A/N: Tuatara gets the credit for this chapter coming about. As I was outlining where this story would go, I hadn't come up with a good way to get from Ryoga escaping at the end of the last chapter, to him showing up to help Akane with Kodachi. In discussing the story in PM, Tuatara mention an arc about Ryoga and the fishing rod of love. So, I went and looked through it, and with an evil grin, I had the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Ryoga picked through the clutter of items in front of him. Fairs were always filled with merchant's tents, which could have some great finds… or piles of worthless junk. He always made a point to check, but so far, the one he was in was starting to look like the latter. Then, something caught his eye. It was a basket filled with fishing rods; the sign in front of it said "Hook your true love!" His curiosity piqued. "Hey, old man," he said to the man running the place. "What can you tell me about these things?"
The old man saw what he was holding and grinned. "Excellent choice, my boy!" he said. "The fishing rod of love! Just hit the girl of your dreams with the little suction cup on the end, and she's all yours!"
Ryoga's eyes widened as an idea filtered into his brain. It was his life's purpose to get revenge on Ranma… who seemed to be having an awful lot of fun with that girlfriend of his. Ryoga broke into an evil grin. He could suction-cup Ranma's slutty girlfriend and steal her away. It was perfect! Ranma would be miserable, and once the girl was successfully yanked from Ranma's grasp, he could just dump her off. And, to top it all off, she'd do just about anything he wanted… A drop of blood formed on his nostril, and he shook his head to clear his mind. Those were things he was saving for someone special. Still, the chance to get Ranma …
"I'll take it!"
Ranma and Akane turned the corner, as Akane said goodbye to her friends. She leaned on him. "Want to spar when we get home?" she asked. "Then we can… you know… wind down together, too." Ranma blushed a bit. "That does sound kinda nice," he said quietly.
He stopped in his tracks, sensing danger. He shoved Akane out of harm's way as something flew at the pair from an alley ahead of them. It landed on his chest, stuck, and he was suddenly yanked through the air. Looking at his chest, he saw that he was tethered by some kind of string that had latched onto him. Looking down, he saw that Ryoga was at the other end of the line, and Ranma made a point to land directly on his head. "Hey, Ryoga," he said simply. "How's it going?"
Akane jogged around the corner, stopping abruptly when she saw who had pulled Ranma away. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh," she said coldly, "it's you." Ryoga knocked Ranma off of him, while Ranma yanked the suction cup loose. He rubbed his chest where it had stuck. "What the hell was that thing, Ryoga?" he asked. "It itches where it hit me." Looking closer, he noticed a small red mark. He smacked Ryoga. "It left a mark!" he complained.
Ryoga rubbed his temples. His plan was half-baked enough that it hadn't occurred to him that his aim might suck. If he was going to get revenge on Ranma, it was time to go back to square one. He turned. "Gotta go!" he called, running away. Ranma and Akane watched him go. "That was weird," Ranma said.
When they arrived home a few minutes later, they were surprised to find Ryoga drinking tea at their table, with Akane's sisters and both fathers also lounging around. Nabiki waved to them as they entered. "I ran into Ryoga down the street," she said. Akane reflexively reached back and touched her hair, her jaw tightening in anger. Kasumi smiled sweetly at Ryoga. "So," she said. "You're a friend of Ranma's?"
"Not really. I'm on a quest to defeat him."
"That'll be a never-ending quest," Akane drawled, earning a dirty look from the boy. She looked to Ranma, expecting him to be smirking, but he wasn't. In fact, it almost looked like he felt bad that she'd insulted Ryoga. He quickly sat at the table next to Ryoga, while a bewildered Akane sat on his other side.
Right as they were finishing dinner, Ranma stood abruptly. He pointed to Ryoga. "Ryoga," he said, "can I talk to you? Alone?" Ryoga cringed; there was no doubt that Ranma wanted to smack him around about the fishing rod incident. Still, he was confident that he'd win the fight, so there wasn't any reason to refuse.
Ranma led him outside, where they hopped up onto the roof. The lost boy stood impatiently. "What do you want?" he asked, irritated.
Ranma sighed. "Ryoga," he said. "Do you really only think of me as your sworn enemy that you have to defeat?"
Ryoga blinked. Ranma's whole demeanor was throwing him for a loop; he looked… vulnerable. It certainly wasn't what he expected. "What else would I consider you?"
"You don't have any… feelings… for me?"
"Saotome, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Can we at least be friends?"
Ryoga looked at him like David Silverman looks at Bill O'Reilly. "F… friends? Just how many hits to the head have you taken?"
Tears formed in Ranma's eyes. "So, we can't even be friends?"
Ryoga blinked. "Wait a minute. What are—"
Ranma smiled broadly, grabbing Ryoga's hands. "We can? That's great! See you later best buddy!" He skipped away, as a dumbfounded Ryoga watched him go. "I really gave him brain damage, didn't I?" he muttered.
The next morning, Akane awoke and prepared for her morning jog. Usually, she'd see Ranma practicing in the yard or dojo, but for the first time since he'd arrived, he was nowhere to be found. The yard was silent. Akane stood, looking around in confusion, before she set out. 'I'll check in on him when I get back,' she thought, worrying a bit that he was sick. As she left, she didn't notice a tent pitched under a tree in the adjoining vacant lot.
Ryoga looked at the teary-eyed Ranma, smirking, as he slid his arm around Akane. "Sorry, Saotome," he said. "She went with the better martial artist. Guess you weren't so good after all." They turned to leave as Ranma slumped to the ground. Ryoga gave Akane a kiss on the cheek. "I got us a room at that hotel we were talking about," he said quietly. Her face brightened. "It's like a honeymoon!" she said, excited.
Ryoga smirked. 'As far as you know,' he thought. 'Wait 'til you wake up tomorrow morning and I'm nowhere to be found!' He fought back a laugh, as they passed a cafe. "Ooh, the miso smells good," Akane said. "We should stop in!" Ryoga nodded, then paused. "Wait a minute," he said out loud. "Since when is there a restaurant here?"
He awoke with a start, in his tent where he'd fallen asleep the night before. "What a weird dream," he muttered sleepily, before he noticed something: the very real smell of miso. He sat up, listening as he heard the sounds of cooking coming from outside. Confused, he opened the tent and poked his head out, nearly falling on his face at the sight of a cheerful Ranma sitting in front of a cooking pot and fire. Ranma turned at the sound. His face lit up. "Good morning, dear," Ranma said. "I'm making miso soup for you. It'll be done in a minute. I washed all of your clothes that I could find, too."
Ryoga blinked. It was too early in the morning for that kind of insanity. "Saotome," he said, "just what the hell are you planning?"
"Planning? Nothing. I just wanted to see you smile!"
Ryoga's eyes narrowed. "And just how the hell am I supposed to smile when a guy is taking care of me!"
Ranma paused. "Oh," he said. "I didn't think of that." He grabbed a bucket that was sitting on the ground next to him, and dumped it over his head. The redheaded girl looked at Ryoga. "Sorry," she said, "is this better?"
Ryoga rolled his eyes, and an idea hit him. "The fishing rod…" he muttered, turning and scurrying into the tent. Inside, he dug through his things, grabbing the instructions to the koi rod. He read the paper quickly:
The one who you strike will have the seed of love
placed upon her breast. The seed will blossom into
a full-blown romance. A mark on the breast, from
the size of a dot to a carp shape will be proof of
the love's growth. Happy hunting!
Ryoga blinked. "A mark," he muttered, turning to see Ranma peeking in through the door. He grabbed her by the arm. "Come here, 'dear'," he said, yanking her inside and tossing her onto his bed. Ranma squealed. "Ooh," she cooed, "I didn't know we were this far into our relationship!" Ryoga grumbled, then blanched as his eyes landed on a mark on her breast… resembling a carp…
Akane jogged back to the house. She hoped that Ranma would be alright when she found him; being alone with her thoughts while she jogged had her even more worried about him. It wasn't like him to be out-of-commission. As she approached the house, she caught sight of a tent in the lot next door, and stopped. "Is that Ryoga guy really sleeping out here in a tent?" she wondered aloud. She jumped as the tent shook. A voice came from inside. "Ooh, Ryoga," a girl's voice said. "I love that you think of me in that way!"
Akane blinked. "Ranma?"
She jogged over to the tent and yanked the flap open. She was met by the sight of a female Ranma, her shirt open and her breasts exposed, with Ryoga laying on top of her. A smile crossed Akane's face. "Don't mind me," she said, closing the flap. After a second, she yanked the flap back open. "Got room for one more?" she asked.
Ryoga jumped and darted past her, out of the tent and all the way into the street. "It's not like that!" he cried, frantically waving his arms. Akane smirked. "Relax," she said. "I like the idea of you two hooking up!" Ryoga turned an alarming shade of green and hurried out of sight. Akane shrugged and looked in at Ranma. "Want to screw in Ryoga's bed?" she asked. Ranma shrugged, buttoning her shirt and pushing past Akane to leave the tent and walk away. Akane sat, completely befuddled by the cold shoulder.
"What the hell was that all about?"
Things weren't any clearer in homeroom an hour later. Akane kept glancing to Ranma, or more specifically, what he was doodling in his notebook. It was a (not bad) drawing of Ryoga, surrounded by stars, with "I Love Ryoga" written several times. She was completely dumfounded. There was definitely nothing wrong with Ranma wanting to get closer to Ryoga; she would've preferred Kuno, but the though of Ranma locking lips with any guy was enough to give her goosebumps. But… it didn't fit. He was always adamant that he didn't like guys and could never do anything with one. Why the sudden change? And then there was the fact that he wasn't just showing physically attraction. He acting like he was head-over-heels, and at the same time, acting cold toward her. He hadn't so much as kissed her the entire morning. It wasn't like him at all. Either he'd lost his mind, or was under a spell, or had drank a love potion… She didn't believe for a second that he'd had a change of heart so suddenly. As much as she liked the idea of him bringing another guy into their relationship, it wasn't going to happen with him acting that way.
That was the part that really had her confused. How did he end up with Ryoga in the first place? Ryoga certainly didn't seem to have feelings for him; if anything, he hated him. His running away earlier that morning seemed to confirm that. Did somebody else give Ranma a love potion and it backfired? Kuno, maybe? She'd have to keep an eye on Ranma until she figured out a way to fix things.
That afternoon, they walked home in silence. It felt like there was a mile of space between them. Akane cleared her throat. "Ranma," she asked.
"Hm?"
"Are you and Ryoga… dating? I mean, are you a couple?"
Ranma looked wistful. "Yes. We're very happy together."
Akane blinked. "When did that happen?"
"Just a couple days ago."
Hurt welled up in Akane. She stepped in front of him, forcing him to an abrupt halt. "Didn't you think you should tell the girlfriend you already had first? How can you stand there and act like we didn't have anything between us?"
Ranma brushed past her. "Just stand aside, little girl. We never had anything as deep as I have with Ryoga." He walked away, as Akane stopped, wiping a tear from her eye. She needed to find Ryoga and see what he knew. This was going to stop. She sprinted for home to change, all the while hoping that Ryoga was in his tent next door.
Ryoga returned to his tent, having gotten lost when he ran away from Ranma and Akane. He shook his head, trying to clear out what he'd seen earlier. Ranma, as a boy, looking at him with eyes that… he stopped as the last thing he'd eaten threatened to come back up. He feared that the expression on Ranma's face would haunt him until the day he died. And then, who should walk in but Ranma's girlfriend? He could just see the delight in her eyes. He looked around. She was probably spying on him at that very moment, hoping to catch a glimpse of he and Ranma… he broke into a run, as his lunch again fought with him.
Arriving at his tent, Ryoga yanked the flap open, only to stop and stare in shock at what was inside: Ranma, female, in a skimpy pair of shorts and pulling a tight tank top over her naked breasts. She smiled. "Oh, hello, dear!" she said cheerfully. He immediately turned his attention to the mark on her chest, which had expanded. He cringed. It was only getting worse.
Before he could react, he was grabbed by Ranma, and found her lips crushed to his own. He pulled back in disgust, as she pressed her body against his. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked. "You were so forward this morning."
Ryoga shook his head. "No," he said. She tried to kiss him again, and as he backed away, he became aware of the effect that the closeness of her body was having on his body. He jumped, sliding his knees back to avoid having her feel his protrusion. "No!" he shouted. "No! No! No!" He pushed her away roughly, and the expression on her face changed. Instantly, she was red with anger, grabbing a tea kettle nearby and taking her usual masculine form. "Now you've hurt my feelings," the now-male Ranma said.
Ryoga suddenly found himself under assault by a volley of punches. "Ryoga!" Ranma cried. "You think you're going to dump me, pretty boy?" Ryoga dove from the tent, jumped to his feet, and ran. He needed to get away and figure something out. With Ranma on his heels, he ran for his life.
A few minutes later, Akane cautiously approached the tent. "Anybody here?" she asked. "Ryoga? Ranma?" She pushed the flap of the tent aside, instantly shocked by the war zone inside. There had been a fight inside; there was no doubt about that. She stepped in and started rummaging though what she found, looking for anything that could make sense of things. She immediately found the fishing rod, and its instructions. As she started reading, her blood boiled, as she remembered Ryoga yanking Ranma in the air. "He is under a spell," she muttered, "and Ryoga did it! He'd better pray there's a way to reverse it!"
At that moment, Ryoga sprinted down a crowded street in Nerima's main commercial district, with Ranma right on his heels. With a leap, Ranma caught him, slamming him to the ground. Ryoga didn't even have the chance to stand before Ranma grabbed him by the shirt and hurled him high into the air. He landed hard in the middle of the street. "Oh, damn," he said. "He's gonna kill me. For real. I'm gonna die… I'm gonna die…"
Ranma stepped up to him, picking him up by the front of his shirt. Ryoga thought fast. "Darling," he said. "It's a misunderstanding. It's all my fault. Please." He did his best to give Ranma a loving look, all the while fighting hard against his gag reflex. Ranma looked at him angrily. "Oh, please," he said. "You really think I'd believe you after that?" He stared for a minute, before releasing Ryoga and wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Of course I do," he said. "I forgive you, dear."
Ryoga grimaced, looking around at the crowd that had gathered. "Could you tone it down a little?" he said weakly. "People are watching us." Ranma responded by placing his lips to Ryoga's neck and sucking gently, making Ryoga recoil in disgust. "Kami," Ryoga muttered, blushing in an unbearable mixture of embarrassment and horror. "Why can't you have a shy girlfriend? One that wouldn't teach you these things?"
From the middle of the crowd, two pairs of eyes watched with a greater degree of interest. They belonged to Kasumi and Nabiki, who'd gone to the market for groceries. Kasumi blinked. "Isn't that Ranma?" she asked. "Kissing that boy that you brought to dinner yesterday?"
"Yeah, that's Ryoga, all right."
"Isn't he the one that cut Akane's air on accident? You'd think Ranma would be angrier about that…"
"Oh, this definitely is not normal. If Ranma had been attracted to guys there would have been a steady parade coming into our house. Remember how our sister is. They'd be having threesomes every single night."
"I wonder what's going on, then."
Nabiki looked away. "I dunno, but this is far creepier than it is sexy. Can we go?"
Kasumi blushed, not taking her eyes off of the boys. "You go on ahead. I'll… catch up with you later."
Nabiki gave her sister a sideways glance. "You know… you're pretty shy about these things, but once in a great while, I can really see the resemblance between you and Akane…" She left.
That night, Ryoga and Ranma sat in the tent, Ranma a girl and Ryoga certain that death would be better than having to endure Ranma's sickening looks. Ranma plucked a piece of food from the bowl she was holding. "Say ah!" she gushed. Ryoga grimaced and complied, as Ranma fed him. He grabbed his own bowl of food, turning from Ranma to sprinkle something over it: sleeping powder he'd managed to pick up earlier. He turned to Ranma, giving his best fake smile. "Open wide, angel!" he said, as Ranma enthusiastically complied. A minute later, she shook her head. "Oh, boy," she said. "I'm getting tired already. You want to come to bed with me, sweetheart?" Ryoga cringed. "Be right there!" he said cheerfully. Ranma lay down on his futon, and in the blink of an eye, was out like a light.
Ryoga sighed. "You're a good cook and a good fighter," he said, "but I'm not about to marry a guy. If you're stuck on this, I don't have a choice." He paused. "Of course, killing you was what I always wanted to do, anyway. This sure makes it easy." He picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and stepped out of the tent.
And found himself staring into the angry eyes of Akane.
"Put her down," she said, steadily but with a hint of anger evident in her voice. Ryoga was shaken, and complied, gently laying Ranma on his futon. He turned back to the girl.
Slap!
Ryoga grabbed the side of his face, where a red handprint quickly started to appear. Akane grabbed the front of his shirt. "A love potion?" she hissed. "You think I'm going to let you steal my fiancé away? You're going to have to go through me first!"
"A love potion? What makes you think his feelings aren't real? Maybe he turned gay overnight!"
"Fishing rod of love?"
Ryoga's eyes widened. "Uh… I…" He struggled for a good explanation. "It's not what you think! Honest!"
Akane put her hands on her hips. "Oh? Then what exactly were you doing with that thing?"
Failing a good excuse, he did the next best thing: tell the truth. "It was an accident! I wasn't aiming for him! I missed!"
"Then who were you aiming for?"
Ryoga cringed. "You."
"Me? What, you have a thing for me and you think this is how to go about telling me?"
"No, no, no! I don't like you like that! It was a plan to get back at Ranma! I was going to steal you away to make him miserable!"
Akane's jaw dropped, and she stood motionless for a moment as his words registered. Slap! She hit his other cheek twice as hard as the first. Thunk! She decked him, leaving him sprawled on the ground. She stood over him. "I should turn you into sausages," she grumbled. "You had better have a way of fixing this. How long does the spell last?"
"I don't know! The instructions don't say!"
Akane thought for a moment. A smile crept over her face. "Okay," she said. "I think I know how to handle this. I'd love to have a three-way with two guys, but I couldn't without knowing that Ranma is okay with it, and I don't trust what he says right now. But the next best thing… You and I are going to look for a cure, but until we find it, you and Ranma are going to be lovers. And I mean lovers. And I'll be watching everything you do together."
Ryoga blanched. "You mean… as guys?"
Akane nodded.
"No way! I can't do it! I could never be attracted to a guy!"
"You'd rather I turn you into a pig and lock you in a cage? I saw a cute little pet carrier at the mall; it would be perfect for you."
"How am I supposed to have sex if I can't… y'know… stay in the mood?" Ryoga hoped that his explanation would get Akane completely off of the idea.
Akane paused. "You're right." She thought for a moment. "Fine. Ranma as a girl."
Ryoga rubbed his temples. "No, no. I'd still know he's a guy."
"Bullshit. I saw the tent in your pants earlier when I caught you two together." She smiled. "I think you'll manage just fine."
Ryoga blushed. "But… I've never even done… that… before!"
"It's just in and out. You'll figure it out quick enough. It isn't rocket science."
"No. No way."
Akane shrugged. "I guess I'll have to turn you to a pig and cage you. I wonder what my dad will do when he finds out you ruined his plan to join the schools. Ranma's dad, too. They can get pretty angry about those kinds of things. They just might turn you into cutlets."
Ryoga jumped. "Wait!" He gulped, and lowered his head. "Fine. I'll do it. But can we get it over quick and go hunting for a cure right away?"
Akane hummed. "Okay. But if we don't find anything by tomorrow night, you're spending the night with her again. And I don't mean sleeping."
Ryoga scowled, before his eyes widened. "Wait… can Ranma get pregnant as a girl?"
Akane shrugged. "Better wrap your whacker before you attack her, Romeo. Now pick her up. You two will be in Ranma's bedroom. I'm going to send his dad and mine off on a training trip and get a video camera off of Nabiki."
Ryoga sighed in defeat, picking up the unconscious Ranma and slinging her over his shoulders.
Ranma awoke with a start, looking into the smiling face of Akane. "Hi, Ranma," she said cheerfully. Ranma looked around. "My old room in your house?" she asked. Akane nodded. "I saw that you and Ryoga were camping in a tent," she explained, "and figured you might like a couple nights under a roof. I know you don't like me anymore, but I thought we could still be friends."
Ranma smiled. "Wow," she replied, "thanks, Akane." Akane bowed and walked out, as Ryoga passed her on his way in. He was so nervous he was trembling, looking at Ranma like a janitor looks at a dirty toilet— desperate to finish an unpleasant job. He made a point not to look for the camera that Akane had hidden; neither of them knew of the device behind the slightly-ajar door of the oshiire. Ryoga knelt in front of Ranma, as the redhead rushed to hug him.
Akane strolled down the hallway, following the cable that ran from under the door to Ranma's room, into her own bedroom. There, Nabiki had a television set up and a tape recording. She stood abruptly as Akane entered. "Okay," she said. "You're all set. I'm going somewhere else, because I don't want to see this."
"You don't?"
Nabiki made a face. "No!"
Akane shrugged. "Well, it's okay. I was going to crack the door open and watch it live. How about Kasumi? Think she'd want a peek?"
"You'd be surprised, Akane. I'll tell her." She left.
Akane sat on her bed, reaching over to pick up the fishing rod that lay there. She turned it over in her hands. "I wonder if this works more than once," she mused. "And if it's curable, I wonder if Ranma would be okay with getting hooked on purpose so that he could stand to have another guy come in…" She set it aside, glancing at the monitor before rising and heading back out into the hallway.
Ryoga sat gently, avoiding eye contact with Ranma. The redhead, on the other hand, wasn't about to leave him alone. She pushed him roughly to the floor, looking down at him. "You want to finish what we started earlier, dear?" she said, lust starting to build in her eyes. Ryoga gulped. "Yeah," he croaked, unmoving. Ranma smiled with glee, yanking her shirt off as Ryoga's nose started to bleed from the sight. Ranma grabbed his hands and put them on her breasts, as Ryoga did his best to think of other things.
It didn't work.
As Ranma tugged at his shirt, he became more and more aware that his brain was the only part of his body not enjoying it. There was nothing he could do— it was going to happen. He was really going to have sex with her. He gasped as he felt her slide his pants off, and watched with a mixture of arousal and disgust as Ranma seductively removed her shorts. In a flash, she was on him.
. . . . .
Ranma lay on Ryoga, panting, as Ryoga tried to catch his breath and regain his sanity. He'd just lost his virginity… to Ranma. All because he'd tried a trick and messed it up, and got blackmailed when someone else caught him. He squeezed his eyes shut, doing his best to block out the feel of her bare skin pressed against his. She squirmed, squeezing him tight.
Neither of them noticed the carp on her breast, which had slowly worked loose during their coitus, as it pulled away, fluttered to the floor, and faded to nothing.
Ranma awoke on her futon. She yawned, stretching and scratching her balls. She fidgeted in confusion— why didn't she feel anything when she scratched? She scratched again; nothing. Opening her eyes a crack, she looked down to see her own breasts. 'Oh, that's why,' she thought. 'I don't have balls at the moment.' She closed her eyes again, only for them to snap open. If she was a girl, what was she holding? Her eyes traveled from the men's parts in her hands to the sleeping face of their owner, complete with fanged teeth and a yellow bandana.
Her brain slowed to a stop, then started flying at a million miles an hour. She jumped back, scooting away until she smacked back-first into the wall. As soon as she did, her stomach started to churn, and she jumped to her feet, sprinting for the window and projectile vomiting out into the garden below.
In the hallway, Akane sat asleep with her back against the wall, where she'd ended up after watching the two of them go at it the night before. Ranma's retching shook her from her slumber, and she jumped up, throwing the door open. Seeing Ranma at the window, she rushed to her. "Ranma," she whispered. "You okay?"
Ranma turned and looked at her groggily. "I slept with Ryoga, didn't I?"
Akane nodded. "Do you want to do it with him again?"
Ranma's expression turned to one of disgust. "No! Of course not! Why would I want to get with another guy?"
Akane hugged her gently. "You had this little love potion thing going on." She glanced down at Ranma's breast, where the carp was no longer visible. "Looks like it wore off. C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up. I'll fill you in later." Ranma nodded, moving to her dresser and grabbing a shirt and boxers out of the top drawer. They headed downstairs, leaving the sleeping Ryoga where he lay.
As they made their way to the furoba, they passed Nabiki. The middle Tendo smelled horrible, and was covered in something unidentifiable. She scowled. "Just an open memo to the other occupants of this house," she said. "If you want to vomit out a window, please check underneath it first." Ranma wobbled. "Uh, sorry," she mumbled. Nabiki rolled her eyes and headed for the bath. Akane took Ranma's arm. "While she's in there," she said, "let me explain what went on over the past couple days…"
A few minutes later, Akane sat in the washitsu, waiting for Ranma to return from his soak in the bath. Kasumi entered, setting the first parts of breakfast on the table. Akane smiled. "You enjoy the video?" she asked. Kasumi blushed. "Yes," she replied, "but please don't tell anyone, okay?"
Akane nodded. "You want a copy of the tape?" she asked. Kasumi's blush deepened, and she nodded sheepishly, turning and making a quick exit. Ranma, now male, walked in a moment later. Akane leaned against him. "You going to be okay?" she asked. Ranma looked straight ahead. "I really don't know," he replied. "I can remember every bit of it, and it's…" He made a face. Akane gave his back an affectionate rub. "I thought about trying to get a three-way with both of you," she said, "but I didn't think you were really sane enough to give me permission to do stuff with another guy. Besides, the way you were acting around Ryoga, you might have said no."
Ranma hung his head. "I was acting pretty crazy, wasn't I?"
"Don't feel bad. You can't help what a potion does to you. Blame Ryoga for doing it."
"Oh, I do. I swear to the Kami that I'll tear him limb from limb when I see him."
They heard footsteps, and turned to see Ryoga slink in. He stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Ranma and Akane together. Ranma jumped to his feet. "You!" he screamed. "I'm gonna kill you, you freakin' hentai!" Ryoga turned and ran for his life, with Ranma hot on his tail.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in this one. Next I'll be getting the next chapter to Chill Pill ready. Also, I see that FFNet has rolled out a feature to attach cover art to a story. I'd like to get some artwork up for my three active stories; I'm not much of a drawer, especially not anime-style, so I was planning to make some computer-rendered drawings with POV-Ray and hamaPatch. If you've never heard of them, don't even worry about it; what's important is making a decent piece of art will be a bit time-consuming, so that cover art might be slow in coming.
