Saipan
Chapter 1
By Alessia '79
http://www.akane.it
 
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* Many thanks to David Johnston for the corrections! *
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* The characters in this story belong to Rumiko *
* Takahashi, while the setting to Banana Yoshimoto, *
* two great authors for a great story? Enjoy it! *
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The Tendo family and the Saotomes (without Nodoka) had 
won a vacation in Saipan. It wasn't a real stroke of 
luck, because this was the first prize of a martial 
tournament Ranma won and so, now they were all in that 
beautiful place. The island was wonderful, the water was
crystalline, the sand white and fine, and a green forest
filled its interior.
 
"It's incredible!" Akane yelled running toward the 
water. Her eyes twinkled with joy and, like a baby who 
sees the sea for the first time, she kneeled on the 
water line, letting her dress get wet. She felt the cold
of the water opposite to the warmth of the sun which was
beating on her shoulders, and a wave of melancholy hit 
her.
 
"Hey, what are you doing?" Ranma asked. The boy was 
watching the sea with indifference, hands stuffed in his
pockets; he really didn't understand what there was so 
exciting, what Akane found there so upsetting to make 
her act like a weirdo. 
 
Behind them the other members of the Tendo family was 
watching the sea touched, and even Nabiki let a tear 
fall down, immediately dried away. Genma, as usual, was 
watching a water melon stand and was searching for a way
to steal a slice.
 
/////\\\\\
 
After dinner Soun said:
 
"You girls will stay in a room together, while I will 
share one with the Saotomes. Good night!"
 
While saying "goodnight" to the Tendo sisters Ranma 
noticed that the girls were looking at each other in a 
strange way: <What's with them?> he thought.
 
/////\\\\\
 
The night was warm, oppressively hot, and so after 
tossing and turning 1000 times in the bed, Ranma decided
to get up.
 
<Maybe a walk will help me!> he thought while wearing 
the bathing suit and a T-shirt.
 
Near the sea a light breeze was blowing and Ranma 
decided to sit down near the water line. The stars 
twinkled in the sky and the boy stared at them in 
contemplation trying to remember the names of the 
constellations. He just found "Ursa Major" when he 
noticed a light whisper. The source of this whisper was 
near and Ranma cautiously positioned himself behind an 
upside-down boat which had the writing "Siren" on the 
sides.
 
"It's extraordinary how many memories this place has." 
the first shadow said.
 
"Yeah, it seems that everything here speaks about her." 
the second added.
 
"I...I don't remember her well..." a third voice 
finished, but Ranma knew that voice: it was Akane. What 
was she doing here? Looking more closely, he noticed 
that the other two shadows were Kasumi and Nabiki, so, 
what was going on?
 
"I mean, I remember the warmth of her embrace, the 
softness of her lips on my forehead, but the face...
well, I don't remember her face at all."
 
"You look a lot like her, you know?" Nabiki said in a 
strange voice. What was that, emotion?
 
"It's true. Every time I look at you, Akane, it's like 
looking at our poor mother; you have her eyes, and her 
smile. You know you have an unusual smile, don't you?" 
Kasumi said.
 
"An...unusual smile?"
 
"Yeah, the smile that makes Ranma act like an idiot." 
Nabiki said with a bit of irony.
 
"You are always making fun of me." Akane said smiling, 
trying to hide her blush.
 
<It isn't fair! If I had said something like this she 
would have killed me!> Ranma thought <But, it's true, 
that smile...>
 
"Oh, it's too late for me! I'll go to bed!" Kasumi said 
standing up and shaking sand out of her dress.
 
"I'll go, too. Are you coming Akane?" Nabiki asked.
 
"No, I'll stay a little more." Akane answered.
 
"OK, goodnight!"
 
Ranma watched the two girls disappear behind the wall 
that separated the beach from the street and then 
decided to go talk with Akane. The girl was sitting with
her legs crossed, her eyes lost in the enormity of the 
ocean, and while Ranma neared her he noticed her back, 
so smooth in the moonlight. Few passes separated him 
from his fiancée but it seemed that there was an 
enormous distance, and during these few paces he noticed
thousands of little details: the salty smell, the sound 
of the waves, the white sands, his heart beating 
unusually so hard...He touched one of her shoulders, 
making her jump, then, foreseeing her next move, he 
blocked the punch she was going to give him.
 
"Really, a delinquent wouldn't have an easy way with 
you!" he said sitting down next to her.
 
"Ranma no baka! You scared me!...How do you know I was 
here?"
 
"I didn't know...I couldn't sleep so I came here to 
walk, then...without wanting to...I heard your talk." 
Ranma answered blushing.
 
"So you heard everything..."
 
"Well, not everything...I couldn't understand what does 
Saipan have to do with your mother."
 
Akane looked at Ranma surprised, then she stared at the 
waves, before starting to tell:
 
"In Saipan we spent our last holiday with our mother. I 
was really young, as you know, and she was already ill, 
but she wanted to take us to the sea one last time. 
Daddy told us that she wanted to give us a good 
remembrance of her..."
 
Ranma turned to see why Akane stopped talking, and he 
saw her cry, the face hidden by her hands, the chest 
shaken by the sobbing. Before he could do anything 
Akane hugged him strongly, burying her face on his 
chest.
 
"Oh, Ranma...I miss her so much..." she said in a 
whisper.
 
"You...you'll see that...everything will be all right." 
He answered, then, taking all his courage with both 
hands, he hugged her in return, whispering: "Don't you 
know? I prefer your smile..."
 
/////\\\\\
 
The day after Akane was walking down the streets (Pretty
woman...ehm, I just like that film too much) of the city
watching the shop window when two boys passed on their 
bikes looking at her with admiration. Akane blushed 
furiously, it was the first time something like this 
happened to her, in Nerima the boys (not Kuno, 
obviously) were too scared of Ranma to even talk to her,
much less look her that way! Walking in front of a shop 
window she stopped looking at her image.
 
<Well, not bad!> she thought <Do you see Ranma? Somebody
likes what you say you despise so much! Only my smile 
can touch you? We'll see!>
 
She entered a shop and came out only when she'd bought 
the most daring bikini she'd ever even imagined 
wearing...
 
<Ranma Saotome, you will be mine> she thought, as she 
left the shop.
 
/////\\\\\
 
The atmosphere was very hot on the beach that afternoon,
but the temperature had little to do with it. Ranma had 
stolen a piece of "Special Soap" from Shampoo (the soap 
that keeps a cursed person from change for a short 
period) and he had been so happy to have enough soap for
all the vacation, but now he was wishing to be in his 
female form. The reason? Akane's bikini. He has passed 
almost a year making fun of Akane for her body, and now 
it seemed to him that she had a sign on her bottom with 
the writing "Not cute, ne?". But the thing that made 
Ranma furious was the looks that the male population 
addressed to his fiancée, they seemed like many lions 
that have seen the prey, and he needed to stake out his 
territory. How was it possible that he never noticed her
body? And why has she decided to show it off so 
suddenly? Didn't she remember she was engaged?
 
"I'll go bathing!" Akane said with nonchalance taking 
the life belt with her "It's too hot here!"
 
A shudder run down his spine watching her body dipping 
in the transparent water. His body was pervaded by a 
strange excitement, and he couldn't stop thinking at how
it would feel taking her in his arms...
 
"Nice bikini, ne?" a familiar voice said from behind 
him.
 
"Uhm, yes, like the others..." Ranma lied, trying to 
hide his embarrassment. If Nabiki had noticed his mood it
would be the end for him.
 
"You know? I have some photos of Akane with that 
bikini...if you want them...only because you are her 
fiancé I can sell them for 2000 yen." Nabiki whispered.
 
Photos of Akane in that bikini? This could be a real big
deal! But...no, he couldn't. And if she had found out? 
He would be a dead man in a second!
 
"Why do you think I'd want pictures of an uncute, macho 
tomboy in a swimsuit, anyway?" Ranma mentally hit 
himself for his answer, he didn't mean that, he truly 
didn't mean that. Why did he have to say those things? 
He really didn't know. So he started reading a magazine 
to stop thinking of Akane. 
 
When after a while, he stopped reading, he didn't like 
what he saw. Akane was having her bath while some guys 
were choosing who would have approached her first. Ranma
suddenly stood up and entered in the water, and, after
nearing the girl he hugged her from behind. The boy felt
her body stiffened, but, after few moments, both of them
relaxed and started savoring the feeling of the contact
of their bodies.
 
"It takes a lot to get you to come over here." Akane 
said non-chalantly.
 
"Don't get any strange ideas! I just came over to stop 
some boys from bugging you!" Ranma answered, biting his 
tongue for what he had just said.
 
"And so were you jealous?"
 
"I'm not jealous. You are so uncouth that who knows what
would have you done if I didn't show up?"
 
"Why couldn't I get to know somebody?"
 
"Hey! Don't you know you're engaged?"
 
Akane couldn't believe her hears: <Ranma wants me to act
like his fiancée?>
 
"Don't you know I like you a lot?" Ranma added kissing 
the nape of her neck.
 
Akane was stunned, it was really happening? But...
 
"Now, let's get out of the water!" Ranma said walking 
towards the beach holding her hand in his.
 
Chapter 2
 
 
Ranma was bathed in sweat and for the second consecutive
night in a row, he couldn't sleep. This time however 
the reason wasn't the heat, but the image of his fiancée
in that bikini that kept dancing before his eyes. He had
always known that Akane had a beautiful body, but he 
hadn't imagined her body could make him feel *that* way 
about her. 
 
Besides, he was worried by her reaction to his words. In
fact he hadn't waited for her reply. After saying that 
he cared for her, he had taken her out of the water 
before she could say anything.
 
He watched the clock: 11:00. He had to wait 15 minutes 
more before going downstairs, in the hall, where Akane 
had told him to meet her. He had wanted to take a nap 
before the meeting, but...too many thoughts.
 
The girl had been extremely vague about the reason of 
the appointment, but his curiosity was too strong to 
make him miss it. Besides, he couldn't let Akane wait in
vain for him.
 
The fifteen minutes that parted him from the fixed hour 
seemed everlasting. He watched as the clock changed to 
11:13. With a sigh of relief, he stood up opened the 
door of his room without a noise.
 
When he arrived in the hall, he was puzzled and 
pleasantly surprised when he saw Akane waiting for him. 
She was wearing a beautiful blue dress that hugged her 
body displaying her beautiful figure.
 
The air was filled by a strange atmosphere, due to the 
feelings that this clandestine meeting provoked in their
hearts.
 
Ranma wanted to say something, but Akane quieted him by 
saying:
 
"Shh...give me your hand and close your big mouth!" 
After that, she took his hand and lead him out of the 
hotel.
 
They walked hand in hand for almost half an hour, too 
embarrassed from the contact of their hands to say 
anything. When they stopped Ranma found the courage to 
ask: 
 
"And so...uhm..what did you want to show me?"
 
"It's a strange phenomenon that occurs once every ten 
years, and it occurs in this place. C'mon, I want you to
see it!" 
 
She took him to the shore of a lake where a little, but 
suggestive, waterfall plunged. The moon lightened the 
water surface, playing with the waves caused by the 
waterfall, making the atmosphere terribly romantic.
 
Akane sat down on the lakeshore watching her image 
reflected in the water and told her fiancé to do the 
same. She told him, "Exactly ten years ago, my mother 
took me here with my sisters and she told us a legend, 
this lake's legend. She told us that every 11th of July,
every ten years, in this place a spell is accomplished. 
Exactly at midnight, when the 10th of July becomes the 
11th of July, the shores of this lake for a minute 
filled with the images of the people that were here and 
had shared a moment of tenderness at the birth of a new 
day during the years, making them last forever."
 
"Uhm...I don't think I understood too well..."
 
"Well, how can I explain it...I'll give you an example.
My mother took her daughters here because she wanted her
love for us to last forever, and so exactly at midnight 
she hugged us fondly saying that she loved us more than 
her life itself." Akane dried a tear, then she said: "I 
took you here tonight, Ranma, 'cause I want you to see 
something...as I said before, the last time I had been 
here I was with my mother and my sisters...this way I 
have the possibility to show you my mother. As she truly
was, during one of my most beautiful memories."
 
Now Akane was on the verge of tears, so Ranma took her 
hands in his to comfort her. He asked, "Why did you want
to share this moment with me? Ehr...I mean...why not 
with your sisters?"
 
"My sisters will watch mother from another spot. I told 
them I wanted to be with you when mother will appear and
they understood."
 
Ranma looked in her eyes and said, "But...why _me_?"
 
"Because you'll be my husband, baka!" Akane answered 
losing her patience a little. Flushing, she said: "I 
want you to see my mother."
 
"Akane...I...I didn't know...I...I didn't..." Ranma said
lowering his gaze.
 
"Then there is another thing I want to do tonight. 
Something that will last forever." she said. "Ranma, 
what time is it?"
 
"Huh? 11:59."
 
"How long will it take to be midnight? I have to do this
exactly at midnight."
 
"Ah...well, 11:59 and 40 seconds."
 
Akane looked straight in his eyes saying, "Good...tell 
me when it will be 50 seconds."
 
"...Ok...now!"
 
"10...9...8" she said coming closer to him "...7...6...
5..." closer "4...3...2..." closer "1!" She kissed him,
lightly, brushing her lips upon his.
 
Ranma at first, was stunned and stayed motionless. A 
moment later, he regained some control and returned 
the kiss.
 
After a few moments she broke the kiss and looking 
towards the opposite shore she said, "Ranma, that is my 
mother."
 
Ranma watched the spot Akane was looking at and he saw a
beautiful woman hugging three children fondly. The 
youngest has short hair and beautiful dark eyes.
 
<Akane, of course!> he thought.
 
The other two were surely Nabiki and Kasumi a little 
shorter and more childish. From the hug radiated love, 
the deep love of a mother for her daughters, but there 
was also a sense of desperation. Like her life depended 
on the hug. 
 
<Her daughters were her life and she was desperately 
trying to reassure them while she was scared to the 
bones.> he noticed.
 
He turned towards Akane and he saw her crying, so he 
hugged her and stroking her hair he said, "You know, 
your sisters are right. You do have her wonderful 
smile!"
 
"That's the first time you've ever said we're right!" 
Nabiki said from behind them.
 
"Oh my! If only father was here!" Kasumi added.
 
"Aaahhh!" Ranma and Akane yelled immediately parting.
 
"You two are getting along well, ne?" Nabiki said.
 
"What?" Akane said.
 
"And what makes you think that I can get along with a 
clumsy sexless tomboy like your sister?" Ranma said.
 
"Grrr...Ranma!" Akane yelled getting angry.
 
"Huh?!? No...that isn't what I mean...well..." Ranma 
said trying to apologize. 
 
But before he could say anything, he was already flying 
in the hotel's direction with a "Tendo Airlines" ticket 
in his hands.
 
"Baka!" Akane whispered. "He has always to ruin 
everything!"
 
"Oh my! I hope Ranma-kun won't land too far from the 
hotel!" Kasumi said watching her sisters with a strange 
smile.
 
Akane and Nabiki looked at each other for a moment, then
they hugged their older sister giggling.
 

To be continued