Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows are Stirring ❯ Kogoeshinu ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter Fourteen: The Icy End

Akane returned home to a quiet house. She went upstairs, hoping to find Ranma waiting for her, but saw no one. She left as quietly as she had entered, and leapt up onto the nearest roof to start running. Mrs. Saotome's house was on the other side of town, and she had to move quickly.

Dropping down in front of the house, she hesitated, and then rang the bell. Although his mother had just told her to go in through the window... now was not the time for that. She had to find him, and bring him to the Cat Cafe.

There was no sound or movement from inside, so Akane rang again. She then went to a window and called up. "Mrs. Saotome? It's Akane! Please! I need to speak with you! It's urgent!" She then rang the bell again. As soon as the sound faded, the door opened to reveal Nodoka, fully dressed, including her katana.

"What's wrong, Akane? Did Ranma do something to you?" she asked, looking around furiously for her son. She would teach him some manners if it killed him!

"No, nothing like that, mom," Akane said quietly. The use of the word `mom' calmed Mrs. Saotome down immediately. "It's just... I don't know where he is. And it is very important that I find him and bring him to the Cat Cafe immediately."

"Any idea where he could be?" she asked her.

"Actually, I was hoping he was here, but I guess not," Akane sighed. "I've got to keep looking, but if he happens to come home tonight, could you tell him to get over there on the double?"

"Sure thing dear," Nodoka replied with a smile.

"Thanks."

Akane turned and ran straight into the forest as soon as she reached it. Knowing Ryoga, it was the most likely place to find him. He tended to make too much noise when he was in the city to stay hidden. Rather than go around walls, he'd just break through them...

Akane listened carefully, but all she could hear was the sound of night in the forest.

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Ranma-chan woke up suddenly when the cold water hit her. She heard a squealing next to her, and looked around. She was a lot more awake when she found out that she was in the middle of a lake, and a little black pig was clinging to her hair for dear life.

"You idiot!" Ranma-chan cried as she swam to shore. As she pulled herself up, she yanked the pig from her hair and threw it on the ground. The black piglet bounced once, and then turned around, furious. "What the hell'd ya take me all the way out here for?" she demanded.

"Bwii, bwii!" The squealing from the pig did nothing to improve her mood. She also couldn't think with the sound of the water behind her. With a muttered curse, she turned around and the water was frozen in an instant. The black pig stopped squealing, afraid suddenly that the same fate might await it.

"Come on, Ryoga," Ranma-chan muttered, picking up the pig by the scruff of its neck and stalking off through the forest. "I'm goin home!"

She walked for quite some time before she came to a clearing that she recognized. Looking around, she saw several large pens, each containing pigs almost as big as she was. There were even a few pens with pigs bigger than she was. Ryoga started squealing in delight when he realized where they had ended up. He stopped again immediately when Ranma-chan glared at him.

She walked up and pounded on the door. "Akari! Old man! You in here?" she demanded in a loud voice. She really didn't care that it was the middle of the night.

"Wha?" a voice called back. "Who's there?"

"Ranma Saotome!" she called in return. There was a quick rustling inside, and then the door opened, revealing Akari dressed in a short nightgown. Ranma-chan looked down at Ryoga, and then threw the pig at Akari. "Catch."

Akari looked down to the pig and smiled. "Ryoga!" she said softly, kissing him on the snout. "Good to see you again. What are you two doing out here at this hour?" she asked, looking back to Ranma-chan.

Ranma-chan snorted. "Ya'd have to ask him."

"Get in here, fool," Akari said briskly, pulling Ranma-chan inside. "You're dripping wet, and you'll catch your death of a cold if you stay out there like that. It's a cool night." Ranma-chan looked outside surprised. She had thought it was quite warm.

"Here," Akari said after a few minutes, thrusting a kettle of hot water to Ranma-chan. She then looked down to Ryoga. "I've still got a set of your clothes here from when you stashed them..." The little pig squealed in delight and bounded over to the corner, and his clothes. She then poured water on him, and looked away so he could get dressed. "Why haven't you changed back, Ranma?" she asked.

Ranma-chan was holding the kettle of water over her head, and had dumped it out. But rather than be hot water when it hit her, it was so cold that by the time it hit the floor it had frozen into ice. "Damn," Ranma-chan muttered. "It's getting out of control."

"Ranma..." Ryoga called to her. Akari looked from Ryoga to Ranma and back again.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"Go on, Ryoga. Tell her," Ranma-chan sneered to him. "Tell her how I have no control over my own strength. How I can't even keep from freezing things anymore. Why don't ya tell'er about the lake? Hell, I can't even be with the woman that I love!" She turned, furious suddenly, and stormed out of the house. Ryoga looked to Akari, who looked to the fleeing Ranma-chan.

"He's not himself right now..." Ryoga said after a moment.

"I can see that, Ryoga." Akari sounded exasperated. "But why?"

"There's no time to explain. We've got to get him back to town, to Dr. Tofu's. As soon as possible. His control over his unnatural abilities is becoming more and more unstable." And it's happening so fast, too. Was this sped up by his demonstration to Ukyo and me? Or by something else?

"I expect you to explain all this to me later, Ryoga," Akari sighed, pulling on a housecoat over top of her nightgown. She then pulled on her shoes and ran outside to the back of her sumo pig. "Come on!" she called to Ryoga. Ryoga followed quickly and leapt up to sit behind Akari. "Hold on tight!" she suggested as her pig started to bound in the direction that Ranma-chan had taken.

Ryoga wrapped his arms around Akari's waist, and if the times were better, he would have thought he was in paradise. As it was, he forced himself to stay focused. Ranma needed his help. He would not fail his friend now.

Damn it... Ranma-chan thought as she ran through the woods. It's too fast... too soon. I wanted to tell Akane that I'm sorry... As she ran, she could feel the air cooling all around her. She wasn't breaking out into a sweat, although she half hoped she would. It would mean that she could still get warm. There was a lot she had wanted to tell Akane.

She stopped suddenly as she noticed that a few of the small plants around her were starting to whither in the extreme cold that was emanating from her. Closing her eyes, Ranma-chan concentrated as hard as she could on blocking the ice from her veins. She thought long and hard about her own ki training, and how she had trained Akane just recently.

Slowly, she forced her own ki out to surround her. She then separated herself from it to form a warm ki shield. Gulping, she looked around, passed her shield. The shield is keeping the cold inside... she smiled to herself. "At least one good things has happened tonight, I guess."

She continued to walk through the forest now, trying to decide where to go next. She couldn't stay with Akane any more... not with the ice problem hanging over her head. She turned quickly as she heard a crash from behind her, and saw Akari and Ryoga riding a large sumo pig, chasing after her.

Ranma-chan stopped and waited for them to catch up before saying anything. "There is nothing either of you can do now," Ranma-chan explained. "I am barely able to contain the cold as it is," she added. "If this shield fails, then the forest will die. And you would probably die alongside it, cause you're in the forest too." She turned away.

"Ranma!" Ryoga called, sliding off the back of the sumo pig. "I'm sure Dr. Tofu or Cologne could do something for you..." he suggested. "Maybe you should talk to them before you make up your mind."

"You moron!" Ranma-chan replied in a harsh voice. "Didn't you hear me? If this shield fails, the forest dies. Think about what would happen if I returned to town and it failed then?" Without waiting for an answer, she took off running again. Ryoga and Akari looked to each other slowly.

"We have to let him run himself out," Ryoga sighed. "We should wait here. When he collapses, we'll go get him and bring him back to town that way," he suggested. "And before you say he'll never collapse, it's Ranma, I took him out with one punch earlier. Say anything?"

"Right," Akari agreed after a moment, leaning back into him as he climbed back on the sumo pig. She felt very secure in his arms suddenly, knowing that he would protect her if worse came to worse. "Got time to explain what's going on now?" she asked. Ryoga nodded, and started telling her everything that he knew.

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Day had broken, and Akane was no closer to finding Ranma than she had been the night before. She had fallen asleep under a tree, but woke up early and kept running, searching for him. She had skipped supper last night, and she wouldn't be having any breakfast either, but she didn't care. She had to find Ranma.

As she ran, there was a deafening crack of energy in the air above her, and time seemed to slow down as ice shot passed her in all directions. Everything around her was coated with the stuff, and many of the trees groaned under the added weight. There were loud crashed that followed as trees toppled under the strain, and the earth itself shook in protest of the ice that was covering it.

Akane looked around and saw that, for whatever reason, she had been spared from the ice. Was that Ranma? she thought to herself. Is that why it didn't affect me? Cause I was there, too? "If that was him, then something must have happened to him to make him let go like that!" Taking off in a dead run, she found herself at the edge of a large crater in the middle of the forest. Inside, unmoving, was... "Ranma!"

Akane slid down the icy embankment and landed right next to the fallen Ranma-chan. She put a hand to her throat to check for a pulse, and found a weak one. She then watched her chest, and found that she was still breathing. Sighing with relief, she sat back. Almost as soon as she had done so, she felt the strain on her energy as her ki tried to leave her to help the fallen girl.

For the first time since they could do it, Akane fought the transfer. She picked up Ranma-chan carefully, and put her on her back to carry the unconscious girl piggyback style. Gritting her teeth as her energy continued to be drawn slowly from her, she took off in a run towards the town again.

Moments later, Ryoga and Akari on their sumo pig arrived to find an empty crater. Ryoga slid off the pig and leapt into the pit. "There's no sign of him!" he called up to Akari, horrorstricken.

"Do you think he was destroyed by it, too?" she called back.

"Let's not jump to conclusions!" Ryoga replied. "Though I think that might be a good bet," he muttered to himself so Akari couldn't hear him. Looking around carefully, he could see no evidence that anyone had ever been in the crater before him. Sighing, he leapt out of the pit and landed on the sumo pig's back again. "If he did this..."

Akari cut him off. "Just who else could have, Ryoga?" she asked logically.

Ryoga sighed and nodded that she had a point. "Fine then. Now that Ranma has released his energy, maybe he is trying to get back to town before it builds up again," he suggested.

"Good thought," Akari admitted. She dug her heels into the sumo pig, who started running again, this time in a different direction. "Let's see if we can catch him and help."

The two bounded through the forest at top speeds, shocked by the devastation that surrounded them. Ice hung from roots of trees that had been ripped asunder by the sheer weight of frost. They had to find Ranma, and fast. Nothing living could have survived this... Ryoga thought to himself.

Akari stopped her pig after a few minutes of running. "Just what trail are we following, Ryoga?" she asked him, turning to face him. "There is no sign of him anywhere..."

Akari could hear Ryoga's sorrow in the very breath he took. He had just lost a true friend. She turned around to try and comfort him, but the look in his eyes told her not to say anything. "We have to... tell Akane," he said softly. "Before she finds out from someone else. It'll... be better coming from me."

Akari could almost hear her imagination kicking in. Did Ryoga still long for Akane, or was he happy with her? She tried not to think about it as she turned her pig towards the city, but the thought wouldn't leave her mind for the entire trip.

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There was a crash in the front of the Cat Cafe, which woke two people from a light slumber. Before anymore noise could be made, the two pulled the doors open quickly, and found two crumpled forms on the doorsteps.

"Take them to the back room," Cologne instructed Dr. Tofu. Without a word, he stooped and picked up Ranma-chan and Akane in his arms at the same time and strode to the back quickly.

Once there, he set Ranma down on one of the tables that they had covered with blankets to soften it up, and Akane in a soft chair. Together, they rolled Ranma-chan over onto her front after peeling her top off, and started to work, striking each of the pressure points in turn to the other in quick succession.

"She got him here just in time," Dr. Tofu said, wiping the sweat from his brow as they continued. "Any later, and his energy would have released another blast like the one we saw earlier tonight."

"Indeed. We are truly lucky that Akane has been so well trained as of late," Cologne muttered, striking at three points along Ranma-chan's legs quickly. As soon as she had finished, Dr. Tofu hit one point on each shoulder blade, and then looked back to her as she continued to work on the hips and down. She had rolled the pant legs up as fast as she could, so there was no separation between when she was striking and not.

"Trained, you say?" Dr. Tofu asked after a moment of more work. He had noticed, of course, but hearing more details sometimes required the hiding of those you had.

"Yes. By a very skilled teacher, I'd say," Cologne replied. "One that we have to save, before his power destroys us this time."

"Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked. "But when?"

"The training trip they were just on, doctor," Cologne replied, rubbing the bottom of Ranma-chan's feet in a strange pattern. "Surely you didn't fall for their charade like everyone else, did you?"

Dr. Tofu looked quickly to Cologne, but saw that she did not mean the comment as a slight against him. "Well, Mrs. Saotome was with Akane when I heard the news, and I heard it from her, so I assumed that it must have been the truth."

"Women can be very devious sometimes to get what they want."

"So I am learning."

With a final strike in the lower abdomen, there was a whoosh of energy from the air around them, and the tension that had been slowly building shattered. Dr. Tofu and Cologne both sank into chairs to look to one another.

"May we never have to do anything like that ever again," Cologne muttered.

"Here here." Dr. Tofu sat back for a moment before sitting forward, astonished by what he was seeing. "You see that too, right?" he asked the old woman after a moment of watching a warm red mixing with a warm blue energy in the air around them.

"The legendary ki transfer," Cologne said, startled. "I have not heard of a successful bond as this happening for well over two thousand years!"

"This could help speed things along, couldn't it?" Dr. Tofu asked, standing to better watch. "If we put them a bit closer together..."

Cologne leapt up onto her cane to check on Ranma. "Doctor, does he feel alright to you?" she asked him after she pulled away from her student-to-be.

Dr. Tofu pressed a hand to Ranma-chan's forehead and pulled it away sharply. "He's practically ice cold!" he exclaimed. He checked further down as well, at the small of her back and her legs, and found the same thing. "If we don't get him warm, and fast, then we are going to lose him anyway, either to the cold or to the power as it takes him again!"

Cologne looked around the room and her eyes locked on Akane's unconscious form. "How is the girl?" she demanded, hopping over to check herself. She looked back to the doctor. "She's quite warm. She could warm him up..."

"That, and with her ki energy transferring to help heal him, then it would be even more effective than anyone else who we could find on such short notice to help!" Dr. Tofu exclaimed.

"I'm glad you said it. This way, I will not have to lie to my great granddaughter," Cologne muttered. With a deft motion, she picked up Akane and placed her on the bed next to Ranma-chan. Before either could move them closer together, Akane muttered something incomprehensible and rolled towards Ranma-chan.

As she wrapped her arms around Ranma-chan's nude top, she sighed deeply and curled in as close to her as she could get. Her warm hands were clasped around Ranma-chan's stomach, and her legs were pressed right up against the other girl's legs. Without saying a word, Dr. Tofu picked up one of the blankets and covered the two of them. He then motioned to Cologne that they should leave the room.

Once outside, he looked down to the old woman, who seemed to be waiting for his diagnostic. "We should give them a few days. There is food in that room, right?" he asked her. When she nodded, he smiled. "Good. If Akane wakes, she can get something to eat. Hopefully she can do it without waking Ranma. He needs a lot of rest, and this seems to be the best way to do it." He then explained a few other things to her that he thought could be a problem.

"I will ensure they are not disturbed by anyone until your return, doctor," Cologne assured the tall man. Dr. Tofu bowed to her. "And doctor?" He turned back as he was about to leave. "Thank you for coming to me for help. It is good to know that some people around here appreciate my skills."

"Well, prove another one and make sure they remain isolated from absolutely everyone, even yourself, until I return in a few day's time. I am confident that Ranma will recover, but he needs time, and with Akane there to help speed the process, when I return, they should both be alright," Dr. Tofu explained. Cologne nodded, and Dr. Tofu returned to his clinic.

With a great yawn, he looked at the time. It was almost time to open the clinic again. Sighing, he put a great, large sign in the window saying "Closed for the Day," and then went back to bed.

Back in the Cat's Cafe, Cologne hit both Mousse and Shampoo over the head to wake them. They had fallen asleep, though Shampoo did not look happy with the situation. She was wrapped up in some of Mousse's chains. Apparently, the boy had taken Cologne's instructions to heart when she told him to make sure Shampoo did not come out by any means necessary.

"What that for?" Shampoo demanded, trying to sit up but falling back because of the chains. "And why Mousse do this to me?" She glared at the boy, who refused to meet her gaze.

"Because I told him to, great granddaughter," Cologne replied. "I have a very important job for both of you for the next three days. Nothing else matters for these three days, understand?" she asked.

"Great grandmother?"

"Of course!"

"You two are to guard the back room. No one is to enter or exit until Dr. Tofu returns," Cologne explained. "We will keep the store closed until then as well."

"What going on?" Shampoo asked.

"Son-in-law is in danger right now," Cologne explained. "He is in the back room with Akane Tendo," she added. When she saw the fury in Shampoo's eyes, she quickly went on. "If anyone goes in, that includes either of you, then Ranma will die."

"What?" Mousse demanded, standing up quickly after releasing Shampoo from her bindings. "What is wrong with him?"

"I can not explain to either of you right now," Cologne said. "Son-in-law may explain when this is all over, but I will leave it up to him. Remember, he is a strong boy, but even strong boys need time to heal from something as terrible as what has happened to him."

"Shampoo guard doors with her life!"

"And I will stand by you forever, Shampoo!" Mousse declared. She glared at him for a moment, and then left the room quickly to stand in front of the door. Mousse sighed and walked out of the building to stand by the other exit to the back room.

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"I will go get him. You two can come in if you would like," Kasumi said in her soft voice. Ryoga and Akari looked to each other apprehensibly.

"Where do you suppose Akane could have gotten to?" Ryoga whispered. Before Akari could reply, a blubbering Soun Tendo came into view. He was dragging his feet more than usual, and both were sure that if he got too near them then they stood a good chance of drowning.

"Do you... know what's happened to my little girl?" he wailed.

"Uh..." the two looked to each other, not sure how to respond.

"I told you, Tendo," Genma's voice came into range as he came around the corner. "I'm sure she's just off with Ranma somewhere," he explained. "Their fight must have been a charade to throw us off the scent. Why, by now they have probably already tied the knot!"

Genma's eyes betrayed his voice as he looked to Ryoga and Akane. He practically begged them for answers, but neither could respond in front of Mr. Tendo. "You... really think so, Saotome?" he asked, looking up to the larger man.

"Of course!" Genma laughed. "Now come on, how about some more of that celebration sake?" he demanded. Tendo straightened up right away.

"We ran out, Saotome," he exclaimed. "After the last time we thought they had united the houses, remember?" he asked. Shaking his head, he went on. "Never mind! I'll go buy some more. Hope you two will join in!" he suggested as he passed Ryoga and Akari.

"Father?" Kasumi called as he walked out of the Dojo's main gate. When he didn't respond, Kasumi looked back to the others. "That's strange. He left his wallet behind," she explained, holding up the leather.

"He'll be back shortly anyway, Kasumi," Genma said softly. "When he realizes how I just pulled that one over him," he added with a grimace. He looked to Ryoga and Akari hopefully.

"I hope you are wrong, Mr. Saotome," Ryoga said quietly.

"Why?" Genma demanded. "What do you two know?"

They looked to each other again, and Ryoga gulped. "Well..." he started, and faltered. "We think that maybe... your boy isn't with us anymore," he said hurriedly.

Ryoga's eyes bulged out of his sockets as Genma Saotome hauled him off the ground. "Say what, boy?" he growled. Akari pulled a bucket of water out from beside the entranceway and splashed the two with it. Ryoga squealed and bounced off the floor and into Akari's arms. Genma-panda just sat there with a stunned look on his face.

"What's this about Ranma?" Kasumi pressed.

"Ranma told Ryoga that he was losing control of his powers," Akari explained quickly. "In particular, the powers he obtained through unknown means in the last fight in China." She looked to Genma and then back to Kasumi. "When the two came upon my house, Ranma could not turn back into a guy, as the boiling water froze solid when it came close to touching her. She stormed off moments later."

"Oh my!" Kasumi breathed.

"That's not all, I'm afraid," Akari sighed. "We followed Ranma through the woods, until she told us to back off. We decided to wait until she grew too tired to run. It wasn't long after, though, that a huge blast of ice erupted from the centre of the forest. When we arrived, there was no sign of Ranma left. Everything around the blast site was completely wiped out, though."

Genma stood up tall, suddenly human again thanks to a kettle that he had pulled out from somewhere. He kept a few hot kettles of water hidden around the house, just in case he needed them. "You sure about that, girl?" he asked her, his voice cold.

"We couldn't find any evidence of him, sir," Akari said softly.

"No evidence!" Genma laughed. "Then surely my boy would have found a way to escape!" His booming laughter filled the hall, though it was the only one. He looked to the others harshly. "How can any of you give up on him so easily?"

"They had the right to," Dr. Tofu said as he walked up the path to the house. "But Ranma will survive. Akane found him."

"That's wonderful news doctor," Kasumi said with a smile. "Can you tell us where they are now?"

"Oh... Kasumi!" Dr. Tofu stammered as his glasses fogged up. He turned towards one of the brick walls. "Fancy meeting you here and all."

Kasumi giggled. "Well, I do live here, doctor."

Dr. Tofu turned in the other direction, and bowed to the rock path. "Well, I am pleased to see you again. Are you well?" he asked her.

"I would be better if you could tell me where Ranma and Akane are," she prodded him. Though she found his behaviour amusing, it always amazed her how he could possibly be a competent doctor if he was always like that.

"That's alright, Dr. Tofu," Akari said firmly, turning him around and giving him a little push to get out of the Dojo. "It is enough to know that they are alive and being taken care of."

"Goodbye!" Dr. Tofu called as he ran into a street lamp.

Kasumi shook her head and closed the door. "Well, that is good news, isn't it?" she asked the others. Ryoga, who had just turned human again, nodded.

"I'll admit, I feared the worse when I saw that crater he left. Akane must have arrived just before we did." Ryoga sighed and looked to Akari. "Guess we were goin about it all the wrong way."

"Should we go and see them?" Kasumi asked, pulling on her shoes quickly.

Ryoga and Akari both shook their heads at the same time. "I think we should stay put," Ryoga said. "That way, we can be ready for them when they get back. Though I must say, I'm surprised that Akane went after him."

"So am I," Kasumi muttered. "The way they've been acting towards each other..."

"I am going to alert Ranma's mother," Genma said nervously. "She... would want to know that he is in good hands with the doctor."

After he left, Kasumi looked to the two who were still there. "I'm not too sure about good hands. Dr. Tofu seems a bit confused, if you ask me..."

"Only when you're around, Kasumi," Ryoga smiled. "I don't know about you Akari, but I think it is time we got something to eat."

"Oh, you are in luck," Kasumi said cheerfully. "I just finished making lunch. Since Ranma and Akane aren't around right now, you could have their portions, if you would like. I'm not sure about your appetite, Ryoga, but I made enough for Ranma, so think there should be enough for you as well..."

"Thanks Kasumi," Akari said with a small bow.

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The first thing Akane noticed was how warm she was. Then she noticed that she was not holding Ranma-chan as usual... the other girl didn't have a top on. Akane sat up quickly, removing her hands from Ranma-chan's front as quickly as she could without disturbing her, blushing a little as she realized just where she had been holding so tightly.

She looked around the room slowly. "What happened?" she asked out loud. "Why are we in this room?" she asked. Standing from the bed, she walked over to the door, only to find a note stuck to it. It was addressed to her.

Akane...

Please take care of Ranma for the next few days. He will be extremely weak after his problem and now that Dr. Tofu and I have cured him. But Dr. Tofu says that he will heal faster with you around, and I am inclined to agree with him. I am quite impressed by the fact that you two can ki transfer to help one another. I would like to talk to you sometime about that, if I may, but now is not the time.

Ranma needs to stay warm for the next few days. If he gets too cold again, then he will inherit the freezing powers again. The room is cold, but that is because those powers which we removed from Ranma are still present, and have not dispersed yet. They should be gone in three days. Keep warm until then, however you can. We don't want to have to go through anything like this again with either of you.

For the record, I'm on your side, Akane. But if you tell that to my great granddaughter, I will deny it with all of my being. You wrote this note to yourself.

Cologne, soon-to-be Ranma's Teacher

Akane looked at the back of the closed door, not sure what to think. She had never suspected that she would be getting help like she currently was from Cologne. And the part of the end, about becoming Ranma's teacher... he would love that. To learn her techniques, without being stuck with Shampoo... "Ooo, Shampoo's not going to like that at all, is she?" Akane asked herself out loud.

She heard Ranma-chan moan suddenly, and she looked back quickly. She was tossing and turning. Akane rushed back to the makeshift bed and found her to be cooling off quite a bit. Looking around, she saw a pot of warm water and made up her mind. She pulled Ranma-chan out of bed, poured the warm water on her, and then wiped him down the best she could to dry him off. She had limited means, though, so it wasn't perfect.

Once she was happy, she put him back in bed and crawled in on top of him. She then cuddled up next to him, lying her head on his shoulder and keeping an arm over him to hold him close to her. She pulled at the blanket with her free hand, and then held firmly onto Ranma.

"I won't let it take you again," she whispered fiercely. Ranma moaned, and Akane held on ever tighter. She willed her ki into action, heating the air close to them both. Ranma sighed and his breathing returned to normal again. Satisfied, Akane closed her eyes to sleep again.

The next day when Akane woke, her stomach growled. Although she didn't feel awake yet, she forced herself out of the warm bed, and immediately regretted doing so. The room was colder than it had been the previous day. Gritting her teeth against the cold, she wrapped Ranma up tightly in the blankets she could find and went over to the stove. Turning it on, she put a pot of water on to heat it, and then she searched around for something to eat. She was surprised when she found a few packets of instant Ramen noodles, given how Cologne was always going on about authetic home made noodles... Shrugging, she dumped the contents into the boiling water, and waited.

Then a thought came to her. She reached over and turned the other burners of the stove on too. More heat spread through the room. Akane went over to Ranma's side, and found that he was still nice and warm. The air around him, though, did not seem to be affected by the heat from the stove.

She grabbed her noodles from the stove and ate quickly. When she was done, she downed the warm liquid that was left and climbed back into bed with Ranma. He was already getting a bit cool. She hadn't seen his shirt when she had been up, so she just held the blanket around him, along with herself.

I wish we could sleep like this under normal circumstances... Akane thought to herself as she willed her ki to surround them again to keep them warm. This is so comfortable...

She awoke later on the next day as Ranma stirred. She held him tightly, not willing to let him get cold, and then his hand was on her own. She opened her eyes and looked up to him to see that he, too, was awake.

"Baka!" she cried into his shoulder. The tears that she had kept hidden were suddenly breaking free, beyond her control. "Baka! Baka! Baka!" she whispered loudly as she hit him in the chest again and again.

"Shh, Acchan," Ranma hushed her. "It's alright."

"Alright?" Akane retorted. "You almost died! And I had no idea what was going on!"

"Acchan," he whispered, silencing her instantly. She sniffled into him, and held on even tighter than she had been before. "I would have told you. I was going to. But then... after I explained to Ukyo, I could feel it leaking out of me again. I must have unsealed it. I couldn't put you in danger. Not again," he added slowly. "Not because of the same battle where..."

"You baka, Ran-chan," she whispered, hitting him in the chest. "I told you before, and I'll tell you now: We are in this together. I love you too much to let you go like that..."

"There was no time!" Ranma replied. "Besides, Ryoga carted me off into the middle of the woods, too. By the time I realized, it was far too late."

"I could have helped you, though," Akane pouted. "I could have used my ki to enhance your own shield. Then you could have made it to the doctor's, and he could have healed you before anything else happened!"

"What did happen, Acchan?" Ranma asked her quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you find me?"

"When I found out that you and Ryoga were gone, I was worried. I had wanted to talk to you about some stuff that Ukyo told me..." she trailed off, not sure if he remembered just what he had told her or not.

"It wasn't exactly my choice to go with Ryoga, either," Ranma mused. "But I guess that stuff was affecting me more than I thought, because I went down after one punch from him."

"I'd say it was really affecting you alright," Akane whispered. "No one can beat you like that," she added as an afterthought. "Even my mallet isn't that effective."

"Don't remind me," Ranma said, rubbing his jaw. "He'll get his the next time I see him." He sighed. "He is with Akari now. Trying to help me."

"He is trying to make things right again, Ranma," Akane whispered.

"First I defend him, and now you do..." Ranma muttered. "Wish one of us could make up our minds..." He smiled to her.

"He's a good friend, Ranma," Akane pressed. When he nodded, she went on. "So... about what you told Ukyo... about you being afraid of losing control..."

"You should know that much by now, Acchan," Ranma said gruffly. "I hate not being in control of myself. If I'm not in control of myself, how can I do anything the way that I want to?"

"I hate to break it to you, Ran-chan, but there will be a time in the future when you are not necessarily going to be in control all the time," Akane said with a grin.

"What?" Ranma replied. As he looked into her eyes, recognition shone on his face. "Oh... well... I just meant... I mean..." he stopped trying when Akane started giggling. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Akane replied, still smiling broadly. "I'm just glad that you're ok, that's all," she added. "You're not too cold, are you?"

"Not really. Not hungry right now, either..." he added as an afterthought. "Weird, huh?" he asked, looking down to her again.

As soon as he looked down, Akane leaned upwards and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, Ranma looked a little dazed. "You okay?" she asked him, worried again.

"I guess I should rephrase a little, huh?" he asked her with a grin. "I'm not hungry for food or nuthin. I just wanna..." he leaned in to kiss her again." May the ice not take me this time... please let me be cured of that affliction, if nothing else...

She pulled herself on top of him slowly, continuing to kiss him the entire time. She could feel his hands roaming her back freely, continuing down and caressing her bum as well. She pressed into his hands when he was lower down, and he got the message and stayed there for a few minutes. She felt his little fingers inching forward a little, and moved to try and convince him to move closer, but he started moving his hands up and down again instead, missing the message entirely.

Her own arms were around his neck, holding the two of them together as close as possible. When they finally separated, Akane sat up and traced small circles on his bare chest with her fingertips, running them up and down his muscles. As the blanket fell from her shoulders, she shivered violently, and her mind came back to reality quickly.

"We can't do this. Not here, not now," she whispered, leaning into him again, holding him close again. "We have to stay close. Stay warm. If either of us gets too cold again over the next day and a half, then we could encourage the ice back into either one of us," she whispered into his ear.

"Then we'll just have to make sure we stay good and warm, won't we?" he whispered back. He then licked her earlobe, and she moaned softly as he kissed her cheek. If the ice doesn't have me right now, then...

"Not too much, though," Akane whispered urgently as she broke away and looked deep into his eyes. "Not too far, right?"

"Don't worry, Acchan. I wanna save that for the honeymoon as much as you do," he replied with a shy smile as he looked away from her. I want it now, but I know... the ice isn't going to take you, either. I won't do anything that could make that happen! He then pulled her back down into a long, drawn out kiss.

Akane sat up slightly to undo the buttons on her blouse for him, like she did last time. Ranma caught her hands, and pushed them away from the buttons, taking over instead. She held her breath again as he pushed the light fabric away and cupped her small breasts in his strong, gentle hands. She pushed into him slowly, and he pulled away for a moment, only long enough to push her bra aside so he could hold her bare breasts.

Akane moaned loudly as he played with her nipples, and then he pulled her down to him so he could lick them as well. She could feel a strong fire burning in her, stronger than ever before as he flicked his tongue over her firm buds again and again. She knew she was getting very wet suddenly, and common sense came back to her, much to her dismay. If she was wet, then she would be more likely to get cold faster.

"We shouldn't..." Akane moaned into Ranma's ear as she leaned down the best she could while he was latched onto her as he was. "Not too much more." Despite her words, she pressed into him even more than she had been earlier.

Ranma responded by gently biting her nipples and pulling at them with his teeth just enough to bring a touch of pain. Akane cried out in pleasure, and then he released her, moving back up to kiss her again. She pressed harder into the kiss than ever before, feeling more and more fire burning down low than ever. She loved the feeling of her bare breasts against his well toned chest, and didn't really want the kiss to end, because it meant separating from each other again.

His hands were pressed firmly on her bare back, and she moaned into his mouth as he started moving them down again. She started when she felt him pushing her pants out of the way so he could hold her bare ass in his hands. The sensation was almost more than she could handle, and she pressed into the kiss even more, hoping beyond anything else that he would continue... or do more. Much more.

Ranma pulled away from her this time, and removed his hands from her pants, pulling them up again with an apologetic look. "I shouldn't `ave gone down there, sorry..." he muttered. She kissed him in response, and looked deep into his eyes. "I ain't lettin the ice take you, neither." She sat up slowly, and he reached up to caress her breasts gently for a moment before covering them with her black bra again. He quickly did the buttons of her blouse up again, and kissed her on the cheek. As she leaned into another hug, his hands stopped suddenly on her back. One finger was playing with a small piece of metal that was attached to her bra strap, and Akane blushed.

"So that's where you've been keeping it," Ranma whispered with a smile.

"Only spot I could think of that would let me keep it close without anyone else knowing about it," Akane replied with a smile of her own to match Ranma's, slowly taking her blouse off and turning a bit to show him. "Warm enough?" she asked him, as she leaned down, nuzzling into his shoulder again. She knew that she should put her blouse back on, but it was the last thing she wanted to do suddenly. Although she had thought they had only been fooling around for a few minutes, she gathered by the look in Ranma's eyes that it had been much longer. She suddenly felt quite tired herself.

Her ki energy had really drained her a lot, and it was getting late. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a blissful dream. Ranma wrapped his arms around her almost naked top - aside from her bra, anyway, and followed suit happily shortly thereafter.

Dr. Tofu opened the door cautiously, peering around the crack to check on his patients. He saw that both were still asleep. He then fell into the room as Shampoo tried to see around him at the same time. Cologne pulled Shampoo back to her feet and the doctor stood again.

By the time they were all upright again, both Ranma and Akane had woken up. Akane was on her feet in an instant, putting as much distance between her and Ranma as possible, though she kept the blanket wrapped about her tightly. "If you ever make me do that again..." she warned Dr. Tofu and Cologne, an edge to her voice.

"It was necessary, Akane," Dr. Tofu sighed. He was a little tired of the pretend fighting - though he was sure that they still fought for real on occasion - but he also knew why it was necessary. One of the reasons was right behind him. He was also a little suspicious of the blanket, and didn't really want to know what she was wearing underneath. "If you hadn't found him in time and brought him here, then he would have died. Because you were so close to him during that battle, I thought that you were the best bet of someone to keep him warm."

"And ya had to chose the uncute tomboy, didn'cha, doctor?" Ranma asked, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ranma!" Shampoo cried, gloomping onto him as soon as he stood. Akane's mallet struck Ranma in the head moments later, and Shampoo turned to Akane quickly. "Not hurt Airen, pervert girl! He still recovering!" Akane had pulled her blouse on deftly while both Shampoo and Colonge were watching Ranma. She knew that Dr. Tofu hadn't seen either, and she smiled inwardly to herself at her increased speed.

"Actually, Shampoo, I think Ranma should be fine by now. Don't feel cold, do you, Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked him, deftly coming between Shampoo and the boy. Ranma's eyes told him thanks enough.

Ranma shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. Got a lump now, though..." he said, fingering the top of his head where Akane had just struck him. He knew that she had meant it, too. Jealous habit, and he knew he deserved it. He should have fought off Shampoo. "But I'll live."

"Here," Cologne said, thrusting a glass of water into his hand. "Freeze it for me."

Ranma looked confused, but then looked to the glass of water anyway. He concentrated for a moment, and then the glass shattered. He had wanted to freeze it as she had asked so badly that he had crushed it in his hands. "I can't."

"Good," she replied. "Then you are fully cured, son-in-law."

Mousse walked into the room after a moment. "I've been told to tell you two that Mr. Tendo wants you both to return to the Tendo Dojo as soon as you feel up to it. He also says that I am to tell you that it is not for a surprise wedding..." He looked a little disappointed.

"Really?" Akane asked, a sharp edge to her voice. "You mean he's not gonna try that again?"

"Thank god," Ranma muttered. Akane looked to him, furious, but he just backed away quickly before she could lay a finger on him. "Well, Akane?" he asked.

She nodded after a moment. "Let's go home."

"Thank you doctor. Old bat." Ranma bowed to both as he left, and was given another lump by Cologne when he bowed to her. "I knew I shouldn't have bowed to you..." he muttered and he walked passed. Akane thanked them both as well, though she couldn't say as much as she really wanted to, and then followed him.

Once outside, the two looked to each other. "Are you really okay?" Akane asked, putting her arms around him carefully. He nodded.

"I think so."

"Good. Now promise me that you'll never do anything like that to me ever again!"

Ranma smiled. "I promise. Can we make a quick detour first, before going to your home?" he asked her. She looked to him, waiting for him to go on. "I wanna say hi to mom. I've gotta make sure she knows I'm ok. She might be upset that I missed my daughter training for the passed few days..."

"Daughter training?" Akane asked.

"I'll tell you later," he said with a groan. With a running leap, the two were on the rooftops, running towards Mrs. Saotome's house hand in hand.

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