OK, this is my second attempt at writing a decent fic and boy, do I hope it
is decent. I spent virtually hours on this one and it's only 10k (groan).
Anyway disclaimers! Errr....all characters portrayed in this fic does not
belong to me but to the esteem Rumiko Takahashi, with the exception of the
plot of course!^_^
Therefore, if any legal body tried to sue me, don't bother. You must have a
bigger fish to fry than a part time author. Anyway, on with the show and
may C&C's come forth. Whatever.
Also, thanks to all my pre-readers from the Newbie group, especially Cindy,
Keener and Quek Kwang-Ee.

Keys
----

<?>-thoughts
"?"-speech
  
-----------------------------------

        Evening had arrived at the Nerima District with a flourish,
disregarding the protest of the sun and forcibly pushing it out of its
position in the sky. One by one, lights came on in every household as day
slowly turned into night. The Tendo dojo looked peaceful, the moonlight
reflecting off the pond in the yard giving the place a serene look.
Surprisingly, this was reflected in the household as well.

Ranma was sitting on the floor on the outer porch, sighing contently as he
and Akane hadn't fought for a whole day. Now, this was something he would
like getting used to. If only.... Ranma quickly squashed that thought. No
use wishing something that would never come true. Him and Akane not
fighting? Ha! That would be when pigs could fly. A soft footstep alerted
him of somebody nearby. Ranma had learned long ago to recognise the
footsteps of everybody in the Tendo dojo and immediately knew these
belonging to the one he hold dear, though he wouldn't admit it. 

He heard a rustle of a skirt being folded and a soft thump as the person
sat next to him. A face came into his range of sight and it was Akane. She
was looking up at the sky, gazing at the stars intently for whatever it was
she wished to find.

        "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Ranma looked up at the sky and saw what she meant. Stars of different
colours had appeared, most of them in random places. A few seemed to form
closely together, creating intricate shapes that gave a hint of what they
were supposed to represent. It was indeed a sight to behold. 

        "Uh-huh", he replied softly.

The silence stretched on, with neither of them willing to break the peace
that had descended on the household. Comfortable in just sitting there and
in each other's company for the first time, they continued to look at the
sky. Another slight rustle of clothing and another thump told Ranma that
Akane had shifted position. Wrenching his eyes from the stars, he looked at
Akane. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed. A smile appeared on
her lips, immediately bewitching Ranma to give them his full attention.
Ranma was surprised he hadn't noticed them before. They looked soft and
delicate, unlike what he had thought. What was he supposed to expect, when
those lips were capable of giving terrible insults at ear-splitting
volumes? An urge in him suddenly grew stronger, encouraging him to bend
closer and closer and closer....

        <URK!!!> thought Ranma in fear as he suddenly found his lips a
handspan away from hers. Waiting for the inevitable slap and a final bash
to the head, he closed his eyes shut. It never came, which surprised Ranma
even more. Opening his eyes, he looked once more at Akane. Her eyes were
still closed and her smile had became wider.

        <It's as if....as if....she wants me to kiss her!!>

Shocked at his thoughts of actually wanting to kiss Akane back was enough
to make him want to pull out. Ranma tried to move back but found his
momentum halted. Surprise turned to puzzlement, then to horror as he
realised that his urges were trying to push him forward. Unsure of what to
do, he just stayed there, hoping against hope that his hormones would calm
down soon enough for him to retake control of his actions....

       Akane was sure Ranma was going to kiss her just then. She had felt
him looking at her lips, sending a thrill through her body. Waiting in
anticipation, she felt him move closer and closer and closer and then,
nothing. Surprised and a little bit hurt at the thought of Ranma not
wanting to continue, she fearfully opened her eyes a bit to confirm the
fact. She nearly jumped when she saw his face just a handspan away from
her. His eyes were shut tightly as if he was expecting to be hit. Akane was
tempted to do so but decided to delay that. She did not want to destroy the
moment as long as there still was a chance. Hoping Ranma would find the
courage to continue, she closed her eyes again. As she thought of Ranma
expecting to be hit, she felt her smile grew wider....

	Ranma looked at Akane closely, wondering if she was playing some kind of
trick on him. Inevitably, his eyes began to wander on their own accord,
trailing slowly from her fine, beautiful healthy hair spreading out behind
her like a royal carpet, to her smooth forehead. It was neither too long or
too short. Just....right. 

His view continued onto her thin but elegantly shaped eyebrows, hovering
above her eyes which at the moment were closed. Ranma wished that he could
see her eyes so that the flow of his fascinating observation would not be
broken. As if hearing his thoughts, Akane opened them and looked at him
curiously. Ranma had never believed philosophical quotes, believing them to
be useless and a waste of time; nevertheless one came unbidden to his mind.
'A man's eyes are the mirror to his soul'. Looking at her hazel brown eyes,
Ranma felt himself agreeing with the quote as he saw the emotions flirting
across them, one swiftly replaced by another as they vied for dominance.
Eagerness, uncertainty, anticipation and desire.

 Suddenly aware of his heartbeat, Ranma was shocked to find it thumping
like drums on a statco beat. And....and he was feeling rather hot, very
hot. The urge to loosen his shirt was very strong. Having experienced this
a few times, Ranma immediately knew what he felt. Desire. Desire for Akane
burned like a furnace within him.

Ranma akwardly put his hand on her cheek, feeling the intense heat through
his fingertips. Not knowing what to do, he attempted to caress her cheek,
the only motion was of his thumb moving up and down, around and around in
never ending circles. Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be working as
Akane had her eyes closed. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she continued to
rub her cheek against his hand. Those lips again. Ranma could not, for the
life of him, figure out why tonight of all nights he had been concentrating
on a certain part of a woman with an intensity that left him breathless.
And frightened. This was new territory to him. Heck, this intimacy with
Akane was_most_certainly_unexpected. And deadly, especially with Mr. Tendou
and his baka of an oyaji around.

Ranma jerked as he felt a soft feathery touch across his neck. All thoughts
fled his head. Despite himself, he shivered in pleasure, feelings like
electric sparks flashed across his skin as he became tinglingly aware of
the touch. Realising he had closed his eyes, Ranma opened them. Akane had
her arms around his neck and yup, it was definitely her fingertips that had
caused those sensations.

	<WhatshouldIdowhatshouldIdowhatshouldIdo...>

A gentle tug pulled Ranma out of his chaotic thoughts. It looked as though
his mind had been made up from him. Akane had locked her fingers together,
effectively trapping him. She began pulling him downwards and in a few
moments they would meet. Unconciously, Ranma removed his hand from her
cheek and lay it down beside her, supporting his weight. A shock of
electricity on his lips signalled to him that they were finally kissing.
Ranma vaguely remembered the softness of her lips as his mind went into
overdrive. His body guiding his actions, Ranma hestitantly used his lips to
open hers and tentatively stuck his tongue in, like he had seen in the
movies. He felt Akane's eagerly meeting his halfway and for the few
moments, there was a lot of fumbling; a mis-synchronisation as neither of
them knew what to do. Then it suddenly felt right and his desire burned
even brighter. His heart rate picked up considerably as he continued to
taste her, spar with her, and she with him. Ranma suddenly broke off as the
need for air exceeded the need for her. Looking down at Akane, he saw the
passion in her eyes and knew she saw the same in him.

	"Akaneee...."

	"Yes, Ranma?" she replied in a whisper.

Before he could answer, his instincts kicked in. Something was not right
around here. There was a feeling as if something had been displaced.
Glancing out of the corner of his eyes, Ranma couldn't find anything out of
place until he looked in front....

	<Uh....oh....>

There was a pool of shadows where originally there had been uninterrupted
light. Slowly tilting up his head, Ranma prepared for the worst. A sight of
several faces confirmed it. Nabiki, Kasumi, Mr. Tendou, and oyaji. All were
staring at him with various degrees of seriousness and amusement except
Kasumi, who was smiling gently. 

	"Eeeeep..."

Sounded as though Akane had just discovered it as well. Ranma hastily
picked himself up, remembering at the last instant to pull Akane up with
him. Before he could stand to his full height, he was instantly bowled into
the garden by Mr. Tendou and his oyaji.                                    

	"Well done, son, that's how you take the initiative!"

	"Ranma! You must marry my daughter this very moment! Our school will be
united!"

	Akane looked on as Ranma desperately tried to escape her father and Mr.
Saotome. With a final shout of "Arrrrgghhhhhh!" he shot out of the dojo and
into the night, with her father and Mr. Saotome in tow. A tap on her
shoulder reminded her of her situation. Nabiki had a predatory grin on her
face, leaving Akane decidedly uncomfortable, though that was somewhat
lessened by Kasumi's reassuring smile.

	"So, dear little sister, you have finally done it!" Nabiki smirked as her
sister blushed "It's about time, you know, 'cause I have a little bet going
which I hate to lose. Well, thanks to you, I won."

Akane stared at Nabiki with horror as the implications hit her. By
tomorrow, everybody in Furikan High would know about it and she wouldn't
hear the end of the gossip.

	"Ma..masaka.... Nabiki, you wouldn't!"

Nabiki's grin said it all. Fortunately, Kasumi came to her rescue.

	"Nabiki, you shouldn't tease your sister like that. You wouldn't tell
anybody, would you?", said Kasumi with a sweet smile.

Nabiki scowled for a moment at the prospect of losing the bet but realised
that there would always be another time.

	<Besides, the bet still stands for a few months yet. Plenty of time for
them to....explore>

	"OK, nobody will need to know....this time. So, imooto-san, what was it
like?"

Akane blushed furiously as she replayed the moment in her mind.
Desperately, she racked her brains for a way to avoid answering her sister.

	"Umm....Uhhh....
IamverytiredIthinkIwillgotobednow.GoodnightNabiki-chanoneechan!"

With that, Akane ran past her sister and dashed up the stairs to her
bedroom. A voice calling "Akane!" spurned her on even faster. At last, she
reached her sanctuary and locked the door behind her. Sighing in relief,
Akane flopped on her bed and thought how good her day was. A flush appeared
on her cheeks as her thoughts settled on Ranma. Sighing again, she changed
into her pyjamas and decided to sleep after all. Today was rather
emotionally draining. Soon, she fell asleep,  smiling sweetly.

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