Chapter Six
The Scars You Can't See
Akane drifted in and out of sleep constantly throughout the night. For some reason, Ranma had left the lamp that sat on his side of the bed on. Akane had always slept in pitch dark; even as a child she had never needed the aid of a flash light to help her get through the night. At the time she, with her childish imagination, had believed that any monster who dared try to scare her would only be beaten to a pulp. After all, she was a martial artist. It was a saying that helped her through almost every ordeal she came across.
So, with the light penetrating her heavy eyelids, Akane cursed under her breath as once again the absolute black of unconsciousness became the fierce red that appears when one closes their eyes against the sun. Then, when the uncaring sting of the red began to hurt her eyes, Akane opened them to the room that was only, to her distaste, semi-dark.
This is the fourth time I've woken up in the last ten minutes, Akane thought angrily, haughtily flopping onto her left side so she could properly glare at her so-called betrothed, whom had her back to her, snoozing away. For some reason, he'd refused to shut off the light, which greatly baffled Akane, for as much as she knew he and his father slept in the darkness in their guest bedroom back home.
"Why is that light on?"
"Hm? Oh, just because."
"'Just because'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Uh, I just wanted it on, that's all."
"It's hard to sleep with a light on, isn't it?"
"Not for me, really."
"Well...okay. Goodnight."
"Yeah. Night."
Akane sighed as she continued to watch Ranma sleep. She wasn't sure if she would ever figure him out. When she thought she knew absolutely everything there was to know, something new would come up. Just thinking about it made her sleepy. Akane decided this could be a new technique for trying to get to sleep, so she let her mind wander. In a few minutes the glare from the lamp faded to black, and blissful unconsciousness claimed her for the fourth time that night.
Only for her to be abruptly ripped from her shapeless dreams, back into the glaring light, by a shout. Akane's eyes snapped open and she looked over at Ranma, who sat upright in the bed.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him incredulously, but he hid his face from her view.
"Nothing," he gasped. "Just a weird dream."
"You had a nightmare?" she said. "Do you...wanna talk about it?"
For some reason it felt strange to ask, and Akane fought back a frown as that strange feeling came over her yet again. She and Ranma had talked about their dreams once before while sitting in the dojo late at night. At the time, he'd been stubbornly vague about his dream, and she didn't bother him about it, but now it was different.
After the experience Ranma had just been through, it was likely that he'd get nightmares; and bad ones, at that. If this was happening, Akane wanted to talk about it. Yet, that strangeness she kept feeling wouldn't go away.
"Nah," Ranma shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Was nothin', really. Go back ta sleep."
Akane let her frown show this time. Again, he was being all closed-off from her, and she hated it. Why wouldn't he just talk to her when it mattered the most?
"Are you sure?" Akane said, her voice suddenly small.
Ranma obviously didn't catch the meekness in her voice. "Yeah," he muttered. "I'm fine, Akane. I'm a guy, for cryin' out loud, I don't gotta talk about my 'bad dreams'."
The words stung Akane a little bit, but she tried not to show it. Sighing in defeat, she lay back down, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over her shoulders.
"Alright, then." she muttered, her voice a tad icy. "Good night."
"Night."
Akane shut her eyes, only to see the aggravating redness. Akane bit her tongue to bite back the upcoming curse words. Huffing, she shuffled, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could without strain.
To her confusion, Ranma didn't lie back down after her. Instead he stayed put, sitting up in bed, still as stone. Akane opened her eye, watching him, but he still stayed motionless. She closed her eye, feigning sleep. It would be damn near impossible for her to get to sleep now. She lay in silence, glaring at the stupid redness behind her lids, waiting for Ranma to make some sort of move.
She didn't know how long she'd been faking sleep for; it felt like ages, but she knew it had only been several minutes. Finally, he moved, but it was not what she'd expected. Ranma got out of the bed, he believed her to be fast asleep, obviously, since she noticed he most with great care, and walked over to the door. Akane opened one eye just enough to see his figure quietly open the door and step outside. Where could he possibly be going?
Once he'd shut the door behind himself Akane opened both eyes and sat up in bed, eying the door curiously. The hallway was silent; she hadn't heard fading footsteps that would have indicated he'd walked away, possibly to go outdoors for fresh air. The hall was silent and still.
Akane sat in the bed, stilling staring at the door as if she waited for it to sprout legs and walk away. Then, she heard movement to the room next to her's; Mousse and Lufa's room. She heard the muffled sound of a door opening, and closing. Silence again. Then, voices.
"What are you doing up?" Lufa's voice was hard to hear.
Instantly curious, Akane carefully got out of bed, literally crawling along the carpet on her hands and knees, up to the door. She pressed her ear up against the wood so she could hear the voices in the hall better.
"Couldn't sleep." came Ranma's reply, much clearer now that Akane was listening at the door.
"Oh?" Akane heard movement and a hollow thump and a slithering noise as Lufa's shirt rubbed against the wall as she slid down to the floor to sit. "Nightmare?"
Ranma grunted, and Akane could imagine him shrugging his shoulders passively.
"That's understandable," Lufa muttered. "Knowing you, you're too macho to wanna 'talk about it', am I right?"
Akane started when Lufa used the same words that she had when she'd asked Ranma about his nightmare.
Do you...wanna talk about it?
"Mm-hmm." Ranma replied. Akane's fist clenched involuntarily. How come Lufa seemed to know him so much better than she did, when she hardly knew him?
There was silence in the hallway for a moment.
"So," Ranma started. "Why are you up?"
"Mousse is a bit of a sheet hog," Lufa muttered. "I've gotten so accustomed to sleeping alone that sharing a bed with someone has become a daunting task."
Ranma chuckled, and Akane fought the urge to growl.
"So, I guess that means you're unmarried?" Ranma said.
"Yup," Lufa said. "I've never been really attracted to the scarce amount of men in the village, anyhow."
"Huh," Ranma huffed. "I kinda got the impression you had a husband."
"Why for? 'Cause I'm an old bat?"
"No, no. Not at all. You don't look a day over..." Ranma paused to consider it. "Twenty-four."
Lufa laughed heartily. "That's certainly flattering." she giggled. "I'm a bit older than that, kid. Thanks, though."
"How old do I look to you?" Ranma asked suddenly.
Lufa was quiet for a moment. "I'd say...seventeen?"
Ranma audibly sighed in disappointment. "No, I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen real soon. So I guess I look my age. I was kinda hopin' you'd say nineteen or somethin', at least."
Lufa chuckled. "Sorry, kid."
"The pet name don't help my confidence much, ya know." Ranma said blandly.
"Well, would you prefer if I called you 'sweetie', or 'cutie' instead?" Lufa teased.
"No thanks," Ranma said with distaste. "I get enough of that from the chicks back home."
"Oh, really? Bit of a lady-killer, are you? I had a feeling..."
"What's that suppos'd ta mean?"
"You just look like a heart-breaker. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
Ranma just huffed loudly, but Akane knew his face must be as red as a pomegranate.
"Well, I don't wanna pry too much, kid, but I gotta admit you got me curious." Lufa said. "You sure you don't wanna talk about that bad dream?"
Ranma sighed heavily. "Well," he said. "I guess I kinda owe it to ya, don't I?"
"I wouldn't say so, but if you're okay with it, go ahead."
Ranma let out another heavy sigh. "It was...about Shampoo."
"I figured as much." Lufa muttered. "Go on."
"Well, every time she came down ta that cellar..." Ranma began. "Things happened."
Akane's heart skipped.
"Things?" Lufa said the word like she knew what he would say already, and she wasn't angry, but wasn't pleased either.
"Yeah," Ranma's voice was softer now. "She was always real...flamboyant, when it came ta bein'...touchy-feely, y'know? She certainly ain't no shy little flower, that's fer sure."
Ranma paused for a moment, and took another breath.
"When I was in that place, though..." his voice had lowered even more, almost to a whisper. "She wouldn't hold nuthin' back."
"So, in your nightmare...?" Lufa began.
"I was back in the cellar, with Shampoo..."
The hall was silent again.
"I see." Lufa said finally. "If you don't mind my asking, Ranma...how far would she go, exactly?"
Lufa's voice had lost it's tough-lady exterior. It was soft, kind, and...almost motherly. Yet, it still held some of that dominance that Lufa wielded naturally, and it vaguely reminded Akane of a nurse's mannerisms.
"Not...as far as yer thinkin'." Ranma whispered. "Far enough, though."
"Far enough for what?"
"Far enough to scare the shit outta me," Ranma said, his whisper becoming a hiss. "Far enough ta give me these goddamn nightmares."
Lufa said nothing to this, and Akane waited as yet another silence fell over the two, this one lasting longer than the others. Then, a wet smack that made Akane frown in confusion.
"Chin up, kiddo." Lufa whispered it so softly Akane barely caught it even when the thin door was the only thing blocking sound. "You'll be okay."
It was then with abrupt realization that Akane figured out that strange sound from before; the wet smacking sound. It could only relate to one thing.
She'd kissed him. Lufa had kissed Ranma.
Akane had hundreds of emotions swirling around in her mind, and in her state of shock, she wasn't sure which one she should act upon. As she waited for the paralysis to wear off, she listened intently for somebody on the other side of the door to speak up, but nothing was spoken.
Akane's fist clenched tightly. Was this because they were kissing again? Their mouths were too busy for them to speak any more. All that they were using them for now was to press them against each other. Heat traveled from Akane's clenched hands, up her arms, through her chest, penetrating her heart with it's fire. Akane then decided, as she had done countless times before, to act upon the one emotion that always made the most sense to her: anger.
Clenching her teeth together so she wouldn't scream in rage, Akane stood up and stormed back to the bed. Huffing, as if in exertion, Akane stood by the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with herself. Would she kick the blasted door down and interrupt their...make out? The words made bile rise up her throat. Or, would she break everything in sight before her, starting with that freaking goddamned lamp?
Noises from outside invaded her fury, and Akane, with great effort, pushed her anger momentarily to the side so she could listen.
"Thanks, Lufa." Ranma was saying. "It actually makes me feel a little better, to talk about it. Well, emphasis on the 'little'."
"No problem, kid." Lufa replied. "Glad to be of service, once again."
In her state of fury, Lufa's words held a double meaning to Akane, and she ground her teeth together hard. Again?
"G'night." She could hear the sweet smile in his voice.
"Good night, kid." said Lufa. "Try and get some sleep, kay?"
"I'll do my best."
Akane heard his hand touch the doorknob, and start to twist. Her anger vanishing for the time being, Akane gasped and dove into the bed, quickly getting under the covers and flipping over.
Seconds later the door opened and Ranma entered. He slowed his movements now that he was back in the room, obviously still believing Akane had been sleeping the whole time. He turned around and quietly shut the door, then tip-toed back to his side of the bed.
Making it appear like a unconscious movement, Akane moved her hands, pulling the blanket to further conceal her face so she wouldn't be given away. The bed shifted and the old springs in the mattress audibly creaked as Ranma got under the covers and lay down.
Akane contemplated what she should do. Her anger had subsided so that she could feign sleep, but it wasn't at all gone. It still bubbled impatiently in her stomach, waiting to become a full, raging boil. Should she open her eyes and say, 'I heard everything, you two-timer', and catch him for a loop? Akane pondered it, but quickly decided against it. Morning seemed so far away, and it seemed like utter torture to fake sleep when she was so fraught with mixed emotions, and that damn light kept stinging her closed eyelids. Yet, it seemed the only available option. Akane mentally cursed as the realization struck her.
She should have broken that lamp into a million pieces when she had the chance.
Ranma
I never knew there was this kind of intense blackness. It'd been two days since they'd chucked me into this hole; at first, the black drove me nuts. I figured, after a while, my eyes would get used to it. Everybody's eyes adjust to darkness, and they can see, if only barely. Yet that never happened it the hole.
Two whole days, and still, my eyes couldn't even see my hand when I held it right up to my face. In a cold cellar, with nothing but dirt to keep me company, I'd let my mind wander. I'd done this many times before, back in Japan, on the roof of the Tendo house. When I needed to chill out, calm down, or just get away from chaos, I would go up and sit on the roof, and daydream.
Yet, even though I'd let my mind let all its thoughts run free many times before, like letting a hyper puppy out of it's cage, it still astounded me just where my thoughts could lead me at times, and it'd make me wonder if all the craziness I'd encountered in my life really had driven me to a point of insanity where I didn't even know it myself that I was nuts.
It made me wonder if I'd poisoned everyone in my life with my craziness when I entered each of their lives, or if they all just had some screws loose before I came around and knocked a few more out. Maybe we were all just a little mad; Kodachi could be the exception to that thought. She was the freakiest freak of us all; even if she didn't turn into a duck, or a panda.
That was another thing. The way I said things. I'd just gotten so used to the curses, and everything else in my zany life that I just talked about it with a casualness that seemed natural to me; for the insanity was the norm—but to onlookers, who couldn't relate, they probably thought I should be chucked into an asylum.
For two days, my thoughts just went wild; so much so that I honestly imagined that I wasn't in a cellar in the Amazon village, but back in Japan, sitting on the Tendo's roof, where I would always, out of instinct, sit above a certain tomboy's bedroom...
Was this because I was in shock; shocked that I, Ranma Saotome, man among men, had been kidnapped? Snatched away like some Disney princess? So surprised and appalled at my own carelessness that I just let my mind wander to that 'happy place' back in Japan? Maybe so. Looking back on it now I can't exactly tell.
All I know is that when I finally snapped out of it, I was pissed.
There was no thinking involved, in that moment. Just action. With a bit of mirth I noticed my captors had foolishly left me unbound. After feeling around for a bit, blind in the darkness, I found a ladder. I quickly climbed.
I'd prepared to bust open the door at the top, expecting there to be a weight of some sort; for, if they hadn't felt the need to bind a great martial artist, it was only because there was a big-ass whatever-the-hell weighing down the cellar door, right? Wrong. Amazons were as stupid as they looked.
I swung back my fist, and, with a yell, hurled it at the door, busting through the wood easily. There were no weights at all; no boulders, no nothing. Not even a lock. These people didn't have much expertise when it came to keeping somebody prisoner.
I leapt out of the hole onto land, instantly covering my eyes from the sun, standing high in the blue sky. I'd gone so long without daylight it made my eye sockets ache. Blinking rapidly, I scanned the village, and my heart dropped.
Oh, shit.
Hundreds of eyes were on me; everyone had apparently stopped their mid-day activities when they heard the loud crack from the cellar as the door burst into pieces. Now, dozens and dozens of pairs of eyes, of every shade and colour; red, blue, green, even yellow, stared solely at me.
It only lasted half of a mili-second.
Then, cries of outrage, surprise, awe. All of them, screaming. Then, running. Towards me. Weapons of all kinds drawn, ready to pummel my bones to dust, bash my skull in, slice my throat, and turn my guts to jelly. For a moment, as they all ran towards me, I felt a cornucopia of emotions.
First, surprise. I stood there rigid, beside myself.
Second, confidence. I was Ranma Saotome, damn it all. I could turn mountains to rubble, conjure tornadoes with my bare hands, literally blast my pride at my foes and tear them down. I had killed a God. I could take these freaks on, no problem.
Thirdly, realization. I had been sitting in a hole in the ground for two whole days, immobile, no food, no water. These things were alien to me. I was always moving, I never starved. Suddenly I registered the empty pit that was my stomach, and the dryness in my throat from no water, and breathing in what could be better called dust and not air. I was, for the first time since the dreaded moxibustion, weak.
Then, fear. As my confidence slipped away and the realization sat in my empty stomach like a rock, I watched with wide eyes as tons of villagers closed in around me like a swarm of sharks; and I was the speck of blood in the water.
Then, pain. Luckily, the first weapon to strike me was a club, hitting my skull with no mercy. Not hard enough to break the skull, but enough that suddenly everything was blackness again, but even though I'd sat in the dark for days, going mad, I welcomed this black, for it saved me from the wrath of the villagers and all of their strange weapons beating my skin.
Then, just before the blackness completely enveloped me, I felt guilt.
I was going to die.
Akane was going to be so pissed with me.
I wish I'd stayed dead.
When I woke up, I knew where I was right away. The smell of dirt reached my nose, and I grimaced at the familiar scent. I was right back where I started, in the goddamn hole. However, things were different this time around.
For one thing, getting up from my position on the floor was proven difficult. They'd decided this time to bind my hands and feet, with thick rope; it was so tight on my wrists I could feel the circulation cutting off. My feet were bound so securely I could hardly move them. Already they were prickly from lack of blood.
The left side of my face was crammed into the dirty floor. With struggle, I raised my head from the floor, and shuffled until I was sitting upright. I sat there, staring into the endless black, and for lack of a better term, I felt 'down in the dumps'.
My whole body felt like one big, throbbing bruise. It hurt just to wiggle one of my prickling, numb fingers. My head was sore from where someone had bludgeoned my skull in. Also my eye hurt; I'd gotten a few black eyes before in scrapes, and was familiar with the sore sensation. This soreness was a lot bigger than the previous ones, and I was pretty sure my eye was ugly, swollen, and a grotesque shade of black and blue. I licked my dry lips, and gagged when I tasted dirt and dried blood.
I ran my tongue along my bottom lip until I found the damaged area, where the taste of blood was the strongest. I spat, ridding the taste from my mouth, but it didn't do much good. Unable to use my hands, I couldn't check the rest of my body for any other injuries, but there was no need; I could feel them there. They were everywhere.
My back was especially sore, and I had a dizzy spell just as I came to this realization. This was from blood loss, I knew. I guessed, from the amount of pain in my back, that most of the blood had left through whatever wound was back there. Grimacing in pain, I laid my aching head against the dirt wall of the cellar. I closed my good eye, and tried to imagine myself on the Tendo roof again, tried to imagine the sounds coming from Aka—her bedroom window; grunting 'one, two' as she hefted her dumbbells; the faint scratch of pencil on paper as she wrote in her journal and did homework; humming carelessly as she brushed her hair, or folded her laundry...
I smiled, just a little, and it cost me. The barely-sealed cut on my lip opened again with a vengeance, and I could feel the warm blood creeping out from the skin, then slowly running down my chin. I would kill for that tomboy's first-aid kit right now, I thought to myself. Who cares if she wasn't that gentle with even the smallest application of a Band-Aid, or messy and clumsy when she wrapped gauze, usually poking my skin with the pin when she was getting the bandage to hold together. It was better than feeling like crap.
Then, from behind my closed lids, I saw light. I opened my good eye, and craned my neck to look up. That hurt, though, so I averted my gaze to look at the ladder, listening to the noises of feet descending down the wooden bars, as darkness fell on the cellar again as the door closed.
I listened to the foot falls until they were so close that I knew the person was right in front of me. Whoever it was, they stepped off the ladder and onto the dirt. I waited to hear a voice, but the figure still stayed silent.
Then, something soft and ticklish brushed against my bare arm, and I jumped. It felt like hair. Then, a hand landed on my chest. Through the thin material of my tank top, I could feel the cold temperature of the hand, and shivered. I only knew one person who naturally had such a cool touch.
"Nihao, Airen."
"Sh-Shampoo." I stammered stupidly. Why did I always studder her name? It was strange; she wasn't a threat to me, so why would I do such a thing? The thought had always boggled me.
"Ranma..." she whispered.
I shivered again as she ran her hand across my chest. "What's goin' on here, Shampoo?" I demanded, ignoring her touches as I tried to muster a brave tone. "Why are your people keepin' me down in this cellar for? One minute I'm in Japan, the next I'm here; and I wanna know why."
"Ranma should know..." Shampoo giggled softly in her broken Japanese, trickling her fingers along my abdomen. "Ranma marry Shampoo and give her strong heir. Ranma must obey Shampoo's village law. Ranma beat Shampoo many time; you too-too worthy of her heart. Ranma become Shampoo's husband."
I shook my head instinctively. "No way," I said. "I ain't marryin' ya, Shampoo."
"Ranma has to," Shampoo said, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Ranma obey the law of Kiss of Marriage. Ranma must marry Shampoo."
"Shampoo, we've been over this and over this!" I cried, exasperated. "Look, that day, I didn't beat you. It was an accident. Besides, you knocked yourself out with your own chüi! It shouldn't even count if ya got clocked in the head with yer own weapon!"
"Silly Ranma," Shampoo giggled. "Is your victory. You win, fair and square. Shampoo already gave Kiss of Marriage; is no going back now."
She trailed her hand down my stomach, slowly, seductively; getting inches and inches dangerously closer to that no-go place. Something told me no kind of taboo was going to stop her this time, though.
"Shampoo, stop it." I snapped weakly. "Grabbin' at me ain't gonna get me ta change my mind, ya hear?"
She didn't even reply; she'd either ignored me or chosen not to hear me. She felt around in the dark for the drawstring on my pants. Yup. I was right. Yup. Taboo didn't matter anymore.
Her hands pulled at the hem of my tank top, pulling it upwards. She trailed one cold hand across my bare stomach, making me shiver again. She giggled when she felt the tremor. She let the shirt fall back down, then felt around, feeling up my neck. She leaned forward and kissed my throat, moving up to my jaw, my cheek, pecking away until she found my mouth.
She let out a happy sigh of discovery, wrapping her arms around my neck as she crushed her lips to mine. With her this close, I could smell her strong perfume, that smelled of gross herbs and strange flowers I had no name for. It drilled into my nose and made my head spin. Her lips tasted of the nauseating perfume, I noticed, as they moved around slowly, breaking off for air in quick spurts.
I flipped out when she started doing that whole tongue thing. The idea of the (what was it called again? Oh, right.) French kiss had always grossed me out; experiencing it was even worse. With a gag, I broke away, trying to push her off of me; I'd never wanted my hands so much until right now!
The thought made a rush of deja vu hit me, and I remembered back to when Shampoo was under Lady Kima's spell, and she was having her 'last sweet memory' with me before she claimed she would kill me. At the time, my hands had been frozen in crystallized threads, leaving me without the use of my hands and arms. This situation was so like that now, it sent me for a loop. Only differences were that we were in a cold cellar, not a bedroom, and Shampoo wasn't keeping the doll-form of Akane tucked safely in the breast plate of her amour...
I shook the image of Akane, a tiny, helpless little doll, her eyes drooping as her life slowly faded away, from my mind. Shampoo didn't take too long to find my lips again, and this time she kissed with more urgency, more determination. I wouldn't be escaping again.
She positioned herself to straddle me, her lips still glued to mine. She cupped my face, pressing her chest to mine as she deepened her kiss. Again, she added the tongue, and I struggled, gagging, but her grip on my head was firm. I was still too weak to fend her off.
Her tongue slithered all over the inside of my mouth, much to my disgust. It was slimy, and wet, and gross, and the taste of her perfume traveled into my open mouth, making me want to throw up.
She took one hand away from my face, but I didn't bother to fight her. She wouldn't just bring that hand back into place the second I tried. She trailed the hand down my chest again, tickling my abdomen. Then, she did it. Even though I knew she would do it eventually, it still made a gasp of surprise rise in my throat, unable to escape from my captured mouth.
She touched the no-go place. At this action, I struggled even more, more desperate than before to escape her touch. But she kept me in place, her strong legs pinning me to my spot. She took her hand away, to my relief, bringing it back up to my face, which she tilted back so she could get at my neck again.
Then, she went back, planting another kiss on my lips. By this point, I was disgusted by her touches, frustrated at my weakness, and angry with her that she had stooped this low; low enough to put me in a cellar, kissing me and feeling me up, thinking that would talk me into marrying her.
I had no techniques of defense in my arsenal except for one thing. Out of all other options, I quickly acted upon it. It was lame, I didn't like doing it, but I had to make her stop somehow, and this was the only thing I had left to use.
I bit down on her lip. Hard.
It worked instantly. She cried out in surprise and pain, and broke off the kiss, jumping away from me, getting off of my legs. There was a long silence in the cellar then, the only sound our ragged breath.
"Airen..." she whimpered, and I knew instantly that she was crying. "You hurt Shampoo. Shampoo bleeding."
I said nothing. I would probably hate myself for this later, but right now I was legitimately angry at Shampoo, and held no sympathy or apology. My lack of response was just the ticket, it seemed, for she burst into tears and quickly climbed back up the ladder within seconds, leaving the cellar.
As the cellar door high above me closed, I let out a long sigh, and tilted my head back against the wall. Again, I closed my eyes, and tried to go back to that happier place. My brain was too scattered to give me the image, though, so I sat in the darkness alone, without the comforts of home and Akane to keep me sane.
Ranma's eyes fluttered open. He shut them tight as daylight shone through the little window of the bedroom, hurting his eyes, bringing back the memory of when he'd broken out of the cellar, seeing the sun for the first time in days, only to look around and see the hundreds of Amazons who would beat him half to death.
Ranma shook the thought away, and sat up in the bed. The lamp he'd left on last night was still on. He reached under the lamp shade and twisted the switch, and with a click it shut off. Ranma stretched, grunting as his stiff joints happily stretched out and cracked. He glanced over his shoulder, noticing the spot beside him was empty.
Akane must be up already, Ranma thought to himself, getting up off the bed. With a sleepy yawn, he walked over to the dresser, where he'd put his pants the night before. He pulled them on, then glanced up at the vanity mirror.
"Whoa," he grumbled. "Talk about bedhead."
He undid his braid, which had tufts of hair sticking out in all sorts of places and directions. He held the elastic between his teeth while he separated his hair into three sections, expertly twisting it into a neat braid; it was a talent he had naturally over so many years. Tying a braid was as simple as breathing to him by now.
Even though he no longer needed the Dragon Whisker to keep his locks from growing at an insane rate, and thus didn't need to tie his hair into a pigtail (since, before the incident with that porridge, he'd always worn his hair in a slack ponytail) he still did.
The hair style had grown on him, and it seemed like a trademark, he thought with a small smirk. At the thought of cropping his hair short, he shivered. He wouldn't even recognize himself! Ranma tied off the braid, then ran his fingers through his bangs until he was satisfied with where they sat.
The sound of a door opening made him spin around. Akane had stepped out of the bathroom, her toiletries in a small blue bag clutched in her hand. She hadn't expected to see Ranma awake it appeared, for a look of surprise was on her face. Then, it faded to a small frown.
"Morning," Ranma greeted.
Akane nodded curtly. "Good morning." she said icily.
Ranma blinked. Why did she look so upset? "Uh...did you sleep well?" Ranma went on, trying to spark up some kind of conversation.
"In all honesty," Akane muttered. "No. I didn't."
"Oh," Ranma said, surprised. "Why for?"
"I told you last night," Akane quipped. "It's hard to sleep with a light on. At least, it is for me."
"Oh," Ranma said again. "Gee, Akane, I'm sorry. You coulda told me, y'know."
"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? It's morning." Akane said sharply.
"Akane, I'm sorry, all right? Don't get mad." Ranma said.
"Mad?" Akane echoed. "I'm not mad at all, Ranma."
Ranma didn't believe her. Her voice was cold, and her face was blank of emotion, eerily calm. Ranma knew better than anyone that when Akane was cold and calm, it was even more deadly than when she outright showed her fury.
Akane walked over to her bag and stuffed her toiletries inside. She hoisted up the bag and dropped it onto the bed with a hollow thud. Yup. It was clear in her voice of ice, and jerky movements. Akane was pissed; a silent volcano that could erupt at any second. Ranma knew he'd have to tip-toe carefully around all the grenades she'd mentally set, and thinking carefully before speaking. Otherwise, she just might kill him.
"Akane," Ranma muttered. "Don't lie."
"I'm not lying about anything." Akane snapped, rummaging through her bag for clothes.
Ranma sighed, and walked over to the end of the bed, sitting on the edge. Akane looked up at him, her hazel eyes hard and stony, shadowed behind her bangs, making her expression even more menacing. Ranma stared back, trying extremely hard not to cringe at the look on her face.
"Com'on, Akane. Talk to me." Ranma pleaded gently. "Did I do something wrong? I won't know how to say sorry unless you tell me what I did."
Akane's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You should know exactly what you did." she hissed.
Ranma started at her tone, but forced himself to keep on his clam composure. If they both lost their heads, it'd end up like a verbal cage match, just like it always did. He didn't want them to fight; not when they'd just been reunited.
"Well, I don't, Akane." Ranma replied. "Call me whatever you want. I just don't know."
Akane stared at him with her hard, accusing eyes.
"Please just tell me why you're so upset." Ranma said quietly.
Suddenly, tears flew to Akane's eyes, and her expression of anger became something Ranma hated even more: broken, tormented, sad, and betrayed. Ranma's eyes widened and he jumped from the bed and went around to Akane's side, turning her to face him. She tried to fight against him, turning her head away as the tears spilled and rolled down her face, but Ranma held her upper arms in an iron grip. He wanted an answer from her, and he wanted it now.
"Let me go!" Akane cried, struggling in his hold.
"Not until you tell me what the hell I did to make you like this." Ranma retorted.
Akane continued to struggle stubbornly, looking anywhere but at him. Frustrated, her emotions at their peak, she let out a cry of rage as she burst into hysterical tears.
"Akane..." Ranma whispered, his calm expression betraying him as his face crumpled in pain at the sight of Akane so distressed. "Please."
At last, Akane broke out of Ranma's grip, pushing him away when he tried to get a hold of her again.
"Don't touch me!" she sobbed. "Don't touch me when I know—when I know that you don't feel that way about me! You have those feelings saved for someone else!"
"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked incredulously.
Akane raked her fingers through her hair, then threw up her hands in frustration. "For fuck's sake, Ranma!" she shrieked. "You love her! Don't deny it! I heard everything last night!"
"Love her? Love who?" Ranma exclaimed.
"Lufa!" Akane yelled. "You're in love with Lufa!"
Ranma could only stare, dumbfounded.
"I'm right, aren't I!" Akane bellowed. "Of course I am! I heard you two kissing last night! You could talk to her about everything, and never said a word to me! After everything we've been through...after I thought we...that you could tell me everything...that you could show me all those scars; the scars nobody else can see, and let me be the one to heal them...after all of that, you fall in love with—with one of them! The enemy! The people who put you in that fucking cellar in the first place! God forbid she showed you the tiniest bit of pity; that she had the heart to make sure you didn't starve, and suddenly you forget all about me and fall madly in love with her!"
"You're wrong!" Ranma shouted, losing all of his calm. "I don't love her; and I never kissed her! I'm indebted to her Akane. For God sake, she saved my life! She was the only soul in that whole damn village who showed me kindness. She's not the enemy! She was never the enemy! All her life she's hated the laws of her people; she hated it! She doesn't want to be an Amazon; she wants to be free to live her own life, under her own rules! And I never, not once, forgot about you! Hell, all I ever thought about when I was in that hole was you! How much I missed you! How much I wished I could see you! I never stopped, Akane."
"Then how come when you finally saw me, you kept me out!" Akane shouted back. "It's like those four walls of dirt you'd been trapped in never left! They were still holding up around you, keeping me away! You never let me in; you never told me what was wrong! You went from being my best friend, who told me everything, to being a complete stranger, who told me absolutely nothing! I didn't know who you were anymore!" A new chorus of sobs left Akane's throat, new tears rolled down her face. "It's as if you really did die all those weeks ago; like I really have lost you forever!"
Akane bowed her head as her body shook violently with each raking sob. She swiped at the fallen tears, but it was in vain. They continued to pour endlessly down her face.
Ranma took a few steps closer, his hand hovering awkwardly in the air, unsure if they should reach out to comfort when she was so explosive and unpredictable.
Then, Akane lunged at him.
Ranma sucked in a breath, closing his eyes tightly as he waited for the pain. He wouldn't run from her; he'd let her get out all of her anger, even if she had to beat him to do so.
However, the pain hadn't come yet. Confused, Ranma slowly opened his eyes, and stared down at his fiancée, who had thrown her arms around his neck, and instead of ringing his throat, she buried her face into his chest, her sobs calmed down so she merely shivered.
"Akane..." Ranma whispered.
Akane sniffled, and tightened her embrace. "You don't love her?" she mumbled meekly.
Ranma shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't."
"You didn't kiss her?"
"No," Ranma said again. "She kissed me on the forehead, but that's it."
Ranma returned the embrace, placing one hand on the back of her head, holding her close.
"She's...like an aunt to me, Akane." Ranma said quietly. "I love her, but not in a romantic way. She's like family. Do you understand?"
Akane nodded slowly.
"Good." Ranma stroked the back of her head, trailing his hand down so he cupped the back of her neck. "Do you forgive me?"
Akane nodded again.
They were silent for a moment, Ranma absently rubbing Akane's back as her shivers went away, and her breathing slowed back to normal again.
"Akane?" Ranma said, in a hushed voice.
Akane felt his heartbeat against her ear, and heard it pick up considerably. "Yes?" she whispered.
Ranma was silent for a moment, staring at the crown of Akane's head. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he contemplated his thoughts, and his cheeks went red.
"I wanted to tell you that..." he trailed off, losing his confidence.
"What?" Akane asked, looking up at him. She realized this made them so close that she could feel his breath fan her face, and her own cheeks darkened.
Ranma shook his head. "It's nothing," he muttered quickly. "Forget I said anything."
Akane frowned, her arms slackening around his neck, dropping to grab his shoulders. "Ranma," she said slowly, dangerously. "Tell me. For crying out loud, after all that just happened, you're still not going to tell me anything? Unbelievable. Honestly, why can't you—"
All her words died in her throat as Ranma suddenly kissed her. Akane's eyes widened in shock, her heart stopping and kicking back up again, galloping like a wild horse at top speed. She felt Ranma run his hand up her back to meet the other one at her throat. They stroked their way to her shoulders, then gripped tightly at her upper arms. Akane, noticing her eyes were still wide open, let them close with a flutter.
She snaked her arms back around his neck again, pulling herself closer, deepening the kiss. After a minute, Ranma broke away, smirking when he noticed Akane eyes were still closed dreamily, still wrapped up in the kiss they'd shared. When she realized it was over, she opened her eyes slowly, and stared at Ranma in wonder.
"What was it that you wanted to tell me...?" she murmured softly.
Ranma smiled.
"Something I should've told you a long time ago," he said. "Akane, I wanted to tell you that I love you."
Authour's Notes:
:0 Gasp!
It's about freaking time, Ranma! Woot! He finally admitted it! ^o^ -throws confetti and dances-
Well, since the last chapter was so friggin' short, I decided I'd make it up to you guys this time around, with a much longer chapter. On my OpenOffice program, this chapter is thirteen whole pages, plus a few extra lines on the fourteenth page. :3 Chapter Five was only nine pages! O.O ...Okay, so that's only four extra pages for Chapter Six, but I'm still proud of myself. -huff-
Well, also as I promised, I finally explained what happened to Ranma while he was trapped in the cellar; plus, explained in more detail the day he broke out, and got the stuffing beaten outta him by dozens of Amazons... (poor Ranma)
I figured it would be easier to do this 'flashback', or whatever you wanna call it, in Ranma's POV. Not only did this make things easier to explain, it's also cool to see exactly what Ranma was thinking and feeling during that time, and more so, it was fun! :D My personality is like Ranma's in many ways, and (much to my mother's irritation) I talk like Ranma at times. So using his POV was easy as pie! ^^ I think I did a pretty good job of portraying our favourite pigtailed gender-bender, how about you? :P
Also in this chapter, of course, was the long-awaited (and, probably, very expected) argument between Ranma and Akane, about Ranma's suspicious 'chumminess' with Lufa and his infuriating knack to not tell Akane anything about his feelings, or his experience with Shampoo in the cellar. However, I hate to make those two bicker for too long. It's too hard to write about, it's so sad! D: I'd much rather write about them snogging each other's brains out. xD Which, ultimately, I did. ^^ Did you enjoy Ranma's surprise kiss as much as I enjoyed writing it? :3
Ranma Saotome, that sly dog! x) lol
Thanks for reading. :) Stay tuned for Chapter Seven, to see Akane's reaction to Ranma's declaration, and more. ^^
And remember: reviews make Writer-chan giddy with joy, and make her write faster! :D So keep 'em coming!
- Jadells
