Debt, love… Fight!

We stayed up very late, and I’d like to say that I am in no pain, that I feel wonderful, and that I didn’t push myself, but that’s not true. At all. 

Perhaps it was the afternoon walk, the tension from Ranma’s near-arrest, or the fact that I barely slept while writhing in his arms, but I feel both exhausted, and incredibly blissful.

Ranma’s body cradles and warms me, perhaps too much; I’m sweating. I also need a painkiller. I need to recover as soon as possible; I promised him I’d take care of myself. I reach out as best I can, freeing myself from an embrace that has me completely trapped, and grab my phone, which won’t stop vibrating with incoming notifications.

I have several messages from Akari apologizing for yesterday.

[Akari:

Ryoga went too far with Ranma. I’ve explained everything to him, told him that I was there too. Don’t worry about him, it was really nice seeing you yesterday.]

It’s still incredible that she has Inspector Hibiki eating out of the palm of her hand when she’s only known him for a few weeks.

[Akane:

Did you really take him to the pit?]

[Akari:

Yes, I even made him a map so he could go back whenever he wanted. He was so excited. He says he’s been trying to catch the mobster that runs that place for years.]

[Akane:

Oh, yeah. I know who he means.]

[Akari:

Does it bother you?]

[Akane:

It worries me. If you find anything else, let me know. I’m afraid my brother-in-law works there.]

[Akari:

I will. What about Ranma?]

[Akane:

What about him?]

[Akari:

Isn’t he upset? He also works there]

[Akane:

I’m not sure, I think what he said about not going back was true.]

[Akari:

Good, I’m glad. You both should stay away from that place]

[Akane:

Yeah, I think so too.]

[Akari:

So… did you guys make up?]

I press my lips together as I feel Ranma’s breath on my neck and his possessive arms around my waist. I don’t know how to explain this without it coming out completely wrong. I am blushing all the way to  the roots of my hair.

[Akane:

I’m staying at his place.]

[Akari:

At his place… and in his bed?]

[Akane:

…yeah…]

I bite my lip as my friend sends me three voice messages. I guess the news has shocked her as much as it has me.

I squirm and push one of his enormous arms away, and he responds by squeezing me tighter in a lazy, utterly delicious way. This man is made of steel and heat. I whimper, trying to free myself, and manage to do so after pushing his hands away with great effort. I’m panting when I get out of bed, and he looks at me with a confident smile.

“Want me to make you some breakfast?”

“You were awake?” 

“Mmmh,” he confirms with a grin. I roll my eyes because I’m afraid I’m too naive about some things. “When are you going for your checkup?” he asks.

“This afternoon.”

“Good, I’ll go with you.”

I’m about to say he doesn’t have to, but I bite my tongue and nod. That seems to put him in a very good mood. He gets up and comes over to me, raises an eyebrow, and runs a finger along my bruised eyelid.

“That seems to be better. I’ll leave you alone so you can gossip with your friend about me,” the egomaniac says.

“Stop reading my messages. There’s such a thing as privacy.”

“You’re the one who keeps insisting on getting into my bed… I guess you just can’t resist this sexy body.” And just for that, he earns a slap with the pillow, which doesn’t manage to dampen his wild grin.

He pulls me towards him and kisses me briefly and intensely, and when he lets go I feel dizzy, as if the floor is spinning. He leaves the room, way too proud of himself, and I sigh while listening to Akari’s voice messages, which are basically multiple hysterical screams and an insistent invitation for a girls’ afternoon.

“Ranma Saotome, IS THAT A HICKEY?!”

Ryu’s voice echoes off the walls, along with his loud, powerful laughter. Humiliation washes over me as I step into the hallway and that man greets me with a hug that engulfs me.

“Akane, I believe in you!” he says, grabbing my shoulders and looking at me with shining eyes. “You will be able to do it!”

“Huh?”

“Stop saying weird things!” Ranma exclaims, stepping between us, and Ryu laughs again as if this is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

Ten minutes later, we’re all having breakfast together at the kitchen table. I tried to pick up the chopsticks with my left hand, which was a bit awkward, so Ranma offered me a spoon and a small fork again. I brought the rice to my mouth, my eyes fixed on my plate, while Ryu leisurely swirled his cup of tea and looked at both of us with a feline grin.

“You’ve got a hickey too,” he said, pointing at my neck. Ranma choked a little, though he covered it up with a cough. “You’ll have to teach him not to leave marks. I’m afraid he lacks the experience to be gentle.”

“I’m going to kick your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a month,” Ranma said beside me, snapping his chopsticks with his fingers, which made Ryu grin even wider.

“Yeah, I could use some serious training. And while you’re at it, tell me what happened to the punching bags at the gym. You destroyed two of the seventy-kilo ones.”

I see Ranma huff and finish his plate, stare daggers at his brother, and go back to his room. Ryu and I are left alone, and I look at him innocently, praying he won’t say anything else, or ask any awkward questions.

“He’s a bit rough, and sometimes he lacks tact. When he thinks he’s right, it’s impossible to reason with him, but deep down he always listens, and he has a huge heart. And above all, he always protects his family. So please, take care of my brother.”

I swallow hard, moved, and nod in a silence that my tears threaten to break. Ranma exits his room with his gym bag over his shoulder, glances at me briefly, and Ryu also stands up.

“Rest, eat something, and above all, don’t do anything stupid,” he tells me as he heads for the door. I’m green with envy; I want to train too, but I have to be aware of my current limitations. So I nod, ready to keep the promise I made him, and he smiles shyly and says goodbye with a nod. I’m a little disappointed he doesn’t say goodbye with another kiss, but I suppose that would only lead to more teasing from Ryu, and he already has enough material for a couple of weeks with inappropriate comments.

So I’m left alone in the apartment, and I take the opportunity to have a shower, avoiding the cast, and wash my hair with one hand while huffing at the discomfort. I can’t wait to get this thing off.

I look at my worn-out pajamas and throw them in the trash, get dressed in comfortable clothes, and do the laundry. Ranma and Ryu have a washing machine with a dryer function. What a luxury. I take my painkillers, treat the wound on my leg, and miss his nervous hands tightening the bandage.

And after all that, I sink down on the sofa and turn on the television. Only then do I realize the screen is enormous, much larger than it should be for this distance. Men. I roll my eyes and do something I don’t think I’ve done since my early high school years. I watch the T.V, without urgency or interest, out of pure and tedious escapism.

.

..

…

“Akane?”

I look up as Ranma stares at me, slightly alarmed. I didn’t even hear him arrive.

“Shhh!” I hiss, unable to tear my eyes away from the screen. “Wait a minute, they’re arguing right now.”

“Who?”

“Them!”  I say, pointing at the giant screen with my good arm, slightly pissed that I’m missing even a gesture or a blink.

Ranma glances at the television and then looks at me, or at least I think so, because the truth is I’m not paying him any attention.

“Have you gotten hooked on a reality show?!”

I frown without taking my eyes off the screen.

“Shhh!”, I repeat loudly as the couple starts shouting accusations that leave me speechless. “Oh, I think they’re going to break up”, I bite my lip worriedly. Ranma shakes his head.

“Fine, whatever. I’m gonna take a shower. Should I make you some popcorn?”

“SHHHHHHHH!” I repeat, turning up the volume on the TV.

A while later, I feel his imposing figure and his wonderful soap scent next to me, his weight making the cushions move. He’s watching the screen and looks at me with a mischievous smile as he hands me a bowl of popcorn.

“You know it’s a rerun, right? I think this happened at least two seasons ago.”

I stare at him, horrified.

“What does that mean?”

“It means everyone knows how it ends but you… and that means you have all the episodes available for you to binge watch. Doesn’t sound like a bad plan.” He smiles, grabbing a generous handful of popcorn and stuffing it in his mouth, looking at the screen with something bordering on reluctance. “I never understood what she sees in him,” he says, pointing at the sad man who looks like he’s about to burst into tears. I grab a handful of popcorn too. Oh, how long has it been since I’ve had this? A billion years? I’m bursting with pure happiness as I lick my fingers.

“Maybe he’s emotionally available?” I reply, trying not to let it distract me from all the wonderful drama.

He frowns as if he’s trying to solve a three-variable problem.

“Emotionally available?”

“He’s cute and a little ridiculous,” I sigh.

“How can you find him being ridiculous attractive?” he says, shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth and chewing it roughly, almost angrily.

“Well, I don’t make the rules,” I reply, then throw a kernel at his head. “You’re super ridiculous.”

“Hey, don’t laugh at me,” he says with a pout, but regaining that big smile he’s been flashing me with lately. “Or I’ll make you pay.”

“Oh, really?”

Ranma glances at me sideways, then sighs and shakes his head, turning his attention back to the television. I finish my bowl of popcorn and reluctantly abandon my reality show, while Ranma promises me that I have all the episodes at my disposal. Afterward, he makes lunch and accompanies me to Dr. Tofu’s office at the hospital.

He does everything with slow, yet firm gestures. His hand often rests on my waist, like a guide, a subtle hint of his constant presence around me, and I can’t say I don’t like it.

They take another X-ray, and for the first time, I can see the extent of the fracture. The sound of my arm cracking was so loud inside my head that I had expected it to be much worse.

“It’s healing well and hasn’t shifted. It should keep healing like this, so I’ll remove the cast in two weeks.”

“Two more weeks?”I protest pitifully, but he looks at me implacably, his brow furrowed.

“Don’t strain yourself, Akane. If you follow the instructions, you’ll recover without any problems. Two weeks isn’t that long.”

“I’ll make sure she does,” says Ranma, who is sitting next to me, frowning at the bone scan and then at me, as if he were warning me too.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Saotome,” he replies, bowing his head slightly, as if my own opinion didn’t count for anything. I’m about to blurt out a swear word when my brother-in-law clears his throat and apologizes with a smile. “And now, if you don’t mind, there’s a private matter I’d like to discuss with Akane.”

My jaw drops slightly in surprise, and Ranma nods slowly and does as he’s asked, understanding and attentive.

“I’ll be outside,” he says, taking his leave without questioning anything, giving me a longing look, as if being apart from me physically hurts him, even if it’s just for ten minutes. I smile at him confidently, and he finally closes the door, leaving me alone and slightly nervous with my brother-in-law. For a split second, a wave of terror washes over me, realizing that he might want to talk about my sex life and whether we’re using protection, as if he were my damned (and absent) father. Instead, Tofu takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes; he looks exhausted.

“I heard about the dojo this morning. I just wanted to say I’m so sorry. Kasumi is devastated too.”

“Oh… Yes. Thank you,” I reply, a lump forming in my throat, feeling his words hit me hard. I’ve been dissociating for a couple of days, barely thinking about it, not really dealing with it, tiptoeing around my feelings. Tears well up in my eyes, and I bite my lip. I wipe them with the back of my left jacket sleeve.

“We don’t want to pressure you, and we understand you might need a few days alone with your… boyfriend, but maybe in a few weeks we could talk about your future. Would  that be okay?”

I gaze longingly at the door. I understand it’s a private conversation, but right now I’d give anything to have Ranma by my side, perhaps my hand pressed against his, like an anchor, my rock in the uncertainty that is unfolding before me. I don’t know how to explain it without breaking down; words fail me. It’s been too much in every way. My dream has been shattered, and yet I’m still not ready to say goodbye to it.

“In a few weeks,” I agree, my voice trembling, and he nods, as if that’s more than enough for him today. I swallow the lump in my throat and wipe away my tears again. “Tofu…”

“Yes?” he inclines his head, solicitous.

“You shouldn’t go back to the pit. The police are investigating.”

Silence settles between us, and my brother-in-law reflects, crossing his arms.

“Do you know for sure?”

“Yes, none of us are going back.”

Tofu raises his eyebrows slightly in surprise.

“Ranma won’t fight again? That was not my understanding.” 

“What do you mean?

“Akane, you’re a newcomer and you’re hurt, no one will miss you too much if you don’t go back, but he… Well, Ranma and Ryu are the backbone of the pit, they can’t just leave. Tarô will not allow it.”

I swallow and shake my head.

“He’s not going back.”

“I hope you’re right, but listen to me, that world is dangerous. If at any time you feel threatened I want you to come to our house.”

“Threatened?” I reply, standing up, “Ranma would never put me in danger, in fact, he has done everything he can to prevent me from fighting.”

“I’m not talking about him. Tarô is a yakuza, and he will do and use everything he can to get his way. If he wants Ranma to fight, he will fight, no matter what the cost.”

I swallow and shake my head again.

“He won’t be able to convince Ranma.”

“Just listen to me, okay? As soon as you see something strange, run out of there. He’s not a bad guy but… He’s not good company.”

For the second time in that conversation I drop my jaw, but this time I feel indignation setting fire to my veins.

“A doctor who makes illegal money helping out in illegal fights doesn’t seem very trustworthy either,” I spit venomously and he lowers his shoulders.

“They won’t miss me, doctors who work for dirty money are a dime a dozen, unlike good fighters, and let’s not talk about martial arts geniuses. He’s stuck there, Akane. I’m just trying not to let him drag you down with him.”

“Well, thank you very much, I wish you had been so interested in me when I was almost killing myself, working to the bone, trying to survive in a halfway house filled with mold. See you in a couple of weeks,” I say, heading towards the door, unwilling to listen to more arguments against Ranma, against us. He doesn’t deserve it, Tofu doesn’t understand him, he doesn’t know he has a huge heart.

I believe in him. Ranma has rescued me, with his clumsy manners, and held me with those huge arms. I’m not going to question it when he’s the only person keeping me tethered to solid ground, refusing to let me sink. I leave the office trying not to slam the door.

He stood up like a spring, he was sitting in one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room. I can’t say that he doesn’t attract attention, with his imposing bearing, his black hair tied in a braid and his loose, comfortable clothes. Putting Ranma in a small room feels like locking a panther in a box, an absolute crime.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“What did he tell you? All good?” He asks interested, trying to stop me while I move quickly through the hospital corridors.

“Let’s just go.”

“Hey,” he stops me, grabbing my good hand and looks at me with a frown. “What happened?”

The fury, the sadness, the frustration. Everything spins inside me faster and faster, turning the whirlwind into a hurricane, suffocating me from the inside.

I’m crying. Ranma raises his hands to my face and looks at me filled with what I recognize as unbridled terror.

“Is it your arm!?” he asks tentatively, the idiot can’t even guess the reason for my confusion.

“It’s the dojo,” I lie, and immediately feel miserable. “Tofu knows it’s been torn down and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Ranma takes it in and I feel the tension leave his gestures, his hands on me stop being twitchy and become gentle again.

“Let’s go home. We can put on your reality show, maybe you’ll cheer up if you see that skinny, emotionally vulnerable guy cry for a while”,  he gives me a lopsided smile,  I know he’s making a joke and trying to cheer me up, but under these circumstances it’s hard for me to smile back.

“Yeah, okay,” I concede, and link my hand with his. I feel him jump a little, slightly embarrassed, he even looks to the sides of the hallway, as if we were doing something indecent instead of this simple gesture, full of complicity.

His fingers press against my hand with a little more force and it’s as if he rises, he seems to become much bigger, as if he were a wall that will protect me from all the hurt, from all my problems and all the bad words, even those that are directed against him.

I let myself be taken home, and we watch T.V.  until very late.

.

..

…

A couple of days later, my furniture arrives. Two workers install everything in the blink of an eye, and suddenly I have a room all to myself. We spend the whole day setting it up. It’s not too hard to find a space in the large wardrobe for the few clothes I own. Ranma takes care of the mattress and helps me with the sheets, and when everything is ready, he stares scowling at the small single bed.

We’re not doing anything inappropriate in his room; he barely gives me a few kisses before begging me to go to sleep, but that intimacy, his body against mine, all that warmth… I already feel like I’m missing him.

“I suppose you’ll finally be able to sleep tonight,” I say, not wanting to betray my own longing, and he clicks his tongue and turns away, grumpy. It was Ranma who insisted I should have my own bed; I don’t understand why he seems so upset now. Even so, I appreciate the privacy. Although I won’t have so many excuses to sneak into his room and steal his t-shirts, though I don’t think he minds at all.

I toss and turn on the mattress, and the wooden frame creaks under my weight. Despite the blankets and the space, the bed feels strangely large and cold. I try to sleep but it’s too much effort; I’m rested, and there’s no trace of my usual exhaustion that used to leave me completely unconscious on the old futon before my alarm clock even went off again.

I should be incredibly grateful, and yet… I get up in my tank top and underwear. I definitely need pajamas. My shoulder feels heavy because of the damn cast. I can’t wait to take it off and hit something again. The bruises on my face have almost disappeared, and the wound on my leg is much better, less swollen and bruised. It’s been days since I’ve even stained the bandages.

I sneak out of my bare-bones room and stand in front of his door, twisting and turning as I realize it’s the middle of the night, and I certainly shouldn’t be there, trying to find the courage or some lame excuse to sneak back into his bed. To be held in his arms again.

Well, I have no excuse, and I don’t think I need one. I knock discreetly before turning the doorknob, and he’s already there, as if he’d been waiting for me, sleepless, relieved.

“Are you okay?” he asks, finishing opening the door for me, his voice hoarse and his eyes dark.

“Did I wake you?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me either.”

I see his Adam’s apple rise and fall, then he glances discreetly at his bed, which is a jumble of rumpled sheets and tossed blankets.

“Do you want to…?”

He doesn’t finish his sentence before I awkwardly hug him around the waist and press my cheek to his chest.

“Yes,” I hear him grunt before he does what he does so well: hold me tight, with a tender, needy gentleness. I sigh with pure pleasure.

“You’re like a curse. Your presence tortures me, but your absence kills me. What can I do to be at peace again?… Tell me, tell me how can I be whole again”

I blush and raise my eyebrows, but I can’t quite make out his face as he lowers his mouth and takes mine in a slow, delicious kiss. I part my lips and his tongue caresses mine, so slowly and gently that I feel like I’m floating. Is it strange to feel like I’ve needed him my whole life? Even before I knew him? My life with Ranma by my side would have been very different, and I think his with me would have been too. Maybe I could have stopped him from getting into so many fights. Perhaps he would have beaten Kuno long before everything spiraled out of control.

My stomach lurches as I feel him guide me toward the bed. My steps become clumsy and disorganized as he turns me over and lays me down on his mattress. Our ragged breaths mingle in the few centimeters of space left between our lips when we broke apart.

“Akane,” he gasps as I feel one of his hands cup my face. I try to raise my right hand, but there’s that damned thing, preventing me from stroking his hair the way I need to, from entangling myself in it with all the devotion I want to show.

I wince slightly and pull my hand back until it falls heavily onto my chest, giving my shoulder another tug. He stops immediately.

“Go back to your bed,” he whispers, getting up and leaving me lying there, frustrated to the core.

I bite my lower lip, terribly upset.

“Don’t you… like me?” I say, feeling my throat burn. I try to swallow to stop the tears welling up in my eyes, and he turns his head away as if I’d just stabbed him.

“Are you serious?!”

“Why do I feel like you’re drifting further away from me with every step I take?”

He gasps as if I’d just punched him. I see him getting angrier, looking at me as if he can’t believe what I just said.

“You need to recover, and I’m not going to get in the way of that. You can’t strain yourself, and if that means we can’t sleep together, so be it. And if I have to start training in the middle of the night and take more than three ice-cold showers a day, I promise you, I’ll do it.”

I hear his words, but I don’t really listen to them. I only understand that he’s kicking me out of the only place I want to be. I get up, angry and rejected.

“I get the impression you’re not like this with the other girls.”

“What girls?” he asks, completely stunned.

“The others!” I protest, not really knowing why I bring it up, why I get jealous of his past and sabotage myself just because I feel hurt. I’m being stupid and childish.

“Do you think I’ve been with other women before you?” he says, making me stop dead in my tracks, and this time it’s me who looks at him, confused.

“What?”

Ranma puts a hand to his face and stares at me in the darkness, from his bed, agitated and grumpy.

“I don’t like being touched. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m very protective of my personal space. My experience with women can be summed up as some kissing as a teenager with “bad girls” who tasted like cigarettes, and believe me, it was more awkward than memorable. So, in case you’re still wondering, yes, you’re the first one to get into my bed, steal my clothes, and touch me without me being able to do anything but turn into a babbling idiot. Sorry if that doesn’t seem like enough.”

Now it’s my turn to swallow hard. I watch him in a mute, embarrassed silence as I feel his eyes quickly scan me, lingering on the bandage on my leg, my underwear, the cast.

“B-but Shampoo said that…”

“Oh, nice. I’m sure she’s the best source of reliable information,” he concludes with a mocking tone he doesn’t actually mean, and I tremble all over, knowing I don’t want to continue this thorny, shamefully raw conversation.

My cheeks burn, and somehow I know he’s not feeling any better. I have the feeling we’re angry for completely wrong reasons.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Great, thanks.”

I leave and close the door softly, praying that Ryu hasn’t found out about our fight last night. I drag my feet to my room and collapse onto my bed, where I can no longer hold back the tears, even though I can’t quite understand why I’m crying.

It’s not long before I hear the front door and realize Ranma is gone. He’s gone for a run or to train; I’m not allowed to do that right now. I can only stay put, alone and confused, hurting the only person who wants to protect me.

.

..

…

I fall asleep in the early hours and wake up late, my head a jumble of thoughts. I can’t clearly distinguish my restless dreams from what happened last night. I don’t even feel like I could face either of the men I live with without dying of shame.

Even so, I leave my room after getting dressed in workout clothes and to find some breakfast. I find Ryu in the kitchen, looking distant. He glances at me and greets me.

“I see having some space hasn’t been the best thing for you two.”

I roll my eyes, of course. He’s like an old gossip who can’t wait even half a minute for his dose of neighborhood drama.

“Weren’t you sleeping with earplugs?”

“They’re uncomfortable, and you two started talking pretty loud.”

My cheeks burn, but I refuse to run away. Ryu gets up and has the decency to bring me some coffee and toast, but he doesn’t bother spreading anything on it, so I take a bite of the plain bread, not wanting to wrestle with a jar of jam.

“I think I made him angry.”

“He’s not angry with you,” he corrects me vehemently. “He’s angry with himself, because he doesn’t think he can control himself if you keep getting into his bed.” He smiles as if it’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to him, and not such a frustrating and awkward situation.

“I like sharing a bed with him,” I admit without guilt. “Should I stop?”

“Behave yourself and get well. The day that man makes up his mind, you’ll wish you’d never provoked him, and then I’ll have to leave this house. I don’t think earplugs will do me any good.” He sighs melodramatically. “I’ll be in exile because of sex. Sex-iled”

“Don’t you feel  embarrassed saying things like that?” I protest, glancing down the hallway, terrified that Ranma might have heard us.

“He hasn’t come back,” he says, guessing the direction of my thoughts. My face goes blank with absolute panic, knowing he left in the early hours. “He’s probably beating the crap out of some poor unlucky boxer.”

I’m about to point out that I don’t think he even slept at home when someone knocks on the door.

Ryu raises an eyebrow, and I shove the rest of my toast into my mouth.

“Did he leave without his keys?”

“How would I know?” He opens the door and I see his mouth slightly open before a familiar voice reaches my ears.

“Hi, I’ve come to pick up Akane.”

“Akari?” I ask, confused, swallowing my last bit of toast. My friend smiles radiantly as she enters the house uninvited.

“You’ve spent enough time surrounded by testosterone, it’s girls’ day out. We’re going shopping,” she announces while I’m still standing stunned in the doorway. I don’t even remember we were supposed to meet up, but if Akari notices, she doesn’t mention it. “You urgently need clothes,” she says, giving me a slightly rude once-over, and Ryu, to my own embarrassment, nods.

“Make sure she buys pajamas and sexy underwear.”

“Nobody asked for your opinion,” Akari snaps. I’d almost forgotten they met at the pit during my fight against Shampoo, and since then their relationship doesn’t seem to have improved in the slightest.

Ryu raises his hands, trying to look innocent.

“Fine, but if I had to bet, I’d say lace is always a good option.”

“Please, Akane, let’s go before this idiot infects me with his stupidity.”

I look at them reluctantly and take a sip of my coffee.

“I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” I say, running towards my room.

Maybe a little distraction is just what I need.

.

..

…

“Akari, please, I’m worn out,” I plead as my friend pushes me into yet another shop in the shopping district.

“What are you talking about? We’re just getting started,” she replies, frowning, while shamelessly grabbing dresses off the hangers and throwing them at me, as if I didn’t have a broken arm or already have at least five bags hanging from my left arm.

All I can say is that Akari is mercyless. She dragged everything that happened with Ranma out of me, and now she seems laser focused on making me spend too much money, until she’s sure I have a new wardrobe that will leave him speechless.

“Your problem is that he’s worried about your health, while you’re just a needy brute,” she concludes, pushing me into the fitting room. “Please, try this on.”

“How do you expect me to button it when I’m missing a hand?”

“I’ll help you, because you have to try on those dresses.”

“They’re too… girly.”

“They are date clothes. You know what a date is, right?”

“Of course I know what a date is!”

“And have you ever been on one?”

“…No.”

“That’s your damn problem. You lack tact but you’re absolutely desperate for some affection. That poor man is going to lose his mind if you keep this up.”

I have a little struggle with a zipper, which I somehow manage to zip up. Akari opens the curtain, looks me up and down, and nods.

Two hours later, I collapse, exhausted, onto a café table as my friend places a peach bubble tea in front of me. Bags surround us like in one of those popcorn movies where the protagonist gets a radical makeover and manages to impress the guy she’s always liked, who’s never noticed her before.

I sip my tea while numbers and shopping receipts keep dancing in my head.

“I think that was over 200,000 yen,” I gasp, trying to do the math. Akari smiles brightly.

“It was so much fun, especially the lingerie shop.”

All day I’ve barely thought about the pain in my leg or arm; I guess that means I’m getting better.

“Akari, do you ever think about the future?” I ask suddenly, making the smile on my friend’s face shrink until it almost disappears.

“You mean, where do I want to be in a few years?” I nod expectantly, and she seems to think about it for a moment. “Well, I know I don’t want to be a waitress forever. My parents wanted me to take over the family business, but I refused, and now I don’t have any grand plans: I’d like to have my own business and be independent. Maybe a pet grooming salon, something small and nice, just for me. I’d be very happy with that.”

I swallow hard, nervously fiddling with the cup between my fingers, and open up to her.

“I’ve spent too many years visualizing a single future. I’m at home, in my dojô, and I teach. I live there, surrounded by my family, my mother, my sisters, even my father…” I swallow again. “And I just realized that that was never a future. I only wanted to recover what I lost. My dojô has been torn down, and in its place, there’s now a vacant lot where a real estate company is going to build an apartment block. I don’t see a future; I feel like I never truly saw it. I feel so lost.”

Akari takes my hand from across the table.

“But that’s wonderful, Akane. Now you have the opportunity to build your own future, a dream that’s yours and no one else’s. Your life is a blank canvas, and you can paint it any color you choose.”

I look at my arm in a sling, the heavy cast.

“Do you think so?”

She nods enthusiastically.

“A young, beautiful girl with money? The world is at your feet. Seriously, isn’t there anything you dream of?”

“I want to fight again, though not in the pit,” I admit after a long while, my cheeks flushed, looking at her askance. “And I want him by my side. I want him to be safe, to get out of that world, for people to understand that he’s a good and righteous man, not a bad influence. I want Ranma to be proud of himself, and for us to be together.”

“That’s a good dream,” Akari says with a beautiful smile. “I’m sure you’ll achieve it.”

We have dinner out, and then we take a taxi to Ranma and Ryu’s house. By the time we get to the door, it’s already dark, and I’ve indulged myself for a whole day of shopping and spending like never before in my life. The only reason I haven’t let Akari drag me to a bar for drinks is because I still need painkillers, and it would be a terrible idea to mix them with alcohol.

When the doorbell rings, my nerves are in the pit of my stomach. I wonder if Ranma has already returned, if he’s still upset with me, if perhaps he’s been worried… If so, he hasn’t sent me a single message either.

The door opens with a quick click, and suddenly I’m met with his blue eyes searching me imploringly. I can do nothing but hide behind my friend, while his broad shoulders sink just a few centimeters as he stands there.

“It’s late,” he says as a way of greeting.

“Sorry, I didn’t know we had a curfew,” Akari teases, carrying most of the bags and entering the space that serves as a foyer. She drops them on the floor and returns to me, picking up the rest. “We’ve been busy,” she explains, as if it were necessary given the evidence.

I also enter the house and walk past him, trying not to let him notice the slight trembling in my legs as I breathe in the scent of his soap, forest moss.

“We need to talk,” he whispers in my ear, leaning so slightly over me that I can only feel I imagined it.

Ryu also appears and whistles in amazement.

“You guys had a good time,” he says with an admiring smile.

“She bought pajamas.”

“Did you consider my suggestion?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Thanks for everything, Akari. I’ll call you and we’ll see each other another day.” I say goodbye to my friend, I don’t want Ranma to question the exchange between Akari and Ryu.

“Whenever you want,” she winks at me and heads for the door, but before she leaves, Ryu opens his enormous mouth to ask something unexpected.

“So, when are you going to go out with me?” he says with his best seductive smile. Ranma stumbles a little, and I stare at him, stunned.

Akari stops and walks toward him, facing him with a blank smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m over the phase where I innocently believed I could change a bad boy. I’m dating someone who doesn’t need changing. I’ll introduce the two of you.”

Ryu frowns, confusion clear on his face, and Akari walks out the door, strong, proud, and triumphant. I don’t think I’ve ever admired her more.

When the three of us were alone, with the entrance littered with shopping bags, Ryu let out a deep breath and looked at us, distressed.

“Am I a bad boy?” he asked, placing a hand on his heart.

I shrug my shoulders. Ranma looked like he was about to burst out laughing, but he held it in and looked back at me.

“Did you eat dinner?” he asked, like a concerned mother. I nodded and started gathering my shopping bags, but he immediately snatched them from my hands. “Let me help you.”

“I can do it myself,” I replied haughtily, trying to take them back.

“But I want to help.”

“And I didn’t ask you to.”

Ryu has the good sense to run away without a word. We both turn when we hear his bedroom door close.

“Look what you’ve done,” I said, grabbing as many bags as I could and dumping them on my bed. He follows me with the rest of my shopping, tossing it haphazardly on the floor.

“He’s a big boy, he knows when he’s being a third wheel,” he says, huffing.

“Where did you go?” I snap, though, giving him a sharp, still hurt look. He glances at me for a moment, then, much to my dismay, closes the door and leans against it, arms crossed. Fine, he said we needed to talk.

“To train.”

“Good for you, at least one of us can do it,” I retort sharply, starting to pull out my new clothes and fill the hangers in the closet. I unfold a couple of skirts I don’t even remember buying, but it’s difficult with one hand.

“Let me help you,” he offers again.

“I’m not useless, don’t treat me like I’m going to break.”

Ranma grimaces and looks slightly down.

“I told you it would take a while for me to get over the trauma, and I meant it. You weren’t the one who had to put you in a car and think you were going to die on the way. I was absolutely terrified. Akane, don’t be mad at me just for wanting to make sure you’re okay.”

I stop for a moment, and his imposing figure suddenly seems small to me, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. I sigh, feeling the heaviness of our argument slowly dissipate.

“I’m sorry,” I say sincerely. “I know you’re trying to take care of me, and I don’t make it easy for you.”

He looks up, and a small smile appears on his face for the first time.

“So you are aware?”

“Yes, but I don’t like it when you push me away because of it. Today I didn’t even remember the painkillers, and the wound on my leg is almost healed. In fact, I should go get Tofu to remove the staples.”

“I can take them out for you,” he says, straightening up a bit as I put on a yellow summer dress. His eyes follow it with clear interest.

“Do you know how to do it?”

He lets out a hollow laugh.

“Do you have any idea how many injuries Ryu and I have gotten? I know how to put on bandages, dress wounds, suture skin, and remove stitches. I’m practically a nurse at your service.”

I smile too, unable to contain myself. It’s too easy to talk to him, too easy to be swept away by his gentle flirting, by that irresistible smile.

“Then I guess I’m in your hands,” I say, sitting down on the bed with a sigh, realizing how exhausted I am.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, leaving the room and returning with a first-aid kit. I lie with my back against the wall. My bed isn’t as wide or comfortable as his, but the mattress is wide enough that my feet barely hang off the edge.

He watches me in tense silence.

“You’re going to have to take those off,” he says, pointing at my pants. It’s not as if I hadn’t noticed, but I revel in his expression as I stand and, with some effort, pull off the tight garment, using my one good arm. He watches me—he really does—silent and attentive. I feel his eyes warming my bare skin as I’m left in my underwear and return to the bed. It’s not as if he’s never seen me like this before, but this act of undressing has been an erotic experience that I’ve enjoyed.

I’m not so stupid as to not realize that he could have been chivalrous and turned away, giving me some privacy, or at least left the room for a moment. But he stayed right there, looking at me in mournful silence, taking deep breaths. Famished.

In some twisted way, I savor the unfulfilled desire, the unconsumed attraction. And I discover, without intending to, that this game is something I can control, something I can use.

“I’m going to take off your bandage,” he says, climbing onto the bed and placing a hand on the small clip I’d fastened myself before leaving with Akari. I nod slightly as I feel the warmth of his hands performing a rather professional job. He looks at the staples and nods. “Yeah, they need to be removed.”

“I already told you.”

“Don’t move,” he warns me as he rummages in the first-aid kit and pulls out a kind of very small scissors with a square tip.

“Is that sterilized?” I ask, just to tease him. He frowns.

“Don’t distract me.”

“Or are you going to put the staples back on?”

“Aren’t you cheeky when you want to be,” he says through gritted teeth, starting to work on my wound, and I can’t help but feel a pang of admiration as he does it. He removes all the surgical staples quickly and gently, then applies antiseptic before re-bandaging me. When he finishes, he seems pleased with himself.

“Will I have a scar?” I ask, feigning concern, which I act out quite convincingly.

“Yes,” he replies, playing along.

“Oh, that means my father won’t be able to find me a husband.”

Ranma bursts into a genuine, hearty laugh, so sincere that it makes my stomach clench when his blue eyes, clear as the summer sky, look at me with amusement.

“Do you think this is funny?” I say, frowning and pressing my lips together.

“Very funny. It reminds me of something that happened a while ago with my father.”

“Did he try to find you a wife?” I ask, leaning towards him, brutally interested.

“No, it was even worse. He bought me one.”

I blink and raise an eyebrow. Ranma shakes his head and tries to explain.

“Apparently, some poor devil drowning in debt gambled away one of his daughters’ hands in a card game, and my father took it very seriously. He came home very proud, saying he’d found me a fiancée, but obviously the guy disappeared and we  never heard from him again.”

“That’s awful,” I say, feeling the monster of jealousy gnawing at my insides, and Ranma leans over me with a sly smile.

“My fiancée might reappear any day now to claim me, and then you might have to fight for me,” he concludes, tilting his head, and I feel the faint brush of his lips against the skin of my neck.

“Ah, a trophy husband. Just what I’ve always wanted,” I reply, trying to appear indifferent.

“I’m a great catch. I know how to cook, clean, do laundry, nurse people back to health…” I feel his breath against my ear, I hear him inhale and exhale slowly and painedly. “Damn, you smell good,” he curses, and that triggers a small spasm in me, a proud purr.

His hands crumple the sheets on either side of my body, and I tilt my head, giving him a tacit and expectant permission that he understands. His lips kiss me where my skin is most sensitive, where they left a mark that disappeared days ago, forgotten and unrepaired. He kisses me softly, with a pleading tenderness, his hands gliding over my skin, gripping my thighs, my waist, climbing over my ribs and back down. His warm breath leaves me; he pulls away for a moment, looking at me, troubled.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he confesses wretchedly, his hands still on me.

“You could never hurt me,” I reply with a small, trusting smile. Ranma’s eyes widen in surprise, and I seek his mouth. I feel his lips collapse against mine, leaving me speechless. His tongue begins to explore me as he gently lays me down on the mattress, a tenderness that only makes me feel infinitely tender.

I place my hands on his neck and struggle to adjust myself despite my limitations. His hands roam over me impetuously, ignoring any attempt at restraint. His lips move in dense, deep kisses, and I let out a small scream when I feel his fingers boldly ascend and encircle one of my breasts, pressing against my bra.

An unfamiliar trembling grips me, and all my previous boldness and daring vanish before my eyes as his other hand undoes the clasp at my back, leaving the garment loose and slack in his grasp.

I feel like I’m going to die of pure embarrassment as his full weight collapses on top of me, his enormous body forcing itself between my legs, and I feel him, full and hard. My head spins as his right hand slithers beneath the fabric, caressing my sensitive, bare breast. My nipples harden at his touch, and I pull away from his mouth to inhale raggedly and indecently.

“Ranma,” I whimper as his entire body envelops and heats me, his whole being worshipping me in a tactile and profane language. “Stop.”

“Stop?” he asks, releasing my breast as his hands retrace their steps to my lower back, skirting the edge of my underwear. He looks at me uncertain, and I swallow hard.

I’m breathing so hard and fast that words won’t come out. He moves away, giving me space, and I lean back in bed, trying to understand what’s happening to me.

“I-I want to go on a date,” I say, terribly incoherent. “To the aquarium, the zoo, the amusement park… I want to do the kind of things girls do when they have a boyfriend.”

My fighter watches me intently, a little worried.

“Do you want me to ask you out?”

“Yes.”

He smiles as if what I just said is terribly funny to him.

“Okay, sure, let’s go on a date,” he concedes.

“And I want to sleep with you… Just sleep.”

“Did it bother you when I touched you?” he asks, looking down, pitiful.

“No!” I quickly reply. “I just didn’t expect it to be so…” I clear my throat. “Intense.”

Ranma weighs it carefully and then stands up.

“I’ll wait for you in my room,” he says, giving me a fleeting kiss on the lips, leaving me alone to breathe and wallow in my odious indecision.

He scared me, that’s the truth. This sudden intimacy caught me off guard despite having sought it with all my might.

I get out of bed, blushing, and hurry to find one of the pajamas Akari chose. I go into the bathroom and take a short, uncomfortable shower. I brush my hair, brush my teeth, and put on that satin thing. It’s a two-piece set, with shorts and a thin tank top. A bit cold if I were going to sleep alone, but not if I’m going to spend the night glued to a human furnace. I look at myself in the mirror, my nerves tickling my throat. I walk down the hall to his room and find him in his pajamas, casually flipping through what I’d swear is a manga.

He glances at me and slams it shut.

“Are those your new pajamas?” he asks, puzzled.

“You said I should get some.”

He grunts as I approach the bed.

“I meant ones that wouldn’t make me want to rip them off.”

I blush as I close the gap between us, and he moves to the side as I pull the covers over me. Ranma’s scent immediately lulls me; it feels like home. His hands are soon all around me, on top of me, his whole body molding to mine, and my hair stands on end as he cradles me against him, whispering lazily.

“I’ve been thinking about our fight all day, and how you thought I didn’t want you. I don’t want you to have any doubts; you drive me crazy, Akane. I could spend all day touching you.”

I swallow hard, feeling butterflies in my stomach, his pleasant warmth, his skin against mine. I don’t know how to explain how new and exciting what I’m discovering with him is. That I’m as scared as I am eager, that I want to scream, to throw myself at him and to run away, all at the same time.

“I get flustered around you, you drive me crazy… I want you to touch me and I’m afraid of how out of control I feel when you do.”

“You can touch me too,” he pants in a deep, slow voice, and I feel like I’m in agony, that the cast is bothering me more than ever.

“I think I’ll do better when I have both hands free again,” I reply, frustrated.

“Good,” he purrs, settling in like a huge cat, a panther circling me with his claws until my bottom is pressed firmly against him, and I feel him stiff and ready. I tense up as he rocks imperceptibly and I gasp, hoarse and breathless, until my cheeks ache.

“Ranma…” I protest weakly.

“You get into my bed in those pajamas, say things like that to me, and expect me not to react? I’ve spent days gritting my teeth until my gums bleed, trying to hold back. I can’t fight it anymore. You’ll have to be the one to tell me how far I can go, how much you’ll let me touch… When I should stop. Akane, I can’t hold back anymore.”

But there’s no defeat in his voice, only anxiety. His hand tightens around my waist, pulling me closer, making the friction lascivious. He slides down my backside, making me stifle a cry, a sigh. One of his hands slips under the thin fabric and moves back up, seeking the peak of my breast. He cups it in his hand as his mouth kisses my neck, the movement becoming rhythmic, devastating.

I said I just wanted to sleep, and yet I find myself unable to stand up for myself, becoming liquid, incandescent.

He squeezes my chest, and a guttural, pleased sound rises from his throat. His other hand slides inch by inch down my stomach until it reaches the elastic waistband of my pants. I tense like a violin string as I feel the knot in my throat tighten and his hand descend until his fingers rest on the crotch of my legs.

I moan in disbelief, perhaps too loudly. I don’t care, and he doesn’t seem to care either as his fingers tentatively explore my underwear, awakening a river of lava within me, an abyss of endless descent.

I open my mouth, trying to get air into my lungs, as Ranma licks my neck and his fingers begin to synchronize with the movement of his hips.

It’s madness. My heart is going to explode. I’m going to explode completely as I begin to moan with each thrust, with every millimeter of his torturous pressure on my sex.

I can’t do anything but go crazy. My clothes feel like they are in the way, I want to rip them off, I want to kiss him while he keeps doing what he’s doing. I try to grab his hands, his hair… The damn cast is stopping me. I groan in frustration and his fingers loosen a little.

“You don’t like it?” he asks breathlessly, releasing my chest and placing his hand on my ribcage. I inhale sharply as his fingers pause their blessed task.

“It’s just that…” I turn away and break contact. He adjusts himself without protest, and I look at him in the dim light of the room. He’s just as flushed as I am. “It’s uncomfortable not being able to move the way I need to”

“So, should we stop?”

I bite my lip and he looks at it, waiting for my answer.

“I think so.”

Ranma takes one, two, three breaths. He closes his eyes and seems to enter a state of deep meditation.

“Are you gonna go for a run today?” I asks curiously.

“I’ve been training like crazy all day, even my eyelids hurt. Give me a minute.”

And I do. I try to calm down too, to catch my breath while I straighten my clothes and gather my thoughts. I snuggle up to him and, without really knowing when, I fall into a deep sleep in his arms.

.

..

…

There’s an argument in the hallway.

I sit up in bed and feel the weight of not having taken any kind of sedative all day yesterday. I wiggle the fingers of my right hand, trying to stretch them despite the heavy cast, and stand up.

The two male voices continue to rise, and for a moment I fear it’s my fault and my shameless nighttime moans, that Ryu is bothering Ranma again and my fighter is giving back as he always does.

But I only have to approach the door to catch the details of a conversation clearly not meant for my ears.

“…this is what we’ve always done, I don’t get why it’s a problem!”

“That doesn’t mean it’s right!”

“If you don’t want to fight, don’t, but we need the money.”

“Well, maybe we should think about other alternatives.”

Ryu’s harsh laughter echoes through the door, one of those biting, humorless laughs.

“Is that what you’re going to say to Mom when she shows up here in a few weeks?”

Silence.

I press my ear completely against the door. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it.

“It’s getting dangerous, and the police are investigating,” Ranma murmurs.

“The police are corrupt, you know that. The only one taking it seriously is that Inspector Hibiki guy, and that’s because his superiors want a scapegoat. The moment he gets too close to Tarô, he’ll be taken care of.”

My heart sinks at the somber silence.

“And you think that’s okay?”

“Don’t mess with me, Ranma. We care about the police now?”

“You’re better than that, Ryu. You’re not a raging fighting dog in a cage, and neither am I. Tarô is a ruthless greedy bastard, and he wants us to die in there for show.”

“Nothing new.”

“Ryu…” I hear his restrained tone. I can almost see his frustrated expression, his fists clenched and tense.

“I understand you’re very busy with your personal life right now, and that you want to keep her out of it, but I’m not you. I’m going to fight in a few weeks, and I hope you’ll be there to support me.”

“Of course I’ll be there, you’re my brother.” His mournful tone reveals his deep discouragement, his worry.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me, I always win,” Ryu replies with a slightly condescending tone.

The footsteps fade away and I hear a snort. I return to bed with my heart racing and a menacing unease spreading through my insides. I have the feeling that something bad is about to happen.

.

..

…

Author’s note:

In this chapter, our protagonists start to let themselves go, but not everything is perfect in paradise! Problems are piling up in the midst of their idyll, and sooner or later they’ll have to deal with them, though for now we can let them enjoy a moment of happiness.

Thank you to everyone who continues to read this fanfic, to which we’ve devoted so many hours and so much love. Thank you to Dani, whose wonderful translation allows us to reach even more people, and thank you to my betas, as always, for their feedback and corrections.

Get ready, because the next chapter is going to be… HOT.

Kisses.

LUM