Being slightly out of breath the redhead dared not look into Ryoga's eyes, for fear of what could come next. 'I felt it... that was his... I can't do this! How am I supposed to when I'm... but I'm also a girl too–' Ranma blushed wildly and felt rather dizzy all of a sudden, reminding herself not to forget what was bringing Ryoga back to them.
Ryoga could feel his frustration slowly melt away, however, his lower frustration had yet to do the same. To think that he was so close claiming Ranma as his, only to find that his natural shyness stood in his way, 'I almost... and with Ranma... am I moving too fast? What's considered moving too fast?' he thought in a panic but stopped once he could sense Ranma's troubled aura.
If there was anything that could be said for Ranma it was that she felt frozen in place, her eyes squinted as she appeared to be struggling with something so intense that she caused her closed eyes to tremble as if she were fighting the urge to open them.
"R-Ranma...?"
'What am I...? Am I Ranma or something else? Is the girl in me the real Ranma? Are my feelings, real? Is it cause of girl hormones or do I really want to be Ryoga's?' she thought frantically, choking on her own thoughts, forcing her thoughts to recede as best she could.
"I'm sorry if I went too far... I didn't mean for it to go this far, I just lose control when I'm..."
Ranma halted all thought processes to hear Ryoga's words reach her ears, she blushed with a vacant expression. It was as though she could feel the emotions Ryoga was trying to project, passing through her very soul. How to act on those feelings? She didn't know.
Her silence only allowed for Ryoga's own fears to grow, his anticipation steadily growing, "Ranma... say something..." Ryoga's eyes were facing directly towards Ranma's closed ones.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence, Ryoga tried to urge himself to speak but found no words to speak; at least none that could help at the moment.
She gritted her teeth, her bangs concealed her eyes as felt the lost boy grab onto her shoulders, 'I almost did it with Ryoga... I almost let him have my first time...' she swallowed hard.
Ryoga took to gently shaking the stunned girl, "What's wrong?"
"What am I...?" Ranma asked in a low whisper.
"Huh...? What do you mean?" Ryoga asked, gawking at her.
"Am I a boy or a girl, Ryoga? What am I!?" she demanded as she sought her answer in Ryoga but shook her head.
"You're Ranma..."
"Huh?" she blinked as tears formed at the corner of her eyes, pressed up against the man who defied what she knew as conventional.
"You heard me... you're Ranma no matter what you do and that's who I'd lay down my life for..." Ryoga whispered as he held her.
Feeling as though she had just crammed her chest full butterflies, she stared at the lost boy with wide eyes, her face felt numb from the how devoted his proclamation was. "D-don't say those kinda' things!" Ranma demanded, pulling back to hold the lost boy at arm's length.
Ryoga smiled softly as he looked to her, "I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long too, Ranma..." Ryoga muttered, obviously still coming down from the high that nearly having sex could produce.
'Is it really that easy...?' the redhead thought to herself. "I'm not just a girl then... I'm a boy too, ya know that, right...?" Ranma asked.
"Now who's stupid...?" Ryoga sighed before shaking his head. "Ranma Saotome, I'm there for you no matter what you are... why should it get in the way? It maybe a little weird at fir-"
"W-wait! Are you saying even if I'm a guy you'd-" Ranma flinched and moved away from the lost boy on her knees, a blush on her face and almost comically wide eyes.
"A-are you mad?" Ryoga blinked.
"Geez! Look who's calling who stupid!? Do I have to spell it out for you!?" Ranma shouted, her arm trembling with a burning fury.
Ryoga lowered his head and pondered it for a moment, "Y-you're not ready for anything like that, a-are you?" Ryoga asked sounding scared but at the same time, a little happy.
"I... I don't know what I'm ready for, okay!" Ranma said suddenly, the intensity of her blush and rampant beating of her heart. Calming down or having gone numb, Ranma wasn't sure which, 'Just tell him you can't be doing this stuff anymore! Do you know how far you almost went!? Let him know...! Say it! But it felt so damn... ugh!'
"It's alright, I got too into it too... I'm happy just knowing that there might be a chance..." Ryoga wanted to continue but found himself laughing nervously and blushing, 'I th-think I'm getting a little emotionally drained...' Ryoga pondered finding himself excited with the idea of proving his strength to Ranma.
"You're too much, I swear..." Ranma laughed as if she were holding back some tears, 'Damn... my girl side has weird tastes...' she thought her voice echoing in her mind, though her inner voice sounded as though she were on the verge of crying tears of joy.
Ryoga smiled timidly but knew that at least he had made some immense progress, "Would it be too much to ask if I could ever get a second date...?" Ryoga asked bashfully.
It wasn't enough that she had to come to terms with how important the yellow-clad boy had been to her but now he was hoping for a repeat, "Ryoga... look..." Ranma began, then groaned as she took a deep breath to weight out her thoughts, 'I kinda' wanna' give in...'
"You'll grow up to be a real man amongst men my boy!"
"That's my little Ranma, you'll grow up to be really manly someday, won't you dear...?"
Two voices rang out in Ranma's mind, panic arose in her chest as she rationalized her situation,"Ryoga... I'm pretty sure if I ended up with you mom and dad would..."
"Oh..." Ryoga paused as he knew that despite everything that had happened between the two, Ranma was still thankful to her mother and in a sense, his own. "Damn it... I'll change her mind then! I'll find a way, damn it!" he exclaimed, bashing his fist into the dirt. "Somehow..."
"You already know much she misses you..."
"I will find a way to change her mind..."
"Really? You're going this far...? Your life isn't even... what about the deal? Huh!?"
"We'll find another way! Are you really going to just give in, Ranma? It's not like you! Every time we fight! You get creative! You stay focused and you can make things happen! Where's that Ranma I know!? Huh!?"
"We'll do this together! Alright! We'll find a way for you stay alive!" Ranma exclaimed, feeling stronger than ever but also challenged by Ryoga's words, 'He's right... I'm going to be the strongest, so, I need to stay strong, no matter what!' she thought as she felt the fire in her blood.
"If there's one way then there has to be another! This world is probably full of crazy things! We're living proof of that!" Ryoga said, wishing to build a bridge of hope for them and their possible future together.
Those words rang true in Ranma's eyes, "Ya' got me there..." she said with a warm smile.
"So-so... I guess that's a maybe now on that second date...?" Ryoga asked, looking off to the side looking as though he were pouting but actually just trying to keep his enthusiasm under control.
"Man you're persistent..." Ranma commented, staring at him with a somewhat blank look before reaching her hand up and rubbing the side of her head, 'Maybe I can use this to...' she thought, a rosy pink color gracing her cheeks as she contemplated her next course of action.
"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything..."
"Look... Ryoga, there's a deal I need to make with you..." Ranma readying herself for what she was about to do, scooting a little closer to the lost boy from her kneeling position, 'I can do this... my way...' she thought to herself as she looked into his eyes.
"Deal? What do you have in mind?" Ryoga asked, oddly perplexed at what kind of deal Ranma would want to strike.
"You give me a little time to think about things and I'll give you sumthin'..." she said, her voice getting a little faint sounding as she reached the end of her incomplete thought. Her actions depicted some hinting as to what.
Being that Ryoga's official title was, in fact, "The Lost Boy", Ranma's not-so-subtle hinting completely went under his radar. "What did you have in mind? Ranma?" He asked, staring until he noticed her sit on her knees and rest her chin on his shoulder before tilting her head up to Ryoga's neck.
Instead of receiving an answer with a simple rebuttal, her tongue slide across Ryoga's neck in a slow and hesitant pace, 'T-This is kinda' hot...' Ranma thought to herself as she felt a tingling sensation coupled with a warm sensation that made her felt as though she were too stuffy in her clothing.
"Ah! R-Ranma...!" Ryoga moaned, raising his hands to try and grab the girl in front of him, only to stop as it felt as though his nerves shock him with a jolt of pleasure, adrenaline shooting through his neck and to the pleasure center of his brain.
Ranma applied more pressure and caught the lost boy by surprise causing him to tilt back, she might have had time to consider the fact that he may have just allowed her to push him back due to his levels of interest in the pigtailed girl.
He felt vulnerable but alive at the same time, the chills that went down his spine and rush of knowing the one he had given this form of affection to, was giving it to him in return. Once again Ryoga was being taken to the heights of nirvana, basking in the moment for so long that he craved more, "Mmm..." his hands hungrily dug into her hips, his actions rewarded him with a pause in Ranma's moments as her tongue stayed in place.
Ranma while intimately dragging her tongue across his neck she felt herself wanting to go back to what they had been doing earlier, 'Oh if I had just-' Ranma thought until her inner monologue was cut short as Ryoga's hands squeezed at Ranma's hips as if he had wanted to take her like a beast about to take their prey.
"I-I want to go lower..." Ryoga breathed out, gritting his teeth and fighting himself, 'D-Damn it! That'll probably snap her-ah!' Ryoga thought, also falling victim to circumstance or perhaps some form of destiny.
"J-just this once, okay..." Ranma whispered after finishing a long lick, which, she transitioned into a kiss on his neck before just pulling her lips back and bracing herself by tensing her neck a little.
Ryoga's breath stuttered from the pleasure filled sting of getting what he could almost safely assume would be a hickey. He felt Ranma tense, knowing she knew what he was about to do and had stopped to bury her head in his neck, her breath tickled his neck.
Without warning, he finally just reached out and cupped both his hands around the firm rear that had evaded his touch for so long. To him, it was as if crossing a milestone, one that he hoped he would never forget.
"Ah! Mmm..." Ranma squinted her eyes and gave into her carnal desires, pressing her rear into the hands that so desperately wanted to caress them.
Her upper and lower lips pressed against each other so hard it had looked as though Ranma sucked on a lemon before she opened her mouth and released her hot breath onto Ryoga's exposed neck.
Ryoga had never experienced any battle greater than the one he was going through right now, controlling the beast that lived as though it were a second conscious.
Her eyes widened as she pulled away from the lost boy, a familiar hardness awoke the dormant part of her brain, restarting like a hamster getting back on its training wheel. "No more! W-we can't-" she exclaimed burying her head into his neck.
Every word that passed through her mouth and onto his collar only served to further push what little control Ryoga was holding onto. "Y-you're right, I'll stop..." Ryoga groaned out, feeling as though his body was in desperate need of cooling off.
The same could be said for his redheaded companion, her exhausted form had some beads of sweat falling off the sides of her face while she breathed heavily. "Ryoga..."
"Yeah, Ranma...?"
"Mind letting go...?" Ranma asked, feeling a vein on the side of her head twitch as she had her eyes closed as she felt his hands jerk away suddenly.
Ryoga's nose bled as he retracted his hands from Ranma's lower backend.
----------------------------------------
Genma
An old man with a straw hat walked along a dirt path, his height relatively comparable to that of Cologne, roughly double her size. He looked to the sky, his beady eyes gazed into the heavens, "Oh..." he gawked as he looked in between the trees that stood between him and the gray clouds above him.
"Bwahhh!"
"真的出了黑熊的形狀!" the man shouted in Chinese, reaching behind him and retrieving something from his backpack.
The bear stopped as if it had been told to freeze by a police officer, but found its fears lessening when it saw a frying pan being brandished as a weapon. It cackled with laughter, closing in on the helpless man about to open his mouth and roar.
A loud metallic ringing sound echoed as the pan that had once in the old man's hands went flying and smacked into the bear's face, the bear attempted to open its mouth but to roar in anger only to find that it had been silenced with a bok choy lodged in its mouth.
"逃離!" he cried, his legs spread with his back nearly up against the tree behind him.
It was allowed one whole second to stand in shock, only to have a pair of shoes smack into its snout and stomach. It reached out and tried to sooth it's enlarged nostrils as it then felt a rock conk him on the noggin.
It rose with killing intent as a lump formed on the side of its head, the elderly man shrieked in fear and tightened his hold on his backpack straps. To him, it was as if he were staring down a large(slightly plushy) demon. It was as if a man was about to be struck down until a straw hat lightly bopped into the creature's forehead.
Said bear raised his a sign while maintaining its anger, "Seriously!?" was written on a wooden sign.
He cowered in fear of the creature but was unable to read the Japanese written on its sign, it wasn't as if he could question it anyways. "我看不懂!"
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
A bloodthirsty roar signaled the calm before the storm, as it began to give chase.
"沒有! 請! 饒恕我!" sprinting away from Genma as fast as his tired old legs could carry him, his stubby legs kicking up a dirt trail as he sped away.
After a maybe few yards, the large mass of fur stopped mid-rampage to widen his eyes and grin before plopping itself down on the ground and looking his shoulder to all the things the old man had thrown at him, 'If I keep this up, we should be able to save up the money we need to leave, sooner than later...' Genma thought to himself as he stood on his hind legs and picked up all the goodies he had scared off his victims.
'Then so long, fake son...' Genma thought to himself as he dropped all his treasures into a green sack with yellow rings.
----------------------------------------
Mousse
One man could only endure so much humiliation before they were filled to burst, that was currently Mousse. He was frustrated with the fact that he had to spend his time being the lapdog to such a dried up husk of an elder, 'If only she weren't one of the strongest...' he thought to himself as he washed dishes while working at the Nekohaten.
"You is doing too too good!" Shampoo exclaimed.
"Really!? Oh! My darling Shampoo! I just knew you car-" Mousse exclaimed as he spun around and threw his arms out, only to see that she was holding a pamphlet and keeping her long haired childhood friend at bay with her foot to his face.
"Shampoo still need get better grammar! Since Ranma no can speak Chinese! Shampoo practice!" she explained, waiting for Mousse to move away from her foot since she must have been making him look like a fool.
What she got instead was a sad boy who sighed at her rejection, his face leaning into her foot, his arms hanging like damp noodles. "That was on purpose..." he said, sounding as though he were about to turn on the waterworks.
"Shampoo know! Great-Grandmother need Shampoo to get big pot ready for fight with airen! She ask Shampoo to polish but Shampoo busy preparing wedding dress!"
"Why would I ever consider helping with that!?" Mousse shouted, 'Don't you care about my feelings for you Shampoo...?' he thought knowing that she must have been toying with him or at least hoped she was.
"Shampoo no have anyone to turn to! Please, Shampoo no want to miss big savings! Sales lady say she only do deal for today!" she clarified with her hands close to her face, looking adorably annoyed that he didn't just immediately agree to do what she wanted.
'I think that sales lady is probably just saying to make a quick sale... but wait, I should play it cool...!' Mousse thought, thankfully that his near bottle sized glasses made it hard to exactly see how he was expressing himself. "What do I get out of it? Except for, I don't... helping the guy I'm trying to take you from!?" Mousse said rather convincingly, as still, it was as he just said.
Shampoo pouted as she crossed her arms and hummed in annoyance, drumming her fingers on her elbow as she narrowed her eyes and then raised her hand to bite her thumbnail. "Shampoo is having it!" she exclaimed before turning around.
Understandably, Mousse's mood was quite sour but for her, he would get through this with a forced smile.
"Shampoo let Mousse hold hand for five seconds!" she declared, holding up her hand with all five fingers out.
To think such a weak offer could sway someone who sought so much more from her could only hurt someone as prideful as Mousse! He could accept no less than-
"Really!? Oh, my sweet Shampoo! Thank you!" ...well, damn.
----------------------------------------
Ranma & Ryoga
Forever will their intimacy be burned into their minds, whether they viewed that as a positive thing or not... one fact remained true. They had both given some degree of consent. Now they rode much calmer waters.
"So... how's training been?" Ryoga decided to ask, hoping to ease the tension in the air.
"Y'know that old man... he leaves more than he actually trains..." Ranma replied, speaking calmly.
"Yeah... makes you wonder how many odd jobs a guy like him can 'actually' get..."
"He ain't always working but when he is the guy's usually just lifting stuff for others now, few benefits of being a panda..."
"Something tells me he was already like a panda before he got cursed..."
"Pfft... if he spent less time eating and more time training maybe he'd actually look my guy side..." Ranma commented while holding back a laugh, she looked to Ryoga who also held back some laughter.
Ryoga found that he wasn't able to keep his tone as low as he would have liked. "It hasn't been way too long but good to know he never changes..." he said, knowing that was mostly a joke.
Their eyes met for a second as they soon smiled with their eyes closed at each other, finding comfort in one another's company. Walking in silence for a moment they eventually realized that they had smiled a bit too long.
Mirroring the others actions they turned away from one another, Ryoga scratching his cheek with his index finger and smiling in overly goofy fashion. The redhead, however, was rubbing her arm as she looked to the ground with wide eyes. It was then that both of them felt something tap their shoulders, they both stopped and looked to one another.
"Did you...?" Ranma asked.
"Was that...?" Ryoga asked at the exact same time.
Neither expecting what came next they both felt drops of water bounce off their heads, their brows rose as they looked up to the gray sky as clouds gathered. Shortly after, little by little, the rain grew in tempo.
"We should hurry, don't want you getting sick..."
"Ya' sound like Mom..." Ranma commented, smirking as she leads the two with her hands behind her head.
"Hehehe... guess I do, huh?" Ryoga chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with one of his little fangs poking out the corner of his mouth.
Although the rain touched their skin they did not actually hurry, they simply continued walking. Nothing was in the way of them spending time together, it was only them and the comfort their company brought the other. Subconsciously they walked a little closer to the other.
----------------------------------------
Nodoka
Nodoka sat behind the counter, not really doing anything as she watched the last customer finish and wipe his mouth with his sleeve, "亞洲黑熊甚至是這些土地的本地人?" he muttered to himself as he took out a tip and left it on the table, winking at Nodoka.
She sighed and shook her head, she stopped to look at her hand and looked at her ring finger or rather, for Nodoka, it might as well have just been a finger without a ring, 'You'd think he'd get me a ring with all the extra money we've been making...' she thought as she faintly pondered her misfortune. It was all in vein as she simply found her thoughts going back to Ranma and Ryoga's situation.
"Hey! Nodoka! Do things look a little slow today?" Mousse asked coming from the back room as he wiped his hands with a washcloth, wearing an apron.
Nodoka looked up from her stupor and met Mousse's... glasses. "Oh! I'm sorry... I'm just thinking about things..."
"Hm... take it you've heard the news about Shampoo and your son?"
Nodoka blinked but relaxed her expression as she looked off to the side, "Yes..." she lied.
"I'm surprised Shampoo hasn't told you about it, guess she's been busy with..." Mousse paused, sighing,"bridal training..."
"That's a shame to hear dear, usually you're always very hopeful when it comes to Shampoo..."
"Please don't remind me..."
"Well, I'm still rooting for you, Mousse..." Nodoka smiled at the boy with glasses.
Mousse felt his lips wobbling for a moment as her words struck his heart like a bolt of lightening, someone other than his own mother had believed in him. Granted it was someone else's mother, but still another living being. His heart felt ready to burst, thankfully he was able to maintain composure enough to speak, "T-thank you...!" he said looking away and lifting his glasses to wipe his tears with his long rolled up sleeve.
"You're welcome, Mousse..." Nodoka chuckled a little, finding his display a bit odd but goofy in a childish way.
"Oh, what the hell..." he began then rubbed the back of his head. "Cologne said on rainy days when no one shows up for long enough, we can close early..." he stopped to look at a window near the front of the restaurant.
Nodoka looked over her shoulder as well, "That's right, I remember now..." she looked up at the ceiling as she recalled having been told that.
"It's not too far from closing time anyways, so, I doubt the old hag would care too much..." Mousse offered with a smile, 'She's so kind and thoughtful, nothing like her son...' he thought before turning around and getting ready to close up, starting by washing the remaining dishes.
"Thank you, Mousse..." she said, moving to the apron rack and taking hers off.
----------------------------------------
Ranma & Ryoga
As they were nearing their destination, Ryoga could see a familiar clearing in the distance, 'It's been awhile since I was here...' Ryoga commented as he felt the memory of so many sparring sessions flashing through his mind.
Ranma's mind was elsewhere though, 'Ta' think we've gotten like this... it's not so bad...' Ranma blushed and looked to the side. Her heart began to thump wildly as she felt her mind wondering something, 'Have I always liked guys or is Ryoga... special...?' she asked herself within her mind, once hand reaching out to place it over her heart.
A warm feeling spread throughout the lost boy as he found himself looking towards Ranma. The gentle sound of rain echoing throughout the forest, only complimented by the various animal calls that such a part of China could house. Thing was, none of that mattered to the Raven haired teen, for when he caught sight of Ranma completely wet, he watched some water drip down from her hair.
"Huh? What's up, Ryoga?" Ranma asked quirking a brow, noticing him gawking at her from the corner of her eye.
"N-nothing!" Ryoga replied, blushing and looking away from her as his mind connected the dots, 'Her hair kinda' reminds of her when she's...' Ryoga pondered as an image of Ranma's face with damp looking hair, presumably from the sweat of their intimate moments.
"Oh..." she blinked, to see him be so scared of her, it got a chuckle out of her. 'Maybe I can get a little payback...' she thought as she swallowed hard and then looked to Ryoga's arm and closed her eyes, embracing his arm.
"Wha!? R-Ranma what're you!?" he asked, his hairs standing up like a frightened cat.
"Aww... after everything you've put me through, a little surprise arm holding gets to you?" Ranma inquired with a smirk, a teasing tone as she watched him fidget with her sign of affection.
Ryoga's eyes stared into Ranma's and he found himself mesmerized by how adorable she was allowing herself to be."I guess I'm just sh-shocked, not that I dislike it..." he found himself unable to finish as he remembered all the times they had sparred, that strange familiar look in her eye, 'Two can play that game, Ranma...'
"Huh? Am I really that smoking hot that you're left speechless?"
"Exactly!" Ryoga exclaimed as he leaned his face closer to Ranma, a slight blush to his own face as she met Ranma's teasing with his own.
Now it was her turn to bashfully dodge eye contact, 'Does this mean we're flirting...? Is he challenging me? Is this a contest I want to win...?' Ranma thought, pouting her lips a little until she saw the corner of Ryoga's lips curl upwards. "Really? Even hot enough to have your next meal all to myself?" she asked, clapping her hands together and fanning her eyelashes at Ryoga.
Ryoga froze in place and found his eyes widening in shock, "Eh...? But then I wouldn't have the energy to spare-"
"Oh! I knew you'd understand!" Ranma exclaimed and watched as Ryoga's eyes filled with horror.
"A-anything for you..." Ryoga said, having completely bought that on the assumption that Ranma did in fact like to eat.
All he got was some laughter from the redheaded girl, letting go of his arm and arching her head back, "Man, you're too easy..."
"That was dirty and you know it, Ranma..." Ryoga pointed out, closing his eyes and shaking his head now just glad to know he wouldn't lose a meal also a little sad that all Ranma had to do was put on a cutesy act and he was left a blithering agreeable idiot.
"I know... but watchin' you squirm is kinda' fun..." Ranma commented, choking on her words a little but offering a reassuring smile.
Her message was received and the lost boy caught himself staring at her, "Exactly why I like licking your neck so much..." Ryoga fired with his eyes closed as she took the lead, crossing into the grassy field before Ranma's home.
"Now look who's playing dirty..." Ranma looked to the ground as if her pupils were magnetically attracted to it.
----------------------------------------
Nodoka
Following the dirt path that leads to home, the wayward mother couldn't take her mind off the subject of her son and Ryoga. How could she not know? She was like a mother to him, yet, she couldn't see when the feelings of her child, crying out to her.
For a brief instance, Nodoka thought back to all the time she had spent working at that restaurant for Cologne. "Have I wasted too much time working for Cologne? Was I wrong to stop Genma from taking Ranma all those years ago...?" she asked herself as she subconsciously twirled her purple umbrella.
Usually, the serene sounds of nature would cause a calm and tranquil feeling to envelop Nodoka, but on this day they offered no such feeling. For her spirits were not as peaceful as her surroundings.
Her heart sang a different tune, for her, it was as if all she was stuck on was a melancholy song she had no choice but to acknowledge as her current predicament. 'Am I a bad mother? Have Genma and I really lead Ranma down the wrong path?' Nodoka thought, feeling mentally drained. These questioned have haunted the mother of the Saotome's as of late. What was right? What was wrong? She knew Ranma was her genetic child but there was a sweet innocence to Ryoga.
"Maybe I can make dinner or something, spend sometimes with Ranma..." she mumbled with her eyes closed, seeing a familiar grassy field ahead before allowing her mind to rest.
----------------------------------------
Ryoga & Ranma
"Finally!" Ranma exclaimed as she stopped at the front of her home, looking as though she had just finished running.
Ryoga came to a halt behind Ranma and looked to her, "Alright... you win..." he said, congratulating her.
"You think I'm fast a guy? As a girl, I swear it's like I can glide through the air or something!" Ranma said, gesturing to herself with her thumb.
"I know, I know... I've been on that side of the fence long enough to know that," Ryoga commented as he then rubbed the back of his neck, 'Well, I guess the date is technically over and it hasn't stopped raining, thankfully...' he thought to himself, growing to appreciate how lovely she looked with damp hair and a smile.
"You know you make it pretty obvious what you're thinking Ryoga..." Ranma commented, clearing her throat.
"I do? I guess I-I need to work on that... anyway... we're here..." Ryoga announced, feeling a bit little sad that their time together couldn't continue.
"Yeah... so, when do we start training?"
"Tomorrow? Sound good?" Ryoga inquired.
"Yeah... maybe in the morning? After maybe we can just, hang out, ya know..." Ranma tried to say but found herself with that old feeling of longing, 'It's only until tomorrow...' Ranma thought as she looked back to Ryoga.
"Isn't there supposed to be something at the end of these dates, like a goodbye...?" Ryoga questioned as he cleared his throat, this got a response from the girl across from him.
Ranma fought back her insecurities and gulped, they had already done so much to think just one more kiss would stop all that. "I asked you to give me some time so don't go thinking this is your answer..." she responded, shocking the lost boy but in a good way.
"R-Really? Thank you, Ranma!"
"Oh! Hold up there, pig-boy! There's a condition for this kiss..." Ranma announced with a light coloring to her delicate looking cheeks, closing the distance between her and the lost boy by getting within arms reach.
"What kinda' condition?" Ryoga blinked.
"You tell me what's the deal behind that note with my name in your old shirt..." Ranma while speaking had brought her arms up and wrapped them around Ryoga's neck.
Ryoga's eyes widened as he took a second to recall that day, "Oh, well since it's you..." Ryoga took a deep breath and began to tell his tale.
"It's literally got my name on it..." Ranma added in playfully, getting the desired effect of causing Ryoga to blush.
"R-Remember that one time you were sick...?"
"So how bad are you feeling, Ranma?" Nodoka asked as she placed a wet washcloth on Ranma's forehead.
"L-like my head's spinning and like I'm a boiling soup..." Ranma replied as she reached for the washcloth herself and dunked it in the small bowl of water Nodoka was keeping handy.
"I'd love to stay Ranma but I'm already late as it is, do you mind if Ryoga takes care of you...?" Nodoka asked as she looked to the lost boy who had been holding up a notebook with some Japanese characters written on it.
"Can I study and help?" Ryoga asked as he had stuffed his pencil into the notebook spine.
"I'm sure you can study some more Ryoga, besides, I think Ranma should rest right now..." she commented as she picked up the medicine bottle she had just used on Ranma. She stood up and left Ranma and Ryoga's room, some footsteps echoing from the other room.
The boy dressed as a guide stood up and followed Nodoka in the other room, seeing her quickly exit her room and already heading out the door he reached his hand out. "W-wait... what if Ranma doesn't get better?" he asked, hugging the notebook in his hands.
"Oh, you're worried about your brother, that's so sweet..." Nodoka hummed with a smile before taking her hands and placing them on Ryoga's shoulder. "I'm sure Ranma will be fine as long as you're there, keeping him in your thoughts and near your heart..."
"Near my... heart?" the less experienced Ryoga repeated, eyes wide and a gentle blush across his face.
"Yes... now excuse me Ryoga, sweetie..." she said, waving Ryoga goodbye.
He looked to the table in the living room but then looked back in the direction of Ranma's room, he made his way over to the table in the living room and began to write his characters. He continued to practice the characters until Nodoka's word's echo inside Ryoga's head.
"Near my heart..." Ryoga muttered, taking the one he wasn't using to write he placed his hand over his heart and then looked down at the paper where he was practicing his hiragana. "How can I do that...? Maybe if I..." he mumbled before ripping a piece of paper from the notebook and separating it from the notebook, to begin writing on it.
"らんま" it read. (Ranma)
Ryoga picked it up and folded it, putting it in the shirt pocket closest to his heart.
"A-and that's how! T-then I guess I just forgot it!" Ryoga half-shouted as he sweated nervously.
"Huh? Really? Guess I was expecting more..." Ranma commented as she scratched the side of her head and shrugged.
Ryoga couldn't bare to look at Ranma at that moment, 'Oh good... she hasn't caught on... how could I tell her what happened after that anyways?' he thought as the memory played out in his mind.
An eager Ryoga opened the door to the redhead's room, stopping as she caught sight of the girl having tossed and turned to such a point that she was sleeping upside down from where her head normally rested. That's not what was so shocking, what was most shocking and perhaps most attention-grabbing had to be the fact that Ranma was squeezing the moist cloth down onto her head and down onto her cleavage.
"Ah..." Ranma moaned contently as she cooled off, eyes closed as she hadn't even registered the raven, haired teen.
"Ran-" Ryoga squeaked before closing the door and pressing his back to it, his heart thumping a million miles per second as he remembered how the water hit her skin.
"Well, here's your reward..." Ranma paused as she looked up to the lost boy.
Ryoga was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice, he reached his hands out to try and place them on Ranma's hips. "Ranma..." he said, gazing into her eyes.
"Ryoga..." she said in a calm tone, stopping Ryoga's hands from taking her curvy hips.
"Huh...?" he paused, wondering why she had stopped him until he felt her hands on his collarbone suddenly, 'Did she use her technique's speed to?' he thought.
"We're doing this my way..." Ranma said before yanking Ryoga's form towards hers, his lips crashing into hers.
Ryoga closed his eyes the moment he felt those warm lips meet his, despite their start being so rough, that did little to keep Ranma's method from being effective. It brought the beast out in her, allowing her to take charge, this excited him a little too. "Ranma..." he said quickly before she smirked and pulled him back in.
"Ranma!?" Nodoka gasped in shock, dropping her umbrella.
Their eyes opened at the same time...
'Dammit!' they thought.
----------------------------------------