[Ranma]

 

"I think I can do it just fine, Akane," I told her as I placed a towel over my shoulder. "Now give Ryusuke to me."

"I'm the one who's in charge of him. I'll do it."

"I'm going to take a bath anyway. I'll do it."

"He's my responsibility, Ranma."

We kept on fighting until we had reached the door to the bathroom. And then we looked at each other.

"Fine," we said at the same time, "We'll both do it."

Why do you gotta be so stubborn, Akane? Oh well, at least she stuck it out for a whole day. Me too...

Akane kneeled on the side of the tub. "The temperature's okay."

"Come on, Squirt." I lifted him into the bath and sat in with him. He started to splash the water around. "Hey!"

Akane blocked the water the best she could with her arms, but she was laughing even though her tank top was getting wet.

But he just kept on laughing and splashing it more. When he seemed to die down, which was about five minutes later, Akane and I were drenched without even trying. We both laughed at each other because we were dripping wet.

"Now I think you've washed enough," Akane said. "Hold him up so I can soap him, Ranma."

"Carefully, Akane." I brought Ryusuke to stand up.

"I know." Very cautiously, she started to soap him, including his hair. "Okay, you rinse him."

She took him up his arms as I splashed water onto his body. While blocking the soapy water reaching his eyes, I rinsed his hair out. But then, he started splashing his feet again and I immediately picked him up from Akane. Carefully, I carried Ryusuke out but I slipped on the splashed soapy water.

"Ahh!" we both screamed.

I fell to the ground on my back. "Ow!"

I looked up to Squirt, whom Akane and I were holding onto. "It's your fault, Squirt."

But he just waved his hands and feet and laughed even more.

"Phew," we both sighed in relief.

Then, I sat on the little stool in front of the showerhead. Ryusuke stood as I held his arms. "Time for one more rinse, Squirt."

Akane nodded and smiled at him. "Mmhmm."

She then put on the shower head...with cold water?!

In the mirror, Ryusuke looked at the 'girl-me'. Then, he turned his head to look into my face.

"Whoops...I'm so used to this, I forgot, Ranma," Akane apologized. "Sorry."

I sighed. Just then, Akane put briefly put on some warm water on us.

Ryusuke began to wail in fear. Akane and I panicked. Then, Akane took Ryusuke into her arms with a towel. "See? It's not so bad. It's still Ranma."

I put on the showerhead and changed back into a girl again.

Ryusuke sobbed a little. He reached out for the showerhead.

Akane comforted him. "See? It's still Ranma, Ryusuke."

I ended up changing forms as Ryusuke laughed at me.

(Even a toddler thinks this is fun... * sigh *)

We dried him off and brought him into the den.

"So how was the bath?" Mr. Tendou asked as we entered.

"Not so bad," we both answered.

"Well, after Ranma changed back into a boy, that is."

"You're the one who turned on the cold water, Akane."

"So that's why he screamed like a banshee," Pops commented.

I closed my eyes in pure annoyance. They're all mean. All of them...

We dried him off a little more. And Akane laid him on the floor as I had laid out the towel under him. She kept on smiling at him. "See? That wasn't so bad, wasn't it, Ryusuke? Sure, Ranma's weird, but you handled it just fine."

I looked at her.

"You kept on insulting my cooking." She looked at me. "We're even now."

Then, she put on his diaper as I unzipped the jumper Ryusuke was going to sleep in. I held it out in front of me and looked at it. "Poor kid. Why's he wearin' yellow?"

"Because that's what I think he should wear," Akane answered. "Now hand it over."

"He should wear this blue one, Akane." I handed her the blue jumper.

"Ranma, can you just hand me over the yellow one?"

I looked down at Ryusuke. "You want blue, don't you, Squirt?"

"Just hand me the yellow one, Ranma," she icily said.

"Boys wear blue, not yellow, Akane." I looked at her. "Don't you know that? It's the code."

She was silent for a moment. Uh oh...

"Fine." She placed her head down. "You dress him!"

Then, she walked away as I dressed Ryusuke in the blue jumper.

"Akane..." I frowned as I held Ryusuke up and glanced at the doorway.

--

Author's note: I had planned to have a bathroom scene like this. Because what's Ranma 1/2 without the water? Heh.

As Ranma (Eigo) put it, "Water?! Why does it always have to be water?!"