afterwards, because they were both captured in their own little world where nothing but the two of them existed. Ranma reluctantly pulled away again and gazed lovingly at the young woman in front of him. He leaned closer towards her face and saw how she was closing her eyes, leaning in to kiss him. And he moved even closer, her hot breath on his wet lips feeling like a warm summer breeze in heaven.

The young woman could suddenly feel his lips on hers and a warm sensation building up in her heart, spreading slowly - like a pleasant disease - through her whole body, into her cold limbs and into her head, warming her up again. Having sent the young woman in dizzying heights, the warm feeling did not fade but continued to send even stronger waves of warmth throughout her whole body. She had been praying to all the gods she knew for over two years. She had begged them to send him back to her, but nothing had ever happened.And now he was here, kissing her softly.

The young adults could not feel the ground beneath their feet and could not feel the rain drops any more. They forgot about their wet clothes, which were sticking to their freezing bodies. They did not have a single care in the world. And in this one, blissful moment the two years of suffering, all the tears and all of the sleepless nights were forgotten. They kissed in the middle of a rainstorm in the middle of a dark street in the middle of the night. And it could not have been any better - or so they thought.

"Ranma Saotome?"

Reluctantly the young man broke the kiss and drew back at little, watching how the young woman in front of him slowly opened her eyes, a brilliant smile forming on her red lips. And before he could completely turn to the voice, that had called him or the young woman could open her eyes completely a loud snap could be heard and the young man had a red hand print on his cheek and a fuming woman in front of him.“Ranma Saotome!” Kasumi snarled at him threateningly. "How, how dare you showing yourself here after this two years ?! How dare you ?!"

Both the young man and the young woman stood there thunderstruck, watching the normally calm and serene woman in awe. Her everlasting smile was replaced by an angry look and her left hand clutched to her umbrella in mere rage. Immediately the young man hid behind Akane and vanished completely from sight, leaving a stunned Kasumi and a giggling and blushing younger woman behind.

"Watch where you put that hands of yours!" she whispered. "I'm ticklish!"

This was all the information the young man needed.
And suddenly a very bemused Kasumi felt a little out of place. She stood under her umbrella and watched her younger sister laughing. And for the first time in two years the young woman's heart and soul laughed, not just her mind. Her cheeks were slightly pink, her lips curled up, her teeth biting her lower in order to stifle her laughter and her eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation.The slightly older woman had to admit that she envied her little sister a little bit, but nevertheless smiled at the sight, although she still had a bone to pick with a certain someone.

"Ranma Saotome!" she started with the angriest voice she could muster and immediately the laughter died. "You are so lucky to have my sister's heart. Don't you dare leaving her again or I promise I'll hunt you down!"

At once the young man re-emerged from the shadows, his hands on the young woman's belly and his head resting on hers. He smiled softly at her and then looked at his sister-in-law, while the young woman cuddled herself into the man's body, putting her smaller hands onto his.

"I promise you I won't leave her again," he told her, his grip tightening on the young woman, causing her to look up at him in delight and wonder.

"Do you really think I would have let you go ever again now that I finally ...," the young woman began, but Ranma did not let her finish his sentence.

"After-after all she-she is the woman I-I-I l-l-lo-love," he nervously, almost shyly stammered.And before the young man knew what was happening to him, he was kissed furiously, passionately, but none the less softly by the young woman in his arms. She had swiftly turned around in his arms and was now sensuously and really slowly moving her hands over his chest, never breaking the kiss. Her hands passed his shoulders and encircled his neck and were about to play with his pigtail as she noticed that it was not there any more. Reluctantly she broke the kiss and purred his name.

"I love you too, you big dummy," she said and added right afterwards. "By the by, where's your pigtail? You lost it or something?"

"Oh my!" Kasumi suddenly exclaimed, cutting the man's voice off. "You two must be wet to the bones! You have to get out of your clothes and into the tub as soon as possible!"

And before Akane or Ranma could say or do anything, Kasumi had already picked up the umbrella and the bags and was pushing them inside the house, up the stairs, into the bathroom and closed the door, which was opened not a second later by a crimson blushing young woman."What are you doing?" Akane whispered furiously and was nearly missed by her older sister as the water rushed loudly into the tub. "He's - he's undressing himself and and wants to take a bath and you, you just pushed me inside! What were you thinking? Honestly!"

"I just thought my dear little sister wanted a little privacy," she innocently claimed and continued as the young woman in front of her wanted to protest: "Gosh, Akane! You're a nineteen-year-old, gorgeous young woman and in there is the man you love, right? He's been gone for over two years and I know you have a lot of questions for him and a lot to tell him and vice versa. What are you waiting for? As long as he keeps his hands to himself, everything is just fine! And if he can't keep his fingers to himself, you'll just splash him with cold water, he's a girl and the problem solved. "

The young woman could not believe her ears. Her older sister, her conservative older sister, her ultraconservative older sister just told her to have a nice, hot, pleasant, long bath in the tub - naked, of course - together with a man, with Ranma.The young woman's head now represented the color red.

“What for God's sake are you thinking?” Akane whispered. "Do you know what you're saying? Splash him with cold water? In the hot tub? Wait a moment! Did you just say cold water? Oh my!"

And without another word the young woman ran into the bathroom, slammed the door shut and left her older sister, who was smiling amusedly at her sister's conclusion.

"Lo and behold, she finally got it."

And with that Kasumi walked down to her father and Mr Saotome, who were sitting side by side at the ground, watching the rain falling down upon the roofs of the neighborhood. She smiled sweetly as she sat down next to her father and leaned her head onto his shoulder. Soun Tendo laid his right arm around his daughter, hugging her tightly.

"Isn't Akane home yet?" the old man asked worriedly.

"Yes, she is, daddy. And guess what? She met him in the streets. He's come back, daddy. Ranma's back."

Immediately the two men jumped up from their sitting position, looking excitedly at the oldest female woman in the house."Where is he, Kasumi?" Mr Saotome asked her, but she just shock her head and put her forefinger against her lips.

"You're still a man! You haven't changed into a girl! Get into the hot water!"

"Whaaa?"

"Now! Get into the water or else! You-you still are a man! Stand up! Now! You-you don't change into a girl any more?"

"Yes! Isn't that great?"

"You're a man, you're a man, you're a man! And what a man you are ..."

"Just leave them alone for a while." Kasumi told the old men and walked slowly into the kitchen.