Disclaimers: I do not own Ranma ½, no matter how much I'm willing to pay for it.
A/N: This is just a nice little Christmas romance. It'll be I'm planning only two chapters. Oh and for all you guys that are waiting for Expect the Unexpected to be updated, I'm sorry but it won't be updated soon. I'm putting that story on a little break because I've run out of ideas for it.
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Chapter One
It was a cold wintry day in Nerima. A young, short woman around 20 stands in front of the gates of the Tendo Dojo. The wind flowing through her short black hair.
"Akane, come inside!" A voice called out. A tall, slim young woman with brown eyes and hair that was tied back with a white ribbon, came out and stood next to her little sister. She wrapped a comforting arm around Akane's shoulder.
"Not yet Kasumi," Akane said back.
"Akane he'll be back in time for Christmas, he promised he would. You know very well that he always keep his promises," she said reassuringly.
"I know, but I just can't help worrying that he'll forget," her voice held a hint of discouragement.
"Akane that's nonsense, you know deep down in your heart he'll be back," she said calmly. "Now why don't you go inside and warm up with a cup of tea." Kasumi stared at her intently.
"Okay," Akane said reluctantly. Both sisters turned and headed back into the warmth of the house away form the chilling wind.
^. ^ ^. ^ ^. ^
Kasumi walked into the living room with two cups of tea. She placed both carefully down upon the low coffee table. Then she gently sat down at one side of the square table, across from her sat Akane. The two sisters just sip their tea in silence. One wanting to get some answers, the other wanting to go to her room and sleep from the hours she stayed awake waiting for him… Ranma. After some time passed the front door could be heard opening and then shutting. There was the faint sound of footsteps, which grew louder with each step. Soun a medium height, brown-eyed lady with short brown hair walked in. It was the middle Tendo sister, Nabiki. She eyed the scene before her carefully and felt the tension in the air. She decided to break this awkward silence.
"So she was waiting outside again for Ranma?" She directed the question towards Kasumi. Kasumi just nodded her head. Nabiki shook her head in disbelief. It had been like this since the beginning of the week. It had been a week since Ranma left on some cocky bull trip with Ryouga and Mousse. Mousse had reason to believe that he had found a cure for their Jusenkyo curses. Ranma wanting to get rid of having to be a girl when splashed with cold water was all for the expedition. Though for the life of them, they didn't really understand why Ryouga was going. He was insisting that it was all to help Ranma, but Ranma kept saying otherwise. Two days ago had marked a week since Ranma's departure, and the start of Akane's depression. She didn't eat or sleep much. She just stands in front of the gates waiting and hoping. It was beyond Nabiki and Kasumi on why she waited. She always claimed she didn't care for him, even after over 4 years. Nabiki decided that now was the time for answers. She went and sat down next to Kasumi so she could face Akane. "Akane why do you care so much?" She asked.
"I don't," she answered evenly.
"If you don't care so much, then why are you always outside waiting. Are you that worried for Ranma's safety?"
"NO!" Akane rushed out; she looked at the disbelief on her sister's faces and changed her answer. "Yes I do," she said feebly. Kasumi smiled a broad smile.
"So does this mean you care for Ranma, more than you show?" Kasumi ventured on dangerous grounds. But she figured if Akane could admit that she cared for his safety, then maybe she cared for him as more than a friend. Akane glared at her sister ruefully.
"That doesn't mean that at all!" She exclaimed.
"Then quit waiting outside," Nabiki said coolly.
"I will do no such thing!" She proclaimed.
"You will! Cause I'm sick of you doing nothing but standing outside. If it's not because you care, then why? Why are you wasting your time?!" Nabiki shrieked with all her anger showing. Akane sat baffled at her sister's outburst. The realization of something then just hit her, and she felt tears begin to well up. Kasumi didn't miss the lone tear that made its way down her cheek.
"Nabiki, that was a little harsh. Don't you think so?" She let out.
"NO!" Nabiki snapped. "You're part of this problem! Every time! Every time Kasumi!" Nabiki's ice queen demeanor was quickly fading. "Every time we ask, we get a 'no' answer! Well it was all cutesy in high school, but for god's sake Akane! You're 20 years old! Your and Ranma's fights were amusing, but now they're plum dumb and exhausting!" She screamed at Akane's tear streaked face, then threw her arms in the air in exasperation.
"Now are you done Nabiki?" Kasumi asked politely.
"Yes," she muttered. "Good, now it's my turn. Akane dear, her words might be hurtful, but she is absolutely right. You just don't understand how stressful it is to watch you and Ranma morning after morning. If you dislike him, then why not kick him out of the house," Kasumi saw Akane flinch at the thought and smiled. She decided to venture on some more dangerous grounds. "If he decides to marry another fiancée, what would you do?" Kasumi calmly questioned.
"I would kill him!" She hissed. It was Nabiki's turn to be baffled. If her sister hated him as much as she claimed, then why get so jealous if he just ups and goes to marry another. Then Nabiki realized the reason, and a sly smile made it's way up her face. 'Now we're getting somewhere.' Nabiki thought.
"Why would you do that? If you don't care for him, then why should you care who he marries?" Nabiki asked.
"Because… because I…" Akane began. 'Can I tell them? Can I really tell them? I mean they might tell daddy, and that'll lead to us getting married. But if that happens, it'll be a one-sided love marriage. I mean Ranma doesn't love me. He's denied it so many times; I've lost count. Then again, so have I. Maybe he's just acting like I am… or maybe he truly is repulsed at the idea of me being his wife. I hope it's the first one.' Akane thought.
"Because you what Akane?" Nabiki was beginning to smile inwardly. 'Soon, she'll tell us soon.' She thought.
"Because I…" Akane began again. 'If I tell them maybe they could help. Then things will become so much easier for me. I'll tell them.' She made up her mind. "Because I do care for him. Okay, you happy now?" She spat out.
"Yes, I'm very happy," Nabiki said. Both her and Kasumi began to give her wicked smiles. Akane began to get a nervous look.
"Finally, you've admitted it. I was beginning to get worried!" Kasumi exclaimed. Akane stared open mouthed at her statement.
"What did you mean by that?" Akane eyed them suspiciously.
"Well, Akane dear, Nabiki and I thought for quite a while that you have feelings for Ranma, and that the fights you put on were just a charade for all of us," she answered.
"You knew?!" Akane asked incredulously.
"Of course we knew. Akane you naïve person, this is Kasumi and me you're talking about. We know about everything that happens in this house," Nabiki stated.
"True," Akane muttered. "Which is why Ranma and I never have any privacy. Which is why I probably never get the chance to tell him anything important," she mumbled under her breath.
"Did you say something?" Nabiki inquired.
"UM… yeah, I said I'm tired," she lied.
"You must be Akane. I mean you barely get any rest now a days. Why don't you go take a nap," Kasumi offered.
"That's a great idea. I think I'll do just that," Akane said getting up. "I'll see you guys at dinner," she said, and then left the room.
"That went very well, don't you agree Kasumi?" Nabiki asked.
"Yes, I think it did go well," Kasumi said, very cheery.
^. ^ ^. ^ ^. ^
Akane sat on her bed staring at a letter she got at the beginning of the week. "Ranma…" She whispered into the air. She began to read the letter for what seemed like the hundredth time.
'Hey Akane,
We just reached who knows where. All I know is we just might be getting closer; we're following that god-forsaken map of Mousse's. We're doing just fine for three traveling rivals, so you don't have ta worry for my… our safety like you did when I went to fight Herb. Ryouga sends his regards, and Mousse says hi. He also says that if you walk in on us in the furo again, to not just stand there and stare, or just up and hug me. Though I didn't mind much. Tell everyone hi; even Ukyo and Shampoo no matter how much you don't want to. See you when I get back tomboy. Also remember, I'll be home for Christmas. So don't worry.
Ranma
P.S. I should be sending you a letter soon after this one. Also don't hit me about the tomboy remark, it just makes you more uncute.'
Akane smiled at the letter. " 'I'll be home for Christmas,' that's what he said," Akane said to no one. Akane then turned and looked at the calendar. "Christmas is in three days and I still haven't heard of any signs that he'll be home anytime soon." She sighed in frustration. "That idiot better keep his promise, or when he gets home he'll be one sorry man," she vowed to her empty room. Then the weariness she had from lack of sleeping that last two days was finally catching up to her. She quickly drifted into sleep, dreaming of a certain pigtailed martial artist named Ranma Saotome.
^. ^ ^. ^ ^. ^
"Achoo!" A tall, muscular young man with striking blue eyes and jet-black hair tied into a pigtail sneezed. He was wearing a long sleeved red silk chinese shirt, with loose black pants, and carrying light pack. "Someone must be talking about me," he muttered to no one in particular, but his two traveling companions still heard the remark. Both companions were tall, but one had a black hair, the bangs held up by a yellow bandanna with black spots, he had brown eyes, was wearing a yellow tank top, black pants with yellow strings tied criss crossed up to mid calf, and was wearing a huge pack with a red umbrella strapped to it. The other companion head shoulder length brown hair, wearing thick glasses that covered sparkling green eyes, wearing a long white chinese robe that stopped at his ankles, with loosed black training pants underneath, and was also carrying a pack.
"Maybe it's your fiancée," the boy with glasses jested.
"Shut up Mousse!" Ranma snapped at him.
"Oh but which one?" The bandanna boy joined the fun.
"Why Akane of course, Ryouga!" The one called Mousse cheered.
"Yeah, since when doesn't Akane talk about him," Ryouga muttered, a tint of misery in his voice.
"You should know shouldn't you P-chan?!" Ranma's voice held a hint of anger in it. Remembering Ryouga's pig curse and how when he was a pig, he was Akane's precious 'P-chan' who slept with her. He growled at the thought.
"RANMA DON'T CALL ME THAT! You know very well that Akane hasn't seen P-chan for two years!" Ryouga shouted angrily. Mousse just walked over to a near by rock and sat on it. He shook his head in disbelief.
'Fighting over the same thing again. It's a wonder one of them isn't dead yet.'
Mousse thought to himself."Yeah, that makes me real happy!" Ranma shouted. Mousse sighed in frustrating.
'Akane is the topic of discussion for the last week. They are CRAZY!'
Mousse shouted in his mind."What's that suppose to mean?!" Ryouga yelled, throwing his pack onto the ground.
"Am I suppose ta be happy that the reason you aren't sleeping with my fiancée is because you got engaged when P-chan's sudden disappearance happened?! Yeah right!" Ranma also threw his pack to the dirty ground.
"No! But I think you should quit calling me P-chan, and leave my wife out of this!" His fist clenched in anger.
"I wasn't bringing Akari into this Ryouga! I only said that your engagement shouldn't be the reason you stop sleepin' with my fiancée!" Ranma's fists were also twitching, barely able not to go up to Ryouga and punch him senseless.
"Hey, if it were up to me, both of you would stop fighting over Akane," Mousse commented.
"BUTT OUT!" Both guys shouted in unison.
"Besides, it wasn't my engagement which stopped me! I would've stopped doing that years ago!" Ryouga shouted at Ranma's face, which held an expression of utter disbelief.
"Sure ya did," Ranma muttered.
"Listen here Ranma, for you to even want to marry someone you have to love them!"
"I know that FOOL!"
"Then if I proposed to Akari that would mean I would've had to have thought real hard about it and know I love her and she loved me!"
"So?"
"That means while I was in Akane's bed, I wasn't in love with her!" After Ryouga shouted that, everyone had a different reaction. Mousse sat up straighter and glued his eyes to the boys in front of him.
'This is finally starting to get good.'
He thought.Ryouga paled, realizing he shouldn't have said what he did, after seeing the look on Ranma's face.
Ranma's face contorted in anger. "So Ryouga," he started casually, walking towards the scared stiff boy, while cracking his knuckles. "You've been sleeping in my fiancée's bed, and you didn't even love her!" He hollered. Ryouga opened his mouth to speak but Ranma cut him off. "At first I was giving you a little slack because you said you 'loved' her! But you are nothing but a sick pervert!" Ranma lunged his body, and started throwing punches at Ryouga.
"I am not a pervert. I stayed because I needed to be sure of something!" Ryouga tried to shout, dodging Ranma's fists.
"And what the hell was it, that mad you stay?" Ranma stopped, giving Ryouga a look which said 'your answer better be a good one.' Ryouga sighed in relief.
"I needed to know if Akane would be taken care of. I wanted to make sure that you'll be there to make sure she's safe," Ryouga responded. Ranma gave Ryouga an incredulous look.
"You doubted that I would protect her?!" Ranma yelled, his tone full of anger and disbelief. "You think I would ever let anything happen to her?!" Ryouga just stared in shock from Ranma's reaction. "Damn it Ryouga, answer me!" Ranma commanded.
"Yea-yeah I did," he answered meekly. 'What am I doing? Letting Ranma scare me. I'll tell him the truth.' Ryouga made up his mind. "How can I not doubt it? You have three fiancées Ranma! You haven't even shown that you care for any of them! I mean you could go and run off with Ukyo or Shampoo and leave Akane broken hearted!" Ryouga shouted, his courage coming back to him.
"Why would that tomboy be broken hearted?!" Ranma mumbled. Mousse decided now was the time to step in.
"Saotome are you that blind? Everyone can see that Akane Tendo does indeed love you. If you can't see that, then you are more blind than I am," Mousse stated.
"She doesn't love me," Ranma stated back.
"She does Ranma. When I'm P-chan, I hear her talk about nothing but you. How mad you made her that day, or how worried she is for your safety, or how stupid you can be, or how much she loves you. You are always on her mind." Ranma's disbelief started to leave him. But it wasn't totally gone. Ryouga saw that he hadn't won yet, so he decided to pull out the big guns. "Ranma, sometimes she cries herself to sleep because she love you so much. But she doesn't believe you two would ever get together. She thinks that you hate her, and love one of the other girls. She's so upset with the thought, that she cries to sleep," Ryouga said solemnly. Comprehension dawned on Ranma.
'What he's saying is so true.'
Ranma thought. He started to remember those nights where he stayed above Akane's room, and he could barely make out some crying noises. Or the morning after where he would see Akane come out of her room with a tear streaked face. When he asked about it, she would just look at him with really sad eyes, and it seemed like she was going to cry again. He never realized it was because of him. "She does love me doesn't she?" He asked himself, barely audible. But Mousse and Ryouga heard him."Yes she does. Now that you got that through your thick skull, how do you feel about her?" Mousse asked.
"I… well I um… I love her too," he said sheepishly. Ryouga and Mousse had triumphant smiles on their faces.
"Good, I knew you would say that. Now what are you going to do?" Ryouga asked.
"I don't know," he muttered. Then he thought of something. "How many more days until Christmas?"
"I believe it's three," Mousse replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I've got a plan, but we have got to start heading home."
"What! We didn't even find this place and you want to give up?!" Mousse shouted.
"Look, it's probably a lost cause, and I promised that tomboy I would be home for Christmas. If I want to make it, we have ta leave now. Besides I need ta pick some things up along the way for my plan to work." Ranma explained, already picking up his pack and running.
"Should we follow him?" Mousse asked Ryouga.
"Well it is getting really close to Christmas, and I want to send it with Akari. So let's!" Ryouga shouted. He too picked up his pack and him and Mousse ran towards Ranma. "So what's this great plan of yours?" Ryouga asked Ranma, when he finally caught up to him.
"You'll see. All I'm saying, is that this plan will show Akane how much I love her!" He had a mischievous grin plastered onto his face. "Oh, and Ryouga, I'm going to hurt you when this is all over!" Ranma tone promised endless pain. Ryouga flinched at the thought but continued onward. Nothing else was said and the three continued the run towards Nerima, making various stops to get things needed for Ranma's 'plan.'
A/N: That's it for chapter one. The next and finally part should up on Christmas or after. Depends. Well until next time, sayonara!