The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights holders. 
Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko 
Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to 
John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to 
Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and ideas.  
 
Awkward Consequences
Chapter 8: The Unexpected
PsyckoSama (syp104@psu.edu)
http://www.fanfic.net/~psyckosama/

Ranma gulped, and wiped his sweaty palms against his pants as he 
entered the lobby. Here he was, entering a love hotel with a girl he 
had only really known for a day. Of course, they had already had sex, 
they were planning to wed, and she was carrying his child. The shit had 
hit the fan, and he really couldn't say that he minded.

He slowly gazed upon his mate. Her dark pink flush perfectly accented 
her severe coloration, making her look beautifully exotic, like the 
descriptions of Snow White in those western fairy tales. 

It looked like she was nervous. Whatever she wanted to tell him was 
really weighing her down. She was afraid of rejection, of being alone. 
She was trembling with fear, and he didn't like it one bit.

The beautiful young woman flushed an even deeper crimson when she 
realized that Ranma's concerned gaze was upon her. Hotaru looked down 
demurely and spoke softly. "Ranma, we need a room."

While obvious, this served to clear Ranma's clouded mind. His focus 
quickly shifted from his blushing betrothed, to the lobby of this 
secluded hotel.

The pink wallpaper, plaster cherubs, and the large, slightly faded 
print of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" were obvious attempts to cover 
the patently cheap interior. 

Decoration aside, the room was spartan, just a counter, two doors, a 
key-rack, and a bloated swine of a man on a swivel chair, who was 
currently entertaining himself with a "Tentacle High School" manga.

Ranma slowly walked over to the desk. With a nervous lump in his throat 
he said, "Excuse me."

The fat manager slowly lowered his manga, looking somewhat perturbed by 
the interruption. In a dull and somewhat disinterested tone he asked, 
"Which room?"

Ranma slowly looked down at the counter. Under the plastic surface were 
pictures of each of the rooms. He had never expected this to be so 
impersonal... like ordering take out, but he could understand the need 
for privacy.

As Ranma looked over the selection, he gagged. The selection of rooms 
was colorfully themed, and some of them were extreme. This included a 
Las Vegas themed room, complete with a massive heart shaped bed, like 
ones he had seen in the movies, as well as an S&M room, the look of 
which reminded him of Kodachi.

Quickly deciding on something plain, Ranma spoke up. "Err... Number 
Twelve?"

"Rest or Stay?" asked the bloated attendant. 

Ranma blinked, not understanding what the he meant. "What?"

The manager shook his head, and continued. "Rest means two hours, stay 
means overnight. Rest or Stay?"

Ranma blushed and said, "Rest." 

The man behind the counter slowly stood up, his chair giving a pained 
squeal as his massive bulk shifted. Retrieving the key, he turned back 
to Ranma and stretched out his hand. "4,000 yen."

Ranma dug into his pocket. Shifting through his lucky blue "Wombat Fury 
Z" wallet, he withdrew four 1,000 yen bills and gave them to the 
attendant.

The man quickly snatched up the money, and handed Ranma the key. 

"Where is our room?"

The fat man cracked a smile and pointed to the door opposite the 
entrance. "Other side of that door. Call if you need anything."

The two youths quickly left the lobby. The main hallway was a dull  
pink that matched their faces. They quickly rushed into their room. 
 
----------------------------------  

As soon as she entered, Hotaru looked around the room. She had thought 
4,000 yen was a low price, and now she saw why. While immaculately 
clean, it showed years of heavy wear. 

The wallpaper was yellowed with age and cigarette smoke, the stereo 
mixing board mounted above the bed was in a state of disrepair, there 
were cigarette burns in the carpeting, and the room had a musty smell 
that she didn't even *want* to try and identify.

There was a loud click behind her as Ranma made sure the door was 
closed and securely locked. Turning his attention to Hotaru, Ranma 
said, "So, what did you want to show me?" 

Hotaru slowly opened her mouth, but then remembered a old rumor she had 
heard the girls at school talking about, a rumor about love hotel rooms 
holding hidden surprises. While she knew that was probably nothing more 
than paranoid foolishness, it was best to be sure.  

She slowly checked every possible nook and cranny of the room for 
recording devices. 

Her hands were sweaty, her heart was pounding in her chest, her stomach 
was churning, she was almost paralyzed with dread. What would he think 
of her once he knew the full truth? He would reject her. Cast her and 
their child away like yesterday's trash. No one in their right mind 
would *ever* want anything to do with someone like her.

Suddenly, Ranma, looking over her shoulder, spoke in her ear. "What are 
you looking for?" 
 
With a shrill cry, Hotaru jumped away.

Taking a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm her nerves, she said, 
"Ranma, I'm checking for bugs and cameras... I've heard rumors that 
some of these places secretly record you."

Ranma nodded, and checked around the room for a moment. "Room's clean," 
he stated.

Hotaru blinked. He seemed very sure of that. "How... How do you know?"

Ranma leaned against the wall and made that cute little "I'm the best" 
grin that just turned Hotaru to jelly. "It's easy... My pop showed me 
lots of ways ta spot cameras and bugs and stuff..." he paused for a 
moment and cocked his head toward Hotaru. "So, what do you wanna show 
me?"

Hotaru felt her knees go weak. There was no way out now, no turning 
back. There was only the horrible truth behind her existence. Would 
Ranma reject her because she was nothing more than the Death Star in a 
mini-skirt? 

Hotaru's breath slowly began to elevate, and her eyes started to 
moisten as she thought. What would she do if he rejected her? She would 
be more alone than ever! All alone in the world, with an innocent child 
who would pay for her mistake! What kind of mother could she be? She 
was a weapon, Harbinger of the Apocalypse.

Hyperventilating, and crying with dread Hotaru's knees gave out, 
sending her falling onto the bed. How could some one as special as 
Ranma ever care for her? He said she wasn't a freak, but he didn't 
know! She was one! She *was* a...

"Hotaru!" 

Hotaru was wrenched out of her thoughts by Ranma's shout. Her head 
shifted towards him. He was shaking her. She was so lost in her own 
self-doubt that she didn't even realize it, but what truly caught her 
attention were his eyes. His beautiful blue-gray eyes, filled with 
affection and concern.

Hotaru quickly calmed down. She could get lost in those depths.

"Hotaru-chan, are you okay?" 

Hotaru smiled, and pulled him down into a deep, passionate kiss. The 
simple emotional bond and the desire that the kiss conveyed lifted her 
spirits. She could tell him. She had the strength. She just prayed that 
he would not reject the truth, reject her.

As Hotaru broke off the kiss, Ranma pulled away, his eyes full of 
confusion. Hotaru could sympathize. To someone who did not know the 
history behind it, her family would seem very strange, especially 
Setsuna, then he had to deal with her breaking down in front of him, 
and to cap it all off, she just pulled him into a kiss. She could see 
why he would be confused. 

Ranma lifted himself from his rather precarious position on the bed, 
and held his arm out to Hotaru. Accepting his invitation, she grasped 
his limb and he pulled her to her feet. "Hotaru, what was that about?"

Hotaru winced as she felt her resolve weaken once again. "I'm... I am 
afraid Ranma. I'm afraid that you'll reject me once you know the 
*truth*."

Ranma's face twisted into a slight scowl and he stepped away. "Do ya 
really think that I'll do that? You really think that little of me?" 
With a sigh, he turned away from her.

As Ranma slowly walked away from her, Hotaru knees once again went weak 
and once again tears slowly began to build up in her eyes. He was 
wrong. She didn't think so little about him. It's that the truth is 
just so big. It was a monolithic factor that shadowed her, damned her, 
in her past life, and would do so again.  

When he was about three meters from her Ranma stopped and turned 
around. Hotaru's heart lifted when she saw his scowl had been replaced 
by the roguish smile that Hotaru had quickly learned to love. "Ya don't 
gotta worry! I gave ya my word, Hotaru, and Saotome Ranma always keeps 
his word, and I don't run away either! Hotaru, I ain't gonna leave ya 
over some bit of weirdness... So, you gonna show me this or what?"

She smiled. Somehow, Ranma knew exactly how to cheer her up, even when 
she was at her worst. She was still nervous, but no longer as afraid... 
"I'll show you Ranma... I think you should sit down for this."

Ranma nodded, and the two slowly traded positions as she walked toward 
the center of the room, while Ranma returned to the bed as he was told. 

Hotaru took a deep breath and summoned her Henshin Rod. She had to do 
this now while she had the strength. 

Ranma blinked as the small object appeared in her hand. "Hey, you know 
hidden weapons style?"

Hotaru rolled he eyes. "No..."

Ranma blinked. "Err, Okay..."

This is it, acceptance or rejection... salvation or damnation. Hotaru 
raised her transformation pen to the heavens. 

"Saturn Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Hotaru vanished in a rainbow of energy as she embraced the power of her 
destiny. Ranma watched as the woman he knew, and was growing to love 
quickly transformed into her alternate identity.
 
As the corona of mystical energy faded Sailor Saturn was revealed. This 
was the moment when her fate would be decided. In a weak, unsure voice, 
she said, "Ranma, I'm Sailor Saturn."

Slowly she opened her eyes and glanced at her love, trying to determine 
his emotions. She did not see what she expected. He had a nosebleed.

Ranma chucked and scratched his head. With a big, silly grin on his 
face, he said, "Hotaru-chan, do you know you're naked when you do 
that?"

Hotaru gawked blankly at him, and slowly rubbed under her nose.

Getting the point, Ranma did as well. When he felt blood, he quickly 
wiped it clear. "Sorry 'bout that Hotaru, it's just that that 
transformation is just, well, kinda erotic, and that costume is so... 
sexy." 

Hotaru stood in place, utterly dumbfounded, blushing a brighter shade 
of scarlet than most would think physically possible.

The two stood in place for a moment or two, then Ranma spoke up. "So... 
yer a Magic Girl. No prob' there...."

Hotaru shook her head. She looked him in the eyes, her heart pounding 
and her knees weak. "I... I'm not just a... I'm not just a Magic Girl." 
Tears slowly began to build up in her eyes, and she began to tremble as 
she continued, "Ran... Ranma, I'm the Magic Girl... who can destroy a 
planet in a moment.... "

He blinked, "What?"

"I am a weapon, Ranma. I can destroy the world if I want to. That was 
why Sailor Saturn was created, to be a kind of twisted Mutually Assured 
Destruction tool. I can end all life on Earth." 

Ranma stood in place, dumbfounded by this news. Hotaru slowly began to 
lose her balance as fear began to swell in her heart. So this was it. 
She just knew it.

A after a long moment, Ranma opened his mouth and said, "Whoa..." 

With building tears in her eyes, Hotaru quietly whispered, "Ranma... 
please don't leave me..."

Hotaru's words were so low that no normal person could hear them, but 
Ranma's senses were far from normal. "Why would I do somethin' stupid 
like that?"

Hotaru jumped back with shock. He had heard her! In barely a whisper, 
she said, "Because I'm only a weapon..."

Ranma sighed, and shook his head. "No, yer not. You're not a weapon... 
yer just Hotaru."

"But..."

Ranma did not allow Hotaru to continue her sentence. "No buts, even if 
ya turn into... whatever ya turn into, you're still you. It doesn't 
matter one bit."

"Sailor Saturn... That makes ya a Sailor Senshi, right?" asked Ranma. 
 
"Yes."

"Okay," replied Ranma. He paused for a moment, obviously deep in 
thought. With her knees threatening to give way, Hotaru slowly shifted 
her weight to the haft of her Silence Glaive.

Ranma scowled and looked her in the eyes, "Hotaru...." 

So this was it, her rejection. He was going to cast her away, to damn 
her to a eternity of loneliness. She clamped her eyes closed and tensed 
up, trying to prepare herself as best she could for the crippling 
emotional blow.

Paying no visible heed to Hotaru's reaction, Ranma continued, "If we're 
gonna get married, then you gotta find a way to transform that doesn't 
give everybody a free peep show." 

Hotaru almost fell over and the Glaive slipped from her hand, 
soundlessly bisecting the bedside table. She gawked at her lover, 
taking a moment to regain her focus and her footing. "Ranma?"

The pigtailed youth blinked, "Err... Yeah Hotaru-chan?"

"Don't you... have anything else to say?" He was going to reject her, 
she knew it. He *had* to. No one in their right mind would want someone 
as pitiful and as dangerous as her.

"Not really, 'cept that's a really badass pole arm ya got there."

Hotaru chuckled to herself in total disbelief. She had told him that 
she was a Senshi. She had told him that she could end all life on 
Earth. He was not casting her away? He was only complaining about her 
momentary nudity during her transformation? This was the big reaction 
that she had feared!? It couldn't be! There is just no way in hell that 
someone could take... *this* so easily!

How the hell could he be so casual about it? It... it was as if he had 
somehow been expecting it, or didn't even care! She could blow up the 
god damn planet, how could he not care about that?! She swallowed the 
lump in her throat and asked him. "Ranma, how can you be so relaxed 
about this?"

The pigtailed youth sighed and looked down, his face showing clouded 
with sadness. "Hotaru, nothin's ever been easy for me. No matter what I 
do or how hard I try, something is always gonna blow up in my face or 
turn out weird. Why would this be any different?"

Hotaru's shoulders slowly dropped, and tears began to well up in her 
eyes. "So you knew I was a freak all along..."

Ranma's eyes narrowed and he grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a 
firm shake. "No Hotaru, it wasn't you, it was me!  If any one here is a 
freak, it's me! I turn into a goddamn girl! That's a lot worse then a 
magic girl transformation, and I don't care if ya can destroy a planet! 
That's old news ta me!"

Hotaru blinked. Old News? Was he serious? "What the hell do you mean by 
that?"

Ranma shrugged. "It's a long story... a very long story... Anyways, I 
didn't think yer a freak, and I still don't," Ranma paused for a moment 
and backed off. "I just thought there would be something about you that 
was just wasn't normal, because I don't do normal. It's just not in my 
karma. I was expecting something like this."

She giggled, and looked him in the eyes. "So what kind of strangeness 
were you expecting?"

Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a Magic Girl, relative of some 
world class martial artist, alien from another planet, android 
catgirl... sure the planet killer bit was unexpected, but something 
like that."

Hotaru cocked her head at his last example. "Android catgirl?"

"I guess you've never met Nuku-chan?"

"Nuku-chan?"

Ranma shrugged it off. "Another long story... I'll tell ya later."

"So you aren't going to abandon me? You don't think I'm a freak?" 

Ranma nodded, "I've been saying that all along."

Hotaru smiled brightly. She hadn't given him enough credit, had she? 
The truth was slowly starting to dawn on her. Ranma would not reject 
her, no matter how weird and freakish her powers might be. He was too 
kind a person... and far more jaded to the strange and unusual than any 
human being should ever be. He didn't care if she was a Magic Girl. He 
didn't care if she could end the world. He only cared that she was 
Hotaru.

Slowly, she laid her glaive against the wall, and stepped up to her 
beloved. With a smile on her face, she wrapped her arms around him, and 
laid her head on his chest. Ranma's strong arms quickly encircled her 
as she began to weep tears of joy.

Without removing her head for his chest, she said, "Ranma?"

"Yeah?" he asked, as he took a whiff of her floral scented hair.

"I... I was so lonely," she replied.

Ranma squeezed her tighter and replied, "So was I."

Hotaru's smiled relaxed as she lost herself in Ranma's arms. With a 
sigh of contentment, she whispered, "I love you."

The two stood in each others arms for what felt like an eternity, 
enjoying the bond that was growing between them. Slowly, Hotaru moved 
her head from his chest and looked Ranma in the eyes. With an impish 
smile on her face, she said, "Make love to me."

----------------------------------  

Ranma smiled and stared at the love hotel's ceiling. Well, he was 
right. She was more energetic in her Senshi form, MUCH more energetic. 

He smiled as he gazed upon her sleeping form. He always thought falling 
asleep after sex was the guy's job, not the girl's. Oh well, whatever. 
She sure looked peaceful when she slept, like she didn't have a problem 
in the world. He envied her right now.

I love you. She said, "I love you". Ranma wished he could say the same 
to her, but he couldn't. He couldn't lie to her like that. He really 
didn't know if he did. You can't honestly say that you love someone if 
you don't really know what love is in the first place.

Love... he didn't really know what it was. He never had any definite 
experience with it, at least in the romantic sense! He had thought that 
he loved Akane, but now he was not sure. He knew he loved Ucchan, or at 
least used to, but that was as a friend and sibling.

He could be in love with her, then again he might not be. He sure as 
hell knew he liked her. She treated him with about ten thousand times 
the respect that his 'fiancées' ever did. 

His fiancées. He better stop thinking of them like that. He had a 
fiancée, and that was Hotaru. She was carrying his child and would soon 
be his wife. They just had to make it official. 

Then what? Then what would he do? He would still have to deal with the 
other fia... girls. If the way the way they blew *last* wedding up in 
his face was any indication of things to come, this would not easy.

Ranma pounded his fist onto the bed, with a hiss of, "Damn it, why does 
this have to be so hard?"

The blow sent a powerful tremor through the mattress. Next to him 
Hotaru stirred, awoken by the impact.

Slowly, she turned over, still wearing elements of her Senshi uniform. 
She slowly opened her eyes, and smiled when she saw him next to her. 
Through a suppressed yawn, she said, "Hi."

Ranma blushed. Man, Hotaru was cute when she smiled. He had always 
thought Akane's smile was cute, but it didn't even hold a candle to 
Hotaru's. She looked even cuter with that Senshi tiara on. It made her 
look like some kind of princess. 

Ranma smiled and slowly stretched out his hand, following the rim of 
the tiara then caressing her cheek.

Hotaru smiled brightly and took Ranma's hand in her own, snuggling 
against it with her cheek. "I love you, Ranma."

Ranma sighed, and looked away. He wanted to tell her, to comfort her, 
but there was no way he would say unless he was sure. He liked her too 
much.

"Ranma, what's wrong?" Hotaru's smile vanished, and she looked down. 
"Is it something I did?"

"No." replied Ranma. "I can't tell ya I love ya, 'cause I don't know if 
I do."

"What?" Hotaru clamped her eyes shut, and rolled over. 

Ranma silently cursed himself and his big mouth. He really needed to 
shut up. "Hotaru, I..."

"No!" cried Hotaru and she turned over. Ranma really felt bad. She was 
crying again. "Why, Ranma, why did you lie to me! How could I believe 
that a man like you could like a freak like me?"

Ranma sighed, he'd really screwed the pooch this time. "Hotaru, listen 
ta me, and listen ta me good." Hotaru began to open her mouth, but was 
shushed by Ranma. "I said that I don't know if I love ya, not that I 
don't like ya. Yer really cute, really nice, and ya treated me better 
then almost anyone I've ever met!"

Hotaru's tears slowly ebbed, and with a confused look on her face, she 
asked, "How can you not know?"

"I think I love ya... I know I like ya a lot, but really ain't exactly 
sure what love is," he replied.

"What?"

"It... it's a long story Hotaru, and I'll explain it all later." Ranma 
sighed and continued, "I said I like ya... and I'm gonna prove it."

Hotaru blinked. "How are you going to do that?"

Ranma turned over the edge of the bed and started digging around in 
their discarded clothing. When he found what he was looking for, he 
slowly pulled himself back onto the bed. 

"Ranma, what's this about?" inquired Hotaru.

Ranma gulped, and with nervous hands presented the ring box. As he 
opened it, he asked, "Hotaru, will ya marry me?"

----------------------------------  

Hotaru gasped, was he actually asking her? She knew they had talked 
about it, she had chosen the ring, his buying it had been an even 
bigger step, but she could not believe. It felt more dream then 
reality. "Is... is this for real?"

Ranma smiled. "Yeah, though this feels pretty surreal to me too. I 
never thought I would ask a girl to marry me."

Hotaru blinked. "Why not?"

Ranma sighed. "I thought I would be told who I was going to marry. I 
didn't exactly have much choice back there..."

"Not like you have much of a choice here..." added Hotaru quietly. Her 
pregnancy had forced their hand. They really had no other acceptable 
choice.

Ranma shook his head. "I don't mind. You're a nice girl, a lot nicer 
and more normal then the kinda girl I thought I'd marry."

Hotaru blinked. She'd been called more things than she would ever care 
to remember, but normal was never one of them.  

"Hotaru, I... I'm no good with this mushy stuff, but I like ya a lot." 
Ranma smiled, and continued, "I'm gonna ask you this again. Will ya 
marry me?"

Hotaru smiled and nodded, "Yes, Ranma. I will be your wife."

Ranma gulped, and slowly removed the ring from its protective casing. 
Taking her left hand into his, he slowly slipped the ring onto her 
finger. 

Hotaru gazed upon the ring and smiled. They were engaged! So much had 
happened to her in the last few days. First, she found out that she was 
going to become a mother, and now she was going to become a wife. She 
silently swore to herself that her children would grow up with the 
happiness that she and Ranma both didn't have.

Hotaru glanced up at the clock, and sighed. It was noon. Their two 
hours was almost up. "Ranma, it's time to leave."

He blinked, looked at the clock, then cursed. "Shit! We got less than 
five minutes!"

"Oh no... Great, just great. There isn't nearly enough time for both of 
us to clean up. You don't know what happened last time I came home 
after having sex." Hotaru cursed.

"What happened?" inquired Ranma

Hotaru's eyes narrowed. "Don't ask... I don't want to talk about it."

"You know we're just wasting time... anyways I think this place has a 
western style shower."

"What does that matter?" demanded Hotaru.

Ranma gave Hotaru a predatory smiled. "I'm sure that it'll be big 
enough for two, and I've heard about some 'creative' uses for showers 
from the guys at school."

Hotaru looked Ranma in the eyes, and returned the smile, "I'll wash 
your back..."

"Sure thing..."

----------------------------------  

Ranma laughed as he and Hotaru exited the room. It felt good to be with 
someone he liked. He had never felt this way about Akane, he was sure 
of that. 

Ranma opened the door to the lobby and laid the keys onto the counter, 
and he and Hotaru continued towards the door.

As they were about to exit the lobby, the attendant coughed to get 
their attention. "You're late. You're going to have to pay overtime."

Ranma blinked, and looked at the room's wall clock. "Come on! It was 
only five minutes!"

The man behind the counter shook his head. "Five minutes or fifty, your 
late... that'll be 2,500 yen for the additional hour."

"Fine..." grumbled Ranma as he paid the man. 

With a sigh, he turned to Hotaru. "So, we have another hour, what now. 
You want to..."

"Ranma, I would like to, but I'm hungry, I want you to meet my best 
friend, and..." Hotaru blushed bright red in embarrassment. She moved 
up to Ranma, and continued in a low voice, "I'm starting get a little 
sore... much more of... 'it' and I will have problems walking..."

Ranma blushed as red as he fiancée, and nodded. "Ahh... err... Okay, 
Hotaru! That... sounds like a plan!"

Ranma opened the door and the two continued back onto the street. "I 
want you to meet my friends too... My mom would love to meet ya, and if 
we can hunt down the baka, I wanna introduce you to my best bud Ryo-- 
oh, shit!" Ranma exclaimed as they turned the corner that led out of 
the alley way.  

Hotaru's blood froze in her veins, and a big blank smile made its way 
to her face. "Hi... Haruka-papa!"