As always, big, huge thanks to my beta reader, pursemonger. Read her fanfics, they're brilliant!
On another note, I'm addressing the reviews at the bottom of the chapter! Thank you everyone who left one - this chapter is dedicated to you guys!
Sorry for the long wait. I broke my foot (fractured, whatever) and they had to put a metal plate and screws inside and kept postponing my surgery for 5 days and I even missed out on my birthday and spent that inside the hospital! Rubbish! The week before that I spent being immobile thinking it was just a sprain... well, when it swelled to balloon-size proportions we finally thought maybe we should ask a doctor.
Anyway, here's a new chapter, apologies for the delay. I won't be able to write quite as much as before (supposed to rest my foot and all that malarkey). So apologies in advance! I'll do my best to have another chapter up in the next two weeks.
Special thanks and dedication to BobV and UrmixMoonstone - I have taken you up on your suggestion in this chapter!
Warning: Nudity and themes of a sexual nature
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Ever since Ranma had moved into the Tendo household two years ago, Akane had gotten used to waking up under abnormal circumstances. If it wasn't Ranma himself chasing P-Chan from her bedroom, it was Happosai trying to steal her underwear, Crazy Gymnasts attempting to bash her head in, tremors throughout the house from innocuous looking guests - such as Rouge - turning into their cursed forms and wreaking havoc or just another long lost rival or fiancé(e) turning up to challenge someone. Yes, she could safely say that since Ranma had moved in, life was far from boring.
Being martial artists the life of the Tendos had never been something she would've classified as 'normal' with ghost hunts, humongous creatures like those in Ryugenzawa and challenges but ever since the Saotomes made themselves an intricate part of the Tendo life, it had gone far beyond even that and become truly extraordinary.
So Akane was somewhat surprised when she woke up to the nice, quiet and almost peaceful sunlight coming in through her window. No tremors throughout the house, no shouting, no screaming Pandas or shrieking redheaded girls - though Ranma would obviously deny ever doing something as 'unmanly' as shrieking.
Something was wrong, was her first conclusion.
But when suspicious chocolate coloured eyes finally opened fully, Akane realised that everything was actually right in the world. The pig-tailed martial artist that had first introduced her to the meaning of the word 'chaos' was happily sleeping next to her. With a rush, memories of the last few days came back; Ranma was stuck in Neko ken. The blue-haired girl couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was a sufficient amount of chaos for the rest of Nerima to have decided to finally grant them a break.
Almost automatically, she pressed her lips gently against Ranma's forehead, watching as blue eyes slowly blinked at her while her fiancé slowly drifted back into the waking world.
"Good morning, sweetie. You're a very well behaved kitty." She grinned mischievously. Even if Ranma didn't understand her words it was kind of fun to tease him.
Neko Ranma merely purred and butted against her hand in an attempt to make her give him more affection. Akane laughed softly but complied. Moments later he rolled onto his back and she only rolled her eyes with a slight grin before her hands searched out the firm stomach muscles on him to continue touching him as he craved. She shook her head mildly at the loud purring noises he was making at the pleasure fromtheir contact.
"You really are starved for affection, aren't you?" Her smile disappeared as a sadder mood took hold of her.
"I guess I shouldn't be that surprised knowing your family. Your dad fights you instead of hugging you and your mum unsheathes her katana at the slightest mention of anything she deems 'unmanly'. I can only suspect that asking her for a hug would be the height of unmanliness. So really - who could you go to?"
She sighed, looking at her happy fiancé. Ranma was currently rubbing his head against the palm of her other hand in an attempt to cheer her up. Instead, Akane found her heart only sinking further.
"You only ever get to look for affection in Nekoken, don't you? Otherwise… Well, your dad's only show of affection ever has been the cradle of hell. Shampoo rubs herself all over you and Ukyo gives you hugs and touches as well but neither seems to ever actually take into account what you want."
Akane smiled wryly, her right hand gently massaging Ranma's head while her other hand was still on his stomach, gently caressing the firm muscle and skin beneath his shirt.
"And us? Well… We've hugged a number of times when you rescued me. And you've held me in your arms when we go roof hopping. And after Ryugenzawa you even initiated us holding hands - but… You're painfully shy around girls and don't want to be clobbered to death by me or be accused of being a pervert."
The blue haired girl sighed. Admittedly, she had given him good reasons to think she'd react like that. Even when it was due to another of Shampoo's concoctions that forced Ranma to hug anyone who sneezed Akane still had beaten him up for it. She loved his hugs, she really did. It wasn't his actions that bothered her; rather it was the suddenness of them. All she wanted was for him to ask first or allow her to choose - like he'd done in Ryugenzawa.
"I.. wouldn't mind," Akane looked into the cerulean eyes of her fiancé, wondering if she'd ever be able to tell him when he could understand her words. "I wouldn't mind, y'know. And I wouldn't reject you…"
The youngest Tendo tilted her head to look at her fiancé, continuing her gentle ministrations while looking at the deep blue eyes staring back into her own and missing the human intelligence she'd usually find within them. It was like two very different aspects of Ranma, this was the emotional side he kept repressed for his entire life and the one that acted on what he wanted and felt rather than thought. As much as Ranma was capable of being thoughtless and blurting out words, he never said anything about emotions.
So to suddenly have this warm version craving her touch and affection was nice but she missed the man inside who'd appreciate her thoughts and the implications behind the physical contact. The man who knew how much it had cost them, what they had been through and the many unsaid words that remained between them. Two so very different facets of the same man and Akane couldn't help but feel that it was a shame she couldn't experience this intimacy with Ranma, fully human and comprehending all her words, feelings and actions.
"Remember that weird date with Ryoga? He doesn't realise his strength, his hugs could crush me - martial artist or not. And yet there you were and you're just as strong as him but… when you hug me it's not the feeling of impending death…" Huffing a laugh at the thought of the obvious difference between the two rivals she shook her head gently before becoming solemn once more, brown eyes losing their sparkle as she looked at her fiancé, purring and oblivious.
"You have killed for me, Ranma. And I know how much that must've cost you even if we don't talk about it. I know that over all these years, no matter who challenged you, how much or with what they threatened you - you have always, always restrained yourself. You have never killed. But you did that time - for me. Because my life was at stake and you had to make a call you should never have been forced to make. And yet, unlike Ryoga, when you hug me you're tender and warm, soft and gentle, loving and protective. A contradiction to being a martial artist but I've never felt safer than when you wrap your arms around me. I know you'd never hurt me. I know you'd never let me fall. With you, I'm always safe. You'd do anything to protect me."
Brown eyes, both sad and happy with that knowledge, met blue ones and her lips met his forehead again, wrapping her arms around his back and burrowing herself against his neck for a moment. But it simply wasn't the same - it was Ranma's body but the feelings were so different.
"I love you. I know you can't hear me, I know you don't know what I'm saying, but I love you. And someday I'll tell you when you understand what I'm saying. Someday I want you to be able to hug me, knowing I'd never reject you. Someday I want you to… kiss me."
Akane blushed furiously. Saying she loved him was one thing; emotions were something the girl was quite comfortable with but to admit a physical need and attraction to her fiancé was another ballpark altogether especially since she spent her days vehemently and loudly denying it. She didn't mind showing him physically that she approved of hand holding and hugging or his arm around her shoulders in a rare show of possessiveness but it was another thing altogether to say that out loud.
"I mean we kissed, sort of, when you were in Neko ken the first time but I doubt you knew what you were doing. I think you were mostly nuzzling not kissing. I wonder if a real kiss would send shivers down my spine, make my head spin and I wonder if you'd like it. What if I'm not good at it? I mean… is there some sort of technique you should learn beforehand?"
Shaking her head at her own foolishness the youngest Tendo snorted slightly. Ranma was simply lying there, eyes closed, purring mindlessly at the pleasure of having both his head and his stomach caressed by his mate and completely oblivious to Akane's words and their meaning.
"I haven't got anyone else to talk to about this. My family would have us married off immediately. Your mum would kill you if she knew we hadn't kissed yet, deeming it unmanly. My friends… well, it's embarrassing to admit this you have to understand. To tell them that you haven't kissed me… it implies heavily that you're not interested. I know you said I'm sexy but for the two years before that you've called me uncute, built like a brick, unsexy, tomboy-ish and emphasized that no boy or man could possibly have an interest in me. To confess to my friends that yes, we're engaged, yes, we've been alone in the house and even seen one another in various states of undress and yet you've never made a move to come onto me - it would be humiliating. You've had Shampoo kiss you but won't kiss me. It doesn't take a genius to interpret that."
With a soft sigh she pressed her lips against his forehead again, watching as Neko Ranma merely blinked at her in confusion. Shaking her head mutely she forced herself to her feet and to move away from the warm bed.
"Come now, honey, you reek. I'll see if we can't convince our fathers to give you a bath."
Akane smirked as Ranma immediately shook himself awake and followed her when she stood up. It was rather funny just how insistent he was to not let her out of his sight. And cute and adorable. It was fun being able to call her fiancé by pet names but she would just have to be careful next week not to accidentally slip up with Ranma; now that would be truly embarrassing.
Already used by now to the blue eyes intently fixed on her every move, as they had been at all times over the last 72 hours, the blue haired girl casually undressed herself and slipped into comfortable shorts and a shirt; suitable for exercising but also comfortable enough should she simply decide to read and lounge in the garden all day. Akane continued her mindless chatter with Ranma to cover up any awkward silences between them.
"Ryoga had better hope he doesn't turn up anywhere near me or I will give him the beating of a lifetime. I mean, can you imagine, Ranma? Using your curse in such a fashion against women? I mean you would've had plenty of opportunity yourself; one might even say your curse almost lends itself to exactly that. Yet you've never abused it; even on the odd occasion where you have somehow been forced into the changing rooms or the hot baths you have never taken advantage of their vulnerable position - unlike Ryoga. I still can't believe he managed to slip in and out of our house for two years without anyone noticing he was human and not a pig. I mean,-"
Akane cut herself off abruptly, dressed by now and one hand on the door handle but the sudden memory flashes had halted all her movement. Bacon breath, P-Chan, Charlotte, Ryoga, pigboy - how had she not realised. Ranmahad known. It wasn't the cat side of him smelling now that the pig was actually human; he'd known all along. That was why he'd come into her room in the middle of the night with hot water kettles, why he had run into her bedroom more times than she could count, why he had tried to stop her from kissing P-Chan and pressing the pig into her breasts… He'd known that it was really a cursed boy not a pet. Her hands clenched even as her eyes widened with the realization. She whirled around, glaring.
"Ranma…"
She knew her tone of voice was threatening as she grabbed the first item within sight. Her fiancé, still on all fours, cringed away, head ducked in mute apology, though it was clear that he had no idea why her mood had suddenly changed.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Later she'd be unable to recall what exactly she'd thrown at her fiancé or how many items. Neko Ranma was seemingly even faster than the human one as he evaded every single strike with ease. Anger spent, Akane slowly came back to herself. All she remembered was panting, her desk lamp in her hand and an uninjured Neko Ranma hopping easily across the many broken items on her floor.
Lips quivering, Akane sank to the ground. She wasn't sure why Ranma hadn't told her, why he'd protected Ryoga but it was pretty damn clear just how bothered her fiancé had been by the entire situation. And now that he was in cat mode he'd obviously not been held back by whatever it was that stopped his human self from telling her. He'd shown her in the easiest possible way and as soon as he'd been able to.
Tired and exhausted, Akane pressed the heels of her palm against her eyes, stemming the tears that threatened to escape and subduing the sobs in her throat. She was not going to cry over this… She wasn't! It just… It stung - she'd talked to him about her mom, her thoughts, her feelings, memories and yet he'd not had the common decency to tell her about the naked boy she pressed into her breasts that had watched her undress and slept in bed with her. It felt as if he'd betrayed her even more than Ryoga ever could for the simple reason that her feelings for the lost boy were nowhere near as intense nor did she rely on him or trust him to anywhere near the same extent as Ranma.
A pitiful meow made her sniff slightly, eyes red but dry as she looked up at the questioning blue eyes of her fiancé.
"You baka…"
With a lunge she wrapped her arms around Neko Ranma's neck and curled into him, still refusing to cry. She just needed to feel safe and protected again; the one thing that remained the same with both Neko and Human Ranma. No matter what or who he was, he'd always protect her.
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"Akane-chan?"
A tentative knock woke the youngest Tendo up. Blinking slightly she realised what had happened; at some point, curled up against her fiancé, she must have drifted off into sleep. Grimacing slightly she pushed herself upright, hearing the disconcerting noises her bones made as they shifted back into place.
"Onee-chan?" she hesitantly asked.
"Akane, would you both like some lunch?"
The blue haired girl nearly giggled. Trust Kasumi not to mention her screams and shouts and the sounds of destruction she must've heard earlier from this room.
"Yes, thank you. That would be wonderful. Ranma and I will be right down."
Her older sister made an affirming noise and then she heard her soft footsteps fade off down the steps.
Blue eyes blinked at her curiously and Akane smiled tentatively.
"Hey… It's okay. See? I'm not mad anymore… well, not with you anyway. When you're back to being, y'know, you, you'd better have a pretty damn good explanation for this entire thing though. Ryoga had better not come near me any time soon though."
Patting her fiancé's black hair she gently stood up and checked herself over in the mirror before cautiously moving over the mess in her bedroom to the door. Lunch first, she decided, clean up later, though she grimaced slightly at the broken shards of the shattered picture frame.
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Tearing her eyes from the spectacle that was Neko Ranma eating, Akane tried to focus on her own food and not be put off by the boys face in the food bowl. This was even worse than normal and she even contemplated feeding him just so he wouldn't ruin her appetite.
Shaking off the thoughts she deliberately turned to look over at the other side of the room where her father and Genma were eating.
"Ranma needs a bath and a change of clothes. Could you please give him a wash?"
The spectacled older man snorted at her question.
"I don't have a death wish. You go wash him. You're his fiancée anyway."
It took Akane a moment before she could close her mouth at that obstinate reply. Glaring she turned to her father for support but as usual he simply remained quiet, hiding behind yet another newspaper to escape her accusing stare. Turning back to Genma, she frowned heavily.
"If you think for even a moment that I'll wash a naked Ranma you're sorely mistaken. You're his father. You're a martial artist - man up and help your son get cleaned; he's starting to really stink."
Eyebrows raised at her, Genma made a vague movement in her direction and before he'd even gotten around to standing up, Neko Ranma had hissed threateningly, hand raised as a silent warning not even bothering looking up. Akane winced slightly. Okay, so maybe this would be harder than she'd thought. His own father was obviously not be allowed anywhere near him and Ranma treated his own mother with similar aggression when she came too close, not trusting her.
So far the only people he seemed to accept were herself and Kasumi. Unfortunately, logic dictated that if she didn't want to spend the next four days around a really strongly smelling Ranma it would have to be either her or her older sister giving her fiancé a wash. And she really didn't want her sister seeing Ranma naked. Cringing slightly, she looked up. But maybe she'd have another suggestion? Short of hosing him down with the garden hose - which still wouldn't be with soap - Akane had to admit she might be forced into yet another extremely awkward situation soon.
"Ka-Kasumi…?"
Her older sister gave her an apologetic smile.
"I am sorry, Akane. But you can always have him as a female to make it less awkward. I will search out some clothes for you after lunch. And I'm sure neither father nor Mr. Saotome would dare to tease you or Ranma about this, will they?"
Kasumi asked as gentle as ever but there seemed to be a hidden firmness behind the warm smile she gave the two men that had them rapidly nodding and acquiescing.
Lips quirking into a slight smile at the image of an imposing Kasumi, Akane shook her head, blushing. Ranma really did have a talent for getting them into untenable situations.
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She knew she was blushing furiously but couldn't help herself. Akane had taken a long time to come to terms with the fact that to her it didn't matter whether Ranma was male or female. A few casual glances and brushes in the changing rooms had confirmed, to both her happiness and embarrassment, that this was simply yet another Ranma-only thing. She held no attraction to girls otherwise but could admit that some of the other boys and men were handsome and desirable (before they started leering or opening their mouth, that is). Other women however had never held a similar appeal to her.
And yet, after two long years she'd finally been forced to admit that where Ranma was concerned, her sexual preferences never seemed to matter. Boy or girl, she wanted him. His breasts were suddenly as attractive as a flat chest and defined pectorals. How had this happened? She knew he was still undoubtedly male in his mind, knew she wanted their wedding night to be with him as a male but she also knew that she had no disgust, abhorrence or anything similar to imagining experimenting with his female form. In fact, it called forth the same arousal in her as his male form did.
But there was no way in hell, not even under torture, that she would ever admit that to anyone, especially her older sister. So as per Kasumi's suggestion she'd mutely used cold water to transform Neko Ranma into his cursed form before disappearing into the bathroom with him.
Akane undressed herself and wrapped a towel around her body, tightening it before turning back to the agitated redhead. It was obvious that Ranma was keen to seek out the hot water behind the next door and turn back into his male form. And somehow she'd have to undress him and then stop him from doing exactly that.
Sighing, rubbing her eyes in exasperation at yet another awkward situation the two had found themselves in, she knelt down in front of her fiancé and started to undress him. To her amusement Ranma responded by meowing plaintively, looking upset at her refusal to allow him to return to his male form. There did seem to be some basic understanding in him what she was doing when she undressed him which was both discomforting and entertaining at the same time.
"Quiet now, sweetie. I'll try to get this over and done with as quickly as possible, trust me."
With quick efficient movements she took off Ranma's clothes. Since he was still on all fours it made it rather awkward and she dreaded the challenge of putting clothes back on him later on. Not allowing herself to linger on his curvaceous body as she slowly took his clothes off until he was left in only his boxers. Biting her lips the blue haired girl contemplated her next move momentarily before she shook her head. That's as far as she'd go. There simply was no way that she'd wash or otherwise touch Ranma... down there without his express permission and understanding of what they were doing. Blushing furiously she stood back up.
Opening the door to the main bathroom her hands forced Ranma to remain at her side, despite his continued attempts to escape the grip she had on his pigtail.
"Behave yourself or I'll let you remain smelly. See how much you like seven days of accumulated grime and stench on you. And then there'd be no way I'ld let you sleep in my bed."
Oblivious to the meaning of her words, Ranma continued his struggles until Akane sat down on one of the small bath stools and started caressing her fiancé. Her hands continued scratching his head until Neko Ranma collapsed into a purring puddle of pleasure at her feet, eyes half closed.
Grinning to herself she gently shook her head in amusement at her for once so easily handled fiancé and grabbed the soap. It took another moment of hesitation before she slowly lifted Ranma's left arm and started gently rubbing the soap over the soft skin.
Blushing furiously as her hands kept making contact with the naked body in front of her accidentally, Akane tried desperately to stop her mind from wondering whether they might do something like this together when they were married.
It was difficult, forcing her eyes to remain only on the slender arm she was holding onto. Her fiancé was obviously enjoying the touches, mewling and purring as Akane's hand with the sponge lathered her body up. But for some reason this felt different to the previous days where her hands had touched his bare stomach when Ranma presented it to her, asking for more affection. Now, female and very clearly still in the hold of Neko ken it shouldn't have made such a difference that he was at her feet in only boxershorts and nothing else. Ranma had never been very modest about his female body and she'd seen him like this more than once but for some reason this seemed a lot more naughty, a lot more like a guilty pleasure rather than the previous innocent touches.
Unwillingly, her eyes wandered to the pert breasts of her fiancé and once again Akane had to hide a grimace at the envy she felt. It simply wasn't fair that his breasts were larger than hers, that they grew more than her own breasts even though it was only a curse he was under and she was a woman naturally. She supposed that under the circumstances it really was no surprise he'd never thought her sexy…
That thought paused Akane. But he did. He'd admitted as much and Ranma may do a lot of things but he wouldn't lie. He'd been incredibly embarrassed by it which was yet another sign that he'd said something he actually thought. But where did that leave her?
Biting her lip she found her hands reaching for his other arm almost absent mindedly, eyes intently studying his cursed form and mentally comparing it to her own and Shampoo's as well as Ukyo's. Akane liked her own body well enough but she was not oblivious to its flaws. Due to her extensive training she had a lot of muscle - so while she lacked the fat that other girls frequently complained about she also needed to eat more than was technically decorous for a woman and had clearly visible calf and thigh muscles. More than once she'd overheard girls talking about how they didn't want to walk too much as they might end up developing muscles in their thighs and thus be 'fat'.
But Ukyo and Shampoo trained even more vigorously than her in some ways and yet they always seemed to have a perfect figure. Grumbling to herself about the unfairness of it all she once again examined her compliant fiancé in front of her.
Ranma did have an incredibly curvaceous female body with arguably all the attributes a man could possibly be interested in; big breasts, slim waist, perfect hips, long legs. Yet he'd called her sexy and he had definitely seen his fair share of naked women's bodies. That thought caused her to cringe slightly despite the truth behind it.
"This is sooo awkward. I'm glad you won't remember this." Akane shuddered at her muttered words; what if Ranma could read her mind or knew what she was thinking about him especially when he was undressed. Cringing, she dismissed the thoughts and came to the realization that now, having finished with both arms and his stomach she'd have to take the next step.
The youngest Tendo vaguely thought her face might explode from the sheer heat alone as she used the sponge to wash Ranma's breasts; her other hand was on his shoulder to hold him upright since his natural positioning was on all fours and he'd refused to keep lying down. The soap suds on the round bosoms seemed strangely appealing and for the first time Akane could see what a guy would find attractive. Gulping she quickly washed the other one though she tried to ensure that despite her haste she wasn't too rough on her fiancé.
It took her a moment to tear her eyes off the sight of a soapy naked Ranma and she swiftly fixed her eyes on his, reminding herself that she'd often told boys not to stare at… her assets and now here she was, doing the exact same thing. Though admittedly she could remember that Ranma had, on previous occasions, been rather hard pressed to keep his eyes above shoulder height as well when he'd seen her naked and wet.
Focusing back on her fiancé she started lathering up his back, telling herself that this was much safer territory. Her tongue wet her lips, remembering the way Ranma looked with his shirt off and in his male form - now he was slender, curvy, soft and she could catch glances of the round heights of his bosom… but as male she could see every muscle move and stretch under his skin with no fat to speak off. It was a mouthwatering sight.
Oh god, she was a pervert! Closing her eyes, Akane tried to force her thoughts onto less distracting notions before she could find out if her blush really could spread over her entire body.
That was another curious thing; Ranma's female form never seemed to have hairy legs yet his male form did. It had always puzzled her, though now, as her hands with the sponge slowly soaped the long legs, she finally noticed that there were tiny hairs they just were barely noticeable. It wasn't until she stretched out Ranma's other leg that she noticed the ever darkening wet patch on the boxershorts.
Blinking it took a moment before Akane assimilated the information; there was no way that any water had reached there and that left only one explanation. Looking up she noticed that the normally ocean blue eyes of her fiancé had darkened with arousal and her own blush intensified, now suddenly aware of how his purring had turned into more of a quiet mewling, begging for more.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat that Akane told herself came from embarrassment rather than her own willingness to … let the situation escalate, she quickly finished with his leg and then dumped the now much cooler bucket of water over her fiancé.
It worked like a charm. Ranma blinked and hissed at the cold and though his nipples were now more pronounced than before, it had obviously taken at least some of the edge of his arousal. Feeling too relieved as the sexual tension between them lessened somewhat, she failed to stop Ranma from reversing the curse as he used the hot water behind her and turned back into a male.
Wide eyed, Akane stared for a moment at her fiancé's naked masculine form - specifically his midsection. Even the cold water had not helped as much as she would've liked and while not obvious in his female form his continued interest in her and their 'activities' was more than apparent now despite the boxershorts.
It took her longer than she would like to admit to tear her eyes away from the sight of his arousal, gulping in much needed air as she desperately tried to calm down her own heart rate. Ranma could obviously smell her desire and it definitely wasn't helping the situation.
Originally, she'd intended to have her own bath but something told her that being naked in a bath tub with Ranma watching her would not help her in the least. The sheer thought of him watching her, being interested in her in that way was affecting her. The fact that normally he would be looking in the other direction due to embarrassment and in protection of her modesty only seemed to heighten the excitement when he was not doing so now; clearly staring and aroused by what he was seeing.
Violently clamping down on her thoughts she hesitantly patted the space in front of her, watching as Ranma, eyes dark and glittering, prowled over to her confidently. Heart racing she bit her lip; arrogance and confidence had always given her fiancé a very alluring effect only enhanced by his attractiveness.
However, Akane rapidly woke from her stupor when Ranma's face neared the bottom end of her towel, obviously intent on coming closer to her nether regions. She squealed slightly in surprise, clenched her thighs tightly and kept on hand on her towel so as to not unintentionally allow him to get to his goal. Her hand around the cold water bucket firmed. Within seconds, bucket upended, her fiancé had once again turned into his cursed form.
Akane found herself watching with a sense of disappointment as Ranma shrunk slightly, breasts grew and hard pectoral muscles disappeared under a layer of soft skin and the tent in his boxershorts disappeared.
As expected, he hissed angrily at her - though not threateningly - but her hands gripped his pigtail tightly, refusing to allow her fiancé to turn himself back with the hot water. Murmuring soothingly she undid the hair band holding his hair together before she started gently massaging the shampoo into his scalp. The hissing died down rapidly, replaced by ever louder purring and she felt the tense redhead relax slowly under her ministrations. The blue haired girl bit back a sigh of relief when she felt the tension die down slowly. The atmosphere was much more pleasant now that her fiancé's back was turned and he wasn't too obviously presenting her with the clear signs of just how arousing her touches were. A part of her wondered if he'd have reacted the same way if it had been Shampoo or Ukyo doing this.
Telling her wandering mind off, she watched carefully to see which touches Ranma reacted most strongly to before she used another cold water bucket to wash the soap off his hair.
It was remarkably easy to persuade Ranma to follow her back into the front room. True to her word, Kasumi had left a change of clothes for them. She blushed at the thought that her sister had been here and Akane had remained blissfully oblivious to any intrusion; though admittedly her thoughts had been as far removed from her sister or indeed any other member of her family as they could possibly be.
She was amused more than put off by Ranma hissing his displeasure at her; it was obvious that the Neko didn't understand why she wouldn't allow him to turn back into a male.
"Just a few more minutes, honey." Crouching down at his side, Akane felt no more hesitation at the close physical contact she was initiating. Her arm curled around the stomach of the other girl, lifting her slightly off the floor to facilitate taking off the undergarment.
Feeling strangely embarrassed on his behalf she kept her eyes averted from his bottom and took her hand of his stomach - which suddenly seemed far too close now that the boxershorts no longer served as a protection of sorts. Just as she let Ranma go and took the new underwear from the pile of clothes Kasumi had left for them, the bathroom door flew open and revealed Happosai.
In an instinctive reaction borne from years of experience around the small perverted old man, Akane dropped the clothes and instead grabbed hold of her towel and clasped the juncture where she'd fastened it, tightly. That left her with one hand for defense but before she ever had a chance to act on it, Neko Ranma growled threateningly, stepping in front of her protectively.
Even Happosai was taken aback at seeing her fiancé's female form completely naked and it gave Neko Ranma all the time he needed. As far as the cat in him was concerned, his mate had initiated a mating ritual with him, showing their mutual desire for each other before the small creature had shown up and interfered. No one interfered in a mating and no one had the right to make his mate feel so upset as she did now.
Eyes narrowing, Ranma didn't hesitate. Claws unsheathed, the movement too fast to be visible to human eyes, Ranma's arm flashed out in a diagonal scratching motion. The gi shredded and blood was visible even as Happosai flew back out of the room from the power alone and through the wall into the garden. Hissing threateningly in anger, Ranma glared after the old man, refusing to go after the enemy since it would mean leaving his mate without protection when she was vulnerable.
"KASUMI!"
Akane stepped in front of her fiancé, one hand calmingly placed on his shoulder blade. She could feel the strength coiled in him, the anger and the power to seriously harm anyone that would come between them; especially now.
Kasumi, bless her, came around the corner quickly. Akane leaned out of the bathroom, motioning for her older sister not to come any closer.
"Happosai tried to come in - he's out in the garden. I'm not sure how serious his injury is. Could you just check that he's okay? I saw … I saw blood."
Licking her lips, Akane desperately tried to suppress the nervous anxiousness that had filled her the moment she'd seen the force behind Ranma's attack and the red drops on the floor. Thankfully, Kasumi merely nodded and went out in the garden. The blue haired girl knew that it was paramount she calmed Ranma down now. She doubted that even her older sister would've been allowed to intrude right now.
Closing the doors, pushing away the apprehension she felt, she turned back to focus on her fiancé. He'd simply done what he always did and that was protecting her. It wasn't his fault that as a cat he had no idea of what constituted excessive force.
Smiling gently at Neko Ranma, she brushed her hand through his hair and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. When she finally felt the rest of her anxiety fade she put a small amount of space between her and her fiancé.
"Thank you." Wryly, she added with another look at his naked female body "Now let's do something about this lack of modesty of yours."
The tension in her had at least successfully killed any remnants of arousal she'd felt. Dressing Ranma was over in a matter of minutes due to the awkward maneuvering she'd had to do since he was still on all fours. Akane quickly followed and dressed herself before stepping back out. Her fiancé had calmed down once he'd realised that she wasn't sexually excited anymore. She'd let him turn himself back into a male before walking down to where Happosai presumably landed. There was a small indent, traces of blood and slowly the anxiety crept back up.
Her sister was not in the garden anymore and neither was grandfather but instead she found Kasumi back in the family room looking serious; she paused momentarily. Was that good or bad?
"Akane-chan"
The blue haired girl mechanically sat down in front of her sister, heart beating fast. Oh god, was Happosai dead? She didn't like the old man but she never wanted him dead. And how would Ranma react? God, please don't say that. He'd survived bombs, surely this wouldn't be enough to incapacitate him?
"I am very sorry but we can't keep going like this. You and Ranma have too many suitors and too many rivals and fiancées. Happosai will be fine in a few days, but it was a close call. Had it been just that bit deeper I'm not sure he would've survived." Kasumi paused to let the words sink in and Akane barely withheld a gasp.
"Now, this is not Ranma's fault. I'm not saying that but I think it's time you both got away from the craziness here for a while. Just until he's back to being himself. Another incident like this one and…"
Unwillingly Akane's hand clenched around her fiancé's. She didn't want to even imagine what would happen to Ranma if someone died; and he would no doubt be plagued by guilt once he was back to being himself.
Nodding firmly she made a decision and her eyes met Kasumi's in silent understanding over their precarious situation.
"I believe I've been begging daddy to go another training trip with me for years. It seems only fitting that I go now with Ranma instead."
The face of the oldest Tendo lit up in a warm smile.
"I think that would be perfect. Let me prepare some food for you to take along. I believe the tents are still in the storage room. Oh, and make sure you don't pack too much as Ranma won't be able to carry anything."
Bemused Akane stared after Kasumi as she hummed and made her way into the kitchen. Her older sister always seemed to be so well prepared for everything and thinking of all eventualities.
The blue haired girl only hesitated a moment longer before going back upstairs with her fiancé at her heels, looking for her backpack. Entering her bedroom she sighed momentarily at the mess. It looked like the packing would have to wait until she could safely step into her own room without cutting open her feet on the shards of glass or fall over the various objects littering the floor.
Sighing and grumbling over Ranma's general unhelpfulness in the situation she bent down and started the long task.
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It was past midnight before Ranma and Akane left the Tendo family home together. The timing was deliberate; she would've been hard pressed to explain why there was a boy following her on all fours, hissing and meowing like a cat.
So they had left in the middle of the night in the hope of both escaping anyone's notice - including their suitors - as well as not raising questions about Ranma's current state of mind.
She had also made her family believe she was going north while her actual intention was to go east. That way any information released, however accidental or intentional by anyone would not lead directly to them. With any luck that would be a sufficient diversion for anyone attempting to follow them, though Akane still held out hope that at least Ranma's fiancées (or wannabe fiancées) were currently not interested in challenging a Neko version of him.
Adjusting her backpack for the long journey undoubtedly ahead of them, Akane set out. Ranma was seemingly overjoyed at being out in the fresh air and finally able to stretch his legs. He kept jumping all over the place, meowing and running circles around her before he bound a couple of feet up ahead, clearly interested in getting her to increase her pace, and then returning to her side again, butting his head against her affectionately.
And for the first time since the Happosai-fiasco that night, Akane found herself laughing openly, hand resting gently on Ranma's head before she gave him a mischievous smile and started running.
"Slowpoke!"
Her fiancé yowled in pleasure before bounding after her.
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Right... what do you think?
caia-chan: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hope this chapter was up to snuff as well. Let me know what you think!
Richard Ryley: Thank you for your comment. You're completely right, that's a typo.. sorry! I'm glad you didn't think Akane was too OOC. As you mentioned, Akane didn't consider all the implications at the time, simply assuming that the cat in him had found out not that the human in him had known. Though as you can see, realisation hit in this chapter but less dramatic. Once Ranma is back to being himself he might have to do a bit of grovelling, but nothing too dramatic.
Compucles: Thank you! Well, here's a small Ryoga-fallout but nowhere near as dramatic. Some grovelling and they'll be okay again, I reckon. As you can see, Happosai did appear in this one. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Leoness: Yay, glad you liked it. Thank you for your comments. Hope you like this chapter as well!
BobV: Thank you for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've taken you up on your suggestion as you can see- bath time! Ryoga's part was mentioned again, a bit at least to make Akane have the realisation about Ranma knowing as human. Let me know what you think of this one.
Linkgold64: Thank you for your review. Yes, the other one is indeed mine as well. I'm glad you're enjoying both.
Jdcocoagirl: Thank you for your review! Hope you've enjoyed this chapter just as much.
serenityselena: Thank you for your comments! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter as much as the previous ones!
Flameraven1: Thank you for your review and all the encouragement. Akane realises, as you have read by now, before human Ranma takes back over that he knew about Ryoga's curse.
Lady Ski: Well, thank you for your review. We may, or may not, in the next few chapters have the Amazons turn up... maybe... I don't want to give anything away!
Armichi: Thank you for your review. And thanks again for your thoughts on Akane's rant.
The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you for your review. Ryoga will be... absent for a little while but will turn up again before this story finishes. That's as much as I'll say on that topic ;) Let me know what you think!
CityOnTheMoon: Thanks for your review. Afraid this chapter will be lacking in drama - that will come up later though. Hope you still enjoyed this chapter.
UrmixMoonstone: Thanks for your you can see I took you up on your suggestion! Hope you liked my take on it...
rage98: Thank you for your review. Let me know what you think of this chapter.