Chapter 4

'Shopping trip'

Ranma, Akane, Nabiki and Kimi walked into the small weight room the prison had. "Hey look." Nabiki said happily. "Treadmills."

"Yeah." Kimi walked quickly over to one of the vacant treadmills. "Dibs." She called. "Hey Nabs." Kimi continued. "There's another one free."

'Nabs?' Akane thought. 'That was quick.' She waved her hands at Nabiki. "Go ahead Sis." She said. "They have free weights." She grabbed Ranma's hand. "Come on Ranko." She said. "Spot me."

Ranma laughed. "You're on." Ranma and Akane went over to a bench while Nabiki walked over and took the remaining free treadmill. She and Kimi weren't next to each other but close enough to have a conversation. Even so, for the first few minutes she concentrated on getting her heart rate up. From the concentrated look on Kimi's face; the other woman was intent on the same thing. Soon Nabiki got into a comfortable rhythm and was able to better take in her surroundings.

"Hey they have music playing." Nabiki said suddenly as a quiet background music came to her ears.

Kimi nodded. "Must have been pretty quiet recently." Kimi replied. "It's one of the first privileges they take away when things are getting out of hand." Kimi listened to the music. "Must be an American station." Kimi decided. Kimi hummed along. "Hey I know this song." She said suddenly. "Let's get physical. Physical." She sang in bad English. "I wanna get physical."

Nabiki laughed. She looked around as she worked out on the treadmill. Ranma and Akane were not far away. Akane was at a weight bench. A bar with a good number of plates rested on the benches' uprights. "Whoa." She exclaimed softly.

The woman working on the treadmill next to Nabiki followed Nabiki's gaze. "No way." She exclaimed suddenly. "Who's she trying to kid?"

Nabiki turned to the woman. "Oh I don't know." She said. "She looks awfully strong."

The woman snorted. "I'll give you that, but there ain't no way she can lift that." The woman gestured with her chin while she continued to work on the treadmill. "She must have at least a hundred kilos on that bar."

"Is that a lot?" Nabiki asked. "I don't know much about weights or anything. But that girl certainly looks strong."

Kimi looked up. 'What's with the dumb broad act all of a sudden?' She caught Nabiki's eye. Nabiki just widened her eyes slightly. Kimi raised an eyebrow. "I got two hundred yen says she can't." Kimi said.

"You're on." Nabiki replied. 'Good girl.'

"How about a thousand yen?" Asked the woman.

Nabiki looked concerned. She looked from the woman to where Akane was stretching. " I don't know." She said. "I only have five hundred yen on me."

"Tell you what." Said the woman. She stopped her treadmill and walked over to Nabiki. "How about putting up your five hundred yen against my one thousand?"

Nabiki beetled her brow. Then she shrugged. "Sure why not?" She stuck her hand out. "Deal." The other woman shook Nabiki's hand. "Deal." She said.

Kimi walked over to Nabiki. "Do you have five hundred yen on you?" She asked in a whisper.

"No." Nabiki whispered back. "Don't worry." She stopped the treadmill. Nabiki turned to the other woman. She waved an arm toward where Akane was now lying on the bench. "Shall we?"

The three women walked over to the bench. Akane reached up and placed her hands carefully on the bar about shoulder's width apart. Akane nodded to Ranma. Akane pushed while Ranma pulled on the bar. The heavily weighted bar swung free of the brackets. Akane let the bar sink down to her chest. Akane started sucking in air in little gasps. She pressed. The bar lifted smoothly off her chest and into the air. "One." Called Ranma.

Nabiki tapped the now gaping woman on the shoulder. "One thousand yen please." The woman nodded with her mouth gaping open.

"It's worth it." She gasped. She handed a couple of bills to Nabiki. "Damn that broad is strong."

"Double or nothing?" Asked Nabiki. "Ten reps."

"You're kidding." The woman looked at Nabiki in disbelief. A look that was shared by Kimi.

"Two." Called Ranma.

The woman's head snapped around. She stared at Akane.

"Three." Called Ranma.

"Deal." Said the woman. She pulled out a couple more bills from her pocket. By this time a number of other woman had started to congregate around Akane's bench.

"Anyone else want a piece of the action?" Asked Nabiki. "Ten reps."

"Four." Called Ranma. A faint sheen of sweat started to form on Akane's brow.

"What odds?" Asked one of the observers.

"Two to one." Nabiki replied back quickly.

"Five." Called Ranma. Akane seemed to struggle to lift the weight.

"I got a hundred yen, says she can't." The woman said quickly. "Two hundred yen." Said another. "Five hundred." Nabiki pulled a pad out of her pocket and a pencil and started writing down the bets. She handed each bettor a slip with the odds and the amount bet. Once she collected the bets she turned to Ranma and gave the redhead a slight nod.

"Finish it Tomboy." Ranma said. "Eight. Nine. Ten." Called Ranma as Akane suddenly seemed to get stronger and lifted the weights smoothly and easily. Akane racked the weight. "Way to go Tomboy." Nabiki walked around and collected her winnings. Akane got off the bench and Ranma sat down. "My turn."

"Now that's impossible." Called a woman.

"Wanna bet?" Asked Nabiki. She looked around. "Five to one. Ten reps."

"You're on." Shouted the women in unison.

Later that evening Nabiki and Kimi were in their cell. A respectable pile of bank notes were stacked neatly in the middle of the table. "A couple more of those and we'll have enough for our first shopping trip." Nabiki said in glee.

Kimi shook her head. "Now that was incredible." She looked at Nabiki. "And you," Kimi shook her head again. "It was a pleasure to watch a master in action."

"Why thank you Kimi." Nabiki grinned. "You played the part of the shill pretty good." She said. "Good catch."

Kimi ducked her head. "I just was hoping you knew what you were doing." Kimi looked at the pile of money. "Apparently you did."

"Okay guys." Nabiki said. "I think tonight's the night."

"Awright." Exclaimed Ranma. "I was wonderin when you'd give us the okay."

"Can you really get out of here?" Asked Kimi. "I mean without getting caught."

Ranma smirked. "Yep." She said. "The biggest problem will be keeping the Tomboy from falling down or something."

"Ranma." Growled Akane. "Remember your promise." She turned to Kimi. "If Ranma says we can get in and out without being seen then we can get in and out without being seen." She looked down at her orange prison outfit. "The biggest problem is this thing." She pulled at the orange outfit. "It isn't exactly street wear."

'I wonder why she calls her Ranma?' Kimi thought. "Got it covered." Kimi said. She reached under her bunk and pulled out two gray pairs of sweats. "They'll be a little big for you Ranko, but it was the best I could do." She said. "They belong to a couple prison guards; I don't think they'll miss them for a couple days at least." Ranma stashed the outfits under her prison uniform.

"Good work Kimi." Said Nabiki. "See? I told you she was resourceful." She gave Kimi a proud smile. She handed Akane a sheet of paper. "Here's the list. Try to get as much of what's on there as possible."

"There's a twenty-four hour store about five miles south of here." Added Kimi. "Lights out is in an hour but the guards do a sweep of the place an hour later. I'd wait another hour before going. Just to be safe."

"Good thinking Kimi." Nabiki agreed. She handed Akane an envelope. "This is all the money we've saved so far. Don't lose it." She smiled at Akane. "Good luck Sis."

"Thanks Nabiki." Akane replied. She stuffed the envelope and the list inside her blouse. "Come on Ranma, we need to get some rest before we go out."

Akane and Ranma exited Nabiki and Kimi's cell and walked to their cell. Ranma was about to climb into the top bunk but was stopped by Akane. "Come here, Ranma." Akane said. She pointed to the lower bunk. "You know I can't sleep when I'm nervous. I need a cuddle." Akane pushed Ranma into the lower bunk. "Move over." Akane got in and wrapped the redhead in her arms. "You know you're pretty cuddly, not as cuddly as p-chan but not too bad."

"Stupid pig." Grumbled Ranma. "I'm the one you should have been cuddling not him." She said. "Ow."

"I can't believe you're still jealous of p-chan." Akane said. "He's just a pig you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Replied Ranma. "Still isn't right."

"Honestly Ranma, the way you carry on you'd think he was Ryoga." Ranma stiffened in Akane's arms. "That's it." Akane said suddenly. "It's Ryoga you're jealous of." She said. "I should have realized. That's the big secret isn't it? P-chan belonged to Ryoga."

"Yeah, that's it." Ranma said quickly. "You knew I was jealous of Ryoga?" Ranma asked a moment later.

"Well it took me awhile, but yeah." She laughed quietly against the back of Ranma's neck. "He never had a chance you know."

Ranma rolled over and looked at Akane. "Really?" She asked. "I dunno, I kinda thought." Ranma trailed off. "I always worried about that."

"You know I think it's kind of sweet that you'd be jealous but you really have no reason to be." Akane smiled into Ranma's eyes. Ranma smiled back. Akane tilted her head slightly and tightened her hold on Ranma. "Now I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago."

"Akane?" Ranma shivered when Akane placed her lips against hers. "You kissed me." Ranma gasped when the kiss broke. "And we're girls." Ranma smiled hesitantly. "And you didn't get mad at me neither."

"Want me to do it again?" Asked Akane. Ranma nodded rapidly. Akane grinned. "Good, because I want to do it again too."

"Tomboy wake up." Ranma shook the sleeping Akane. "It's time to go."

"I'm awake." Akane said a moment later. She rolled out of the bunk and reached under the mattress. "Here." She handed Ranma a gray sweat suit and then quickly donned her own. She then stashed the envelope with the money and the shopping list securely in her bra. "Okay now what?"

Ranma smirked. She pointed to the lock. "Think you can generate some hot chi?" She asked. "Or am I gonna have to insult ya?"

"Ranma." Akane growled. She held up her hands and a reddish glow sprang up around them. "How hot do you want it?" She said in a teasing voice.

Ranma grinned. "Just don't melt the door." Ranma pointed. "Put your hands there." Ranma placed her own hands about six inches apart. A pale blue glow appeared and Akane could feel the room get cooler even with all of the hot chi she was generating. Ranma let her own cold chi grow then suddenly slapped her hands against the lock. There was a faint click. Ranma grinned and pulled the cell door open. "Tah dah." She chortled quietly.

"Show off." Akane said fondly. "Not bad Ranma." She looked at the red head. "What would you have done if I wasn't here to generate hot chi?" She asked curiously.

Ranma shrugged. "I woulda thoughta somethin." She replied. She stuck her head out of the cell and looked around. "The coast is clear." She said. "Let's go." With Ranma leading the two women crept quietly down the corridor. Ranma raised a hand to stop them. She waited a moment then waved them forward again. They traveled to the end of the corridor then Ranma pointed upwards. Ranma hopped on to the railing and then leaped upwards. Akane took a deep breath and followed. The two martial artists quickly reached the top floor of the prison, leapfrogging each other as they ascended.

The guard on duty hid a yawn behind her hand. 'Three more hours.' She thought. 'I am so bored.' She glanced at thebank of monitors in front of her."What the?" She exclaimed suddenly. "

"Problem Omura?" Her partner asked. The guard wandered over to peek over Omura's shoulder at the bank of monitors.

"I thought I saw something." Omura replied. She pointed at one of the monitors. "It," Omura chuckled in embarrassment. "For a split second, it looked like something was standing on the railing," She shrugged. "Then nothing." She shook her head. "Maybe I'm not cut out for the graveyard shift." She checked the bank of lights in front of her. All the lights indicated that all the cells were closed.

The other corrections officer chuckled. "Yeah it can get to you." She replied. "Don't worry about it, it happens to everyone on the graveyard shift sooner or later."

Ranma pointed upwards again.

Above them could be seen some structural beams. Ranma jumped and landed on one of the beams. Akane followed. She wobbled for a moment then caught her balance. They continued on along the aerial pathway. Finally they came to a large air circulation vent, large enough for the two of them to navigate through on hands and knees. "We gotta be real quiet." Ranma admonished. Akane nodded and followed Ranma into the duct work. Eventually they came to a grating. Ranma leaned forward and pushed the grating out of place and caught it before it could fall. Akane could see the night sky through the opening.

"Okay." Ranma said. "We're almost out. We climb down the outside of the building, jump to the top of the wall over there," Ranma pointed. "And we're home free." Ranma chuckled. "Just watch out for the razor wire." Ranma climbed out of the opening.

Akane looked out the vent opening. 'The things I do.' She swallowed and followed Ranma as he descended the side of the building. In a matter of a couple minutes they had descended the side of the building and jumped to the wall. Akane jumped down and joined Ranma outside the prison compound. The two of them started running. A moment later Akane threw back her head and laughed joyfully.

"Having fun?" Ranma asked as they ran.

"Yep." Akane replied. "I have to admit, you sure know how to show a girl a good time."

Ranma laughed. "That's my Tomboy."

The shopkeeper heard the bell to his twenty-four hour convenience store tinkle. He noticed two attractive women in sweat suits walk in. One grabbed a shopping cart and the two of them started walking rapidly up and down the aisles. Murmured whispers and the occasional giggles reached his ears. He shrugged.

Several minutes later the two girls reached the counter and the shopkeeper's eyebrows rose when he saw the shopping cart was nearly full. He started ringing up the items. 'Perfumes, soap, toothpaste, body oil.' He tallied up the items. "Shopping for a sorority house?" He guessed.

"Gee mister." The cute redhead said. "That's right. How did you know?" The redhead gave the shopkeeper a look that made him weak in the knees.

"Just a guess." The man said mesmerized by the redhead's beauty. "That's a lot even for a sorority." He said a moment later.

"It's part of our pledge." The other girl an extremely attractive brunette explained. She looked at a list she held. "It's a good thing you had everything we were supposed to bring back." She paid the bill.

The man laughed. "Well that explains it." He said. "It's a good thing you'll only have to do this once."

"I wish." Said the brunette. "You'll probably see us again." She smiled.

'The redhead is beautiful.' The shopkeeper thought in awe. 'But that smile.' He swallowed. "Really?" He stammered. "Well I hope to see you two again." He reached behind the counter and grabbed a large box of chocolates. "Here." He said. "Just for being such nice customers." The redhead crooked a finger and the shopkeeper leaned forward. He nearly passed out when the redhead and the brunette each gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Mr. Shopkeeper." The redhead said cutely. The shop bell tinkled and they were gone.

"Wow." Whispered the shopkeeper.

Ranma closed the cell door behind her. She gave it a little tug to make sure the lock had set and sat down on the bunk next to Akane. They had stashed most of what they had bought in the duct work, only bringing back a few samples of each item. The two of them quickly pulled off the gray sweats and Akane stashed them under her mattress. Ranma stretched and then made to climb into the top bunk.

"Where do you think you're going?" Akane asked in a firm tone. She pointed to the lower bunk. "Get in there."

"What?" Ranma asked. "More cuddling?"

"You have a problem with that?" Growled Akane.

Ranma grinned. "Nope. Not at all." She replied. She got into the lower bunk.

Akane got in afterwards and wrapped an arm around Ranma's waist. "I had a good time." She whispered. "It felt good working together again." She kissed the back of Ranma's neck. She smiled as she felt a shiver go through the redhead's body. "Not fighting."

"Especially not fighting." Agreed Ranma. "We make a good team." She said sleepily. She turned in Akane's arms until she faced the brunette. "Can I get a good night kiss?" She asked. Ranma shivered again when Akane captured her mouth and kissed her hungrily. "Wow." Ranma said when they broke the kiss. "Um Akane?"

"Yes Ranma?" Ranma didn't say anything just took Akane's hand and put it on her breast. To Ranma's relief and pleasure, Akane not only didn't pull her hand away but began gently kneading the redhead's large breast through the prison tunic. Akane leaned forward and captured Ranma's mouth again while continuing to caress her breasts. Ranma moaned. Akane broke the kiss and rolled over and captured Ranma beneath her body. Akane grabbed Ranma's wrists and held the redheads arms over her head and against the bed. "I thought you were sleepy." Akane said in an almost growl. She ground her hips against Ranma's.

"After that kiss?" Ranma husked back. "Now I'm too horny to sleep."

Akane smiled hungrily. "We can't have that, now can we?"

Authors Notes. Yep there's a lemon scene. Let me know if you want it. The scene works without it. Lerris, I hope this answered your question about how they'd get in and out of the prison. Thanks everyone for the great reviews.

End Chapter 4