Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The War of Two Families ❯ Chapter 1: Ranma Saotome, Crown Prince of Jusoun ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Ranma Saotome, Crown Prince of Jusoun

"Princess, it's time to get up!" Trudy knocked on the door. There was no answer. Puzzled, Trudy entered the room. In all her years of service to the youngest Tendo daughter, she never had to go and physically wake up the princess in her bed. Walking over to the windows, she pulled aside the drapes for all three of them. Sparkling sunlight filtered in, lighting up the magnificence of the room. Trudy turned. Why were the bed drapes open and the bed empty? Had the princess woken up early and gone out? No, impossible. Even the Mediterranean summer heat didn't affect the cold morning weather, and Princess Akane hated the cold.

Trudy turned to the bathroom and found the door closed. Maybe the princess was washing up. Knocking on the door, Trudy called out, "Princess? Are you in there?" There was no sound of running water and there was no answer. Opening the door slightly, Trudy stuck her head in. There was no one inside.

Trudy searched the entire room before concluding that the princess wasn't in there. Perhaps she's with her father or sisters. Shrugging, the maid closed the bedroom door behind her and left to go tend to her other duties.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :

They had been walking nonstop since Ranma had kidnapped her from the palace. Ranma Saotome. Akane shivered. She had heard the name many times in the past few years. He was the prized son of the Saotomes of the Jusoun empire, reputed to be the strongest martial artist around. Who knew that he was the general who killed so many on the battlefield? Stupid Dad. How could he not have known that the person he was bringing home is a serial killer? Akane walked slower to distance herself from Ranma. She still remembered when her father forced the entire court to gather in the throne room so they could see the "important news." Well, the "important news" glared at her father and then turned his eyes, which were a vivid blue, to her and nearly made her heart stop at the hate inside. Now that she knew it was the murderous prince of Jusoun, Akane knew she was treading on dangerous ground. All he had to do was unsheathe that sword of his and kill her.

As if reading her mind, Ranma said, "In case you were wondering, I'm not going to kill you." Ranma could almost hear his old master's words. It'd be a waste to kill such a beautiful piece of ass like that!

Well I'll be nice and give old Happosai a present. Then, I'll use her to apply pressure to that scumbag Tendo.

Akane looked up. "If you're not going to kill me," she said quietly, "then what will you do with me?" Oh God, if he won't kill me, will he take advantage of me? She looked at Ranma's face, trying to detect any sign of what he'd do to her. Surprised, she found nothing. His face was impassive, set like stone. Stone that was carved very meticulously as though the artist was trying to create the most perfect face. The most handsome face.

"That's not your business." He turned to see the sun rising over the horizon. "Now if we hurry, we can make it to Catalina by sunset tonight."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::

Soun sat at the dining table, sipping his morning tea and listening to his consul telling him the daily news. His two daughters, Nabiki and Kasumi were also listening. When the consul finished, bowed and left, Soun asked, "Where's Akane?"

The elder daughters shrugged. Nabiki said, "Who knows where Akane is? Maybe taking a morning stroll on the beach? You know how much she loves the sea. Besides, the sun has risen so it's not cold anymore."

"Trudy says she hasn't seen her all morning," Kasumi said worriedly.

Soun pondered this. "Well maybe --" He stopped as the door flew open and the consul rushed in, nearly tripping over himself as he bowed, "Y-your Majesty, the captive has escaped!"