Well, I'm sure this is cliched and OOC, but I really wanted to do a holiday fic (I'm surprised there haven't been more. But maybe there was and I just missed them. Oh, never mind.) So, I hope it isn't too bad. Anyway, have a Merry Christmas or happy whichever holiday it is you celebrate. Flames, C&C, any feedback at all, public or private, is appreciated GREATLY. (BTW This is my first attempt at WAFF... Hope i didn't screw up too badly. ^_^) Disclaimer - I don't own any of these characters, but hey, I've been a good boy all year so maybe Santa will bring me the copyrights to them and leave them in my stocking! Hmmm... Then again... Probably not gonna happen. Oh, well. Ranma looked at the small package he held in his hands. The ragged red and green wrapping, gold ribbons and small green bow seemed pitiful to him. He sighed wishing he could have gotten Akane something nicer then some necklace he had found out in the forest. Something bigger. More. *Why do I bother? I know she won't like it...* Ranma frowned and sighed. Then he scowled, "Aww, forget it. I bet she wouldn't even thank me. Prolly just find some reason ta hit me." Ranma tossed the present into the trash can and left his room through the window to take a walk. Unbeknownst to him the door to his room was cracked open ever so slightly and Kasumi, who had been putting away laundry, saw the whole seen. A slight frown creased her features. Kasumi looked into the room making sure the coast was clear before crouching down next to the rounded metal can. She carefully reached in and lifted the package out of the can. She gently brushed the pencil shavings the had found their way atop the package off back into the trash can. She looked at the card on the top that read, simply, in extremely neat and carefully written handwriting, "Akane." Kasumi sighed, "How sweet. Poor Ranma probably lost his nerve..." A smiles lit up Kasumi's features as a small gasp escaped her lips. *I know! I'll get it too Akane for Ranma!* Kasumi scurried off to her room a plan formulating in her head already, the package carefully tucked under her arm. Under The Mistletoe By: Mike Malaspina It was Christmas morning and the Tendo family was busy exchanging gifts. Genma was off somewhere in the house with Soun playing Go with a brand new hand carved board and set that Genma had gotten Soun and drinking the sake Soun had gotten Genma. Nabiki carefully analyzed each of her presents for estimated value; currently she was examining the craftsmanship of the sweater she had gotten from Kasumi. It was a pale blue cashmere. Nabiki smiled and carefully put it with the good gifts. (The other pile she would sell at a price inflated over her estimates by ten percent.) Akane tore through the wrapping of her packages like a small child, making quite a mess in the mean time. She smiled gleefully as she unwrapped each thing, lovingly exploring every facet of each present and thanking the giver of each with a hug or another appropriate gesture. Nodoka sat, polishing her katana and admiring the gorgeous sword stand she had received from everyone, occasionally sending worried glances Ranma's way. Ranma for his part just sat, a few brightly wrapped packages sitting around him, watching Akane wistfully. *Why didn't I just give her the presant?* he bemoaned himself. *She even sounded sincere thanking Pops for that dumb wedding dress brochure he gave her. And she's so... nice... looking when she smiles like that.* Ranma's heart fluttered at the thought of her looking at him like that and expressing gratitude over the gift he should have given her. After a seconds hesitation he hopped to his feet, the gift from Kodachi that was sitting in his lap tumbling to the floor, and announced that he'd be right back before bounding upstairs; hoping that no one had emptied the trash can in the room he shared with Genma. -------------------- Akane came to her last present. It was wrapped in a red and green paper was creased and faded in places as if someone had been saving it for a long time. The green bow and gold ribbons looked brand new though and something about this one seemed special. She looked at the card and not being able to figure out who it was from she glanced up at Kasumi questioningly. "Onee-chan, do you know who this is from?" asked Akane holding the package up for Kasumi to look at. Kasumi smiled, "Ranma, I believe." "Ranma?" "Mm hmm. Why don't you open it and see what he got you? I'm sure whatever it is that he meant well," said Kasumi; deciding to be safe before being sorry and start on damage control early. After all, she hated having a mess to clean up even though she didn't mind the cleaning part. It was the fact that she didn't like any part of her house to be messy at any time. Akane, nodded absentmindedly to Kasumi's suggestion too engrossed with her internal thoughts over what it could be to truly pay attention. If Kasumi noticed she didn't show it. *What could it be?* she wondered. A whole slew of scenarios running through her head. A SD Akane opens the package to find a set of weights. A thought bubble of a SD Ranma picking them out while imagining a gorilla version of SD Akane using them as he runs off to flirt with a SD Shampoo, SD Kodachi and SD Ukyou pops into existence above SD Akane's head. The thought bubble pops from the heat caused by SD Akane's righteously angry aura flaring. She picks up the weights and brains SD Ranma with them causing a pair of X's to replace his eyes and the rest of the Tendo/Saotome families to fall to her feet praising her superior Martial Arts skill. SD Akane opens the package to find a wedding ring inside only to be mauled by a gaggle of SD fiancees and wannabe suitors all trying to get the ring for one reason or another while SD Ranma, Kasumi, Nabiki, Nodoka Soun and Genma watch on. SD Akane suddenly punches all the interlopers away and the combined Tendo/Saotome families fall to her feet worshiping her greatness and praising her superior Martial Arts skill. SD Akane soaks in the compliments for a minute before lifting the chin of a love sick SD Ranma with her finger to look into her eyes and then leading him upstairs to her room on a leash which has suddenly appeared around his neck and in her hand. SD Akane opens the package to find a wedding ring inside. A gaggle of angry (and of course SD) fiancees and wannabe suitors attack Ranma and he's overwhelmed. But Akane, being the superior Martial Artist, beats them all up in a flash. The combined Tendo/Saotome families fall to her feet worshiping her greatness and praising her superior Martial Arts skill. SD Ranma can't stop thanking her or apologizing for being such a baka hentai all this time and begs her to marry him. SD Akane says yes, but that he must first be punished. Suddenly SD Akane and SD Ranma are alone in her room. He's tied to her bed in his underwear and she stands above him with a whip and in tight leather. "Akane, aren't you going to open your present?" asked Kasumi. Suddenly startled out of her fantasies Akane blushed and replies, "Oh, yes." -------------------- Ranma dumped the trash can's contents out on the floor thankful it hadn't been emptied. However, he searched and searched through the pile of papers and pencil shavings and other assorted junk to no avail. The present was no where to be found. *Damn'it, where the hell could it have gone? Did Pops take it?* he thought. *Nah,* he dismissed the thought quickly. *Pops is a thief and all but I don't think he'd go rooting through garbage for something.* As the image of a SD Panda rooting through a trash can and coming up with a piece of meat popped into Ranma's head he hesitated but then shook his head; to clear it. *Naaaaaaah,* he reiterated to himself. He sighed and got up to go back downstairs, completely ignoring the large mess he had made, "Oh, well... Dumb, Akane, she'd probably get pissed at me for some reason or another today anyway. Might as well be over me not getting her a Christmas present." -------------------- As Ranma entered the room he saw Akane carefully beginning to undo the tape that held the wrapping paper around the package. He panicked and instead of continuing on into the room he ducked around the corner and peeked in too watch. *How'd my present get down here!?* -------------------- Akane, for some reason, couldn't bring herself to simply tear into the wrapping and get to the present. Instead she opened it with extreme caution, doing her best not to tear the paper. She meticulously lifted each strip of tape (And there was a LOT of tape) away from the paper, ssss'ing when it caught and tore or mentally sighing in relief when it didn't. Strip by strip the tape came off and now it was time to untie the ribbons. Again she was meticulous in undoing the complicated knot at the center after working through the intricate green bow that had been tied into the ribbons where they met at the top center of the small rectangular package. -------------------- Ranma nervously fidgeted as Akane opened the present. *What's taking her so long? Why doesn't she just open the damn thing and get it over with?!* -------------------- Akane finally finished the knot in the ribbons and they fell away from the package. She hesitantly began to unfold the paper away from the package, suddenly nervous and a little queasy. She licked her lips as the slim black box appeared from under the red and green. She looked it over, top to bottom, left to right, before setting it down in her lap and staring at it. She took the carefully folded ribbons, bow and paper and slid them into her pocket. As she did so Nabiki, who had taken a naggingly more and more obsessive interest in the package, burst. "Open the damn thing already, Akane! I wanna know what he got you!" Nabiki exclaimed. Akane nearly jumped out of her skin and looked up confused, "Huh?" "The box! Open it! I wanna know what Ranma got you! I'm sure he didn't just get you an empty jewelry box," Kasumi sat patiently watching, her ever present smile looking more... pleasant then ever, as Akane mumbled something about Nabiki. Akane lifted the jewelry box from her lap and slowly lifted the lid open just a crack. She peeked inside trying to see what it was before opening it all the way but couldn't get enough light to see. -------------------- "What is she doing now?" whispered Ranma out loud. He clasped a hand over his mouth and looked around to make sure no one heard him. As Akane looked towards where he was standing he flung himself backwards out of view. After a few seconds he peeked back to make sure the coast was clear before taking his spot peering out on Akane again. -------------------- Akane peered over to the left, "What was that?" "What was what?" Asked Kasumi. Nabiki grated her teeth, "Nothing Akane! Just open the box!" Akane scowled at her sister, "Nabiki, would you shut up! It's my present! I'll open it when I want to open it." Nabiki narrowed her eyes muttering under her breath. Akane had that "I'm-going-to-do-what-you-say-but-only-because-it's-my-choice-and-it-has-nothi ng-to-do-with-you" look on her face as she said, "And it just so happens I want to open it now." Nabiki rolled her eyes as Akane put her right thumb to the lip of the lid. She paused for a second then casually flicked it open with her thumb. She looked down in the box and stared, enchanted, at the silver necklace with the blue crystal at the center. As she looked closer, and she saw the kanji for her name were floating in the middle of the aqua blue stone, she gasped. Placing a hand over her mouth and fighting back tears she asked, "Kasumi, where's Ranma?" "I think he went upstairs Akane," supplied Kasumi helpfully. Nabiki was looking over Akane's shoulder in amazement. *That... that... that must be worth a small _fortune_! How did _RANMA_ get the money for that?! I bleed him dry of all his money that I know of! He must have a secret hiding place somewhere, where he keeps money!* Nabiki raced off to the backyard with a shovel. -------------------- *Huh? What's going on here?* puzzled Ranma. -------------------- Akane sat for a moment looking at Nabiki, *Where'd that shovel come from?* Forgetting her own question Akane looked at the necklace again. She looked up to see Kasumi and Auntie Nodoka looking at her. She blushed a little at the attention and stood up. She clasped the jewelry case in her hands protectively and got up to go find Ranma. -------------------- *Oh, no! If she catches me spying on her I'm sure to get pounded on!* Ranma quickly scrambled backwards and then began walking nonchalantly towards the living room; trying to hide his nervousness, but not doing to well. Akane entered the hall way and saw Ranma walking towards her from the end. She, not noticing the sweat that lightly covered his forehead, quickly tried to act as casual as possible. She too failed miserably, but like Akane did to his act Ranma bought into hers. "Oh, uh, hi, Akane. What's, uh, that you got there?" he asked, while pointing to the jewelry box. "It's the, uh... necklace you gave me," Akane replied hesitantly. "Oh," Ranma's voice cracked. "I hope you like it. I, uh, know it's not much or nothin', but like they say it's the, uh, thought that counts, right Akane?" "Err... Yeah, Ranma... But really, I, uh," Akane paused trying to thing of the right word. "I... love it, Ranma. It's gorgeous." Ranma gulped and blushed looking up at the ceiling. "Really?" "Really," said Akane, blushing and looking down at her shoes; fidgeting nervously. Akane and Ranma simultaneously looked down/up and their eyes locked together. Both were mesmerized by the other. They unconsciously moved closer to one another until they were almost, but not quite, touching. "Would... You, uh, like me to help you, uh, put it on?" asked Ranma, a figurative ball of nerves. "Ye-than...," Akane stumbled over her words and took a deep breath. "Yes, please. Thank you." "Ah... No, uh, problem, Akane," Ranma gulped as Akane handed him the box and turned her back to him. As she swept her hair away from her neck they, again unconsciously, moved closer together till they were lightly leaning into one another. Ranma swallowed again and carefully removed the necklace from the box, slipping the empty case into his pocket he cautiously began to put it around her neck. Fumbling with the clasp for a second Ranma took a deep breath that did nothing calm himself as it simply pushed him closer to Akane. "O-o-okay," he whispered once done. Akane turned around and right into Ranma, tripping them both. Ranma countered their spin ensuring that Akane would land on top of him. As they hit the floor with a mutual grunt their eyes locked together once more. Akane licked her lips, but otherwise didn't move. Ranma's bottom lip quivered as he slowly began to move his face up towards Akane's. She matched his slow jerky movements centimeter for centimeter and inch for inch. A ragged 'sorry' escaped Akane's lips just before they brushed up against Ranma's lightly erasing all rhyme and reason from the head of either teen. The position, place, time, day, family in the other room, fiancees, would-be-suitors, the world even, disappeared as the two deepened the kiss. So engrossed were they that they didn't even notice the small branch of mistletoe that they lay under. -- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---. | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---' From - Sat Dec 25 23:24:35 1999