Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows are Stirring ❯ Okaerinasai/Rachi ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen: Welcome and Goodbye

"There's no sign of her..." Ranma said slowly as he and Akane met in the living room of his mother's house. "She's not here."

"Where else could she be?" Akane asked.

"Nowhere. She's always here at night. She loves this house too much to be away from it for even one night."

"Could she be with the others?" Akane suggested. "Maybe waiting for word on your recovery?"

"Mom doesn't like crowds... not really, anyway." Ranma looked to Akane slowly. "You don't think she..." he trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

"No, of course not, Ranma," Akane said, forcing a smile. "Come on, she must be at my house. We were told to go there right away, remember?" she asked. Ranma nodded, and walked out of the house swiftly, Akane following right behind. "Ranma?" He turned, and she looked away, embarrassed suddenly. "Would you... carry me?" she asked.

Ranma smiled and put a finger under her chin to make her look at him. He kissed her lightly on the lips and nodded. "Anything, Acchan," he said softly. He scooped her into his arms and leapt up to the roof of his mother's house. She nuzzled in and sighed her comfort. Hearing his heart beating strong was the most soothing sound she had heard in a loud time. It had been so weak when he was recovering. "Here we go," he warned.

Akane looked around in fascination as she saw how fast they were moving. It was a lot faster than they moved when she was on foot as well. She guessed that she still had a long ways to go until she was anywhere near his level, but at least she was improving.

He set her down suddenly, but gently. "I think you should walk on the ground from here," he suggested. Looking around, she saw that they were a couple of blocks away from her house still. "Don't wanna raise suspicions now, do we?"

She nodded and leapt to the ground. "See you there!" she called. She was surprised when he didn't respond, and she looked up to see that he was no where in sight. Sighing, she started walking towards the Dojo.

"Akane Tendo! Thou hath arisen at last! I insist that you date with me to help with your recovery!" She groaned and stopped walking. Just outside the Dojo gates, Tatewaki Kuno was there with a set of roses in his hands, his arms outstretched as he ran towards her.

Pow!

She left him on the ground where he landed and walked into her house, wondering who else might pop out of the shadows suddenly. As soon as she crossed the threshold, all the lights in the house came on and there was a loud "Welcome home!" shouted by a lot of people. She blinked and looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

She saw Mr. and Mrs. Saotome standing by the staircase, with Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, and Nabiki close to them. She also saw a few of her classmates who, she could only guess how, had heard that something was wrong. Aside from them, there was also Ryoga and Akari, Ukyo, Konatsu, Kuno's servant Sasuke, and Hopposai, who was already drinking from a large jug.

To her surprise, she also saw Mousse, Shampoo, and Cologne standing by the doorway. She had thought she would have beaten them home, but then, she and Ranma did take the detour to his mother's house first. That's right, his mother is here! He'll be pleased when he gets here... Dr. Tofu was standing next to them, and she assumed that the four of them must have travelled together.

"Glad to have you back, sis!" Nabiki said with a grin as she watched her take in everything. There were decorations up, streamers flying, and balloons floating passed. She was surprised. She didn't think they would have been missed that much. Or maybe everyone was just really worried.

Her father collapsed at her feet, sobbing. "Thank kami you are alright!" he wailed. She shook her head and smiled. It was really quite touching to see everyone who cared about the two of them all in one place.

"Where's husband?" Shampoo demanded, stepping forward suddenly. "He not with you?" she asked.

"Him?" Akane said coldly. "No idea where he got to. I told him that he should come here right away, but he just shrugged and took off. Good riddance, too."

"And to think I was actually gonna thank ya for helpin me," Ranma's voice said from behind her. She turned, surprised that he had appeared there without anyone saying anything. Before she could react, he had walked right passed her, up to Ryoga.

There was a stunned silence at his appearance, but a gasp of surprise when he punched Ryoga in the jaw, knocking him backwards into the staircase, breaking the railing. As he struggled to retaliate, Ranma smiled. "Now we're even, bud," he said, turning. "So, would I be right to assume with all these people that there is food, too?" he asked. "I'm starving!"

"Of course!" Kasumi said, leaping to her feet. She had sat down to watch everything, and had completely forgotten about the feast in the other room. "Everyone into the tea room," she suggested. People started filing out of the entrance and into the room as instructed, until Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Akari, and Ukyo were the only ones left.

Before any of the remainders could move, Ukyo surprised them all by throwing her arms around both Ranma and Akane at once. "I was so worried that something terrible had happened!" she cried. Both tried their best to console her, but she wanted to keep talking. "When I heard about Ranma taking off into the woods, and then about the frozen lake and the explosion, I feared the worst! I should have trusted that Akane would find you in time, Ran-chan, I really should have!" Ranma was startled by her use of Ran-chan again, but he stayed as quiet as Akane. "And then, when Cologne showed up and told me that you were incapacitated at her restaurant, and Akane was doing everything she could to help save you..."

"It's alright, Ucchan," Ranma said quietly as he separated the three of them carefully. "I'm fine now. And I, too, am grateful that Akane found me in time," he said, looking to her out of the corner of his eye. "She kept the ice at bay."

"And to think that I thought you were a goner," Ryoga said, ashamed of himself as he rubbed his jaw. "I should've known better, huh?" He winced as he opened his mouth wide and then closed it again. "I'd say you've got your strength back."

"Good to know," Ranma replied with a smile.

"We should get in to the food," Akari said after a moment of silence between the group. "Before someone comes wondering what is going on."

They quickly filed into the tea room and took their places. Though there were names at each seat, Ranma and Akane deliberately took other places so they wouldn't be sitting next to each other. Akane ended up next to Mr. Saotome and Ryoga, and Ranma ended up between Shampoo and Ukyo. Both shot daggers at one another through the meal, but spoke to everyone else.

Ranma was suddenly hit from behind, and then felt a hand on his collar, dragging him back. He hadn't even noticed his dad stand up, but when he was hauled to his feet, he knew it must be his father. "How could you, boy? After she saved your life, you still hate her?" he demanded.

"Stay out of it pops," Ranma muttered.

"I raised you better than this, boy!"

Ranma held out a flask of water and dumped it over his father's head before he could react. When the panda was sitting in front of him, Ranma threw him out into the koi pond and sat back down calmly, ignoring the looks from everyone else seated at the table. "Pass the rice please..." Once done serving himself, he put the rice down again and looked around Shampoo to his mother. "Thought you'd be at home. Went there first to try and find you, to let you know I was alright," he told her. She just beamed at him, and he sat back again.

"Shampoo guard the door to keep you and pervert girl safe!" Shampoo said, latching herself onto Ranma's left arm. "I would have kept you warmer than her, I'm sure," she said with a look at Akane.

"I don't know about that..." Ranma muttered under his breath. When she looked to him to ask him to repeat himself, he shook his head. "I said, 'I'm glad you stood by the door.' " Shampoo beamed at him.

"Sorry," Ukyo said softly from his other side.

"Bout what?" Ranma replied, turning to face her despite Shampoo's hold on his arm.

"I can't stop myself from calling you Ran-chan," she said softly so no one could overhear them. "I've been doing it too long to stop now. And I'm sure that Akane calls you that now..."

"She does," Ranma admitted. "But we're still friends, right?" he asked her. When she nodded, he smiled. "Well, friends can call each other by a nickname, can't they?"

"I guess so."

"Well then, Ucchan, I guess that settles that," he said in a louder voice, leaning back so he wasn't twisted around anymore. Shampoo gave his arm an extra squeeze, and then returned to her meal.

"Sure thing, Ran-chan."

Halfway through the meal Kuno stumbled in and sat down. No one said anything to him, and he returned the favour. He must have been feeling a little woozy still.

"Well, I've gotta get back to the ranch," Akari said when she finished. "I never told granddad that I was leaving in the first place. It was sort of the dead of night when you showed up, Ranma, Ryoga," she said, nodding to each of them.

"See ya later, then!" Ranma called as she left.

"Yeah... see ya!" Ryoga echoed, though in a much more subdued voice. Akane elbowed him in the ribs, and motioned that he should go after her. It dawned on him after a moment what she meant, and he stood up quickly and walked right out the door in the opposite direction.

Akane sighed and shook her head, catching Ranma's eye briefly. He winked to her, sure that no one else was watching, and she blushed. She then looked to Kasumi. "Need any help cleaning up, Kasumi?" she asked.

"Oh, how kind of you to offer, Akane. But really, this feast was for you and Ranma, so I don't think it would be fair for you to have to help clean up. I'll be fine on my own," she said, standing and starting to clear the table. Without a word to anyone, Mrs. Saotome stood as well and started to help.

"Come husband!" Shampoo insisted, pulling at Ranma's arm. "We go sit in other room. Less people and less noise," she suggested.

"I don't think so, honey!" Ukyo said at once, standing and grasping hold of her giant spatula, though she didn't draw it.

"We can all go into the other room," Mr. Tendo said immediately, before any fighting could occur in his tea room. It was one of the few rooms in the house that was rarely damaged by all the action.

Once they were in the living room, Akane had managed to sit right across from Ranma. She figured that, if she couldn't sit next to him, which was where she really wanted to be, she could at least sit so she could see him.

"Hey Shampoo, you could sit with me!" Mousse suggested, grabbing hold of Cologne instead.

"Put your glasses back on, moron!" Cologne said harshly, cracking him in the head with her staff.

"Oh... sorry," he replied sheepishly, putting his glasses on. When he turned to grab Shampoo, she had already attached herself to Ranma again, and he slouched down into a corner.

Nabiki walked in moments later carrying a glass of water. As she passed Ranma, she obviously faked tripping and spilled the glass on both Ranma and Shampoo. Ranma-chan stood up right away and started running around the room screaming in terror about the cat that was stuck to her back.

Akane stuck her foot out and deftly tripped Ranma-chan and grabbed Shampoo at the same time. The cat hissed and clawed at her, but she was used to it and held her out of reach while Ranma-chan cowered in the corner. "That was really mean, Nabiki!" Akane said fiercely.

"Yeah, but it was entertaining sis," Nabiki said with a grin.

Genma poured the hot water over Ranma-chan's cowering form first, and then over Shampoo once Akane set her down. Shampoo darted back into her clothes before anyone could even notice otherwise, and Ranma sighed and sank to the floor in the corner.

Maniacal laughter filled the air, and Ranma stiffened again. Before he could react, though, a red ribbon shot through the window and wrapped around him tightly. He was pulled out of the window before anyone could catch him, crying out in surprise.

Akane was out the window moments later, followed closely by Shampoo and Ukyo. Looking around, there was no sign of Ranma or Kodachi, his kidnapper. As they looked up, a bouquet of black roses floated down to them. With a bang when it was at eye level, black smoke billowed out of the flowers.

Akane leapt to the air before taking a breath, avoiding the sleeping gas entirely, but the other two were caught unawares. She stopped when she landed on the roof and saw Ranma, still tied up by Kodachi's ribbon, and Kodachi herself.

"Damn it Kodachi, let me go!" Ranma screamed, fighting against the ribbon in vain. She had done something to them to make them harder to break.

"Ohohohohoho!" she laughed. "I don't think so, Ranma-darling!" She turned to face Akane. "And just what do you want?"

"You are not taking Ranma away like this without a fight!" she replied, adopting a loose stance, which she was quickly getting used to. "Come on!"

"You think to take on the Black Rose!" she laughed. "Very well. You won't live to regret it!" she added, pulling out another ribbon and a baton from somewhere and brandishing them as her weapons.

Akane leapt at her, intent to finish things quickly, but Kodachi spun to the side of the attack and thrust forward with the club instead. Akane heard fabric ripping, and looked down to see that the other girl had caught the hem of her skirt with her spiked club.

This is a little more serious than I thought... Leaping back, she waited for Kodachi to make the next move. She flipped backwards onto one hand as the other girl attacked with the ribbon. Rather than continue the flip backwards, though, she pushed off her hand to kick Kodachi in the middle.

The gymnast took the full force of the kick and went flying backwards, crashing against the chimney. She was on her feet again quickly enough, and she looked a lot madder than before. "You aren't using the equipment!" she accused Akane.

"Of course not!" Akane retorted. "This isn't some dumb match here, now is it?"

"They are never dumb matches, my dear," Kodachi said with another laugh. "But I see your point. Very well then, whoever wins now gets to keep Ranma-darling!" She attacked again immediately.

"You wish!" Akane replied, grabbing hold of the club far enough down to avoid the spikes as it came in. With a twist, she threw Kodachi over her shoulder, but kept the club. Looking at it in disgust, she tossed it aside, and it rolled off the roof.

"I will take him tonight, girl!" Kodachi said, her laughter fading.

"Yeah, right..." Ranma muttered, still struggling. His bonds were weakening, he could feel it, but until he was loose, all he could do was count on Akane's skills. So far, he was not too disappointed.

"You will never have my Ran-chan!" Akane shouted, lunging forward. Kodachi spun aside and caught Akane's back foot with the ribbon. She pulled hard, and Akane flipped into the air and landed hard on her back, temporarily winding her.

"Ohohohohoho! Your Ran-chan, you say?" she laughed again as she stood over the fallen girl. "I don't think so. No one beats the Black Rose, and no one is taking my Ranma-darling away from me!"

As she brought the ribbon around to catch Akane around the throat, Akane rolled quickly to the side, and fell off the roof. Kodachi looked over the edge in surprise, only to meet both of Akane's feet in the face as she came back up kicking.

Kodachi spun once in the air before landing on her face on the roof, and was breathing heavily when she stood up again. Pulling something from her pocket, she tossed it to Akane, who caught it without thinking.

"Paralysis thorn!" Kodachi laughed as Akane felt her body go rigid as she saw the rose in her hand. Before she could stop herself, she was lying down on her back. She could still see Ranma and Kodachi, but she found that she could barely open her jaw, let only do anything else. "Ohohohohoho! The match is mine!"

"Hey Akane," Ranma's quiet voice split the night suddenly. "Ya know how I hate hittin girls?" he asked. He knew she wouldn't respond, so he just went on. "I think this time I might just hafta make an exception." Kodachi turned in surprise towards Ranma. Her timing was perfect as she turned right into the path of his fist. She crumpled like a sack of potatoes, and Ranma stood over her. She was out cold. "Some people..." He shook his head.

He then walked over to Akane quickly and picked her up. "Sorry about that..." Ranma said quietly and he leapt off the roof. As soon as he landed, he leapt again, only this time he landed on the verandah outside of her room. Opening the window deftly with one hand, he climbed in and carefully set the stiff Akane in her bed. "I'll be back in a bit," he said.

Where are you going? Akane tried to ask the question, but she could only think it. Her mouth still wouldn't work.

"I've gotta make sure Ucchan and Shampoo weren't hurt too badly by that mad girl..." He shook his head sadly and then leapt out the window before Akane could even try to stop him.

Why is he worrying about them? I can't even move! He should be worrying about me!

Ranma landed quietly on the ground and walked back inside when he found that neither Ukyo nor Shampoo were still where they had been left. He found that they had both been put on couches until they could awaken. All heads turned to him when he entered.

"What happened, Ranma?" Genma asked him.

"And where is Akane?" Soun demanded. "Don't tell me you let Kodachi carry her away, did you?" Soun's daemon head floated in the air for a moment before Kasumi walked in. She looked around for a moment, and then prodded the daemon head lightly with one of her fingers. It popped and vanished instantly.

"Now, Ranma, would you mind telling us all what happened?

"Kodachi showed up and tried to take me away," he explained with a shrug. "Guess these two got hit by her sleeping powder. I don't know how Akane managed to avoid it. Probably slipped on a rock at just the right time. Clumsy tomboy..." He shook his head, and then went on. "Anyway, I was on the roof tied up, and Akane climbed up just before Kodachi could cart me off. I hadn't managed to free myself just yet."

"So you let my sweet Akane fight with that monster on her own?" Mr. Tendo demanded in a loud sob. Tears were pouring down his face again.

"I didn't let her, she just did it!" Ranma cried in return. "Besides, she did pretty well. By the time I had gotten loose, she had done a good number to Kodachi. But then she got hit with a paralysis rose, and I took over. She's in her room now."

"You will thank her, won't ya boy?" Genma demanded, putting an arm around his son tightly and squeezing so hard Ranma thought his head just might pop off.

"I already did pop!" Ranma cried, twisting around and kicking him in the back, sending him sprawling. "And I'll thank these two when they wake up, too," he added, looking to Shampoo and Ukyo. "They tried to help, too. Akane and her dumb luck happened to do better, that's all."

"Dumb luck, huh?" Cologne whispered in his ear and his sat down. "You sure it wasn't good training?" He looked to her sharply. "A good student makes an excellent teacher, Ranma," she said softly, so no one could hear her. "We could start the week of the new school year, if you would like."

"What time?" he muttered out of the corner of his mouth as activity started up again.

"I think after supper would be best for you. You are busy otherwise, are you not?" she asked with a grin. "With school, your mother daughter talks, and your time with Akane..." Before Ranma could reply, she was too far away for him to speak quietly, leaving him to wonder how she knew about the mother daughter time he spent with his mom...

Ranma's mother sat down next to him once Cologne had moved. "I am glad to see you are alright, Ranma," she said, her eyes full of tears. "I was really worried that maybe I had done something during our first session..."

"Shhh..." Ranma hushed his mother. "Don't mention that here," he whispered.

She nodded. "After your first night home again in a long time, I thought maybe I had done something to upset you," she corrected herself. "But when I heard about what happened... Akane must be a very brave girl."

"I've noticed," Ranma said coolly. He wanted to say more to his mother about Akane, but there were those in the room who didn't need to know how he felt just yet.

"You should treat her better than you do, son. It isn't very manly to always insult a woman," she suggested, her teeth flashing in her grin this time.

Ranma groaned. Not the manly stuff again... "I thought you said I was manly enough already, mom," he said quietly.

She smiled to him, and stood up. "Well, it is getting late. I think I should head for home. Coming, Ranma?" she asked, looking down to him.

"You are more than welcome to stay here, of course, Ranma," Soun Tendo said quickly. "The guest room is always open to you. And, as her fiancée, you should be with Akane right now, until she heals!"

"Yeah right," Ranma replied ruefully. "And as soon as she is healed, she'll boot me out the window for goin into her room without her permission." He shook his head. "I promised my mom that I'd be staying with her for a while, so that's where I'll be tonight." He turned to Mousse. "Make sure Shampoo is alright." He then looked to his father. "And you! Don't touch anything of Ucchan's, got it?" Genma nodded quickly, and then left the room with equal speed.

Ranma then turned and followed his mother out the door. "I am glad that you are coming with me, son, but Mr. Tendo did have a valid point," she said as they walked down the street.

"It's not like I'm not goin back as soon as you get home, mom," he said.

Nodoka smiled to him. "I thought you might, but I wasn't sure. Thank you for walking me home, son," she said. "You truly are a man among men."

"I'll be back in the morning, though," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "So you can make a proper lady out of me too."

"Thank you," she said. "It really does mean a lot to me."

"I know, mom."

Once she was inside her house, he turned and started running again. He had wanted to stay with Akane anyway, but he felt he had to make sure the others were alright, and then he had to take his mother home. He could only hope that there was no one else in her room when he got there.

Leaping up silently to the verandah, he peered into the window. Seeing no movement, he pushed it open again and snuck in quietly. He sat on the bed next to Akane, who looked to him immediately. She must have been almost asleep. It looked like the potion was starting to wear off, though.

"Did you have to leave me like that?" she asked through gritted teeth. It made her sound a lot madder than she actually felt, for which she was actually pleased.

"They tried to help too, Acchan," he explained. "Besides, I couldn't leave Ukyo in the dirt, could I?" he asked. "She's a friend too, right?"

"Yeah... I guess," she replied. "But what took you so long?" she asked.

"I took mom home after I made sure those two were alright," he explained. Before he could say another word, he looked up as the doorknob started to turn. He ducked down beside the bed before Akane could say anything, and tried to make himself as small as possible so he could fit under the bed itself.

"How are you feeling, Akane?" Kasumi's voice asked her. Akane didn't respond, hoping that Kasumi would assume that she was either still paralyzed or asleep. Instead, Kasumi came closer to the bed and put down a tray of snacks and a drink. "When you feel up to it, here are some things that should help you recover faster. I spoke to Mousse about it, and he tells me that these have helped Shampoo recover after such attacks. I didn't even know about any, so there you are..."

As she started to leave, she suddenly stopped and turned back. "Akane?" she called. Akane actually opened her eyes this time. "When you got back after your trip... did I see a ring on your finger?" she asked calmly. Akane nodded slowly, figuring she could trust her sister. "Was it from Ranma?" Again, Akane nodded. "I'm glad. He can be really sweet sometimes, you know. I wish you would give him more of a chance." She shook her head and walked to the door. "He is probably hurt that you don't wear that ring he gave you. From what I saw of it, it was a very nice one." She then shut the light off and closed the door slowly.

Neither Ranma nor Akane moved a muscle for a few minutes, making sure the coast was clear first. Then Ranma sat on the bed again carefully, and Akane tried to lift her arms. She found she could move them a bit, but only slowly. "Here," Ranma said, holding the glass of liquid to her lips carefully. She downed it gratefully, and could feel a strange warmth spreading through her quickly. She flexed her muscles, and found that she could move almost normally again, though it was a little painful still. "How's that?"

Akane sat up and wrapped her arms around Ranma. "You tell me..." she whispered into his ear. "Do I feel back to normal?" He nodded, breathing in the scent of her hair. "But you've only felt my back..." she trailed off as his hands started to wander across her back and down, and then up again. She smiled when his hands cupped her bum again, and she pressed into his touch, making him stay there.

Ranma pulled his hands away suddenly after a few minutes, and put them back on her back. "If I'm gonna stay here with you like this, we shouldn't do anything like that. Besides, Nabiki probably has her ear against the wall, listening just in case."

"Why would that matter?" Akane whispered in return.

Ranma smiled. "When we really get going... you tend to get a little... loud." He smiled more broadly when she blushed deeply. "Don't worry," he added. "I really like it..." He looked down and kissed her lightly.

"Do you think tomorrow, during training, we could go over what I did wrong tonight?" Akane asked him. He nodded. "Good. I also wanna go over auras..." she trailed off, and then kissed him again. She then yawned and lay back down. "It's getting pretty late, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ranma replied, crawling into bed with her. She rolled over a bit and wrapped herself halfway about him, settling her head down into her usual spot with a sigh. "Sleep well, Acchan," he whispered.

"You too, Ran-chan."

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

"You've looked better," Akane said with a grin when Ranma plopped down on the floor in the Dojo. "Training that bad?"

"She made me put on makeup !" Ranma groaned, not looking up to Akane.

Akane laughed out loud before covering her mouth to muffle the sound. She sat down next to Ranma, and leaned into his shoulder. "It's not that bad, is it?" she asked.

"Of course it is!" Ranma looked to her quickly, surprised by her attitude. "I really don't know why anyone would bother with it. Feels like I'm paintin something that should be left well enough alone!"

"You didn't seem to object when I wore some."

Ranma looked to her again, curious this time. He had never noticed that she wore any makeup. He was sure that she wasn't then, and he couldn't think... "Ah... then," he said softly, picturing her in her western wedding dress. His cheeks turned rosy, and he looked away, as he didn't want her to notice him blushing.

"I've worn it a few times, actually," Akane said, ignoring his comment entirely. "Though, I agree with you, if it's any help. Terrible stuff. Though it does make me look nice, right?"

"Why bother with that stuff?" Ranma snorted, carefully avoiding her eye. "Not like it could help any."

Akane pulled away from him and stood up, her back turned to him. "Are we training or not?" she demanded, her voice devoid of emotion entirely.

"You're mad, aren't you?" Ranma sighed as he stood. When she didn't answer, he put a hand on her shoulder, and she pulled away from his touch. "You are mad. I guess you didn't catch what I meant..."

"What?" Akane demanded, whirling back to face him. He took a step back, surprised to see tears in her eyes and her chin quivering, as though she was about to break down entirely.

"I... I just meant..." Ranma swallowed, and then stood his ground. "I meant that the makeup isn't necessary. Can't improve on perfection, can ya?" He slowly reached out and wrapped his arms around her, moving so she could pull away if she wanted to. "I didn't mean..."

Akane pressed into him, sighing deeply. She had thought he was insulting her again... and not just for show, either. She knew her body wasn't as good as his female one, but she thought he liked hers better anyway. "Ran-chan..." He was looking at her less and less in the past few days than ever before.

"Something's wrong," Ranma said, relaxing his grip so he could look down into her eyes. "Something's bugging ya. What's up, Acchan?"

"Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"Beautiful," Ranma corrected.

"Then why won't you ever even glance in my direction unless we are talking to each other?" she demanded, pulling away from him to turn her back on him.

"I... well, I just thought..." Ranma stopped, his shoulder's sagging. He knew why he wasn't watching her. He wanted her. Badly. The more he saw her, the less likely he thought he would be able to stop from doing something with her... something they both wanted, but both wanted to wait for. "I just can't. Not just yet."

Akane fumbled with the belt that was tying her gi shut and turned around to face Ranma, holding the cloth wide open to expose all of herself to him. Ranma gulped slowly before she pulled the gi shut again and bound the belt. "Not good enough for you to look at?" she demanded, her voice shaky and cracking.

"That's not it at all..." Ranma said quietly, taking a small step towards her. "I just didn't want to... do something you didn't want."

"What?"

"Well, ya used to get really upset every time ya even thought I was lookin at ya. And you were right most of the time, by the way, I was lookin. Even though I denied it." He sighed and placed a hand on both her shoulders, staring her in the eye so she would understand him perfectly. "I like lookin at ya, Acchan. Recently, though, it has been making me want to do more than just look. A lot more than just look. Or even tickle..."

"You haven't had a chance to tickle me since we left the woods, and the one time when you were recovering, have you?" she whispered into his ear and she hugged him this time. "I really want you to, by the way..."

"And I want to... but we can't. We don't have good chances, and now, I don't think either of us could stop once we really got going..." Ranma whispered into her ear.

"I wouldn't want you to stop."

Ranma pulled away and stared into her eyes for a moment before leaning in to kiss her firmly on the lips. Both of their auras flared up at the contact, and their passion was burning brightly as well. Ranma pulled away suddenly, and just held her. "And I wouldn't want to. That's why I have been trying to avoid looking..." he replied.

"Guess my little show didn't help much, did it?" she giggled.

"Not really," Ranma shrugged. "But it was really nice. Haven't seen that much of you before..." he added in a whisper. Akane frowned. He had seen her topless before... she gasped when she realized she was wearing a rather skimpy pair of panties...

"Sorry..."

"Not complaining," Ranma replied. "Now, shall we get back to training?"

Akane smiled and nodded. "What do you wish to work on today, master?" she asked, bowing slightly to him, eliciting a groan from him, and a large smile from herself.

"Well, we've been working on ki for some time, but I want you to work some on your actual fighting," Ranma explained. She trained as a left handed fighter, as Ranma trained right, so together, they could stand next to each other and cover all ground. That didn't say they couldn't both fight effectively with both hands... He then knocked on the door of the Dojo, and Ryoga slid it open moments later. "It's time to take advantage of our living punching bag," he grinned.

"Glad to be of service," Ryoga said with a nervous laugh.

"Ever been hit by Akane when she's really ticked?" Ranma asked, turning to him.

"Nope." He then paused. "Well, 'cept that one time..."

"You're lucky."

"Hey!" Akane said, stepping forward to interrupt the two.

"Hey nuthin," Ranma said, winking to her. "You've got a lot of strength." He then looked to Ryoga. "I want you to do something though."

"What?"

"If you see her leaving her right side open again, make sure she knows it."

"You want him to hit me?" Akane asked, surprised by Ranma's suggestion.

"Hell no," Ranma shook his head. "He knows what I'll do if he does. He'll make sure you know, but that doesn't mean he'll hit you."

"So how am I supposed to do that?" Ryoga asked.

"You'll think of something."

Akane and Ryoga stood in the middle of the room a few minutes later, with Ranma standing at the side, watching. Both bowed to each other, and then Akane cried out an leapt at him. Ryoga stood his ground and was floored by the kick. He was up moments later, completely uninjured. Akane spun around and kicked him again, and then flew at him with punches from all sides.

After about fifteen minutes, Akane stepped back and bowed to Ryoga, who knelt to the floor and held his sides. "You really do hit hard..." he mumbled, his breathing a little ragged.

"Sorry, Ryoga," Akane said, stepping forward to see if she could help him in any way.

Ranma beat her there, and hauled Ryoga to his feet again. "You said it yourself, bud. It's training for you too. You'll be able to take more punches later."

"You've gotten really fast, Akane," Ryoga said with a small smile.

"Thanks."

"You're still a bit sloppy, though," Ranma pointed out. Akane closed her eyes and willed her anger away. She would not be mad at Ranma's criticism. She couldn't afford for him to stop teaching her. "But your temper has improved!"

"Thanks," she said through clenched teeth.

Ranma grinned and then pointed to her gi. Looking down in her confusion, Akane was startled to see green streaks of paint covering her right side. "But..."

"You left yourself open whenever you came in for a strike with your left hand," Ryoga explained apologetically. "Hope that comes out in the wash..."

"It should," Ranma said, waving the concern away. "You lift your right arm to increase your strength," he explained to Akane. "But that leaves you open. You hit hard enough for Ryoga to feel pain without that aide. So keep yourself covered."

Akane reddened as he made his last comment, thinking of just before Ryoga entered the Dojo. Thankfully, Ryoga was not looking her way, and Ranma was too focused on telling her how to defend at the same time as attacking that he didn't notice.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Practice hitting him with your left strike, but keep your right arm down and tucked in." Ranma motioned that she should try anytime, and Ryoga looked up in surprise.

"Can I... have a moment?"

"You want trainin too, or not?" Ranma asked simply.

Ryoga stood and squared off to face Akane's attacks without flinching. She took a deep breath, and practiced hitting as hard as she could, while keeping her non attacking arm down. She knew as soon as she started that Ranma had been right. It was not easy for her to now keep the arm down. It had been conditioned into her reflexes.

As she stepped back to take a break, Ryoga sagged to the floor, panting. He was holding his sides, and was in obvious pain. Ranma hauled him to his feet again and hit him once in the stomach. Ryoga batted his hands away and took up a fighting stance at once as he faced his rival.

"I knew you weren't that bad off," Ranma said, turning to Akane as Ryoga adopted his stance. "That's much better, Akane," he explained.

There was a knock on the Dojo door, and Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome let themselves in moments later. A ribbon and three battons fell to the ground at Ryoga's feet, and he bowed to Akane.

"Yeah, Ranma's right, Akane. You are gettin the hang of this."

"We didn't mean to interrupt," Mr. Tendo said cautiously, not wanting to say anything that might set Ranma and Akane off again. Lately, the two seemed to be fighting more than usual.

"What's up?" Ranma asked, bounding over to the doorway to speak with them. Ryoga tossed the instruments aside and joined him with Akane moments later.

"Konatsu was just by looking for Ukyo," Mr. Saotome said grimly.

"So?" Ranma asked. "What's that got ta do with anything?"

"Well, Mousse was by earlier than that looking for Shampoo," Mr. Saotome added. "And then Kuno was by looking for Kodachi. Seems the three of them have gone missing."

Soun Tendo broke down at the ground before Akane's feet suddenly. "Don't let them take you, Akane!" he wailed at the top of his voice.

"I won't let them, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said, meeting Akane's worried eye. He knew that she wasn't worried about herself, but about Ukyo and the others.

There was suddenly a loud crashing sound, followed quickly by the squealing of a very large pig. The group ran outside to find Akari atop her sumo pig being chased by four men dressed in black.

Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane leapt into action before asking what was going on. Akane fought at Ranma's back, and together, the two took out two of the men in one swoop. Ryoga faced down the third, who drew a katana from his back. As Ryoga took a step back, the sumo pig struck the man in the arm. Ryoga took over at that point, smashing the man into the wall behind him, causing him to collapse, out cold.

The fourth man, seeing his fallen commrades, leapt over the wall, with Ranma and Akane in close pursuit. There was a puff of smoke, and both cried out as they were knocked backwards into the rock wall surrounding the Dojo.

Ryoga, Mr. Tendo, and Mr. Saotome ran around the wall to find the two of them sprawled against the rock, their attacker no where in sight. They were trying to stand, but were in obvious pain.

"Blasted bomb..." Ranma muttered as he pushed himself to his feet and turned to help Akane to hers.

"That was more powerful that Hopposai's, wasn't it?" Akane asked, shaking her head to clear it. "And I thought his fire bombs packed a punch!"

"So did I..." Ranma said ruefully.

Akari came around the corner moments later and grabbed Ryoga in a fierce hug. "Thanks for rescuing me, Ryoga!" she cried into his arms.

"What about us?" Akane muttered to Ranma, elicting a smile from her partner.

"What happened, Akari?" Genma asked her when she pulled away from Ryoga again. While they were tending to Ranma and Akane's injuries, the three men they had knocked out recovered and fled the scene. The group was sitting in the tea room, waiting for her to calm down enough to speak.

"They attacked the house," she explained. "I think granddad made it out fine, cause I was the target. They chased me all the way here. I wish I knew why they were after me..."

"Seems they were after any girl that Ranma might care about," Ryoga said slowly.

"Are you saying he doesn't care about Akane?" Soun demanded, his daemon head starting to form above him in the room.

"They thought he cared for Akari, doesn't that say enough about how messed up they are?" Ryoga retorted before anyone else could reply. Ranma looked to his friend in surprise. He hadn't thought he could think on his feet like that.

"Or maybe, they are trying to eliminate all competition on Akane's behalf!" Genma replied, standing up quickly. "They are on our side after all!"

"Pops!" Ranma cried, kicking him hard in the chest, sending him flying into the koi pond. "Keep your damn mouth shut for once..."

"He's got a point though, Ranma," Akane said softly, though everyone could hear her still. "Why else wouldn't they have come after me yet?"

"Because you've been with us all afternoon?" Ranma asked sarcastically.

"Good point," Ryoga admitted. "Still, we could use this to our advantage."

"What do you mean, boy?" Soun demanded. "How could this be an advantage?"

"Simple. We'll leave Akane in the Dojo hall, and wait for the kidnappers to arrive. When they do, we follow them back to where ever they have taken the others, and then we'll rescue them."

"Why bother?" Soun retorted. "With them gone, the Dojo can finally be secured!"

"Dad!" Akane cried. "Is that really all that matters to you?"

"Well, it would solve the problem of the additional fiancées," Nodoka said from the entranceway. All heads turned to face her instantly, and saw that she did not look like she was in very good shape. "Except that they are not only attacking his fiancées."

Ranma leapt to his feet to help his mother into a comfortable sitting position, and then made sure she was alright. "You were attacked as well, Mrs. Saotome?" Kasumi asked from the doorway. She was carrying a large tray of snacks into the room, as she had heard the guests arriving.

"I was. I wish I knew why, though..."

"They are looking for someone." Ranma looked up and around the room slowly, watching their reactions. "I don't know who they are looking for, but she is obviously female." His eyes met Akane's, and he saw the grim look they held. She knew what he was about to suggest. She nodded slowly, though she gulped at the thought. "Let's see if it's me they're after."

"Ranma!" Ryoga said, standing quickly. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"What, you'd rather sacrifice Akari or Akane?" he replied with some heat. Ryoga slumped a little, but stood his ground. Ranma walked passed him to the kitchen, but muttered into his ear as he passed. "If anything happens to me..."

"Don't worry," Ryoga replied with a nod.

Ranma-chan walked passed the open door to the tea room and out the door. She made her way across the lawn and sat on the steps of the Dojo, and waited. Sighing after waiting for almost an hour, she looked up and was startled to see someone watching her from the rooftops.

"Who's there?" she called, standing swiftly. The shadow vanished when she called to it, but she heard movement suddenly. Whirled around, she found herself face to face with four black masked men again. She smiled to herself and launched herself at the first one, taking him down easily. She then tripped on purpose, allowing another to catch her from behind.

"Why not take on us both?"

Ranma-chan fought her way free in an instant when she heard Akane's voice come around the house. "No!" she cried as she was hit in the back of the head with a club. She fought against the dizziness, but it was a losing battle. The last thing she saw was Akane fighting off half a dozen assailants, though she would not last, and Ranma-chan knew it. It was the last thing she knew for a very long time.

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