Kachiryu-Chi: This chapter is dedicated to all the scum of the world- the playboys who never gave a damn. This is for you, NOAH, you bastard.
This is also dedicated to the girls who had once been seduced or played out by a guy they thought loved them or something.
May those motherfuckers perish in hell!
Chapter 3- Heaven
Nabiki walked into the room with a disturbed expression on her face. Kasumi was sitting at the dining table, her face devoid of expression. Nabiki gave her sister a wobbly smile and sat opposite her.
"Sis, you look worried," Nabiki remarked upon noticing the Tendo matriarch's face. "Is it about Akane again?"
"I guess so," Kasumi replied with a small smile. "It's always her I'm worried about nowadays…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her cup of coffee. "But you don't look very calm, either."
Nabiki's face turned sad. "No, I'm not calm. Not calm at all. Business isn't very good now as an accountant and Akane hasn't many students for ages. She's helping to teach another dojo now, you know. It belongs to… what's his name again?"
"You mean daddy's friend's dojo? Mr. Minamoto or something?" Kasumi asked. She looked at Nabiki thoughtfully. "She's working for our dowries, isn't she?"
Nabiki cocked her head to the side and frowned. "She wants us to get married comfortably, sis. I'm trying to tell her that Kuno and Tofu will take us without dowries but she's far too stubborn and honorable for her own good." She made a hollow triangle with her fingers and thumbs as she frowned, a sure sign that she had been thinking hard about the subject.
The pair of sisters looked at each other in a tired way that hinted of some sort of mutual agreement. Both knew that Akane was destroying her chances of getting married by working so hard. Neither of them wanted her to suffer for their sake.
This was Nabiki's other side. The side she kept hidden from everyone. The side which constantly worried about the ones she loved. This was where she hid all her affection and love.
Nobody who worked with Nabiki assumed that she owned any emotions. They would have been surprised at the concern in her voice.
"It's not fair, Nabiki," Kasumi said softly, breaking the silence with her soft voice.
"She has to have a chance…" Nabiki agreed. She wiped the moisture from her eyes, trying to save her pride by looking like she was wiping away sweat.
"It's just that…" Kasumi shook her head. "I just can't say it. It's so hard to say it." She paused, her piercing gaze resting on her younger sister, before continuing. "It's been this way ever since daddy died."
The pair kept silent, the sentence hovering in the air like dusty cobwebs in a dingy room.
Since daddy died…
Tendo Soun was not what you'd call a jovial man. He was quite funny at times, when the conversation and sake was to his taste, but… he wasn't very happy. He tried to hide it but it was too obvious, even to his young daughters. Somehow, inside of him, was a small part of him that could never be made satisfied.
And nobody blamed him for it.
He was so very much in love with his wife, Kimiko, and when she died in childbirth he was devastated. She had left him with three young daughters to look after and Soun just couldn't make it in a world without his love, that yong Kimiko.
It was so bitter to experience true love and have it snatched away from you.
Soun had tried to survive without his wife and it was so damned hard. He gave his daughters everything he could afford but in the end he wasted away. His health had deteriorated and doctors said he had a weak heart. The wiser, older people, however, were more to the point and knew he had a broken heart.
He never looked at another woman after Kimiko's death.
All Tendos gave their hearts foolishly and Soun was no exception to the rule.
Since daddy died…
Nabiki swallowed down the hard lump in her throat. "It's hard for Akane, too." She closed her eyes and leaned back. "And it's so damn hard for us." Finally, her tears broke from the dam she constructed and at the very next moment, she was kneeling down by Kasumi's side and her face was buried in her sister's lap.
Seconds passed…
Minutes passed…
The clock tick-tocked away but Nabiki cried on and on, releasing her anger, her tension, her sadness.
An hour.
Nabiki finally stood up and squared her shoulders. Her eyes were bloodshot red but she didn't bother to hide them. It was Kasumi, after all. She was family. She wasn't a business partner she had to impress. "I don't care, Kasumi. We have to find solutions."
"That's the correct thing to do," Kasumi said in her usual sweet voice, pleased by Nabiki's practical behavior. "Let's go now, Nabiki. We have to get some books."
"For what reason?" Nabiki was perplexed.
"To cheer ourselves up, of course. I have some money tucked away."
Nabiki smiled.
"Let's go, then."
Laughing for the first time in weeks, they made their way out, grabbing their coats and handbags on the way.
Little did they know that as they ran across the lonely road a car was nearing at breakneck speed.
Little did they know that the car would hit both of them.
Little did they know that it would be the last time either of them would see light.
All they heard was screams.
Terrible, terrible screams which didn't sound like it came from their throats, but did.
And all they felt was pain.
A sharp searing pain, hot enough to brand the skin and overwhelm the senses of the body.
And the car hardly stopped. It just continued on its journey, the driver not looking back; not caring.
Not seeing the corpses he had left by the side of the road.
Akane grimaced at the samurai sword hanging on the wall in front of her. When they said that she would teach kids, she had naturally assumed that she would teach kids.
She didn't realize that the word 'kids' was interchangeable with the more honest words 'little monsters'.
She had never been so relieved in her life when the class ended at nine.
"And to think that I wanted the job!" she exclaimed in a frustrated.
She heard a male laugh behind her and she stomped around to face whoever was taking delight from her plight.
Ran-chan.
He was standing at the door and when he saw her notice him he moved in to stand beside her.
She rolled her eyes at him playfully, trying to ogle him as discreetly as possible.
"You gave me the wrong class," she informed him with a delightfully peeved expression.
He lifted a dark eyebrow, silently questioning her.
"You said I have to teach children. You didn't say that I have to teach little nightmares," she clarified.
He smiled. Should he make his next step now? Ranma knew that Akane was, as they say, 'warm for his form'. It shouldn't be too hard to get her into bed.
"Your next class is at eleven so I was wondering if you'd like to grab a snack with me," he invited. Akane frowned as she considered his invitation. Considering that she was going to steal a valuable item from him… Perish the thought, she told her mind. And burn it in hell. She felt guilty that she agreed to steal the amulet for Shampoo and she wished that she could change her mind.
"A thousand yen for your thoughts," Ran-chan suddenly said, noticing her silence and the thoughtful expression on her usually cheery face.
Akane smiled a little sadly. "My thoughts are worth at least a million yen. Or at least this thought is."
Ranma rolled his eyes. "I wonder what you're thinking, Akane. Especially since you look so sad…" His voice trailed off and then he looked at her. "You ought to smile more, 'Kane. You look beautiful when you smile."
Akane felt pleased by his compliment.
Surely he loves me… maybe just a little… For no man would say that unless he means it. Right?
Suddenly, Akane felt a prickly feeling at the back of her nape and she turned around to face the open doorway the same time Ranma did.
"Hello there!"
A happy voice called out to the pair and Akane grinned. "Hello Ryoga," she greeted. "How was your day and what's Ran-chan's real name?"
"That was random," Ryoga chuckled. "My day was good. I'm teaching the class after this so I just came in." He stretched his arms in front of him and yawned. "You seem tired, Akane. What's wrong?"
"I had to teach a class full of brats, that's what's wrong," Akane retorted primly, not noticing that Ryoga had not answered her question. "I have a revised opinion of five-year-olds."
"She's adorable," Ryoga announce to Ranma in an 'aww…' kind of voice.
"Whatever you say," Ranma said dismissively. "Anyway, I'm trying to ask her out and I'm not succeeding. Shut up and let me try harder."
"I told you that you have to hangout with nicer people, didn't I?" Ryoga cut in, ignoring Ranma's 'request' that he refrain from saying anything. "I'm glad you're taking my suggestion to heart."
"Aren't you considered nice?" Akane asked curiously, watching the pair as one would watch a tennis match.
"I'm not nice. Well, at least not in his book," Ryoga answered her, not taking his dark brown eyes off Ranma even though his body was tilted to face.
Akane lifted her eyebrows as she worked out the meaning in the sentence. "Well, don't you worry, Ryoga! You're nice in my book." She gave him an encouraging smile and a mega-watt one at that.
Ryoga's jaw dropped as he was stunned by the power behind Akane's radiant smile. He recovered his composure within a few moments and he said, "Yeah, but you aren't the one handing me my paycheck every month."
"You have that one right and don't you forget it," Ranma reminded him cheerfully.
Akane glanced at her watch, disappointed to end their childish bantering. "Sorry, guys. Gotta go now. I have to go shopping before my next class."
Both the men flashed her charming smiles as she hurried out of the dojo.
Shampoo swallowed the large lump in her throat.
It can't be, she prayed. Please don't let it be him. She ran through the parking lot as fast she could, which was very fast. Amazon women were trained to battle and Shampoo was one of the most amazing women the Elders had trained.
She dashed between cars, the words of the Elders drumming through her mind with every breath she took.
"Flesh of our flesh… breath of our breath… pride of our clan and blood of Amazons… Do us great honour with your success in this mission. Bring it back to us with all haste, warrior Xian Bu. Remember all that we have taught you."
They had taught her everything she had needed to know: from trickery to deception, fighting to seduction and thinking to conversations.
A little gasp escaped Shampoo as she stumbled on an unidentifiable object lying around on the dirty cement.
I should have watched my surroundings instead of dwelling on the past!
She groaned as the pain overwhelmed her senses when she fell…
She fell into a pair of strong, muscled arms.
And she looked up into a pair of hard eyes.
Dear God, it was him!
"Beans or peas?" Akane mused as she held up two cans. She looked from one can to another before finally placing both back on the shelf. "Neither."
Her trolley was almost empty save for the following:
1. A loaf of bread
2. A magazine (Blackbelt magazine)
3. A can of mushroom soup
4. A bottle of mango juice
She steered the trolley to the counters and paid for her things. While she was walking out of the shopping center she almost dropped her bags when she noticed an old friend.
"Ukyo!" she yelled.
A lovely brunette turned to face her. "Akane," she said with an adorable smile. "How are you and your sisters?"
Akane's bright expression faded. "They were killed," she whispered, trying to keep her sadness out of her soft voice.
Ukyo's hand flew to her mouth as she listened in dismay. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized frantically. "I didn't know about it. When did this happen?"
"A few days ago," Akane responded dully, hating the pain she still felt.
"You poor thing!" Ukyo gasped, her eyes wide with horror. "I'll visit you some time this week, Akane, but I have to go now. My bastard of a father wants me to pick up some things for him."
Akane waved at Ukyo as she walked off.
Ukyo was a wonderful person- and a fantastic cook. However, her father was a different person. He was a large man who had once locked his daughter in an arranged marriage but when the irresponsible boy, who was nothing more than a spoilt brat, jilted Ukyo at the altar, he flew into a hideous rage.
Poor Ukyo had to suffer from the vicious rumor surrounding her stupid fiancé. Nobody had realized that it wasn't her fault. Not even her family understood her. She was almost disowned.
She suffered hell at the hands of her family. Her father employed emotional bullying on her and her colleagues made fun of her openly.
Her asshole of a father had refused to let anyone see the family and he was so embarrassed that he moved his entire family to the States for a few years. Looks like they were back.
And maybe it was even for good.
Akane, delighted at the prospect of having a close friend around, continued walking to her car, for her class was to start in ten minutes.
Shampoo slapped the owner of the eyes as hard as she could, which was pretty hard.
The man with the strict eyes stood firm, his hands tightening on her biceps. Shampoo winced at the pain and he loosened his grip immediately.
She grabbed the chance to dig her nails into his skin, scarring his forearms with crimson red blood.
"Xian Bu," he said warningly, his deep voice laced with anger.
"I still hate you!" Shampoo bit out scathingly in Chinese. The man's arms dropped to his side as he stood there, shocked.
"You don't mean it," he whispered, his eyes wide with surprise at the hurt in her eyes.
Shampoo choked on a sob. And then she turned and ran.
The man remained standing for a few moments before turning around and walking away, feeling like a failure.
"So who are you involved with now, hmm?" Ryoga asked, wiping his sweat off. His class had just finished. "The exotic Chinese or the elegant Japanese?"
"What the hell do you mean?" Ranma retorted.
Ryoga rolled his eyes and grimaced. "Never mind. Akane's here for the next class."
Ranma stared ahead. Even dressed in the ninjutsu uniform, Akane looked gorgeous. Simple, yet elegant was the impression Ranma had formed when he first met her. He was right. She was so lovely, but unlike the other ladies of his acquaintance, she was not flashy or fake.
"Hey guys," she said with a cheeky grin. "I'm not late, am I?" She accidentally brushed her breasts against Ranma when she walked past him and he stiffened (and hardened) at the contact.
Dammit.
Ranma cursed mentally. Was a simple touch from a woman enough to flame his desire? He hissed out an expletive and his companions glanced at him.
"Are you alright?" Akane asked with her voice full of concern.
Ryoga smiled mischievously. "I'm sure he is, Akane. Don't bother about him."
And so Ranma made his way through the day with his unfulfilled desire as his only companion as he ferried back and forth between his office at Battle Company and the training room at Battle Dojo. He had glared at anyone brave enough to ask him about his day and woe betide the man who joked about his very obvious condition.
"Are you okay, sensei?"
"Yes, now shut up."
"I say, Ranma, how was your day?"
"Fine. Fuck off, will ya?"
"Is it me, or are you sporting an erec-"
"NO. Get the hell away from me."
Closing time everywhere. Thank goodness. I don't think I can take any more stress, anyway.
Akane closed her eyes. Around this time, Kasumi would have been preparing the table and Nabiki would have been on her way home.
Only… Only that… Akane leaned against the wall of the dojo and sighed.
Kasumi was such a sweet lady. Always smiling and always willing. Always thinking of others first.
Nabiki, on the other hand, was thought of as money-minded by many a stranger. But her family knew her better.
Both of them had ensured that Akane received all the love she needed and neither withheld a thing from her. Anything they had was hers.
Including their lives.
But they had died in the end, leaving her all alone in the cruel world.
"Akane?"
She opened her eyes and stared into a pair of dark grey-blue orbs.
"Hi," she whispered, giving him a pathetic display of pride.
Ranma straightened up and gave her a seductive smile. "Home?" he said charmingly, stretching his hand out to her.
She smiled at his attempt at gallantry and accepted his hand. "Sure."
He kissed her and ten minutes later, he carried her out to his car.
Twenty minutes later, he carried her into her house and onto her bed.
All thoughts of her sisters were erased from her mind.
Akane's breathing grew shallow and unpredictable. She couldn't trust herself to breathe. Ranma was kissing her body, her lips, sucking on her earlobe… In short, he was doing things to her which she felt ought to be illegal.
His face was nestled in between her breasts and she moaned. He had taken off her gi but she was wearing a buttoned blouse beneath it. Ranma had unbuttoned the first few buttons and she had taken his shirt off.
"Akane, help me with my trousers," he said against her pale throat, kissing the elegant column.
She smiled and with trembling hands, reached down to unbuckle his pants but she hesitated when she touched his belt. Ranma grinned and held her hands as he guided her.
"You unbuckle them like this," he said, breathing into her ear.
His belt came off the same time her pants did.
Her shirt went off with her panties.
His underwear went off with her bra.
They were naked together on the bed and the feeling alone was almost enough to make Akane climax. She was embarrassed by her inexperience but Ranma didn't seem to notice. His hands moved over her body and his thighs settled between hers.
Akane was never an inactive person and she felt that Ranma was doing all the work.
She placed her hands on his back and moved them downwards. Ranma gritted his teeth and then he grinned suddenly. He bent his head down towards her right breast and he began to do wicked things to her.
So wicked…
Akane nearly screamed and her body arched up. She sobbed and her hips bucked.
Ranma touched her womanhood with a finger and she gasped.
"You're ready," he whispered. "You're so ready for me."
He slipped into her and she gave a loud cry of pain as he tore through her tight passage.
"You're a virgin," Ranma said in horror. "You never told me."
"I thought you would notice," Akane whimpered through the pain assaulting her. "I thought you would know."
Akane's body was taut and full of tension. Ranma's invasion had been very painful but the pain was thankfully decreasing.
Ranma nodded slowly. "It doesn't matter now," he muttered, holding her close as if that would soothe her pain.
A few seconds passed and Ranma asked her gently, "Does it hurt now?" She shook her head mutely.
He moved against her and she moved with him.
The ebb and flow of the tide.
The silky smoothness of their movements.
The panting and mingling of their breaths.
They climaxed together and Akane clutched Ranma to her when his body fell onto hers, exhausted.
They stayed that way for a few moments then Ranma moved to his side to face her. He smiled into her eyes.
"I feel like I've waited for you forever," he said. "And I never expected you to be a virgin. Twenty year old virgins are rare, but twenty year old virgins who look like you are rarer."
Akane smiled back and her body relaxed.
Two minutes later, Ranma called her name softly but she was asleep.
Five minutes later, he was dressed and on his way out of her house.
He left only a note for Akane:
Akane,
I just noticed that neither of us used birth control. Don't make it through by yourself if anything happens.
I have to meet a business partner so I had to leave your pleasurable company.
See you on Wednesday.
Ran-chan.
Sorry if you guys don't get this sudden change in Ranma's attitude at the end here. Everything will be explained in the next chappie, 'Hell'.
Ah, and I apologize for my foul language at the beginning up there. I hope that none of you are offended.
Oh yeah, to those who think that Akane is being rather forward for a virgin (Andreiush), here's a note: she's rather naïve so she thinks that Ranma returns her feelings and that he actually loves her.
(Which explains why she hit the sack with him and abandoned all her moral values, right? I mean, a major bonus is that Ranma's quite hot and all plus he's real skilled in seduction… cough. Now if only a guy like that existed… double cough.)
Well, he might actually love her right now, and he might not.
I'm not telling and neither is Miko-Chi. Tough luck, reviewers.
Anyway, since she's so naïve, she doesn't think that some guys would actually screw gals for the helluvit. She thinks 'make love' actually means making love.
Sad, hmmm?
Anyway, guys, do leave a review. Remember that this fic won't be continued if we think that nobody's reading it. And if you do have any useful ideas for us, please tell us in a review.
Oh, and by the way, just in case anyone thinks I'm racist against Chinese. Coz I'm not. I'm part Chinese and Miko-Chi is Chinese. I'm really against racism because here in Malaysia we live in a multiracial community.
anon.: Akane IS more beautiful. But thanks for the review, anyway.
thereviewergirl: I love your review, thanks! And when is your third chappie coming out? I'm still waiting…
The Rabid Badger: Oy! Akane is more beautiful!!!! Thanks for reviewing, hon, and your penname is really cute. Rabid, eh?
crazie-foe-you: Hey, you! You reviewed again! Thanks. Yep, Shampoo's a bimbo with violet hair. Yeah, but Akane's in love and so very naïve. Oh yeah, you're so right about love.
jdcocoagirl: Thanks. Lookie! This is my update!
animelover94: Yes, little sis. Whatever you say, darling. Thanks. Pity you don't admire my grammar at home. Let's see... You called my English bad that day and you're calling it bad again as I'm typing this down.
Andreiush: Blame me (Kachiryu-Chi) if you aren't satisfied with the 'hot' parts coz Miko-Chi blushes when she looks at them. They'll be more 'In Character' in a while. Just wait for it. Thanks!
Ayumi-hime: Narumi!!! You changed your nicky... Thanks for reviewing and yes, I shall be your beta. Please continue reviewing and hopefully we can study together at my house before the PMR rolls around.
hot-chick1: Thanks for reviewing. I hope you review my next chapter. May your relationship with your boyfriend prosper. :)
Once again, Miko-Chi and I would like to thank everyone for reviewing. Have a great day, everyone!
