Killing Me Softly

Author:

A/N: My gratitude goes out to all those who review my story! Thank you for the patience and time!

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Chapter 6: What If

Akane awoke to the glare of the sun lighting up her weary face. When she had come to her senses, a foreign feeling enveloped her body. Someone’s arms were around her naked waist and she was very much frightened at first. It took a moment before she realized whose strong arms were embracing her so protectively and she smiled.

She turned into his chest, breaking his embrace and disturbing his sleep. She kissed his chest and sat up, pulling the comforter and the blanket over it to her body. She watched his face stir and waited for him to open his eyes. He groaned loudly and she forced back a giggle. His eyes opened slowly and he rubbed his hands against them.

The sight that greeted him made him sigh and grin. How lucky he was to have the privilege of waking up to this beauty!

“Morning, ‘Kane...” he said, drowsiness still in his voice.

“Actually... the sun is already way too high up to be morning,” she grinned.

“What?” he said sitting up. “We missed school?”

Akane laughed at his remark. When had he started to care about missing school? “Ranma, uh, it’s a Saturday. We don’t have school.”

He blushed and nodded thoughtfully. “Oh yeah...”

She made a move to get out of bed and he stared after her. “I have to go and make lunch.” She caught his eyes widen and cringe. “I can cook a bit now, Ranma,” she spat. “I promise not to poison you.”

“What?” he cried defensively. “I didn’t say anything!”

Her eyes rolled eloquently and he glared after her. When she finally made it out of bed, he realized with a start that she was completely naked. His eyes roamed over her luscious body. She had a few marks on her neck and he suspected he was the one who made them appear. Her full breasts were still tinged pink from his kisses and he gulped. Just a few hours ago, she was writhing underneath him and he longed once again to touch her, hear her cry out his name in the throes of passion. His hands itched to mold her soft flesh once again and he remembered with a sigh how perfectly her curves seemed to fit against his strong hands.

When his smoky eyes reached her face, he realized she was smirking and he frowned at being caught so intently admiring her. Now he would never be able to say he thought her unattractive. He was appalled at the thought of not having something to hide behind but the desire never left his eyes.

Akane blushed under his tantalizing gaze and pulled the blanket from the bed to cover her body leaving the comforter to her husband. She stole a look at him and saw disappointment reflected in his features. By the way his shoulders slumped, it was apparent that he wanted her to stay in bed with him. It was flattering but hunger had its way of making her resist him.

His frown deepened when she grabbed a robe from a hook on the wall and put it on, leaving the blanket on the floor. She walked out the door and left him to his thoughts.

He let himself fall back onto the bed and smiled when he realized that the pillow beside him still held her faint scent.

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Ranma had put on his robe and sat back in bed watching TV while he waited for Akane to call him for lunch. She did so from the foot of the stairs and he admitted that he was somehow feeling a tinge of fear at having to eat her cooking but quickly dismissed it when the very edible-smelling aroma drifted to his nose.

Lunch had been a pleasant affair and he was surprised at how the food that Akane presented tasted somehow like what it was supposed to taste. It wasn’t the best of meals but he knew he wouldn’t have a stomachache or a coughing fit after he had eaten his fill. He noticed with amusement how her eyes looked expectantly at him when he had his first bite of the slightly burnt strip of bacon and she sighed in relief when he chewed testily and then smiled.

Right after the meal, she had gone to take a bath and all the while, he stood outside the door waiting for his turn or rather, resisting barging in to once again make love to her. He knew she was still probably sore, the night before being her ‘first time’. He could hear the water dripping and splashing inside and he allowed his imagination to take off and he closed his eyes in concentration. He could see in his mind’s eye how the soap bubbles slid gracefully from her shoulders to her full breasts, down her sides and to her creamy thighs.

The vivid pictures he conjured were shattered immediately when the door opened to reveal a fully dressed Akane. He walked past her and into the bathroom but not without secretly sniffing the freshness of her hair.

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Ukyou stood behind the counter smiling at the young man across from her.

“Well, what can you expect from them?” she giggled.

“It’s just that... well, I don’t like Akane getting upset so much... You know how she is with Ranma... He can drive her crazy.”

Ukyou frowned inwardly at his bold profession of concern. “You needn’t be meddling so much in their ‘situations’. It’s their problem. They’ve got a new life now,” she said, bitterness dripping from her every word.

“Come on Ucchan...” he drawled. When had he started calling her ‘Ucchan’? It slipped so easily from his lips. Only Ranma called her Ucchan and yet, there was a good amount of fondness in the way he said her nickname and she didn’t mind; somehow, her name on his lips managed to make her smile.

“...I’m still going to kill that moron if he hurts my Akane.”

The smile turned into a deep frown.

“Your Akane? Don’t you get it? She was never yours, Ryoga!” she yelled, her voice rising to a volume she didn’t expect. Why was this affecting her so much?

Ryoga stared at her for a moment before dropping his gaze to his hands on the table. “I know...”

Immediately, she regretted what she had just said and her hands flew to the plate he had just eaten from. She needed to do something... wash something... anything. She pushed herself away from the edge of the counter and almost spilled the pancake mix that was in a container just behind her. Her hands shook and she fiddled with the plate for a few seconds trying to steady herself and not let it fall from her fingers. It slipped anyway and broke in little pieces on the floor.

Her face turned red and she thought she had never felt more embarrassed in her entire life. She could feel his eyes boring into her skin and she tried to avoid his gaze. ‘He must think I’m clumsy and stupid,’ she thought, her face reddening even more.

“S-s-sorry...” she stuttered. ‘Great. Now I’m tripping over my own tongue too.’

“It’s all right...” he said, walking to the far end of the counter to enter the cooking area. He made his way to her and bent down to pick the dangerous pieces of porcelain from the floor. He remembered with a frown the band-aid he had spotted on Akane’s finger the night before. “You’re right anyway,” he sighed.

“Ryoga...” She was staring so intently at his bobbing head and she blushed even more when she realized she should have been helping him. She bent down in a nervous motion and in the process, bumped his head with hers. He yelped in pain and fell back onto his bottom. Her face contorted into one of embarrassment and she fussed over him, all the while muttering her apologies. ‘What the hell is happening to me? Why am I so nervous?’ she thought to herself.

Carefully, she helped him to his feet and took a broom to sweep the broken pieces of the plate away. She figured it would be easier to have as little contact with him as possible. She could not fathom why she was acting so jumpy and nervous around him. She was never that way around anyone!

When they had finished cleaning up the last of the mess, Ryoga headed for the door.

“Thanks Ucchan. I need to go and... think,” he said. The nickname made her smile once again.

She stared after his retreating form and when he was out of sight, she realized she was holding her breath. She shook her head and sighed, the smile leaving her lips. ‘He’s still thinking about Akane.’ Her fists fell hard onto the counter and she cringed as the pain infuriated her even more. ‘Why can’t he get over her? She already has Ran-chan... Why can’t I have Ryoga?’

She was sincerely, truly happy for Ranma and Akane. She was the one who agreed to the girls’ decision. She was the one who chose to face the truth even if it meant that her friend didn’t love her. It was hard to acknowledge the fact. She had known how he had felt towards the high-strung girl long before they had faced each other in the Tendo dojo. It was obvious- to her at least- by the way he spoke of her (which was often) and the faraway look his eyes held when he was thinking of her. She knew he loved Akane. She just refused to believe it.

The single tear that slid from the corner of her eye surprised her and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

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“See, you’re putting too much flour in the dough. That’s how it loses the flavor,” Kasumi explained, retying the ribbon of her apron behind her back.

Akane nodded, her hands quickly flying to the bowl of egg white on the table to even up the mixture. The next hour proceeded with Kasumi giving instructions to the silent Akane. The younger girl’s eyes seemed unfocused although she performed her tasks with a mechanical obedience.

“Akane?” Kasumi said after a while. “Why are you so silent?”

“N-nothing,” she said, avoiding her sister’s eyes and pretending to concentrate on the dough.

“Sister... Is there anything bothering you?” she asked.

Akane shook her head in response and Kasumi sighed. She decided to change the course of the subject. She had been meaning to ask Akane about something.

“Akane, I went to your house this morning to bring you some sushi. Dad brought some home last night and I thought I’d save some for you and Ranma. Where were you? I rang the doorbell thrice but no one answered.” The younger girl stiffened and this did not escape her sister’s notice. “I figured you weren’t home. Where were you?”

Akane clutched the dough she was kneading so tightly that two lumps fell from either side of her fist and she gulped. She was wondering who had been at their doorstep that morning but now, she just wanted to avoid the subject. She knew she would have to tell Kasumi.

“I- I was h-home, sister,” she said.

“You were? But...” Somehow, Kasumi knew what had transpired.

“Kasumi... something... something happened.”

The woman looked at her sister expectantly but she could see that Akane was uncomfortable with the topic. She nodded her head, urging her to continue.

“Well... How should I say this... We... uh... We... did it.”

Kasumi stared at the dough for a moment, her sister’s words registering in her mind. “You mean... you and Ran-chan... you... Did you?”

“Yes.”

“B-but... how did it happen?”

“I don’t know... We had a fight last night... and things sort of... cleared up and... we made up... and... I don’t know. It just happened,” Akane replied, feeling lighter and starting to shape the cookie dough into different shapes. Kasumi’s arms flew around her neck and she nearly gagged.

“Oh sister! Congratulations!” she squealed happily.

“For what?” Ranma interrupted, entering the kitchen and opening the refrigerator.

“Oh Ran-chan! I can’t believe y-” Akane’s hand flew to her sister’s mouth. Ranma raised an eyebrow in their direction, pouring himself a glass of milk.

“It’s n-nothing! The cookies will be ready in about an hour! Till then, stay out and... and spar... or something!” Akane managed to blurt out, still pressing her hand to her sister’s laughter-immersed mouth. She was still a little embarrassed about talking about it with other people around. Oh, if it were only she and Ranma, she would have had no problems. She thought she had lost all embarrassment from him after what had transpired between them.

Ranma made his way out of the kitchen silently but not without giving a ‘weirded-out’ look at the two women.

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A/N: Sorry for the long delay! I was having a serious case of writer’s block! Well, a late merry Christmas to everybody! I wanna thank you all for reading my story. This isn’t over yet, guys! Keep reading!