Up there, it was as if nothing and no one else existed but the two of them - and the stars.
All characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc... I just write this stuff for fun and because I love Ranma ½ so much. Hope you enjoy it! Oh... and watch out for the cheese - this one gets rather sticky. C&C are gladly welcomed.
The pale glow of Akane's desk lamp bathed her room in an eerie
yellow light, casting long shadows on the wall. Several books
were spread open on the desk; a couple of her notebooks, many
sheets of paper as well. It had an air of pleasant clutter about
it.
Akane herself was lying on her bed, hugging one of her stuffed
toys to her chest, staring at the shadows on the wall. She was
tired from studying since after dinner, but at the moment she
was too wound up to sleep. Funny, it seemed that she could study
much better when Ranma was stretched out on her bed doodling in
his notebooks, pretending to be doing his homework. But of course
Ranma, being Ranma, refused to study on a weekend.
She loved this room; it was her sanctuary. It was the one place
she could run and tell her troubles to like an old friend. Tonight,
though, she felt as if something was missing from it.
Akane closed her eyes and let the familiar sounds of the night
wash over her. From below her she could hear Father and Uncle
Saotome loudly playing shogi and sharing sake - something they
did every night. Kasumi's gentle humming was barely audible as
she tidied up the kitchen for the day, and Akane felt, rather
than heard, her sweet, cheerful melody. From Nabiki's room, the
clacking sound of an abacus and the occasional merry jingle of
coins broke the silence.
Akane smiled, comforted by the sounds of home. Seemed that everyone
was accounted for except…
A soft knock on her door intruded into her thoughts. "Akane,
may I come in?"
"Sure, Kasumi, the door is open," Akane said, sitting
up and giving her eldest sister a welcoming smile. Kasumi came
in carrying a few of Akane's school uniforms and clothes in her
arms. Akane reached for them and placed them on her bed.
"Thanks for the laundry, Oneechan," Akane said picking
up her stuffed toy once more. "I'll put them away later."
Kasumi sat down on the bed beside her and brushed Akane's hair
off her forehead. "Studying so hard on a weekend, Akane?"
Kasumi asked.
Akane shrugged. "Nothing better to do," she said, glancing
at the framed photograph Ranma had given her for Christmas sitting
on her desk, almost covered by the pile of books on it. She sighed
softly and leaned her head on Kasumi's shoulder, feeling tired
and rather lonely.
"Have you heard that there's going to be a meteor shower
tonight?" Kasumi asked, putting her head on top of Akane's.
"They said so on the news this evening… just before
eleven. Perfect night for gazing, they said, no clouds in the
sky and there's a new moon, too. Are you sleepy? It's only an
hour from now, you might want to stay awake and wait for it."
Akane nodded. "I think I will - thanks for telling me,"
she replied. Akane would not miss it for anything. Well…
almost anything. She loved looking at the stars. When she was
stargazing, it felt like she was staring into forever. "Are
you going to stay awake for it, too, Kasumi?"
Kasumi gently eased off Akane's head from her shoulder and gave her forehead a final affectionate brush. "I think not," she said, smiling as she stood up. "I'll be waking up early tomorrow morning, so I guess I should turn in early, too."
"Good night, Oneechan," Akane said, also standing up
as Kasumi opened the door. "I think I'll wait for the meteor
shower outside... I don't want to waste a good night of stargazing!"
"Have fun, Akane-chan!" Kasumi said, pausing at the
door, her brow lined thoughtfully. "And don't forget to wear
your jacket out… it's quite cool up there on the roof. I
also left some hot water on the stove in case you might want some
tea or hot chocolate later tonight."
"On the roof?" Akane asked, a frown of puzzlement crossing
her face.
"The view is best up there." Kasumi smiled. "Good
night, Akane-chan." With that she eased out of the room and
closed the door.
Akane walked to the window and stuck her head out. The sky was
indeed a clear midnight blue, lit only by thousands and thousands
of stars. On their own, they cast a silver light on the garden
and the koi pond below. It wasn't too nippy… she could do
without a jacket.
Silently, she made her way to the laundry porch, passing her sisters'
rooms and Ranma's room on the way. There were lights shining under
each of them, even Ranma's. Since Uncle Saotome was still downstairs
with her father, then Ranma was probably inside. She paused outside
his door for a moment hesitating - then, thinking better of it,
went onto the laundry porch.
Even from there, the view of the sky was magnificent. But something
was calling her up to the roof. She bit her lip, considering;
after a moment she began to carefully work her way onto the roof.
The climb was worth it, she realized, looking up at the sky. From
here she could pretend that she was floating in space and nothing
existed but the stars and herself and…
"Akane."
She felt his presence before she saw him or heard him say her
name. She turned and found him looking at her curiously, sitting
at his favorite spot on the roof, long legs stretched out before
him.
"Ranma," she said with a smile, walking over to him.
"Do you mind?" she asked, already sensing that he didn't.
"'Course not," Ranma answered, scooting over and gesturing
to a spot beside him. He slipped a hand under her elbow and gently
supported her as she took a seat beside him. He smiled at her
absently. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked
- then flushed visibly. "Uh… what I meant was…
what… uh…"
Akane laughed, the spell of the stars helping her to hold her
temper. "It's a good night for looking at the stars,"
she said after a short pause, deciding to put him out of his misery.
"Kasumi said there's going to be a meteor shower later tonight."
"Really? I thought that was tomorrow... oh, well, never mind,"
Ranma said, scratching his head and frowning thoughtfully. Then
he shrugged, lay back and looked at the stars.
The two of them sat in companionable silence for a long time,
Akane hugging her knees to her chest, Ranma lying down with his
head pillowed on his arms, both not wanting to shatter the serenity
of the night. From below them, they could hear their fathers'
loud laughter as it rang through the house. But above that, they
could hear the faint rustle of the leaves as the night breeze
danced through the trees, whispering, almost singing.
"Now I know why you like it up here so much," she finally
said, her voice ringing with wonder. "Up here, it's like
nothing else exists but you and the stars." She paused, glancing
back at him with a bemused smile. "It's so beautiful."
Her face, bathed by the stars' silver light, was... "Yeah,
beautiful," he replied. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Uh... it... it sorta reminds me of the days when Pop and
I were still on the road," he told her. "On clear nights
like this, I would lie in a spot that had a full view of the sky
and stay awake nearly all night just watching the stars. I could
pretend that the sky was my roof and the walls were the trees
and..." he suddenly broke off. "Stop me when I get too
weird."
Akane's eyes were wide, fascinated. "No, no - please go on.
It's... it's not weird at all," she said, carefully turning
so that she could see his face. Under an embarrassed flush, she
could see his face was relaxed, at peace - and open. "I've
always wondered it was like for you, wandering from place to place...
did your father watch the stars with you, too?"
Ranma snorted with suppressed laughter, shoulders shaking slightly.
"Pop? Are you kidding? As far as he was concerned, mealtimes
were for eating, night time was for sleeping, and everything else
in between was time for training. That guy has no appreciation
for the finer things in life."
Akane laughed at this. "As if you do!" she said, between
chuckles.
Ranma was oddly silent.
Akane opened her eyes and her laughter trailed off at the hurt
expression she saw in his eyes. "I - I'm sorry, Ranma...
that was really thoughtless of me... I didn't mean it… ugh…
that's something that you would have said... eeeep!" she
babbled, placing a hand over her mouth while flushing with embarrassment.
So this was how Ranma felt when he put his foot in his mouth.
"I - I'm so sorry."
"'S okay, I guess I deserved that one," he replied,
biting his lip thoughtfully then nervously tugging at his braid.
" Do you really - uh... what I mean is... uh... am I as...
am I that..."
Akane put a comforting hand on his arm and shook her head. "No...
no, of course not! I - I was just kidding," she said, looking
straight into his eyes. He looked uncertain. "You're not
like your father, Ranma." She paused thoughtfully. "At
least, not in that way."
Akane wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of relief
in his eyes. He nodded almost imperceptibly and gave her another
small smile. "Thanks, Akane."
They sat in silence once more, this time noticing that their fathers'
weren't making any noise from down below. Now all they could hear
were the comforting sounds of the night, the humming of the wind,
the rustling of the leaves. From the distance, they could even
hear the sounds of downtown Tokyo drifting over to them over the
breeze.
"Do - do you miss it?" Akane asked hesitantly, not quite
understanding how but knowing that the answer would be important
to her.
"Miss what?"
"Having the whole world as your house," she said lightly,
forcing a laugh. Coming from a life like that, he probably felt
confined in a house enclosed by all these walls. Mentally holding
her breath, she waited for his answer.
Ranma hesitated. Did he miss his old life? Wandering from place
to place, not staying long enough to make any good friends growing
up, almost always short of food... having no roots. "It was
fun..." he began.
Akane felt her stomach take a dip.
"...but I like it better now," he finished. He looked
at her. "It... it feels good to have a... a real family now.
A... a real... home. Here. With you... uh... your family."
She gave him a bright smile. "I'm glad," she said softly,
turning and looking back up at the stars. Akane suddenly shivered.
"Kasumi was right... I should have taken my jacket."
All of a sudden, she felt a wall of warmth behind her and two
strong hands upon her shoulders, urging her backwards. "'S
okay, Akane, lean against me if you're cold," Ranma said,
his warm breath just above her ear. Startled, she looked up at
him and saw him staring straight ahead and blushing, his posture
as tense and unyielding as metal, bracing himself ofr her reaction.
She looked down, conscious of the inviting warmth of him behind
her, and she blushed as well, touched that he had offered. After
a moment's hesitation, she leaned back against him and looked
back up at the sky, smiling slightly when she felt him relax and
breathe a small sight of relief. Even tipping her head back, she
fit right under his chin, and she leaned her head in the hollow
of his shoulder. She could feel the quick rhythm of his heartbeat
right behind her, keeping pace with her own.
At that moment, the meteor shower began.
"Look, Ranma!" She pointed at the first few meteors
streaking through the sky, sounding like an eager little girl.
She felt him look up and heard him gasp in awe.
For long moments the sky was ablaze with the light of thousands
of tiny meteorites falling to the earth in a magical shower. Ranma
and Akane watched the spectacle in reverent, wonder-filled silence,
hoping that it would never end.
She turned her head, secretly hoping to see the shooting stars
reflected in his blue-gray eyes - only to find him looking down
at her, trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes as well. In that
moment, their faces were just a few inches away, and it felt...
right.
Up there, it was as if nothing and no one else existed but the
two of them - and the stars.
The stars lit the world around them as they moved their lips closer
to each other, feeling each other's sweet breath fan their faces,
their eyes slowly drifting closed, and then...
…Akane yawned.
They broke apart, blinking rapidly, hearts beating just as fast.
Akane felt her face flushing, and she could feel Ranma tense behind
her. "Baka! Baka! Baka!" she thought to herself, leaning
back against him and breathing deeply to calm herself. "Just
as he was about to kiss me!" Involuntarily, she yawned again.
"Sleepy?" he asked after a few moments, also breathing
deeply, then finally relaxing enough to place his chin of top
of her head.
"A bit," she answered. Stars were still streaking across
the midnight blue sky, and she didn't want to break the spell
by going inside the house before the shower was over. "But
I don't want to..." she began, trailing off to yawn again.
Ranma seemed to read her mind and eased her closer so she could
lean back fully on his chest. "Don't worry, I'll just...
uh... I'll wake you up in case you... uh... I mean... yeah,"
he said, also trailing off.
She could feel her eyelids drifting closed. "It's beautiful,
isn't it, Ranma?" she said softly, smiling contentedly then
yawning again. In a few more moments she was asleep.
Ranma held her long minutes after the meteor shower had ceased,
reluctant to wake her up. He smiled down at her, watching her
sleep. Her thick long lashes brushed her cheeks, the silver light
of the stars causing them to cast shadows on her face. Her cute
little-girl nose flared almost imperceptibly with each breath
she took, and she was smiling softly in her sleep.
He could feel her breathing evenly against him, the rhythm of
her sweet breath causing his silk shirt to rustle softly. He smiled
to himself, feeling it safe to admit that he rather liked the
weight of her head pillowed on his chest and the feel of her against
him. Then he felt her shiver. Hmmm... it WAS getting rather chilly.
He gently shifted her weight in his arms, picked her up, and slowly
stood up. She murmured softly and stirred a little but she didn't
wake up. Holding her close to his chest, he carefully made his
way off the roof and onto the laundry porch once more. There he
stopped, taking one last look at the stars. They winked back at
him solemnly.
He padded silently into the house, pausing when he noticed a flash
of silver on a table right by the door as he entered the house.
With Akane in his arms, he could not stoop down into the shadows
to see what it was, so he walked past the table and decided to
check it out after he had tucked her in.
Ranma didn't turn on the light as he entered Akane's bedroom.
The desk lamp was on, casting a pale glow all around them. He
laid her on the bed then gently took off her shoes and laid them
on the floor. Then he slowly pulled up her covers and tucked them
around her. She stirred a little, burrowed her face into her pillow
murmuring, then settled down with a contented sigh.
He turned off the desk lamp and the pale glow of its light was
replaced by the silver starlight that streamed through Akane's
open window. He walked back to her bed and looked down at her,
smiling.
"Kawaii," he whispered, hunching down beside her as
she slept. He hesitated, looking around guiltily, then brushed
a whisper of a kiss upon her forehead.
Akane smiled in her sleep.
Ranma tenderly smiled back at her then left, quietly shutting
the door behind him.
* * * *
Returning to the laundry porch before he turned in for the night,
Ranma stooped down to see what had caused the flash of silver
on the table as he entered.
So that was why no one had bothered them all night...
On the shadowed table, glinting in the starlight, were an unsheathed
katana , a pot of recently-made tea, and three teacups - one was
less than-half full, the other two were ready for use.
Beside the katana was Kasumi's hair ribbon.
"Thanks, Kasumi," he thought, chuckling to himself,
filling the unused teacup and taking it to his own room.
The wind in the trees blew a bit stronger and the leaves rustled
louder - and for a moment Ranma thought that maybe tonight the
stars were laughing with him.
- fin -