Chapter Text
His hands were cold, but he couldn't care less. Quietly, he walked toward his target, knowing he wouldn’t fail. Not this time. Moving his arm back, ready for the throw, he watched as she walks in front of him.
“I was thinking, maybe we cou- AH… Ranma!”
Yep, he never missed.
The snowball hit her right in the middle of her back. Satisfied with himself, he put his hands in his pockets and grinned as Akane turned toward him, her emotions written all over her face.
“Oh, think that’s funny? I’ll show you what’s funny.” Angrily she leaned down, grabbing a handful of snow, and swiftly returning his attack. Laughing and dodging every throw of hers, he ran past her, teasing her even more. “Coward! You’re just running away now!” He heard her calling out, a laugh accompanying her words.
Winter had arrived and with it came the first snow. Ranma looked back at his fiancée catching up to him. A warm feeling spread in his stomach.
As both he and Akane had finished school about two years ago, they saw each other less often. They still both lived at home, but Akane started going to university, which took a big chunk of her time.
Ranma, on the other hand, decided to start a professional career in martial arts. For the last two years he attended competitions, trained under different coaches and tried to build up his reputation. At twenty years old, he was already rather successful. His childhood, filled with harsh training methods, endless days and long periods of travelling, had prepared him to follow through with his career. Although, his father’s methods had arguably been a bit too much.
Akane and Ranma were both busy most days of the week now, much busier than when they used to go to school together.
Nowadays, the only time they saw each other was in the evenings or on weekends.
He had just returned from a training trip and had missed her, even more so after not seeing her for two months. Obviously, he would never in a million years admit that. Not to her face, at least.
Akane caught up to him, smiling. He couldn’t help himself, of course he smiled back widely. How could he not? The way she looked at him, happy and carefree; the way she moved, strong but with a hint of elegance; her beautiful eyes looking directly into his; her hands moving toward him and wrapping around his neck… his neck?! What was she do-
“Ha, there’s your payback.” A sudden icy feeling started at his neck and rapidly continued down his back, catching him by surprise. The uncomfortable sensation on his bare skin made his shoulder blades tighten as he winced. On top of the chunk of ice that Akane had put under his jacket and even his shirt, she kept her hands on his neck, an evil grin on her face.
He loved it. And hated it. Having her this close to him, her hands on his skin, her face right there… A sight he only imagined in his dreams. But at the same time… he froze. Completely. Brain empty, no muscle memory left of what to do.
She noticed her mistake a second later. To Ranma’s disappointment, Akane let go of him, a hint of pink on her cheeks. He regained his confidence.
“Tendo Akane… You have no idea what you just did.” And with that, he grabbed more snow and chased after her as she ran off laughing.
By the time they reached the Tendo household, both were covered in snow, freezing, and in need of a warm bath.
“Aw, the two lovebirds are back.” Nabiki stood in the hallway, arms crossed.
“Nabiki! W-we aren’t… stop it!” Akane’s face took on a color that Ranma thought was close to crimson. He, on the other hand, stayed calm. Most things Nabiki said had to be taken with a grain of salt. He could list a dozen things she had said to him in the past that were wilder than this. Somehow, she always got to Akane, though.
“Right. Anyway, Daddy wants to tell us something important in the living room and I still haven’t figured out what. Be quick.” On the last word, she turned and walked away from them.
Akane was quiet. Apparently, her sister’s comment had embarrassed her more than Ranma had expected. Nudging her gently, he said, “Ignore her. Come on, you can use the furo first.” He was rewarded with a shy smile as she passed him to get ready.
Warmed up again, he exited the bathroom and walked straight to the living room. Soun and Genma sat with stern expressions at the table. Ranma wondered what could possibly be so important that they all had to gather here. Sitting down beside Akane, he tried to catch her gaze, a nonverbal question on his face. She shrugged – she didn’t know either.
Waiting for the elder men’s explanation, he was slightly distracted by the comforting smell of her hair. Her shampoo had a hint of vanilla in it.
“Soo… what’s up? I hope this is important, I’m starving here.” Ranma decided to take the initiative and get whatever this was over with as quickly as possible. It was dinnertime, and from the looks of it, nothing had been prepared. Great. He would likely have to cook again today.
Soun and Genma looked at each other, then turned back. Genma started with, “Everyone, cancel your plans for the next four days”, Soun continued, “and pack your bags because we are…”, he dragged the last word.
“…going on vacation!” they both shouted simultaneously. Ranma thought it was too theatrical, but by now they were all used to their fathers’ liking for drama. It still didn’t take away from the revelation though. He heard a surprised gasp beside him, followed by a hand touching his arm. Akane had, in her surprise, clung to him. Heat rose in his face, but doing his best to hide his excitement, he kept his gaze forward.
“A-and what’s the catch?” Damn, his voice wasn’t as steady as he had hoped.
“Yeah… Daddy, just so you know, I won’t spend any of my hard-earned money. Vacation‘s on you.” Nabiki raised her eyebrows. Everyone knew she would go beyond the normal cost, expecting gifts, fancy dinners and probably a new vacation outfit – sponsored by her dad.
Soun cleared his throat and declared confidently, “Alright, you want details?” He paused, waiting for them to cheer him on to continue. A few seconds passed. The room stayed silent.
“Of course. You‘re too excited. I should have expected you would be shocked.” Akane’s father clearly enjoyed the attention.
Ranma wondered how long this would be dragged out. Under normal circumstances, he’d be annoyed. But Akane still held onto him, and he wanted to enjoy this feeling just a little bit longer. Or a lot longer. Thinking twice, he might be just fine if they took all night to explain the vacation to them.
“Our destination: the mountains. Genma and I already got everyone’s skiing equipment out and packed. Kasumi will join us as well.” The thought of his first daughter apparently stirred his emotions, as Ranma saw tears building in Mr. Tendo’s eyes.
Ranma had to admit, though, a vacation like this was a great idea. He’d gone on a trip to the mountains last year with some friends, but he’d never been with Akane and her family. Hitting the slopes — especially with Akane — would surely be fun.
“We’ll leave in two days.” Genma took over for Soun. “The accommodation is booked. And boy-” he shot a piercing look at Ranma, “this is still considered training. Vacation doesn’t mean you can let yourself go, am I clear?”
Not surprised that his father wouldn’t give him a break, he opened his mouth to reply.
“Ranma trained for two months. He only stopped for food, sleep, and showers. The definition of a vacation is taking a break. Let him unwind once in a while.”
That wasn’t what he’d meant to say. And it also hadn’t been him who said it. Shocked, he turned to look at Akane. She stared fiercely at Genma — she meant every word.
For a brief moment, he felt like time stopped.
Unfortunately, it didn’t. His father roared with laughter, hitting Ranma on the shoulder. “Hah! See how your wife stands up for you? Good job, boy.” Ranma couldn’t have been more annoyed, but he was too flustered to come up with a good counter. It didn’t matter anyway, as everyone seemed to start talking at the same time.
Soun chimed in with Genma, telling Akane how good it was to defend her future husband and how proud he was. Nabiki had whistled when her younger sister spoke up; now she fueled their fathers’ chaotic yelling by pointing out how Ranma and Akane had been much nicer to each other these past few weeks. She wanted to watch the chaos unfold.
Akane’s anger flared, and she jumped into the heated argument, insisting she wasn’t his wife and promptly let go of his arm. He missed her touch immediately.
He was also too hungry and too tired to deal with any of this.
“I’ll make dinner,” he said flatly, completely fed up with the whole family. How he had become the responsible one after Kasumi moved out was still a mystery to him.
As he walked into the kitchen, he replayed Akane’s words, remembering the passion with which she had defended him. The smile on his face stayed for the rest of the night.
--
“Look! That’s the mountain we’re going up tomorrow.” He looked in the direction Akane was pointing. They had been driving for two hours and would soon arrive at their accommodation. Soun still hadn’t revealed any more details about it.
“We’re early. We could still go today, right?” Ranma couldn’t hold back his excitement; he loved skiing and snowboarding and hadn’t expected to be able to go this year. Though the mountains weren’t far from home, he simply hadn’t had enough time to go. He really appreciated the invitation from Soun and Genma.
“I think I’ll just look around the town today and be ready for an early start tomorrow.” Akane was still looking out the window. He didn’t blame her; the view was magnificent.
“Oh my, look at that. That’s the village we’ll be staying in. I think we could eat out today, right, Nabiki?” Kasumi had joined them. Even though she had moved out some time ago after marrying Dr. Tofu, she still visited often. Ranma really liked Kasumi; she was — mostly — reasonable and kind.
“Sure, I found the best place. I’ll book a table.” Nabiki stared at her phone. She would pick the most expensive restaurant.
“Nabiki, maybe we could just look around first? We’ll find something later.” Soun’s voice held a hint of nervousness. Everyone knew you never let Nabiki pick a place. Especially if she wasn’t the one paying.
Genma, who was driving, focused on the road.
To everyone’s surprise, Soun and Genma had booked a nice, spacious wooden house. It had a fireplace, a massive kitchen with a big table large enough for all of them, and a cozy common area with plenty of couches and blankets.
A beautiful wooden staircase led to the first floor, where the bedrooms were located. There was just one tiny issue, their fathers had forgotten to mention.
“Uh… Daddy?” Akane walked into the open common area just as Ranma entered the house, carrying his things.
“Yes, Akane?” Soun and Genma had already started a game of Go.
“I only saw five rooms. Two people have to share?”
“Ah yes, that’s right. Genma and I are paying, so I think the four of you will have to decide among yourselves.”
Akane looked back at Ranma, slightly worried.
“Kasumi? I’ll stay with you,” Akane told her sister, who had already started preparing lunch for everyone.
“Oh, Akane. Maybe you can find someone else. Please don’t be angry with me… you just move too much in your sleep.” Kasumi’s tone was friendly but firm.
“Uh… Nabiki?” Akane didn’t even get the chance to finish.
“Forget it.”
Only one option was left.
“What are you looking at me for?” Ranma had, of course, followed the whole interaction. Knowing his father and Soun, he suspected they had planned this from the beginning.
Akane turned away from him, worry written on her face.
“Daddy, you can’t be serious. Ranma and me in one room? For four days? Come on, that’s the most ridiculous combination!” She stomped toward the kitchen island.
“I think there are worse, Sis,” Nabiki said, a bag of chips in her hand. “Would you like me to share a room with him?”
Nope. Not happening. Not in a million years. As much as he had gotten used to Nabiki and her schemes, she still scared the hell out of him.
“Pops, why don’t I stay with you, and Akane can have her own room? Wouldn’t be an issue.”
The look his father gave him said otherwise.
“Boy… I’m paying half of this vacation. I’m getting my own room. Or would you like to pay my share?”
That would be stupid. Ranma had been working for a while and winning a lot of competitions, but he still had a long way to go and definitely needed to save his money. Maybe sharing a room with Akane wouldn’t be too bad, he thought. Sure, he might not sleep at all, and he’d be self‑conscious the whole time and worried he’d make her uncomfortable, but… yeah, no but. This was a bad idea.
He heard Akane arguing for a bit while he carried their bags inside. Nabiki happily told him he could just leave her bag at her door. He ended up carrying all their stuff inside — somehow they had all avoided it.
Eventually, he carried his bag up to the room where he had already put Akane’s and found her looking at the two futons laid out neatly on the floor. It looked cozy enough.
“I’m sorry, they won’t be talked out of it… guess we don’t have a choice.” She looked at him apologetically. He couldn’t help thinking how sweet it was of her to apologize. This wasn’t her fault after all.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make the best of it.” He put his bag on a stool and started unpacking. “Just don’t hurt me in your sleep. You know, Kasumi is right. You’re a violent sleeper.” He grinned at her, knowing full well that would annoy her.
Against his expectations, her face fell a little. Almost unnoticeably. But he always noticed.
“I’ll make sure to stay away from you,” That was all she said. Not the reaction he had intended.
“Hey, sorry, Akane. You’re all right, I was just joking.” Seeing her face brighten a little, he felt encouraged to say, “I know this is awkward, but c’mon, we’ll be fine.” His heart skipped a beat when she rewarded him with a smile.
“Do you remember when you stayed in my room because we tried to convince Ukyo we were fiancés?”
“Yeah… See? We can do it again.” Thinking for a moment, he added, “And this way we can just talk about our day when we fall asleep.”
The thought sent a tingle through his stomach. Over the past months they had gotten into the habit of texting every night before bed, updating each other about their day. This wasn’t too different.
“You’re right. Maybe this isn’t too bad.”
--
The day continued without any further incidents.
Ranma had been too excited to wait for the next day. After he’d unpacked, he grabbed his snowboard and went up the mountain to hit the slopes, getting right back into the sport he enjoyed so much.
When he returned a few hours later, he had missed lunch, but Kasumi thoughtfully kept some leftovers for him. The food had been exceptional; she had become an even better cook than before. After he finished, Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane, and Ranma walked through the mountain village, checking out potential restaurants for dinner and simply taking in the breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding them.
“Ranma? I never asked you where you learned how to ski and snowboard. You’ve been doing it for quite some time, haven’t you?” Passing a group of tourists returning from the track, Kasumi fell into step beside him.
“Pops and I spent some time in the mountains when we trained in China. There was a mentor I trained under. He taught me. Said it’s mandatory if you want to stay in the area during winter. I got the hang of it and kinda started loving it.”
The sun slowly vanished behind the mountain as they made their way back to the house.
“He was right. There were barely any roads anyway, and when winter started, we had to ski out of the area.”
“Your father can ski?” Akane’s voice sounded behind him, curious.
“I know, hard to believe, but… he’s actually really good. Though I suspect he’s mostly on this vacation for the booze in the huts.”
Probably for the best. Ranma didn’t want his old man following him around all the time, trying to use the most absurd training methods he could think of.
“What about you guys? You haven’t been on a winter vacation since I’ve been living with you.”
The equipment in the shed had been the only evidence of their past trips.
Nabiki passed them and turned around, walking backwards so she could face him.
“We used to go every other year. But Akane came back more banged up every time, so Daddy decided we should take a break until she stopped being so daring.”
Ranma chuckled – he had heard enough stories of how wild Akane had been as a child to believe it.
“Think it’ll be another injury this year?” he asked.
“Hey… I’m here, you know? And that wasn’t the reason, Nabiki.” Akane was now walking beside him. “He couldn’t close the dojo anymore. Or didn’t want to. He had to work.”
As they kept talking, he learned that Akane loved skiing but had never snowboarded before. That gave him some ideas.
On their way back, they bought ingredients for dinner. Kasumi said she’d cook for everyone and that they should save eating out for when they’d all be too tired to prepare anything. They agreed.
After they finished eating, they decided they would go to bed early and go up the mountain in the morning.
Ranma lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He heard Akane turning on her futon. He’d wanted to ask her something all evening but had needed to work up the courage. This was the moment.
“Would you like to learn how to ride a snowboard?”
In the dark, he wondered if she was still awake. For all he knew, she could fall asleep fast.
“Yes.” Softly, almost whispering. “Want to teach me?”
He closed his eyes and felt oddly relieved. It was nice to talk to her like this, even though he wasn’t sure sleep would find him tonight, knowing she would be sleeping just inches from him.
“Would love to.”
“I don’t own one… I’d have to rent one tomorrow before we head up.” He heard her shifting and turned to his side, facing her. In the faint light, her outline was just visible — she’d turned toward him as well.
“We don’t have to do it right away tomorrow. Let’s rent one when we get back down and start the day after. Or even after lunch. Okay?”
“Okay. Just… you’ve got to be patient, alright? Nabiki wasn’t exactly wrong earlier. I guess I do have a record of accidents.”
Her voice sounded tired. Ranma figured she’d fall asleep soon.
“Sure. Everything will be fine, don’t worry.”
After a few breaths, he reassured her once more: “You’ll be safe with me.” As soon as the words had left his mouth, he regretted it. Maybe that last sentence had been too much, even if it was true. When he heard Akane’s breathing grow deeper and slower, he felt some relief. Perhaps she was already asleep and hadn’t heard him.
“I know,” She whispered in the dark.