Here's chapter nine, I hope you enjoy it!

Falling: Chapter 9.

"What are you doing here?"

Yes, that was the welcome she was so eager to receive from her father. He cast a curious look behind her, to where Ryoga was probably standing, frowning at her again.

"Can I come in?"

He stepped aside, letting her in and closing the door behind her.

"This visit is unexpected," he stated, then something seemed to occur to him; "are you here to deliver your wedding invitation?"

She blinked, "what?"

"You could have mailed it, you needn't make such a long trip." He dismissed with his hand, walking towards the kitchen; she followed; "so I presume things went right after you moved in with Saotome, huh?" He smiled at her.

"Um, I'm not getting married, dad."

His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, then he closed his eyes, "do you need money? I thought you had insurance in your restaurant."

"I have, and no, I don't need money;" she said tightly.

"Good, because that's what I thought you, to be responsible for yourself until you get married. At least he's taking care of you now."

She looked away, the muscles of her jaw clenching. "Actually, I'm taking care of myself, as always; I have a few savings."

"But you're living with the Saotome's, right? Like I've told you?"

"Yes, I'm living with the Saotome's, in the _Tendo_ Dojo, his other fiancee's house." She pointed out.

"Right, right…" He leaned on the kitchen counter and nodded for her to sit down on the table. "So, what brings you here, then?"

"Can't pay a visit to my own father?" She sneered, why was he always so eager to push her away?

The man shrugged, "you should have called; I have to open up the restaurant in a while, you know how busy it gets."

Yes, I should have called, so you could tell me not to come.

Her dad had his own okonomiyaki restaurant downtown, and she knew firsthand that it was as successful as hers. Probably even more. She looked at him while he made tea -at least he wasn't kicking her out yet-, his soft brown eyes had lost their spark, and he seemed really tired. Ukyo smiled as the sun filtrated through the window and highlighted his hair with golden sparks, it was the same shade as hers.

She used to waggle around the kitchen while he cooked when she was little, when he made dinner after they returned from the fair with their yatay.

He set a cup for her on the table and sat in front of her with his own.

"I'm here because I need to tell you something."

"You could have told me in the phone, no need to make such a long—"

"Dad," she cut him off, "the reason I'm in Osaka is to take the ferry to China. But still, I wanted to see you because I have something to tell you."

"China? Why are you going to China?"

"Um, okay, there's no easy way to say this… Remember the accident in the Ucchan's? Well, apparently it wasn't an accident; and I've been attacked after that…"

She trailed off when her father brushed his hands on his face and muttered 'not again' under his breath.

"What was that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Um, nothing; what do you mean you've been attacked?"

"Well, I can't really explain, because I'm not sure that you're going to believe me, but there's someone after me, dad… I swear I didn't get in trouble or anything like that, but I'm in danger, that's why I'm leaving." She noted that she sounded like a runaway from justice or something like that.

Mr. Kuonji let out a long, heavy breath with a resigned expression. "What you need to do is go back to Nerima and talk to Ranma, he's your fiance."

"Dad, are you being serious? Have you heard me?"

"I'm sure whatever is happening is not as bad as it seems, and he'll help you find a solution to this problem."

"Well, he wasn't really helpful last time I've checked. I'm not coming back to Nerima."

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?"

"And why do you always try to keep me away from you?!"

"Because I'm trying to protect you!"

She stood really still, trying to make sense of what she had heard.

"Protect me from what?"

"I-I... I mean, making sure that you could be by yourself; you know it was hard for me to take care of you on my own."

She didn't miss his stuttering. "So you just engaged me to some stranger who would."

"Genma was supposed to take you with him." He shook his head, concerned.

"Yeah, well, he didn't. But you sent me after him, so you got rid of me anyway."

"Is that what you think?" Mr. Kuonji looked at her, his frown deepening.

"It's what it looks to me. Why else would you send your daughter away in a ridiculous quest of revenge?"

"You had to learn to fend for yourself…" He whispered, a distant look on his face.

This piqued her interest, suspicion rising up again. "Why? Why did I have to learn to fend for myself when I was only a child if I had my dad to take care of me?"

Her father looked at her, and she could see a mix of emotions in his eyes; fear, regret, sadness… None of that was good.

"Ukyo," he said with a heavy voice, "there are some things better left in the past. What you have to do now is go back to Nerima to your fiance, and stay with him. He's going to take care of you."

"Dad, I can't—" She stopped abruptly when Ryoga slammed the door open and ran towards her, standing protectively by her side.

"Danger's near, we should leave;" he informed gravely, ignoring her father.

Good. She thought. Maybe now her father would believe her.

Ukyo looked at her dad, surprised that he wasn't asking what the hell was happening and demanding why a young man he had never known irrupted in his house and tried to make his daughter leave. Instead, he was kind of freaking out.

"Oh God, they know you're here. He's right, you have to leave now." He started pushing the teenagers towards the door, but Ukyo couldn't move; she was frozen in place, trying to assimilate what her father had said.

"What? You know what's happening? You hid it from me all this time? Do you know who they are? Why are they after me? How come you know about this?!"

"Those are a lot of questions, honey, and I'm afraid we don't have time to discuss it."

"We have to go, Ukyo." Ryoga demanded.

"No, not until you tell me what's going on!"

Mr. Kuonji pushed her insistently to the door, "they know I'm your father, they can track you through me, that's why you can't be near me."

Color drained from her face as realization hit her; "is that why you never wanted me to come?"

Her father stopped, taking a deep breath; he still had a hand on Ukyo's shoulder and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"When you were born, we thought you'd be safe here, living with me; but as you started to grow, things became… complicated."

"We?"

"Your mother and I. That's why I made the arrangement with Saotome; sending you away with him was the perfect way to keep you hidden and safe. He was a martial artist as well as his son, who seemed to be very good even in his tender age. But then that miscreant ran away without you…" Mr. Kuonji shook his head in disgust, reminiscing; "revenge was only an excuse to make you look for them; he promised he would protect you."

Her eyes remained locked with his, the huge weight of things starting to fall on her; she had been in danger since she was born? Why? Everything she discovered only made things more real, more inevitable.

"Ukyo…" Ryoga prompted, getting more anxious.

"What did you mean about my mother? You said she died when I was born."

"U-uh, yes, she um, she died a couple of days after you were born."

She didn't miss that he faltered; "but you said labor had complicated."

"It did… She passed away a few days later, because of the complications."

"We're leaving now." Ryoga's low, menacing voice broke into her thoughts.

"I don't know how you sense it boy, but that glowing thing around you is getting bigger by the minute."

She turned her attention to the fanged boy and saw his crystalline eyes and dark aura vibrating around him; yup, they were close. But she couldn't leave now, not when finally she seemed to be getting some answers. Ryoga grabbed her wrist and started dragging her outside.

"Wait! Dad, tell me who they are! Tell me why they're after me!" She struggled to get free but his hold was abnormally strong.

"Take her as far away as possible!" Mr. Kuonji closed the door with a sad, tortured look on his face, and she wondered if that was the last time she'd seen her father.

—o—o—

They had been running for what it seemed like an hour; Ryoga didn't stop until he felt they were safe, when his sense of danger diminished. Ukyo's lungs burned while she tried to catch her breath, bending over and resting her hands on her knees.

"I think we lost them. Are you okay?"

She smiled a little when she noticed his voice came out a bit ragged, glad that she wasn't the only one almost ready to drop. She nodded, unable to form any word since her mouth was uncomfortably dry; then she took a look around.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked hopefully, resting his hands on his hips, trying to appease his elaborated breath.

"No," she shook her head; they were still in the city but they had left her father's neighborhood. She wasn't familiar with this area, especially since she hadn't lived there since she was a child, and her visits were scarce.

They walked around, asking for directions until they finally reached the harbor. Thankfully they got there in time and didn't miss the ferry, otherwise they should have gotten to wait till the next day and that would have only increased the possibilities to get caught.

—o—o—

The pair stood on the deck, watching silently the waves crashing against the ship. Ukyo rested her elbows on the rail and leaned against it, absentmindedly looking at the sea. He cast a glance towards her face and saw her brow knitting in worry; she seemed to be lost in thought.

He was about to say something but decided against it; surely she needed time to process what she had learned at her father's house. Hell, even himself needed to. He'd never been too close to the girl to the point of knowing anything from her past, and he admittedly had been a little worried when she was so nervous about seeing her father, but he'd never thought about the reasons behind it. The girl had spent her life thinking her dad had pushed her away because he didn't want her, but he had only been protecting her; which led him to ponder on the fact that this went way back to when Ukyo was born. Why would someone want a child dead? Why were they after her, anyway? He'd thought she might have done something to instigate the fury of the demons –or whatever they were- that were after her that day in the cliff, but he'd obviously been mistaken. There was a much heavier, darker reason behind all this and he couldn't even start to form an idea about what it was.

Maybe it was because of her parents. Maybe they had done something to provoke the wrath of these creatures, making them seek for revenge, taking it upon their child. Or maybe… He paled at the idea that had popped up in his mind; he had heard about people making pacts with the devil to gain something, sometimes selling their souls, or even promising their own child in exchange. Ryoga knew there was a pact in all this, he being a part of it somehow; could it be that Ukyo's parents had made a pact on their own, and were now dealing with the consequences? His stomach started to churn, disgusted with the implications of that. He didn't even dare to think what they could do to her if they caught her. One thing he knew for sure, though; they were not having her.

"Are you okay?" Her voice broke into his thoughts, "you look sick."

"I was just thinking," he cleared his throat, turning around, the swinging of the waves making him dizzy.

"About Akane?"

She asked carelessly, but he could swear there was an edge to her tone. Funny though, Akane hadn't been in his mind for a long time. Yes, he had thought about her and what he could do now that his problems had been solved; and yes, he still loved her, but the longing for her hadn't been as strong as always. Maybe it was because he had more important matters in his hands, such as figuring out about what was going on with him and the changes he'd been suffering, as well as protecting the life of the girl beside him; the same girl that had been consuming his thoughts as of late.

He'd always been certain about his feelings for the youngest Tendo; even in those times when Ranma tricked him into thinking that he was a girl interested in him and he'd been foolishly tempted to betray her trust, but his conviction on his feelings for her never faltered. Now, well, he was a bit confused. Akane still was the owner of his heart; but he had to admit, even if grudgingly, that he was utterly attracted to Ukyo. He couldn't keep blaming the link for that, even if it was the catalyst for it. It wasn't the link's doing that he thought she was beautiful, goodhearted, funny and sexy as hell even if she didn't realize it. He admired her strength, still in her worst moments; the way she took charge of the situation and didn't let anyone back her down; and even though she was always getting the worst of him, he realized he was starting to really like her.

He noticed he hadn't answered yet and she had taken his silence as an affirmative answer. He wasn't telling her he had been thinking about her, nor how much often he had done so. Her expression became gloomy.

"Maybe we should call them, to let them know we're okay;" she offered, "in case they're wondering where we are."

"I'm sure he's worried about you, Ukyo." She gave him a sad smile and he felt an uncomfortable tug at his heart.

"Yeah, I know… I just can't help to notice that he hasn't moved heaven and earth to find me like he did with Akane, even though he promised to help me…"

Ryoga felt ridiculously proud that he was there with her right then, and swore to himself that he would protect her no matter what. "We'll get through this, Ukyo; I promised you I won't let anything happen to you and I don't plan on failing on my word."

"I know." She nodded gratefully, turning around and resting her back on the rail as he was doing. Her face lifted to the sky, blue eyes teary; the afternoon sun falling on her skin while the gentle wind tossed her hair around; and he couldn't think of a more beautiful sight than that.

She let out a long, heavy sigh and only then he noticed he had been staring at her like an idiot. Was she still worrying about that jerk?

"Stop thinking about him." He barked, settling stern eyes on her. When she looked inquisitively at him, he realized what he had just said; "we have to figure out what we're going to do once we get to China." He explained, hating that he had sounded most likely jealous. Of course he hadn't been jealous. Absolutely not.

"You're right," she conceded moodily, "but just for your information, I wasn't thinking about Ranma."

He felt a pang of relief that he decidedly ignored. How ridiculous was that?

—o—o—

"What were you thinking about, earlier?" He asked hours later, in the cafeteria. They sat on a table next to the windows, enjoying a cup of tea. They were locked in a forty-five hour trip after all; they might as well try to relax a bit. Although she wasn't lowering her guard, and probably he wasn't either, they could be intercepted in any minute.

She turned around to face him, grasping the cup until her knuckles were white. The idea had been churning in her head since they had left her father's house, although she couldn't embrace the fact that her dad might have lied to her, aside from hiding so many things.

"I think… I think my mother might be alive."

"What? But your father said she passed away after she gave birth to you…"

"That's what I've always believed, too. But today he… I don't know, there was a moment there when I think I might have seen something; as if I caught him off guard and he faltered. He's always said that she died in labor, not days after. Why did he change that fact, precisely today?"

The fanged boy leaned back on the chair, his eyebrows joining in a frown, "maybe he hadn't wanted to let you know that she'd suffered for days, to smooth things down for you."

She flinched, that thought hadn't crossed her mind.

"It's just a white lie Ukyo, you shouldn't stress so much about it." He reassured her.

"Maybe you're right."

Nevertheless, the idea refused to leave her mind. She took a sip of her peppermint tea, the hot liquid falling down her throat giving her a little calmness. The swinging of the boat was almost imperceptible, giving her a lulling sensation. Yet, the idea was still there.

"But what if you're not?"

Ryoga shook his head, "I don't know… With everything that's happening, it wouldn't be too crazy, I guess…"

"Maybe she had to be away like I did; maybe she's in some place, hiding… I had a few pictures of her back at home, you know? They were in my room, so they're probably ashes right now. I always thought she was from some place far away, since she had this exotic gleam about her. I've got her eyes…"

He looked intensely into her eyes then, as if searching for something; "what did she look like?"

"She was a little taller than me; slender figure; blue eyes like mine; long, straight black hair…"

"Was she the same age your dad is?"

"Yeah, a year younger I think." He nodded, as if finding this satisfying. "Why?"

He seemed surprised by the question, "uh, I saw a girl with eyes the same color as yours; but she was too young to be your mother, not to mention she was blonde."

"Oh… Where did you see her?"

"In one of my trips," he answered after a pause; and she couldn't help finding suspicious that he would remember the color of her eyes. Okay, so maybe her eyes were a little unusual, their color a deep, almost electric shade; so it wasn't so farfetched that he would remember them. She shrugged it off, why was she being so suspicious about everything?

"I called Ranchan when you were in the shower," she spurted; she lifted her eyes and caught a glimpse of his annoyed expression before he turned it into interest.

"What did he say? Have you talked to Akane?" He added, and a small flicker of rage came to life. Of course he would ask about the short-haired girl.

"He's— they're worried about us. I've told him we're going to China and he kinda freaked out," she giggled; "he forbade me to go to Jusenkyo…"

"We're going nowhere near that place."

"…and of course he went on and on about how dangerous it was to take off on my own like that without no one knowing and thank God you found me and you're traveling with me and that he would have come too if he'd known and blah blah…"

"You should have told him." He chided, although she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was glad that she didn't.

"I know, but then we'd be having this crazy trip with him, _and_ Akane too, 'cause of course she would've come; and I don't feel like dealing with that right now… It would be just too much." He nodded in agreement. "Akane said hi."

"Oh," he said, bringing the cup of red tea to his lips with a barely-there smile.

She crossed her arms on her chest, biting her lower lip. "Funny, I thought that would get that goofy smile on your face and I'd have to kick you down from 'cloud-Akane-number-nine'."

He leveled her stare, "she just said hi…"

Ukyo shrugged, "that used to be enough to spark it."

The fanged boy shrugged in return, "maybe it's not anymore."

"How come?" She was truly curious about his answer; after all, she had always seen him turning into pudding at the mere mention of the girl's name.

"Maybe because I have more important things to worry about, such as keeping safe some irksome girl…"

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I'm keeping you away from your precious Akane; but let me remind you I've never asked you to come." She slump her back on the chair, her jaw tightening.

"Again with this?" He sighed, running his hands across his face; "I've already told you I'm here because I have to, _and_ because I want to, so get it through that thick head of yours once and for all."

"Oh, please! Don't tell me you rather be running away with me from who knows what instead of being with her; she's probably the only thing in your mind most of the time, you can get so far off sometimes… We're lucky that you don't get lost anymore, otherwise we'd be probably heading to South Africa."

Oh, dear God… Had she really sounded so jealous? Judging by the surprised look on his face, she had.

"I beg to differ; I do have other things in my mind most of the time, more important things as I've said. Now, would you care to explain why this is such a matter to you?"

"It's not…" Ukyo shot back, hating the way her cheeks burned; her eyes settling on his, and found that he studied her profoundly, with a hint of… hope?... in his eyes; "like you said, we have to concentrate on our plan of action, so I can't have you miles away in Akaneland."

He lifted an eyebrow, amused; "I see. Well, nothing to worry about, then."

"Good," she cleared her throat, "cause distraction is not an option here."

"Same goes to you, then." He said in a tone she couldn't quite get.

"No problems there…" She had put Ranma on the back of her mind since she had hopped on that train in Nerima. It was just too confusing, too painful. That, of course, left more room for thoughts of the boy sitting in front of her and how much she was beginning to like him.

"Good." He parroted. "Because—"

Abrupt silence fell upon them as he tensed, his body readying for attack; eyes narrowed and senses alert.

"They're here," she gasped, wishing she could feel them as he did.

"Let's go;" he grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind him, directing them to the lower deck.

"Where are we going?" She whispered with haste, careful not to trip on her own feet.

"Some place where I can hide you."

A couple of flight of stairs later, the engine room's door was pushed open; hurried steps snaked through the machines and they halted at the end of the room, beside a broom closet. He tried the door and unlocked it with a twist a little harder than what was needed; forcing it open. She was pushed inside, his back again to her while he closed the door, diving themselves in darkness.

He backed away from the door, as much as he could in the narrow space anyway, almost pressing his back to her. Ukyo pushed her hands and back against the wall behind her, her head spinning from the sudden race and the implications of the current circumstance. The young man in front of her was humming with power; his shoulders taut, his body had adopted a fighting stance and heat exuded of him like a tidal wave; that strange battling aura sparked with menace, slight bolts of electricity danced around him, lighting up the confined place.

Even though she could only see his back, she knew his eyes were sparkling like two sheer emeralds enclosed in the darkness of his lashes, his fangs bared out in a snarl; she had seen him in this state before, just after he'd saved her from the wolf, but she hadn't been close enough to feel such a power emanating from him. At her father's house, he had held her hand but his protective energy hadn't been this strong; probably because her persecutors hadn't gotten so close to her after all.

Now though… She had to force her hands to remain glued to the wall. Having witnessed several shirtless parades, she was very aware of the muscles that were tensing now, and she had the irrational urge to slide her hands under his shirt and feel the silken, tight skin that she knew would greet her. Would her fingers burn with the heat he was emanating? Would her arms tingle with his electricity? Would her body burst at the contact?

Very good Ukyo… You're about to get murdered and all you can think of is to touch the guy!

I'm going insane.

A slow growl left his throat, "they're here;" he snarled, backing away and pushing his back against her front; "stay behind me."

Her hands shot up to his shoulder blades and the muscles in her stomach clenched at the contact, flooding her with desire.

I am indeed becoming crazy...

Her soothing feeling spiraled upwards her chest and through her arms, rising from his stress, her fingertips burning with the intensity of it as well as his fire; he elicited a moan -of pleasure?- and shuddered slightly but made no move to relax.

"Stop that!" He hissed, "it's distracting."

"S-sorry..." She didn't let go of him but tried to diffuse the feeling instead. She reassured herself that he needed to feel this way to keep her safe, and the comforting feeling diminished, although it remained lurking inside her.

Ryoga squared his shoulders and lashed his arms behind him, caging her. Protecting her.

Setting her aflame.

The door burst to splinters and a ghostly figure loomed surrounded by a thick mist; Ryoga bared his teeth in an almost animal snarl, his hold on her tightening.

The figure stepped out of the white fog, a blue-fire sword held ready at his side.

The tallest man -if he was a man- Ukyo had ever seen stood before them. Spiked trends of white hair mixed with silver streams, matching the silver of his glorious, large wings. Ice blues settled on them, cold as snow, studying them.

A well toned shape draped in white silk, sandaled feet, an uptilted nose, a cinceled chin, plump lips made to kiss. His expression was stoic, emotionless. Never had she seen such a wonderful creature, he surely had been created to mesmerize his victim before he delivered the final blow.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to be afraid of him.

"Stay away from her," Ryoga sneered, venom dripping from his voice in low menace.

The being's eyes enlarged barely, focusing on him, as if he was surprised by his words. Then, his well traced white brows frowned delicately and returned his attention to her.

"I shall return..." He stated in a voice it made her heart twitch, disappearing in a cloud of pearly smoke.

She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, slumping her shoulders in relief. The fanged boy stomped towards the door and checked outside, his aura already fading.

"Safe now." He proclaimed, still looking around.

"That was so close... Why do you think he left? You scared him away?"

He turned to her then, with such a dark look in his eyes that pinned her in place.

"Uh..." She gulped, backing up to the wall again. He took slow, measured steps towards her; his gaze a mix of threat and something else she didn't dare to acknowledge.

A hand was rested on the wall beside her ear. His breath tickled her nose due to their closeness.

"What were you trying to do, Ukyo? Get yourself killed?" He lifted an eyebrow as if daring her to affirm just that.

"I'm sorry, you know it happens when I touch you, and it's stronger when you're distressed. I wasn't trying to slow you down."

"It was utterly inappropriate;" he said, "I was trying to concentrate. I believe you mentioned something about distractions a few minutes ago."

"Well it's not like I did it on purpose!" She snapped; "it's not something I can control that easily!"

"Well you must learn to!" He yelled, stamping his fist on the wall on the other side of her head, caging her once more.

She jumped, startled by the irritation behind his actions.

"Hey! It's not my fault that I have this need to comfort you whenever you're moody! But I did lessened it, didn't I?!"

"I'm not talking about that exactly; I mean what it came with it this time!" He pushed forward, almost pressing onto her. Almost.

His nostrils flared, his cheeks were painted rosy, and the intensity of his gaze held her captive more effectively than his arms. He surely couldn't be referring to what she felt about him earlier, could he? Had she transferred _that_ to him?!

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied; her chin went up, daring him to contradict her, and he seemed to believe her.

Something in his eyes dulled, as if he'd wished otherwise, and he shook his head, pushing away from her.

"Just... Control it when I'm about to fight."

"I will." She affirmed, and promised to herself to do so next time. If he had indeed known what she was feeling about him... She shuddered. So embarrassing!

He sighed, "let's go to the bedr—" he stiffened, blushing from head to toe, "to the room." He corrected himself, stalking off.

Oh yes, he knew...

—o—o—

"You never answered my question," she stated as they reached their room, he let himself in and stalked to the bathroom, locking himself inside.

Judging by the way he had stomped ahead of her at top speed without uttering a single word; he was either running away from her or in a great urge to pee.

She bet the first one.

It was okay, she needed time to cope with the fact that she had probably shamelessly came on to the guy, and through his own body, nonetheless.

Not that she would admit to it, of course. She had to feign innocence.

So embarrassing!

"What question?" His muffled voice came through the door.

"About the warrior. He just left, without attempting anything." She sat on her bed, taking off her shoes. The soft bedspread relaxed her feet; she plumped the pillow and rested her back against it with a sigh. It had surprised her that the winged creature hadn't made a move for her, but something inside her told her that he would not hurt her… Which was utterly ridiculous, since he was after her.

He exited the bathroom with a freshly scrubbed face, his bangs slightly damp. "It was strange, yes." He leaned on the wall, looking anywhere but her.

She was so, thoroughly ashamed. What had gotten into her? Sure, she had had these unwanted, illogical urges before; but this time it had been so strong, so unstoppable! And he had known! How had he known?

What would he think of her now? She was engaged! And they had found themselves in confusing situations before, like when she obviously had stared at him shirtless, or when they almost kissed; or that morning in the tent...

Oh my God... He probably thinks that that was on purpose. He probably thinks...

Her eyes stung with tears, but she refused to let them fall. She had to stop this; she had to prove him that she was not interested in him. Because she wasn't... Right?

"You didn't seem scared." He walked towards his bed and sat, looking at his feet.

No eye contact. He probably was disgusted with her, thinking that she would try to seduce him to betray his precious Akane. Even if the girl didn't want him as more than just a friend.

Her throat tightened, a tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it hastily, composing herself. Better to focus on the matter at hand; they'd finally met her persecutor. Although she couldn't help to feel the all too known sting of rejection.

You're just an obligation, remember?

"Actually, I wasn't. I know it sounds insane but he didn't inspire me fear... He... I don't know."

"It's ridiculous; considering he'd been ready to kill you."

"But why did he stop? He said he's coming back... Why would he leave when he had the perfect chance?"

"Hey! Maybe I did scare him away;" he grouched, offended.

"Yeah, well, not that I doubt your strength or anything, but, did you see him? He was huge and so well built and looked so dangerous..." She replied, still awed by the warrior's looks; she wasn't attracted to him or anything, but she couldn't deny the appeal of him.

"Oh..." He whispered, looking away.

"What? Hey, do you think he's an angel? After all, they're supposed to be beautiful and the warrior was gorgeous." He was, indeed. Not exactly her type, but she wasn't immune to his handsomeness.

And what was her type, anyway?

Lean body, pearly skin, jet-black hair, green eyes... No, wait, blue eyes. Ranchan has blue eyes.

The warrior had blue eyes, too. Why had she said green?

"I see..." He muttered, snapping her from her musings.

"What?" She tilted her head, was he offended because of what she said? Well, he deserved it, the jerk.

"That's why you... For him... Um... Never mind."

"I don't understand what you're implying."

He blushed, still no eye contact.

"I'm just saying that your reaction to him is not what I would have expected."

What was he...? Oh, he probably thought that her, uh... hormonal outburst was because of the warrior. She was about to correct him when she realized she could turn the situation around and prove him that she wasn't after him, as well as to annoy him.

"I was too surprised..." She began, "of course, you have to admit he's stunning; such a magnificent specimen of manliness..." She trailed off. Okay, that had been too much.

His head snapped and his eyes pierced her; narrowed as they were she could still see the crystalline gleam had returned; oh, was he pissed.

"What?" He snarled, wrath overtaking his features. Oh, boy; first he was desperate to get away from her, and now that he thought she was attracted to the warrior, he was mad at her? It was official; she would never, ever, understand this man.

"You can't say you haven't noticed his awesomeness;" she mock praised, peering at his reaction.

He fisted his bedspread so tightly his knuckles seemed like were about to pop. A rapid tongue flashed across his teeth before he talked in a low, matter-of-fact voice.

"You do realize we're talking about your possible murderer here, don't you?"

"Yes! But what a beautiful way to die..." She sighed dreamily.

His eyes nearly popped out.

Don't laugh, Ukyo. Don't you dare laugh.

"You're... I... He's ensnared you. Spelled you. That's it."

"You think?" She pretended to consider that. "Of course, what woman wouldn't fall for the spell of such a perfect, delicious man?"

If she didn't know better, she'd think she'd seen disappointment and jealously behind the anger in his eyes. But she knew better.

"Maybe I should just let him charm you to death next time."

"Maybe. That way you get rid of me and I die happy. He doesn't even have to use his sword," she pushed, "maybe he'll just kiss me to death and—"

In the next second she was pinned on her back, her hands above her head in a dead grip; his breath coming in furious waves on her face. She froze in place, taking in his maddened gaze and his fangs poking out from a snarl.

"Don't you dare even thinking about kissing him." He warned in a low, dangerous tone.

His eyes were jade fire. He was shaking with barely controlled fury, she noted. Okay, maybe she had pushed too far.

"I—"

"I'll shred him to bits." He growled, the black of his eyelashes hiding the fire of his eyes. "That'll show you I'm stronger than him." He threatened.

Ukyo gritted her teeth; oh, so he was just trying to heal his wounded ego, apparently. And here she thought he was mad because he wanted to protect her. The jackass. Her chin went up again, she'll show him something instead.

"Don't tell me what to do, Hibiki. If I want to kiss my executioner, I'll kiss him." His eyes opened in disbelief, his pupils expanding so wide they were almost black; and had his fangs just elongated? "And maybe I'll even beg him to take my—"

"No! YOU'RE MINE!" The bellowed words pierced through her mind like a gunshot, their meaning nailing to her brain. The headboard splintered; light bulbs exploded; the window's glass shattered; the entire room shook. Holy crap, even the ship wobbled a little.

Note to self: avoid pissing Ryoga off when he's already mad.

"Ryoga..."

"You're mine to protect." He clarified, as if realizing what he had just said. His hold on her wrists loosened a bit; though he remained in that position. She couldn't help the wave of disappointment; what had she expected, anyway?

"Promise me you won't do what you just said."

"Ryoga, I—"

"Promise me!"

"Alright! Calm down, I was just messing with you!"

His anger seemed to deflate -barely- and he released her, though he still hovered over her.

"Don't you ever dare to mess around with your life like that again." The harshness of his words slashed through her. "I will not fail my promise, Ukyo."

Right, his part of the deal. He had to keep her alive until this was over so he could gain whatever he had asked for.

And here she had thought he was worried about her... Stupid girl...

"You need to calm down."

"I am calm." The wall on his left cracked, a long fissure snaking from the ceiling to the floor. Ukyo lifted an eyebrow.

"Sure you are." Sensing his stress, the comforting need arose once more, making her body tingling for release. She was so not touching him. "Why don't you just take a nap or something? I'll go for a walk around the ship, there's gotta be something to do here."

"You're not going anywhere alone, Ukyo." He sneered. At least he wasn't shaking anymore.

"Yes, I am;" she retorted while putting on her shoes again; "and you're going to stay here and calm down, unless you want to sink the goddamned ferry."

"What if he comes back?"

"You'll find me. Besides, I have this strange feeling that he's not going to hurt me."

He looked at her as if she had just sprouted another head, then his temper rose up another notch, "are you fucking kidding me?!"

Ukyo rolled her eyes, "that's it, you're going down."

Her hand shot up to his forehead and she shoved forward, pushing his back on the bed; she tried to force the energy towards him and she was astounded at how much vigorously it spouted through her. She had never tried to compel it on purpose to him, all the times before the feeling had simply arisen and it had tried to drive itself to him on its own; but apparently she was very capable to. And it was more powerful when she did.

Hmm….

"That's not going to work, you know?" he said, though his eyes were already back to their normal emerald and his body seemed to have sagged.

"Sleeeeeeeep…" She slurred, gaining a 'get real' look from him, though his lips twitched fighting a smile.

"I'm not going to sleep, Ukyo." He stated firmly, but she noticed he had lost the edge to his voice; he was indeed calming. Good.

"Fine," she stood up, releasing him; her body felt a bit worn out, however the tingling had subsided and she felt relaxed herself. Traces of hurt and shame remained, though. "You're still staying here and chilling while I'm finding something to do outside this room."

"You don't have to go, I'll stay put." He murmured, intertwining his fingers above his stomach, his eyelids half-mast.

"Yes, I do." I need to be away from you. Rejection sucks. "Now sleep."

She left him on her bed, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

A/N: As always I want to thank to all of you who are still reading and reviewing; hopefully this chapter was satisfying. You finally get to know Ukyo's persecutor and the reasons behind her father's behavior, as well as both teens blooming feelings towards each other; and a hint about the plot. Next chapter would hold more answers, so stay alert! Please let me know what you think about this one. Hugs!