The Phoenix Saga Part I: Phoenix Ignited (A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Five - The Morning After

Akane groaned, sitting up in bed with a yawn and a huge stretch. Looking around at her surroundings, at the purple comforter she was covered with, and the borrowed nightshirt she was wearing, it took her a moment to remember where she was. She looked down at the floor, spying Ranko's old bedroll. It had a crumpled-up bedsheet off to one side, and one of the pillows from the bed.

She couldn't help but shake her head and smile. Ranko had insisted that she take the bed, even though it was her space. She wondered if Ranko had done so to be polite to a guest, as some remnant of chivalry from her time as a guy, or... she blushed, able to think of only one other reason for such kindness.

The bathroom door opened, and Akane turned to see her once-fiance come through it into the main room of the apartment. "Oh, hey, Akane. I didn't wake you, did I?"

Akane smiled and shook her head. "What time is it?"

Ranko smiled, smoothing out the simple yellow nightdress she wore. "About 10:30. It's easy to sleep in when you live on bar hours." She bent down, picking up her sheet and pillow. She tossed the pillow on the bed at Akane's feet and the sheet into her laundry hamper before kneeling to roll up her mat.

Akane cringed a little at the time. "I should be getting home."

"Sure, if you want. But it was already pretty late when you called your dad and told him you'd be staying the night with friends, so he's probably not expecting you home super early. You hungry?" Ranko opened the closet, tossing her bedroll on the top shelf. Akane was surprised to see the number of dresses that hung in the closet. Apparently last night's outfit wasn't a one-time thing.

Akane blushed a little, nodding. "What did you have in mind?" Before she finished her sentence, Ranko's head was buried in her little refrigerator. She emerged momentarily with a handful of eggs, setting them gently on the counter of her little kitchenette.

"Wait, you..." Akane gestured to the kitchen. Since when does she know how to cook? Did she actually pay attention to that ridiculous training Kasumi put her through?

Ranko looked over her shoulder with a grin. "Yeah, yeah. I know. It's new." She filled a small rice cooker with a few scoops of dry rice and water, closing it and turning it on. This little thing had been a lifesaver, as getting too close to boiling water with a Full-Body Cat Tongue and a masculine body waiting to burst out of her nightdress at the slightest splash was not especially her favorite thing of late. She poured a small quantity of sesame oil into a small skillet, turning the burner on and taking a step back while it heated. Normally, she'd be doing this with the window open to help keep the radiant heat at bay, but it looked awfully chilly outside, and she didn't want to make Akane uncomfortable.

"You sleep okay?"

Akane nodded, though Ranko didn't see it while facing the stove. "Yeah. This is a really cute little apartment."

Ranko bobbed her head in reply, blushing. "Yeah, it's been great. Hana invited me to stay here after my first day at the bar."

Akane frowned a bit, not expecting to like the answer to her next question. "Where were you staying before that?"

Ranko cracked an egg carefully into the skillet, the sizzle of the oil masking the sound of her sigh. "Oh, wherever I felt like crashing. Having all your stuff in one backpack does have its advantages." She tried to make it sound like an adventure, and not like the prolonged nightmare it had been, but Akane knew the red-headed girl too well for that.

"Ran..." Akane sighed and self-corrected. Her new name was going to take some getting used to. "I'm sorry you had to go through that for so long."

Ranko shook her head dismissively, nudging the egg in the skillet with a spatula to see if it was close to being ready before turning to face Akane. "You don't need to be sorry for nothin', Akane. It was my choice to leave. I'm the dummy who ran off without a plan in the middle of the night. Yeah, it wasn't easy, but I'm glad I ended up where I am, even if I had to take the long way to get here." The rice cooker played a few cheerful digitized notes as she finished her sentence, and she turned back to the counter.