However, as soon as the door was shut and locked, she leaned back against the wood of it and blew out a breath.
As she looked up at the ceiling, the teenaged 'Mrs. Saotome' allowed her shoulders to slump as she abandoned the pretense that she was totally in control. Her self discipline had been instrumental in keeping her from taking advantage of the fathers' plans, but she knew just how easy it would have been to simply allow it to happen. She could feel the ache in her breasts, the need in her belly, and the warmth of her heart, all of which were coming from her close run in with a possible 'encounter' with her husband. A craving unfurled through her entire body as she followed with that line of thinking, and she knew that the more that she did with the guy that she loved, the more that her need for him would grow.
Her lips curved slightly as she considered how a number of her classmates thought of her as the 'Ice Queen'. She was under no illusion as to the fact that they did because they saw her as being cool, calm, collected, and manipulative when a situation got chaotic and troublesome. But they'd never realized that she wasn't frozen all the way through. There was a deeply sensual part of her nature, and she did enjoy having fun a lot. As far as she was concerned, it was simply easier to use her brain, rather than simply jump to conclusions.
Pushing away from the door, she padded over to her bed, and smiled at the knowledge that she wasn't quite as independent as others might think of her. For a time, she'd been a bit boy crazy herself, and now that she had Ranma in her life, she had something, or rather, someone, that she didn't need to keep her cool around. Even if he was right in that she wasn't the sort of needy girl who had to use sex to elict affection, she did know that she really wanted to share her body in an intimate way with him. Oddly enough, that brought up a heated blush to her cheeks, as she knew that her feelings for her husband were of the sort that begged to be connected on a deep level.
At least she did have someone who she could be with in that way. He might be nervous and even more inexperienced in such matters than she was, but she knew that he wasn't someone who'd knowingly play with her heart. With her experience with guys, she knew that having someone who'd truly be, and want to be, involved with a girl outside of the sexualized experiences was one to hang on to. Until she'd met Ranma, the closest boy to her had been an idiot, and she thanked the heavens that she had never been considered as a possible significant other for him.
In fact, it was easy to dismiss that moron from her mind as she slipped under her bedcovers, knowing that she was almost certainly going to be dreaming of a certain husband with a pigtail.
The room looked like it had been snatched out of a home from over a century and a half earlier. All of it was made up of wood, from the wall panelling, to the floor, to the window frame. Only the bare minimum of work had been done to bring it into the current century, as a light fixture, and modern glass had been put into place.
Oh, and an ukiyo-e image of Akane Tendo was hung with care on a wall opposite a banner saying 'heaven'.
Laying in that room was Tatewaki Kuno, who was staring up at the ceiling at the moment in mild concern. "Somehow, I feel insulted."
There were rituals for mornings all across the world. Having breakfast, bathing, dressing for the day, and other activities were normal, expected, and came in different forms in different places. But there were some familiarity between the sorts of activities which allowed one to compare the difference between activities of the different places.
For the two Saotome males, one of their usual activities was the regular attempts to beat each other senseless.
So, they weren't quite as normal as other families.
"Focus, boy!" Genma barked as he bounced backwards. "Focus!"
"I am focusin' on somethin', Pop," Ranma murmured.
"It only looks like you're trying to hit me!"
"That's what I'm focusin' on!"
"What?!"
The pigtailed boy's response was to leap up and send a snap kick into his father's head.
Akane watched the elder Saotome go crashing down to the ground, and sighed as her friend landed. "Oh, man...."
"Feeling bad for my old friend?" her father asked from behind his lowered newspaper.
"Him? Not at all."
"Then what is it?"
"I always thought that I practiced hard," she sighed, "but now I see that there was something else that I could do."
"Like what?"
"'Like' joining Ranma in practicing moves on his father in the morning."
Soun made a small sound of distress, and merely brought his newspaper back up to block his face.
On the other hand, Ranma had heard what she'd said, and shrugged. "It ain't what ya want, Akane."
"Why would you say that? Don't you do it?" she asked him, her annoyance raising the pitch of her words.
"Yeah...."
"So, why wouldn't I want to try the same?"
"It's real simple. Ya see, he's supposed ta be sparrin' with me, 'xcept he's too old and lazy ta make it a challenge."
"Oh...."
"Stupid boy!" Genma yelled as he appeared behind his son. "Don't you realize that I'm holding back?"
"Keeping something in reserve?"
"That too. But I don't want to destroy your house with my true strength."
The image of Genma body slamming holes in the walls of her house filled Akane's head. "I'd rather not see that, if you don't mind."
"Exactly."
"I don't think that she sees ya as tough as ya'd like ta think of yourself," the younger Saotome dryly commented.
"Pheh. Shows what you know, boy. You're just lucky."
"How's that?"
Smirking slightly, the Saotome patriarch pulled out a bookbag. "Because you're going to school."
"'School'?"
"That's right. Since we're going to be staying here for some time, it's only natural."
Nabiki poked her head in through an open doorway and grinned at her husband. "It's the school that Akane and I go to."
"Well then, boy, what are you going to.... Ranma?"
"What?" the pigtailed boy asked, already leafing through the bag that he'd taken. "Ya did get this for me, right?"
"Actually... yes.... But...."
"Hmm?"
"You want to go to school?" Genma asked, blinking in confusion.
"Sure. Why not?"
"You hate school. Or you did...."
"Still do, but I've got ta take care of things, right? 'Sides, it'd cause trouble if I didn't show up."
"That is right...." his father allowed.
"Finally, ya realized how ta say somethin' smart."
"Why, thank.... HEY!"
"Come on, Ranma," Akane told her friend as she adjusted her jumper. "We don't want to be late."
"I hope that the borin' parts of it ain't too dull," Ranma sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll be around to make sure that you don't do something embarrassing," his wife drawled.
"Nabiki!"
"It won't be too bad. Not too bad at all...."
Watching the teenagers leave the room, Genma wondered if he'd missed something, while:
(Posted Wed, 28 Jun 2006 10:38)
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