Sleep... A blissful thing all humans must do to rest their bodies and recharge their energy. To some sleep was a small luxury that was simply done when one was finally worn down from the day’s events.
To other, sleep was a most desperately needed commodity that was their best chance for rest and reprieve.
To the man sleeping currently, his need for sleep was a light mixture of the two. Too bad it was coming to an end right now.
“Ranma, honey... It’s five-thirty. You need to get up,” A woman’s voice broke through the cloud of sleep into his ear, as her hand gently rocked his shoulder.
After a few shakes, there’s a sigh followed by the statement, “Honey, please don’t make me have to lift up the mattress to wake you up again.”
At that, the man rolled over onto his front, letting off a little groan. “Lemme sleep, ’Kane...” The man let out a complaint muffled by pillows. The man known as ‘Ranma’ did NOT want to get up today. He did not want to face what he knew today would be.
Akane brought a hand up to lightly smack her face, her hand comically sliding down past her chin. “Kami, why does my husband have to be a super heavy sleeper?” She muttered to no-one in particular. Leaning over her husband she breathed in his ear, “C’mon birthday man, you got a new day to get up to, and a job that you need to be on time for in two and a half hours.”
The man slowly turned his head over to the right to face his wife. Slowly, eyelids opened to reveal slightly blurry blue eyes. “Did you have to use the b-word, Akane?”
“It’s only thirty, Ranma,” Akane said seriously. “You’re acting as if it’s sixty!”
Ranma winced at the proclamation of his age. After all, living the life this man did, he did not want to think that today he was going to be... Thirty.
Sighing, the adult raised his body to a sitting position, his ponytail draping across his back between his shoulders. “Still can’t believe I’m thirty... Kami-sama, Akane... I didn’t think I'd live this long...” Nor did he want to.
Akane slowly rolled her eyes and moved a hand to rub between his shoulders. “Hey, I’d like to remain as good as I felt and looked at twenty, but people age. Besides, you’re healthier than most thirty, or even twenty-year-olds.”
Ranma turned to look at his wife with a questioning gaze. “Then why do the doctors have me taking Lipitor, Plaavix, Beta-Blocker, and Asprin every day?” Truth be told, he was never the same after his heart attack last year...
His wife chuckled nervously. “Because all the strain from your early years decided to blow up two years ago and the fact you had too much bad cholesterol?” Not to mention Ranma inherited a few heart problems from his Mother’s side of the family that popped up every other generation in mid-life.
Honestly nobody could associate Ranma Saotome and heart attack in the same sentence until two years ago. The doctors saw the signs of one coming on two years prior, but eventually Ranma did have a minor one... At least the doctors said it wasn't anything he couldn't bounce back from.
But it was just something else that made the martial artist, born July 16, 1976, realize his age...
Akane rested her head on his shoulder and reached her hands around to rub his abdomen softly. “Cheer up honey, I know thirty sounds... Old... But there are worse things.”
Ranma let out a sigh. He was still in pretty good condition. His hair was still full and black, he had all his original teeth, and his skin had some snap left to it...
But looking down at his bare torso, Ranma sighed as the marks of age were showing. He still had a six pack, but the definition of the musculature was going soft on him, and in the middle of his chest, up his sternum, was a vertical scar from where the doctors had to cut him open.
Slowly, Akane lifted her head and softly planted a soft kiss on his neck. “Well since it is your birthday... Any... Requests your wife can do to... Make the morning more bearable?" She practically purred.
Ranma smiled a bit. It had been awhile since they had any sort of real fun. “Well, Akane-chan...” He said slowly as he looked into his wife’s eyes. “How about we-”
And then the door to the bedroom slammed open. There stood a little girl who was practically a near-perfect image of Ranma-chan, but at a height of 3’10”, probably wasn’t even ten-years-old yet!
Smiling brightly, the happy little girl chirped out, “Happy birthday, Daddy!” She giggled and ran over to the bed, practically jumping up and onto her father’s lap.
”Ooph!” Ranma gasped as his daughter forced the air out of his lungs.
Akane resisted the urge to face-palm, and instead smiled at their daughter. “Good morning, Ranko-chan! Now I know you’re happy today is Daddy’s birthday but... He needs to breathe, child.”
Ranko blinked her eyes, and sat back a little, but still sitting on her father’s lap. “Sowwy, daddy!” The girl apologized before hugging him again. “Happy birthday!”
Smiling a little, Ranma placed his hand on Ranko’s back, patting gently. “Thanks for the happy birthday, sweetie."
Akane smiled at the loving scene but still had to keep in check how irked she felt over an opportunity for sex had been blown. Oh well part of being a parent one could guess.
Ranma smiled as he stood up, holding Ranko in his arms. The girl was so light, she was practically a feather in his opinion. “Hey, Akane, you mind taking Ranko to the kitchen and making breakfast?” He asked seriously. “I need to get ready for work.”
“Sure honey,” Akane took the young girl from him into her arms. “Come on, sweety. Let’s let Daddy get ready for work.”
“Okies,” The little redhead said as she wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. “See you at breakfast, daddy!” The girl waved her right hand at her father as her mother carried her off and out of the room.
Smiling a little bit as he watched them off, Ranma let off a little sigh. Damn, he was getting old. “Well, better get ready,” The aging pigtailed man said as he stood up. Raising his arms above his head, he stretched backwards, trying to relieve the stiffness of the previous night. He really needed to get himself and Akane a new mattress.
With a few steps, Ranma made his way to the adjoined bathroom. Yawning as he turned the door-handle, he opened it and reached into the room, flipping the light switch to the right. His eyelids narrowed a moment as the light was brighter than his eyes were used to at the moment.
“Need to switch to thirty watts...” Ranma mumbled. Stepping in and reaching back, the thirty-year-old Asian closed the door behind him.
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(Posted Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:10)
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