Strike Fiss, NCR 1999 This story is just a little mind-fluff to help me over the edge of a rather lonely Christmas. Hope all you romantics and hentai out there enjoy it. Happy holidays! "For this second of your life Tell me if it's true Anywhere beyond Is all I want of you Your lips lies a secret A promise of a kiss Or something more than this" -"More than This", The Cure ------------------------------------------------ Kasumi Tendo had outdone herself yet again. The dinner had been absolutely perfect. Genma and Soun were eagerly polishing off their third helping of turkey, and Happosai was tossing the remnants of the steamed peas into the air, and catching them in his wrinkled mouth. Ranma hadn't eaten that much, but did find time for some of the pumpkin pie Kasumi had made (from scratch, of course). Akane let out a long yawn. "It was great, Kasumi." "Good food always makes people tired." Her elder sister laughed. I consider it a compliment. Akane sighed. "Ugh. Yeah. I'm going to go lay down for a bit." She stood from the table. Her father nodded. "Have a good nap, honey." "I'm not going to sleep." Akane smiled. "If I do, I'll be up all night." She turned to Ranma, only to see him eyeing his pie. He looked like shit. She turned away and kept going, though. Ranma turned slightly to watch her leave, but snapped right back to his focusing on his food. "What's with Ranma?" Kasumi whispered to Nabiki. Nabiki sighed. "I guess Akane didn't tell you about the mistletoe incident, did she?" "No." Kasumi's eyes widened. "I'll tell you later." Her sister smiled. "Saw the whole thing." It had been earlier on in the day. Kasumi had spent all last night decorating the dojo for the holidays, and when Ranma woke for a quick workout, he was greeted to the sight of evergreen and lights strung everywhere. "Wow, it's been so long since I've been in a home for Christmas." He mused to himself. "I could get used to this." He smiled. Nobody was usually awake at this hour, so he decided to forgo the getting changed part, and decided to practice a few moves just in his night shirt and shorts. He walked over to the training area.only to see the floor was covered with pieces of a artificial Christmas tree. He sighed. Kasumi must have not gotten to that part yet. "Now where am I going to practice?" he asked himself. "If I run around inside the house, I'll wake everyone up." Ranma thought for a second. OR, he could TRY not to wake anyone up. Yeah! A true challenge! Ninja style! Sneak attack. Death from above. He hadn't tried that in a while. No sooner had he decided on his course of action, then he took off down the hallway in a sprint, trying to avoid all the squeaky parts on the floor at high speeds. Ah yes.the perfect morning workout. Akane never liked to admit it, but she loved Christmas. It was still a few days away now, but her internal clock was already geared to early morning wake-ups. Certain there was nobody up yet, she walked down the stairs dressed in her pajamas with a big yawn. She hadn't heard Ranma practicing in the dojo, so she figured he must have slept in for once. As Ranma sprinted around the corner, he knew it was going to be too late. Akane had JUST stepped out into the hallway, heading for the kitchen, and too sleepy to notice. "Eeeep!" She turned just in time to see him collide into her. Sacrificing his bare knees, Ranma grabbed Akane in a rough embrace and they skidded to a stop across the hall with a rough thump. Their eyes opened with their heads on each other's shoulder. Arms wrapped around the other's back like they had been doing so all their lives. Akane swallowed hard as she felt his heart beating faster. "What he HELL are you doing?!?" she whispered, pushing him away like a magnet would push the same pole. Ranma sighed. "Sorry. I didn't think anyone was up yet." She turned up her nose. "Think you're the only one who lives in this." her breath caught in her throat, and a deep red blush crept up her neck. He looked above her to see what she was looking at. Directly above the two hung a small cluster of mistletoe. Deciding to lighten the tension, Ranma smiled. "Figures we'd collide like that under mistletoe." Akane's eyes shifted slightly to a point on the floor. "Guess that's our version of a kiss." He continued. The tension didn't lift. Silence echoed between the two. Finally, Akane returned to what she was used to. Attack posture. "Speak for yourself." She said with a sudden air of smugness. "I happen to be an excellent kisser." Ranma wasn't smart enough to prevent the entrapment. "Ha! You couldn't kiss your way out of a paper bag." He said. "Besides, I thought you tomboys hated all that mushy stuff." Challenge issued. Akane's eyebrows narrowed into a light `V'. "You should talk. You're not even a man half the time." Challenge acknowledged. Both stood to their full height to try and intimidate their opponent. "Oh yeah?" Ranma replied, his anger more than evident in his voice. "You'll never know. Anyone who would even try to kiss you would end up getting a mallet on the head for their trouble!" Challenge accepted. "Ooooh NO!" Akane growled, not even too sure of what she was saying. "You're not backing out this time." "What??" Ranma blinked. She poked his chest with her finger. "Last time you couldn't do it.I doubt you've even kissed a girl before." She grinned with a wicked smile. "Unless of course you tried kissing a mirror." That really stung. Partly because it was true. A truth and an insult in one sentence. That was Akane for you. Last time, he never did kiss her. They had been in the dojo, and it was to end a similar argument. He found a way to weasel out of it, though. Soun and the old man had been hanging around, and he simply blamed them for spying. Now, there was no one up but them. He wouldn't be able to get out of this one.but of course, he was too busy waging battle with Akane to realize he was about to be trapped. "Oh yeah? Bet you wouldn't dare without your dad to save you." Ranma managed. The feeble attempt at an insult did not go unnoticed and Akane. "Why not? We're under mistletoe.it's not like it means anything." For some reason, deep within his mind, Ranma was hurt more by that last statement than anything else she had said. Akane seemed a little more uncertain after that as well. "Time to put your money where your mouth is, Ranma." She said, voice still just higher than a whisper. "Okay." Ranma replied coldly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Fine. Let's get this over with." Her eyes closed as she waited stubbornly for him to make the first move. Ranma took a deep breath, and he almost lunged toward her lips. But at the last moment.time froze. Well, it didn't exactly freeze. Ranma was aware of his own heart beating.the feel of Akane's strong, toned shoulders in his hands, tensing up as he got closer. But what really hit him was the soft, hot wall of air between their mouths. It was agonizingly sweet as her breath entered in the crack of his lips and rolled around on his tongue. The heat left briefly when she inhaled, but returned a few heartbeats later, and stronger than before. His eyes opened slightly. "She is sooooo un-cute!" His mind blared. "Of course, you idiot!!" his heart replied smugly. "She's an angel. Not JUST cute." He finally let out a breath that he wasn't even aware he had been holding. Akane's mouth opened slightly when she felt the warmth. Her eyes were closed lightly. Lips still parted, slightly moist. At that moment, Ranma had never seen anything more inviting. Time resumed, and Ranma moved in, letting the heat wash through him. His arms edged her closer ever so slightly. Electricity seemed to be bouncing between them. Oh god, this was it. At the last possible nanosecond, Akane's eyes opened wide. Ranma stopped his advance instinctively. Something was wrong. Her eyes.he saw something in her eyes. It was something he had never.EVER.seen before in her eyes. He had no idea what to call it.but it was warm. Instinctual. Fire. Just as quickly, though.it turned into anger. Akane's face lit up bright red and her jaw dropped. Not in anticipation of a kiss.more like shock. That was when he realized he was against her stomach. Not with his hands. Not with his arms. The entire front of his shorts and shirt had tented out to meet her half way, and was pressing up against her warm, soft belly. "Oh." Before Ranma could utter another syllable, he was embedded in the wall with a giant, throbbing red hand-print on the side of his face. Akane stood, still in shock, with her hand outstretched from the slap. "Oh my GOD!" she gasped. "Hentai!" she says, already half way up to her room. Ranma struggles for something to say, but can barely breathe as the pain replaces the rapidly cooling heat. "Uuuuuhh." He gasps finally, erection all but gone. His heart takes pity on him (knowing full well it was partly responsible) and decides to stay quiet for a good long time. Kasumi was blushing, trying not to look over at Ranma. "Oh my." Nabiki nodded. "I'm not sure poor Ranma knows how to deal with something like that." She shuddered. "From what I heard from one of my friends, getting.uh.caught.like that is ten times worse for a guy than if a woman's nipping out and rides the `crimson wave' in public." "It can't be that bad." Kasumi shrugged. Nabiki just nodded. They both eyes Ranma with the corner of their eyes. He was rolling around peas on his plate. "Poor guy." Akane stared at the ceiling for a long time before sleep finally took over. Warm. Long. Hard.STOP right there.she demanded. "Do NOT go there, Akane." she whispered to herself. "Oh please don't go there." she moaned. "Just sleep." It had taken all her will power.every barrier she had built up.and a whole lot of unwanted common sense to push him away. She blushed. "Pushed away" was hardly the case. She had leveled him against the wall. "Ranma.why couldn't you have just kissed me?" she whispered to herself. He was downstairs right now, not even touching his food, probably thinking he was the most horrible person on earth. At least the most embarrassed. Akane suddenly felt VERY bad. Old habits die hard. Attack first, love later. And so close to Christmas? The one time she felt the most alone? Slamming him into the wall was beginning to seem like a more and more stupid idea. Ranma walked up the stairs, too weak to care much where he was going. Despite the rumors that were being past around by Kasumi and Nabiki, he did not feel humiliated. He would have done a lot just to relive that one moment.even if it included the painful conclusion. His mind was doing a good job on it's own. Ranma Saotome was lost in a kiss that never happened. A kiss that almost happened. A kiss that could have been.would have been.NEEDED to have been the start of something. Anything. A kiss that was now lost. Forever. Gone. Moot. A kiss that would never have the opportunity to happen again. A kiss that he fucked up because he wasn't prepared for just how utterly perfect it felt to have Akane Tendo in his arms with her breath on his lips. A bit too perfect, he sighed. They hadn't even kissed, yet he was lost to her. Sweet torture. Her long, white neck. Soft, pink lips. Intelligent, strong eyes. Gentle, arousing curves beneath silk-smooth skin. Passion personified. All lost to him because he never expected it would all hit him at the same time that morning. Morning? Ranma's eyes widened with new hope. That's it! Akane woke to the soft tapping on her bedroom door. "Hello?" It was Ranma. "Akane, can I come in for a second?" he asked softly. "I don't know if I should let you in any place that has a bed." She replied coldly. Silently, however, she chastised herself. For fuck's sake, Akane, he's trying to apologize. Grow up! "Please, Akane. It's important." Ranma said, the knob already turning slightly. She sat up on her bed, making sure her hair wasn't mussed up from her snooze. "Fine.just a second." Reaching over, she turned on her reading lamp and opened a book to at least make it look like she had been keeping busy. "Come in." she sighed with mock annoyance. His head popped in. "Hey." She tried to focus on the book, but failed. "Hey." Ranma closed the door behind him and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were so adept at upside-down reading." Akane quickly turned the book around in her hands. He smiled. "Gottcha." She looked down at the book. It was NOW upside down. A blush was creeping up from her stomach rather quickly. "If you have something constructive to say, you better do it now." She said quickly. He nodded and sat down at her desk. A good, safe distance from her. "I wanted to apologize for this morning." "Go on." she said softly with understanding instead of annoyance. He took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have been running around like that for one thing. I'm sure a mid-air collision is the last thing you wanted to wake up to." She smiled softly. "It's okay." "And." Here it is, she thought. Ranma took a deep breath. "I wanted to especially apologize for. embarrassing you like that." He said quietly. She had a light smile on her face despite the awkward situation. "It's o." "In the morning." he continued quickly "us guys sometimes.well.wake up like that." Akane blinked. "For the first few minutes out of bed, it kinda happens off and on." Ranma explained. His face was red, despite his clinical reasoning. "I should have remembered it before.well.you know." The anger returned. `It kinda happens' he said? "Oh, I see." She frowned slightly. "So you mean it could have happened with anyone." He nodded too soon to notice the tone of her voice. "Exactly." "Oh. Well. Apology accepted. It meant nothing, I suppose then." She nodded. "Get. The. FUCK. Out." The way she had said those words made Ranma want to curl up and die right there. "W-what??" She was pointing to the door. "Get the FUCK out, hentai!" she fumed, not really caring what she said, but needing him gone before he had a chance to see her cry. Ranma stood. "Wait a second!" "OUT!" Akane screamed. "I come here to apologize." he growled, taking the offensive once more ".and I bear my humiliation to you.and all you can do is tell me to get the fuck out of your sight?!?" "I couldn't care LESS!" Akane growled back. "Get OUT of my room, you pervert!" she said, standing. Forcing him to the door with her presence. Akane herded Ranma to the door with looks that could have killed any lesser mortal. His hand twisted the knob about half way when it happened. A tiny voice in his head spoke up. It was the same voice that had gotten him into trouble that morning, but it was not unwelcome. It stated in clear, perfect English (or Japanese if you are watching the Sub-Titled version) that if he wanted to save any chance at a repeat of that kiss, he would have to act now. NOW. The knob stopped turning. He turned to face Akane, who was still shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "Akane." "Get out." She repeated, shaking with anger. Anger she had no idea where was coming from. Anger that felt like a poison to what she wanted to feel. Anger that was too familiar to give up now. She needed the comfy buzzing hatred. It was the only thing that kept her thoughts focused. "Just get out." Ranma's eyes caught hers, and once again, time froze. "I love you, Akane." He whispered softly. "I'm sorry." Akane watched the door close behind him with a blank expression on her face. It had been three hours now. Ranma gazed over to the clock and sighed. One A.M.. The little voice in his head was sighing. "Well, at least you admit it when it counts." His heart said to him. "Shut up." Ranma mumbled back. "A lot of good it does me." The truth of the matter was, however, that Ranma felt a whole lot better. He loved Akane. He would.and had.gone to the ends of the earth for her. Sacrificed his cure to save her the same humiliation. Saved her from powerful evil and the best fighters on this or any planet. Give up anything for her, even though he knew she would probably take it the wrong way and just get angry at him. He smiled. Just like now. Akane sat downstairs, drinking egg nog. Nobody else was up, thank god. Tears streamed down her face, making a small damp puddle at the base of her glass. She was so angry. At herself. "I'm such a fucking asshole." She whimpered into the bottom of her mug before refilling it with some more of the thick, spicy liquid. This was her forth cup. The problem with it was that it reminded her more and more about the feel of his breath in her mouth. Thick and sweet. "Why did he have to tell me?" she whispered. "I could have defended against anything else." She closed her eyes. "But he loves me." A tiny jingle at her feet made her look. Mistletoe. It must have fallen from the hall ceiling. Without even sure why, she picked it up. Examining it. "That does it." She stood (rather unsteadily) and began making her way to the stairs. "Once and for all." Once she was sure it was safe, Nabiki stepped out of the shadows and smiled to herself. "Merry Christmas, you two. This one's free." In her arms was a bottle of "Mr. Happy Eggnog Liquor" and the hammer she had used to take the mistletoe down from the roof. Ranma was lying awake in his bed.still dressed. The clock only read five minutes from last he looked. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon. "Akane." he sighed. "I love you." He paused, then smiled. It felt good to say. Felt right. The knock at the door startled him. "Yeah?" he called out. "I'm coming in." Akane replied from outside. "Naked or not, here I come." She giggled slightly, then stumbled in. Ranma raised an eyebrow. Akane was having trouble standing perfectly still. "Have you been drinking?" he never expected himself having to ask Akane that. She frowned. "That eggnog is some fun stuff." she shook her head. "But I'm not nearly as drunk as you probably think I am." "I bet." Ranma sighed. "Goodnight." He turned around to sleep. Akane shook her head absentmindedly. "Oh no you don't." she knelt down and crawled over to his spot on the floor. "Ranma.I came to apologize." You came to do a lot more than that! Her mind whispered. Ranma was about to get up and lead her out when Akane collapsed against his chest, sobbing loudly. "A.akane?" he blinked, only managing to sit up. She slowly stopped. Muffled by his shirt. "I'm sorry, Ranma." she whispered. "I've been so mean to you." The warmth had returned. Greater than before. Akane was a little furnace against his chest, and he was cherishing it. "What's gotten into me?" he chuckled weakly. She looked up at his face with wet, shimmering eyes. "What do you mean?" His arms came around her and held her close, careful not to put too much pressure on her, but also making sure he wouldn't lose her to some unknown force. "Yesterday, if someone were to tell me I would be holding you like this, I would have told them they were full of shit." A small smile crossed Akane's lips. "That was right up until this morning." He whispered. "When I realized how much I wanted to kiss you." Her heartbeat doubled. "Did.you mean.what you said before??" Ranma nodded. Akane lifted herself off of him slightly to look in his eyes. "Why did you say you were sorry?" He closed his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe because I wasn't sure if that was what you wanted to hear. Maybe I was just sorry it took so long for me to say." "What if it was exactly what I was hoping for?" she whispered, mostly to herself. "I've been so scared, Ranma." she placed her head against him again. "I was scared of falling in love with you, without you falling for me." Ranma gazed at the wall above her head, blinking slowly. His heart smiled, placed it's hands on it's hips, and nodded. "I TOLD you." It said. Akane could hear his heart beating a bit faster. It was nice just to listen for once. Soft thunder echoing in his chest. A wave of warmth passed through her. "Ranma?" "Mmm?" She looked up at him again. "Can we.still get into fights?" she smiled. "Kick the shit out of each other?" she said softly. "I don't want to lose anything just because we know we love each other now." Something VERY appealing about the way she said it. Love. Ranma could only nod. "Sure." He swallowed hard. "But we also gain a lot too." Akane, still feeling the edge of her fears dulled by the eggnog, smiled to herself. "Like what?" she whispered. "Well.I'd really like it if we could do this more often." He replied. "Just hold each other without having to worry about leaving." "Mmm." She hummed into his chest. "Okay. What else?" "This is a dangerous conversation to be having when you're drunk, Akane." He said through a long breath. Every ounce of his will power was going into keeping a repeat of that morning from happening again. She must have seen the look of concentration on his face, because she smiled slightly. "One thing I have got to ask you, Ranma." she whispered, sliding up his front ever so slightly. "Y-yeah?" "How come you always call me un-cute?" she breathed with her mouth on his neck. Her warm, sweet breath left a trail of heat along his throat. "Because.you are not cute." He said softly, eyes closed. "You're beautiful." She nuzzled the strong line of his cheek.just barely touching him with her nose. "Good answer." she said softly. "Akane." he whispered. "Please." his voice caught in his throat as her right breast traced a light trail against his shirt. "you're drunk." He said, not even convincing himself. "I told you. I'm not nearly as drunk as you think I am." She replied, slightly annoyed. "And even if I was." she cooed into his ear. "What makes you think I would object later on?" He turned his head slightly towards hers. "You agreeing with something I do?" he smiled. "I thought you said things weren't going to change." Akane raised her arm above his head. "Look up." She said, gazing into his eyes. Ranma looked up at her hand. She was holding the cluster of mistletoe that had been in the hall. He couldn't help but chuckle. Akane moved closer to him. Any closer and she would have been sitting on his lap. "See?" she said. "You have to now. Drunk or not." She closed her eyes half way, then re-opened them. "We have to kiss now." He nodded slowly. "Just a kiss." She leaned into him slightly. "Just one." Ranma almost didn't notice that their faces were only a breath apart. "It's not just a kiss." He said finally. That indescribable look of fire in Akane's eyes had returned, and she nodded slowly. "I know." Their eyelids lowered, and instinct guided him to where they had been before. Her breath was hot. Sweet and spicy from the eggnog. It covered his tongue like a warm blanket as he swallowed the air greedily. Akane's heart pounded into her ribs, urging her on. She was in no hurry, though. She wanted to let this moment play out for eternity. Their lips touched. Soft and moist, they drew the other in closer. Locking together in one, perfect moment. Akane reminded herself to take back anything bad she had said about Ranma's kissing ability. Within a heartbeat, she had melted into him. Body pressed up against, she reached around his neck and brought his head closer. And they kissed. Long, wet, passionate kisses broken only by the occasional gasp for air. A silent bond was formed that moment when they both realized this was meant to be. They fit each other perfectly. She finally lowered her forehead slightly as Ranma caught her upper lip in his. His tongue slid along her lip gently, sending a shudder through her body. Once again, she felt him against her front. Even through all the clothes, she could feel him pressing against her. "It's not morning." She whispered. "No excuses now." He blushed slightly, but smiled as they held their foreheads together. "You don't seem to mind it now." Akane tightened her stomach muscles, gently dragging herself up his body. Ranma let out a low moan in response. "Neither do you." She whispered. "Akane.?" "Yeah?" she replied with a hot, heavy sigh. "I don't suppose you've been taking the pill or something." He said, knowing the answer. "No." Akane replied. "Shit." He nodded. "Then I think we're going to have to save the mistletoe for later." She nodded reluctantly. "I know." She breathed against his mouth. "But." she was having trouble thinking with the throbbing warmth against her bellybutton. "I don't want to go." She decided finally. "I don't want you to go." He reassured her. The weight of her breasts against him was making it hard to breathe as well. It was one thing to have them half the time, and see them, but another thing entirely when they were someone you love's pressed up against you in full arousal. They stayed like that for a long time. Just against each other. Akane finally sighed and unwrapped her arms from around Ranma's head. "I better go." He could only nod. It was going to be torture enough tonight without her here. If she was sleeping on top of him, it wasn't going to get better. They met in another kiss. This one very tender. Any more would have sparked the need to explore other areas of their anatomies. Akane parted, but they were briefly joined by a thin string of saliva. She leaned back in and gently licked it from Ranma's lips. "I'll see you later." She whispered. He helped her to her feet and they walked over to his bedroom door. "We'll finish this some other time." He promised. A silent flash of fire lit her eyes and she smiled. "I'll hold you to your word." She said, pressing up against him, enjoying the warmth for a few more seconds before finally opening the door. Ranma watched her leave and smiled to himself. "You are soooooo un-cute." He whispered. She popped her head back in just long enough to smile, look down at the fabric of his pants and raise an eyebrow. "I wouldn't talk, hentai." "Merry Christmas." He winked, then pushed her out of the door with a kiss. Akane returned to her room, shutting the door with a pleasent sigh on her lips. Perhaps Christmas wouldn't be so lonely this year after all.
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