First of all let me thank you for your reviews, it's so good to read them and know what you think of my story. I've got a new computer so I'll update more often from now on. Keep reading and reviewing, here comes chapter 4 !
Qinghai Province – China, 6:25 P.M
« We finally made it ! » Akane said as Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse and herself got off the craft.
They had been sailing for quite a few hours, but thanks to Mousse's curse which allowed him to fly and lead the boat and Ukyo's driving skills, they had arrived way earlier than expected.
Akane felt a shiver run down her spine as her feet touched the ground. Almost two years ago, she had been there, she had almost died there. Her dark thoughts were interrupted by Shampoo's high-pitched voice. She was being harsh on Mousse, as usual :
« Mousse take bags out of boat and carry for Shampoo ! »
« What Shampoo wants, Shampoo gets ! » the poor guy exclaimed, already gasping.
Akane glanced at the woods that were surrounding them. Now where could Ranma and Ryoga be...? she wondered. The cursed springs of Jusenkyo were all the way up the big mountains that were about sixty miles away, right in front of them. It would take them another whole day to get there.
But now was the time for a little break.
Ukyo started humming as she took her cooking ustensils out of her bag and her giant spatula down her back. « So who's hungry ? »
Near Qinghai – China
« Eat this ! » Ryoga shouted as he spun yellow bandanas as fast as he could and threw them at Ranma, who jumped to dodge them.
« Is that all you got, pig-boy ? » Ranma teased him, preparing for the next blow.
The two martial artists had been fighting for nearly three hours, both of them taking the lead of the fight at one point. It was Ranma's turn now, who knew from experience (with Akane, among other things) that it was easier to dodge an opponent's blows by getting them mad first, because it made them clumsy and bumbling.
« Why would Akane ever wanna marry a porc chop ? » he continued.
He wondered if he could get Ryoga mad enough to draw him into the imaginary spiral that was needed to use one of his best-mastered techniques, the "Hiryuu Shoten Ha", also called the "Flying Dragon Ascension Wave". He could feel Ryoga's battle aura grow by the minute. Unfortunately, he had used this handy technique too many times for Ryoga not to notice he intended to use it once again. The pig-boy grinned, and managed to calm his anger down.
« I know too well what you're trying to do, Ranma » he said, as his battle aura got smaller and smaller around him. « But this it not going to work. You can say anything you want, it will not affect me »
Crap, thought Ranma, gonna have to find another way to... another way to do what exactly ? I'm not really trying to kill him... am I ?
Before starting to fight, they had both agreed to fight as men, thus not to try and do anything to make their rival change into their cursed form. However, Ranma knew this fight would probably never end, both of them being pretty much as skilled as the other, (even though he hardly admitted it to himself). Ryoga might be the strongest, but Ranma was the fastest, and he knew how to get his opponents easily strained by hedging a lot of their attacks. Now if Ryoga turned into P-chan, it would all be over...
Before he understood what was happening, Ryoga saw Ranma jump into the water, and felt the boat being pushed at the bottom. « What the... what the hell are you doing ?! » He tried to rebalance the craft, but Ranma kept hitting the boat harder and harder.
« Raaaaanmaaaaaaa ! » Ryoga shouted as the boat finally got overturned. He disappeared under the body of the boat and reappeared a few seconds later, squealing like the piglet he had become.
Ranma had transformed into the busty redhead so many men were crazy in love with. He shrugged : « Sorry man, couldn't do otherwise »
The piglet hoisted himself to the top of the overturned-boat and carried on squeaking.
« Shut up already, you know I don't speak piglish ! » Ranma yelled. Suddenly, his eyes grew wider. « Check this out » he said, pointing over Ryoga's head.
The little pig gave one more angry squeal before turning around. From were they were, they could perceive a tiny, tiny mountaintop... Mount Kensei !
Ranma smiled. They had actually made it to China.
Qinghai – China, 8:15 P.M
It took Shampoo, Ukyo, Mousse and Akane a bit longer than expected to get to the Uma Ryokan (the inn that Shampoo's maternal great-grandmother owned), because of the terrible weather. When they had set foot in China, it was just a bit of wind, and a little rain. But by they time they got to the inn, it was litterally pouring outside, and the wind was blowing so hard they actually struggled to get inside the inn. Spray, Shampoo's great-grandmother served them some tea, and they booked four rooms for the night. They were in luck, because the Uma Ryokan only offered four vacant rooms anyway.
« How come you only have four rooms available for customers ? » Akane wanted to know.
« Not many people come around here » Spray answered in perfect Japanese, « we usually only get three to four customers a week »
An half-hour later, they were all gathered together in the dining room, eating chinese noodles. Akane wasn't hungry. Anxiety usually made her lose all interest in food. She just couldn't help but worry about Ranma and Ryoga, she kept wondering where they were, if they were safe... and she wanted to ask them about the letters... Instinctively, she slightly moved her hands in her sweater's pockets, and her heart skipped a beat as her fingers came into contact with the two crumbled pieces of paper. She needed to feel them, especially the one in her left pocket, Ranma's one. It was the only way she managed to believe he had actually written her a letter. She simply couldn't picture him sitting down with a pen between his fingers, thinking about what he was gonna write to her.
Feeling that she wouldn't be able to swallow anything tonight, she excused herself and went to her room. It was a cozy little room with a double bed, a wardrobe and a dressing table. She took a quick shower, then slipped into her dressing gown and creeped into the bed. The tempest was still going on outside, but she fell asleep pretty easily, exhausted after such a tiring day.
--
About an hour later, Akane was awoken by loud footsteps and splashing-water noises coming from downstairs. She quickly glanced at her watch and pricked up her ears.
A man said something, but Akane didn't hear well.
« No more vacant rooms for tonight sir, sorry » Shampoo's great-grandmother responded to the man.
« Come on, you can't just leave us outside in the rain ! » another man yelled.
Akane frowned. That voice sounded familiar. Very, very familiar...
Oh, god.
The young girl leapt out of her bed and hurried downstairs, forgetting that she was only wearing a nightie.
« Ranma ! » she shouted.
--
Ranma's POV
I raise my eyes to meet the gaze of the girl who just called out my name and I see...
AKANE ?!
Now what in the world is Akane doing here ?...And why the heck is she wearing a sexy nightgown ?!
Wait, wait, wait, that can't be possible. I must be so exhausted that my brain's playing tricks on me. Akane, in China ? I almost wanna laugh at my own stupidity, but instead, I close my eyes and open them again.
Crap.
My hallucination is still there, standing on the stairs, staring at me.
And she's still wearing that sexy nightgown.
I turn to the left and notice that Ryoga is also staring at my hallucination. Wait, is that even possible ? The guy looks like he's just seen an angel. Damn... is that a tear on his cheek ?
I turn back to look at Akane, and I think I see her smiling. Oh no, now she's frowning...
« Ranma no baka ! » she says, hands on her hips « you should have told me you were going back to China ! »
...What did she just call me ?
« Why are you looking at me like that ? » she asks.
« A... Akane is that really you ? »
Yup, that's all I managed to actually say. Akane looks like she's about to explode.
« Of course it's me ! »
I must still be staring at her cuz she crosses her arms around her, looking self-conscious.
I feel like my brain's gone out of my head for a little trip on its own.
Akane's in China.
Akane's right in front of me.
And I wrote her a letter.
Crap !
I'm about to ask her what she's doing here when three of my recurrent nightmares appear up the staircase.
Shampoo, Ukyo, and... Mousse (?!) are looking at me. Both of the girls cry out my name at the same moment and then look at each other, defiantly. Oh man, I have an idea on what's gonna happen next.
Shampoo's the quickest, she leaps down the stairs, and next thing I know she's snuggling against my chest.
« Shampoo miss Airen very very much »
God I'd almost forgotten how annoying her voice was.
I wanna tell her to get off me when Ukyo runs down the stairs and actually kisses me on the cheek. How am I supposed to react to that ? Instinctively, I look back at the staircase to look at Akane. But she's not there anymore.
What the heck is that all about ?!
--
Akane got back to her room in a fury. She stormed back out of it a minute later, holding a bucket of water. Down the stairs, everyone was talking at the same time. Shampoo and Ukyo were still all over Ranma, who was trying to free himself from their embrace. Not trying hard enough, Akane thought angrily, throwing the bucket at him.
« What the... » Ranma began.
SPLASH !!
« Akane, you dummy ! What did you do that for ?! » female Ranma shouted.
« Just wanted to help » Akane answered innocently.
Shampoo had been splashed by the water too. She jumped on Ranma's chest and started meowing.
« C...C...Ca... Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !! » Ranma shrieked.
He started running through the inn, screaming, until Ukyo threw some hot water at them.
« Thanks, Ucchan » male Ranma said, gasping.
Akane's heart tightened, but she didn't say anything.
--
After arguing for half an hour about who was supposed to be here and who wasn't, Spray finally agreed that they stayed at the inn for the night. But that meant that four of them were gonna have to pair off.
Ryoga grabbed Ranma's shoulder and whispered in his ear :
« I know you do not care about such things, but I can't sleep with a girl, it is not an honorable thing to do. But be aware that I will not tolerate you and Akane-san to sleep in the same room, so be careful who you choose to sleep with »
He then turned to the old woman, and announced : « I shall share my friend Mousse's room »
Mousse turned pale : « What ?! I'm sleeping with my Shampoo, we're fianc... »
« Are not ! » Shampoo yelled, grabbing Ranma's arm and squeezing it « Shampoo sleeping with Airen »
« I'm not sleeping with anyone here » Ranma said, when he saw Akane's menacing look.
« Of course you are, Ranchan, you're sleeping with me ! We're childhood friends, it's not like we've never slept in the same room ;) and besides, you can't just go and sleep outside in the rain »
« I'll find another place » he replied.
« Why don't you just choose someone ? » Akane suddenly asked.
« A... Akane »
Shampoo and Ukyo chuckled, overjoyed about the way things were turning out. It was so rare that Akane dared Ranma to make a choice !
But she had to know. She had to know if he would choose her out of his three fiancées... or not.
Ranma looked as if he was paralysed. His face was pale, his eyes were bright. His glance kept moving from one fiancée to another, who were all eagerly awaiting his response.
He had to make a decision, and he knew that whatever he would end up saying, it would so not get him off the hook...