"The Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling is based upon   
one revered precept.  `Keep your mind open, your body ready, and   
no enemy can overcome you'.  Do you understand, Kentaro?",   
Ranma had said when she paced around him.   
   
     "Yes, Sensei....oooof!"   
   
     Sensei had tripped him with a leg sweep so fast that one moment  

he was standing, the next he was sitting on his butt.     
   
     "Never let your guard down, Kentaro."   
   
     "Yes, Sensei."   
   
     The remainder of that day was spent on teaching Kentaro the   
first punch, the most basic of all attacks.  He was taught how to   
breathe, how to position his body, and how to gain the maximum   
amount of power for the least amount of effort.  Sensei had practiced  
alongside him, correcting his errors as he had made them.  He prided 
himself on making a total of three errors that day, then his technique  
had been perfect thereafter.     
   
     Sensei nodded in approval but had given him no words of   
encouragement.  At the end of the day, she had pronounced him   
`barely adequate' - but Kentaro had detected a hint of pride and joy in 
that statement.   
   
     Ranma's voice snapped Kentaro's thoughts back to the present,   
which was Wednesday - the appointed day of their first date.   
   
     "The Art is a powerful thing, yet it is not the power of the   
unyielding oak, but that of a willow.  The storm may rage and the   
winds may blow, but the willow never snaps.  It is pliant, and very   
tough.  The oak, on the other hand, is rigid and firm but it breaks   
beneath the power of the storm.  Do you know what the oak   
represents, Kentaro?"   
   
     "Yes."  <Today is Wednesday!!  Oh, happy day!>, he thought   
excitedly.   
   
     "Good.  Now, the Art must be learnt but then it must become   
instinctual.  Do you need to think on how to balance yourself when   
you get on a bicycle?  No, you just do it out of instinct.  It is the   
same with the Art.  Do you understand?"   
   
     "Yes."  He wondered how beautiful Ranma would look on their   
date.  <Too bad she had said she wasn't going to wear a dress..>,   
he thought.   
   
     "The Art is not a means to an end.  One does not learn the Art   
to accomplish a desired goal, Kentaro.  One does not USE the Art to  
one's own ends."   Ranma gave Kentaro a piercing, knowing glare as 
she said those words.  Kentaro blushed under her scrutiny and Ranma 
relented, turning her gaze away from him.   
   
     "Ok, that's all for today.  I...I'll see you at seven-thirty.    
Outside my room."  With that, Ranma strode away quickly.  Kentaro  
stretched out his hand, as if to pull her back, but she was already   
halfway to the door.  He let his hand fall to his side and he went to   
shower and change.   
                                 - - - - -   
     An hour later, dressed in his best shirt and best pants, Kentaro   
showed up outside Ranma's room and knocked lightly on it.   
        
     There was no answer in return.  Kentaro moved to knock again.   
   
     "Wait." came Ranma's muffled voice from behind her door, and   
Kentaro desisted.   
   
     A full twenty minutes passed by before door 121 opened, and   
Ranma stepped out.     
   
     Kentaro's heart almost stopped beating.   
   
     She was wearing a daring, burgundy and blue Chinese silk dress   
cut low over the bosom, and slit at the sides to show off her legs.    
Her hair was not done up in any style, it flowed freely down her   
back, but a red flower graced her hair just over her left ear.  A pair   
of jade earrings enhanced the beauty of her face while a matching set  
of high-heeled shoes completed the overall effect.  She wore no   
lipstick nor used any makeup, but Kentaro didn't think she needed to  
paint herself to look beautiful.     
        
     Ranma looked up at Kentaro, but she looked away just as   
quickly in embarrassment, her face already turning red.  She didn't   
look anything like she did in the gym; It was as if she had changed   
into a whole different person.  A stunningly beautiful *woman* at   
that.   
   
     "Ranma.  You're looking beautiful, tonight.  But..."   
   
     "But what?  I-Is something wrong?", she asked in an uncertain   
voice.     
   
     "No....it's just that you said, that night, you were going to wear   
your normal clothing....?  And where did you get that dress....?" 
 
     "I bought it just three days ago."  The tone of her voice left him 
no further room to discuss the dress.   
   
     Ranma stepped ahead of him, her high heels clicking on the   
floor, so that he couldn't see her face.  <God, she looks as beautiful  
behind as she does from the front...>, thought Kentaro.  The dress   
really did hug her curves, like a glove, and Kentaro's heart sped up.   
   
     "I want to remind myself that I am a girl, for today.  Every   
time I begin thinking of how disgusting it is for me to date a guy, I   
need only look down and I would regain control of myself."     
   
     She took a deep breath and let it out.     
   
     "Like I said, I'm not gonna to hold my breath waiting for the   
damned kettle to show up.  And like A-Akane said, it is time to get   
on with my life.  This is the first step, Kentaro, so please forgive me  
if I falter or if I should stumble on the path."   
   
     Kentaro held out an arm in reply to her words.  Ranma   
considered his arm for a long moment, his fist resting on his hip and  
his elbow pointing at her - then she slowly put her own arm inside the 
crook of his arm and held on to him tentatively.  Her grip was   
tenuous at best, like she was liable to bolt at any moment and leave   
him dateless.     
   
     Kentaro instinctively tightened his hold on Ranma's arm, and   
she visibly relaxed, almost leaning into him for support as they   
flowed past jealous-looking males and females on their way   
downtown.   
   
     Their first stop was the movies, where they bought tickets and   
sat down to watch an American film.   
   
     It was about fifteen minutes through the film when Kentaro had   
worked up enough courage to try and put an arm about her.  The   
action film had everyone entranced, including Ranma, but the   
suspense and special effects were wasted on Kentaro.  Ranma lay   
back in her seat, her arms folded on her lap, eyes glued to the screen. 
   
     Kentaro's arm crept up from his side and snaked along the back   
of Ranma's seat.  Ranma didn't notice as his arm snuck closer and   
closer to her, until, with a deep breath and a prayer, Kentaro slowly   
let his arm drape itself over her slim shoulders.   
                                   * * *   
     One moment Ranma was enjoying the movie, the next moment   
she froze as Kentaro's arm fell about her shoulders.     
   
     The touch of his arm felt almost possessive, as if he was   
declaring that she was his and no one else's.  The hair on it tickled   
the back of her neck and she gritted her teeth.   
   
     <How's a girl supposed to react to this?>, she asked herself.    
She wondered if she was supposed to sigh and lean in close to   
him.....Ranma quickly looked down at herself and the feeling of   
revulsion quickly passed.  No.  She was Ranma, and she was NOT   
going to play on his terms.     
   
     She couldn't have Kentaro thinking he had gained favor in her   
eyes.  She....she just wasn't ready for that yet.   
   
     Conversely, she didn't want to attack Kentaro's feelings by   
removing his arm, forcefully or tactfully - the end result would still   
be the same for him.   
   
     So Ranma just swallowed and kept staring ahead, trying to   
ignore his arm, caught in a position that she had been dreading the   
moment she had stepped out of her dorm room.   
                                   * * *   
     It was as if she had turned to stone, so tensed up and stock still   
did she become.  One moment she was a desirable woman, the next   
she was a statue.  At least, that was the image Kentaro had gotten   
from her body language.   
   
     Her hands, which had been absently arranging her dress,   
suddenly clenched into fists.  In the half-light from the screen,   
Kentaro could see that her teeth were gritted and her eyes were   
staring straight ahead, as if enduring a willpower test of some sort.    
        
     Something in his heart told Kentaro that while she was not   
openly objecting to his touching her, he had better move his arm   
anyways - for her sake if not his own.   
   
     Kentaro let out a long, painful sigh, born from the sensation of   
being brought down from upon high, and he started to retract his arm 
but Ranma caught it halfway.   
                                   * * *   
     She held his arm and turned her head so that she was looking   
into Kentaro's eyes.  It had taken an instant too long for her brain to   
react to his sigh, otherwise she would have caught his arm before it   
had even started to move.     
   
     Kentaro had a surprised look on his face, clearly not expecting   
her to grab his arm.    
   
     Ranma steeled herself, calling upon every bit of willpower in   
every fibre of her being, and she slowly, deliberately, pulled his arm  
back over her like she was pulling on a scarf.  Then, while still   
holding his arm, she clamped it tightly over herself.   
   
     She changed her earlier thoughts.  She may not be ready for a   
serious relationship but it wouldn't become one unless something was  
done.  She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and she settled down  
to watch the movie.     
   
     A half hour passed.   
   
     All of her training and discipline, until now, had kept her from   
thinking of his touch, but as she tried to relax, her determination not   
to think about his arm started to crack.   
                                   * * *   
     Kentaro had been, and still was, pleasantly surprised when she   
had pulled his arm back to her.   
   
     He was not surprised when, after a full half hour, she began to   
act uneasy and fidget under his touch.   
   
     Kentaro realized, in that instant, that she had done it all for his   
sake.  She certainly wasn't feeling as comfortable as he did with this   
little foray deeper into the physical aspects of their relationship.   
   
     "Ranma...?"   
   
     "Yes?"  Her reply was quick, instantaneous.  It was as if she   
had been waiting for him to speak.  Then she narrowed her eyes and  
looked away, as if berating herself inwardly.   
   
     "It's okay.  Here, I can see that you're not...umm...ready."    
Kentaro quickly moved his arm back to his side before Ranma could   
react and immobilize it.  <Oh well, another failed venture....>, he   
thought disconsolately to himself.  Ranma turned back to him.   
   
     "Kentaro?"  Ranma's voice was slightly uncertain, but it was   
backed up by an emotion or feeling that he couldn't quite pin down at 
the moment.     
   
     "Yes?"  Kentaro furiously chided himself for replying so fast to   
her.  It made him sound like he was hanging upon her every word   
and gesture.  <Then again, it is true, isn't it?>, he thought.  Then   
there was no time to think as Ranma replied.   
   
     "Thank you."  Her reply was full of meaning, and the unnamed   
feeling burst out of the dam of her words and enfolded him in its   
gentle embrace.  It turned out to be...gratitude.  Ranma's reply   
washed away every bit of doubt from his soul, along with all his   
misgivings about the date.  It was as near to an apology as he could   
tell.     
   
          "No problem, Ranma."  And the rest of the movie was passed 
in silence.       
   
     After the movie, unlike the couples who were talking excitedly   
about the movie, Ranma and Kentaro spoke no words as they walked  
arm in arm to a nearby restaurant.  They got in and found themselves 
a booth far from the madding crowd of chattering people sitting at   
tables and noisily celebrating.  In short order, with no words spoken   
between the two of them, Kentaro and Ranma ordered their dinners.   
   
     At last, the silence threatened to crush his heart in a grip of iron   
and Kentaro abandoned all pretence of quietness.   
   
     "S-So.  Ranma, how do you like it so far?"   
                                   * * *   
     Ranma's head snapped up in surprise.  Until he had spoken, she   
had been chafing under the pressure of silence while she was absently 
arranging her dress and the flower in her hair.   
   
     "It's been good so far, Kentaro.  Thank you."  She started   
thinking of how he had removed his arm the second time around,   
sensing how uncomfortable it had been for her.   
   
     "No need to thank me, Ranma.  I know you've still a long ways   
to go before..."   
   
     "Don't say it, Kentaro.  Remember, no promises.  And remember 
how I told you to keep your hands to yourself?"     
   
     Ranma saw Kentaro flinch at that and she quickly put a hand on   
his in a reassuring gesture.     
   
     "Don't worry, I'm not mad.  I just want to say that I forgive   
you.  You don't have to keep your hands to yourself but I don't want  
you...to go any further than just holding my hand or arm, not until   
I'm ready and I say so.  You got that?"   
   
     "Yes, Ranma.  I understand."   
   
     "Thank you, Kentaro."  She turned away and looked at the   
painting on the wall to the left of her, inside their booth.  "So cold   
the winter gales blow, then the warming of spring melts the snow,   
giving rise to a wondrous whirlwind of leaves, held aloft by the   
autumn breezes, and starting to fly, up into the blazing glory of an   
azure summer sky."   
   
     "Huh?"   
   
     "The painting.  Read the words."   
   
     "Oh."  He began to read the poem on the painting.   
   
     Then their dinners arrived and Ranma tore into hers with a   
frenzy.  Five large tempura prawns disappeared in short order even as 
she made her rice bowl devoid of all rice.   
   
     Then it reminded herself of her old life, when she had wolfed   
down a similar dinner in short order.  Ranma slowed her pace and   
began to eat more normally.  Besides, others were watching.  Kentaro 
seemed to relax and he let out a sigh.   
   
     "Sorry, Kentaro.  I used to eat like this a long time back and old  
habits die hard."  She peered up into his eyes.  Kentaro began   
protesting that he hadn't even noticed her eating habits, and all that,   
but Ranma knew better.  She grinned at him and he stopped his   
babbling - and *that* look came onto his face.  It was a look of   
hopeful anticipation, mixed with a bit of lust and a healthy dose of   
love.  She narrowed her eyes, in experimentation, and his look   
changed to that of chagrin.  Then she favored him with a smile and   
he immediately perked up.  <This is so fun...>   
                                   * * *   
     It took Kentaro a minute to realize that Ranma was playing with   
him and he narrowed his eyes, for the first time today, and Ranma   
started laughing.   
   
     "Sorry, Kentaro.  I was just teasing you, that's all!"  She was   
overcome by another fit of laughter, which she held in for as long as  
she could.  Then, while she was not paying attention, he snuck the   
last tempura salmon piece from her dinner box and began to nibble on 
it.   
                                   * * *   
     Ranma's laughter subsided and she moved to pick up her last   
tempura salmon piece but her chopsticks encountered an empty spot.   
Immediately suspicious, she looked up to see Kentaro nibbling on   
something held near his mouth - with an overly exaggerated   
innocuous look on his face.  She narrowed her eyes again and   
Kentaro started laughing, almost as hard as she was.     
   
     Before she knew what she was doing, her chopsticks shot out   
and grabbed the half-eaten salmon piece - and she popped it into her   
mouth and swallowed it.  Then it hit her, like a ton of bricks.  She   
ate something that he had been eating!   
                                   * * *   
     Kentaro watched in fascination as Ranma swilled all the drinks   
on their table, even going as far as to grab his own tea cup and throw 
it back with a defiant toss of her hair, which swirled on her back.  He 
watched her drink.   
   
     Then, panting slightly, she set an emptied teapot on the table   
and began to wipe her chopsticks off with her napkin.   
   
     "Ranma.  Is it so bad?  Do I have some sort of disease?"   
   
     "But I just ate something of yours!  Yuck!"   
   
     "Look down at yourself."   
   
     Ranma looked down at herself and the look of disgust on her   
face lessened significantly.   
   
     "It's okay for a dating couple to share food or drinks, Ranma."   
        
     "That's NOT what it was!"     
   
     But Kentaro knew better.  He also knew better than to argue   
THAT point with her so he gracefully let the subject drop.  They ate  
some more of their food in silence.  Then Ranma cleared her throat   
and looked up at Kentaro.   
   
     "Kentaro?"   
   
     "What is it?", replied Kentaro as he looked up from his dinner.   
   
     Ranma paused for a while, then she said, "What is it about me   
that you like?  I-I mean...why do you like me?  Why not other girls?" 
   
     Kentaro put his chopsticks down and folded his hands before   
him.  This was going to be the crucial moment of the date and both   
of them knew it.  He took a while to compose his answer and Ranma  
waited patiently.  Kentaro unfolded his hands.   
   
     "It's...it's because you are strong willed...and stubborn.  You   
intrigue me somehow.  You're...I don't know...different than other   
girls.  You are not afraid to speak your mind.  But most important of  
all, you're spirited.  And always lively, never a dull moment to be   
had with you.  Other girls that I've known...."    
   
     "Other girls?  You mean, before me?"  Her voice had the   
faintest tinge of jealousy, so unnoticeable that anybody but Kentaro   
would have missed it.     
   
     "Come on, Ranma.  I wasn't THAT much of a social nobody.    
Anyways, to get back to what I was saying, those girls that I had   
known were either shrinking violets or study freaks.  I know that   
there were other girls that I liked but they already had boyfriends."   
   
     Kentaro took a sip from his glass of cold water.   
   
     "Did you kiss any of those girls?"   
   
     Kentaro choked and spilt some water on his shirt.  He dabbed it   
up with his napkin and looked at Ranma.   
   
     "N-no.  Except for Mikiyo."   
   
     "You kissed this Mikiyo girl?"  Her voice was slightly   
accusatory.  While she looked at Kentaro with a neutral expression,   
Kentaro knew better than to take Ranma at face value.   
   
     "Hey, at least I was honest!"   
   
     "Stupi....I mean, yeah.  At least you're honest."  Ranma motioned 
for Kentaro to continue.   
   
     "Anyways, I knew Mikiyo in high school.  She was sweet, kind,  
even-tempered and....I don't know...*doting*."   
   
     "In other words, the exact opposite of me."   
   
     "Ranma....!"  Kentaro's voice had a pleading note to it.  Ranma   
again motioned for him to keep speaking as she kept eating.   
   
     "We dated once.  At the end of that date...we kissed."   
   
     *CHOKK*   
   
     Ranma had stabbed deep into a tempura piece with her chopsticks. 
She had a fearful and disgusted look on her face.  She started to lift her
hand and gesture at Kentaro but Kentaro beat her to it.   
   
     "She was not like you, Ranma.  It is because of your very   
qualities as a person that I...I like being with you.  *Really* like."   
   
     *CHOKK*   
   
     Ranma shuddered slightly and withdrew her chopsticks from   
another tempura piece.  Kentaro decided to confront her.   
   
     "What's wrong, Ranma?  Is it so bad for you to hear that   
someone really likes being with you?"   
   
     "No.  It's not that.  I like to hear that someone likes to be with   
me.  It's just that when a guy says it...."  Ranma shuddered again   
and her chopsticks descended upon another unfortunate piece of food  
but Kentaro grabbed her chopsticks out of her hands and placed them  
on the table.  Ranma didn't seem to notice.   
   
     "So, because I'm a guy, you don't like me."  Kentaro knew he   
was pushing it but he didn't want to give in to Ranma.   
   
     "No!  I mean....no.  I...I like being with you.  Really, I do.    
But what you're implying with your words is still too much for me to 
bear, Kentaro."   
   
     "What am I implying?"   
   
     "That you want to...to kiss me some more, and all that.  I...I   
just can't.  Not yet, I think."   
   
     Kentaro took the offensive.   
   
     "What is there about me that you *don't* like, Ranma?   
   
     "What?"  Ranma sounded startled.   
   
     "What don't you like about me?"   
   
     Ranma fidgeted for a moment.  She sat and said nothing for a   
long moment.  Then she looked down at her hands.   
   
     "You're going too fast, Kentaro.  I'm not ready to answer   
questions like that."   
   
     "Don't squirm out of it, Ranma."   
        
     "Why must you *always* put me on the spot, Kentaro?  Why?", she 
pleaded.   
   
     "Because I love you, Ranma."   
   
     Kentaro's statement hung in the air for a shocked moment.   
   
     "Y-you're going way too fast for me....!  I-I can't!  Not yet!  I   
can't!  Not with a guy...!"  Ranma was flustered, a rare occurance.   
   
     "That's okay, Ranma.  I can wait.  I will wait for you as long   
as it takes."   
   
     "Why?", asked Ranma in a whisper.  "What if I....?"   
   
     "Because I can love no other person than you, Ranma.  I've   
known you and...and I can't imagine loving any other."  Kentaro   
looked a moment longer into her eyes, to make sure that she fully   
understood what he said, then he started to eat again.   
   
     The rest of the dinner was passed in silence.   
   
     After dinner, they quietly walked back, arm in arm, to Ranma's   
room in the dormitory.    
   
     Ranma unlocked her door, which had no graffiti on it.  There   
was a little note beneath the room number and Ranma read it.   
             
     "What does it say?", he asked curiously.   
   
     "It says that my former roommate was sorry and she wanted to   
move back in with me.  It was all a misunderstanding and all that,   
Kentaro."   
   
     Kentaro felt a warm, uplifting feeling.  Ranma's social status   
was improving.  Ranma looked back at Kentaro and she gave him a   
quick smile.  Then she quickly opened her door and began to step   
into her room, as if relieved to escape from him.   
   
     Kentaro, who had been working up all the willpower he could   
since leaving the restaurant, put a hand on Ranma's shoulder and   
gently turned her around.  She had a frightened look on her face, as   
if dreading this moment for a long time.  Her chest was heaving and   
Kentaro fancied that he could hear her heart pounding.  Her forehead  
was slightly damp with sweat and her lips were closed tightly, which  
she licked every once in a while in nervousness.   
   
     "Ranma...can..can we have..a goodbye kiss?", stammered   
Kentaro, all his self-composure and confidence crumbling as he spoke 
those words.  <Oh God, oh God, oh God!>, he thought furiously to 
himself.   
                                   * * *   
     Ranma had been thinking about this ever since she had left the   
restaurant arm in arm with Kentaro.  It would be her second kiss with 
him since the time she returned.   
        
     Not trusting herself to speak, she slowly nodded uncertainly and   
tilted her head up at him, her eyes shut tight as her mouth was.  She   
could feel him coming closer, and closer, his head blocking out the   
light and she imagined his lips opening wider, and wider, as if to   
engulf her.     
   
     She called upon all her self-control to remain still and not to bolt  
into her room, like a frightened rabbit, and lock him without.  Then   
she felt something brush her lips and fear, and loathing, exploded   
throughout her body.   
                                   * * *        
     Kentaro kissed Ranma, slowly and gently, but Ranma didn't   
respond.  Her lips were too stiff and she didn't *move* with him.    
He held the kiss, one-sided at best, for a while - to see if she would   
change her mind and return it, but he broke it off when she didn't do  
so much as twitch an eyelid.     
   
     It wasn't nearly as bad as when he had kissed her the first time   
but he might as well have kissed the wall for all the response he had   
gotten out of her.     
   
     Kentaro stepped back, and Ranma relaxed.  She opened her eyes  
and looked up at him.   
   
     "Kentaro, I'm sorry.  Like I said before, I have to have some   
time to get used to it.  Please forgive me."  Ranma bowed to him but  
Kentaro quickly lifted her shoulders back up.   
   
     "Come now, Ranma.  This is not like you at all.  Don't   
apologize because of yourself.  Of course I forgive you - because I   
can see your point of view and I understand it.  Maybe in time...it   
could change but I'm willing to wait."   
   
     "I-it could change, Kentaro.  Thank you for being so   
understanding."  Ranma backed into her room and began to close the  
door, her eyes never leaving his own.  "G-Good night, Kentaro."   
   
     "Good night, Ranma.  See you tomorrow."  Then the door shut   
and he heard the lock turn.  Kentaro turned about and started to   
shuffle back to his dorm room.  <Ah well, at least it was a   
start....>, he thought to himself.     
   
     He heard a lock being thrown back and a door opening.  Then   
he felt Ranma, it had to be her, holding on to him from behind.   
   
     "Good night, Kentaro.  I'm sorry."     
   
     It was Ranma!   
   
     Kentaro slowly turned about and hugged her back.  His   
depression suddenly vanished.  It might take a while for her to accept 
a kiss and return it, but a hug would have to do for now.  And she   
was throwing all of herself into the hug; It was as if all the feelings   
she had for him that she couldn't return in a kiss was suddenly   
concentrated in that hug.  They held each other for a long while,   
Kentaro savoring the feeling, then Ranma let go and vanished back   
into her room.     
   
     And this time he didn't hear the door lock.   
                                - - - - - -   
                                - - - - - -   
                                   - - -   
     Time passed, as it inevitably should, and the circle of seasons   
spun twice and a half around.  Winter gave way to spring and autumn 
followed after, then summer set its first foothold on the world and   
burnt away the chill air.     
   
     Ranma had loosened up a lot in the two and a half years since   
their first date.  She held onto his arm regularly, even pressing close  
to him at times.  Her social status had improved drastically as well.    
She was involved in many extracurricular activities and had become   
quite well known about the campus.  She had even started giving   
lessons in the Art, and Kentaro helped her with the organizational and 
assistant tutor aspects of her venture.  Her first class had been quite   
small, but as her reputation grew, so did the number of students.    
        
     Kentaro had also gained quite a bit of status himself, but only a   
small part of it was due to his association with Ranma.  His marks   
were in the top five of his classes, and he too was involved in many   
extracurricular activites and he was seen as being second to Ranma in 
fighting ability - although Ranma and Kentaro worked to discourage   
that idea.  Kentaro knew that he was better than the average student   
but he didn't delude himself as to his actual strength compared to any  
black belt martial artist.     
   
     Ranma told him that he had a long way to go but she would help  
him every step of the way.  His training didn't end when Ranma's   
classes ended - they continued for long hours after.  Kentaro threw   
himself into the training, as he saw it as a way to improve his   
physical condition, fighting skills and to be with Ranma - to keep up   
with her, as it were.  Besides, it was free of charge.   
   
     They had grown from being the "nobodies" of the campus to the   
envy of many males and females, gender respective - that is.  Ranma  
was one of THE people to know for most of the girls, who try to   
weasel tips for social status out of her.  As for most of the guys they  
would drool at the thought of her but they kept their hands and   
thoughts to themselves, giving her the right of way at all times.   
   
     For Kentaro it was no different, save for his skill in the Art   
when measured against Ranma's.  His friends, all guys no less, try   
their utmost to get Kentaro to tell them how to get dates.  Most of the 
girls now see him as a potential "catch of a lifetime" but the presence 
of his girlfriend, namely Ranma, kept them from openly displaying   
their affection for him.   
   
     They were an almost regular sight as they leave the campus on   
their dates, to go downtown.  They shared the same food and drinks.  
She was now genuinely enjoying their thrice-a-week dates together,   
and so was he.  And their goodbye hugs had given way to semi-kisses, 
with Ranma still holding a goodly portion of herself from Kentaro.   
  
     Then exam week came and the both of them sequestered  
themselves to study, for their own good.  
  
     Kentaro found that he missed Ranma terribly as he turned back to 
his textbook and flipped the page.  
                                   - - -   
     It was a time of drinking and it was a time of dancing, of   
celebration and over-brimming emotions.  Beer mugs ran over many   
times in many bars across the nation, for exams were over.     
   
     It was the beginning of the summer of Japan's contented   
students, whom were out in the streets in force.  All except two.  
                                - - -        
     Kentaro and Ranma staggered, arms about each other's shoulders,
into Kentaro's room and they fell on the floor, laughing drunkenly. 
Kentaro nudged the door shut with his foot and he hauled himself to his
feet.  Only to wobble, almost falling back down, and he made his way
to his bed and collapsed on it.
                                      
     Ranma giggled and seeing where Kentaro went, she stood up and
fell on his bed as well, arms outstretched and feeling so much on top of
the world.

     Exams were over!  Finally!

     After a long while, Kentaro didn't know how long, he suddenly
realized that his hand was resting on top of Ranma's.  

     Ranma seemed to notice it too and she giggled again, wrapping her
fingers about his own.  Neither of them moved for long minutes.  

     Then Ranma wiggled closer to Kentaro, and drew him closer to
her with her hand.  Kentaro looked deep into Ranma's eyes, and she
into his.  Her lips beckoned to Kentaro and he dipped in closer to her,
his own lips parting.

     Suddenly, something changed in their relationship, a turning point
of no return.  Kentaro didn't know what had come over him but he
suddenly found himself kissing Ranma passionately.  She responded in
kind, her tongue seeking his and caressing it.

     Then she broke the kiss.  Kentaro started to unbutton Ranma's shirt,
Ranma lying back on the bed as he stripped the shirt off her shoulders.    
     She kept looking at him shyly and giggled drunkenly as her shirt
fell off her shoulders and settled on the bed.  Then Kentaro was
somehow denuded from the waist up and the two of them began to kiss,
and fondle, each other.

     Again, Kentaro didn't know when he took Ranma's pants and
underwear off, nor did he know when he had taken his own off.  All
that mattered to him was Ranma's willing body.
                                   * * *
     Ranma broke another kiss with Kentaro and poked his body with
her finger.  It felt hard, due to the training she had given him.  And it
was not the only thing that was hard, as she looked down between his
legs.  

     That made her halt for a split second and she felt that something
just wasn't right, but Kentaro lowered himself on her and all her
misgivings vanished.  

     The room swirled in a fascinating mixture of colors and lights - the
only thing that stayed constant was the feeling of Kentaro on top of her.
     
     The two of them had been drinking alcohol spiked with some
hallucinogenic drug, and only their martial arts training had kept them
from throwing up or passing out like everyone else who had drunk from
the keg of sake.  They had retained enough wits about themselves to
stagger somewhere and now she was on something soft with her love on
top of her.  What more could she ask?  

     Then all thoughts vanished as she laughed and pulled Kentaro
closer to her and began to kiss him - again.  It seemed to go on for
hours, the two of them partaking of each other, their hands caressing
each other's body.

     The hour turned to the next, and Kentaro's desk clock signalled it
with an electronic rendition of a bell.  Neither Ranma nor Kentaro
noticed, nor cared.

     Ranma let Kentaro neck her and she closed her eyes and sighed in
pleasure as she melted into his strong embrace.  Nothing else mattered
but the touch of his body on hers, and the kisses he bestowed upon her
willing lips.  Her naked body shone with perspiration and rubbed slickly
on Kentaro's sweat covered body.  His touch felt hot, like fire, and she
yelped with pleasure as he worked his way up her neck to her lips.

     He placed his hands on her breasts and began to fondle them. 
Ranma gasped in ecstasy and she let him slide his hands off her breasts,
down her belly and to her butt.  Then they began to stroke her sides. 
She felt herself getting hot in between her legs, something she had never
experienced before.  Her nipples hardened and she moaned in pleasure
when Kentaro buried his face in her breasts, kissing and nibbling them
alternately.

     Then the effects of the spiked alcohol began to wear off.   

     Ranma felt herself coming back into control of her body while she
was touching Kentaro's with her hands - again, running her fingers over
every inch she could reach.

     She had been thoroughly enjoying the experience of tracing little
paths on his back when she felt something hard and hot probe the inside
of her thigh.  Kentaro grunted.  Curious, she reached down and grabbed
it with one hand.  And she felt it all over.
     
     Suddenly, as if a key had been turned in her mind, she realized
*what* exactly she was doing with Kentaro - and what Kentaro was
about to do with her.  With a disgusted scream, she released her grip
and quickly wiped her hands on the bedsheet.  

     She looked up into Kentaro, who was looking down at her breasts
with desire, and she shrieked out loud.  Then she pushed Kentaro off
herself and took a good look, the realization striking her like a ton of bricks.

     She...she was naked!  And so was he!!  Oh God!!  How the hell
did it happen!?

     Kentaro began to kiss her again but she slapped him away.  He
chuckled, the smell of alcohol finally registering to her, and he began
to neck her instead.  When she slapped him away again, her mind still
too much in shock to do anything else, Kentaro grabbed both of her
breasts in his hands, squeezing them gently, and he moved his hips
closer to hers, his groin almost touching hers.

     Winding up, Ranma gave Kentaro the hardest slap of her life and
Kentaro flew into the wall.  

     Then she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it about herself, and she
looked angrily and fearfully at Kentaro, who was clutching his head and
moaning.
                                   * * *
     Kentaro's room began to resolve itself from the whirl of colors and
lights, and he started to return to himself. And he felt the sharp,
stinging pain on his face and he howled when his questing fingers
touched his tender skin.  His senses began to return to him and all his
martial arts training took hold of him, returning him to sobrierty.

     Kentaro looked over at Ranma, who was clutching a blanket over
herself.  His blanket.  He saw her red silk shirt and her black pants on
the floor, beside his own blue shirt and black pants.  Then he
remembered what he and Ranma had been doing, and what he had been
about to do....

     Ranma shrieked again, and again, until Kentaro moved up close
and put a hand on her shoulder.  She slapped him again but Kentaro
looked at her with as sober an expression as he could.
     
     "Ranma, I'm sorry.  Please forgive me."  He moved back and
bowed his head to the bed and Ranma yelled at him.  The moment he
got up he was greeted by a furious Ranma, who threw herself on him
and began to hit him with the ball of her fists.  He took the punishment
all in stride, feeling the almost rhythmic pounding of her fists, until he
heard her crying.
                                   * * *
     <How could you, Kentaro?!!?  How could you?!?>  

     And what made it worse was that, even when she recalled it, she
still found that she had enjoyed it!  She had loved to feel his defined abs
and his hard chest.  She had loved it, even thrilled to it, when his
fingers had caressed her body.  It was only when she had reached down
with her hand and....

     It was still too vivid in her mind to bear recalling, suffice to say
that she had suddenly realized that they were about to have sex.

     Her tears streamed forth and some of it fell off her face and onto
Kentaro, but she didn't care.  

     She wanted, with all her heart, to hate Kentaro for what HE had
done, but she couldn't.  She was as much at fault as he was.  If she
remembered correctly, she was the one who started the whole thing by
pulling him closer to herself.  Kentaro nearly finished it, too.        
Besides, she...she did...lo...

     Then Kentaro slowly pushed her off him, and he reached down and
grabbed her clothes.  He put her clothing before her and turned about. 
Even now the fires of desire lit her eyes when she saw his well-defined
shoulder blades and his narrow waist.  She swallowed her lust and
reached for her clothing - but her hand stopped halfway there.  It didn't
move for minutes, the only sounds in the room were their labored
breathing and the sounds of Ranma fidgeting on the bed.
     
     Then something undefinable crossed her mind and before she could
stop herself she opened her mouth and spoke that thought.

     "Kentaro.  Umm, I...err...wouldn't..really mind if..if we keep on,
you know, err...going the way.....we were.  Kentaro.  I...I enjoyed it."

     Kentaro turned about and a half-smile formed on his lips.

     "I wouldn't mind too, Ranma, but it was the alcohol that was
controlling us.  I would like to...err...*you know*...."

     "But we're sober now", said Ranma uneasily.

     "We didn't start it.  The alcohol started it.  You didn't make the
choice of your own free will.  And neither did I.  I have strong feelings
for you, and I'm sure that you have the same for...for me, but the point
is that you didn't choose.  Are you going to choose now, Ranma?  Tell
me."

     Ranma was silent for long minutes.  Then, slowly, she shook her
head.  Kentaro's shoulders slumped just a little but he swallowed his
disappointment.  It was Ranma's choice, not his.  

     "Ranma, I had made a promise to you on our first date.  I said that
I would wait for you, however long it may take.  I...I'm willing to hold
back until you're ready."

     Kentaro took a deep breath.

     "Until you say so, Ranma, let it be so."  His voice cracked slightly
near the end and he struggled to hold back tears.  His deepset fear that
Ranma would suddenly not love him anymore reared its ugly head.  

     Ranma suddenly threw herself on Kentaro, dropping the blanket. 
Their naked bodies touched but Ranma only hugged Kentaro tight.  Then
Kentaro cupped her face in his hands and brought it close to his.  For
once Ranma's look was not one of fright, nor fear, but one of
anticipation.  He tilted his head and kissed her passionately.  

     And she responded in kind.  It was as if a barrier had been broken. 
It was as if a dam had opened, pouring all of Ranma's feelings for him
in a torrent that threatened to wash him away.  The passion she had
shown while they were drunk felt false and contrived compared to the 
complete baring of her soul to Kentaro.

     They broke the kiss.  Then Ranma began to pull on her clothing
in front of Kentaro, not worrying that he was watching her dress. 
Kentaro did the same and he began to pull his clothing on as well.  She
turned to Kentaro as he was tucking in his shirt.
          
     "I'm not ready yet, Kentaro, but do you remember the poem I
pointed out to you on our first date?"

     "I have it memorized.  `So cold the winter gales blow, then the
warming of spring melts the snow, giving rise to a wondrous whirlwind
of leaves, held aloft by the autumn breezes, and starting to fly, up into
the blazing glory of an azure summer sky'.  Right?"

     "I didn't point it out to you for nothing, Kentaro.  Just remember
this....it is only the beginning of summer for us, Kentaro."  Ranma
waited for Kentaro to respond.

     "The beginning of summer.....I like that."

     Ranma hugged him a final time, then she left the room, slowly
closing the door behind her while looking at Kentaro.  Then, before the
door closed completely, she waved goodbye to him.  He waved back and
the door shut.

     Kentaro moved to lock it but something told him not to.  On a
hunch, he opened the door.  Ranma was still standing out there, looking
at him.  She broke into a smile and walked off.  Suddenly, Kentaro was
glad that he hadn't locked the door.

     He stepped over to his bed and collapsed on it, looking up at the
ceiling.

     <The beginning of our summer together.  Indeed.>

     His last thoughts, before he fell asleep, were of Ranma.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------     
Author's notes : C&C is welcome and will be replied to as deemed  
appropriate.  Hereafter, the name "Ranma" refers to female Ranma only.

     The use of SPIKED alcohol as a cheap (emphasis on that) plot
device may be disgusting and offensive to some BUT how else can I
portray Ranma showing her true feelings for Kentaro, when they're both
naked, WHILE setting it up so that Ranma would react violently when
the issue of sex rears its ugly head?  If Ranma was sober, she wouldn't
even get naked in the first place (any fool knows the implications of
stripping naked with a member of the opposite sex in a bedroom).

     So, sorry if I offend some people but that's the way it happened
in my story.  It is not unusual for people to get drunk, you know, and
what happened thereafter with Ranma and Kentaro is the result of a 
'diet' of two and a half years of dates and semi-passionate kisses when
we know full well that Ranma and Kentaro really love each other.
         
                             - WebDragon