Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Romp Through Time ❯ Sneak Attacks ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They are all the property of Rumiko Takahashi who is to be thanked for letting them come out to romp around with us all.

 

 

Sneak Attacks

 

 

A week had passed since Ranma and Akane had finally fallen for each other and made love in the park. Since then, they'd only managed to be frustrated in their attempts to get time alone again. Their frustration made it easy to continue the illusion that they hated each other, fighting at the slightest provocation. But the second no one was looking, their attitude changed dramatically. Ranma had announced at dinner the day after the park that he was developing on a new martial arts technique and that everyone should plan to leave him alone so he could work on it. Both the Tendos and Saotomes wanted to know more but he wouldn't say anything. This started to piss off Akane, who stared daggers at him all through the meal. He just gave her a little smirk in response.

 

Friday after school while they walked home, Ranma was on the lookout for entryways and alleys where he could practice his new technique.

 

“Ah-ha!” Ranma jumped down off the fence and hooked Akane around the waist with a strong arm.

 

“Ranma!” Akane instinctively pounded his arm as it held her fast, but he didn't let go and jumped into an alley, putting her down in a deep doorway so they were hidden from the street. Pressing his entire body against her, he nuzzled into her neck.

 

“Gotta work on my new technique,” he mumbled as his lips moved towards her mouth.

 

“This is your new technique?” Akane started to succumb, but still felt indignant. “This is what you've been bragging to everyone about for three days? What do you th… mrph…” She forgot why she was arguing with him as their lips met. He pushed her back against the door and kissed her hungrily. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into her. Within seconds, both were breathing heavily.

 

“How do you like the first technique of the Anything Goes School of Lovin' I'm inventing?” Ranma breathed into her lips as they parted. “I call it `sneak attack into the alley' and it seems to work okay.” Akane was still reeling from his sneak attack and was about to respond and tell him how effective it was when they heard another voice.

 

“Ranma!” Ryoga's voice from the street made them freeze. “What are you doing to Akane?”

 

“Shit!” Ranma dropped his head to Akane's shoulder as she withdrew her arms from his back and pressed her hands into his chest. “How can such a busy suburb be such a small town,” he sighed heavily. “Go ahead,” he said into her neck, “hit me.”

 

“What?” she whispered, still trying to get her bearings. “Why?”

 

“You have to fight my new technique in public, remember?” He said, bracing himself.

 

“I'm sorry, Ranma,” she said, understanding finally. He was glad that at least she sounded like she meant it as her hands pushed him away and her left foot caught him in the gut - gently. “Pervert!” She yelled, coming up behind him and grabbing his arm while he was still doubled over, pinning it behind his back as he stood up.

 

“You wish!” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth so Ryoga couldn't hear.

 

“Yeah, I do wish,” she whispered back into his pigtail before pulling away to greet Ryoga.

 

“Hi, Ryoga!” she said brightly.

 

“Akane!” Ryoga's backpack was loaded for a trip. “What's he doing to you? I was going to leave on a training mission, but Ukyo told me Ranma's been acting weird and I should look for you.” He put his hand behind his head and got a goofy grin on his face. “Actually, it's a miracle I found you!” He was, of course, referring to his complete inability to find anything he was looking for, no matter how close it was.

 

“Shut up!” Ranma said as he angrily shook himself out of Akane's loose grip and scowled at one of his other fiancée's schemes to prevent him from getting Akane alone. Ukyo was cute, but she was getting to be a pain. He turned fully to Ryoga, the scowl still on his face. “Go ahead and get lost again already. I wasn't hurting her.”

 

“Then what were you doing?” Ryoga looked accusingly at his rival and best friend. To the extent either of them had a best friend, they'd be it. Rivals since middle school, Ryoga now vied for Akane's attention, unbeknownst to her. Ryoga was one of the only martial artists that consistently gave Ranma a run for his money and they enjoyed fighting each other immensely.

 

There was the slightest hesitation during which Ranma realized he really didn't have a good answer to Ryoga's question before Akane stepped in and saved him, sort of.

 

“He trying out his new technique on me,” she said. “He's inventing a new Anything Goes style, and he's decided I'd be good target practice.” She looked at Ramna, whose eyes got wide as though to say Why'd you tell him that?

 

“I can't believe you, Ranma!” Ryoga stared disbelievingly at him. “How can you practice on a girl? Fight me with your new technique, why don't you?” He lifted his fists as though ready to spar.

 

Ranma looked at Akane, this time as though to say See? What did I tell you?

“It wouldn't work on you.” Ranma thought fast. “It's an anti-fiancée technique.” Shit, he thought, this is gonna get me in trouble.

 

“Oh.” Ryoga seemed to think this made sense, understanding Ranma's fiancée problem. It also dawned on him, gauging from the slightly goofy look on his face, that this could actually help him in his efforts to consider - thinking about - someday - maybe - asking Akane out. He was conveniently forgetting his own girlfriend, who just as conveniently loved pigs. “Well, Akane, if he hurts you, let me know and I'll use my own techniques on him to protect you.”

 

“Whatever,” Ranma rolled his eyes and scowled at them both, “I'm hungry. Come on, Akane. Let's go eat.” He stalked out of the alley and Akane and Ryoga followed him, chatting lightly, down the street to the Cat Café.

 

“Ramen!” Ryoga said when he saw the sign. “Oh, I love Shampoo's ramen!”

 

Now it was Akane's turn to scowl. She snagged Ranma's pigtail, holding him back as Ryoga ducked under the curtain at the entryway. “Why'd you bring us here, huh, Ranma?” she whispered into his ear as she pulled down on his hair, forcing him to arch his back. She was clearly peeved that they were visiting one of his many fiancées, which didn't really bother him at all.

 

“Oooo,” he said, as goosebumps trickled down his back, “I like it when you get angry.”

 

“Argh! Just don't use your `new technique' on Shampoo!” She said and pushed him roughly through the doorway.

 

The café wasn't too busy and after a few customers left, they were joined at their large round table by Shampoo, and Akane kept a sharp eye on Ranma as she sat the busty Chinese Amazon girl sat down next to him. Shampoo was on Ranma's left, while Akane sat to his right. Soon Mousse, the blind-without-his-glasses cheating martial artist who followed Shampoo all the way from China to try and woo her, came to serve their ramen, and then sat down to join them. Finally, Cologne, Shampoo's meddling Chinese Amazon great grandmother hopped over to listen in on the conversation and direct Mousse to bring more bowls of ramen to Ranma and Ryoga while she jotted down the growing amount of their bill.

 

“You come to Cat Café for food or Shampoo?” Shampoo said in her pigeon Japanese, leaning into Ranma's arm while he tried unsuccessfully to steady his third bowl of ramen, using the other hand to shove large quantities of noodles into his mouth. All this made him thankfully nonverbal.

 

“We were hungry, Shampoo!” Akane said, gripping his other arm, which made it hard for him to eat, thereby also making it hard for him to remain nonverbal. He did notice that Akane was grabbing at him in public, which was new.

 

“Not hungry for Akane's cooking!” Shampoo was delighted at Akane's angry blush. She hadn't seemed to notice Akane's new possessiveness on Ranma's arm, but Ryoga had. He was staring at Akane's hands gripping Ranma as though in a vise.

 

“It was convenient,” Akane huffed, knowing full well that Ranma - and everyone else - hated her cooking for good reason. Ranma just kept shoving food in his mouth, to the best of his ability considering his limited mobility. “I've gotta pee.” Akane said angrily. As she stood up, she made sure her hand accidentally knocked a glass of ice water fully into Ranma's lap. He yelled, but it quickly turned into a squeak as his body transformed into a shapely red-headed girl. Akane laughed as she turned to walk lightly down the hall.

 

“You!” Girl Ranma, whom Shampoo stayed attached to despite the rapid change in her form, glared at Akane's back.

 

“You'll just have to wait your turn for the bathroom, Ranma!” Akane called with a wave of her hand as she disappeared into a doorway. Peals of laughter erupted from Ryoga.

 

“Looks like she's working on her own `anti-anti-fiancée technique', Ranma!” Ryoga couldn't stop laughing.

 

“'Anti-fiancée technique'?” Shampoo looked worried.

 

Ranma thought she'd better get out of there fast. “I'm not waiting for anything!” she mumbled, launching herself from the table and ripping her arm from Shampoo's grasp to run down the hallway.

 

The second Ranma entered the small, cramped bathroom, she got a face full of hot water and promptly felt her body harden and straighten up into a boy's.

 

“Oh, that was cruel,” he said, dripping wet from his black bangs and advancing the twelve inches to Akane's giggling face that the tight space allowed. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in her neck and started kissing her.

 

“If I'd really wanted to be cruel, I'd have dumped that water on Shampoo so she turned into a cat.” Akane said as she pulled him into her.

 

“No, don't do that,” Ranma muffled under her ear. “You know how much I hate cats.”

 

“Duh! How stupid do you think I am?” Akane defended herself, trying not to laugh as he tickled the sensitive skin at her collarbone. “I'm helping you invent new techniques,”

 

“What?” he whispered. “Is this the `sneak attack in the bathroom' technique?” They both stifled amusement for a few seconds until his voice became serious. “Now don't make any noise, or they'll all be in here.”

 

“Now you're being cruel,” she giggled as quietly as she could, squirming under the ministrations of his tongue. “And what are you complaining about? It worked, didn't it?”

 

“Yep,” he said as he kept going.

 

Three minutes later, the bathroom door burst open and Ranma's body slammed against the wall across from it. Everyone at the table looked up in surprise.

 

“Pervert!” Akane yelled.

 

“Akane!” Ranma had to work to keep the laughter out of his voice. “I was just trying to wash my face!”

 

“Then don't turn into boy in the girl's bathroom!” she huffed and began stalking down the hallway. “Honestly, Ranma! When will you learn some manners?!”

 

They took their seats at the table again and Shampoo leaned into Ranma's wet shirt and so missed the little wink he gave Akane.

 

Ryoga frowned at Ranma, wondering if he's just seen him wink at Akane. “Ranma,” he said trying to sound superior and divert Ranma's attention. “Cologne was just telling us about a very interesting visitor she had recently.”

 

“Oh?” he said, shoving more noodles into his mouth. “How interesting?”

 

“This interesting,” Cologne said as she produced an ancient ream of paper, three inches thick and bound with moldy old string. Everyone leaned over to look at it as she plopped it on the table.

 

“'Tourist's Guide to Japan's Version of the Cursed Springs in the Sengoku Jidai',” Akane read the faded writing out loud.

 

“Japan's Cursed Springs!” Ryoga said, excitement in his voice. “See, Ranma? We don't have to go to China to turn back into men! I'm sure they have a `Spring of the Drowned Man' we can fall into to reverse our-“ he saw Akane looking at him strangely, “uh - your stupid curse..”

 

Akane looked at him, puzzled, not realizing that when splashed with cold water, he turned into her cute little pet, P-chan the pig.

 

“Idiot.” Ranma hadn't stopped eating. “We tried that already, remember?” He took another bite. “They're dried up.”

 

“But that's so sweet that you want to help Ranma,” Akane said as Ryoga blushed, realizing that he'd almost revealed his pig-curse to Akane, who luckily - after all these years - still couldn't add two and two to produce a pig. Ranma just rolled his eyes and mouthed “P-chan,” silently to Ryoga's panicked face before taking another bite.

 

“Yeah, sure,” Ryoga said nervously. “I was just trying to help Ranma.” He was very happy when Cologne raised a crotchety little finger to capture everyone's attention again, lowering it to the book. All faces turned to fix on her withered form and long sweeping white hair as she perched so carefully on her hopping stick.

 

Cologne flipped the papers open, revealing a page with many excited symbols on it, including ancient kanji exclamation marks. Ryoga read the title out loud. “Special bonus feature - the `Curse Reversal Spring'.” Even Ranma was listening now. “No matter what curse you have, or how many things you turn into when doused with cold water, the “Curse Reversal Spring' will cleanse you of them all, returning you to your previous state.” He leaned closer. “It says something else here. `Also good for gout and rheumatism.'”

 

“Didn't you hear what I said?” Ranma went back to eating. “It's dried up. Even the `Reversal Spring' must be gone.”

 

“Ah,” Cologne interrupted the boys' banter, anxious to manipulate the conversation to her great grand daughter's benefit, “but you don't know the full story.” “My visitor told me of a new rumor.”

 

“Yeah?” they all said together.

 

“A time portal has opened up in Tokyo,” Cologne said mysteriously. “It takes those who enter it back to the Sengoku Jidai.”

 

“We can be whole again!” Mousse was excited, thinking maybe he and Shampoo had found a way to stop turning into a duck and a cat, respectively, when wet. He suddenly stood up, his glasses on the top of his head where they did him absolutely no good whatsoever, and bumped into the table as he turned towards Ryoga. “Oh, Shampoo,” he grabbed Ryoga's shoulders and leaned into him a little too closely. “Let us go together to rid ourselves of this curse.”

 

Ryoga's face screwed up in disgust and he kicked Mousse across the room.

 

“Dumb Mousse,” Shampoo said and shook her head before laying it on Ranma's shoulder, to Akane's consternation.

 

“I will give you the location of the time portal, son-in-law,” Cologne said to Ranma, already having married him off to Shampoo in her mind. She ignored the mayhem of toppled tables in her café where Mousse had landed, this being a regular occurrence when her great-granddaughter's friends visited. “But first you must marry Shampoo.”

 

Ranma coughed into his mouthful of noodles. “Gah!” he choked as Akane's elbow caught his ribs. For a change, he chewed his food and thought furiously. Before anything useful had came to mind, Akane jumped up from the table, grabbing his elbow to drag him along with her.

 

“Oh!” She cried - a little too dramatically, Ranma thought. “We forgot Nabiki's party! Come on, Ranma! We don't want to be late!” As she dragged him towards the door, Ranma tried to resist.

 

“Why is Nabiki having a party?” Ryoga wondered aloud.

 

“She's not,” Ranma said, managing to plant his feet firmly enough to stop Akane from pulling him out the door, but he had to throw his weight against her as she yanked at his elbow. “Mr. Tendo is throwing it to celebrate her new boyfriend.”

 

“Nabiki has boyfriend?” Shampoo's look of amazement was mirrored on everyone else's face, including Mousse who arose from the rubble on the other side of the room. “How can be?” She was voicing everyone's amazement that Akane's mercurial and tricky older sister had landed a guy.

 

“Yeah,” Akane said, giving up on dragging Ranma away. “A couple of days ago she came home glowing and talking about how wonderful he was - the only man she's ever met who can smooth talk his way into money better than she can.”

 

“Hey!” Ranma said with a big smile, “why don't you all come?” Somehow, even though he knew he was going to get whacked for inviting Shampoo to the party, he didn't manage to duck deeply enough to avoid Akane's fist, and he was seeing stars as Akane dragged got him out the door this time.

 

As they walked quickly back towards the Tendo's, Ranma managed to shake his head back to some level of clarity.

 

“Why'd you invite them to the party?” Akane was really angry, but she kept her eyes open for promising alleys to practice their new technique anyway.

 

“We have to learn more about that time portal!” Ranma was looking too. “We have to find out where it is.” He slowed to down check out a particularly dark space between buildings.

 

“Come on, Ranma,” Akane grabbed his hand and pulled him on. “We're late. And I'm not letting you marry Shampoo!” Ranma ran a little to keep up with her.

 

“Dummy,” he said, “you know I won't let myself get married to Shampoo, or anyone else.” He took a big step forward and swept her into his arms, running faster as she put pretended to beat him lightly on the arm. “I never planned to, but I'm especially not letting it happen now.” He tickled her under her arm, which made her stop beating him and then jumped up on the fence where he could run even faster. “But we've got to get our hands on that ancient guidebook and find out where the time portal is.”

 

“I have an idea about that,” Akane said, bringing Ranma to an abrupt halt, balanced precariously over the rushing cold water below.

 

“What?” Ranma hopped back to the street again and put her down. “What's your idea?”

 

“You remember the park?” She said, twisting her hands behind her back flirtatiously as Ranma blushed and stuck his hands in his pockets.

 

“Duh!” was all he said.

 

“Remember InuYasha?” She inched closer to him, looking up at his face until he smiled and nodded. “Kagome said he'd never been to China and that the `Spring of the Drowned Dog' he'd fallen in had dried up a long time ago.”

 

“Of course!” Ranma grabbed her and hugged her, right there in the middle of the street. She pushed him away and he ducked a roundhouse kick from her left foot. “Akane! That's it!”

 

“So, we just need to find InuYasha again.” Akane tried another kick and he caught her foot, holding it absentmindedly as she flailed her arms for balance.

 

“How're we gonna do that?” Ranma's smile drooped a little.

 

“Let go!” Akane shook her foot until he let her go so she could stand up. “How hard can it be to find a guy with long white hair wearing bright red ancient clothing and pointy little ears?”

 

“Don't forget the claws and fangs,” Ranma shuddered a little, remembering the scary physical presence of the guy when he'd given them the once-over upon their first meeting.

 

“Yeah,” Akane said. “Exactly.” She moved closer to Ranma and he felt her press up against his hips briefly as she whispered, “Tomorrow we'll have to come up with an excuse to visit the park again.” He groaned a little bit as the pressure of her touch left him. “We'll start there and ask around.”

 

“Okay.” Ranma said, his train of thought pretty thoroughly derailed. “I like that idea.”

 

“Come on!” Akane punched him on the shoulder hard enough to make it look like he would chase her and they ran home to get ready for the party.

 

To be continued...