Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Distance ❯ Chapter 24 ( Chapter 24 )

The walk home took over an hour. Ranma was in excellent shape, so the first half-hour didn't bother him so much, but the last half of the walk saw Ranma's arms burning and his breathing slightly labored. Akane fell asleep at some point, and he'd had to put her shoes in the pockets of his suit. After a while, he ended up roof-hopping whenever he could, just to let up some of her weight on him when he came down from the building. Jumping up severely taxed his legs, however, and by the time he got to her apartment door, his entire body felt like it was made of wet pasta. Makoto opened the door when he kicked it hard enough, glaring at him for a moment before registering the sleeping body on his back as her roommate.

“I'll just put her on her bed,” Ranma rasped out, face grey with fatigue as he stepped inside and Makoto closed the door behind him, “then get outta yer hair.” It was almost eleven by the clock on the wall, and Ranma was not looking forward to a forty-six minute train ride, and the walks there and to the Tendou-Tofuus.

“Nonsense, you're taking the sofa,” Makoto whispered fiercely, her tone allowing no room for argument as she moved to open the one to Akane's room, “did you seriously carry her all the way here?” she asked incredulously.

“Does it look like it?” she nodded. “Yup.”

Makoto looked impressed for a minute before excusing herself to get him some blankets and a pillow.

Ranma walked over and let Akane down gently onto the futon. He had to kneel down on the floor, and standing back up was a chore. He sighed and pulled her shoes out of his pockets, putting them on her desk. He stared down at her sleeping face, swollen slightly from her crying. As she rolled over onto her side, her arm shot out briefly in a clumsy right hook, and Ranma giggling quietly even as he moved desperately out of the way - still a violent sleeper, even as an adult.

He moved to leave the room, but her motion shifted her pillow out from under her head. “Tsking” he knelt down again with a grimace of exhaustion to maneuver her head back on the pillow, but something white underneath it caught his eye.

His tank top.

Smiling warmly, he carefully moved her head back onto her pillow, then pulled the blanket from the edge of the futon over her. Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, and her skin was smooth and slightly sweaty under his lips.

“Having fun?” Makoto whispered from the doorway. Embarrassed, Ranma practically leapt away from Akane like she was a pile of cats.

“Maybe,” he grinned when Makoto didn't brain him for “molesting” her roommate. She crooked a finger at him and he obediently left the room, closing the door after one last look at its occupant.

“I called Nabiki's sister, Kasumi, told her where you were,” Makoto was saying quietly, tugging at the hem of her Hello-Kitty-patterned pajama dress, “you are a really good person, Ranma, but Akane made it sound like you used to be kind of a jerk.”

Ranma winced and flopped down on the sofa, wiggling his toes, relieved to be rid of the dress shoes. They glinted by the doorway, and he focused on them while Makoto talked, unable to really meet her gaze.

“I know that you love her, but I also know that Akane is really… vulnerable right now. Her and Takahiro haven't been getting along, since before you even—”

“They broke up.” Ranma worked to keep the smile from his face, failed utterly, and settled for looking away.

“What?” Makoto whispered, sitting down next to him. He looked at her, finally, shrugging, keeping his expression neutral.

“He tried to slap her,” she gasped, “an' I was gonna beat the tar outta `im, but Akane just… stopped his hand, gave him back the ring.”

“It was an ugly ring, anyway - who mixes pearls with diamonds?” Makoto said sourly.

Ranma smirked. “Well, I'm glad someone's happy about the break up besides me,” he paused, remembering how Akane had cried, “Akane seemed real upset.”

Makoto sighed. “This is about her, right now, Ranma, not you.” He nodded, looking down at his hands with a frown. “But… give her some time. I was talking to her, and—”

“Ah, ah, ah, I don' wanna know,” he held up his hands to stay her confession, and she looked surprised, “I don' need no more reasons to push the issue. I'm jus' gonna do what I been doin' - bein' her friend, an' keepin' outta her way when she don' want me around. I don' wanna be one uh those guys.”

“A `nice guy?'” Makoto asked wryly.

“Yeah, y'know, the guy that's all, `oh, look how friendly an' nice I am, now fuck me `cause you owe me.' I lost a girlfriend to one uh those shits,” Ranma's expression curdled briefly, “I ain't gonna be like that.”

“I don't think you need to worry, Ranma - you're not a nice guy,” he looked up at her, glaring, “you're a good person.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Too bad Akane got to you first.” Makoto winked and got up, heading for her room. Ranma remembered something suddenly.

“Hey, if yer in the market, I got this cop friend. I think he's single.” He offered.

“Oh?” she seemed genuinely interested. “That man that came to the door, Kenichi Miike?” She looked thoughtful, then grinned. “Yeah, sure, I'll let you play matchmaker, handsome.” She winked again and wiggled her fingers at him before slipping into the darkness of her room.

Ranma smiled, feeling good about himself. He realized, suddenly, that it was the first time he'd felt this good about himself since he'd graduated high school. “Jeez, yer just a bucket a tears, aren't you?” he grumbled, but he was still smiling.