From: dorianval@aol.com (DorianVal) Stolen Innocence A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Jeremy Harper Disclaimer - All characters in this work are the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and are used without permission. Part 1 "Ranma." Ranma stopped eating for a moment, a wad of ramen hanging from his mouth. He slurped up the noodles, swallowed them with a loud gulp, and set down his bowl and chopsticks. He blinked, once, twice, three times, as a cloud of dizziness swirled in his brain. He looked around the Nekohanten stupidly, his eyes suddenly glazed and dull. "Ranma." Ranma shook his head sharply, eyes still blinking. The dizziness fled, leaving as swiftly as it came, replaced now by painful warmth. Sweat condensed and beaded on his brow, and he could suddenly feel the circulation of his blood, a sluggish flow of molten iron that scalded his veins and arteries. His heart pumped wildly, beating against his ribcage like some wild animal railing against confinement. In his pants Ranma could feel his groin throb and pulse, burning with the heat of an open blast furnace. "Ranma." Ranma forced himself to his feet, pushing up on the table, knocking away his chair. He swallowed hard, trying to relieve his powder-dry throat. He panted, gasping in desperation, his lungs starving for air. Ranma could swear that he could see his breath; moist, hot puffs of smoke tumbling up and away from his mouth. He shut his eyes tightly and bowed his head. He was being consumed, an alien fire from within slowly rendering him down to ash. "Ranma." Ranma's eyes snapped open and his head jerked up. A great groan of pain and longing rumbled from deep within his chest as his vision tunneled and his senses focused on the beautiful young woman sitting across from him, smiling triumphantly. "Ranma make love to Shampoo now." Shampoo stated simply. "What did you do to me, Shampoo?" Ranma rasped out, his voice hoarse and cracking. "Lace ramen with passion spice." Shampoo answered happily. She stood up and started to walk around the table towards Ranma. He snarled at her, took a step back, and slipped, falling down to one knee. He forced himself back up and leaned on the table for support. "Damn it! You promised me! You promised to stop manipulating me," he hissed. Shampoo shrugged, rolling her shoulders with a studied sensuality that made him shiver. "All fair in love and war." Shampoo's eyes were bright, illuminated by smoldering motes of lust and exultation. Her full, soft lips parted, allowing her tongue to dart out and wet them. With languid seductiveness she unbuttoned her blouse; her eyes never wavered from Ranma's trembling form. The blouse fell to the floor, the silk whispering as it revealed her soft, flawless flesh, as white and unblemished as a flawless pearl, and her full breasts, the nipples taut in excitement and anticipation. Arms spread for an embrace; she took a tiny step towards Ranma. "Ranma make love to Shampoo now," she reiterated. "Ranma make Shampoo his one true wife." Ranma shook his head violently in protest, but his drugged body betrayed his will. He lurched forward, reaching out to grab Shampoo, nearly tripping over his feet in his haste. Shampoo shivered at the touch of his burning hands grasping her hips, feeling their heat through the silk of her pants. He dragged her into a rough embrace, his strong arms encircling her waist. Shampoo stared up into her airen's matchless blue eyes and sighed happily, seeing the lust and desire alight in them. But there was pain there too; pain and shame and a great raging anger. But in the euphoria of her triumph and desire Shampoo did not notice. (I've won. I've finally beaten that perverted brat and that idiot spatula girl,) Shampoo thought. She reached up to kiss Ranma... And felt the breath rush out of her body and her spine explode in agony, as Ranma's embrace became a crushing bear hug. "Airen!" she gasped out in protest. Fighting instincts taking over, she struck him across the face with a palm strike, but Ranma did not relinquish the hold. Spitting blood, snarling ferally, Ranma popped his hips, lifting Shampoo high into the air and slamming her down through the table. He rode down with her, crushing her against the unyielding floor with his weight. Shampoo managed a short shriek before blackness rushed to take her. For a moment Ranma lay still, relishing the feel of Shampoo's soft body beneath him. Then with a snarl he pushed himself to his feet, leaping off of her as if she were something vile and unclean. He looked down at the limp form lying amongst the ruins of the table. Shampoo moaned softly, her head rolling to one side. Ranma shuddered; even while unconscious she exuded an exotic sensuality. His body quaked in a fit of primal, animalistic lust, his breath hissing sharply through grinding teeth as modern morals battled reawakened atavistic instincts. Oh gods, how he wanted her, how he wanted to shed his clothes and fall on top of her and take her and to Hell with the consequences. "NO!" Ranma tore his gaze from Shampoo, locking it to the ceiling. He squeezed his eyes shut as he reined in his drug-induced emotions, calling upon every ounce of his spiritual and emotional strength. "No," Ranma repeated, whispering hoarsely. "Not against my will, and not with her." With a sob of pain he turned and staggered out of the Nekohanten. How long he reeled drunkenly through the streets of Nerima, Ranma could not guess. Time had stopped for him, as he struggled with the passion spice rushing though his veins. To prevent him from throwing himself at the first woman he stumbled across he called upon every trick of meditation he knew to render himself insensate, walling his senses behind a redoubt of will. Blind, deaf, dumb, anosmatic, numb, he staggered onwards, his body guided by instinct alone. Finally he grounded to a halt. Falling to his knees, he relaxed slightly, allowing himself to discern his surroundings. Ranma found himself in a wooded grove, surrounded by trees, birds twittering away blissfully in the branches. He recognized the place as Nerima Park, with this grove somewhat secluded from the main paths. Sighing in relief Ranma crawled to the foot of the closest tree and collapsed. He curled into a ball, mustering his reserves, determined to stay here until the passion spice had run its course. (Damn you, Shampoo,) he raged silently as he felt the spice burn in his blood. (You promised me! After you bombed the wedding I made you swear on your honor that you'd stop trying to manipulate me. You damn purple-haired bitch, at least this shows me how little you care for honor. 'All fair in love and war,' you say. I wouldn't touch you now if you were the last woman on Earth. Kami help you the next time I see you. Why is it that you just see me as a piece a meat, as some prize to be won in some stupid contest, with no consideration for what or how I feel? And Ukyo ain't much better. That's why I made the two of you swear that promise to stop interfering in my life. I didn't want to, but you gave me no choice. All I ever wanted was to be your friend. Why couldn't you ever see that!) Ranma shuddered hard. (Oh gods this hurts! I feel like I'm dying. Damn you Shampoo! Damn you for doing this to me. And damn me to hell for being stupid enough to ever trust you. Stupid fool! You're no better than the Old Man, letting your belly do your thinking for you.) He groaned as a fresh wave of lust flamed through him. (Someone, anyone, please take this away from me! Please...) "Ranma?" Ranma blinked, and then froze. He had been so caught up in his anger and pain and self-loathing that he hadn't noticed anyone come by. The person was behind him, standing at the outskirt of the grove. "Who's there?" he questioned querulously, not daring to roll over. "Ranma, what's wrong?" (Oh no... Akane...) "Are you all right?" Concerned and worried Akane started towards her trembling fiancé. "No... I'm not," Ranma answered. "I am... most definitely not... all right..." Ranma started to quake more violently then ever before as his lust ignited with fresh vigor, burning as hot as a nuclear flame. His raging senses breached the walls of his will and focused on Akane with a crystalline clarity he never before enjoyed. He could hear her soft footfalls on the sward; smell her scent as it wafted to him on a gentle breeze: Honey and peaches, headier to him than any wine on Earth. He could almost taste it on the air he breathed. Part of him wondered if her lips tasted like that; if her skin tasted like that; if her... sex... tasted... like that.... (No!) He thought desperately. (Not like this! Not against my will!) Akane was getting closer, and he knew if he saw her he would all control. "Akane, please stay back. Please..." "What's wrong with you?" Akane asked, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice in spite of her concern. "I saw you stagger into here like you had just been on the losing end of a fight, find you lying on the ground, shaking, and you expect me to stay back? If you're hurt let me help you!" "I'm not hurt. Not in the way you think. (Kami give me strength!) "Shampoo... She poisoned me." "Poisoned you? What do you mean by that? Why would she do such a thing?" "It... it's not that kind of poison. She called it passion spice. It makes you... want... any person of the opposite sex you see. She put it in the ramen she gave me, and like the fool I am, I ate it." Akane blinked, surprised and a little frightened by the self-contempt evident in Ranma's voice, and by what his answer insinuated. "Ranma, did you... Did you..." she could not bring herself to finish the question. "No. But I wanted to. Oh gods, I wanted her so bad," Ranma tightened his grip around his knees, crushing them together painfully. "But I was angry too. She promised me she wouldn't pull this garbage anymore, and she goes and breaks her word. I... I knocked her out." "You actually -hit- her?" "I threw her through a table," Ranma answered through gritted teeth, ashamed of his actions. "After that I got out of the Nekohanten as quick as I could. Somehow I ended up here. Not sure how. I planned on laying low until the spice wore off." Ranma swallowed, then continued in a strained voice. "You better get out of here now, Akane." "What? But I can't leave you alone like this! What if one of the other girls comes across you?" "I... I won't do anything with them. I'll run, as fast as I can. I swear to you Akane, on my honor as a martial artist." Akane shook her head. "Ranma, you can't guarantee that, not while that Chinese hussy's potion is still in you. Besides, look at the pain you're in! Let me take you to Dr Tofu; maybe he can do something to help you." Akane again started towards Ranma. "Akane, NO!" She stopped, checked by the violence in Ranma's protest. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, back still towards her. He took a deep, trembling breath to steady himself. "I'm in pain because you're here with me." Akane scowled. "What do you mean by -that-?" "What I -mean- is that I'm in pain because I'm forcing myself not to jump on you!" Ranma shut his eyes tight, holding back tears of frustration, longing, and fear. "-Please- Akane, for once listen to me and do what I ask. I... I think I could resist any of the other girls, despite being under the spice's effect, but I don't think I can hold out much longer with you here. I don't want to do something that I'll always regret and make you hate me forever. I care for you too much..." "Ranma?" "I care for you too much to have our first time happen because of some damn drug! Please Akane, go away before I lose control." Akane fell back a step, hand covering her mouth. "You care for me?" she ventured hesitantly. "You... want me?" Ranma nodded, and started to tremble with greater violence. "Yeah, I do. I... care for you. Care for you a lot. I want you, and not because of the damn spice. But I don't want our first time to be because of the spice." Ranma curled up tight against his legs as a groan escaped his mouth. "Akane, go... please. I don't want to... hurt you. Please..." A moment of silence passed. "O...okay Ranma. I'll leave now." Akane said timidly. She turned to go. "I'll come back in a few hours to check on you. Is that all right?" Ranma nodded. "Thank you, Akane." Her footfalls receded in the distance, her scent faded from the air. Ranma fell on his side, muscles so tense that they were like stone. He gasped out a soft sob of relief. -She wants you, - whispered the lust within him. -She wants you as much as you want her. Go after her. Take her. Make her your own. - "No," Ranma whispered. "Not against my will. I will not be forced." With that he closed his eyes and entombed himself in darkness. Akane slowly threaded her way through the trees, all the while thinking about what Ranma had said to her. She turned those words over and over again in her mind, savoring them, stunned by their implications, almost frightened by them. -I care for you. Care for you a lot. - -I want you. - -I don't want our first time to be because I forced myself on you because of some damn drug! - Walking out of the copse, Akane sat down on a nearby park bench, resting her chin in her hands. Her face was very pale, her brown eyes wide open, and possessing a far away look. (He cares about me,) she thought. (He finally admitted that he cares. Even after all we've been through I never thought I would ever hear him say that. I always believed he did, but now I know for certain. I just wish it hadn't taken one of Shampoo's stupid Chinese potions to make him say it.) Akane sighed. (And he wants me too. I can't be as uncute as he's always saying if he wants me.) Akane frowned, and covered her eyes with her hands. (Kami! He was in such pain! I've never seen him like that before. And he's doing it for me, because he's afraid that I would hate him if he tried to...) She lifted face from her hands, blinking away the tears she felt starting to well up. "But I wouldn't. I don't think I could hate him, no matter what he did," she murmured to herself. "I yell at him, and I hit him. He makes me so mad sometimes that I can't even think straight, but I would never hate him. I care too much for him. He's my best friend, and more..." Akane stood up and looked over to the copse of trees, a determined gleam lighting in her eyes. (He's in pain, suffering because of me. He's always trying to help me when I'm in trouble, even when I don't need it. He's even killed for me...) Images of Saffron being torn apart by Ranma's anger-fueled chi blasts flashed through her imagination. (I can make his pain stop. I owe it to him. Besides, we're engaged. Engaged couples can do whatever they want with each other. And he cares for me.) -He cares for you, - a voice whispered in the back of her mind. -But that is not the same as loving you. What will you do if he does not love you? - "It doesn't matter," she whispered back. "I... we care for each other. That will be enough." Once again, time lost all meaning for Ranma. A minute, an hour, a day, it would all feel the same to him in his self-imposed fortress of will and meditation. In it nothing mattered and nothing existed save for an unclean fire and his efforts to extinguish it. (Let this end soon. Please...) A soft hand gently touched his shoulder; his mind did not register it, but his body did. The hand caressed his arm, and under its ministrations Ranma slowly uncurled and relaxed, bunched muscles falling into repose. He was carefully rolled onto his back, and someone straddled his hips. The veil of darkness lifted from his brain as he became aware. Ranma opened his eyes, blinking to bring the blur above him into focus. His vision cleared, and there was Akane looking down at him, a coy, shy smile playing on her lips. Ranma gasped in fear, feeling the passion spice roar back to life, as strong and hot as ever. He tried to scramble out from underneath her but Akane brought down her hands onto his shoulders and pinned him. He struggled for an instant, and then gave up. He felt so tired. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this weary. His bones were leaden, his muscles and tendons, wet string. Ranma looked up pleadingly into Akane's warm brown eyes. "Akane..." "Shhh..." Akane put a finger to his lips. "It's all right Ranma." She tilted her head to one side, considering him briefly, then lowered her face to his and kissed him. Ranma moaned into her soft lips, the spice and his own too long repressed feelings shattering his defenses. His arms slipped around her shoulders unbidden, and he pressed her strong, supple body tightly against himself. He started to cry, the tears falling unchecked from his eyes, but he did not care; the events of this day were just too much for his over-stressed emotions. Akane broke the kiss, pulling away slightly. She brushed away Ranma's tears, and felt tears of her own begin to well up in response. It hurt her to her core to see the intense pain and shame staining his deep blue eyes. "Its okay," she whispered. "I don't mind." She began to unbutton his shirt. "Akane..." "I know." She slipped her hand into the half-open shirt and pressed it against his chest. She could not help but shiver at the feel of it, the hard contours and the accumulated scars earned from a lifetime of constant training and fighting exciting her. "I won't lie to you, I really don't want it this way either. But you're in pain, and I care for you too much to let you suffer. Especially when I have a way to make it stop. Did you mean what you said a little while ago? Do you... care for me?" Ranma nodded, not trusting his voice. "And I care for you too. I care for you very, very much. And that's all that truly matters, in the end, ne Ranma?" Ranma nodded again, and pulled Akane down. He kissed her, hesitantly at first, then with greater passion as he let himself go. And together they made his pain go away... Notes and Acknowledgments Akane misremembering how Saffron was defeated was deliberate on my part. In her dehydrated state, I figured she was not aware of her surroundings, and heard about the fight from second and third hand sources. Thus 'imagined' instead of 'recalled' or 'remembered'. I would like to thank Lord Archive, for his valuable pre-reading and advice, and for providing the initial story seed (go to his web page and check out Loss of Innocence, the inspiration for this story), and my good friend Joe McGlone, otaku supreme, for his encouragement and support. This is my first completed work of fan fiction, and I'd like to hear what you thought. Send all comments and criticism to DorianVal@aol.com. Don't bother with flames, please; if you have nothing constructive to tell me, don't write me. Thanks for your time and tolerance. Jeremy Harper From: dorianval@aol.com (DorianVal) Stolen Innocence Part 2 A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction By Jeremy Harper Disclaimer - All characters in this work are the creation of Rumiko Takahashi and are used without permission. "Here Shampoo, drink this. It will help you with the pain and clear your mind." "Thank you, Great-Grandmother." Shampoo winced a little as she sat up to accept the cup. Cologne's shiatsu had relieved much of her discomfort, but little knots of pain still lined her spine, quiescent, but not gone. (I never realized how strong Airen really is,) she thought as she sipped the bitter medicinal tea. She shivered a little, partly from her pain, partly from the taste of the tea, but mostly because of the wash of fear playing across her body; fear tinctured with lust. Cologne watched her great-granddaughter drink, and then turned to look out the bedroom window. The sky bruised and darkened as twilight approached. From the kitchen below issued forth a constant cacophony of outraged quacks, which both grandmother and granddaughter ignored with practiced stoicism. "Mousse is quite upset," Cologne murmured at last. "I'm surprised at the difficulty he gave me before I finally subdued him." Shampoo nodded slightly, not looking at Cologne. The matriarch turned her attention to her great-granddaughter. "What happened, Shampoo? Who did this to you?" Shampoo blanched, and looked down into the dregs of her teacup. "Ranma," she whispered at last. "Son-in-law?" Cologne said incredulously. "Why on Earth would son-in-law attack you like that?" "Airen... still very upset about wedding. Ranma... Ranma come by, say Shampoo need to be taught lesson, know her place." Shampoo continued to stare into the cup, unable to look at her great-grandmother. Her face was flushed, and her shoulders trembled slightly. "Ranma... hurt Shampoo." Cologne considered Shampoo silently for a minute, looking at her through slitted eyes as she drained her cup, and put it aside. Finally Cologne sighed and shook her head. "There is an old saying, Shampoo: past conduct is a guide to future behavior. Son-in-law has many qualities, both good and bad, and one of his less fortunate traits is that he is a chauvinist; he will not strike a woman unless provoked beyond all reason." Cologne leaned close to Shampoo, eyes burning, face set into a stern mask. "It is unbecoming to lie, great-granddaughter. It is unworthy of you and your lineage, and I find it insulting. I thought I raised you better than that." Shampoo flinched at Cologne's chastisement, and started to cry silently. Cologne settled back on her stool, holding her staff close. "Now this time, tell me the truth. Why did Ranma attack you?" Shampoo took a shaky breath to help compose her and wiped at her eyes futilely with the back of her hand. "Shampoo invite Ranma over to Nekohanten for lunch today. Ranma accept, first time since the wedding." Shampoo shook her head sadly. "Shampoo make Ranma special bowl of ramen. Airen... did not like." "What was so special about this bowl of ramen, Shampoo?" Cologne asked, already knowing the answer to her question, but praying in her mind that she was wrong. "Shampoo lace ramen with spice from great-grandmother's special cabinet," whispered Shampoo. "Passion spice." Cologne closed her eyes and bowed her head. Shampoo turned her head so she faced the near wall, still unable to look directly at her great-grandmother. After a long, silent minute, Cologne opened her eyes, a resigned sigh escaping her lips. "You should not have meddled with my cabinet Shampoo. There are things in there that can be quite dangerous to one not yet initiated fully into the secrets of our tribe's herb lore. Nor should you have resorted to such a... drastic... action. Have I not told you time and again that such heavy-handed methods would only work against you? Son-in-law is much like his namesake; he is wild and fey, and must be wooed gently. Yet you insisted on using shortcuts that only succeeded in estranging him from you." "But great-grandmother, Shampoo had no choice! Shampoo was losing airen. Losing airen to Violent, Perverted Kitchen Wrecker!" Sobs now accompanied Shampoo's tears, wracking her body as they tore free from her painfully and reluctantly. "Why, Great-grandmother? Why airen want Akane over Shampoo? Shampoo prettier than Akane. Shampoo smarter than Akane. Shampoo stronger, better warrior, treats Ranma better! Why he not love me?" Cologne embraced Shampoo, stroking her hair and rocking her gently until her weeping subsided. "There, there, Great-granddaughter, calm yourself. I do not want you to make yourself sick." She released Shampoo, and settled back onto her stool. "As for your question, I can not answer it. I am over three hundred years old, my child, and in my long life I have learned much and seen much. But even with all my age and experience, I can not even begin to divine how the heart works, nor would I ever claim to know." She hopped off the stool and made her way to the door. "Sleep, Shampoo. It will aid your healing and clear your mind. I shall go look for Son-in-law, and see if I can salvage something from this fiasco." Shampoo nodded, and settled down into her bed. Once in the kitchen Cologne opened her spice cabinet and gathered together the ingredients for a mild sleeping draught. She ignored the myopic duck quacking and cursing in his cage. Once finished she poured the draught into a cup and set it on a small tray. She then hopped over to the cage, looking at the still-raging duck with little kindness. "Compose yourself, Mousse!" she said at last. "Keep a civil tongue in your beak, or else you will be the special for tomorrow night's dinner rush." The threat achieved its desired goal, and Cologne opened the cage and pointed at a pile of white clothes in the center of the kitchen. The subdued duck waddled over to the clothes, and Cologne poured hot water over him. "How is Shampoo doing?" Mousse asked as he hastily dressed. "As well as can be expected." Mousse straightened his robe and donned his glasses. He blinked owlishly as his eyes strained under the powerful lenses, trying to focus on the matriarch. "Who did this to Shampoo? I'll make him pay for hurting her like this!" "If you must know, it was, of all people, Son-in-law." "Saotome? That cur! I'll hunt him down and kill him for this! I'll..." "You'll do nothing of the sort!" snapped Cologne. "But that bastard hurt my- urk!" Mousse cut his tirade short as the point of Cologne's staff lashed out and halted a millimeter away from his throat. Mousse swallowed, hard, as a cold trickle of sweat crawled down his back. "You will do nothing to Son-in-law," stated Cologne. She tilted her head slightly and gave Mousse an almost sly look. "If anything, you may want to thank him; Shampoo drugged him, and if he had not reacted the way he did they would now be wife and husband in the eyes of the tribe." She drew back her staff and watched with some amusement as the young man grappled with this paradoxical concept: Thank Ranma, for hurting Shampoo? The thought rendered him speechless and almost insensate. Cologne rapped him on the head to bring him back to reality. "Now that this is settled, I want you to take this sleeping draught to Shampoo. Once she drinks it you are to leave her alone. She needs to rest. Now I must go find Son-in-law, and prevent him from doing something he will regret." She pogoed to the door then turned and looked back at Mousse. "Remember, you leave Shampoo alone. If she tells me that you pressed your attentions I will be... unhappy... with you." Mousse gulped and nodded vigorously in acknowledgement. Cologne gave him a brief, chill smile, then left. (Son-in-law,) she thought as she bounded through the streets, reaching out with her senses, searching for Ranma's unique, formidable presence. (Every time I think I've seen the limit of your ability, you surprise me yet again. You are the first one to resist the effects of the passion spice in almost a thousand years. By all rights, you should belong to Shampoo now, yet you remain free.) Her eyes narrowed in pain as she thought of her Great-granddaughter's plight. (Ahh Shampoo, my poor grandchild! What a dilemma you've put yourself into this time. If only you could have seen the truth of this matter. He was never to be yours. The Tendo girl owned his heart completely. I knew that the day he defeated me with the Cat-fist, when she managed to calm him down. Oh, I won't lie; I had hoped that her jealousy and childish temper would have chased him away, so you could have had a chance. His power is immense, and he would have made an excellent addition to the tribe. But it is not to be. Your foolish actions over the past year assured that. You only managed to make him resent you, nothing more. And what you did today was the proverbial final straw.) Cologne's shoulders sagged, her worries for her kin and her protégé weighing down upon her. (Much of the blame falls on me. I should have done more to discourage Shampoo, to disway her from chasing Ranma. I doubt she would have listened - the young believe what they want to - but at least I should have tried.) Cologne forcibly shook herself out of her gloom. (Enough. I must find Ranma, before he commits some act that we will all rue. Let us see what fate has cast our way. Perhaps, for once, it will be kind.) Finally catching a trace of Ranma's trail, Cologne increased her gait. In the midst of the quiet glade Akane shifted, settling into a more comfortable position as she lay in Ranma's arms. For a moment she worried a little about the consequences of someone finding them, but pushed the thought aside. For now, she wanted to enjoy the silence and solitude. The outside world could wait. She rolled onto her side and threw an arm around Ranma's shoulders, gazing at his face, peaceful and unguarded as he slept, and his chest, observing its gentle rise and fall as he breathed. She snuggled up closer to him, and felt his arms tighten around her instinctively, and found herself tightening her own embrace in response. (I like this,) she thought, and felt a twinge of guilt. She believed it to be more than a little perverted to think such a thing, but she couldn't help it. She had liked what they had done, despite the forced necessity of it, and she liked being with him now: just Ranma and herself, with no one else around to bother or harass them, or to goad them deliberately or unwittingly into arguing and fighting with each other. She thrust those thoughts aside, just as she had thrust aside her worries of their being discovered. They didn't matter, and ultimately, she did not care. All that mattered was that they were alone, and that they cared for each other. As she had said to herself before: that was enough. She nuzzled at the base of his throat, while her hands started to caress his back and play with his pigtail. Ranma began to stir, shaking his head as his eyes shuttered, murmuring something unintelligible. Akane pulled away a bit and laid a hand on Ranma's cheek. His eyes opened, and he awoke to the sight of Akane's gently smiling face. "Hello there," she whispered. "Welcome back." Ranma flinched as if struck. He dropped his eyes away from Akane, and shied out of her embrace. "Ranma?" Akane felt a stab of pain in her heart as fear and doubt assailed her. Even though she knew on an intellectual level why Ranma was reacting this way, it still hurt. "Akane... Oh kami, Akane, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! You should not of had to do that. I... I..." "Shhh." As before, Akane gently cut him off by placing a finger to his lips. "Shhh Ranma. It's all right. You didn't force me. No one forced me. It was my decision, my own choice." "But it's my fault. I should never have trusted Shampoo! If I hadn't accepted her invitation and ate that lunch she made me you wouldn't had to... I'm sorry! Stupid, stupid fool! I..." "Ranma!" Akane snapped, and he flinched again. He looked as if he was about to leap to his feet and flee. Akane took a deep breath, attempting to calm her frayed nerves, and touched him on the shoulder. Fear, not anger, had harshened her voice, for never before had she seen Ranma act this way: frightened, contrite, full of self-loathing and self-contempt. Frankly, it scared her; scared her into thinking that Ranma, overwhelmed by his feelings of guilt, would run away, forever believing that he did a terrible wrong to her, and that she hated him. "This isn't your fault," Akane whispered to him softly. "The only person who is to blame for this is Shampoo. She's the one who drugged you, who tried to force you into doing something you didn't want to do. She's the one at fault, not you." Ranma blinked, his pained, anguished expression becoming one of awe and wonderment. Akane felt herself becoming uncomfortable, and started to fidget underneath his stare. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "All the time I've known you, almost every time something happens, you've said it was my fault." Ranma whispered in wonder. "Usually you're one of the first to blame me if something bad happens, even if I had nothing to do with it. But now, after what I did to you, you aren't blaming me? " Akane felt herself flush, pangs of guilt coursing through her. "Well, this isn't your fault. I... I can't really blame you for this. Shampoo's the one who drugged you, and I'm the one who..." She trailed off, unable to finish. She could feel the heat of embarrassment radiate from her body, her face changing from faint pink to a deep, rich red as her flush spread down across her neck to the top of her chest. "You've done so much for me, Ranma. You've fought for me; tried to help me whenever you thought I needed it. You tease me a lot, almost to the point of insanity, but I know you care for me. That's why I did it Ranma. Not because you or anyone else forced me, but because you care for me, and I... care for you too." Ranma stayed silent as Akane bowed her head, unable to continue to look at him. He seemed somewhat mazed, and a little sad, but much of the guilt and shame had disappeared. "I care for you too, Akane. But I'm still sorry." "Don't be," answered Akane, looking up. "I can't help it." Akane simply sighed, and hugged Ranma, resting her head against his chest. He stiffened, as he always did when she showed such affection, then, for the first time ever, relaxed, sighing as he returned the embrace. Akane absently played with his pigtail while listening to the strong rhythm of his heart, while Ranma gently caressed her back, resting his chin on her soft, silken hair. They lay like this for a few minutes, giving each other what healing and comfort they could, enjoying the feel of their bodies touching. Then Akane broke their reverie. "You said something about Shampoo making you a promise. What did she promise you, Ranma, and when?" A soft angry hiss passed through Ranma's teeth. He pulled Akane into an even tighter hug, and moved his hand from her back to her head, running his fingers through her hair as he whispered into her ear. "It was after the wedding. I was PISSED about that, Akane; a lot more pissed at Shampoo and Ukyo and Kodachi then I let anyone ever know. I have a confession to make, something I'm a bit ashamed of. I sorta liked all the chaos and mayhem in our lives. It made things interesting, and it helped keep the old men off our backs. But as time went on, it became less fun. I mean, bad enough our families forcibly engaged us, but what gave everyone else the right to try to make us do things we don't want to? With no consideration for how we felt or what we wanted? "What happened at the wedding was the final straw. You nearly died twice at Junsendo because of that bastard Saffron, damn him to hell. So when Ukyo and Shampoo threw those bombs at you, when Kuno-sanpin came at me with a steel katana, well... I finally decided enough was enough. No more of letting people treat us like we were toys or possessions. "You know how Shampoo and Ukyo spent the next few weeks avoiding us? They had good reason to. But they figured that at least - I - would calm down after a while." Ranma chuckled grimly. "They were wrong." "Shampoo was the one who approached me first. It was maybe two weeks ago, if I remember right. You had to stay after school for some project, so I was walking home alone. She came barreling right at me on her bike, piping out 'Nihao Ranma' as she always does, as if what she did at the wedding never happened." Ranma's lips curled into a nasty sneer. "She was VERY surprised when she didn't land on me, like she usually does. I sidestepped for once, and she bounced hard. Flipped right over the damn handlebars and landed on her tight little ass. She got up, dusted herself off, and looked at me as if I'd grown another head or something. Asked me why I did that, totally innocent-like, as if she never done a damn thing to deserve it. I snapped then, and laid right into her. I was... less than gentle. I told her exactly what I thought of her and what she did. I called Shampoo every vile name I could think of, and that there was no way in hell that I'd ever marry her. Told her where she could stick that damn three thousand years of Amazon tradition that the old ghoul is always harping about, and that if she ever tried to hurt my family or friends I'd consider her a blood-enemy, and treat her the way I treated Saffron..." Ranma sighed, closing his eyes as the unpleasant memory. "She was bawling her eyes out by the time I was done. I don't think I ever seen someone cry like that before, and I felt guilty and low and sick to my stomach for making her that way, but I knew it had to be done. If I hadn't told her off she'd keep right on acting like she had for the past year, and the anger I'd been feeling would start festering in me, like a cut if you don't clean it, and that one day it burst out of me and I'd do something to someone who didn't deserve it." Ranma sighed again. "I turned to head home when Shampoo grabbed me around the knees and started pleading with me. She begged for another chance, saying that she was sorry, she'd never do it again and would try to make it up to me. And, stupid me, I gave it to her. "I don't like hating people, Akane. And I... used to sorta like Shampoo, just as a friend. She could be nice to be around when she wasn't glomping me or trying to get me to take her on a date or trying to get into my pants." "But you don't feel that way anymore?" asked Akane. "No, I don't." Ranma answered, voice winter-cold. He sighed, and continued on wearily. "Anyway, I was feeling so damn guilty now that I couldn't bear leaving her in that state, so I said that I'd give her another chance, but on my terms. I told her that she had to stop manipulating me, and to accept my decision about whom I was going to marry when I finally got around to it. If she ever pulled any of the same crap again, it would be over, but if she behaved herself, I was willing to start from scratch and be her friend. Shampoo agreed. She wiped her eyes, said 'see you later, friend', and rode off. "I stood there on the sidewalk for a few minutes, thinking about what had just happened, what I just said. Then I figured while I was at it, I might as well go tell Ukyo what the deal was, while I still had the courage. So I did. Things went just about the same, save I went a lot easier on her, and she didn't cry as hard. But she got the same message: either cut the garbage or else. And she agreed, too. We were to be friends again, nothing more. Then I went home. Didn't bother to go see Kodachi. She wouldn't have listened, and I don't want her as a friend anyway." "You didn't bother to see me, either." "You didn't throw bombs at the wedding. Besides..." Ranma trailed off. "Besides what, Ranma?" "Never mind," he muttered. "So today, Shampoo came by to see me. You were talking to your friends, and I was goofing off somewhere, doing some balance training or something. She didn't land on me with her bicycle or glomp me, or anything like that. She just came up to me and asked me how I was doing. We started talking for the next few minutes, just about what was going on around the neighborhood and such, and it was pretty nice. Then she asked me if I would like to have a bite at the Nekohanten, her treat. I hesitated a bit, then figured, 'what the hell, she's my friend, nothing more'. And anyway, I was hungry." Ranma laughed bitterly. "I'm no better than my old man, Akane. Always thinking with my damn stomach." He sighed one last time, looking sadly into Akane's eyes. "The rest you know." "Yes, I do." Akane murmured in agreement as she rested her forehead against Ranma's chest. She stayed like that for a minute, mulling over what he had told her while enjoying the play of his fingers through her hair. Finally she drew back, giving him a rueful smile, and took a glance up to the sky. "It's getting late, Ranma. We better get going before our families start to wonder about us." Ranma nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He let go of her and reluctantly slipped out of her embrace, kipping up to his feet. Akane stretched, relieving her tired back, then accepted Ranma's offered hand and used it to pull her self up. They were partially clothed, but what they wore was quite disheveled. Ranma scooped up his pants, boxers, and tai-chi shoes, while Akane gathered up the panties and sneakers she had kicked off, and they started to dress and straighten up. Ranma strained to concentrate on his making sure everything was put on the right way, keeping his eyes down, while Akane couldn't help but glance in Ranma's direction every once in a while; partly because of the thrill she felt when she looked at him, a side of her that she hadn't been aware of until now reveling in the fact that she had been his first lover, and that no one could take that away. Yet she also feared that his guilt would rise up again, and he would disappear if she did not keep an eye on him. Ranma finished, giving his shirt a little tug to straighten it, then turned to look at Akane as she smoothed her skirt and slipped into her sneakers. "Akane?" "Yes Ranma?" "I... just wanna tell you something, before we go." His gaze faltered, and he looked down at the sward. "You're... beautiful. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, especially if its a fool like me." "Ranma..." Akane gasped, startled by the compliment. Ranma glanced upwards, trying not to show his eyes, but she managed to catch a glimpse of them, and saw how they glistened. "You're right Akane, it is getting late. Let's get going." Ranma thrust his hands into his pockets, turned on his heel and walked away. Akane watched him for a moment, her throat tight with emotion as boundless affection, along with another feeling, one which, in spite of everything that had happened, she was not yet ready to openly acknowledge, sang in her heart and her mind. She shook her head and hurried after him. Walking side-by-side, they made their way out of the copse and onto the paved path, and started towards home. Ranma still couldn't look at Akane, keeping his eyes firmly focused on the pavement. Akane gave him sidelong glances; worry clouding her brow as she bit her lip. Hesitantly, she reached out and took hold of his wrist. Ranma started, and finally looked up at her. Her smile was shy and gentle as she pulled his hand out of its pocket and twined her fingers through his. Ranma returned her smile, his eyes losing the guilty cast they had re-acquired, becoming warm and thankful. He pulled Akane gently towards himself, and she willingly leaned against him. >From her hiding place amongst the tree boughs Cologne watched Akane and Ranma leave the park. Once gone from her line of sight, she hopped down, continuing to stare after them. She tapped the butt of her staff against the ground and thought frantically and furiously, the frown creasing her face making her seem even older. Finally she closed her eyes, her sigh a dry, tired whisper. "It is over. My poor great-granddaughter." She turned and slowly walked away in the opposite direction, the burden of the news that would break her pride and joy's heart almost too much to bear. Notes and Acknowledgements Sanpin, roughly translated, means samurai trash. In Ranma's eyes, it's probably a fitting description of Kuno. I would like to thank Lord Archive once again for his valuable pre-reading, and my friend Joe McGlone, otaku supreme, for his interest and support, and for lending me the initial tapes that introduced me to Ranma 1/2. If you have any comments and questions, please write to me at DorianVal@aol.com. Flames will be ignored; if you have nothing polite or constructive to say don't bother writing me. Thank you for your time and tolerance. Jeremy Harper