Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows are Stirring ❯ Tabiji Ebaonwaado ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Nineteen: The Journey Onwards

"I'm sure I can handle it, Auntie Saotome," Nabiki said with a grin as she took the envelope. "How much is in here, anyway?"

Nodoka looked around the tearoom carefully; making sure no one else was around to listen. "Close to half a million yen," she replied when she was sure the coast was clear. "I want my son and daughter-in-law to have the best honeymoon possible... and you're the only one that I know who can make that happen with what money I could get together."

"Half a million... Auntie Saotome, this is enough for most people to get an excellent deal already!" Nabiki pointed out. Although she wouldn't usually argue with anyone about getting too much money, she felt rather ill at ease when she dealt with Ranma's mother, who always seemed to have her honour blade with her. "I won't need half this much."

"I wanted to make sure you were well compensated for your efforts," Nodoka replied with a wave of her hand. "Besides, anything extra can go to the two of them... I doubt they have any savings at all yet, after all."

"I'll see what I can do for them," she promised. With the envelop of large notes tucked safely away in her pockets, the middle Tendo daughter left the house quickly. Her first stop was at the travel agent that she preferred dealing with... after dealing with him for so long, he knew just how ruthless she could be, and would give her the best rates. "Where would they want to go, though..." she muttered to herself as she looked around the office carefully. There were brochures up all over the place.

"Miss Tendo, a pleasure to see you again," a man from the back of the office called when he finally looked up to see her. "What brings you here today?"

"Ah, Jigo, just the man I was looking for," she said affirmatively, walking directly to the back of the bureau. "I need to arrange a trip for two in about two months," she explained. "A honeymoon. The best that money can buy, without question."

The short balding man looked quickly to her left hand and, upon seeing no jewellery there, raised an eyebrow. "If it's not for you..." he started, then shook his head. "Why the best? I've never known you to do anything like this before."

"Are you paid to ask such foolish questions?" she demanded harshly, withdrawing the envelope quickly. "And I am willing to pay here. It's for my younger sister and her fiancé. They are getting married in two months - as soon as her cast is off - and I've been asked to arrange their trip."

"Ah, for family... that I can see even you folding a little for." He stood up and walked over to her. "So, where are you planning on sending them?"

"I haven't decided, to be honest," she said briskly. "Where would you recommend?"

Jigo frowned and walked back to his desk. Looking down at the papers there, one of his notes caught his eye. "Who is she marrying, Miss Tendo?"

"And just what does that matter?"

"It matters if she is marrying a Saotome."

"What?"

Nabiki rushed over to him and peered over his shoulder. There was a scribble there about Saotome, but he moved the note before she could really see what it was all about. "A young man came in here almost half a year ago," he explained. "He paid me up front almost two million yen for a honeymoon... the only catch being he couldn't say when it would take place. He said that it was for a man by the name of Saotome, though he couldn't say who the lucky lady would be. He just promised that it would happen, and wanted to pay for the vacation."

"What did the man look like?" Nabiki asked at once.

"He was a little taller than you are... dressed in black with a white belt... completely bald, as far as I can remember," he said slowly. "He didn't leave a name, but with the amount that he paid, I wasn't really concerned with that."

"My sister is marrying Saotome Ranma," Nabiki said after a minute of thought. "So that would fit, right? Where is the trip?"

"A remote part of China, actually. It is in the western mountains, and is a natural hot spring system... one of the best in the world. There is an ancient culture set up on the outskirts of the tourist area that would be fascinating for most to explore." He pulled out a map and pointed out just where it was. "They would take a plane to Beijing, and from there a helicopter would take them to the castle inn. They would stay for two weeks before the helicopter returned to bring them back to the airport for the return flight."

Hmm... it's not Jusenkyo... nor is it Jusendo. It seems like a nice relaxing place, really... should be good and warm there, too. And it might paint China in a better light for them - they've had no good experiences there yet... "No active volcanoes nearby, are there?" she asked as she saw a few red dots in a mountain region close to where he was pointing.

"They would be in no danger of them."

"Alright then," Nabiki said with a grin. "We might as well take the stranger up on his offer. It seems like a good place, and the two of them should enjoy it. No sense letting that money go to waste... or rather, letting your reputation go down the drain, right, Jigo?"

It took another two hours to work out the final details, but when Nabiki left, she was in rather high spirits. She had the tickets tucked away, and had an envelope full of cash still. With a small sigh at what she knew she had to do, she made her way over to the bank to open an account in their names.

After a short trip to the mall with what was left, she returned home with a new camcorder and a digital monitoring station. She handed Nodoka the information on the bank account that held over two thirds of the money she had been given, as well as the tickets for the honeymoon, and then made her way back to her room to look things over.

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It was the sun shining through the closed drapes that ended up waking Ranma from his deep sleep. It took him a moment to figure out where he was exactly, but upon smelling Akane's scent as he pulled her a little closer, it all came rushing back to him. They were still in the hospital... and it must be the next day by now. Listening intently, he could tell that Akane was no longer asleep, either, but she seemed content to simply lie in bed with him for a while longer.

"It's about time you woke up," she whispered after a moment, grasping one of his hands in one of her own and pulling it closer to her. "I've been waiting for a few minutes now."

"Sorry Acchan," he said into her hair. "You could have woken me up, though."

"After what you did for me yesterday, Ran-chan, I thought letting you sleep in was the least I could do." Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was blushing, and that fact caused her to grin a little. "Thanks."

"I hope I didn't cross any lines," he whispered in return as he started to sit up, pulling his hands out of her grasp, being careful to avoid hitting her cast as he did so. "I was just try'n ta..."

"You didn't," she said almost at once as she, too, sat up in bed. After a quick stretch - during which time she noticed sadly that Ranma had turned his head again - she pushed the blankets aside and got up. "Well... I'm going to go find the bathroom, and then I think we should go home. I could use a good soak in the furo right about now."

"That will have to wait a little while, I'm afraid." Both Ranma and Akane looked to the doorway to find Dr. Tofu standing there. "You can't get that cast wet, Akane."

She looked down at her arm and sighed. "Dr. Tofu... was it really bad?"

"Bad enough," he said with a nod. "Knowing you, it should be healed in a month... maybe two at the most. I've told everyone it will be two, just in case."

Kasumi appeared behind him suddenly, and he stepped to the side deftly to let her through, as though he knew she would be there any minute. After hugging Akane for a moment, the two separated and she looked at her carefully. "You did really well yesterday, sister."

"Thank you, Kasumi."

"I'll just clean up in here, Ono. Why don't you finish telling my stubborn sister what she can't do with that cast," she suggested with a soft smile. "I doubt she would listen if I was the only one who told her." She then looked back to Ranma and Akane. "Once you are done, would you mind walking home with me?"

"Uh..."

"Sure thing, Kasumi," Akane said at once.

Ranma ushered Akane out of the room after Dr. Tofu before looking back to Kasumi. "Everything alright between you and the Doc?"

Kasumi looked up to him with a broad smile. "Better than alright," she said softly. "But we're waiting for you two, first."

He needed no more information before turning and following after his fiancée and the Doctor. He arrived as Akane was receiving the last of her instructions. "Now, you can still do some training, but no fights or spars until that comes off and I have a chance to look at it. You probably shouldn't do too much, though, as it will throw off your balance later on."

"I thought the same, Dr. Tofu," Ranma offered from the doorway. "We'll do some, but she'll get a weight on her other arm to compensate. Can't let all that time go to waste." He then turned to Akane. "And as for you... you did really well in that fight." Akane simply beamed at him for his compliment as he walked over to her. Just before he could give her a simple kiss, though, she frowned and looked at him in confusion. "What?" he asked.

"Ranma... what happened?"

He frowned and looked over to Dr. Tofu and then back again. "What do you mean?"

"Well... your eyes, Ran-chan. They're... different."

"Let me see," Dr. Tofu suggested. Ranma shrugged and turned to the man, who shone a light in his eyes for a moment, and then turned to check a book on his desk behind him. He had him follow his finger around in front of him for a moment before he had Akane turn the lights off to continue. After doing the same thing without a problem, he frowned too and looked back to his book.

"What's going on?" Ranma asked, a little concerned now. If something was wrong with his eyes, then he knew he'd be in trouble before too long.

Wordlessly, Dr. Tofu handed him a small mirror. Frowning himself now, Ranma took it and looked at his reflection. Looking back at him was his own face, but his eyes had definitely changed. No longer were they a soft grey blue... now they were a bright blue, and had an almost animal appearance to them. If he didn't know any better, he'd say his eyes looked more like... "Why are my eyes like a cat's now?"

It took a while to sort everything out. In the end, it was determined that Ranma's eyes did actually have some feral qualities to them, but they were mostly human. The only time the change became really noticeable was in the dark, where he could still see rather well, and his eyes seemed to glow like a cat's at night.

After Akane had taken a moment to look into his eyes carefully, she had finally announced that they were still his eyes, even if they had changed a little. Not sure what to make of that comment, Ranma stayed quiet, but nodded his head. That seemed to have been the appropriate response.

Dr. Tofu was the one who suggested the cause of the change, though Ranma had considered it silently ever since he had seen his reflection. Something about when he mastered the Neko-ken technique and merged his neko-self and human-self together had caused a change in him. He didn't feel much different, though. He still had the tendency to want to protect Akane - the only thing he really knew his neko self had agreed with him about - but that hadn't changed. He always wanted to protect her, neko or not. Dr. Tofu had made the simple request that he keep note of any changes in his activities in the near future, and let it at that.

"Well, shall we head home, then?" Both Ranma and Akane stood quickly when Kasumi made her presence known. After saying goodbye to the doctor, the three started towards the Tendo Dojo again. It was a surprisingly quiet trip - especially for Ranma, who wasn't splashed once - until Kasumi stopped them at the gates.

"What is it, sis?"

"Yeah," Ranma echoed. "Ya seem distracted by sumthin. What's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Kasumi looked directly at Akane. "I'd like the two of you to sleep in separate beds until the wedding."

"What?"

"Please!" Kasumi said in a slightly higher voice after the initial outburst. "At least listen for a moment before you argue..." Once both had nodded, she smiled, but kept her gaze on Akane. "I would like you to be able to wear the shiro-maku that I bought for you yesterday as my present to you."

That shut them both up instantly. Ranma actually turned quite red and suddenly found the wall to the dojo incredibly fascinating. He had never liked arguing with Kasumi in general... but arguing about their sex lives?

"We... but we haven't..."

"I cleaned the sheets at Ono's clinic earlier," Kasumi explained softly. "It was hard to miss the evidence that you two did something together. Can you still wear it?"

"Hai."

Kasumi smiled and let out a small breath that she seemed to have been holding after asking the question in the first place. "Thank you." She then looked at Ranma for a moment before looking back to Akane. "Do you both understand why I'm asking this of you?"

Ranma could only manage a brief nod, but Akane actually replied. "I understand, Kasumi. But we wouldn't..."

"I know you are both planning on waiting. But it is two months away, and sharing the same bed can lead to temptations." It looked almost like she was pleading with them now. "Please?"

The two looked to each other for a moment, and Ranma sighed as he looked back to Kasumi. "Hai." He gave Akane's hand a brief squeeze, and she nodded rather than speak this time. Neither wanted to agree, but they couldn't argue with Kasumi either. "It's two months, then?"

"Your mother is planning it as we speak. I think she sent Nabiki out to arrange your honeymoon earlier today," Kasumi replied.

Ranma nodded and turned to Akane. "I'll be in the room next to yours until then... in case you need me, ne?"

"Right."

Both thought the same thing at almost the same time. It was going to be a long two months. Hopefully training and planning the wedding would keep them occupying enough. They also had to talk to a few people before it could happen anyway.

School, for once, was a welcome distraction in Ranma and Akane's lives. Although Kuno kept almost completely to himself, and the two didn't talk to almost anyone for the full time, it was still a way to pass the time that they didn't have to worry about. By the time the end of August finally rolled around, even that wasn't helping a lot, though, and they were very thankful that Akane's cast was coming off that day.

During the two months, however, things were not kept the same. To everyone's surprise, Shampoo moved out of the Nekohauten, leaving Mousse in charge of the small restaurant. She ended up moving in with the Tendos after she spoke in private with Akane. To Ranma's disappointment, his only remaining (that he knew of) fiancée refused to say what the two of them had spoken about. All he knew was that he ended up moving most of her things into the guest room downstairs where Happosai had once stayed.

In payment for her room and board, Shampoo made several kanzashi ornaments and carved a few wooden combs for Akane to wear in her hair on the day of her wedding. She also provided the fabric for Kasumi to make her tsuno kakushi and found the darker silk needed for Ranma's montsuki kimono. Even though she wasn't completely happy with the final outcome on the question of Ranma, she had said that she wanted it to be perfect for him... and Akane as well.

Nodoka provided the haori overcoat that held the Saotome family crest. She had worked on it almost for the entire two months without anyone knowing about it, which was quite the feat in the full house.

Once Dr. Tofu removed Akane's cast, Ranma and Akane separated for the rest of the day and the following morning, given that the ceremony was to be held the next afternoon.

"Are the ga ga ku here yet?" Ranma asked softly as he straightened his haori and ran a hand through his hair before doing it back up in his trademark pigtail.

"If you were to stop being you and just listen for a moment, you'd probably hear them yourself, Ranma," Ryoga said, shaking his head. "I just wish I knew how you managed to rope me into this."

"Simple," Ranma said without turning around. "I asked, and you said yes. Remember?"

"I figured Akari would kill me if I refused."

"I'd kill you first!" Ranma pointed out.

"I'd like to see you try."

Ranma turned around with a smile on his face and shook his head. "Not while I'm wearing these," he said, motioning to the fine clothes that had been prepared for him. "I think Akane would kill me if I wrecked my outfit now."

"I'd kill you first," Ryoga said with a grin, repeating Ranma's earlier threat.

"And if I spoil today for her, then I'd let ya," Ranma said with a shrug. "Now c'mon. Ain't I suppos'ta be waiting by the front?" He wasn't completely sure of how the Shinto ceremony went - it was one of those things that his father hadn't bothered teaching him when he was growing up - but he had a general idea.

"So... you're going through with it this time, then?"

Ranma turned back to his friend... his rival... with a dark look. "If anyone tries ta stop us this time, I will kill `em."

"And I'll help," Ryoga promised solemnly before cracking a smile. "What's with our talking about death today? Isn't this supposed to be a happy day for you?"

"I am happy," Ranma retorted as he pushed the door to the Dojo open and stepped into the backyard. He had elected to get ready in there, while Akane was in the house with his mother, Shampoo, Ukyo, Nabiki, and Kasumi all helping her.

In the backyard itself, there was a tall white arch built out of wood next to the koi pond, and a white carpet leading up to it. Beneath the arch was a small table with two bowls set up and a jug next to them. In front of the table, though, was a small man dressed in a white kimono and holding a book before him. The Shinto Priest.

Ranma walked solemnly to the front, well aware that there were very few around to witness the event. Taro was sitting in a chair that was set up, along with Mousse, but aside from that, it was only himself and Ryoga who were outside. He walked up slowly, in time to the melodic flutes that were announcing his own entrance. He took a small bow to the priest when he reached the front, and then turned around to wait for the doors to the tearoom to open to reveal his bride.

The doors parted as the music picked up the pace a little, and Nodoka walked out first, Soun proudly next to her. There were tears in his eyes, but he wasn't pouring out his usual waterworks. It seemed that ever since he had heard Ranma's initial confession that he had toned things down a little, as though they had only been to try and make him feel guilty.

Ranma never asked him about it.

Behind the two parents came Kasumi and Dr. Tofu, who had been waiting next to the doors for her. Shampoo and Ukyo followed the two of them, and all six took seats, taking up the last of them save for one. Next, Nabiki stepped out carefully, and bowed with a flourish as she stepped aside.

Ranma could no longer hear the music at all. All he could hear was the sound of his own heart beating in his chest. Is this for real? Is this really happening? Am I going through with this? Those thoughts faded as well as Akane stepped into view. She was wearing the pure white kimono that Kasumi had bought for her, and it seemed to shine with light as she took her first small step out into the backyard. He could see the tears in her eyes as well, and had no doubt that they were tears of joy. The white kimono really hugged her form, and he was sure he had never seen her look so feminine in all the time he had known her. Her hair was held in a small rose-like state at the back of her head by the silk hood that Kasumi had put together, and he could see jewels of all kinds adorning the headpiece. He could also see two combs that he had seen Shampoo working on earlier.

It was then that the priest tapped him on the back and he let out the breath he had been holding. He shot him a look of thanks and then looked back to Akane as she stepped onto the carpet. In no time at all - or more time than he thought possible, he really wasn't sure which - she was standing next to him.

Without a word, they turned as one towards the priest and knelt before him, sitting as though they were about to take part in a tea ceremony. Neither had any idea what he said next, but they both felt a hand on their shoulders as the music suddenly penetrated their minds again. It was slow, but building with speed and intensity. Just when Ranma thought the flutes would shatter under the strain, it stopped completely and the priest offered them both a hand.

"You have been purified, Saotome Ranma," the priest said softly, looking to Ranma first. "You had done many things throughout your life... some good... some bad. Let the good outweigh the bad forevermore. You are pure." He then looked over to Akane and smiled to her. "You, too, have been purified, Tendo Akane. Your body has remained clean, your mind ready, and your actions whole. Although there are some poor points in your life... the good far outweighs the bad now. You are pure."

"Arigato." Both bowed as one again, and caught each other's eye with a small smile.

"It is time for vows to be exchanged," the priest said after a moment. He knew that the ceremony wasn't completely normal, but he didn't mind too much. "I understand that there are also rings. Please, lead us, Saotome Ranma."

"I will," Ranma said, his voice firm and steady. Turning towards Akane, he closed his eyes for a moment before looking down to her. "Ya know I've never been much with words. Kami knows I try, though. Ya put up with me, and even try'n help when I need you. I can't offer ya much in return for that. All I am, I give to you. My body... as strange as it may be. My mind... though it ain't in much better shape, if my schooling's any indication. Best I can give you is this: I promise ta always be there for ya. Ain't nothing alive or dead that can take me from ya if ya want me here." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finishing. "Aishiteru, Akane." As Akane brought her left hand up to him, he took hold of it gently and slid a golden band onto her ring finger. "Yer stuck with me now," he said with a smile.

"And you, Tendo Akane," the priest directed her. "It is your time to lead us."

Akane lifted one hand to wipe away the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks, and smiled up to Ranma, who was very carefully keeping her gaze. "I will." The first thing she did wasn't speak. In fact, the first thing she did caught the priest completely off guard. She slapped Ranma across the cheek - though for her, it was much lighter than normal, as it didn't even turn his cheek red. "That's for doubting yourself, Ranma. I told you once that I didn't care about your curse, and I meant it. So never say your body isn't good enough for me. I just hope mine is enough for you... because I give it to you gladly now. Your mind might not be in school, but it is wonderful. How else would you be able to learn all those martial arts in a matter of days when it should take you years? I might be better at school than you... but I gladly give my mind to you as well." She paused for a moment to smile to him, and looked out to her father briefly before looking back into Ranma's feral blue eyes. "Like you, I promise to look after you if you ever need it. I'll always be there for you. Nothing will keep me from you." When he lifted a hand to her, she slid the golden band onto his finger as well. "This may have started out as a miai-kekkon," she whispered. "But it is ending as a renai-kekkon. Aishiteru yo. And I wouldn't have it any other way," she added, remembering his last words.

It took a moment before either could really move as they held each other's eyes. It was only when the priest cleared his throat that they looked away from each other and back to him. He had moved the table that was behind him to sit before them. "It is time for the san san kudo. After this point, one of you will no longer be known as you are, but instead by a different name. Who will be changing today?"

"I wish to become Saotome Akane," Akane said softly, bowing her head slightly as Ranma did likewise.

"Very well. After you drink, you shall be joined as Saotome Ranma and Akane." He poured the clear sake from the jug into each of the small bowls and offered one to each of them. "After you both drink, we shall offer the sake to each of those gathered here to welcome you into the world together."

It was the first time either had tasted the strong drink before, but neither choked on it as it went down. There wasn't enough there to affect them, but enough to make the point of drinking it. It took a moment after the bowls left their lips before they set them down again. Ranma then looked over to Akane, who was already looking to him.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi?" she hissed back. "Is that all you have to say?"

"You look amazing," he whispered back with a grin before looking back to the priest again. He must have passed out the sake in record time, because he was back already, waiting to finish the ceremony off.

Because he looked back right away, he missed the interesting shade of red that Akane turned at his words. She had expected him to say several different things... that wasn't one of them, and she was more than a little embarrassed at being complimented like that in front of the priest, whom she had never seen before.

The priest held out a small twig from a tree to both of them, and they took it carefully. "These are the sakaki," the priest explained. "When you give them to the Kami, the ceremony will end, and in the eyes of everyone, everywhere, you will be one. It is up to you how you offer them."

Ranma glanced over to Akane, who had a small grin on her face. At his glance, she smiled even broader. "Shall we, Ranma?" she asked, holding the branch up a little.

His confusion gave way then, and he couldn't help but chuckle a little. He held his up as well and nodded. "Makes sense to me." The Shinto Priest obviously had no idea what they were talking about.

A second later, both of their auras suddenly erupted and focused on the twigs in their hands. With a small puff of energy, both vanished into smoke, at which point the small crowd that had gathered stood and clapped. Soun's waterworks actually started finally, and Kasumi, shaking her head, handed him a hand towel to try and keep the others dry. There were a few with Jusenkyo curses in the group, after all.

The rest of the day before Ranma and Akane caught their flight to China went by rather quickly. Mousse pulled Ranma aside just before the two left, and made sure no one was around to listen in.

"Look, Ranma, I know we haven't always gotten along in the past..."

Ranma shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, I never thought anything bad of you... but you certainly didn't seem to have much trouble attacking me whenever you felt it a good idea, did you?"

Mousse sighed and pushed his glasses down onto his nose so he could see Ranma clearly. "My actions were less than honourable at times, and for that I apologise. I want to know if you intend to reopen the Tendo Dojo, though, to teach Anything Goes to the public."

"I think that was one of the main reasons pop dragged me into Nermia in the first place," Ranma said with a grin. "Only thing he's done in years that I'm actually thankful for, though not for the reasons that he would have liked, I'm sure."

"So that's a yes?"

"As far as I know."

Mousse suddenly dipped to one knee and bowed his head before Ranma. "Grandmaster Saotome, this humble Muu Tsu requests the privilege of learning beneath your great tutelage, and offer my own skills as a Master of the Hidden Weapons technique as payment."

"That so?"

The Chinese boy looked up in surprise at Ranma's laughing tone, and saw a broad smile on his face. "Uh... yeah. So how about it?"

"We'll talk when we get back," Ranma promised him. "For now, I intend to enjoy my honeymoon with my new wife," he said with a broader smile, looking over to where she was waiting by the entrance. "I'll mention it to her on the return trip, and if she agrees too, then... like I said, we'll talk."

"Thank you."

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"Look at that, Ran-chan!" Akane's voice came through his headset as little more than a squeal as she pointed out the window of the helicopter. The flight over was interesting, but being in a helicopter was something neither of them had ever even considered before. "That castle must be over a thousand years old!"

"Four thousand, three hundred twenty years," the pilot called back to them. "They say it's a cursed keep! No one has been seen near it for more than a day before they go missing, never to be seen again."

Ranma looked out the window by leaning into Akane. She kissed his neck as he strained to see, and he looked up to her quickly in surprise. "Sorry... couldn't resist."

With a grin, Ranma set one hand on her leg, very close to her hip, as though using her for balance as he leaned a little further. He knew, however, that it was actually just to tease her a little - she had told him in a hushed whisper on the plane that the inside of her thighs were especially sensitive when he had put his hand on her leg for the take off.

While part of his mind was on the fact that his fingers were running up and down the inside of her leg, the rest was actually looking down at the castle they were talking about. It was massive, and made out of black stone bricks. As the pilot had said, it looked like it had been out of service for quite some time. There was moss growing all over it, and one of the towers had collapsed completely.

"I wonder what lord gave that up in the warring states period?"

"It was actually only abandoned about thirty years ago," the pilot corrected him.

"Whatever. Looks like a nice place, doesn't it, Acchan?" he asked pushing off her and back to the upright position. He trailed his fingers back slowly, as though loath to leave the warmth that was emanating from his wife's body.

For her part, Akane was trying to look like what he had done hadn't had an affect on her whatsoever, but wasn't having much luck with it. Her breathing was a lot faster and shallower, and if it weren't for the fact that the pilot could easily see them, he was sure they would be all over each other already.

Perhaps that fact was playing into her mood, too.

"What are the hot springs like?" she asked after a moment.

"They are rather secluded, as you've probably figured out by now! Very few people if any at all come here anymore. Surprised you two knew about it to consider it for your honeymoon."

The two newlyweds exchanged a quick glance before looking together to the pilot. "What do you mean?"

"Well simple," he replied with a shrug. "There isn't anyone else there right now - just the staff, who I flew in last night, and you two. I tell you, this trip must have cost a fortune... wish I had that kind of yen to be throwing around."

"I thought Nabiki organized this," Akane whispered to Ranma, moving his headset aside to say it directly into his ear so the pilot wouldn't overhear them. "No way she'd spend a single yen more than necessary on us, right?"

"Actually, mom said something about it costing even less that she had planned - almost all the money she gave Nabiki went to our joint bank account."

"Does that mean someone else paid for the trip for us?"

Ranma shrugged and looked out the window again. The helicopter had circled around the large ruins once, and they were just continuing on towards the steam in the distance. He sighed and closed his eyes. Was it really too much to ask for two whole weeks without interruption? He just wanted to spend time with Akane...

"I'm sure it's nothing," Akane said with a smile, kissing his cheek quickly. "Probably a wedding present from someone who didn't want us to know he was spending money on our happiness. Kuno, maybe?"

"Think that baka saw the light, do you?" Ranma asked, chuckling to himself at the thought. "Never thought I'd see the day when that would happen." Her suggestion actually made a lot of sense, and so he pushed the concept out of his head easily and put one arm around the young woman beside him.

There was a long still in the talking as the couple in the back of the helicopter looked out the window at the vast sky around them and the pilot worked on getting them where they were headed.

"We're coming up on the Enmanyo Springs now," the pilots called to them after about ten minutes. "Wish I could stay, too, actually..." he added wistfully as he started lowering the aircraft to land.

"That good?" Ranma asked as he and Akane both looked down at their destination. There were easily a dozen large pools of water that were steaming, and a few small, simple looking building surrounding them. All in all, it looked like a rather simple - if out of the way - resort.

"I've never been able to afford it," he said with a shrug. He then grinned at them. "However, if I take a few more customers who pay as well as you did, then it won't be long before I can!"

"Just how much were you paid, anyway?" Ranma asked. For his trouble, Akane kicked him in the shin, and he shrugged to her in response.

"More than I'd make in a year, and that's all I'll tell you," he said with a chuckle.

As they touched down and the propellers slowed to a stop, the doors opened slowly to let them out. Ranma leapt out over Akane and landed nimbly on the ground after a single flip in the air. He then held his arms out to encourage Akane to jump as well.

She shook her head to his motion and leapt out anyway. After two flips in the air, she landed on her feet in front of him with a large grin on her face. "Looks like I won that one," she said softly.

"Who says you won?" Ranma asked coyly. "I win at everything, remember?"

"I spun twice to your once. Looks to me like I won."

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, but a blush ran up his cheeks before any words came out, and he ended up shaking his head. "Doesn't matter," he finally said with a shrug. "C'mon, let's find our room."

"Eager, are we?" Akane said with a grin, catching his hand as he turned. She ignored his splutterings as she looked back to the pilot and waved. "Thanks!" Without waiting for a response, she started towards the largest of the buildings with Ranma in tow.

By the time they reached the front door, Ranma was walking normally beside her again, though they were still hand in hand. The staff were all strangely quiet as they showed the two to their large room, but neither party really paid much attention to that. Once inside the room, they both stopped in amazement.

The main room was easily twice the size of the Tendo tearoom, and had a large window at the far side to look out to a private hot spring. On one side of the room was an open doorway that led to a massive bed with curtains surrounding it, and on the other side of the room was the path to the furo. There was a small kitchenette in one corner, too, which was a nice touch in case they felt like cooking for themselves.

"Uh..." It was the most intelligent thing Ranma could get out of his mouth suddenly. He might had been playing it up on the trip here, and he knew that they had definitely enjoyed their `tickling,' as Akane had taken to calling it, but now that they were in the room that they were meant to finish things in, it felt a little strange.

Apparently, Akane was struck with the same feelings, because she was having a hard time looking over to him without a rather large blush rushing to her cheeks. "I... I think I'm going to have a bit of a soak in the furo, alright?" she suggested. She didn't wait for his answer before setting her bag down and walking into the large room, pushing the thin door shut behind her.

Okay... breathe... Once inside the bathing area, her senses started to return slowly. Earlier in the day, she had finally married Ranma, and, if she was completely honest with herself, the ceremony had been everything she had hoped for. Well, not everything - she had hoped at one stage that her mother could have watched, too, but everything that was possible had happened right. It's just Ranma... the crazy, sex-changing martial artist who you've known for the past several years...

Akane looked back to the closed doors as she started removing her clothes, and found herself wondering what Ranma was doing now. Was he making them something to eat - thinking with his stomach, as usual? Or was he checking out the rooms, making sure everything was as it should be - as though worried that something might go wrong? Or...

Whatever her other thoughts were went right out of her mind as she slipped on the bottom of the ceramic tub. Despite herself, she cried out in shock as she half fell into the warm water, catching her knee on the hard edge as she literally flipped in.

"Akane!" The door to the furo slammed open suddenly, and if she had been observing the situation as an outsider, she probably would have burst out laughing as Ranma careened into the smaller room, slipping in a puddle of water that she had caused when she had fallen in in the first place. With a great splash - larger than the one she had caused - he ended up in the furo next to her, still fully clothed. He came up sputtering, and looked around wildly. "Akane!" He was holding her instantly, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace so tight she had trouble breathing. "I thought something had happened to you..."

"I... I just tripped," she whispered as he pulled away slightly. With a soft sigh, she reached up and held him in return. He would always be the first to try and protect her, and she knew it. Even if she had become a lot better recently, he would never hesitate to come to her aide, and the thought made her smile.

He suddenly tensed in her arms, and she heard him gasp in a sharp breath as he pulled away further from her, separating entirely from her. "I... I'm so sorry, Acchan!" he said in a rush. "I didn't mean to... I mean, I meant to, but I wasn't trying to..." Finally figuring that words weren't going to cooperate with him this time, either, he turned back to her, his eyes scrunched tightly closed. "Just hit me now so I can leave you to soak in peace, please?"

It wasn't the first time Akane cursed herself for hitting him so often in the past. They were married now, and he still refused to even look at her when she wasn't dressed! She reached up slowly with one hand to cup his cheek, and then with her other to hold his face carefully. "Baka," she whispered. "I'd never hit my husband for trying to help." Leaning forward through the water, she pressed her lips to his gently before pulling away. "And I'm much happier with you in here, to tell the truth." She kissed him again, and was pleased that he actually kissed her in return this time.

"Do you want me to find your bathing suit, then?" he suggested, his eyes still closed. "That way me being in here with you won't upset you..."

"I'm not upset because you're in here and I'm like this," she said, releasing him and turning away, swimming across the massive furo to hug the other side, her back turned to him. "I'm only upset because I'm not good enough for you."

"What?"

The indignation in his tone told her that she had struck a nerve. She knew that he did, in fact, appreciate her body - even more than she appreciated his - but it didn't help that he wouldn't look at her. "You don't want to see your wife like this..."

There was a splattering of something on the floor outside of the furo, but she didn't turn around to see what was going on. She felt a ripple against her back as he moved through the water, but started anyway when she felt his hands on her shoulders. After a moment, she relaxed into his grip, and was surprised to feel his bare chest against her back as his hands came around to her stomach.

"I love seeing you like this," he whispered into her ear. "But the last time I saw you... naked... was not a really good time, ya know? And I didn't think you wanted me looking at you like this anyway."

Last time? Her mind spun at his words, and suddenly she remembered waking up in China wearing just his red Chinese shirt. No, that wasn't a good time at all... has it really been that long? He hasn't walked in on my bathing ever since? Again, she thought carefully, even though she knew the answer. He never walked in on her. Even beforehand, he only did when Nabiki hid the Occupied sign. "Right now, I really want you to."

Carefully, she turned around so she could hold him as the same time, and wrapped her arms around him tightly, pressing herself up against him. The feel of his chest against her breasts was simply incredible. She saw at once that he was still wearing his pants, and for some reason that fact made her smile.

Leaning forward, she captured his lips with her own, pressing into him with a fervour that had been denied both of them for the past couple of months. They had barely been able to hold each other, let alone enjoy a passionate kiss uninterrupted.

Ranma ran held her close to him, breathing in deeply as they kissed, enjoying the smell of her, even though her scent wasn't as strong just then as it often was when they were in the middle of a kiss. The water was dampening it some, but he didn't care. With one hand, he started rubbing up and down her back slowly. After making several passes, during which time the kiss only managed to deepen, he slowed down even further as he went down again. This time, however, he didn't stop in the small crook of her back.

Instead, he kept going, ever so slowly, simply running his hand lightly across her bare behind. One of his fingers ran along the centre carefully, not really applying any pressure, but he felt her shudder a little anyway. Once he reached down as far as he could, he started to move up again, this time pressing a little harder.

She suddenly moaned into his kiss and pushed off the bottom of the furo hard, moving them both backwards until Ranma felt his back against the edge. Her legs then came up suddenly so she was straddling him in the water, both her hands in his hair now as both his hands moved down automatically to her rear to support her. She moaned again and pulled away from him a little so they could catch their breath.

"You'll tell me if I do something you don't want, right?" he whispered quickly before she moved in again.

"Ran-chan, there are only two things you can do right now that would be wrong... stopping this, and keeping your pants on," she muttered, kissing him firmly again. Her words set off a chain reaction in him, which caused several things to happen all at once.

The first was his moaning back into her kiss, a sensation that she echoed almost instantly. Aside from that, his hands seemed to come to life again, massaging the flesh he was holding carefully as two of his fingers slipped a little closer to the intense heat that was radiating from between her legs, even under the water. The last thing that he knew right then and there was that his pants were suddenly quite a bit more painful than he had ever imagined they could be. This was caused by a combination of the fact that he was harder than ever before and Akane's weight pressed right against his shaft through the fabric, making it chafe just enough so it was very uncomfortable.

"What do you suggest I do about my pants, then?" he managed between kisses.

"Rip them off!" she growled in return, planting kisses along the side of his face and down his neck, stopping at his shoulder before coming back up and down on the other side. Once he was quite sure he couldn't take much more, he shifted her weight to one hand as his other went to the waistband of his pants to pull them down. He froze before he could start, though, when he found that his hand on Akane was now right at her apex, where the heat was almost burning him, it was so intense. Two fingers ran along her opening almost of their own accord, while a third slipped into her and pressed hard and deep.

Akane moaned loudly as she pulled her head back, breathing hard. "Pants... off... now!" she cried, panting as his finger started moving in and out of her. The tension inside her was building so fast and far already, she didn't think she could stand it much longer at all. How he knew just what to do to pleasure her so much after only one other time didn't even enter her mind... she just wanted more. Lots more. Her own hands joined his on his hips and pushed down hard, forcing his pants down.

He quickly caught the band in front and pulled it away so they actually could fall completely. She didn't even take the time to look at his naked body before pulling back to him, catching his lips again in an instant. His hand had slipped away from her heat because of her action, but she didn't care. The pleasure he had been bringing her had almost peaked already, but even that wasn't enough.

Ranma pulled away quickly as she pulled herself closer to him, and looked straight into her eyes. He didn't have to put words to his question, she could just tell what he was saying right away anyway. She didn't answer him, either. She could feel him pressing lightly against her opening, even though he hadn't shifted at all. When she had pulled closer to him, she knew they were in position.

Without a word, she pressed down onto him, and screamed her release as his shaft filled her heat. Already pushed over the top, she could feel her inner muscles clamp down on him, pulsing as the pleasure waves washed over her again and again.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, concern lacing his voice.

"Never better," she reassured him as she started to rock her hips against his, causing him to pull out just a little before being pushed back in further again. He groaned as she started, but he caught on rather quickly and started to match her movement thrust for thrust. He was groaning the harder she pushed, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that her own moans were even louder as she felt him stretch her again and again.

The waves were building again, faster this time than before, and much much stronger. The feeling of him inside her was more than she had thought possible, and she was loving every minute of it. As she pushed down hard again, she wondered for a moment just how high her pleasure could mount before crashing down again in another amazing wave that didn't stop.

Ranma literally couldn't think as he felt her heat surrounding him, and heard her moaning louder and louder with each thrust. Her muscles that surrounded him were still quivering from her previous release, making his own muscles tense a little more with each movement. Just when he was sure he couldn't hold off any longer, she screamed again and pushed down hard. Her muscles started vibrating rapidly again, and that was all his self-control could handle before pushing him over the edge, too.

He felt himself pulse within her as his lifeseed flowed out of him and deep into the woman of his dreams... of his reality. Her lips caught his again fiercely as she stayed pressed down hard, riding the pleasure wave that was coursing through her as long and as high as possible.

It was another five minutes before she pulled away from him again to look into his eyes. Slowly and carefully, he pressed up again, as though to remind her of the fact that he was still inside her, and still rather hard despite having just come moments earlier. Her eyes widened instantly as she gasped, and then moaned as she pressed down again.

"Bed..." The word was muted and very shaky, but it was a word that Ranma understood. He lifted her off him carefully, feeling very separate without her surrounding him suddenly, and set her down on the edge of the furo as gently as he could. Water was dripping down her naked body, and he could only gulp as he followed the water down from her face to her neck, and watch a bead of water run along her left breast and drip off her very erect nipple. He couldn't help himself... he leaned forward before she could stand to head for the bedroom and caught her nipple in his mouth as his hand came up to caress her other breast carefully, but with enough pressure as she had told him about earlier.

"Ranma..." Again, another shuddered word as she pulled slightly away from him, causing him to release her nipple with a soft popping sound. He looked up to her and found her glowing with pleasure as she put a hand against his face. "C'mon," she whispered, standing and walking backwards to the door, making sure he could see all of her quite easily.

It was a full four hours later that the two collapsed beside each other of the bed rather than on top of each other again. Akane had lost track of the amount of times she had ridden her pleasure - she knew the real term was climaxed, or even that she had come, but riding her pleasure was a better description. She had no idea how often Ranma had spilled his seed into her, either... she just knew it was more than was supposed to be possible in one sitting. She had completely lost track around the fifth time, and beyond that she had no idea.

"You alright?" Ranma whispered to her, putting an arm around her carefully, pulling her a little closer to him.

"Much, much better than alright," she returned with a broad grin. "I'll be lucky if I can walk tomorrow... if I even want to, that is." She kissed him on the lips quickly before pulling back again. "You are simply amazing."

"And you are perfect," he returned, kissing her as well. "Better than perfect... but I didn't hurt you the first time either, did I? You really screamed then, you know?"

She surprised herself by giggling in response. "I screamed every time you pushed me over the edge, Ran-chan," she reminded him. "And trust me, you were doing the exact opposite of hurting me."

"Isn't the first time suppos'ta hurt for girls, though?"

Akane blinked her shock. Just where did he hear that, anyway? "Usually, but I'm pretty active, remember? I'd be surprised if your girl side hasn't lost her... uh... barrier." She hated the fact that she had forgotten the term, but hers had torn so long ago - it was a sharp pain during a particularly hard paced baseball game at school when she had tried to slide into home - it wasn't something she had concerned herself about for quite some time.

"Uh..." Ranma blushed again and looked away from her suddenly. She was very pleased that he was not looking away from her body any more... unless he was embarrassed by something else, it seemed. He mumbled something, but the words were completely lost.

"What did you say, Ran-chan?"

"It's still there," he repeated softly, but loud enough for her to hear. "After the class where we talked about that type of thing..." She knew he was referring to their `health class,' but she had thought he had slept through it. "I wanted to check... Dr. Tofu promised not to say a thing to anyone about it, though."

"Please look at me, Ranma," Akane said sternly, causing him to look instantly. His eyes had taken on the feral blue look again, which told her it was actually later in the day than she had thought. "I told you before... I love you as a guy or girl. You are who you are... and you are mine." She then yawned and shook her head slightly. "And if you hadn't worn me out so thoroughly, then I'd prove it to you..." she added softly.

"You did a pretty good job tiring me out, too, Acchan," Ranma replied, causing her to look to him in surprise. He never admitted to a weakness like that before. Tired? The invincible Ranma Saotome? Never...

"Thanks," she whispered with a smile. For him to tell her that meant that he did truly trust her... something she had known without question before, but only had even more confirmation now. "Let's sleep then. Tomorrow..."

"We'll see what tomorrow brings," Ranma suggested, pulling the blankets that had ended up on the floor during their third bout of love making up over them. He didn't care that they were both naked... in fact, he was quite a bit happier this way at the moment. And by her contented sigh as she leaned into him to sleep, he knew Akane was, too.

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

"How's a western omelette sound to you, Acchan?" Ranma called from the small kitchenette he was standing in front of. Morning had come much later than they had expected - in other words, they had slept in till almost noon - and he thought he'd make breakfast for them.

"Sounds good to me... extra cheese in mine, please?" she suggested, walking into the main room from the bedroom. She had pulled on a robe, but nothing else. Ranma smiled to her before turning back to the small stove and cracking a few eggs in his frying pan. For his part, he was only wearing his pants, deciding not to pull his shirt on just yet.

"No problem," he promised. And he knew it was true, too. Omelettes were very easy to make, and even without any experience with them, he knew even Akane could cook them without the recipe book.

He froze as he flipped the eggs over, noticing something out of place. Akane seemed to have noticed it, too, as she was next to him almost at once. "What was that, Ranma?"

"You heard it too, did you?" he said in a voice so soft only she could hear it. Deftly, he turned the flame off on the stove and turned towards their large window looking to their hot spring - a spring he promised to give the two of them some quality time in at some point in their stay. That promise seemed to have evaporated, though.

There were a few puddles next to the spring that were decidedly out of place. No one had been there in months, apparently... so why the splashes? Ranma motioned Akane back from the exit, and she took two large steps back quickly as he ducked around behind the sliding door.

Without any warning, the door banged open and Ranma struck hard. There was a pause before the man dressed in black fell backwards with a sickening crunch before anything else happened. Then all hell broke loose.

The large window shattered as six more men in black dove through them, and two broke down the main door to their room. Akane turned instantly as she pulled out her mallet, crushing the two latecomers into the wall with one swing before turning back to help Ranma.

For his part, Ranma really didn't need any help. He had fought a group of men like this before, only then he had been a girl and was forcing herself to lose to them. This time, he held no such regards. Completely ignoring the clubs that were raining down on him from the three behind him, Ranma struck hard and fast, knocking those in front of him down with one strike each. With a spinning kick, he caught the closest attacker that was behind him in the head, flipping him over and smashing him into the ground as well.

A look of complete fury was etched over his face as he stalked towards the remaining two attackers. One of them collapsed simply due to the immense battle aura that was radiating from Ranma, while the other hefted his club as though to attack before Ranma caught him around the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You ain't no better than that damn hentai horde Acchan used ta deal with every morning before school," Ranma growled at the man as Akane came up behind him. Now that the battle was over, she wanted to make sure he hadn't been hurt - he had been ignoring the attackers that were behind him. It seemed that he had had cause to, though, as there wasn't a mark on him. Apparently, he was almost as tough as Ryoga... "Who sent ya?"

"A ninja warrior would never tell!"

"No?" Ranma sneered at him. "Acchan, a battle aura, if you would please..." he asked calmly, turning to her while holding the man in the air. She nodded, and once she felt her red ki surrounding her again, she saw him throw the man to the far side of the room and come stand next to her. His own battle aura was shining from him, making him look like he was some kind of daemon on fire. It also made her wonder just what she looked like with her full aura going. "Ya gonna talk now?"

The man who claimed the honour of a ninja was crumpled on the ground, quivering at the sight before him. He reminded them both powerfully of the first time Happosai had unleashed his then-thought all-powerful aura that had caused dozens of people to collapse in fear, but this time it was even more profound. Happosai's aura had nothing on Ranma's, and Akane knew her own wasn't anything that could be turned aside easily, either.

"The castle! The black castle!" he stammered in broken words. "He... Harito... he sent... black..." Apparently, he could say nothing else before his fear took him completely, knocking him out. Akane looked around the room, and found the place mostly trashed from the simple fight. It was not cut out to be a battleground for either of them.

"Harito?" Akane repeated, looking to Ranma. Ranma sighed and walked back to the stove - which had somehow avoided the brunt of the damages. The eggs, however, had not survived the display of their auras, and were burnt to charcoal.

"Him again. If that's his keep, then chances are, pop's in there somewhere. I guess we know who paid for this trip now, don't we?"

"He's after you this time, isn't he, Ran-chan?"

"Probably both of us now," Ranma corrected her. She supposed that that fact should have frightened her, but it didn't. Instead, she felt the confidence that Ranma often displayed in the face of adversity.

"Let him come. Or better yet, can't we just finish him off this time instead?"

Ranma looked away from the ruins of their food and sighed. "I guess so. I was hoping for some peace for us... at least for a couple of weeks, away, but I guess that wish went unanswered. I guess I really can't have everything I want... at least I got the main part," he added with a grin towards her.

She certainly wasn't used to the openly affectionate Ranma, and looked away as she felt a blush rising in her cheeks. "I'm going to get dressed," she said quietly, slipping back into their bedroom to change. She pulled on her red pants that were the same make as Ranma's dark blue ones, and then put on a tight black t-shirt that she knew Ranma liked.

Emerging, she wasn't sure what she had expected to find. Ranma fully dressed wasn't one of them; he must have pulled on his shirt from yesterday that he had left in the furo. It was a fast drying shirt, though - with his ability to attract water, it was the only way for him to survive.

"Ready to go?" he asked calmly. "Partner?" he added with a grin.

"Absolutely... partner."

Just before leaving, Ranma sighed and kicked one of the fallen warriors hard, sending him flying from the room. He then looked up to the ceiling. "Sometimes, I think the Kami simply live to laugh at me."

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

Originally, this was a longer chapter, but I broke it down into two separate ones. Later on, I will be updating this chapter - I cut a lot of the bedroom scene in the original posting, and will be adding it here before too long. I'll also be adding to the bit of two months between the fight with Shampoo and the wedding. Reviews would encourage that to be faster, but otherwise, it will come when I get to it.

shiro-maku: white wedding kimono worn by the bride. Symbolises purity (virginity, in otherwords). Literal translation - shiro means white, and maku means pure.

hai: Yes

ne: Right (as in... it's that way, right?)

kanzashi: a style of hair jewelry worn by the bride, whose hair is made up in the the wedding style called bunkin takashimada. The hood of the shiro-maku is used to keep the hair in position properly.

tsuno kakushi: the hood to the shiro-maku.

ga ga ku: Flute players at a Shinto wedding ceremony

arigato: Thank you.

aishiteru: I love you

miai-kekkon: Arranged marriage

renai-kekkon: love marriage

aishiteru yo: I love you (from a female)

san san kudo: Sharing of the sake at a Shinto wedding ceremony

sakaki: symbolic offerings of small tree twigs to the Kami at the end of a Shinto wedding ceremony.