DISCLAIMER: I got nothin'

CHAPTER FIVE/ THEME 46
SOFT AND HARD

After countless insults and unkind words between them, Ranma had finally managed to convince the stubborn girl to let him give her a piggyback ride home that night. Akane was still sort of ticked off at him about her breasts being small…or his being bigger….or him seeing her in the changing room…or not wanting to see her…or something about having a boring body…or…umm…Actually, he still had no damn clue what part she was mad about. But a day after his mom had left following a seppuku attempt and the girl was still acting somewhat distance with him, so getting her to be this close to him was an accomplishment in itself.

The volleyball team she had faced tonight was harsh, from what he heard, and as the only member standing in the semi-finals Akane had taken on multiple hits and falls. It's not like Ranma was worried, he was just annoyed with how slowly she was limping along while their supper was quickly getting cold and eaten by Pop back home.

After a pause following their arguing, he felt Akane lightly pull on his shirt and in a much lighter manner say, "Hey, my coach told me that I set a new record for our school. The most points for one person standing. No one has ever seen anything like it."

Geez, she was happy. And as much as he knew that he liked seeing her smile so much over something so trivial, there was something about the timid tone and her warm cheek brushing lightly against his that must have blown a fuse in him. Because blushing, with no control of his tongue he said, "Did you also get the record for most falls and bruises? Or was that in a separate category?"

The inevitable slap to the face or the mallet to the head he felt coming on didn't follow. Instead, Akane slumped against him. Ranma blushed worse in bewilderment.

"The only thing you can do is insult me…isn't it? I guess there really is nothing about me that you li-…" she said, before the rest of her sentence was muttered into his shoulder.

Caught off guard by the demure action, Ranma had no reply. For her, anyways. He had plenty of stuff he could mull over in his head to encourage him in thinking that he was the victim here…

Geez, here he was trying to do a nice thing for her and what thanks does he get?! Being called out for teasing her a bit?!

It was her fault anyways. Her and her warm cheeks. He wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for the fact that Akane couldn't damned well take care of herself. If she could then he wouldn't even bother watching out for her since she never appreciated a damn thing he did for her. How the hell does someone injure themselves so badly from a stupid volleyball game anyways? Only Akane could pull something this stupid off. If he hadn't been conveniently-NOT purposefully-walking by the school after the game, she would have still been limping around until tomorrow morning. The stupid tomboy would never admit it, but she needed him….That's right!

Akane. Tendo. Needed. Him.

And not just in little things like this, either. Akane could have all the delusions and pride she wanted, but in the end there was no way in hell she could win something like in a fight against Ryoga or Shampoo. They were trained, like him, not just absently practicing in the dojo whenever school was out or playing some worthless sports. Even as he held her, Ranma could tell she wasn't like him and the others. From the years of fighting, Shampoo's body felt a hell of a lot different. But when he was holding Akane against him like this, she felt….she felt….

Actually…

It wasn't bad.

You know…It was kinda nice…..

Wait! That's it!

"Hey, Akane."

"Now what?"

"I have a compliment. Just…Don't take this the wrong way…."

"….If you have to start a thought like that, it's best not to say anything," she warned, darkly.

"It's a good one."

"It better not be stupid…"

"You're soft."

Silence.

"Soft? What do you mean by-RANMA!" When Ranma started sliding his hands up and squeezing her thighs, Akane forcefully yanked his braid back. "W-What the hell do you think you're doing, pervert?!"

"H-Hey! Hey! I was trying to give you a compliment! !"

"You were groping me!" she insisted, pounding on his head repeatedly.

"Would you just hear me out?! See, when I feel Shampoo-"

She shrieked, holding her hands over her ears and blushing in anger and embarrassment. "Why are you such a pervert?!"

Ranma turned bright red. "N-N-No! ! No! ! ! I-I didn't mean it like that! ! ! I meant when she hugs me I can feel her body and its all toned from bein' in training all her life, you know? But your body is the complete opposite!"

"So you feel me up then you call me flabby…" Akane's teeth clenched together. "Just what kind of twisted idiot are you?!" she demanded, pulling his cheeks.

"I-!…I didn't mean it like that….! ! ! I mean-don't get me wrong. I got more of a figure as a girl than you ever will- -"

"Ranma! ! !"

"But…I like-It's nice….That you feel soft like this….I-I mean…..I….W-when I'm holding you it feels….That is, you feel….A-And I like it when you hug me because I-I can…T-that is….I…." Cheeks already an intense red, Ranma feigned annoyance to end his useless suffering. "Heh. Forget it. A sexless chick like you wouldn't get this anyway…"

Wordless and annoyed with each other, the two teens passed through the barely lit streets in the eerie silence that followed. Akane's arms were no longer holding Ranma's neck. Her hands, braced on his shoulders, gave her distance from his body even as she betrayed herself by blushing and leaning in his direction. Clouded blue eyes set straight ahead, Ranma paid no attention to what she was doing, wishing he had said nothing.

Stupid uncute fiancée….

Just for that, he refused to like how nice her body was! ! ! It's not like she'd ever give him the chance to hold her or nothin'…Unless it was because he was saving her ungrateful butt…So why the hell did he have to go and say that anyways?

Talking like it really mattered to her what he felt about her….

Saying that crap like there was ever a chance of Akane actually wanting him to hold her or touch her other than to get her out of a situation…

Why the hell did he keep bothering himself over such a sexless chick? It was probably beyond her thick-headed tomboy comprehension that a guy actually thought about holding her anyways. Not that he did. Not that much. Maybe sometimes.

Damnit…

He felt like an idiot.

"Put me down, Ranma."

"Forget it," he quickly snapped back. "I know you don't want me touching ya, but I got no choice when you're limping along."

"Put me down," she repeated.

"Am I really that repulsive?!"

"I just want to-"

"Fine! I'll go!"

Before she could reply Ranma abruptly released her thighs, more than ready to walk on without her, only to have his heart stop as Akane cried out in pain. The cry was like a searing punch to the gut and jolted him straight out of his anger as fear washed over him. Without missing a beat, Ranma quickly made a grab for her waist, pulling her to his chest before she could fall.

Damnit, he shouldn't have put her down so quickly if it hurt to just drop on her feet. He immediately felt like a jerk, letting her go just because they said the same stupid crap they were always going on about. To correct the situation, Ranma muttered an apology and crouched to offer his back again.

He expected her to flat out reject him this time for sure and was prepared to fight for her again, only to be surprised when Akane dropped to her knees in front of him instead.

Slender arms gently encircling his neck. A warm cheek against his violently red face. A soft body pressing it's curves up to every inch of him. Unsure what to do or what was happening, Ranma stood stiff in the hug, offering an intelligent "E-Eh?" to his fiancée.

"Thank you, Ranma." Akane pulled back and gazed down at her lap with a blush making him blush worse. "Even if the compliment came out in a weird way, it made me happy."

Although he was too embarrassed to look at her directly now, Ranma could see Akane was smiling again and felt his own mood rebound. She really was cute when she put some effort into it. Especially when his suddenly shaking hand moved to take hers to help her reclaim her spot on his back and she didn't resist. She even did this really cute thing where her head was tucked into his neck and her hands were gripping his shirt like she wanted to be held by him.

Too caught up in the heat of her body and what it was doing to his own, Ranma almost missed Akane whispering against his ear, "I have a compliment for you too."

"O-Oh?"

"You're hard."

On watching him burst into a puff of steam from his cheeks, Akane frowned and blinked at him. "That came out wrong too, didn't it?"

.

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Author Notes and other such nonsense:

Don't take Ranma's illogical inner ramble too seriously. Fact and fiction kind of blur =3

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