The Black Serpent

It was sprung on them unexpectedly. All in the Tendo house were going on a training trip, with some uninvited guests. The entire Gang was going on this trip into the high mountains west of Hokkaido. "Come on everyone!" Soun yelled down the hill, "You're missing all the fun!" Genma added.

"Yeah…fun." Ranma grumbled as he hiked up the hill, the others following.

"How can those two rotten old men have so much energy?" Nabiki asked aloud.

"I too wonder how such feeble old men can harness such strength." Kuno added in his stupidly poetic way as they hiked further into the mountains. "Shampoo so tired and thirsty." Shampoo complained and she trudged along with the others. "Oh, here shampoo, have some water." Mousse offered handing her his canteen with a smile. "Thank you Mousse." She smiled. Kasumi and Dr. Tofu were walking behind them. "It's so wonderful that you came with us Dr. Tofu." Kasumi said and smiled at him in her own sweet way. "Well thank you for inviting me Kasumi." He said as he smiled back, laughing nervously as his glasses fogged up as always.

Ukyo and Ryoga brought up the rear in silence as they both glared at the two in the front. 'Damn that Ranma, getting to help Akane like that.' He thought as he watched Ranma take Akane's hand as he helped her up a steep hill.

'Damn that Akane, getting to have Ranma help her.' Ukyo thought as she watched her smile at Ranma and walk up the hill behind him. They both huffed and continued to walk with the others up the hill.

a while later

The sun beat down on the large group of martial artists as they kept going up the hill.

"God…what I would give to be drenched right now." Ranma said "even if that meant if you turned into a girl in front of Kuno?" Akane asked with a giggle.

Ranma shuddered as haunting memories of Kuno chasing him in his girl form. "Don't say that." He said and shook his head to try and shake the thoughts from his mind. He continued to walk up the hill till he reached the top and looked out onto a valley. It was a beautiful site that caused all of them to gape and the best site was a lake and a beach. "Who's up for some swimming?" Nabiki yelled and ran down the hill "Yeah!" the others laughed and ran after her.

They found a shady spot an opening of tree's to set up camp, the boys set up the tents, made a fire pit while Genma and Soun went fishing.

The girls went to gather fire wood, "Akane, don't go off too far." Kasumi called to her youngest sister.

"O.k." She called back as she kept walking a bit farther and kept collecting fire wood. She kept walking till she noticed that the shadows of the trees, the lush, green grass and the sounds of the wildlife all abruptly stopped. She looked up to see a large clearing of dry, prickly yellow grass, dead plants here and there with one dead tree in front of an even larger cave sitting in the middle of the clearing.

"Wow." She simply stated as she looked into the gaping mouth of the cave. As she stared at the cave, an unnatural wind seemed to be pushing her towards the cave.

Akane…Akane…

A voice started to call her name as she started to move towards the cave.

Akane…Akane…

The voice got louder inside her head and her eyes went dull and lifeless.

Akane…Akane…

"Akane." Kasumi's hand touched her shoulder and Akane gasped as her eyes came back to life.

"You alright? You seem pale." Kasumi placed her free hand on Akane's forehead. "I'm fine Kasumi, just spacing out." Akane said and brushed her hand away.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, let's head back to camp now, ok?" Akane asked, Kasumi nodded and lead her back to the group of girls that were waiting for them.

Back At Camp

Back at the camp, everyone was getting ready for a nice and cooling swim, "are you sure you want to do this Ranma? I mean what if you turn into a girl?"

Akane asked as Ranma started to walk into the water. "Look if it makes you feel better I'll stay as water that's waist deep, ok?" he looked over to her as she walked along beside him.

"Ok, if you say so." She said and smiled. Ranma smiled, "That a girl, now let's go swimmin'." He laughed and led her a bit further in the water.

Akane followed a bit further behind him. Her fear of water was not yet over, but she was comfortable with only going waist high.

Mousse and Shampoo sat on shore basking in the sun with Ukyo, Nabiki, Kuno, Soun and now a sulking panda Genma. "I told you not to get so excited, not only did you get wet but you lost the fish." Soun said with a smirk as Genma held up a sign that said 'Shut up!' The panda glared and hit Soun over the head with the sign.

Ryoga was helping Kasumi and Dr. Tofu cook that afternoon's meal. "Wow, it smells great Miss Kasumi." Ryoga said and smiled. "It sure does." Said Dr. Tofu and the three of them shared tea while the waited to for the meal to finish.

But like usual in the lives of the Tendos and Saotomes, something or someone had to come to mess things up.

"Akane!"

Came the shrill cry of Happosia and he was bouncing around on the shore till he found a mini life raft and swam out to Akane and Ranma. He jumped off the life raft and lunged at Akane, but Ranma swung his fist into the old mans head, knocking him into the water. "You sick old freak, I thought I told you never touch Akane." Ranma said with a glare and a clench fist.

"Ranma, you're so cruel, beating on an innocent and defenseless old man like me, it's not fair." The old man began to bawl in his own fitful way as he always did.

"Yeah right, innocent and defenseless," Ranma mumbled, "Who the heck invited you anyway?" Ranma turned his gaze to the shore at Soun and his father, both shaking their heads furiously.

"Well, I saw you all packing up and thought you forgot to ask me, so I followed." He said and laughed; "Besides I can't let all these beautiful girls be alone with the likes of you."

Ranma glared, "Why you little…" and he grabbed the old man, threw his arm back and threw the old man towards land.

"I'll get you Ranma!" were his last words to the group as he flew away from the lake to land somewhere far in the forest. "There that should give us some piece and quite for awhile." Ranma said and beamed with pride. All the others cheered and laughed, glad that the old letch was gone and went back to there relaxing and fun.

For hours they played, talk and backed in the sun, enjoying the time they were having. Akane sat in front of the fire and gazed into the flames as she thought of that cave back in the clearing.

"Akane…Akane…Akane?" she gasped and turned to see Ranma there, "Oh Ranma, you startled me, I didn't here you coming." She said as he sat down beside her, "you okay, you seem pale, and Kasumi asked me to check on you because you turned pale earlier while gathering fire wood, are you sick?" He asked and placed his hand on her forehead. "I'm fine, Ranma, thanks for being concerned." She said and took his hand off her forehead. They smiled at each other, forgetting that they had a hold of each others hands. "I guess I'm thinking about this creepy cave I found earlier."

"A cave?" He asked, a bit intrigued.

"Yeah, real big and creepy. In was in a open, dead field, the grass was all yellow, dry and prickly, the one tree in the clearing was dead and no animals were to be found." She said.

"Why don't we all go check it out tomorrow?" He suggested, "We may get the training we need from this trip." He said and turned back to her, "What do you think Akane?" He asked with a bright smile.

Akane was about to protest as she remembered how it scared her but on the look Ranma had on his face, she just couldn't say no.

"Alright, we'll tell the others in the morning." She said and smiled at him.

Ranma's smile grew bigger and he stood helping her up, "Alright," he said "We should be getting to bed too." And he walked to her tent, still hand in hand. "Goodnight Akane" he said and continued to smile at her.

"Good night Ranma." She said, not wanting to let go of his hand, did anyway and walked into her tent with her sister, Ukyo and Shampoo while Ranma walked to his grouped tent of the other boys to sleep peacefully for the day ahead.