Ranma dressed while Akane waited outside his door. He reveled in the antsy feeling that was growing because he was away from Akane for too long. When he was finished, he stood and looked around his room. It was messy. Two futons lay on the floor, clean sheets were stacked in one corner, dirty sheets in another corner, their empty food bowls were on the tray and the tray pushed against a wall, little bits of Akane’s presence were scattered about the room. He smiled slightly at the thought of this being the way his and Akane’s room would be once they got married. Suddenly, he needed to be with Akane. He opened his door and pulled her into his room, closing the door behind her.
“Let’s get married, Akane. Soon, like tomorrow. Please, Akane?” She stared up him, wide eyed, and then she smiled. His knees went weak.
“Oh, Ranma, yes. I would like that very much.” She hugged him tightly.
~~~~~~
Ranma held tightly to Akane’s hand. Being around so many people made him nervous. He hadn’t been around people and reacted to them in such a long time. Akane’s warm, smooth hand in his calmed him and helped him keep control. Unfortunately, it also distracted him. He kept remembering that it had touched him. He also kept remembering scenes from some of those dreams that Akane had first told him he’d had.
Ranma shook his head, chasing away the fantasies. Everyone had shown up for the party Kasumi had set up. It was a celebration party. Sayuri, Yuka, Hiroshi, Disuke, Ukyo, Ryoga, Konatsu, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, Akane’s family, and Ranma’s family were all there. Several other students from their school were also there taking advantage of Kasumi’s excellent cooking. He accepted pats on the back and teasing comments about his and Akane’s relationship. To his surprise, Akane handled the more profane teasing very well. She smiled and made some of her own comments back, sending some of the worst of the boys into wild blushes. Ranma leaned over after one particularly dirty comment and whispered in Akane’s ear, “Where did you learn that?” She grinned up at him.
“Where do you think, Ranma? You were the one talking in your sleep.” Ranma’s eyes widened and he turned a brilliant red. The fantasies came rushing back with a vengeance.
~~
Shampoo hung around the edge of the crowd, not really wanting to be there. Kasumi had invited them. She did not want to see the way Ranma held Akane, the way he touched her and looked at her. She also didn’t want to see the jumpy nervousness in both of them. They seemed uneasy and she couldn’t help but to feel that this was her fault.
She inched back into a shadow as Akane’s eyes swept the party and prayed the girl would miss her. She didn’t. Shampoo’s eyes widened as Akane leaned up and whispered something to Ranma. Ranma frowned and shook his head. Akane said something else. Ranma’s face tightened and Akane wrapped her arms around him. After a long moment of just looking at each other, Ranma nodded unhappily. For the first time that night, Akane left Ranma’s side.
~~
Akane steeled herself as she neared the Amazon. It had taken her sometime, but she had decided that she wasn’t going to be angry with the Amazons. She just needed to talk to Shampoo.
“Hello, Shampoo,” she said softly. Shampoo winced.
“Akane.”
“How are you?” Shampoo stared at her confused.
“Shampoo no understand.”
“I’m just asking how you are?”
“Why?” Akane sighed.
“I’m not angry, Shampoo. You didn’t know it would happen and, if I understand rightly, you don’t even know how it happened.”
“Shampoo no know,” she agreed shaking her head. “Shampoo sorry. She no want to cause pain.”
“You did too. Just not this much. Don’t look at me like that. You and I were rivals. You had to have wanted to cause me some pain. I wanted to cause you pain on several occasions.” Shampoo hesitated and then nodded.
“Shampoo no like how you treated Ranma. Thought you too mean.”
“I can understand that,” Akane said with a sigh.
“Shampoo really sorry,” the young Amazon said softly after a slight pause. Akane touched her arm.
“I believe you, Shampoo. I forgive you.” Shampoo bit her lip but the tears fell anyway.
“Shampoo give up Ranma. No cause more pain.” Akane smiled and pulled the girl into a hug.
“Thank you, Shampoo.” She too cried.
~~
Ranma watched Akane as she talked to Shampoo. He was not happy with her not being right next to him and he was not happy with her approaching the cause of their problems. He jumped when Akane hugged Shampoo. The Amazon buried her face in Akane’s shoulder. He could see her shoulders heaving. He wondered just what had gone on. Well, Akane would tell him later.
~~
Near the end of the evening, Ranma stood up and cleared his throat. Almost immediately everyone quieted. They all stared at him expectantly.
“Akane and I have an announcement to make. We have decided that we are going to marry as soon as possible.” The crowd burst out into cheers and applause. Soun and Genma jumped up and hugged their children tightly. Ranma rolled his eyes at Akane. She giggled back at him.
“You should have known this was going to happen, baka. I mean, they’ve only been wanting us to get married for almost two years.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ranma groused. Suddenly, his head jerked up and his eyes glowed briefly. “Oh. Hey. I gotta talk to you.” He reached out and grabbed Akane’s hand, pulling her loose from their parents. He fled up to the roof with her.
He held her close and breathed in her scent.
“Geez, I missed that.”
“Missed what?” Akane asked, peering up at him.
“The rush of emotion that you send through me.” Akane blushed and looked away.
“What did you need to talk about?”
“Ah. My curse.” He felt Akane stiffen in his arms and paused. He wrongly interpreted her unease as rejection. His arms unwound from around her. He started to walk away when Akane’s soft voice stopped him.
“If you don’t like me being attracted to your female side, then I don’t know what to tell you.” Ranma nearly tripped over his own feet. He spun and stared at Akane’s back.
“You’re attracted to my female side?” he asked, his disbelief obvious. He could almost see Akane’s wry grin in his mind.
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I am most definitely attracted to your male side more than your female side. I wasn’t really attracted to ‘Ranma- chan’ until I accepted and admitted that I loved you.” Akane turned around to face him. “Listen very carefully to me, Ranma. I don’t know if I can say this again. I am willing to have sex with your female side. I might even make moves on you when you’re in that form. Hell, I already have.” Ranma found himself weirded out by the thought. He was excited by the idea, but at the same time his manhood felt threatened. Akane read it in his eyes. She chuckled and stepped close to him.
“Don’t think of this as your male side not being good enough for me. Rather think of it as your manliness, your desirability as a man, spilling over onto your female side.” Ranma’s eyes bugged at the thought. That was defiantly a new perspective. Ranma found he liked it. He grinned at her.
“All right. I’ll do that.” He reached out and pulled her tight against him. Akane sank willingly into his arms and his kiss.
~~~~~~
Akane giggled as Ranma pulled her along. She planted her feet firmly and braced herself. Ranma jerked as she pulled him to a halt.
“What was that for?” he asked. She grinned at him.
“We’re here, baka.”
“What?” He frowned and looked around. He started when he realized that she was right. “Huh. I thought it was much further along.” Akane giggled.
“It was. She moved it here.”
“Why?”
“This place is bigger. We were locked up in your room when the change occurred. Oh, yeah. She also said it was because there are more rooms up top.” Akane’s grin got bigger. Ranma was perplexed.
“More rooms? Why would she need more rooms?”
“Because Ryoga’s moving in with her. He’s trying to settle down and she offered to help him. Apparently, they’ve been getting closer since we got together.” Ranma’s eyes widened.
“Ohhh.” He grinned back at her. “Hey. That’s cool.”
“Yeah. It is. Come on, baka. Let’s go in.” She didn’t have to tell him twice. He dragged her into the restaurant.
“Ucchan! Where are you? Your two favorite customers are here! Ucchan!”
“All right, all right. I’m coming. Jeez, not only do you show up early, but you also have to shout at the top of your lungs. What is your problem, Ranchan?” Ukyo appeared from her back room, adjusting the giant spatula on her back. She frowned at Ranma. He grinned at her sheepishly.
“I’m hungry,” he said. Akane rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm.
“Baka,” she said as she sat down. “The place looks good, Ukyo.”
“Thanks, sugar. I put a lot of work into it.” She smiled at Akane, noting the scars on her wrists. She hadn’t seen any of the signs of Akane’s three-week struggle until now. She had worn long sleeves or some of Ranma’s leather vembraces between the time she had gotten out of the hospital and Ranma had gotten rid of the Soul of Ice. Ukyo was startled at how long they were. They ran almost up to her elbow. She realized just how determined Akane had been to kill herself looking at the scars. Ukyo’s brow furrowed as she found herself considering what life would have been like had one of Akane’s attempts succeeded. Ranma most certainly wouldn’t be here. She had seen him only once during that time and it had scared her. Ranma’s soft voice broke her concentration.
“I wouldn’t think about it too much, Ucchan. If you become obsessed with what could have happened, you won’t be able to deal with what is happening.” She looked up at him to see his light eyes staring at her intently. She realized that he knew what he was talking about. His light behavior only covered the deep changes that had taken place recently. Ukyo looked over at Akane. Her eyes held the same depths that Ranma’s had gained. What ever would happen now, the light carefree past could never be recaptured. She sighed.
“I’m sorry. I just-I hadn’t seen-realized-”
“He said not to think about it, Ukyo.” Akane smiled at her sweetly. Ukyo nodded.
“Where’s the pig?” Ranma asked. His tone was a cross between curiosity and hesitancy. He still was not sure if Akane wanted to see Ryoga.
“I’m right here, and if you don’t stop calling me a pig, Ranma, I-” Ryoga broke off when he caught sight of Akane. She bit her lip and took a deep breath. She looked up at him. He was staring at her, his expression tight. A small smile crept up onto her lips.
“Hi, Ryoga.” He broke out into a relieved smile.
“Hi, Akane. How are you?” Akane’s smile widened slightly.
“Better. Better.” She laughed suddenly and jumped up to hug Ryoga. He froze and then, slowly, hugged her back.
“Akane?” She pulled back to wipe tears from her cheeks.
“Life’s too short to stay mad forever. You made a mistake, but you were a good friend and I hope you will continue to be a good friend.” Ryoga nodded.
“Yeah. I will. Thank you.” Akane waved him off and returned to her seat.
“Like I said life’s too short.” Ranma reached out and squeezed her hand. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Okay. Now. We came here for a reason. Ranma, do you want to go first?”
“Sure. Ryoga, I was wondering if you’d like to be my best man.” Ryoga stared at him shocked.
“What?”
“I said would you like to be my best man? You know, when Akane and I get married.”
“Why me?” Ranma shrugged.
“Like Akane said you’ve been a good friend.”
“All we’ve ever done is fight.”
“Yeah, but all she and I did was fight,” Ranma retorted, inclining his head at Akane. She grinned at Ryoga. He smiled back and shook his head.
“All right. I’ll be your best man.”
“Thanks. Okay, your turn.” Akane nodded.
“Ukyo, will you be my other bride’s maid? Kasumi is my maid of honor, Nabiki is a bride’s maid, and I’d like you to be my other one.” Ukyo leaned across the counter to hug Akane, tears in her eyes.
“Of course I will! Did you need to ask?” The girls laughed.
The four friends talked all day long. They talked knowing that things had changed and would never be the same and yet, while they would never be the same, this was something new. This was something to be cherished along with their memories. They knew that they had survived times that others might not have and that they had come out good people, strong people. It was an accomplishment to be proud of.
~~~~~~
White streamers hung around the room, laced with red ones. Balloons also decorated the walls as well as floated low over the ground. Bouquets of white lilies, carnations, and roses lined the aisle and adorned the front where the bride and groom would stand. Everyone was standing, waiting for the bride, but none waited with as much anticipation as the groom. He stood at the front, his hands folded before him, stiff with nerves. His breath caught as the door slid open and his future wife appeared. She was beautiful. The bodice of her dress hugged her body tightly. The skirt flared slightly away from her hips and hung long and flowing down to her feet. Pearls decorated the smooth silk and delicate lace. Her veil hung behind her head from a coronet of white pearls. She had refused to wear a veil over her face. It stood for her now open eyes. For the knowledge that there had once been much she had been blind to and now knew of. It stood for the admitting of her love for her husband, the man waiting for her with eyes filled with appreciation and gratitude.
~~
Ryoga reached out and poked Ranma in the side. He didn’t notice and Ryoga hissed at him, “Breathe, Ranma.” The groom let exhaled in a sigh. He began to breath again.
Ranma watched Akane walk toward him, her eyes locked with his. They were aware of no one else and nothing else.
She stood before him, handing her bouquet to her sister and sliding her hands into his. The warm jolt of electricity ran up his arms. The priest’s voice whispered in their ears, a soft chanting music to the pounding of their hearts. It wasn’t until their turn to speak came that they became aware of the world around them.
~~
“It took me a long time to admit that I loved you. I was scared of what it could mean. I was scared of what would change. I was scared I wouldn’t hear you say you loved me too. Then, I nearly lost you. I struggled to breathe while you were in the hospital. I was facing the reality of life without you. In truth, when I thought about life without you, I could see nothing. I didn’t just see darkness; I saw nothing. Without you I had no life. Now that I have you, Akane, I am never letting go. You are mine and I will die before I let something happen to you. I will die before I let go of you. Not even death will part us, Akane.”
“I used to fight so hard to keep control. I fought those boys at school because they wanted control of me and I wasn’t going to let them have it. I fought you because that would be giving up part of my life against my will. I fought my love for you because that is the ultimate loss of control. I was scared of not having control and then, I just let go, and I found it was better to love you than have control. I found that your love was infinitely more satisfying than control. I found that your touch was far more addicting than being in control. It didn’t matter anymore that I was helpless against those puppy-dog eyes of yours. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t say no to you when you looked me in the eye. It just didn’t matter. Nothing else will matter as much as being with you. I have found in you my other half. I have found a piece of myself that has been missing. I have found it and I will cherish it more than any memory. You are mine and I will never give you up.”
~~
“I would like to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ranma and Akane Saotome.”
Those gathered to celebrate their marriage rose to their feet. Joyous shouts rose into the air. Akane clothed Ranma’s arm and smiled up at him. He bent down and kissed her softly. They walked down the aisle to the lawn where it was decorated for a party. As they walked congratulations were called out. The newlywed couple accepted them with gratitude.
~~
Ukyo bit back a joyful sob as she watched them dance together. Akane had her head resting against Ranma’s chest. His head was bowed so that he could hear her whispered words. He held her tightly. Ukyo gripped Ryoga’s hand.
“They look so happy,” she said.
“Good. It’s about time something went right for them. It was a beautiful wedding.” Ukyo grinned at Ryoga. His tone changed so quickly. First he was fierce and then soft and sweet. He smiled back at her.
“It was. I hope things continue to go well for them. They’ve earned this.”
“Yes. They have.”
Chapter6