. He had been thinking
of Akane the whole time he was down there. He wanted to be with her, but the
incident with the kitchen kept replaying over in his head. He remembered
Akane having snapped at him, asking him not to stand so close. It was her
way of telling him that she did want to be near him. And then there were
those flowers he had seen in her bedroom not too long ago, flowers given to
her by her admirers. And she even said those flowers were nice. He
remembered noticing this proud look on her face as she looked at those
flowers. Although he thought continuously of Akane, thoughts of Ukyo would
enter his head from time to time. He had found out today that he and Ukyo
now have a daughter together. How was he going to explain this to Akane,
that he had another daughter? Why should he explain this to Akane? She
didn't want to be in his life.
  He looked at his watch, realizing that he had been in the basement for
close to three hours. And in those three hours down there, he was wishing
he was up there, with Akane. It was now two in the morning. He'd better head
on home. And there was no way out except through going upstairs.
  He placed all the clothes into the laundry basket and headed upstairs.
  Ranma's heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of Akane sleeping
soundlessly. She was slumped forward, her head cradled in her arms, which
were on the table. She looked like a schoolgirl, having fallen asleep after
staying up all night studying.
  He placed his laundry basket on the ground, walking up to her silently.
She looked so beautiful. Even when she slept he wanted her.
  "Akane," Ranma said in a soft, low voice "you should go to your bed"
  He then realized that his daughters were sleeping in her bed. He felt a
bit guilty at realizing this. She was supposed to be sleeping in her bed,
not his daughters.
  "Akane?" he said again, giving her a gentle nudge. He didn't want her
to sleep here, in the kitchen. Actually, he wanted to her to sleep with him,
but he knew that would never happen. He had once fallen asleep in the same 
position Akane had just fallen asleep in, and he knew it would be a killer in 
the morning. Her back would hurt be killing her. He remembered having to call 
in sick for work once from the pain. That was when he was working for the 
computer engineering company.
  Akane didn't budge. She just readjusted her sleeping position, switching
arms she was resting her head on.
  Ranma looked on over to the living room sofa. If she couldn't sleep on a
bed, then the sofa would be the next best thing. He was pretty sure she
kept blankets in a nearby closet, like his own mother. All he'd have to do
is get her onto the sofa. Now that was the hard part.
  He gave her one more nudge, hoping how wouldn't have to do what he was
going to do. But she never budged. She was way beyond deep sleep. She looked
like she could have slept through and earthquake if it had struck at that
moment.
  Sighing to himself, Ranma gently picked her up into his arms, her arms
wrapped around his neck, her face nuzzled against his neck, her front pressing 
firmly against his. He could even feel her nipples pressed against his chest, 
and it turned him on incredibly. 
  God, I'm gonna hate myself in the morning, Ranma thought to himself. He 
could even feel her lips pressed against his neck, as if kissing him.
  He carried her on over to the sofa, gently placing her on it. As he held
her, he noticed how light she felt in his arms. Her face was so close to his
that he could help but gaze at it, admiring her olive like skin, the strong
cheekbones, and the sultry lips.
  Once she was on the sofa, Ranma immediately went to the nearest closet,
opening it. His guess was correct, for he found several blankets, all of
them neatly folded.
  He walked over to Akane and placed the blankets over her, his gaze not
once looking away from her lips. He wanted to kiss her so bad it was
driving him nuts. She looked unbelievably sexy. His hormones were raging 
inside of him, all of them telling him to seize the advantage. She looked like 
she was waiting for him to kiss her. 
  Ranma instinctively leaned forward, his face coming closer to hers. He
stopped when his lips were an inch away from hers. He was so close he could
feel her warm breath as she exhaled. He placed his hand on one side of her
face, his hand cupping her cheek. He could feel her head unconsciously press
against up it, as if wanting to feel his touch.
  Damn, Ranma though, I wish I can indulge in this moment. He wanted to kiss
her so bad. Why not, just this once? She was asleep. She would never know.
Only he would know. Even though she didn't want him, at least he could
remember having kissed her. But those thoughts ended as soon as they were
conceived.
  I'm not that kinda guy, Ranma thought. He pulled away, heading for the
laundry basket. He had to get out of there and fast. He quickly searched
the hamper, producing two pairs of outfits for his daughters tomorrow.
  Sighing to himself, Ranma quickly left, locking the door behind him,
knowing all too well that he would never get any sleep tonight or any nights
after that.
  His mind had been so distracted that he didn't realize he forgot the
hamper full of clothes until he made it home.
  
  The chirping birds could be heard in nearby, quite odd considering winter
was very close. The sun was just beginning its slow ascent in the far off
horizon, the snow-capped mountains casting shadows that seemed to stretch
to the ends of the Earth. The trees were bare, most of its autumn leaves
shed.
  Akane was sleeping peacefully on her sofa, all bundled up in her blankets,
as warm she can be, when Meggie and Jessie came downstairs. The two little
angels were rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, their steps slow. They were
aware that they weren't home, but wasn't too sure exactly where they
were. Upon their sight of the sleeping Akane, they immediately realized that
they had fallen asleep at her house last night. Their pajamas even confirmed
it.
  They walked down the stairs, the floorboards making not one creak under
their weight as they headed toward Akane. The watched her for several
moments contemplating on whether or not they should wake her. They should
wake her up, for they had to go to the bathroom, and they didn't know where
it was. But she looked so peaceful that they decided against it, and that
they would look for the bathroom themselves. They eventually found the
bathroom, and they both entered.
  Akane stretched her arms out, yawning aloud.
  God, what a dream, Akane thought. She just had an erotic dream in which
Ranma was in there. She could recall the dream quite vividly, as if it had
really happened. The dream was of him caressing her naked body, starting
off at her neck as he kissed her lips passionately. Then his hands would roam 
south, onto her breasts, cupping them, kneading them, teasing them. 
  She could feel her breathing increase as the dream came back to her. She
recalled as she kissed him back, her tongue darting into his mouth
exploring it, savoring the taste of his salty lips on hers. She got
goosebumps from the excitement as she remembered as his hands started moving
farther south on her naked body, down over her ribs, over her belly button,
and down to her......
  I must be some kind of hentai, Akane thought, trying to steady herself. She
felt like she was about to exploded as those hentai thoughts plagued her
mind. She wondered how nice it would be to wake up with Ranma next to her,
smiling his charming smile. She wondered how great it would feel to fall
asleep in his arms, this secure feeling enveloping her, knowing that she no
longer slept alone.
  She banished those thoughts, all too knowing that they will not stay away
for too long. But she had to try. She wanted to distract herself from those
thoughts so she studied her surroundings. Within moments, she realized that
she was not sleeping in her bed, realizing that she had slept on her sofa.
  How did I get here, Akane thought to herself, washing the sleep out of her
eyes. Yesterday night seemed like a blur to her. It was as if she had been
drunk and had forgotten everything that had happened, which was acceptable
because she had felt intoxicated all night, when Ranma was there.
  When her gaze rested on the laundry basket full of clothes, she remembered
everything. She remembered feeling this funny feeling as she thought about
Ranma in the basement last night, her heart beating rapidly. She remembered
everything, when she made the coffee for him, when she tried to read her
magazine, the thoughts she had of him. She remembered everything except how
she got onto the sofa with blankets.
  Her heart leapt upon the thought that Ranma might have placed her there.
That was the only reason she could come up with. That meant he held her,
cradled her in his arms as he carried her, his face so close to her that
he could kiss her. And did he kiss her when she was asleep?
  Nah, Akane thought, why would he kiss me? He's not some hentai or
something. But then again, if Ranma slept, and I had the chance to kiss
him.....
  Akane blushed horribly when she realized that she probably would have
kissed him. It would have been her little secret. She wouldn't have minded
indulging herself with something like that. She had been dreaming of how
Ranma's lips would feel on hers, and if she did have the chance, there was a
good chance she wasn't going to pass that up.
  "Mornin', Akane," Meggie said, causing her to start. The little girl was
standing next to her. Akane thought she was alone. When she gazed into
Meggie's innocent eyes, and then into Jessie's as she stepped up, she felt
a bit guilty at what she had been just thinking. Afterall, this man she
thought about taking advantage of was their father.
  "M-morning," Akane said meekly. There was a slight reddish hue on her 
cheeks. She felt embarrassed at having such thoughts of their father.
  "I'm hungry," Jessie blurted out, rubbing her stomach, Meggie nodding in 
agreement. The two girls hadn't had a bite to eat since the meal Akane and 
Ranma prepared that meal for them right after school. She looked at a clock 
that hung on one of the livingroom walls. It read 8:15. It must have been over 
thirteen hours since the girls last ate.
  "Um, what would you like to eat?" Akane asked, patting the cushions next
to her on both sides of the sofa. She wanted them to sit with her.
  "I like pancakes and scrambled eggs," Jessie said.
  "Me too," her sibling agreed. She and Jessie both had the same likes and
dislikes. It was obvious, considering they were identical twins.
  "No prob," Akane said, getting up off the sofa. She picked up two pairs of
clothes for them, which happened to have been laid out in front of her on
the livingroom coffee table "right after you two take a bath" handing them
their clothes. 
  She walked up to one of the closets and produced two towels.
  "Okay," they said simultaneously, scrambling for the bathroom.
  "Great, now how do I make pancakes again?" Akane muttered to herself,
heading for the kitchen. The last time she remembered making pancakes was
when her father was alive many years ago, when she tried to make them for
his birthday. It turned out looking like black frisbees, and as hard as one
also.
  Just as she was about to open the door to the fringe, there was a knock at
the door.
  She walked on over to the door and opened it. Her heart suddenly went
fluttery when she realized it was Ranma.
  "Good morning," Ranma said, smiling a bit. Akane noticed he was wearing the 
same clothes as last night, wishing he didn't because she could see his 
bulging chest pressed up against his tight fitting short-sleeve shirt.
  "Morning," she said, trying to steady her voice. She felt incredibly nervous 
being around his presence. She noticed he had a bit of stubble on his face, 
him not having shaved this morning. He now looked ruggedly handsome, which was 
every bit as distracting to her as when he was clean-shaven. There was only 
one difference that made her like this look more than the other, he wasn't 
wearing any after-shave, which would have further distracted her if she could 
smell the fragrance.
  "Did I wake you?" he asked, a bit guilty.
  "No. I was already awake," she said.
  "Are they awake?" he asked. He already knew the answer. His daughters
never slept later then eight. He never needed to wake them up for school.
Even though they didn't have school today, they would still wake up early.
  "Uh huh," she nodded "They're taking a bath right now"
  "A bath," Ranma said, his attention going elsewhere. It looked like he was
daydreaming. Actually, he was. He hadn't taken a bath or shower since
yesterday, a water main near his place having broken down, leaving his place
sans any water for the next few days.
  "Is anything the matter?" she asked curiously. She noticed this yearning
look on Ranma's face, as if he wanted something really bad. She blushed a
bit when the thought that he wanted her entered her mind.
  "Yeah," he replied, running a hand though his hair, which was a bit
disheveled and uneven. Even if his hair looked like a mess, he still looked
handsome and desirable. Maybe that's how he looks in the morning, Akane
thought wistfully. She wouldn't mind waking up to the sight of him every
morning "There's no water at my house"
  House, Akane thought, he has his own house? She thought Ranma lived in an
apartment. It was a bit odd that someone as young as him had his own house.
But then again, she, too, had her own house. But that was different. She
pretty much inherited the house after her father had died, when the business
was left resting on her shoulders.
  "You can take a bath or shower at my place," she said, wishing she hadn't
said it until it was too late. She remembered what had happened to her when
he was taking a shower in the dojo. But this would be a lot worse because he
would be taking a bath or shower in the same room where she took one. That
meant he would have been naked in the same room she had been naked.
  "Actually, I was hoping you would let me," he said, entering the house after 
having taken off his shoes. He walked by Akane and into he livingroom, his 
gaze falling upon the laundry basket full of clothes. He
looked at it for a few moments before turning his regard onto the sofa.
  "Did you have a good night's sleep?" Ranma added, turning around to face 
Akane. He gave her a smirk.
  Akane said nothing. She just blushed. She was right, Ranma did put her
there. That meant he held her in his arms, their bodies touched, his face
must have been close to hers, so close he could have kissed her.
  "You put me on the couch?" Akane asked. She was wondering what he exactly
did when he held her, how he held her. Did he give her a piggy back-ride,
or perhaps held him like a newly-wed wife being carried over the threshold?
She knew she was a heavy sleeper, able to sleep through hurricanes if it ever
came to it. Sometimes, she would even sleep through morning teaching
lessons. There were a few cases when she found out she overslept by an hour,
and she would rush to the dojo, only to find it being taught by some of the
more skilled students. It would have been nice letting those students teach,
but she couldn't, for they only went over forms and movements taught to them
the other day. Besides, they said they rather be taught instead of having
to teach. They stated that they wish to study more before even considering
taking her proposal in becoming a sensei seriously.
  "Yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head. He tried to hide his
feelings, the enjoyment he had of holding her, even if she was unconscious.
It had only lasted a few moments, but for Ranma, he would remember it
forever. He would never forget just how close his lips were to hers, that he
could have kissed her. But he hadn't. If he were to ever kiss her, even if
that was never possible considering she didn't want him, then he wanted her
to be awake, to return that kiss to him, not just some one-sided form of
enjoyment.
  "Um, did the kids eat yet?" he asked, changing the subject. He knew that
if he stayed on the subject, he would have confessed his love for her,
causing him great humiliation when she told him she couldn't return the
feelings.
  "Not yet. They said both wanted pancakes and scrambled eggs" Akane
replied, remembering Meggie and Jessie's requests. She headed for the
kitchen, realizing that the twins would be finished with their bath not
too long from now. She wanted them to come out of the bathroom to a full
breakfast.
  "They always want that," he replied "May I help?"
  Akane thought for a second, not saying anything. She could recall the meal
they were preparing in the kitchen the other day, when Ranma had took hold
of her hands, his chest pressed up against her back, helping her chop the
onions. She could recall the smell of his shampoo, its fragrance
intoxicating. She best not go through that again.
  "No thank you. I can handle it," she finally said. She was lying through her 
teeth. She had no idea how to make pancakes. She wanted to be near him, but 
she couldn't.
  "Can I at least make the pancakes?" Ranma insisted "They like the pancakes
I make" he had to do something. What was he to do? He'd be doing nothing
while he watched Akane cook. He couldn't take a bath, his daughters
occupying it.
  "What's wrong with the pancakes I make?" Akane snapped. She felt a bit
angry, like Ranma didn't trust her to making the meal. Actually, it was her
pride talking. She didn't want to seem helpless to Ranma.
  "N-nothing," Ranma said, putting his hand up, as if trying to brace himself 
in case she tried to hit him. He noticed how she got mad all of a sudden, her 
hands clenching into fists.
  "I got to get started" Akane said, turning around, storming into the 
kitchen. She felt angry that he had doubted her cooking abilities. She cooked 
perfectly well the other day. But then again, she had Ranma helping.
  Ranma watched as she entered the kitchen, wondering why she had gotten so 
angry at him. She cooked real well when she was with him, but why did she not 
want his help now?
  Sighing to himself, Ranma sat down in the sofa, picking up a nearby
magazine. He began to patiently leaf through it, looking for some articles
to read, to take up his time. As he continued to skim the magazine, her came
across an interesting article on some best-seller book overseas.
  Ranma smiled to himself as he quickly started reading the article. It was
and article about how women and men differ.
  Inside the kitchen, Akane checked through the cupboards, looking for the
flour. She continued to check them all, coming up with nothing.
  Just when she was about to give up and make the kids some cereal, Ranma
entered the kitchen, leaning up against the doorway, his arms crossed.
  "Are you sure I can't help?" he asked, remembering the article he read.
  Akane sighed aloud, "Fine, I'll let you help"
  Secretly, she was thanking her lucky stars.

  Meggie and Jessie ate as Ranma took his shower. Akane was acutely aware
that he was taking a shower in her bathroom. She tried to eat her pancakes,
pancakes which Ranma had made, but she couldn't eat, her mind too preoccupied.
  "Aren't ya gonna eat?" Meggie asked before taking a big bite into the
pancakes.
  Akane noticed she had good manners when she made it a habit to not talk
with her mouth full. Even her elbows weren't on the tables. Akane quickly
adjusted her own manners, pulling her elbows off the table.
  "Yeah," Akane said, taking a big bite of the pancake, some of the syrup
running down her chin. When she bit into the pancake, her eyes widened at
such a delicious taste. Even when she ate in restaurants it never tasted
this good.
  "Daddy makes the best pancakes," Meggie said, Jessie nodding in agreement
because her mouth was full.
  Already, her mind was wandering off. She could hear the hissing sound of
the shower as it echoed through the first floor. She couldn't believe Ranma
was now taking a shower in her bathroom. She'd probably never take a shower
again in her house without thinking that Ranma had been in the same shower
stall as her before, totally naked.
  It went on like this for several minutes, Akane unable to concentrate on
her food until the hissing of the shower stopped, when Ranma finished with
his shower. As soon as it stopped, Akane went onto eating her pancakes,
wanting to see busy when he got out.
  Ranma entered the kitchen, his hair still slightly damp. He was wearing 
different clothes, consisting of sweat shirt and a pair of jeans. When walked 
over to Meggie and gave her a kiss and then kissed Jessie. Akane stopped her 
eating, hoping that he would kiss her, hoping he was in the mood to kiss 
because of his daughters that he might accidentally kiss her. She was even 
preparing a reply for when he apologized.
  "Sorry," Ranma would have most likely said when he realized he kissed
Akane.
  "Don't worry about it," Akane would say, most likely savoring the taste of 
his salty lips "I was actually hoping you would kiss me"
  But he never kissed her. He came close though. After he kissed Jessie, he
leaned over, bringing his face near Akane's. Akane even closer her eyes,
bracing for the memorable kiss, knowing that she would never forget it.
Before he could kiss her, he pulled away, realizing what a grave mistake he
could have done. He realized that if he had accidentally kissed Akane, she
would have gotten furious, thinking he was using his daughters as an excuse
to kiss her.
  "You're just using your daughters to kiss me!" Ranma thought Akane would
say to his apology, her knuckles most likely white from her clenched fists
"You're nothing but a pervert! You probably wanted to kiss me! Well, I
never wanted you to kiss me, and here you are, using your children to kiss
me! God, you're unthinkable"
  Ranma was grateful he caught himself before he had kissed Akane. He would
have never recovered from the humiliation. His daughters would actually
question him, wondering if he had been using them. But he wasn't, he was
just very affectionate, and he tended to get caught up in the moment. The
incident where Ranma hugged Akane after she told him there was no work this
weekend was a great example of his affection. The reason for his
affectionate nature was all due to his father's abuse of him. Because he had
never been loved by his father, he never wanted his children to think that
of him. He never wanted to grow up to become the monster his father was. He
would never let his father win. If he did, then Ranma lost.
  "Hee hee.....sorry." Ranma said meekly, blushing slightly. He wanted to
make light of the incident that could have happened. He didn't want Akane to
feel uncomfortable.
  "D-don't worry," Akane replied, giving a faint smile. She wanted him to
kiss her so bad that she could actually taste his lips. She licked her lips
as if savoring his lips after they touched them, even though they didn't.
  There was a bit of silence, dreadful silence, before it was broken.
  "Aren't ya gonna eat?" Jessie asked, her voice welcomed after the
silence. Jessie was pointing toward an unattended seat, a seat next to
Akane, and in front of that seat there was a plateful of pancakes and
scrambled eggs.
  Ranma nodded, sitting down next to Akane, so close that she could smell
his shampoo. She turned her gaze and noticed that he hadn't shaved yet, the
subtle of hair still very noticeable.
  "The bathroom's free," Ranma said before taking a big bite into the
pancakes, practically putting all three pancakes into his mouth "You can
take a bath or shower now"
  Akane waited until everyone was finished with breakfast before she excused
herself, she not wanting to set a bad example to the children. Even though
he hadn't started eating until everyone was way into their meal, Ranma was
the first to finish, eating the entire meal in under double-digit bites. She
headed for the bathroom as Ranma took all the plates and began washing them
and putting them away. He even declined her offer to help. He knew that he
had to keep himself busy with washing the dishes so his thoughts won't
wander onto Akane as she took her shower. But it didn't help. When the
hissing of the shower went on, Ranma's thoughts immediately wandered from
his task and onto Akane.
  To distract himself from the thought of Akane, Ranma made his thoughts
wander onto what he planned today. He had planned to take his two daughters
to the park for a picnic. But since it was too chilly, it was best he took
them to the movies. There was this movie they had been meaning to watch, and
today was the best day. After that, he planned on taking them to the new
amusement park that just opened up.
  "Meggie, Jessie, what would ya like to do today?" Ranma asked as he
handed them a wet dish. Jessie's task was to dry them, and Meggie's task was
to put them away.
  "I wanna spend the day with Akane too," Jessie said, handing a dry dish to 
her sister, who was standing on a stool.
  "Me too," Meggie agreed, putting the dish away. She had to tiptoe on the
stool to reach the cupboard above the sink.
  Ranma thought about that for a second. He hadn't planned on including
Akane in with their plans. He assumed she had other things to do. There was
also a good reason he didn't want Akane to come along. He knew that he would
be unable to enjoy the day, him too busy trying to keep himself from taking
Akane into his arms. But then he thought of what the principal said a few
days ago.
  "Mr. Saotome, I don't know how to put this gently, bit I best say this
now before it gets worse" the principal had said. She and Ranma were standing 
in front of the school entrance "Your daughters need a motherly figure in 
their lives. I know it's hard for you to find to find someone, what with you 
having to take care of them both and all, but you have to take it into 
consideration that them not having a motherly figure in their lives for so 
many years will be bad for them. They need some female contact more often in 
their lives. And once that happens, they will turn out for the better"
  Ranma couldn't help but think of how much of an impact Akane might have on
his daughters' lives. His daughters needed a mother figure in their lives,
and Akane seemed to fit it perfectly. The girls already had a fondness for
her, just as she them. But this would create some awkward situations. How
would Ranma be able to cope with having Akane so close to his family, yet
he couldn't get close to her? But that was going to be his problem. His
daughters came first, so he would have to manage, no matter how
uncomfortable it would be for him.
  "Okay, I'll ask her if she'd like to spend the day with us," Ranma said. He 
knew this would be a long day if she said yes. He'd have to keep his distance 
from Akane while his daughters got closer to her. He'd let her know that he 
only wanted her to be with his children, doing his best to fight back telling 
her that he, too, wanted her.  
  "What're you talking about?" Akane said, entering the kitchen. She was 
wearing her white bathrobe and had a towel wrapped around her hair. She looked 
like she was more ready for bed than to have gotten out. The thought made 
Ranma wonder if that was how great she would look after a shower, before going 
to sleep with him in his bed.
  "Um, well, we were wondering," Ranma said, thinking of the best way to come 
up with an excuse to have her come along without having to bring his 
daughters' need for a motherly figure in there lives "Um, would you like to go 
to the movies with us? T-the kids insisted"
  Akane thought about it for a moment. She knew what she was getting into
if she went with them. She'd be near Ranma, in the dark, where nobody could
really see them. And that scared her. She didn't know what she might do when
nobody was watching. Sure, his daughters would be there, but they'd be too
engrossed in the movie to really notice what was happening around them.
  "I don't think I should," she said. She knew it was a bad idea. She was
already highly attracted to him, and spending more time with him would
further confirm her attraction. She immediately started going through a list
of excuses to tell him on her not being able to go along. But her mind was
too garbled with how nice it would be to spend the day with him and his
children that she came up with nothing worthwhile or plausible.
  "C'mon, Akane," the twins insisted, giving her their most puppy-dog look. 
They looked unbelievably adorable that no one could resist their charm. She 
didn't know whether to smother them in kisses or beg that they forgive her for 
even having considered not going with them.
  "Well.....," Akane said, still thinking of a plausible excuse, coming up
with nothing "I guess I can go. What're you going to see?"
  "Maison Ikkoku," Ranma replied, remembering the title clearly. His
daughters had been constantly pestering him to take them ever since it came
out on the silver screen "It's about a college student who fell in love with
the female manager of the apartment he lived in"
  Oh great, Akane thought sarcastically, just what I wanted to see with
Ranma....a love story. She knew she was getting in over her head, yet she
still went on ahead and did it.
  Sighing helplessly, knowing she was doomed to be with Ranma again, Akane
headed for the front door to fetch the newspaper for the movie listings.

  "Is it gonna start yet?" Jessie asked, tugging at Ranma's right arm. She
was sitting in the seat to the right of Ranma.
  "Yeah, is it gonna start yet?" Meggie asked, tugging at Akane's left arm.
She was sitting in the seat to Akane's left. Ranma and Akane were both
sitting next to each other, his children sitting on the outside. This was
something Akane had dreaded since they left her house on their way to the
movie theater. She was hoping she didn't have to sit next to him, hoping she
could sit as far away from him as possible. She wanted him so bad. And here
she was, sitting next to him, and she couldn't show him her feelings. She
was too scared of him telling her that he could not be with her, that he had
Ukyo.
  "It'll start soon," Ranma said, his patience unwavering. Actually, he had no 
idea when it started. He just figured his daughters wanted him to say what 
they wanted to hear.
  "I'm hungry," Jessie said, tugging at her Daddy's arm. Her head was leaning 
up against his shoulder, bother her arms wrapped around his.
  "Yeah, me too," Meggie said, reaching over to tug at Ranma's other arm, one
of her hands in Akane's lap for support.
  "Okay, I'll go get ya something," Ranma said, unhooking his arms from his 
two daughters and getting up. He gently started to scoot to his left, making 
his way for the center isle. As he passed her, Akane's gaze focused on his 
rear end, wishing he wasn't wearing jeans.
  He always had a nice butt, Akane thought as she watched Ranma exit the
dark movie theater.
  "Hey, Akane," he called out, entering the theater again, his head peeking in 
through the doors "Do you want anything also'?"
  "No thank you" she replied, feeling this warm feeling envelope her upon
realizing that he bothered to even ask her. It was a nice guesture on his
part, something she wasn't quite used to. She wasn't used to these little
guesture, she never having been with someone ever since her dad died many
years ago.
  After several moments, Ranma entered the theater, his hands full of
refreshments. He was carrying a tray full of soft drinks, candy, and popcorn.
he had four of everything.
  "I figured you would want it anyway," Ranma said to Akane, handing her her 
refreshments, as he sat down next to her. He then proceeded to give his two 
daughter their share of refreshments.
  Akane was blushing, grateful that it was dark so Ranma wouldn't have
noticed. She actually was hungry and thirsty, but she had been too prideful
to ask. She knew that she would have been thirsty as soon as the movie
started.
  "Thank you," Akane said, taking a sip of her drink, the cool soda quenching 
her thirst. She started to wonder if Ranma knew her better than she knew 
herself. It was as if Ranma knew she was thirsty, and he bothered to buy her a 
drink, despite her decline.
  Akane looked at Ranma, studying his face, his strong features. He was busy
handing Jessie her refreshments. He looked so content as he gave her the
refreshments, glad he could spoil her. It was as if his entire existence was
to take care of his children. But that wasn't what Akane thought. She, on
the other hand, thought his entire existence was to drive her hormones
absolutely crazy, and to drive her crazy.
  "I haven't done this in so long," Ranma said to no one in particular. Akane 
assumed he was talking to her. Afterall, why would he be saying this to his 
daughters, they knew everything about him.
  "Huh?" Akane asked. What did he mean by that, that he hadn't spent time
with daughters like this. She always thought he spent all his time with
them, taking them out whenever he had the time. It couldn't have meant that
he hadn't spent time with a women in a while because he had women falling
all over him, wanting to be with him, she being one of them.
  "Nevermind," Ranma said. He was just thinking out loud. He actually did mean 
he hadn't spent time with a woman in a while. Even though he was with his 
daughters, he was with a woman regardless. He hadn't been with a woman a very 
very long time. It felt great.
  The movie theater darkened completely, the few lights in back going off.
The entire movie theater went silent as the movie started. After about
fifteen minutes into the movie, Ranma whispered something into Akane's ear.
  "After the movie, we plan on going to the new amusement park," he said 
quietly, heard by no one but Akane "Would you like to come?"
  Akane thought about this for a moment, contemplating on whether or not she
should go. She wanted to be near him and his children, but she didn't want
to get hurt when he left. But she realized that it was already too late.
Even if she distanced herself now, she would still be devastated upon his
leaving, falling for Ukyo. He might already be in love with Ukyo. Hoping
against the inevitable, Akane figured it was best to spend as much time with
him and his children as possible. If he did leave....when he did leave, she
would have to cope with it. It was a part of life.
  "Yeah, I can come," she said, nodding her head also. She knew she was
dooming herself to many many sleepless nights of grief at the imminent loss.
  "Akane," Meggie asked, tugging at her arm. Her voice was soft, causing Akane 
to lean over so she could whisper into her ear.
  "Can I have some of your popcorn?" she asked, showing Akane the empty
popcorn bag.
  Akane, without conscious thought, handed her her own popcorn bag. Upon
doing this, Akane wondered how it seemed so natural to her to give some of
her own popcorn to Meggie. She felt this warm feeling envelope her when she
did that, a feeling only sharing something one cared for could evoke. Since
she had lived a long for so long, she never really did share, never could
share, all the ones she loved no longer nearby. This felt so right.
  "Thanks a lot," Meggie said in a sweet voice, reaching into the bag and 
producing a handful of popcorn, putting it all into her mouth. 
  Akane regarded Meggie for a second, noticing that there were some butter
dripping down Meggie's chin. Immediately, she reached into on of her pockets
and produced a cloth, wiping the little girls mouth and hands with it. 
  Ranma had watched out of the corner of his eye as Akane did this, wishing 
she cared for more than his children, cared for him. But she only liked his 
children, which was pretty reasonable considering they could grow on you. Even 
though she had a keen fondness for his children, it didn't mean she had to 
have
fondness of him. Besides, if she didn't like him, it didn't matter. His 
children needed a motherly figure in their lives, and Akane seemed perfect, 
and that was all that mattered. He wished that she, too, would like him, but
her liking his children was good enough. He wasn't going to pursue her 
anymore. She already made it clear that she wasn't attracted to him, and he 
was going to keep his distance. It was too bad that he could only distance 
himself from her so far because he needed his children to have a motherly 
figure in their lives.
  Ranma sighed as he tried to relax in his seat, trying to concentrate on
the movie. He handed Jessie his share of popcorn when she gave him a tug on
his arm. Thoughts crossed his mind as he watched the movie play out before
him, thoughts of how he could cope with being near the woman he loved, yet
not being able to get close to her physically, mentally, emotionally,
intimately.....
  He shook his head, hoping to rid these thoughts, much to no avail. He was
already going nuts on the inside from sitting next to her, trying all that
was in his power to prevent himself from putting his arm around her. He
could tell that she was a bit cold from temperature of the movie theater. He
wanted to put his arm around her, to keep her warm, but he couldn't. If he
did, she would view that as a form of getting close to her, which would
obviously upset her because she already made it clear she wasn't attracted
to him. She'd probably get angry at him for being so persistent. And of
course, he didn't want that to happen.
  Akane was shivering slightly as she tried to watch the movie, the
temperature of the movie theater too cold for her. She regretted not having
brought her jacket. She wanted Ranma to put his arm around her, to hold her
close to him, to keep her warm. But he never did. He just continued on
watching the movie, ignoring her, not paying any attention to her. This
further confirmed her fear, fear that he was now Ukyo's. Maybe that was why
he didn't want to put his arm around her because he wanted to be faithful.
  Sighing to herself, Akane continued watching the movie.
  
  Ranma stretched out his arms as he stepped out of the movie theater, Akane
and his children following suit. His black hair glistened against the
afternoon sun, his pig-tail fluttering in the wind, some of his bangs falling 
down over his forehead and eyes. He gently brushed them aside with a strong 
hand as he turned his attention toward his daughters and Akane.
  "You guys ready to go to the new amusement park?" he asked, kneeling low,
brushing some popcorn that happened to have gotten stuck on Jessie's shirt.
  "Yeah," the two twins yelped in joy, raising their arms high into the air,
which caused Akane to give a gentle smile as she watched. She loved how
high-spirited his daughters were, how energetic they seemed.
  Ranma extended his hands forward to take Jessie's hand, which she glad
slipped her hand into. When he extended his other hand toward Meggie, she
hesitated.
  "What's wrong, honey?" he asked, looking at her funnily. She had never
hesitated to hold his hand before. She was always the one whom initiated the
hand holding.
  "Can I hold Akane's hand?" she asked, gesturing toward Akane before
looking Ranma straight into his caring eyes. She didn't want to hurt her
Daddy, but she curious and wanted to hold Akane's hand. She had never held
hands with a female before, Ranma's hand the only one she had ever held.
  "If it's okay with her," he replied. He gave Akane a pleased look. He liked
what she did with his daughters. She liked how Meggie had grown quite fond
of her. He wanted that, wanted his daughters to grow fond of someone else
besides him. 
  Afterall, they needed a motherly figure in their lives, and Akane seemed 
right for the job. Even though she never had kids, she had this maternal 
instinct to her that was quite rare in women nowadays.
  Akane nodded as she held out her other for Meggie to take hold of, which
the little girl did happily. 
  Together, as if a family, everyone headed for the new amusement park.



Chapter 15

     "Wow, that was hard," Ranma said as he rubbed his shoulder. He had no 
idea how hard it was to beat that arm wrestling a machine Meggie asked him to 
play. He lost the first round because he wasn't expecting it but managed to 
win in the end.
  "But Daddy, I never put the second coin in," Meggie said. Ranma had somehow 
managed to beat that arm wrestling machine while it was in the locked 
position. When Akane noticed Meggie didn't put the coin in to activate the 
machine, she couldn't help but watch in disbelief as he slowly bent the 
machine's locked arm back into the winning position.
  "Can you win me that teddy bear?" Jessie said tugging at Ranma's arm
while simultaneously pointing toward a nearby booth. 
  Ranma looked down at his daughter, and then up toward the booth. There
were already several people at the booth, all of them making attempts at
winning the massive teddy bear. It was a hard task to do in order to win the
prize. There was a plate on the ground in the middle of the booth, the
railing about six feet away on both sides. Everyone was busy throwing 10 yen
coins at the plate trying to have it land and stay on the plate. The object
to winning the game was to throw a 10 yen coin toward the plate. It was very
easy to have the coin land on the plate, but the hard part was to keep it
from bouncing off. The plate was no bigger than a dinner plate, leaving
virtually no room for the coin to land and stay on.
  Ranma then looked over at the teddy bear that hung on the ceiling of the
booth, his face faulting. The bear was huge, absolutely gigantic. It was
bigger than him. It looked like it'd weigh a ton also.
  But because one of his daughters wanted it, he couldn't refuse. He'd worry
about carrying the bear home if he won......after he won.
  Akane held Meggie's hand as the two of them watched as Ranma reached into
his pocket and produced a handful of bills. He then handed the bills to the
booth attendant and received a handful of 10 yen coins. He released his grip
of Jessie.
  "Can you please hold Akane's hand," Ranma said "I don't want you wandering 
off"
  "Okay, Daddy," Jessie squeaked, hopping over to Akane, who stood nearby, 
slipping her hand into Akane's free hand.
  Ranma smiled and then turned his attention toward the booth, ready to
flick the coins. Jessie and Meggie cheered him on as he started to throw
the coins toward the plate, all of them coming close to staying, only
falling off the other side at the last second.
  After about a minute, Ranma was out of coins.
  "Man, that's harder than it looks," Ranma said, scratching his head. He was 
so sure he could get the coin to land and stay on the plate.
  "Looks like it's my turn," Akane said, reaching into her pocket, producing a 
single 10 yen coin.
  "You'll never get it," Ranma said, taking hold of his children's' hands as 
Akane stepped up to the booth.
  "And what if I do?" she dared to ask. She knew Ranma was challenging her. 
She never backed down from a challenge. She was sure she could get the coin to 
land and stay on the plate.
  "Ha, I'll...um....I'll buy you dinner," Ranma said, the first thing popping 
into his head. He actually cringed when he realized what he had said. What was 
he doing? Why did he say that? Didn't he already know that it was useless to 
pursue her? She had indicated that was wasn't attracted to him, even though 
his children were a different story.
  Akane thought about the offer for a second, wondering why he would say 
something like that. It came to her unexpectedly. She was expecting him to say 
something like, 'Then I'll admit that you're better at this than I am'. 
  She blushed a bit when she thought of him saying something like, 'If you get 
it, I'll love you for the rest of my life'. She was grateful that her back was 
to Ranma, grateful that he didn't see her blush so terribly.
  Does he really want to go out with me, Akane thought. Is this his way of
telling me that he's interested in me? Does he want to take me out to
dinner? Well, if he's really interested, I'll at least go half way.
  "Deal," Akane said, turning to face him, a smile on her lips "And I get to 
choose the restaurant,"
  Ranma nodded, starting to think what he had said wasn't that bad of an
idea. Thoughts of him and Akane going out to dinner seemed divine. He would
really like that, to spend some quality time with, the same kind of time he
would spend with his children.
  Akane turned her attention back to the plate in the middle of the booth,
a single 10 yen coin in her hands. She prayed in her mind that the coin
would land and stay on the plate. She closed her eyes and took in a deep
breath.
  She then opened her eyes and threw the coin.  

  "I wanna go on the merry-go-round," Jessie said, tugging at Ranma's arm, 
dragging him forward with her. She was pulling on his arm to speed him up. 
  Ranma followed obediently, taking one step to match Jessie's two. He
gracefully dodged the plethora of people whom happen to have been at the
amusement park at the time, lead by his daughter. As he maneuvered pass the
crowd of people, he couldn't help but notice many females giving him far
more attention than he preferred, some of their boyfriends giving him dirty
stares as he passed them.
  Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so damn handsome. His good looks got him
into more trouble than out of it. He would be constantly pestered by jealous
boyfriends, all of them scared that he would steal their girlfriends from
them. 
  Ranma handed the ride attendant two tickets, one per daughter.
  "Hey, Akane, would you like to ride with them?" he asked her as she caught 
up, Meggie running forward past him as he gave the ticket to the person, 
jumping onto a horse which was adjacent to the horse Jessie was already on.
  "How about you?" Akane asked, stepping up to him "Why don't you ride with 
them?"
  "I'd prefer not to," Ranma replied. He went on a merry-go-round with his 
daughters once, and he got terribly sick and nauseated. Just the thought of 
going around and around was already making him a bit woozy "I got sick once"
  Akane smiled. She never figured he would get sick from something like
that. It looked like nothing bothered him. He didn't even get bothered when
Ukyo kissed him, Akane thought sullenly. Her smiled disappeared as fast as
it had came upon the thought.
  "Fine, I'll go," she said, handing the ride attendant a ticket and stepping 
through the gate that led to the merry-go-round. She sat in the chariot that 
Jessie's horse carried. She had to stay away from him, remembering how he had 
responded to Ukyo's kisses. He hadn't pulled away, made no attempt to.
  Maybe it was destined the I miss that coin toss, Akane thought to herself.
Because I missed it, I won't have to go to dinner with him. She tried to
convince herself that it was all right that she had missed, but her heart
shattered when the coin had deflected off the plate, landing to the floor.
She had secretly wished that she didn't miss, secretly wished to go to dinner
with Ranma. But that would never happen, she having blown her chance.
  It was all for the better, she tried to tell herself. It would cause her a
lot less grief if she didn't get to know him that well. Maybe she shouldn't
be here, be here with Ranma and his children.
  "Can you help me buckle my belt, Akane," Jessie said, turning around in her 
saddle to speak to her. There was a buckle they were supposed to fasten so 
they wouldn't accidentally fall off.
  Akane got up off her chariot and walked over toward Jessie, buckling her 
buckle in one swift movement. She walked over to  Meggie to check if she was 
buckled up also, which she was. Satisfied that the children would be safe, 
Akane got back into her chariot.
  Maybe I shouldn't be here with Ranma, Akane thought to herself, stealing
a glance toward him. But I'm positive I want to be here with his children.
She was already attached to his daughters, and there was no reason she
should not be near then, even if she shouldn't be near their father.
  "Is this seat taken?" came a voice, a masculine and husky voice.
  Akane didn't have to look. She knew it was Ranma, her fluttering heart
telling her before her eyes did.
  She scooted over as Ranma sat next to her.
  "If you have no problem riding with my children, neither should I," he said, 
relaxing in the chariot seat, his legs stretching forward. He was up to the 
task. He didn't want to be far away from his daughters anyway. He
stretched his hands up and out, placing them on the support of seat, his hands 
almost touching one of Akane's shoulders.
  Akane blushed deeply, realizing that he practically had his hands over
her shoulder, noticing the faint smell of shampoo. She sat perfectly still,
knowing that if she budged on bit, she would touch Ranma's hand, and she
knew exactly what his touch could do to her.
  God, she thought as she kept her hands firmly on her lap, this is gonna be
one long ride.

  Ranma placed his head in the nearest wastebasket, upheaving the breakfast
he ate earlier.
  "Maybe I was wrong," he said meekly, still tasting the bile in his mouth as 
he wiped it with a napkin "Maybe I do have a problem"
  Akane couldn't help but laugh at this. She liked the extent he went
through just to be near his children. He knew he would get terribly sick
after the ride, but he went on ahead anyway.
  "Are you all right, Daddy?" Jessie asked.
  "Yeah, I'll be okay," he replied, trying to smile, which was very hard for 
him to do, considering there was an incredibly acrid taste in his mouth.
  Akane smiled as she watched this go on. She giggled inwardly as Ranma's
face faulted upon hearing that his daughters wanted to go on it again. She
listened amusedly as Ranma tried to convince his daughters that there were
a lot of other rides that were better than the merry-go-round at the
amusement park, much to no avail.
  "But I wanna go on it again," they kept insisting.
  Ranma wanted to tell them no, but he knew that since his daughters enjoyed
the ride, he was doomed to go on again just to be with them.
  As he was about to get back onto the ride, he heard his name being called
from somewhere among the crowd of people.
  When he turned his attention onto the crowd, a single individual stepped
out. He was clad in a yellow, sleeveless shirt and black jogging pants. He
definitely stood out among the crowd because his head was clad in a black
and yellow bandanna. He was a very good-looking man, almost as good-looking
as Ranma.
  Ranma's eyes lit up upon realizing who this rugged individual was. It was
his childhood friend, Ryoga Hibiki. Memories of their rivalry in elementary
school flooded into Ranma's mind, fond memories he might add. Ryoga seemed
to have despised him for always besting him in almost everything they
competed against, but he and Ranma became very good friends when they met up
several years ago, Ryoga having realized that it was childish to hold a
grudge after so many years.
  "Ryoga, how's everything going?" he said, giving his old friend a friendly
hug.
  Akane watched as these two strikingly handsome men converse, noticing that
he and Ranma stood the same height. They looked like blood brothers.
Certainly, people would actually mistaken them for that considering how
comfortable and friendly they were with each other.
  "Uncle Hibiki," Jessie and Meggie yelped out in unison, each of them 
glomping onto each of Ryoga's legs. They were very happy to see him after so 
may years.
  "Call me, Ryoga," he said in a soft and caring voice, bending down and 
picking both girls up into his muscular arms. Akane noticed that Ryoga looked 
a little more muscular than Ranma, his muscles just a tad bit larger but 
nothing too noticeable. If she weren't so sensitive to very subtle 
differences, Akane would have sworn they had the exact same build.
  "Ryoga, I'd like to introduce you to Akane, Akane Tendo," Ranma said, 
placing his arm around her, immediately pulling it away. He realized that he 
had gotten a little too used to Akane's presence.
  "Sorry," Ranma mouthed to her. She noticed he was blushing a bit. Obviously 
he was a bit embarrassed at having done what he had done.
  "Good afternoon, Tendo-san" Ryoga said pleasantly, taking her hand and 
kissing it. When his lips brushed across the back of her hand, she could feel 
the hairs on her neck stand on end "I'm Ryoga Hibiki. You may call my Ryoga"
  "A-afternoon, Ryoga," Akane said, a bit flustered. She felt this funny 
feeling in her chest, the same kind of feeling she got when she was near 
Ranma. But there was a slight difference, she felt this way when being near 
Ranma, while feeling this way when kissed by Ryoga. Clearly, her feelings 
toward Ranma were much stronger.
  "What're you doing nowadays?" Ranma asked casually. They hadn't seen each 
other in over three years, and it seemed like they were the best of friends, 
as if they had never parted.
  "Same as always, just traveling from town to town," Ryoga replied. He never 
liked staying in one placed for too long. He always liked to travel. He had 
traveled the all over world. But now, at the age of twenty-nine, the same age 
as Ranma, it was time that he started settling down. He was thinking about 
settling down somewhere north from here, somewhere near Hokkaido. He had 
visited there a long time ago, and he found it to be a pleasant place to live. 
It was a peaceful place, the perfect place to raise a family. 
  "Thinking about settling down?" Ranma asked.
  "Uh huh," Ryoga nodded. It was about time he started a family. He wasn't 
getting any younger.
  "Daddy, I wanna go on da merry-go-round again," Jessie said, tugging at 
Ranma's arm while Meggie tugged at his other, saying the exact same thing. 
From where the twins were positioned at his sides, it sounded like they were 
saying it in stereo.
  "Okay okay," Ranma surrendered, picking bother twins up into his arms after 
handing three tickets to the ride attendant. He proceeded onto the ride, a 
twin under each arm.
  "You want to ride with us?" he added, looking toward Akane and then Ryoga. 
He was hoping they would both come along.
  "I'd guess so," Akane said, giving in to the pleading looks Jessie and
Meggie were giving her. She knew they wanted her to ride along with them.
Even though they were upside down in Ranma's arms, she still couldn't
resisted their puppy-dog face. She handed the ride attendant a ticket and
stepped through the gate, taking her seat in the chariot she sat in before.
  "I'd love to but I don't have a ticket," Ryoga said, reaching into his 
pockets and pulling out nothing but some lint.
  "I've got an extra ticket," Ranma said, placing both his daughters on the 
horses they rode on before, and then reaching into his pocket and producing an 
extra ticket, handing it to the ride attendant for Ryoga.