The 4th Anniversary
                        By G.L. Sandborn


     Akane smiled nervously to herself as she carefully removed the
tiny plate of appetizers from the microwave.  They *looked* done. 
With some anticipation, she leaned extra close to the baked morsels
and sniffed.  A large smile spread across her face as she straightened
up.  They not only looked perfect, they also smelled perfect.  She'd
done it.  She'd finally made something that looked and smelled like
real food.  Tanaga-sensei, her new cooking teacher, would be proud. 
Of course, the final sauce topping was whipped up by sensei herself,
but the rest of the job - the cutting of the meats, the arrangement of
the crackers on the plate, and the placement of the meats on the
crackers - was all Akane.  Carefully, she set the hot plate on the
counter and smiled to herself.  With pride, she removed the oven
gloves she remembered to wear.  This time, there would be no smashed
plate on the floor, no mashed crackers, smashed meats, or any other
messes to clean up.
     "This time," Akane chuckled, "Everything will be perfect."  Akane
had been planning this afternoon for weeks.  It was their 4 year
anniversary - sort of.  Exactly four years ago, her father announced
she was to be engaged to young Ranma Saotome.  Ranma came to live with
them as a head-strong, blunt, and socially unacceptable *boy*.  Over
the last four years, he'd grown into a head-strong, blunt, but
socially passable young *man*.  
     Their first anniversary passed with barely a notice.  Akane
brought the subject up, Ranma made some careless remark, and Akane
finished with a mallet to his head.  Their second went somewhat the
same.  And the third... well, let's just say they were consistent.  
     Still, over the years, they fought, argued, hated, made up,
looked out for each other, and, in the end, love finally bloomed. 
Well, perhaps 'bloomed' is not the right word.  Ranma *almost* loved
Akane and Akane kept trying to love Ranma.  It was more like they
became 'comfortable' around each other.  
     But time was passing quickly for them both.  They were growing
older and soon would have to seriously consider the possibilities of
marriage.  Akane, with no other prospects (No, Kuno was NOT an
option), began to consider a lifetime with one she had, at least,
become 'comfortable' with.  Besides, because his other fiancees were
becoming increasingly aggressive, Akane had to move fast or risk
losing him to one of her rivals.  She still *hated* to lose, even in
this contest.
     Akane quickly finished topping off the appetizers with the
whipped sauce and carried the plate into the main room.  It joined the
others on the table with their store-bought or Kasumi made treats. 
Akane carefully arranged everything so they looked exactly right.
     She was in no real hurry.  She had all afternoon for her little
plan.  Kasumi had seen to that.  Thinking Akane just wanted some time
alone with Ranma to talk, Kasumi arranged for herself to spend the day
helping Tofu-sensei clean out his files and the fathers to visit Mr.
Miyagi's bar.  Nabiki was nowhere to be found.  Akane snorted with the
thought that her sister was probably stringing audio cable or rigging
hidden cameras.
     Satisfied with the food, Akane hurried to change.  The clothes
were 'phase 2' of her plan.
     She had picked out her outfit carefully, depending totally on the
advice of her more worldly wise sister.  In fact, Nabiki helped her
plan just about every part of this afternoon's activities... for a
reasonable price, of course.
     Nervously, Akane pulled off her everyday clothes and picked out a
bulky, loose fitting top with an oversized neck opening.  Slipping it
over her head, she checked herself in the mirror.  As Nabiki said, it
did a good job of effectively concealing her figure.  That is, until
she bent over.  Akane leaned forward to check.
     <Just right,> she thought as she straightened up again.
     Pulling on the special nylon panties Nabiki gave her, Akane held
up the bottom edge of her top to see how they looked in the mirror. 
Pink, thin, and really sexy, Akane blushed slightly when she
considered how little of her they actually covered.  As she turned
this way and that, she had to admit, they made her look pretty good,
even for a tomboy.  Still, these were certainly not something she
would wear outside the house.  Someone might notice.
     She giggled nervously at the thought as her fingers traced
lightly over her small, tight posterior.  Something stirred inside her
and awoke as her fingertips tickled her firm mounds through the
slippery fabric.  For several minutes, Akane stood in front of her
mirror, caressing her nylon encased body, relishing the sensations
that shot through her with every feather-like stroke of her fingers. 
Carefully, Akane harnessed the feeling, remembering every sensation
and replaying it over and over in her mind.  She would need it in the
coming hours to follow through with her plans.  For now, she would
have to wait.  Swallowing hard, she forced her hands from her body.
     A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she crossed her arms and hugged
herself while the last of the sensations reverberated through her
tight, young form.  It was followed by the first twinges of regret
that she had to experience such feelings alone.  That was replaced by
a tiny smile as she considered the possibility that she might soon
have someone to share such feelings with.
     A loose fitting pair of red lounge pants that gathered at the
ankles finished off her ensemble.  A few minutes with her hair, some
dabs of perfume strategically placed per Nabiki's instructions, and
Akane was ready.
     She admired herself in the mirror a few moments longer.  Even
*she* had to admit, she looked good.  All those years of martial arts
training had paid off.  As her body matured, the constant 'tuning' of
her training contributed greatly to her present figure.  As attractive
as she was in high school, her 20 year-old body looked even better
now.  She giggled behind her hand when she thought of what Ranma's
reaction would be to everything she had planned.
     Over the past year, Ranma had begun to show signs of actually
being interested in Akane.  It started slow enough, listening to 
college friends talk about dating and girls in general.  At first, he
continued his indifference to females, content with being with 'the
guys'.  But they spent most of their time talking about girls... and
dating... and... other things.  Such talk finally convinced the
younger Saotome that female companionship was the 'manly' thing to
aspire to.  His only problem was to pick one from the many who had
shown interest in *him*.
     Akane, however, was determined that she would have rights of
first refusal.  It had become a serious 'game' to her, a game she was
determined *not* to lose.  This little party was just her way of
reminding Ranma she had 'first call' on him.  At least, that's how
*she* saw it.

     Back downstairs, Akane finished setting the mood.  A few candles,
some soft lights, and a special CD rented from Nabiki to play on the
family's small stereo system produced the proper atmosphere.
     As Akane was making her final check, she heard Ranma coming in
the front door.
     "In here," she called lightly while she assumed her position on a
low pillow off to the side of the table.
     As Ranma entered, he paused, like a fighter expecting a trap. 
The darkened room, the soft music, and all the food on the table was
odd enough, but the sight of Akane, kneeling on a pillow, a happy
smile gracing her face, was enough to make him *really* nervous.
     "Surprise," she chirped lightly.  "Happy Anniversary, Ranma."
     "Anniversary?"  His mind raced to find some logical association
between the word and the current date.  As hard as he tried, he
couldn't figure out what Akane was talking about.  In desperation, he
tried to bluff his way.
     "Oh... yeah... I kinda forgot."  Ranma grimaced and rubbed the
back of his head in embarrassment.
     Akane's smile only quivered slightly to show her irritation at
his forgetfulness.  Nabiki had tried to warn her what men were like.
Akane just never associated such behavior with Ranma.  Not that he was
any better, mind you.
     With a silent sigh, Akane gathered herself to continue.
     "I've prepared some things for you."  She nervously gestured
towards the table with its many goodies spread across its shiny
surface.
     Ranma hesitated, looking quickly between Akane and the table.  If
this was Akane's food, his life was in danger.  Either he'd eat some
to be polite and get sick or he'd refuse and Akane would react in the
predictable manner.  Ranma swallowed hard and started to sweat.  Akane
knew right away what the hesitation was about.
     "It's okay.  They're not mine," Akane said softly as she looked
at the floor.  She added under her breath so Ranma couldn't hear:
"Most of it, anyway."
     With an almost audible sigh of relief, Ranma plopped himself down
on the nearest pillow and started to wolf down the food.  Akane's
grimace caused him to pause.
     "You really don't need to eat so fast, Ranma."  Akane sounded
almost irritated.  It was getting hard to keep the mood romantic. 
"The food's not going anywhere."
     Ranma paused long enough for Akane's words to sink in.  As if
under a great pressure to behave, he slowed his eating to a more
respectable pace.  Akane nodded approvingly and filled his glass with
soft drink from Kasumi's best pitcher.
     Ranma reached for an appetizer.
     "What're these things?" he asked with a full mouth of rice.
     "Something special...," Akane replied with a blush as she watched
her fiance carefully.
     Ranma popped one of the appetizers into his mouth and began to
chew happily.
     "... that I made."
     Ranma froze in fear, his jaw paused in mid-chew.  Sweat broke out
all over his forehead as his eyes slowly rolled towards Akane.  He
quickly evaluated his options.  They didn't look good.
     He could spit out the offending food and risk the wrath of Akane.
     He could tough it out and finish eating the one small appetizer
while making sure to avoid the rest of its companions, thereby
limiting the damage to his system without offending his fiancee.  
     Of course, he could also miscalculate the whole situation and die
instantly from 'Akane food poisoning'.  
     As his fiancee eyed him coldly, he decided to run a few more
tests on the offending foodstuff prior taking any action.
     Mouth?  Tastes okay.  Nothing offensive here.
     Throat?  No detectable impulse to gag detected.
     Stomach?  Current contents should not be affected by inclusion of
this bit of food.
     Head?  No dizziness or burning detected.
     With all 'damage control' stations reporting positive, he felt
confident enough to resume eating.
     Cautiously, Ranma began chewing again.  That alone had the effect
of lessening the tension in the room.  And as he chewed, a remarkable
thing happened.
     <Tastes okay.> He chewed some more. <Actually, it tastes pretty
good.>
     "You made these?" he asked between chews.
     "Hai."  Akane looked his way hopefully.  "Do you really like
them?"
     Ranma swallowed and took a moment to savor the aftertaste.
     "Yeah, not bad."  Ranma ran his tongue around his mouth to gather
the last bits of the appetizer.  "Not bad at all."
     Akane giggled and held her hands together in front of her face. 
She had actually done it.  She had made something even Ranma liked. 
She was now a cook.
     Ranma, as if to confirm his claim, snatched a couple more of the
little appetizers and quickly gobbled them down while making 'yummy'
sounds.  Akane, giddy with delight, feasted on the approval.
     Refilling Ranma's glass with more soft drink, Akane felt a warmth
and happiness unlike anything she'd felt before.  It was as if she and
Ranma were 'playing house', but with a definite goal in mind. 
Someday, perhaps they would actually play out these roles as husband
and wife.  Akane shivered slightly at the thought.  It gave her goose
bumps just thinking about the prospects.  To be married was every
Japanese girl's dream.
     Ranma quickly finished everything on the table and looked towards
Akane for what to do next.
     "Wanna watch some TV?" he asked between gulps of soda.
     Akane fidgeted slightly on her pillow.  Nabiki had said there was
only one way to gain an edge over the other 'fiancees' for Ranma's
affections.  It involved something Nabiki had shown herself to be very
good at - at least, in her stories.  It was something Akane had never
openly considered before.
     She shifted her position slightly, feeling the nylon panties as
they slid across the inside of her lounge pants.  The feeling relit
the fire she experienced earlier in her room.  Closing her eyes, and
flexing the muscles under those panties, Akane took a deep breath and
plunged ahead.
     "There.... there are other things we can do."  Her voice was
barely above a whisper, her eyes darting from her pillow to Ranma's
face.  Oddly, he looked like a man who didn't have a clue.
     "Well, we would have to turn off that mushy music..."  Ranma
paused when he considered that such an offer might just be
inappropriate at the moment.  Maybe that music was there for a
purpose.  He swallowed hard while nervously contemplating what she
must be thinking.
     "Ranma, do you think I'm kawaii?"  Akane's voice was still little
more than a squeak.
     "Yeah... sure... sometimes..."
     "Do you think I'm attractive?"  Akane began to lean towards
Ranma.  She was flying totally blind here, completely out of all
personal frames of reference.  She was also about to do something
totally radical, something Kasumi would *never* have cleared the
residence for had she known about, something Nabiki said would
guarantee Ranma would marry her.
     "Yeah.... attractive...."  Ranma's voice cracked slightly as
Akane continued to lean over towards him.  The light from the candles
behind him seemed to crawl down her chin... her throat... her.... 
Ranma gasped lightly at the scene unfolding before him.
     "Do you think I'm...," Akane swallowed hard and licked her lips
nervously, "sexy?"  
     She was all the way over on her hands and knees now, gravity
having long since done its job pulling her loose top away from her
body.  The illumination of the candles behind Ranma did the rest.  He
began to pant anxiously as Akane slowly worked her way over to him,
crawling on her hands and knees, her top hanging down almost a foot
from her body.  It was all too obvious she wasn't wearing a bra.
     With great effort, he tore his eyes away from the swaying
distractions usually covered by her shirt to look at her face.  She
looked scared but determined.  Whatever she had in mind, the food and
the 'personal exposure' was only a beginning.
     By the time Akane reached him, he was beginning to feel faint. 
Her loose top rubbing against his arm reminded him that a part of her
usually completely out of bounds was now easily within arms reach.  He
fought the natural urge to do what his hormones were screaming for him
to do, the thing she appeared to be asking of him.  His ragged
breathing screamed like a full gale force wind in his ears.  He could
feel his heart pounding, like it did when faced with a dangerous foe,
only this time, the desire to flee was tempered by something else,
something that caused his kneeling position to become suddenly
uncomfortable.
     "You're... you're...," Ranma finally gasped, his eyes, once more,
locked on what her top refused to hide.
     He felt something he was only used to feeling in the mornings or
late at night, when he was certain his father couldn't see; something
that felt like a tingling between his legs.  It was something he
constantly denied himself, refusing to even acknowledge when it
demanded attention.  He closed his eyes and fought its temptation now. 
His body, however, overruled his mind.
     Rolling his head back and panting in fear and excitement, he
almost jumped off the pillow as Akane's hot breath caressed his neck,
sending jolts of electricity up and down his spine.  She switched to
blowing lightly, teasing the sweat on his throat and tickling his
libido.  Nabiki had taught her well.
     Her lips were close behind, gently nuzzling their way up his
throat, under his jaw, and finally to his ear.  With a groan of
surrender, Ranma collapsed onto his back.
     Akane seemed to be moving in time with the slow, romantic music
now.  She had the rhythm perfect as she sat up on her knees, hooked
her thumbs in the elastic waistband of her silky red pants and
seductively slid them down her thighs.  The sound her pants made as
they slid past her nylon panties caused Ranma to whimper slightly. 
The sight of those panties caused him to almost cry in frustration.
     He wanted to run.  He wanted to hide.  But most of all, he wanted
to see what came next.
     Unconsciously, he moved his hands to cover his reaction to her
body.  It bothered him that Akane could cause this kind of response. 
It established a sort of power she could hold over him.  A power that,
like every other male, scared and thrilled him at the same time.
     It wasn't as if he never saw her naked before, he had that
pleasure twice on the day he arrived at the Tendos.  It was just that
he never considered he'd have this kind of reaction to seeing her
undressed.  Perhaps it was the music.
     Akane, scared, nervous, but willing to go through with anything
to make sure *she* was the one he would marry, moved on to the part
Nabiki had her rehearse over and over again.  With a nervous smile,
Akane sat back on her heels, crossed her arms and grasped the bottom
of her pull-over shirt.
     Ranma's eyes went huge, his mouth dropped open and his face
twisted into astonishment.  Surely, she wasn't going to...
     "I love you Ranma.  Love you lots."  Akane closed her eyes and
quickly pulled her top off over her head, sensually shaking her hair
back into place.  Shivering as a tiny gust of cool air caressed her
body, she smiled painfully.  To her, this was humiliating, exciting,
daring, but most of all, highly erotic.  It was like some romantic
movie where she was playing the part of the beautiful girl willingly
giving herself to her lover.  It was all so perfect.
     When she opened her eyes, all she could see was Ranma's shocked
expression.  If she could have said anything, she would have announced
that all he saw was his for the taking.
     Instead of grabbing the moment, Ranma froze, staring at the scene
before him and gasping for air.
     Akane, lost as to what comes next, decided to tease some more.
Following Nabiki's instructions, she ran her hands behind her hair and
quickly raised them, causing everything to bounce seductively.  
     Ranma's mind screamed its surrender.
     Akane, totally lost in her part now, tossed the top behind her,
duplicating what she saw in a movie once.  It was playful, sexy, and
totally ill-advised.
     A sudden crash announced her mistake as her discarded top
collided with the pitcher of soda which smashed into one of Kasumi's
best serving bowls.  Both broke as they plunged to the matted floor. 
Akane quickly turned in horror, her seduction of Ranma forgotten, only
to slam her elbow into the unyielding wood of the table.  As her arm
went numb from the impact, she grabbed her elbow and whined in pain. 
The evening was ruined, the spell broken.  She couldn't believe this
was happening.  Not now - not here - not to her.  In embarrassment,
she tried to stand up to escape the humiliation.  Unfortunately, she
had neglected to remove her pants entirely.  Both ankles were still
securely held by the silk-tie cuffs.  Her tangled feet refused to
function properly, causing her to painfully topple to the floor in a
most undignified manner.
     For several seconds, the only sounds in the room were Akane's
soft sobbing and the, now out of place, romantic music playing on the
stereo.  She'd tried to be feminine and romantic, she really did.  She
followed everything Nabiki told her to do.  She was even willing to
try and seduce Ranma.  
     As she hid behind her hands, her arms covering her exposed chest
and her legs slowly scissoring back and forth in frustration, she
cried out of embarrassment, shame, and disappointment.  This wasn't
the romantic evening she envisioned.  This was a disaster and the
*worst* anniversary ever.
     She didn't hear Ranma get up.  She only noticed him when he
covered her torso with her previously discarded top.  Instinctively,
she tried to use the top to cover everything from her exposed panties
to her chest.  She didn't even feel Ranma gently untying the cuffs of
her pants and easing them off.  She was still sobbing when he helped
her to her feet and led her towards the stairs.
     "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry." she kept repeating all the way up the
stairs.  Ranma remained silent as he guided her towards her room. 
"I'm such a clumsy,... uncute,... tomboy."
     In front of Akane's door, Ranma released his fiancee and stood
uncomfortably a few feet away.  Akane pressed her forehead against the
cool wood of the door and started to whimper again.  She'd lost her
dignity with this attempt.  Worse yet, she once again appeared the
clumsy tomboy that she had come to loathe.  It also probably cost her
any chance she had with Ranma.
     "It really was... a nice evening," Ranma nervously said as he
looked at just about everything but Akane's semi-clothed state.
     "It was terrible!" She blubbered between sniffs.
     "No-No... the food was good.  The music was okay,... I guess." 
Ranma fumbled with trying to sound polite.  He had little experience
at being polite.
     Warily, Akane peeked over at the young man forced upon her by her
father.  His uncomfortable posture and shy-looking eyes reminded her
he still wasn't ready.  It was then that she realized she'd moved too
fast, tried to go too far with him.  Inwardly, she questioned if even
*she* was ready for what they almost did this evening.
     "Good night, Ranma."  Akane softly opened the door to her room.
     "Akane...."  Ranma's voice caused Akane to pause apprehensively
in the doorway.  Her head slowly turned to look his way, her
trepidation clear.
     "Would you really have.... you know."  Ranma, unwilling to even
look at his fiancee while asking such a personal question, nervously
fiddled with his fingers.  He'd heard guys at school talking about
certain intimacies with girls.  It confused him at first.  But the
thought of how close he might have just come....
     Slowly, Akane's face grew a small smile, her eyes twinkling in
the subdued light of the hallway.  Not hearing her response caused
Ranma to look up anxiously only to lose himself in the soft brown
pools looking back at him.
     Tonight's events failed to follow the plan.  But then, that was
not so unusual for their relationship.  Little in their world went
according to plan or could.
     Nothing more was said.  The two clung to each other with their
eyes for several uncomfortably long moments, only inches from each
other but miles apart, each wanting to say more but frightened by the
prospects of what they wished to say... or do.
     Akane's enigmatic smile deepened as she slowly disappeared into
her room and softly closed the door.
     As a final click announced the door's latching, two voices
whispered, each unheard by the other.
     "I love you."