A/N- Over all, it would seem you people like this story a little lol It is somewhat amusing isn't it? Mixed results with a 'play-boy' Ranma, neh? Lol Don't worry, sure he is a bit OOC but this is an A/U so that's to be expected in my book.
But in his defense for what he made Ukyo say to his father in the last chapter, Ranma was also trying to piss off his father. Not to say he's still a virgin though, just not to the extremes he boasts lol
I was going to post this chapter on my birthday two days ago, but I was whisked away by my fiancé lol, so I haven't had a whole lot of time the past two days.
Now on with the story!
I ain't got no car
And I've got one pair of jeans
They've been stretched too fair
And now they're weak at the seams
I can't see what's next
And I got nothing up my sleaves
But I don't lose my head
'cause it ain't really up to me
And I'm doing just fine
I'm always landin on my feet
In the knick of time
By the skin of my teeth
I ain't gonna stress
Because the worse ain't happened yet
Something's watching over me
Like sweet serendipity
Lee DeWyze- Sweet Serendipity
Chapter 3 I am a Bit Horse
-18 years earlier-
When little Akane woke up later that night, she stiffly realized she was laying on her side and stretched much like a tired cat. With a great yawn and more effort than usual to push herself up to a sitting position, she shook her head of the waning grogginess and tried to reach up and rub her eyes clean of the sleepers she'd gained from her nap….
Only to slam her nose against something solid and much too bulky to be fingers. The young girl then jerked away in shock, losing balance she had while sitting up and falling hard against the soft straw beneath her. She sneezed when the dust flared up around her from her sudden movement and it came out in more of a snort. She felt her ears twitch and swivel on top her head and stilled.
Her ears… they were not on the sides of her head… but the top. She tested them again, barely needing the briefest of thoughts before her ears swiveled again. Much more than she was used to. Akane held her breath as she slowly looked down, noticing that her body was tucked under herself, not as a human sits…. But as a dog would…
Or a young horse.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!" 'WHIIIIINEEEHEHEHEHEHHHH' came out of her mouth when she spoke, scaring her again as she clamped her lips closed by slamming her what she thought were her hands, but now her knobby horse knees, into her face. She knocked herself back with the force she moved once more and winced at the pain.
"You don't have to scream about it." Akane sighed a relief when she heard a friendly voice and turned to face it. Maybe it was one of the Tendo Hall's servants that were tending her. Her father should be alerted soon and all would be well-
She came face to face with Brone's muzzle that had a mouth full of hay he was chewing.
"B-Brone!?"
"That'd be me." Brone swallowed his mouth full and bobbed his head in a 'yes'.
"ACK!" She scooted, as much as her awkward new limbs would allow, away from him in terror, "You-you just talked!"
"I always have, Akane. You can just hear me now." Brone snorted as he looked her over, "That witch really did a number on ya didn't she?" the little pony circled her, sizing up her new form.
"Witch?" she felt her ears perk up on their own. It still felt so weird to have them up there! And they were so sensitive too!
"The squirrels called her Cologne." Toru's white and brown speckled face appeared over the stall door. It was then Akane realized she was in Brone's large, horse-sized stall, "She's some kinda leader of those Amazon women of the Ever Green Forest." The gelding's bored, blue eyes seemed about as impressed as he ever was. It took a lot to get Toru to show much emotion other than relaxed.
"Don't you remember her?" Brone tilt his head, "You know, small demon-like human with long hair, hellish face and hops around on a big stick?" he made a ghoulish face to get his point across.
"K-kinda…" Akane admitted. She tried to remember something… anything, but it was all quick flashes of pictures with out sound in her head. At least one of them was of an elderly lady similar to what Brone was describing, "Yes. I do a bit."
"You should try to stand if you can deary." A third voice came from the other side of Brone's shared stall as the golden palomino mare with brilliant platinum blond mane poked her head over the wall as well, "Your current body needs to be on its feet quickly or you wont walk well if this is permanent."
"Permanent!?" Akane gasped, hyperventilating.
"Sandy… it's not permanent." Brone rolled his eyes, "And you're not helping." He pinned his small ears back slightly annoyed at the mare, who backed off, ashamed she'd caused trouble, "Look kid. The witch said that this only happens in the day time, so anytime the sun is hidden behind the moon and the night's veil, you're human again."
"It's daylight now?" Akane looked around the slightly dark stable.
"It's late afternoon." A fourth voice joined. This one seemed more standoffish than the others. The authority it held caused her little shoulders to flinch as she ducked her head instinctively. Akane had to crane her neck back to catch a glimpse of red mane and ears at the back of their stall. Rama's large indoor pin was behind Toru, Brone, and Sandy's, "Now stand up." He snorted with a toss of his head and a paw of his large hoof, "Come on, on your feet!" he hung his massive head over the edge of his pin, reaching into the one she was sharing with Brone at the moment. A sour expression plastered on his face as he pinned his ears back when the little filly didn't immediately jump to his command, "Up you get! If you can walk on two feet you can stand on four hooves, girl." He whickered in his deep voice, ignoring the looks the other equines were giving him in response to his harsh tone with the little girl-turned-filly.
"Give her a minute, will you, Rama?" Toru huffed with a toss of his head, "Not everyone was born a war horse, so pipe it down will ya?" the gelding lashed his tail in agitation, earning a warning glare from Rama.
"Look, she's getting it!" Sandy whinnied happily, catching the stallion, and the geldings, attention back to the filly.
Akane struggled to her feet, but with encouragement from Sandy and Toru and some help from Brone, she was on her own four hooves!
"I did it!" Akane felt something behind her wag and turned her head around to see a small fluffy tail wagging, "I HAVE A TAIL!"
"You have four legs, mane, ears, and hooves… did you not think a tail was part of it?" Toru snorted with a chuckle at her shocked face.
"Go on and take a look at yourself in the trough." Brone offered, walking by her side so she could balance herself if she needed.
In the reflection of the water Akane saw a stunning raven black coat and blue-tinted mane, light and fluffy with youth. A heart-shaped white marking was on her forehead, between her eyes where she saw familiar chocolate brown she'd always sported before. She looked like a yearling filly! Only a little taller than Brone himself!
"Wow…" She couldn't keep her jaw from dropping.
109823741092873410 -18 years later - 109827309418723098417209387
Stifling yet another yawn, Ryoga stretched in his saddle, letting his feet hand loose from the stirrups, seeing no point in leaving them in when he can just hang them out and stretch his legs more, rather than have them crap up again in a bracing position the stirrup irons forced them in. His forest green eyes darting back to the black mare tied to the back of the carriage he was riding beside, feeling slightly guilty.
The Tendo's had a plan to hide Akane's curse: with the carriage Nodoka Saotome had offered them, Soun insisted he offer his soldiers horses to outfit the party. So all the horses were dark colored or black so no one would notice if one switched places or not. This way, if a random black horse went missing, especially at night, no one who knew any wiser, would understand that it was Akane. However, that meant that there was a chance Ryoga could get her mixed up with the rest of the horses. He was horrible at that….
And that also meant that instead of resting in the carriage like Ranma and his men thought, Akane had to walk the journey. She couldn't very well fit in the cart as a horse after all… not with out bringing up questions why it smelled of horse INSIDE the carriage. Or why there was a horse in there in the first place….
'At least today is the only DAY we're riding. She can ride the extra horse at night like we planned, once we reach the forest.' Ryoga thought, once again looking back at the black mare again. He made eye contact with the high-headed Akane and she nodded. Her way of saying she was fine, since he couldn't understand horse.
"You alright there Captain?" Ryoga jumped when he realized Ukyo had reined in her horse next to him and caught him constantly looking over his shoulder. She looked over her shoulder seriously as well, "You don't sense someone following us already, do you?" she looked back at him.
'He's pretty feminine, for a guy…' Ryoga thought, not knowing Ukyo's true gender since her armor hide it well…. At least to him.
"No… nothing like that… Captain." Ryoga shook his head.
"Then what are you looking at?" Ukyo again looked over her shoulder, curious now. All she saw was the back end of the cart, a few extra mares tied off to it and that was it. Ranma, naturally, was in the front leading with the carthorse tied to his saddle so no one had to direct the cart.
"I uh…" his eyes darted back again.
"I'm listening…" Ukyo really wasn't going to let this go was he?!
"Oi, Ukyo." Ranma called back, "Let'em be will you?"
Ukyo pouted, "He's the one lookin all guilty over his shoulder and all" she then pulled her horse to cut Ryoga's off, grabbing the front of his uniform. Unlike her, he didn't wear plated armor all the time, just very light leather armor. She jerked him forward in such a quick movement it startled his horse to shying out from under him and they went tumbling to the ground. He grunted painfully when her metallic armor slammed him in the chest when she fell on top of him, having been unsaddled herself.
"You're not helping the Amazons ambush us are you!?" Ukyo demanded, "ANSWER ME!" she dug her metallic gauntlet into his chest ever so slightly.
"No!" Ryoga coughed, grabbing onto the armored forearm holding his shirt and trying to rip it away from him, but Ukyo pulled back her other fist in a threat. She would start wailing on him if he didn't start talking soon.
"No what!?" she demanded.
'Ryoga!' Akane whinnied fearfully and started untying her lead quickly from the other horses, 'That she-captain is acting insane!'
"I'm not leading anyone to you!" Ryoga shouted, dodging a well-armored fist as it plunged just inches from where his face used to be.
"Why don't I believe you?" she growled, surprised she was able to hold down the man this long. He wasn't really trying to get away, just didn't want to get hit and wanted her to let go of his shirt. But her gut said this man was hiding something, and her years of training and looking after Ranma with multiple assassination attempts made on his life told her that secretes in small parties with big goals were bad.
"Ukyo-," Ranma dismounted his horse and quickly approached them, but Ukyo shrugged him off when he put a hand on her shoulder.
"We cannot allow any traitors on our mission! And that is just like Amazons to plant one of their own in our ranks to get to Ranma!" she snarled, lunging back for another go at punching this guys lights out.
"UKYO LOOK OUT!" Ranma forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her out of the way just before rock-hard hooves slammed into the ground she once crouched on.
The female captain rolled out of the way and twisted around to see what happened. One of the horses was untied and standing planted firmly over Ryoga's body. Her hooves nowhere near harming the young man, but the animal refused to move. Her neck arched and head lowered with pinned back ears as she glared at Ukyo a warning. Completely ignoring the prince right in front of her as if he wasn't there. The little mare bared her teeth at Ukyo with burning dark eyes, startling Ukyo.
'That… that mare attacked me….' Ukyo thought. What had she done to that animal?
"The heck is that horse doing?!" Ukyo stood up and righted herself, approaching the scene once more to get the loose mare and tie her up again, but when she came close, the black horse reared, flaring out her hooves in warning.
Ukyo, smartly, backed away from the mare. Calming down livestock was not her forte, and this one seemed dangerous. Why was such an animal assigned to them on a mission like this? Did the princess just HAVE to have her favorite broad to prance around on? Ukyo scoffed at the idea of Akane Tendo being so … spoiled.
Ryoga dared not move from his spot on the ground, too terrified that Akane wouldn't be able to tell he was still dangerously close to her angry hooves…. 'Please don't crush me Akane…' he gulped. His green eyes trailed up the hard hooves that were inches from his person up to the muscular horse chest that heaved in Akane's wrath.
"Hey, hey there, whoa… shhhh shhh shhh," Ranma softly hushed as he approached the obviously angry, loose equine. He gently took her dangling lead rope in his hands and tenderly tugged her head to look away from Ukyo, wanting to cut off the source of the mare's anger. He then held out a hand to her flaring nostrils, letting her take in his scent before he attempted to bet the mare's face and try to calm the animal down, "Easy there girl," he whispered when he had the dark mare's attention on himself solely now.
'What's he doing?!'
Akane tossed her head and yanked away from his touch, surprised that he was even touching her in the first place, and then backed up unsure. But he stayed with her, some how knowing she wouldn't leave her protective spot over the captain on the ground. Both Prince and Lady missing the terrified yelp of Ryoga as he scrambled out of the way from her hooves to safety. Akane took a few more steps back, and Ranma took a few more forward, once more seeking contact he had held with her before. Akane stubbornly planted her hooves once more, refusing to step back any more and opted to hold her head up and out of his reach instead, but that seemed fine with Ranma as his ever gentle hands rubbed up and down her neck and shoulder to get her accustomed to his touch while his soft voice stayed low and pleasant to set her at ease. Even when the mare reared on her hind legs just a little in Akane's attempt to scare him off, but the young Prince wasn't buying it.
"Ranma, be careful!" Ukyo warned, seeing the mare's bluff of a rear.
"Don't hurt her!" Ryoga started forward once more, but Ukyo grabbed his shoulder.
"Hang on, you'll only scare her more." Ukyo nodded to the scene, "Look he's finally got her to stop backing away." It appeared that Ranma had managed to calm down the mare. She stood quietly, slowly lowering her head into his gentle caresses along her nose and cheek.
"But I-," Ryoga stared hopelessly, sure that Akane's anger at being treated like a true beast of burden would have her blow her cover any moment now. He braced himself for what was to come. He just knew that she would stop playing the part of 'frightened mare' and start lashing out like the infuriated Akane he knew would. This had to be the calm before the storm or something….
"Att'a girl," Ranma hushed in a gentle voice that had Akane tightly captivated, and the feel of his even softer hands on her muzzle. She shivered, happy that horses couldn't blush…
"There," Ranma smile when the black mare calmed down and whickered a sigh of relaxation, "She's not all that bad, now is she?" he turned to the stunned vassals, "She's just spirited is all." Quirking a brow he handed Akane off to Ryoga, who snatch the rope like Ranma had stolen it, "Whose horse is she?" he asked looking her over, "She's in REALLY good shape! Never seen a mare put so well together,"
Akane snorted, 'Hmph, at least he has some good tastes, regardless of his lady-killer tendencies.' She thought, and then turned to look at Ryoga since she couldn't reply as a horse.
"She- uh… She's Akane's mare…. Yeah." Ryoga was really bad at coming up with excuses, and Akane showed him as much when her ears pinned back a little and she pouted at him.
"You'd think she'd be coming out soon," Ranma thought out loud looking over to the carriage, "Does she sleep all day, or something, during the change?"
"YES!" Ryoga quickly nodded, "M'Lady is sleeping so… we-we should keep moving!" he nodded furiously, even though Ukyo and Ranma clearly saw that he was hiding something from the dead-panned looks they were giving him.
"Is this guy serious?" Ukyo whispered as she leaned toward her prince, keeping an eye on the cute, yet eccentric captain.
"Probably just denser than rock." Ranma mumbled back, and Ukyo had to nod in agreement as they watched Captain Ryoga looking around the group as if trying to decide what to do with Akane's horse and what to do with his own.
"Here! Why don't I just tie this horse back to the cart and we can-," Ryoga started but Ukyo blocked him from the cart.
"After what she pulled last time? Nu-uh." She shook her head and crossed her arms, "That mare is getting ridden to work off some of that steam. It's not safe to put the Lady Akane on her if that thing is this hyped up. Especially at night." Ukyo looked up to the sky at the sun, gaging that it was starting to descend, but not yet a sunset, "We probably have a good three or four hours before sunset and her 'transformation' kicks in."
"What do you mean Ride Her?" Ryoga ignored everything else said, "No one can ride her!" he blushed. Akane fidgeted. No one had ever tried to ride astride her before… she didn't know if she could balance a rider, let alone know what to do with one!
"Why is she tacked with a saddle then, and meant to be Akane's horse, if no one can ride her?" Ukyo crossed her arms again, once again turning her formidable stance towards Ryoga who saw it as a challenge. To her Ryoga wasn't a straight shooter just yet. She still had her suspicions of this guy.
'Who does he think he is!?' Ryoga thought venomously.
"She-She's Akane's horse- THAT'S why!" There. That should put that punk in his place!
Ukyo's stare was disbelieving and the tick in her brow said she was getting annoyed. Pinching the bridge of her nose while she tried to avoid a headache she thought of a way to explain that what he just argued was so stupid it wasn't even an argument. Once again her Prince stepped in.
Ranma switched Akane's lead rope with his own geldings reins in Ryoga's hands, "Here, I'll ride Akane's horse a while and get her warmed up for the 'Lady'," he offered.
"But your highness-," Ryoga once again was at a loss, "She really doesn't like-,"
"It's ok," Ranma turned to him as he searched the saddle for the mare's bridle to switch the halter out for on the horse's head before he mounted, "I'm pretty good at this sort of thing for some reason. Hey where's her bridle?"
"She uhh…" Ryoga was stuck again. They never needed a bridle with Akane's saddle or on her since they never intended to use her as a riding horse! Just a decoy. Boy he was in hot water now!
"Here, just switch it out for one of the pack horses." Ukyo offered as she went about, unhooking a spare from one of the packhorses still tied to the back. She then put Ryoga's spare horse back with the other horses as well.
Meanwhile Akane stared down her muzzle at the prince who thought he was gonna get a bit into her mouth… and a bridle on her face. Was he MAD!? She raised her head high and out of reach as he tried to unlatch her halter to switch them out, squealing a protest and stomping an irritated hoof. Just who did these people think they were? Did they KNOW where that bit just came from? And they wanted her to put that in her mouth? No way!
"Head shy, isn't she." Ranma frowned, backing off the bridle for a moment.
"Well you see…" Ryoga choked on his own words. He could say nothing, unless he were to expose her. Riding horses always had some kind of bridle and bit worn when ridden here, it was a natural thing, "She just doesn't know you I guess."
"Fine then," Ranma stretched his hand up between Akane's ears and lightly pressed on a pressure point there. Akane's head bowed automatically in instinct and she grunted in surprise that her body obeyed him. She stared at the ground she was now nearly face to face with, shell-shocked.
'What did he just DO to me?!' she thought, but before she could raise it again, he fluidly replaced her halter with a bridle and bit, lightly pressing another pressure point near her mouth to get her to open up to the bit with out resistance. The cool metal was laced with a strange coppery taste that had her tonging it curiously in her mouth as she got used to it. Akane knew all of her father's horses bits were laced with copper so it would taste and feel more acceptable to their horses and now she appreciated the kind gesture her father had done. It made the alien bar of metal in her mouth a little easier to deal with. She kicked out with her hind legs a little in protest when Ranma cinched up her girth that held the saddle in place, also unused to that tight feeling either. Was it always this uncomfortable being a horse? The girth felt something akin to how corsets felt when tightened!
'You get used to it.' The gelding Ryoga was holding whinnied an encouragement to her, 'The prince is a real soft hand though. Lucky you!' he nodded his head as the other horses in the group agreed.
'That's not the point!' Akane protested back with a toss of her head and shifted nervously as Ranma steadied them both before he swung up on her back.
Akane braced her feet wide apart at the newly added weight, prancing a little bit as she got used to trying to balance them both upright. Ranma noticed and felt very odd with how his mount was behaving. He turned her back towards Ryoga, noticing that instead of a small amount of pressure he had to practically force her head where he wanted her to turn.
"She's not… green broke is she?" He tried to get the mare to stand still, but it felt like she was trying to figure out how to do so with out toppling over. He felt the mare shift her weight constantly under him.
"YES! That's exactly why… she doesn't like anyone but My Lady!" Ryoga was proud of himself for connecting the dots on that one! Now it defiantly didn't look suspicious!
'Are all the people of the Tendo Hall loons like this one?!' Ukyo face palmed as she lead her horse to a flat surface and mounted as well, "Let's be off then. Maybe she'll be a little more comfortable after we ride the road a bit, my Prince." Ukyo shook her head, "We need to be near the tree line around night fall for better cover."
0981270398417203918742039871209387410298374102983741
"You called Mousse, yes? Please let Shampoo out," Shampoo begged through the peephole of her cell door, "She need find Ranma, or bad things happen."
"As pretty as you are and sweet allure you have to your voice, I cannot grant you that request." Mousse shifted his glasses up his nose more as he prepared his potions and herbs out on the table.
The amazon was certainly a handful! The guards had to wrestle her back into the dudgeon cells that were barred off three or four times! Each time they couldn't figure out how she got the doors open, or even got out in the first place! So King Genma had the Amazon shoved into Mousses' empty linin closet in his 'lab' where he treated the sick of the castle and also compiled spices for the cooks from his many collected herbs.
"You think Shampoo pretty and alluring?" Shampoo purred.
Mousse leveled a look at the door so she could see that he wasn't playing around…. Though from the glare of his glasses, she honestly couldn't tell from her handicapped visual of him through a peephole, "Not pretty enough to blatantly let you out of that cell so you can go off and attack Lord Ranma Again." He huffed.
"No attack," Shampoo gasped, "Shampoo excited to see love of life!" she corrected.
"Well your 'love of life' happens to be betrothed to someone else." He said matter-of-factly, "So give up on him and in a few days we can release you back into the wild where your people seem to thrive in your animalistic, uncaring ways."
"Mousse has Amazon name though. Is Mousse not Amazon too? Why you talk bad about Amazon?" She gritted out the last part like she was ready to throw down with him even through the door.
Mousse paused a moment as memories came back to him. Memories that were the very reason he chose to stay here at the Saotome castle, "It's got nothing to do with the likes of you who are obsessed with someone you don't even know. How can you claim to love him if you just met him and attacked him!?" he accused, going back to folding his organized selection of herbs into pouches inside his belt cloth he designed himself so he could carry all his self-made remedies and poisons at all times.
Shampoo was quiet for a while. Mousse almost thought his convictions made her so angry she wouldn't talk to him any more. Well fine then! Who needs a beautiful voice like hers to talk to when he had work to do any ways?
"You were abandoned." Her voiced assumption cut through both the silence and his concentration. He almost ripped the fine cloth pockets he was working on as it took him off guard, "Your village left you in golden grass sea as mother punishment, yes?"
"What do you know." Mousse hissed out as over whelming emotions started to rise in his chest, but he kicked them back down. He wasn't about to let this temptress assassin get the best of him, "Now if you'll excuse me, Ms. Shampoo, I have to get these to Ranma and his party before they leave."
"Ranma mother say they leave this morning." Shampoo chimed watching as the young man stopped in mid step, "You no know?"
"AAAACK! I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THE TIME!" Mousse yelped.
"Is too bad." Shampoo sighed at the poor man as he freaked out, pacing back and forth.
"What am I gonna do!? The prince needs medical supplies! Especially going into the EverFree Forest!" his voice started getting high pitched in his stress.
"Especially now that timeless dragons surfaced again." Shampoo added in again, not at all phased by Mousse's pacing and frantic ranting and raving.
Mousse paused, "Timeless what?"
"No-fire, No-flying dragons of old times." Shampoo offered again.
"You mean those gigantic beasts in history books! Those ancient creatures that you make bone weapons out of!? And … and-and-,"
"Yes. Those." Shampoo nodded, "Grandmother said they return now that Akuma be dead for too long. They reclaim Forest."
"Oh Shit…." Mousse forgot all about keeping an eye on Shampoo and flew out the door soon as he flung it open and fled to his King and Queen to relay the message.
All the while, he didn't notice the faint purple glow that had started to encase around the keys that were left on his worktable.
"Stupid Man…" Shampoo smirked as the purple glow levitated the keys to the door she was locked in and promptly unlocked her door that caged her in. flipping her hair back out of her face, Shampoo looked back at the door after she let herself out and kicked it closed again, "Shampoo no like tiny places…" and with that she stalked out of Mousses lab, "Now to find Ranma again."
290384752390845720938745209384752093845piowupio32049857230498752
'Whatarewegonnado, whatarewegonnado, What. Are. We. Gonna. DO!?' Ryoga nervously looked between the slowly fading light and his Lady-turned-horse-about-to-turn-back-into-a-Lady… being ridden by that cursed Ranma Saotome princey-guy!
Ryoga's grip on his reins tightened in anger, 'Even that thought sounds dirty… damn you Ranma!' it was an irrational mixture of anger and jealousy, since Ranma had no idea whom he was …. riding, but Ryoga didn't see it that way! The play boy prince had sunk to another low in his eyes!
'Gotta think up something fast!' He once more looked up towards the quickly approaching twilight. He had roughly thirty minutes at most before Akane turned back to her beautiful, human self. He had to find a way to get Ranma off of her and get Akane out of sight, and (somehow) back into the carriage.
'If only she'd just buck him off or somethin…. THEN he'd be put in his place too.' He cackled inwardly and accidently…. Giggled on the outside, 'Eating dirt like the filth he is, that pervert…'
"Captain Ryoga…." Ryoga choked with an odd, high-pitched noise in the back of his throat when he realized he was being watched by the prince's captain of the guard, that Ukyo guy, "Are you well?"
"Course I am." He huffed, jabbing his nose in the air with a snort, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just giggled like a little girl…. Sir." The title at the end was almost sarcastic.
Almost.
Ryoga coughed, "I had a silly thought." He replied with an air of indifference. He'd show this prince and his little guard-man! He'd Show'em alright!
Besides, why did captain Ukyo care, of all people, if Ryoga was well? The guy had pulled them both off their horses just to choke Ryoga and try to punch him when he thought Ryoga was an Amazonian Spy…..
'Because that makes complete sense.' Ryoga thought dryly with a sideways glare at the unsuspecting pretty boy captain. Both the prince and his little lackey grated Ryoga's nerves something horrid! Why did he have to travel with them?
Wait wasn't he thinking about something important?
'AKANE!' he looked back at the waning sun, 'Oh shit!'
Apparently Akane was thinking the same thing, because their little caravan came to a halt when Ranma started yelping in surprise.
"What-has-gotten-into-this-mare!?" he yelped between the twisting and turning desperate bucks the little 'mare' was doing under him. She reared up on hind legs only to leap up and land on her front hooves, lashing out with the back legs and arching her spine while dancing and prancing around in tight circles. She squealed urgently in her attempts to get the prince off her back almost in desperation, it seemed.
"HOLD ON M'LORD!" Ukyo roared encouragement as she reined in her mount. The other horses pranced in excitement in response to the mare's sudden out burst, "Something must be spooking the horses!" Ukyo drew her sword and turned her horse around to try and catch sight of the danger, "SHOW YOURSELF, COWARDLY AMAZONS!" she dared into the tall grasses around them.
"WHOAAAAAH!" Ranma yanked on the reins and kicked his heels into Akane's side from the impact of being tossed around, unwittingly making her bolted down the path at break neck…. wobbly, and unstable speed!
From where Ryoga could see, Akane's retreating form looked like a drunken horse running with an idiot rider trying to hold on.
"Well…. There goes our secrete…." Ryoga gulped, his voice breathy in hopelessness as his shoulders slumped. He had failed his princess.
"Ugh! Stupid horse!" Ukyo snarled as she tried to get it to follow her lord, but the beast was having none of it as it planted its hooves firmly and refused to move forward, backward…. Anywhere, "Ryoga! You have to help him! Or at least get one of theses stupid animals moving! The Amazons could be ANYWHERE!"
"Amazons…? Oh Right!" Ryoga jolted out of his shock and urged his mount forward, surprised that it willingly moved into a gallop after his quarry, "Well what do ya know? Ha haaaa!" he looked over his shoulder and hollered his victory at Ukyo, "I GUESS THIS MEANS I'M THE BETTER HORSEMAN! HAAA!" he boasted.
"JUST SHUT UP AND GO AFTER HIM!" Ukyo growled back, dismounting and attempting to pull her immobile horse… it sat down on its butt in response, "UUUUURRRGH! I HATE HORSES!" stamping her foot into the ground in childish anger, she looked around, noticing that said horses were no longer acting nervous. Had the Amazons moved on already?
"I don't have a good feeling about this…" Ukyo's hand strayed to her blade at her side at the ready.
Meanwhile, Ranma was still trying to gain control of the little filly he'd taken over earlier. None of the usual cue's were working! He tried digging his seat into her back as he sat back to try and put all his weight into her hindquarters. He tried keeping his heels away from her sides so she didn't feel any sort of "go faster" cue from him. He tried pulling her head with the reins to the left or the right to try and deter her from plunging straight ahead, but to no avail. The mare bolted into the trees that sharply rose against the sea of golden grass.
'Damn when they say GREEN broke, they must mean 'This is her first ride….' He thought as he ducked and dodged the low tree limbs. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was aiming for those to try and unsaddle him!
"Oh no you don't!" he took up a tighter rein and dug his seat even deeper into the saddle, "I said WHOA!" he didn't want to do it, knowing that jerking the reins sharply often hurt horses mouths and made them even LESS receptive, but she wasn't listening to anything else…
'Hmph, suit yourself.' Akane flared her nostrils in anger that he would even attempt to cause her the slightest of pain. She promptly planted her front hooves, letting her hind end fly up above her head while she ducked down and sent the prince soring over her head and into some thorn bushes.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH-UOOOPPPH!" Ranma wailed as his flying lesson came to an abrupt end.
Rolling around in the painful foliage of the grassy plains, Ranma tried to dislodge himself. He cringed, yelping and hissing as he practically tore himself out of the bush in time to see his mount watch him in what seemed to be amusement before she kicked up her heels and bolted deeper down the path and into the overgrown trees of the outskirts of the EverFree forest. Her long black tail flagging in her wake behind her as if to taunt him that the little filly had bested him.
"Well now what the hell do I do…" Ranma thought out loud and ran his scratched up hand over his face in exasperation.
Thundering hooves had him sighing in relief, 'At least Ukyo is here to pick me up,' he thought, turning towards the on-coming rider. He was sorely mistaken when horse and rider flew past him as well after the other horse.
"HANG ON AKANE, I'M COMIN!" Ryoga shouted in the wind as he pushed his mount faster and faster after the fled filly.
Ranma blinked in confusion; slowly turning to watch Ryoga and his horse fade into the trees after… Akane.
"Akane?" he contemplated what Ryoga could have meant, "Wait…. They name their horses after their princesses?" quirking an eyebrow, Ranma shook his head incredulously, "How stupid is that?" huffing, Ranma stood up to his full height and dusted off his pants and shoulders.
"Ain't gett'n no where sittin around on my ass all day am I?" he shrugged and started walking back towards their caravan.
'Let Ryoga catch that stupid filly in the dark…. Good riddance!'
-End of chapter 3-
A/N- Thank you to all of you who have reviewed! You are the driving force to this story!
I also apologize for the, sometimes atrocious, spelling and grammar errors in this story. Yes I realize after the fact they are there. Yes I use spell check, yes it has grammar help option and I use it, and yes my macbook is tired of playing editor for me lol I just wanna get the story out and am a bit impatient at times so please bare with me on that.
Special thanks to the reviewers thus far for chapter 2
Ciao and Compucles
Compucles, you are always straight with me lol Thank you!
Ciao, You make me wanna write more when you review! Lol
Special thanks to everyone who has reviewed chapter 1 as well!
Natalie-E-G, AliceTheBookGirl, and tutara!
So my question is…. How do you feel about Akane's curse?
No worries, there's still surprises to come with BOTH curses in the future. (evil smile)
Lemme know what you think! See you next month!
-Dessy-san