The Seasons Stories

By Joseph Palmer

Winter

Ranma opened his eyes slowly and stared at the beams in the ceiling. He had never noticed them much before, but tonight they looked somehow different. The sharp shadows that were normally cast across the panels were somehow softer, the light a little bluer. Ranma gave a little shiver, this was easily the coldest night so far and he could feel it. He turned over onto his stomach, and began to pull the blanket up over his shoulder. His chest began to feel colder, and ... wet.

A moment later she sat up and inspected the futon with her hands. A large wet spot covered the left half, and next to that, lay a much battered galvanized bucket. Ranma-chan looked at her father, who was at the time a very large and slightly damp panda. She thought on that a moment, then taking into account the clues at hand, formulated a hypothesis that fit all of the clues.

She got up and hefted the bucket with a mind to bean her father with it. The handle made a small creaking noise that seemed to shoot through her. She froze, listening to the echo of the sound fade. The house was quiet. The constant murmur of Tokyo was somehow muted except for the sound of a distant train whistle. Ranma-chan set the bucket down. She would wait for tomorrow to settle the score. Perhaps there might even be a skin of ice on the pond.

She slid open the door and stepped out. The hallway was awash in a soft light. Her attention was drawn to the window. Outside snow flakes were skating aimlessly downward, dodging and pausing as if each were following a complex choreographed dance. She picked out a single flake and followed it down towards the white blanket that covered the yard. Mesmerized, she gazed out at the streetlight as the snow picked up.

Some time later she shivered, stifled a sneeze and thought that she should get out of her wet clothes. How long have I been standing here? she wondered. Must be this girl body that makes me act like this.

Silently she slid down the stairs and into the kitchen. She filled a kettle and put it on the burner and snapped the control to start the flame, but there was no hiss of gas, just the gentle whir of the refrigerator and the ticking of the clock. She tried the thermos, but all that came was a trickle of cold water. Maybe the bath is still hot enough, she thought.

The laundry room seemed a bit warmer, and the the glow from the night light was all she needed. Ranma pulled off the wet pajamas and tossed them into the laundry basket, picked up a large towel, and slid the door to the bath. A rush of warm slightly scented air passed over her, then a cold draft from behind hastened her to close the door. She was reaching for the lights when a voice from the tub stayed her hand.

“Ranma... please leave the lights off.” Akane said. Ranma turned and saw Akane in the tub, still looking out the window.

“Akane, Oh, ah, sorry, I’ll come back later.” Ranma said while she fumbled for the door.

“Wait...”, Akane said. “Its okay, don’t go.”

“But you’re...” Ranma-chan swallowed. “ ...in the tub.”

“Come in and warm up before you catch cold. Besides, you wouldn’t even want to peek at a tomboy anyway, right? Ah... don’t answer that.”

Ranma sighed and stepped gingerly into the other end of the tub, carefully avoiding glancing at Akane, and grateful that she had left her a way out without putting her foot in her mouth, at least not yet.

“So what are you doing down here anyway?”

“Near as I can tell, Dad felt a bit cold in the middle of the night and decided he would be warmer as a damp panda. He managed to spill half a bucket of water on my futon in the process. I came down to look for some hot water so I could turn back.”

“Why did you want to turn back? Couldn’t you just have dried off and changed upstairs?”

“Yeah, but I get so cold in my girl body.” Ranma paused, “I never told anyone that.”

“It’ll be our secret.”

“What are you doing up so late, and in the bath?”

“And with my inazuke?” [Fiancé] Akane finished. She gazed out the window. “I love to watch the snow. Once when I was little mom brought me in the tub during a snow storm and we sat here and watched together. Ever since then I like to sneak down at night when it snows, especially the first snow of the year like tonight. I think about things, I think about mom sometimes. No one knows...” She paused and looked at Ranma. “... but you.”

Ranma looked at Akane shyly. She smiled at him.

“Shouldn’t you be changing soon?”

“It takes longer when the water isn’t real hot.”

“I like it warm like this, I can stay in longer when it’s not to hot.”

“Sorry its taking so long, I tried the kitchen earlier, I couldn’t get the burner to light, It sounded like the gas was off, and the thermos was empty.”

“That’s funny though,” Akane said. “Kasumi heated lots of water for tea tonight, Nabiki was out with her friends, and our fathers were drinking sake all evening. There should have been some in the thermos, and anyway, the burner should be working.”

Ranma felt the change coming, a not unpleasant tingle in the most affected areas, followed by a something that felt like he was flexing his muscles, but it happened involuntarily. He had tried from time to time to slow the process, with no effect. It was like trying to slow down a hiccup or a sneeze. His increased size caused a little wave to cross the tub, which splashed Akane’s chin and overflowed a couple of splashes into the drain.

Akane giggled. “Finally! I was beginning to think you might have been stuck that way again!”

Ranma was suddenly and acutely aware of Akane’s presence. The lilt of her voice made his heart pause a beat, and he suddenly recognized the scent in the air was from her shampoo or something or other she used. He nearly panicked, she was just across the tub from him, and the glow from outside made her look so... so... cute.

“I’d better go before we get caught together.” He said.

“Don’t worry, with all the sake our folks had, there’s little chance that either one will be up and around till late morning, and Nabiki was home late, and Kasumi...” Akane paused and looked perplexed.

Ranma had regained most of his wits, and for once without getting into an argument. “What about Kasumi?” he asked.

“She was acting strange, when I came in, she switched the TV off made up a strange excuse and rushed into the kitchen. When I turned it back on, the weather was just ending. When I went to bed, I saw her slip into her room with a bucket.”

“You don’t really think she soaked my futon and planted the evidence on pop, do you? And I was looking forward to dumping him in the pond tomorrow.”

“Why must you always fight with your dad?”

“I don’t...” Ranma protested, then stopped, thinking that he didn’t want to start an argument now. “I don’t know, mostly it’s just training, sometimes he makes me mad on purpose, sometimes I get mad about some of the dumb things he’s put me through.”

“Like...” Akane probed.

“Like the trip to China, the agreement with my mother, and anything having to do with Happosai.”

“What about his deal with my father?”

Ranma froze. “That’s...” he turned dark red. “That’s okay.” They sat in silence for a long time. The wind picked up a bit, and the snow relented a little, but the result was a near white out. Somewhere in he house a board creaked with a snapping noise that startled them both.

“I was just thinking...” Akane broke the silence. “about someday sharing this with my own daughter.”

“Or son.” Ranma added, as if in a trance. They looked at each other for a long time.

Finally, Akane said, “We should go to b — ah... we should go up”

“OK, I should probably go first ” Ranma got up pulling a towel around his waist. He stepped out of the tub and started to the door.

“Ranma...” Akane had turned in the tub and was watching him with her chin on her crossed arms on the edge of the tub. “Good night.”

“Good night Akane.” Ranma closed the door, dried off, and got dressed in some sweats He had neglected to bring up earlier.

He climbed the stairs and paused at the top to look out onto the yard. The snow had stopped, leaving a gleaming blanket over the yard and rooftops as far as he could see. It was like a gift package, and in just a few hours the town would awake and like an impatient child tear off the wrapping without stopping to notice.

“Pretty, isn’t it!” Akane whispered.

Ranma nearly jumped out of his sweats. “How—how long have you been there?” he gasped.

“Just a minute or two.” She gave Ranma’s hand a squeeze, and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, “Good night again.”

As she brushed past him, he was again aware of her closeness, her bouquet, the warmth of her breath on his cheek. Ranma watched as Akane walked down to the end of the hall and with long practiced moves opened her door silently. She turned and gave him a smile and a little wave, then was gone, the door closing noiselessly behind her. How long had she been there, he wondered. Perhaps there’s more to it than just my girl body, after all.

Ranma entered his room and carefully laid down on the futon. The ceiling looked the same as it always did, the same distinct patterns of shadow and light. At least something was back to normal, he thought. He laid his head in his hands, his thoughts reeling through the events of the evening. He rolled over onto his stomach, his chest began to feel cold, and a not unpleasant tingling sensation began....

“Winter” December 19th 1994

This story came out of nowhere. I hope you liked it, as you can tell, I prefer the romantic side of the Ranma and Akane story. I've watched the entire TV series (in Japanese), the movies, the OAVs and have collected all of the manga (Including #31, just out!) and my favorite part of the story is the slow building romance between them.

While not authentic to the original, I too subscribe to the theory that Kasumi knows far, far more than she lets on.

Spring

The wind chime softly tinged, the clapper just barely touching the roughed edge. Akane noticed it in spite of the noise of dinner. Part of her was there with the others, another part was watching like a stranger, noticing now the little things she had become so used to.

It hadn’t been that warm this spring, and for the first time in the year the Tendous and Soutomes were having dinner with the doors open. It seemed like a festive occasion somehow. Kasumi had really outdone herself, not that there as any special dish on the table, it was just that each one was presented perfectly. The table looked like a picture from some fancy cookbook.

Akane sat on her heels next to Ranma occasionally stealing glances when he wasn’t looking. She listened to his voice for a while, he was saying something about some new training technique and his father was answering back in his deep rumble. Sometimes Ranma talked from way back in his mouth, with his lips barely moving. He usually reserved this for when he was avoiding an answer, she had heard that tone of voice before.

I’m happy, she thought. Just happy. Ranma has been quite bearable lately, they hadn’t had a real argument in months, and she actually enjoyed the minor banters between them. She suspected that Ranma did too, he sure joined in with great enthusiasm.

Akane’s introspection was broken when Kasumi asked “Akane, will you help clear the dishes?”

“Hai” she responded, and got up and began to stack dishes. One by one the others excused themselves, the fathers to another game of shogi, Nabiki upstairs, and Ranma thanked Kasumi and went out in the yard.

When they reached the kitchen Kasumi called out in surprise, “I forgot the desert!”

Akane followed her gaze to a stack of small pinkish purple boxes.

“I got them special for today. I suppose I can bring them out when we’re done with the dishes.” Kasumi filled the washtub while Akane put away the sauces and spices.

Akane watched as her sister carefully washed the dishes, she seemed so absorbed in the activity, so fluid yet precise, like Ranma when he does his warm up exercises. Quickly the kitchen was cleaned, and everything was back in its place. Akane always loved the kitchen like this, it smelled clean and looked clean and inviting.

“We’re really lucky to have such a big kitchen!” Kasumi said. “Some of my friends have such tiny apartments and even tinnier kitchens.”

“How big is the kitchen at Tofu’s clinic?” Akane asked.

“It’s big too, they used to have many patients staying there so they built a big kitchen to feed them, these days hardly anyone ever needs to stay overnight.”

Kasumi filled a large kettle and set it on the burner and took out a large tray, and placed some small dishes on it, and 4 of the boxes.

“That ought to be enough for everyone,” she said. “I’ll go get Nabiki, you find Ranma.”

“Hai.”

Akane left the Kitchen by the back door, seeking Ranma in the dojo. He wasn’t there, nor on top of the birdhouse, nor fighting with his father. She found the others already around the table, Kasumi pouring tea, and opening boxes.

“Ranma wa?” she asked.

“He’s not upstairs.” Nabiki replied.

“I haven’t seen him since dinner,” Soun replied, “It’s not like him to miss a treat like this, is it Soutome-kun?”

“No Tendou-kun, and if he won’t show up I think I’ll have his share.” Genma reached for the last unopened box.

“Mine are in there too,” Akane protested. She deftly rescued the box.

“Kire” Kasumi said out of nowhere. “What a beautiful sunset!”.

Akane looked out at the sky for a moment, then it hit her. She jumped up from the table with her box still in hand and headed for the kitchen.

“Akane, aren’t you going to eat with us?” Kasumi asked.

“Um, I think I know where Ranma is.”

Once in the kitchen, Akane took a small bed tray and teapot from the cupboard and slowly and carefully made tea. She was quite proud of her ability to make tea, and of late the others couldn’t even tell her tea from Kasumi’s. She placed the box, a pair of teacups and a small pot of tea on the tray and headed upstairs. She passed Ranma’s room, her sisters rooms and her own and went out onto the laundry porch. She carefully worked her way onto the roof, but not without scraping her wrist a bit and nearly dropping the whole tray twice.

Ranma was lying in his usual place with his head cradled in his hands.

“Pretty sunset.” Akane said, placing the tray on the ridge and sitting down next to it.

“Mmm” Ranma said, and finally looking up at her. “What’s that?”

“Sakura Mochi! made fresh today!”

Ranma suddenly got a cautious look on his face, and every muscle seemed to tighten.

“Kasumi bought them....”

Ranma relaxed.

“From this old Chinese guy...”

Ranma Froze.

“Joking! Joking!”

Ranma relaxed again. “Jeez, don’t scare me like that!”

Akane poured tea, broke open the box, and took out two of the leaf wrapped bundles. She handed one to Ranma. Instead of immediately bolting it down, he eyed the leaf a while, then inhaled its fragrance. The complex bouquet assailed his senses, triggering a flood of memories. He looked up at Akane who was staring at him. He’d seen that look before.

“I thought you said Kasumi bought these.” he said.

“Yea, she did.”

“Then why are you looking for an ‘X'?”

“An X?” Akane looked puzzled, “Oh it's not that, you just had a happy look on your face. Why was that?”

“The Cherry Leaf, I love that scent!”

Akane cautiously sniffed her leaf, it smelled like other Sakura leaves, and something else, very familiar, but she couldn’t bring it to mind.

“Yea, its nice” she said, “But it reminds me of something else.”

“Me too, I think it’s a little like pipe tobacco.”

“Yeah, like that, but not that stuff Ji-san smokes.”

“And it reminds me of some of the mountain trails pop and I took on training trips. In the spring some of the plants smell like this.”

Akane pealed the leaf from the top, but left the leaf on the bottom to keep her fingers from touching the sticky rice cake. She wondered about the second leaf for a moment, home made ones don’t have a top leaf. It must be there to keep them from sticking to the box, she thought. She bit through the sticky soft rice outside and into the sweet bean paste inside. A faint taste of cherry came through with the bean cake, or maybe it was just the scent of the leaves.

“They’re better than the ones I made.” She said.

“You must have had bad ingredients...” Ranma replied, not really wishing to discuss the subject.

They sat together and watched the sun fall behind the buildings. The sky became deep red, but a few of the high clouds remained in the sun. They finished their cakes and tea in silence while the sky slowly darkened.

Ranma slid down the roof a couple feet and lay back on his hands again. “This is my favorite time of day.” he said.

“Mmm?” Akane looked down at Ranma.

“When pop and I are on summer training trips I like to sneak away at dusk to have a little time to myself. I love it when the first cool breezes of the evening come up.”

Akane closed her eyes. There was a little breeze, the cool air mixing with the heat coming off the roof. Bess was barking at nothing in particular, and other dogs were responding nearby. She could hear the trains and the far off rushing of traffic. A shift in the breeze brought the sweet scent of some night blooming flowers. She stretched her arms over her head and drew in the fragrant air.

“Ah, it’s so nice up here!” she said. As she put her arms down she bumped the corner of the tray. The teapot slid perilously to one side causing the tray to slip off the ridge away from her. Ranma reached out casually with his right hand and stopped the tray. Akane turned to catch the tray, lost her footing and began to slide quickly down the roof.

“Kiyaaaaaaaaa!” she screamed.

“AKANE!”

Ranma rolled onto his side keeping his right hand on the leg of the tray, and wrapped his left arm around Akane’s waist as she slid by. She came to a stop even with him, her head comfortably cradled on his right arm, which was still occupied with the tray leg.

“Are you ok?” Ranma asked.

“Mmm, yes. Thanks Ranma. Sorry for being so clumsy.”

She lay still for several moments enjoying the the accidental hug she was receiving. She looked at Ranma. He was still breathing hard and his heart was pounding. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. When he turned to her he suddenly noticed that he had his arm around her and quickly removed it and lay back onto the roof.

“Sorry!” he said.

He didn’t need to let go so soon, she thought. Oh well.

They lay silently on the roof together. She thought about how shaken Ranma had been when she slipped. His heart had really been racing, could he have really been that afraid that she would slip off the roof? Or was it something else? He always seemed so panicked anytime they touched, even if they were just sparring. She hadn’t even been scared, Ranma always saved her somehow. She smiled to herself about how many times he had saved her, he really was very protective of her, and she liked it, though he could get a bit jealous at times.

Akane’s mind jumped from one subject to the next. Her friend Sayuri had started dating a boy from 1C, and she was spilling all the details each day at lunch. Akane rarely spoke about Ranma at lunch, her friends had heard enough stories of their fights, and there weren’t many juicy bits of gossip to share.

The breeze picked up the scent of a backyard barbecue reminding her of camping. She thought about Ranma on his training trips with his father. The trips she had been on were not that much fun for her, in fact they were mostly disasters, but at least now she had finally learned how to cook a quite ordinary curry that Ranma would eat.

She took a deep breath and looked at the birds passing over. She was almost startled by the sight, she had completely forgotten that she was outside on the roof. Something about the day winding down made it so easy loose herself in her thoughts. She looked at Ranma, he had his legs crossed, one ankle resting on the other knee, his foot moving from time to time, like a cat’s tail. His eyes were focused off in space. So this is why he comes up here.

“Ne, Ranma, what are you thinking about?”

“Oh nothing.”

“Really, what were you thinking about just now?”

“I was thinking about how some of my friends were getting summer jobs. I thought I might try to take some students into the dojo this summer.”

“Um.” Akane looked up the moon rising over the town. “We’ll need a sign for the Soutome school of unlimited martial arts.”

“A sign?” Ranma turned to look at Akane.

“Well, if you’re teaching the school, then we should have a sign so people will know. How about ‘The Soutome School at the Tendou Dojo, Musbettsu Koktou'? That’s a lot like the one dad had when he started teaching here.”

“Hey? I thought this place was always the Tendou Dojo, wasn’t it your grandfathers?”

“And my great grandfathers, but on my mother’s side. When dad first started teaching here it was the Takahashi dojo, they didn’t change the name until daddy married mom and he took over all the teaching.”

“I always wondered how your dad could afford to buy this great place, and raise a family, and still waste all that time with my father. How did your dad meet your mom?”

“It was an arranged marriage.” Akane giggled. “I guess it runs in the family.”

They both sighed. Ranma talked a while about his plans for the dojo, and Akane slipped back into her observational self, not much listening to the words, but listening to his voice and hearing his excitement about taking in students, his concern about what order to teach the skills, when to have the classes, where to find students. He seemed a little worried at times but he would always talk around it until his confidence took over again. She nodded and agreed when cued, but mostly she liked being alone with him, listening to him talk about something he really loved.

Soon the first stars were visible and the sky was nearly blue black. The warm waves off the roof had stopped and there was a bit of a chill in the air. Ranma had finished talking abut his plans, and they’d had some other small talk, then both had lapsed into silence. Akane watched the sky for shooting stars, but none came.

“I think it’s getting to be time to go in.” Ranma broke the silence.

“But it’s so nice up here,” Akane protested.

“It’s like this a lot of evenings, and anyway, could you reach the tray? My arm is asleep.”

Akane turned to the left and for the first time noticed that Ranma was still holding the tray, and that she had been using his arm as a pillow.

“Spring” June 17th, 1996

Summer

Akane was already half awake when she heard the door slide closed and footsteps from the adjoining room heading down the hall. Judging from the sound, or more the lack of sound, it was most likely Ranma. This early in the morning her father usually bumped into things, and Ranma’s dad had gone to sleep as a panda, so the floor would surely have made more noise if it were him.

The sun wasn’t quite up yet, but the light through the window was almost red. Akane got up and looked out the window. The sky in the east was dotted with high clouds and a gentle breeze was blowing in off the sea. She looked down at her sisters sleeping on futons on the floor.

Kasumi looked like an angel. She lay under her blanket with her head centered on her pillow, and her hair in a ribbon pulled over her left shoulder. There was not the slightest wrinkle in the blanket, as if it had been pulled out flat just seconds ago, rather than last night. She had a hint of a coy smile on her face. She looked so perfectly peaceful.

Nabiki looked noticeably less than angelic, she had kicked her covers off in the night and had worked herself half out of her night shirt. The look on her face was... mischievous. As Akane watched, she rolled over again into another even more provocative position. She wondered how much Kuno would pay for a couple of pictures of her like this, and how much Nabiki would pay to keep them from him.

Her attention was diverted by the sounds of someone walking back down the passage way. It’s Ranma coming back, she thought. She waited for the door to slide again, but instead came the sound of feet on the steps that led down to the sand. From the window she saw Ranma crossing the beach towards the water. She silently dressed and slid the door to the other room. Her father and the panda were snoring softly amongst the remains of last nights revelings. She picked up her sand shoes and slid the door to the deck. She crossed the sand silently, avoiding looking at or thinking about Ranma on the way. It was a trick that Tofu had taught her about erasing her presence from others.

“If you do not bring your subject into your own thoughts, it is easier to remain hidden from theirs” Tofu had said.

She used it to sneak up on Ranma from time to time, usually with comic results, and to slip past Kuno from time to time. It only worked when Kuno was thinking about his “Osage no Onna”, which was often enough. She reached his side and stood next to him looking off to where the sun would soon rise.

“Ohayo, Akane” he said.

“Ohayo, Ranma.” her trick had not worked.

“It’s going to be a beautiful sunrise, I’m glad you’re here to see it.” Akane was not too disappointed that her trick had failed. He had to have have been thinking about her in order to have felt her approach.

“Do you want to walk along the beach aways?” he asked.

“Mmm.”

They walked along the beach passing the other economy vacation rooms and a few big hotels. They stopped to watch an old man doing Tai-chi in the damp sand at the edge of the water. Ranma was entranced by the fluid motions. The old man finished his routine and then bowed deeply towards the ocean. He turned and walked straight towards Ranma and Akane. He stopped before Ranma and laid a gnarled hand on his shoulder.

“The sea is a good teacher.” he said. He smiled at them both and walked off down the beach.

“What does he mean by that?” Akane asked.

“I don’t know, but I think he wants us to think about it.”

They walked on until they came to a breakwater that jutted out into the waves. Ranma bounded up and reached down to help Akane climb onto the rocks. They found a spot where they could sit comfortably together. Presently the edge of the sun burst over the horizon and the light broke through the clouds casting beams of light across the sky.

Akane held her breath, this was a sight you might see only once in a lifetime. She fumbled to hold Ranma’s hand, her eyes riveted on the sky.

Ranma’s heart pounded in his chest. Before him was an ancient symbol of Japan, stretched from horizon to horizon. He felt a part of it, proud to be carrying on the ancient traditions of martial arts in this day of business deals and salary men. He knew in that instant his place in this world. He was to practice and teach musabetsu kakuto, the unlimited martial arts, passed on from generation to generation, from father to...

“It’s... it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” Akane said.

He turned to her. Her face glowed in the warm sunlight, her hair waving gently in the warming breeze.

“Beautiful.” He said. He could see the sunrise reflected in her eyes, now somehow fierce but yet calm.

Maybe... Maybe I should kiss her, he thought. Here we are, all alone, watching a beautiful sunrise. This must be a good time. Ranma’s heart began to pound. He squeezed Akane’s hand, she looked at him.

Akane looked into Ranma’s eyes, she saw his pride and something else. Her heart skipped a beat, Thank goodness, he’s finally going to do it! He’s really going to kiss me! She smiled and turned her head up to him.

She really wants me to kiss her, he thought. He closed his eyes and moved to her lips. In that instant he relived their entire engagement, from the first moment he first saw her through the events of the previous night.

As was typical of their seaside vacations, they ate dinner in their room, Soun and Genma drinking tall beers with their meals, followed by endless games of shogi, which were accompanied by endless rounds of sake. Nabiki and Kasumi retired early while Akane was demonstrating the finer points of Poker to Ranma. She beat him as usual, and the loser had to set up the futons for their now snoring parents. While she had straightened up the worst of the bottles and cups, he half dragged, half carried their fathers to bed.

“I’m going to go out for some air before I turn in.” he said. He sat on the top step gazing at the moon low on the horizon. The sound of the surf was somehow muffled and mixed with the cries of some restless birds and sounds of human activities from somewhere down the beach. The air was tart and slightly cool on his arms and bare legs.

Akane came out dressed in one of the the dark blue robes from the the room, another draped over her left arm. She carried a small round tray. “Here” she said, handing Ranma the robe.

He wasn’t that cold, well not yet anyway. He took the robe from Akane and stood to put it on. On her tray were two tiny cups and a small sake decanter. They sat on the top step with the tray between them Ranma selecting a cup and Akane pouring the warm sake into it. He took the decanter and filled her cup.

They held their cups up and Akane whispered “Banzai!”

Ranma held the cup to his lips. He’d had sake a couple of times before but never calmly sitting like this. They both sipped the warm sake. Akane stifled a cough.

“You O.K.?” Ranma asked.

“Mmm. it just surprised me a little.”

“I think you have to get used to it.”

Akane sipped again tentatively. “Tastes strange doesn’t it?” She held the cup out at arms length in front of her and peered over it at a freighter passing on the horizon.

“So, ah... what brought this on?” Ranma asked, holding his cup out, also sighting over it.

“Some of my friends have tried it, well... all of my friends have tried it, and I wanted to see what it was like. I brought you some because...” She paused and flipped her hair dramatically. ‘A girl shouldn’t drink alone!’ She brought the cup to her lips and cautiously sipped the rest.

Ranma refilled her cup, wondering how she will act after drinking. They finished he small bottle quietly, each pouring for the other. The sounds of activity from the other rooms on the beach subsided, the wind picked up a little and Ranma was grateful for the the robe.

“So, what do you think?” Ranma asked.

“My head feels funny, my tummy is a little upset, and my face feels hot.” She patted her cheeks with the palm of her hands. “Here, feel.” She took Ranma’s hand and held it to her forehead.

“You’re a little bit pink too.”

“I got an idea! let’s go down to the water.” Akane got up and took the four steps down to the sand. She turned, giggled and pointed at the steps. “Careful, that’s harder than it looks!”

They walked out across the beach to where the waves were rolling up the sand. Akane took off her sandals and walked out to let the waves wash over her feet. Ranma sat on the dry sand.

“Come on in, it feels really warm!”

“No way. I don’t think it’s warm enough for me.”

“Chicken.” Akane giggled and kicked some water in Ranma’s direction. It fell safely short of its target. She was winding up for another kick but was chased up the beach by a larger wave and sat down next to Ranma.

“Oh! I feel dizzy.” she said.

“It’s just the sake.”

“I’m not sure I like it.”

“There’s no hurry, anyway we really shouldn’t be drinking for another three years. I shouldn’t really anyway because of my martial arts training.”

“That never seems to stop our dads, does it?”

“No, that’s true.”

They sat quietly watching the waves. Akane scooped sand up in her hand and slowly poured it over Ranma’s feet.

“What are you doing?” he asked

“Don’t move. I’m going to bury you in the sand!”

“At that rate we’ll be here all night.”

“So? would that be so bad?”

“Ah...” Ranma’s response caught in his throat. She couldn’t be serious, could she?

He watched her a while, so intent on digging hand fulls of sand, and pouring them grain by grain over his toes. She caught him watching and beamed him a smile that nearly stopped his heart.

She can be really cute sometimes, he thought. So this is what sake does to her. The next load of sand began to pour into his hair.

“What are you doing?!?” Ranma shouted. He shook the sand from his hair.

“I thought I’d work on the other end for while, your feet are done.”

“So.” he paused, considering his options. “Maybe you’d better keep working from that end.” He pointed at his toes, now somewhat exposed from his shaking.

“I told you to sit still.” She said in mock anger. “Now I have to start all over.”

“Sorry.”

So this too, is what sake does to her. She’s just like she always is, only more so.

“Ne, Ranma, come walk with me in the surf for a while.”

“But,” he stood, “I’ll turn into girl.”

“So? What’s wrong with being a girl?”

“Nothing, nothing, it’s just...”

Akane looked at him, he was poking his fingertips together and looking very shy.

“Aha! I get it..! she said.”

“Get What?”

“Why you want to stay a boy.”

“Oh yea? Why?”

“You want to kiss me.”

“B- baka! Why would I ...” He stopped and poked his fingers again.

“Heh heh, I knew it.” She paused. “O.K.”

“O.K.?” Ranma asked incredulously.

“I said O.K.” She reached up. “Give me a hand.”

Ranma helped Akane to her feet. She stood before him, her eyes quivering.

“Ranma...” She said sweetly. “I... I...” She fell into his arms.

“Akane! Akane!” he shook her gently. She must have passed out from the sake, he thought. He turned and lifted her onto his back. They took an indirect path back across the beach. Akane woke and locked her hands around Ranma.

“Ranma, I’m sorry, It must be the sake.”

“It’s O.K.. Can you walk?”

“Mmm, But not yet, O.K.?” She lay her head on his shoulder.

They slowly made their way back to the steps. He turned and set her on the bottom step. When he turned back she was smiling brightly at him.

“But you were... the sake...” He stammered.

“I’m fine. I just got up too fast.”

“KA—WAI—KU—”

“Ranma!” She glowered at him, then smiled. “Thanks for the ride.” She turned and skipped up the steps, pausing to pick up the tray and empty cups.

“—ne” Ranma weakly finished.

He opened his eyes. Akane had closed her eyes and was waiting for him. He took a breath, and lifted her chin with his hand. He closed his eyes again and felt a chill rush from his head to his feet. He tingled all over. He moved closer.

“KIIIYAAAA!!!!!”

He opened his eyes and found Akane dripping wet.

“Ranma, not now, we’re both girls!” She said.

He looked down to discover he was now a she. “What happened?” She asked.

“Rogue wave I suppose.” Akane began to laugh, the she sighed. “Oh well, let’s go back and dry off, at least we can walk in the surf together.”

As they walked back down through the waves, Ranma stopped and looked out at the horizon.

“Ne, Ranma what’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about what the old man said about the ocean being a good teacher.”

“And...”

“I’m not sure about that, but it does sometimes remind me of my father.”

“Summer”September 5th, 1995

Autumn

The rake pulled smoothly through the grass, the leaves bunching and spilling past the sides. The tines hissed through the grass, the leaves crackling with each stroke.

“Every year?” Ranma called across the yard.

“Every year.” Akane replied, pausing to remove some leaves that had stuck in her rake.

Ranma returned to the beginning of the line of leaves he was working. His pile, now nearly knee high and twice as wide stretched from the back wall up to the side of the doujo. He began to pull the row towards the back of the doujo, three strokes with the rake then a step to the right.

“Are there always this many leaves?” He paused and called across the yard.

“There seem to be a lot more than normal this year.” She replied.

“Oh.” he said dejectedly.

The leaves were dry and cracking, there had been no rain since the early frost had turned green to red, gold, and yellow. He pulled the leaves in smooth strokes, trying to turn the mundane yard work into a sort of martial arts exercise. He concentrated on each stroke, feeling his muscles work. His heart was not in it.

“So... where is everyone?” He called out.

“Nabiki said she had a lot of homework, Kasumi went shopping for dinner, and our dads went on that training trip early this morning.”

“Training trip!” Ranma scoffed, pulling his rake vigorously. “They... picked... TODAY... to... go on... a... TRAINING... trip...!” He stomped back to attack the beginning of the row. He shook his rake at the sky. “Without me!”

“Haven’t you ever raked leaves before?”

“No, never. This time of year dad always took me on training...” He trailed off.

“Hee hee, sounds like your dad doesn’t like raking leaves.”

“It runs in the family.” Ranma returned to the leaves with new vigor.

“I kind of like it.” Akane said.

Ranma stopped and watched Akane. She was calmly coaxing her leaves, holding her rake very upright, sweeping them more than raking them. She looked more grown up somehow. He had a strange feeling he was seeing her as she would be in a few years.

“What are you looking at?” She asked.

“Oh... ah... nothing”. He didn’t mention her skirt or tights, or the sweater that suited her so perfectly. “Just resting.”

“You’re falling behind.”

“Hai.”

He finished his row and sneaking another look, he returned to the end.

“We’re almost to the wall, what do we do with the leaves then?”

“Just pile them up under that tree, behind the doujo. We’re going to compost them.”

“Why don’t we just burn them?”

“Can you imagine if everyone did that? You wouldn’t be able to breathe anywhere in Tokyo for weeks!”

Ranma sniffed the brisk air. “Well, someone must be burning them nearby.”

“Mmm. A little smoke smells so good, doesn’t it?” Akane paused and took a deep breath.

The smoke reminded Ranma of training trips in the country, walking with his dad on trials through the mountains, and on paths between rice fields. In the fall there was always the smell of burning leaves and ribbons of gray-blue smoke in the air.

They piled their leaves under the tree, working the pile until it was nearly as tall as Akane.

“There’s too many to fit the compost box.” Ranma measured the pile against the box in the corner of the yard.

“We have to prepare them first, you know.”

“Prepare them?”

“Mmm like this!” Akane smiled sweetly at Ranma, then taking his arm, she twisted, stepped and threw him toward the pile of leaves.

“Waaaah!” Ranma flew through the air upside down, arms wildly waving, but with no effect. He fell softly into the leaves with a crunching noise. “What...” he asked “was that about?”

She stood at his head, his view of her upside down.

“Have to break up the leaves you know.” She bent over him. “It’s the best way I can think of.”

The sun shone through her hair, picking up dark brown highlights. The orange and yellow leaves in the tree above her made a perfect background. ‘I wish I had a photo of her like this.’ He thought. ‘There are times that she is really cute. ‘

“Akane, I... I...” he said softly.

“Mmmm?” she leaned closer.

He reached his arms out over his head, and slipping his fingers under her feet, flipped her high into the air. She shrieked in surprise and with legs and arms flailing, landed in the pile next to Ranma.

“Th.. That’s not fair!” she stammered.

“Best way I could think of to break up the leaves.” he responded. he placed his hands behind his head and whistled tunelessly.

They lay together in the leaves, the breeze occasionally freeing a leaf from the tree above them.

Akane broke the silence. “When we were little my mom and dad would make these huge piles of leaves, and Kasumi, Nabiki and I would jump in them. When we were a little older dad taught us our first judo throws into the leaves.”

“Us? You mean Nabiki and Kasumi too?”

“Yup, and for a while, father thought that Kasumi might become the real martial artist in the family.”

“Kasumi?, our sweet, innocent, Kasumi?” Ranma asked incredulously.

“She was really good, she’s out of practice now, but I bet she would surprise even you if she tried.”

“Kasumi, a martial artist. I still don’t believe it.” Ranma shook his head, rustling the leaves.

“Mmm. Nabiki had some pretty good moves too.”

“Nabiki,” Ranma paused dramatically, “still has her moves. Mostly from my wallet to her purse.” He pantomimed the removal of money from his back pocket, and the placement into an apparently already full purse, concluding by snapping it shut with a flourish.

Akane giggled and sighed. “This is the part of raking leaves that I like best.” She scooped up some leaves and tossed them in the air. “ You’re really lucky, you know, some years it rains and the leaves are all icky, and some years it’s just too cold on the weekends to really enjoy the leaves.”

“Looks like we’ll have to rake again next weekend.” Ranma pointed to the leaves in the tree over their head.

“Sometimes I wish they could all fall at once”

Ranma smiled and slowly held his hands out, palms facing the tree above them.

“Mouko Takabishiya!”

At the last second he opened his hands to spread the energy. The ball of ‘Ki’ passed up through the tree, freeing half the remaining leaves.

“Kiyaaaa” Akane screamed and buried her face in Ranma’s shoulder.

The leaves began to fall softly around them. Akane opened her eyes and looked up into the storm of leaves gently swirling over their heads. The sun shone through the leaves revealing their vibrant colors set off by the darker stems and veins against the blue of the mid morning sky. The colors were so bright, so surreal, she’d never seen anything like this before. The leaves tumbled and floated around them, some diving for the ground, others rocking up and back as if to stay a little longer in the air. Her breath caught and she felt light headed, the sight was so improbably beautiful. She watched transfixed until the last of the leaves fell around them, not wanting it to end, but not knowing if she could watch any more without fainting.

She sighed and lay her head back on his shoulder. Ranma gently picked a couple of leaves from her hair. She turned her face up to him, her eyes meeting then holding his.

They began to laugh together, just from the joy of the moment. Akane watched Ranma. This was a side of him she so rarely saw. He was always so, so cool. He hardly ever let his defenses down and just laughed like this. After a time they quieted and took deep breaths together, simultaneously letting out satisfied sighs, which started another round of giggling.

She lay her head in his shoulder again, he wrapped his arm around her and held her gently. She listened to the beat of his heart and felt the rising of his chest with each breath. The dusty smell of the leaves mixed with the smell of his shirt and him.

“It’s been a good year...” he said.

She buried her face in his shoulder and nodded in agreement.

“...I’ve never felt like... like I’ve really had a home before.”

“No surprise, what with your father dragging you all over Japan.”

“It was pretty fun sometimes too, you know. We saw a lot of the country side, met a lot of people. But this is different, to have a place to call home.” He paused, picked up some leaves and rolled them between his hands. Crushed bits of leaf fell from his hands onto his shirt, he brushed them off into the pile.

“Ranma, what’s wrong?”

“Oh I was just thinking.”

“What?”

“About my mom.”

“What about her?”

“Well if I can finally manage to tell her everything, and keep my head, she’ll probably want Dad and me to move back to her house.”

Akane’s heart sank, “I... I hadn’t thought of that.” She said. Her mind spun, she couldn’t even imagine life without him around, how dull and... empty. Empty was the word she had been looking for, but once she found it, it stabbed at her.

She often thought of her mother, little things around the house would remind her of her, the taste of certain foods, or sometimes she would just sit in the same place in the yard she had sat as a child, and enjoy a flood of pleasant memories.

Later, after the hurt had healed, there were other good memories. Her father stayed home to look after them, he always tried so hard to be in charge, but the girls really ran the house.

Between those times there was a hidden pool of darkness which she avoided, but she was drowning in it now.

She rolled away from Ranma and curled up on the leaves, quivering, trying to hold back the tears.

“Akane,” Ranma touched her shoulder. “Akane, are you O.K.?”

“Ranma,” She turned over and faced him. “Don’t you ever leave me.” Her chin quivered and tears welled in her eyes. She buried her face in his arm and began sobbing softly.

“Eh-?” Ranma was overcome with confusion. What did I do? What should I do now? he thought. His first option, picking a fight, didn’t seem to have much merit in the present circumstance, his second option, well he never much got around to needing a second option with Akane before. He needed time to think. He put his arms around her and tried to think of something to say. Akane only began to cry harder.

“Eee, w-wrong thing!” he said out loud, surprising himself. He released her quickly.

“BAKA!” Akane sobbed. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm back around her.

Ranma hugged her again. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his, he could smell the scent of her hair, a mix of shampoo, leaves and girl. He rocked her softly, the leaves crunching beneath them. He was still mystified about what was going on, his sides ached from laughing just moments ago, and now Akane was crying in his arms. He felt helpless, something was hurting Akane, and there was nothing he could do about it. He wished irrationally for a visible opponent, someone he could fight for her.

She cried for a time, then her breathing became smoother. She took one last stuttering deep breath and let it out.

“It’s o.k., it’s o.k.” Ranma repeated over and over, smoothing her hair.

“Sorry.” she finally said quietly.

“It’s o.k., really.” Ranma continued to stroke her hair, occasionally combing his fingers through from underneath.

Akane sniffled a little. “I’m sorry, its just when I think back to when mom...” She took a stuttering breath and blinked back her tears. She studied Ranma a moment, then a look of resolve came over her. She took a deep breath and the words began to tumble out.

“When mom died, relatives were in and out for weeks. Then one by one they all left, until one morning I got up and it was just dad and my sisters at he breakfast table. I kept looking for mom to come in. For weeks I kept thinking she was still going to come into breakfast like she always had. For the longest time I hardly talked to anyone, I stayed in my room and cried because I felt so empty and it was so unfair that my mom was gone. Thinking back, it must have been so hard on the others.”

“Then one night, I dreamed about her. It was so real. We were in the doujo, sparring together, which was funny because I wasn’t very interested in martial arts then. It’s not like she said anything that I can remember, it was just a feeling I got that I should let her go, and that she loved me and that she was proud of me.” Akane let out a sigh and laid back in the leaves.

“Before dawn I put on a gi and went into the doujo. I sat and looked at the ‘HA RO I’ sign until the sun came up, then I started to do all the exercises I always saw dad doing. All wrong, of course. He came in a while later and saw me practicing, and he showed me the right way to do the easy exercises. I think that was the first time I saw him smile again.”

“Later, Kasumi came running out calling for Dad saying that I was missing. You should have seen the look on her face!” Akane giggled a bit.

Ranma didn’t know what to say. Thrust into a strange house, engaged to a strange girl, It seemed like that had happened to someone else, a long time ago. Slowly, day by day, Akane had become a stable, comfortable part of his too often scrambled life, but until now he hadn’t thought about it.

He thought about life away from Akane. He’d no longer see her at breakfast, he’d be walking to school alone. He might not even be in the same school with her.

Akane looked at him, concern etched on her face.

“Sorry to dump that all on you Ranma. It’s strange, but It doesn’t hurt so much to think about it now that I’ve finally told someone.”

Strange feelings gripped Ranma, he felt buoyed by Akane’s trust in confiding in him, but the very thought of being away from her was also gnawing at him. He felt protective of her, but at the same time he liked how strong and independent she was. He wanted to say he would never leave, but somehow he knew his duty to his mother could get in the way of keeping that promise. Even though they were engaged, it wasn’t time yet to make their parents’ wishes their own, at least not out loud. There was a word for what he was feeling, but he wasn’t ready for it.

He reached out his hand and touched her cheek. Her skin was warm and soft against his hand. She looked a little surprised, then she smiled at him. His heart skipped a beat, he suddenly knew that they were about to kiss, and the panic he had always felt before was missing. In its place was a feeling stronger than he’d known before.

She felt his touch on her cheek, his fingers and palm rough from years of training. It caught her by surprise, Ranma wasn’t very affectionate and he’d been so quiet for the last few minutes. There was something in his look, a peaceful confidence that was often missing when they were alone together. ‘We’re finally going to kiss’ she thought, half in relief, and half trying to psychically plant the suggestion in his mind.

He paused to look at her, really look. She has really nice eyes, he thought. With the sun shining in them he could see brown and black streaks in the pupils. She has very thick long lashes, like a model, but her brows were thin and elegant. Her nose, cute. It turned up the tinniest bit at the end. Almost like a child’s. Her bottom lip pushed out a little, giving her smile a touch of sweetness.

He’s really taking his time, she thought. And I probably look a fright just now, all puffy from crying and my hair is all mussed up.

He moved closer, he could taste her sweet breath and feel its warmth on his face. He held his breath and closed his eyes and let his lips touch hers. He wanted to remember this moment, to etch it in his mind, he felt the warmth of her lips on his, the perfume of her scent mixed with the dusty leaves. He heard the leaves crunching beneath them, and in the trees above them. They kissed for a heartbeat, then another and another. Slowly he broke the kiss, then opened his eyes. Her eyes opened and fluttered left and right, pausing an instant in each of his.

She hugged him tightly, and smiled secretly against his chest. ‘Thank goodness’ she thought. We finally kissed and no....

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves as Kasumi and Nabiki both landed in the leaves with them.

“Sugoi* Akane! Not bad for a first effort!” Nabiki chimed. A huge smile glowed on her face. [*Wow]

“It’s about time, too. I can’t hold lunch forever you know.” Kasumi scolded. Then she smiled at them and threw handfuls of leaves into the air. They fell like confetti around them.

“I’d give it, ummm... about an ‘8’.” Nabiki intoned.

“Stingy.” Kasumi sniffed.

A wooden sign bearing “10” appeared from the leaves. Ranma reached in and pulled out a smiling panda.

“Ha ha ha, Tendou kun!.” Soun surfaced from the leaves with rivers of tears streaming from his eyes. “We were finally successful!” Soun and Genma-panda threw leaves into the air. They were joined by Nabiki and Kasumi. In seconds the air was full of leaves and the laughs of the fathers and sisters. When the leaves finally fell, Ranma and Akane were nowhere to be seen.

In the covered walkway between the doujo and the house Akane turned to a still blushing Ranma.

“Ne, Ranma, wait a second.”

“What?”

“This.” Akane stood on her toes and kissed Ranma firmly. She broke the kiss, winked at him and skipped off to the house.

Ranma watched her go, his head swimming. It really has been a very good year he thought. His fingers touched his lips, a very good year.

“Autumn” November 12th, 1995

Copyright Notice

1. The characters and stories of Ranma 1/2 are Copyright © Rumiko Takahashi, and are used here without permission or license.

2. No claims to the above copyright are made by the author of this work.

3. This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only.

4. This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Ranma 1/2 characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Ranma 1/2 as depicted by the original author and copyright holder(s).

Acknowledgments

“Seasons Kindle Edition” July 26th, 2012

Acording to Wolfram Alpha, Winter was released 17 years, 7 months and 7 Days ago.

Acording to my hit logs, people still read these stories nearly every day. Thank you.

These and other stories (mostly) about Ranma and Akane can be found at my website http://www.josephpalmer.com

Here are the notes released for each of the stories from my website:

Winter

This story came out of nowhere. I hope you liked it, as you can tell, I prefer the romantic side of the Ranma and Akane story. I've watched the entire TV series (in Japanese), the movies, the OAVs and have collected all of the manga (Including #31, just out!) and my favorite part of the story is the slow building romance between them.

While not authentic to the original, I too subscribe to the theory that Kasumi knows far, far more than she lets on.

Spring

Thanks for reading, and thank you to those who wrote to me about my first story, Winter. This story came to me after a friend brought me sakura mochi to try fresh from Japan. She said it was only available for a few weeks in the spring, thus the story. Here in California there are trails in the pacific coast range that have plants on them that smell exactly like the leaf used on the sakura mochi, and I'm sure you can guess my favorite time of the day. I'm not sure what I'll put into the next story Summer, but I'm thinking about it.

Summer

Thanks for reading, this is the third of a series of four works, placing Ranma and Akane in each of the seasons, Winter, Spring, Summer, and coming in a couple months, Autumn.

Thanks to Nikki for inspiration, and thanks to those who have taken the time to write, it really makes my day to get your messages.

Autumn

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This is the final story in the seasons series; Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Thanks to Nikki for inspiration, and thanks to those who have taken the time to write, it really makes my day to get your messages.